By Jessica Gorman

Judge Chichester Chaplin was born in Ireland in November of 1800. He is said to have immigrated to New Orleans at the age of eighteen. There, he studied law under Judge Hennan for several years.

In 1824, Chaplin was married to Eliza Tabitha Beall Edwards Aydelot in St. Tammany Parish. She was the daughter of Haden Edwards. When her father received an empresarial grant from the Mexican government in 1825, the Chaplins were among the group of settlers who joined Edwards in the area of Nacogdoches, Texas. Conflict between established residents of the area and the new empresario began almost immediately.

The election of alcalde, the highest ranking official, added to the already rising tempers. The lines were clearly drawn. The old settlers backed candidate Samuel Norris while the new settlers favored Chichester Chaplin. When the election was held, Haden Edwards declared Chaplin, his son-in-law, the victor. This placed Chaplin at the center of controversy. The old settlers were outraged by the results of the election. They appealed to the political chief of Texas who ordered that Chaplin relinquish the office to Norris.

Edwards and Chaplin did not comply. As punishment, Edwards’s land grant was revoked. In retaliation, a group led by Martin Parmer captured Samuel Norris and others and charged them with corruption. The situation, fueled by Edwards’s obstinance, resulted in Mexican officials sending military forces to Nacogdoches. Edwards and his supporters declared their independence from Mexico and established the Republic of Fredonia. As military forces arrived to put down the uprising, Edwards and his supporters were forced to flee. They sought refuge in Louisiana.

It is unclear where some members of the group went in the immediate aftermath. Chichester Chaplin settled in Natchitoches Parish. His wife, Tabitha, reportedly died later that year. When Claiborne Parish was created in 1828, Chaplin was named Parish Judge. The 1830 census seems to suggest that he lived in the vicinity of Minden, but it is not clear exactly where. By this time, he had also remarried. His new wife was Emily Parmer, daughter of Martin Parmer.

The Chaplins had at least one child while residents of Claiborne Parish. Their son Chichester, who also became a judge, was born here in 1831. When he died in 1916, it was reported that he was born at Minden, but as we know, Minden had not yet been founded in 1831 and the family seems to have returned to Texas before it was.

By 1844, the Chaplins were once again residents of Louisiana, this time in Sabine Parish. Mr. Chaplin served as postmaster at Many and as district attorney for Sabine Parish before becoming district judge, a position that he held through the Civil War. The final years of his life were spent in Natchitoches Parish. Chichester Chaplin died 14 October 1874 and is buried in the American Cemetery in Natchitoches.

(Jessica Gorman is the Executive Director of the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, Webster Parish Historian, and an avid genealogist.)