Thomas Chappell I (1st of the Chappells in America)

First Chappell To Arrive in America

Speedwell sailing ship

Click here to view Chappell Ancestry Back to AD 1450

Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to “develop” often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. The surname of CHAPPELL was a locational name, i.e. “dwelling near a chapel or church”.

This Chappell surname has its interesting origins in early medieval English times with two possible sources.

The first source is from a topographical name for someone who lived close to a church or chapel, derived from the Middle English (1200-1500), Old French “chapel(l)e”, or from the Latin “capella”, which means a hood or cloak but later transferred to the sense of a chapel or sanctuary.

The second source is from an occupational name for someone employed in a chapel, derived from the same elements as the first source. Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognizable distinguishing names.

Some of the spellings can be found as Chappell, Chapell, Chapple, Capelle and Capewell.

Among the sample recordings in London is the christening of Abraham, son of Thomas and Ann Chapple, on August 7th 1623 at St. Botolph’s Cathedral at Bishopsgate.

The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Chapel, which was dated 1202, in the “Pipe Rolls of Norfolk”, during the reign of King John, known as “Lackland”, 1199 – 1216. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax.

Early records of the Chappell name mention John Capel, 1202 County Norfolk. Richard de la Chapele, 1296 Sussex, Johannes del Chapell of Yorkshire, who were listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. William Chappell and Margaret Heeley were married in London in 3689. Thomas, son of Thomas Chapel, was baptized at St. James Church in Clerkenwell in London in 1689. William Kynford of Whitechapple (coachman) married Mary Jenkins at St. Mary Abbey in London in 1705.

The Chappell names were introduced into Britain by the Normans during and in the wake of the Invasion of 1066 and were territorial in origin. The followers of William the Conqueror were a pretty mixed lot, and while some of them brought the names of their castles and villages in Normandy with them. Many were adventurers of different nationalities attached to William’s standard by the hope of capture and plunder and possessing no family or territorial names of their own. Many of them who acquired lands in England were called by their manors or castles. Others took the name of offices or ranks they held in the military.

Sometimes, a younger son of a Norman landowner after receiving a grant of land in Britain would drop his paternal name and adopt that of his newly acquired property.

At first the Coat of Arms was a practical matter which served the function on the battlefield or tournaments. With his helmet covering his face and armor covering a person from head to toe, the Coat of Arms was the only way to identify the person.

The Coat of Arms most associated with the family was granted on 20th October, 1686 to Richard Chappell, Deputy-Auditor-General and has the blazon of a gold shield thereon a black anchor between two chaplets in fess vert. The crest is a head of a lion on top of a shield holding a cup in his paw.

Some mention of these families is made in the write-ups of the homes. We have tried to cover the famed sons and daughters who graduated from Moore Academy – the physicians, engineers, agriculture experts, lawyers, farmers, teachers, nurses, writers, and good citizens. Our “bad apples” have been few. We apologize to any families who may have been omitted.

We will highlight some of our citizens and families briefly.

The Knight family was Vince Knight who married Pansy Peck, a teacher from Indiana, his twin brothers Rob and Roy, and a sister, Audell, who moved to Henderson, North Carolina. Vince Knight was a large man who farmed and raised cattle. “Miss Pansy”, his wife who was an excellent cook noted for her green walnut barbeque sauce. Vince was noted for his huge watermelon patch and cane syrup which he shared freely with everyone. Their children were Dan Peck, Lawrence, Jennie and Edward Wright (Buddy Boy). Roy married Eva Mcrory and they had three children – Roy Aden (killed in a car crash in 1953), Dancove and Molly Roe. Rob married Rose Snell and their children were Adolph, Mary Emma, Sara Jean, John, George and Rob Roy. Roy was a beloved mail carrier for many years. Rob delivered Watkins’ products (spices, etc.) to people who lived in the country. He also served as an assistant mail carrier.

The Fields family moved to Pine Apple where Mr. W.H. Fields, Sr., engaged in the lumber business and for a time was a partner with McDuffie Stallworth. Their children were Billy and Nancy. A wealthy family, they maintained a gracious living style. Mr. Fields taught a Sunday School class at the Methodist Church for many years. There was a story about Billy Fields, Leroy Brasfield and another friend had become angry with an elderly lady. The dear soul went to her outdoor toilet whereupon the three young boys pelted it with rotten eggs. It kept her imprisoned under the foul conditions for some time. Nancy Fields was popular and a Jean Harlow type blonde who attended Sophie Newcombe College. Later she married Jeff Beeland of Greenville and became a licensed pilot. After Jeff’s death, Nancy married Mack Crenshaw.

The Stone family was a large and close-knit family. Andrew Stone and his wife, Emma Meade Stone, moved to Pine Apple from Sardis, near Selma, in the early 1900s. Their children were Mattie Sue, Bertha, Eddie, Mabrey, Emma, Rebecca, Ruby and Andrew Lee. Eddie married Marie Steen and their children were Eddie, Jr., Olivia, Alvin, Melvin and Marcella. Mabry married Herman Grimes and their children were Jennie Meade and Marjorie. Their great annual event was the Fourth of July celebration and barbeque prepared by the elderly, Mr. Stone. He was noted for the way his barbequed goat meat tasted and the aroma which spread over his part of town. Mattie Sue married J.G. Griffith. They had one daughter, Jean. Bertha married Melton McWilliams – no children.

The Fuller family was headed up by Mr. I.W. Fuller, the L & N Railroad agent in Pine Apple. Mr. Fuller lost his wife in 1928 when their children were quite small. He raised his family of Ike, Ruth and Van and each one became professionals, which was a tribute to their mother and ever faithful father.

Another prominent family was the Cones. Loui Pharr Cone, Sr. married Maggie Neal Fleming. Their children were Margaret, Loui, Carolyn, Fred, Mickey and Alaire. Margaret married Murray Rambo. Loui married Margaret McFaden. Carolyn married Ike Fuller. Ike had a distinguished career with the Department of the Navy after graduating from Auburn. Loui, Jr. won a field commission in Iwo Jima and several distinguished medals for service as a U.S. Marine during the World War II battle for Iwo Jima. Fred was a football hero at Auburn.

The Chappell family added much to life in Pine Apple. Oren Daniel Chappell and Phenie Jones (Mr. D and Miss Phenie as they were affectionately known) were the parents of a large family. They all participated in sports, plays and other forms of entertainment. Mr. D was a mail carrier. Alfonso was the eldest son and Oren Daniel, Jr. was another son, who died when he was only two years old. There were three daughters; Viola, Edna and Ruth. Alfonso married Ada Lucille Moore and they had three children, Wynona, Alfonso, Jr. (Bubber) and Russell. Viola married Hamp Stinson and they had one daughter, Ann. Edna married Joseph Russell (Pap) Melton (another prominent Pine Apple family) and they had two children, Betty Ruth and Jimmy. Ruth married John Woodson and they had one son, John Daniel (Danny).

“Mr. D” owned one of the first radios in Pine Apple. His radio was only a pair of earphones. Young people, who were always welcomed at the Chappell’s, would gather around and take their turns listening over the two earphones.The Jackson and Williamson families were aristocratic in the civic and social improvement of the Pine Apple community. Millard Frank Jackson, Sr. married Nora Keane. Their children were Frank, Jr. and Ethel. Ethel married E.L. Williamson, a principal of Moore Academy. Ethel was a charming, highly articulate person who worked unceasingly with the New Century Club, the school and the library. Their children were Jack (an attorney), Lenore, Lamar (a CPA) and Mary Matherson.

When the Melton estate in Pine Apple was sold, Millard Frank Jackson, Sr. purchased the mercantile business from the estate and operated it until his death. Frank, Jr., and E.L. Williamson, his son-in-law, then operated the store until it was purchased by the Hale Brothers. Miss Ethel Keane, Johnny Mack Feagin, B.B. Williamson, Sr., Will Burson and Booster Johnson were prominent associates of the store and the local cotton gin.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Mr. Frank Jackson also had a radio in his home or at the store, where folks would gather around and listen to Alabama football games and championship fights on the radio.

Just when America needed it most, during the Great Depression, the miracle of radio came along to open the windows of the world to them, It enriched their lives and caused them to forget – momentarily at least – the hardships of the times.

And since this was a convenience shared only by city folks at the time, the citizens of Pine Apple enjoyed to the fullest extent this new “wonder of the times”.