The records of William Jehial Burgess have been updated, thanks to the Burgess family records. William's second wife was Mary Jane Chute who we had recorded as simply "Mary". Anna or Annie Burgess, the eldest daughter of his first marriage to Amelia Illsley, was the wife of Mayor Henry Judson Chute, so those with gedcoms, note the link. The Burgess Family has a terrific photo of Mary Jane, the daughter of William Henry Chute and Lovina Skinner.
Also, thanks to one family data worksheet submitted by Anne Gertrude Chute, and another by Eliza W. Swift Chute (Mrs. Arthur Chute), the Ariel Parish Chute line has been brought up to date ... give or take a few children who have arrived since 1966, of course! This is the Chute family line that more than likely has been carrying around Lionel's pedigree ... and if it's still with us, obviously, they've been taking very good care of it! I'm still trying to find a current address for one of them.
Lastly, the Trudeau/Roberts database located through Ancestry.com, "The Ancestry of Lawrence Michael Roberts" provided additional data on the Donald Ross Chute family, as well as helping us locate son Paul Joseph Chute of that family.
Steve Chute has informed us that Margaret Claire ("Margy") Chute passed away last night of a heart attack. She is the daughter of Glen Chute, and, coincidentally, I was just then reviewing the correspondence between Margaret and my grandfather, and had been asking her relatives for her whereabouts, hoping to chat with her about it. Poems that she'd written in memory of her mother and father, have been added to her notes section, with more to be added. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family.
The good news is that the famous parchment scroll that Lionel brought with him has been traced forward as recently as 1979, still in the possession of one of the descendants of Ariel Parish Chute. I'm going to assume that the descendant, Richard Chute, M.D., of Massachusetts is still with us - somewhere! - and the search for the solution to this mystery continues - (why does this make me feel like Peter Sellers in a trenchcoat, slipping on the recently waxed floor, with the theme from the "Pink Panther" as accompaniment?) - it's quite possible that he has no idea that so many people are searching for it - or are even still interested in its whereabouts, for that matter. Whether or not it's still legible is another matter - but we're getting closer! Also, copies of the documentation supporting the acceptance of the Chute family pedigree by the New England Historical and Genealogical Society is in the mail and should be arriving shortly. Their Committee on Heraldry has been tremendously helpful, in the person of Henry Beckwith, who is very familiar with the surname "Chute"!
I can only assume that I was bleary-eyed with Chutes when I typed up the contents of the 1978 Update - it appears I missed an entire family: the Frank Merley Chute family, on p. 55. My sincerest apologies to that entire family, which was updated thanks to two Family Data Worksheets received: the first from his son Ralph MacDonald Chute in 1954, and the second from son Rev. Roger Allan Chute in 1957.
Ralph, located in Dearborn, Michigan at the time, had inherited some of his aunt Lillian ("Lillie") Chute Henry's keepsakes, among them a list of the dates of birth and death for the children of Sidney Chute and Harriet Ann Markle Chute. From that list, I've added two more children to the family records, Priscilla Anne and Abraham, the second of whom died in infancy, and it is possible Priscilla did also, for her siblings were not mentioning her in their own correspondence later on.
Two family data worksheets were completed for this branch of the family: the first by Harry Ellison Chute and his mother Marietta Bishop Chute, and the second by John William Chute, son of Harry Ellison. It was interesting that the only brief biographical sketch Marietta Bishop Chute wrote out - and it took some effort as she was physically disabled at the time and found it difficult to write - was for her daughter Elizabeth Estelle ("Lizzie") Chute:
"Went through all the grades at Bear River (illegible) and after completing her studies at Bear River went to St. John (New Brunswick) and took a business course and after graduation went to Edmonton, Alberta and had a position with a law firm of Wallhedge as stenographer. Later married Charles Allison Wilkins. She died in 1930, leaving two children, Robert Burnside and Helene May, Her husband died later."
Obviously she took a great pride in her daughter's intelligence, self-sufficiency and level of education (although it says something for the time that, after all of that, she was only able to find work as a stenographer), but, again, for the time period, this was an accomplishment worth mentioning.
Winifred Jean Hall Chute submitted a Chute Family Data Worksheet on 27 Jan 1967, which updated the Allan Joseph Chute family in Toronto, in particular the marriage of her son Michael Osbourne Chute and her nephew, Bryan Charles Chute, which have been added to the records. However, she signed the letter "Jean W. Chute", so it is possible her first and middle names have been reversed - if anyone knows what real name is, let us know!
In 1969, a Chute relation and descendant, Zenas ("Jack") Sanford drew a chart that would set just about anyone's eyeballs rolling, trying to follow the crossed lines and multiple marriages. Zenas was named after our very own Zenas Eliakim Chute (entry below), and wasn't very happy about it, commenting "Thank goodness they didn't add "Eliakim" too." - he much preferred to be known simply as "Jack." He may be known to some of you as the author of a Sanford genealogy, which I'm trying to locate - anyone familiar with it?
At the head of this chart is Daniel Chute, and his wife Sarah Weare, and their two sons, Joseph Chute, and his twin brother, Benjamin Chute. Joseph Chute married Mary Ann Sanford, the daughter of John Newcomb Sanford and Charlotte Woodworth, herself the daughter of Ezekiel Woodworth and Mary Chute, daughter of Samuel Chute. John Newcomb Sanford and his wife had at least two other children: Richard Harding Sanford and Ezekiel Peyor Sanford. Ezekiel Peyor we hadn't recorded, and he has been added, but Richard Harding Sanford was the same R.H. Sanford who was recorded as having married Jerusha Chute, the daughter of Benjamin Chute and wife Susannah Rogers.
Ezekiel Peyor Sanford married Louisa Millner, who may in fact be related to the Millner and Milner relations of the same area, but that isn't confirmed. They did, however, have at least one son: Charles W. Sanford, who we already knew as the first husband of Laura Belle Henshaw, one of the daughters of Jemima Chute and John Edward Henshaw, Jr.
Richard Harding Sanford was already recorded as the husband of Rebecca Potter, and Jerusha Chute would have been his second wife. This marriage (Sanford and Potter) produced Prudence Sanford, the wife of Handley Chipman Chute, and Ida Lillian Sanford, who married Herbert Alexander Henshaw, the son of, again, Jemima Chute and John Edward Henshaw, Jr. (Jemima being one of the daughters of Joseph. There is some discrepancy between the records of the Henshaw/Hinshaw family and Zenas's chart, as he records Ida Lillian as the daughter of Jerusha Chute, while the Henshaws record her as the daughter of Rebecca Potter. (Until given reason to do otherwise, I'm sticking with the Henshaw version, as they have more reliable source material for their records.)Meanwhile, back to Benjamin. He and Susannah Rogers contributed to this confusion, by having at least four offspring marrying into the Henshaws and the Sanfords: first is (1) Jerusha and Richard Harding Sanford, who had the three children: John M. Sanford, Ida and Edward Peyor Sanford.
John M. Sanford married two sisters, (2) Syrena A. Chute, who married him in 1873, and her sister (3) Amanda E. Chute, who married him three years later in 1876, both daughters of Benjamin. Ida Lillian Sanford married Herbert Alexander Henshaw, the son of Jemima Chute and John Edward Henshaw, Jr. And Edward Peyor Sanford married Serena Edith Minard, the daughter of David Minard and (4) Louisa A. Chute, Louisa being the fourth of the Benjamin offspring mentioned above.
Edward Peyor Sanford and Serena Edith Minard are the parents of Zenas ("Jack") Sanford, who has now descended from two Chutes: Jerusha and Louisa, both daughters of Benjamin, and Richard Harding Sanford, the grandson of Mary Chute, and son-in-law of Joseph Chute, Benjamin's twin brother. Jack had one of the most unusual personalities I've ever read - blunt, honest, self-deprecating and passionately in love with his wife, who (so far) he hasn't mentioned by name! His memories of Chutes, Sanford and Henshaws past and present will be added to his notes section, but because he was a writer of lengthy and involved letters, this may take a while. The data has been added, the source information and notes are not included yet.
In 1966, Donald Zenas Chute, a nephew of Zenas Eliakim Chute, did an enormous amount of research to update the Family Records on a number of relatives - all the while keeping up his daily farm work in Saskatchewan - and while his wife was recovering from a broken hip and laid up in a local hospital! As a result of his work, the records of the following Chutes have been revised, updated, or sourced: Lena Evans Chute, Harry Newton Chute, Noble Brown Chute, Ella Viola ("Nellie") Chute, Edith May Annie Chute, Alice Goldie Chute, John Manning Chute, and their children and grandchildren.
He also mentions a Chute book compiled by his Uncle Roland Arthur Chute, which we're hoping someone has seen. See his notes section.
Source references and some date additions have been made to the records of George Douglas Chute, Alma Louise Chute, Lloyd Arnold Chute, Myrtle Pauline Chute, Harold Malcomb Chute, Arnold Vincent Chute, Annie Mae Chute, Gerald Otis Chute, Gladys Mildred Chute, Charles Herbert Chute, Sarah Elizabeth Chute, Thomas Fletcher Chute, and wife Anna Eugenia Chute, Francis J. Chute, Andrew M. Chute and Julian S. Chute, Janet Elizabeth Chute and Lizzie May Chute.
Lizzie May, by the way, married a Victor Cleveland and was the mother of a Philip Cleveland, according to existing records. Marion B. McCormick, daughter of Jane Elizabeth, pointed out that "Philip Cleveland" was in fact the rather well known Reverend Philip Jerome Cleveland, a well known minister, poet and author.We received a great e-mail from a student at the University of North Carolina, who had some information on Horatio Nelson Chute:
"When Mr. Chute retired from what was then called Ann Arbor High School in 1927, the staff and alumni were so sorry to lose him that they raised a bunch of money in his honor to start up the Horatio N. Chute award, which was to be giving to the outstanding male citizen of the graduating class. 75 years later, it is still the school's most prestigious honor, and I was very honored to win it this year. We have the biggest high school in the state, and through this award, Mr. Chute's name is still known to many students and parents."Tom Jensen, University of North Carolina, 2002 Winner of the Horatio N. Chute Award, Pioneer High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
So congratulations again, Tom, from the entire Chute family ... !
The records of Grace Viola Chute, formerly known only as Grace Chute, and her sisters, have been added to the records - Grace was one of the three daughters of Hiram Frederick Chute, and the dates of death for Hiram and his wife have been updated - note the revision in Hiram's wife's name from "Ada Z. Mabee" to "Ada ZILLA Mabee". Grace Viola was a graphic artist in Atlanta, Georgia - the letterhead she used for correspondence was so impressive, I've added a picture of it to her notes section.
... it appears that if the Chute family has one failing, it is that we continue to duplicate each other's work! I've found two letters from Walter John Chute of Nova Scotia, who was on sabbatical in London in 1970, to my grandfather. While he was on sabbatical, he writes, "I amused myself digging up Chute records in England." And he wasn't joking - he did find the record on Adam Chewte/Chute, although I'm not quite sure where to slot him. Was he Alexander's Uncle? Father? Those of you interested in the British Chute history and lineage will find his letters VERY interesting ... they have been transcribed in his Notes section. And no ... he never bought "Baron Edouard LeChute" story, either!
For the record, I am going to add the COMPLETELY UNSUPPORTED line of Adam (as Alexander's father, although there is no proof of this) and then the deChete records, above Alexander, as it appears that the record of Adam Chute in Taunton was a legitimate one. It will be up to our generation or a subsequent one to confirm or re-write that tentative line ... I'm tossing the names into the database, not because the conections are proven ones, but because they vaguely match the oral history we have been tossing around for generations. And now, if we could only track down Walter's papers, to find out what original source he was looking at!
He also located more documentation on the career of Phillip of Appledore - including a rather humorous reference to the pay records (during the Seige of Boulogne) for "300 1/2 men in the group with a Captain, Philip and four horse-keepers." How can you have half a man?
He mentions records of Lionel Chute also being school master in Dedham, England ... is he confusing Lionel's being school master in Ipswich with being schoolmaster in Dedham or was Lionel a schoolmaster in both places? For those of us interested in Lionel's records (Lionel, are you reading this?), the exact paragraph is:
"I have seen a copy of Lionel's father's (also a Lionel) who died 24 July 1592 - he left Lionel Junior a horse! Lionel Sr.'s brother Arthur who lived in Wrentham, Suffolk (nearby) is also connected. So also another brother Christopher. These were three sons of Anthony, brother to Philip.
It seems obvious that Lionel was in Dedham 1613-14 - thus earlier than the Nov. 1621 when he became master in the school. He witnessed various wills in Dedham 1627 - 1638. The last date surprises me - he was, it seems, replaced in the school 1632-33 and it is known that he was in Ipwsich, Mass in 1639.
I should have liked to have found record of Lionel's marriage and his taking ship to America. It seems shipping records here are troublesome. Many were lost. Others quite deliberately not made out because of general turmoil - religious and otherwise. I believe Governor Winthrop's passage is not documented, nor Samuel Symonds'. Symonds became Deputy Governor of the Mass. Colony. He was step-father to James Chute's wife. I would have liked to have seen the record book of Lionel's school in Dedham. It still existed in 1937. My attempts on the vicar at Dedham and at the Essex Record Office at Chelmsford have not revealed its hiding place. Chelmsford has the original charter and other records from the school."
Lastly, opening up an entirely new 'can of worms' on the pedigree issue, he asserts that Baron Edouard never appeared on the English pedigrees at all! So who DID invent him?
Anyway - two very interesting letters - enjoy.
Updated information added to the files of William Henderson Chute And son Alan William Chute of Los Angeles - the worksheet was completed by Alan William, but the date of receipt is not known. Information on his brother Harry Frank Chute was completed by his wife Clara Irene Stevick Chute, which answered some questions, but raised others: she identifies her father-in-law as "Charles Fairchild Chute", while he is generally recorded as "Charles Hubble Chute" - her mother-in-law's name has been altered from "Mary B. Henderson" to Mary Belle Henderson. Her letter, sent a short time after her husband's death, was heart-rendering, but informative as to his various jobs and social activities.
Now, if anyone out there can interpret THIS piece of information, the rest of us will be forever grateful: in the cover letter accompanying the Family Data Worksheet on her husband Arthur Murray Chute, Theresa Burns Chute wrote:
"My husband Arthur passed away six years ago. His Aunt, Miss Grace Chute, who lived in So. Weymouth, Massachusetts, used to work on the Chute genealogy, and had quite a few records. She gave them to Arthur, but after he passed away, I sent them to her daughter who is now living in Prospect Heights, Milford, Massachusetts. Her name is Mrs. Marshall Sanborn. I forgot to mention Miss Grace Chute passed away also."Theresa Burns Chute to George M. Chute, Jr., 20 NOV 1966
Assuming that Miss Grace Chute behaved herself as a proper Victorian should and doesn't have illegitimate daughters running around, does anyone recognize the name "Marshall Sanborn" and have any idea who she's referring to?
Another Chute branch with a large number of entries missing was the Edgerton Richardson Chute family - this is the same gentleman who has been variously identified as "Edgerton Herbert" and "Edgerton Robert" in different records. The definitive version of his name was provided in a detailed Family Data Worksheet written by his daughter Gladys Anna Chute Colgrove, who ought to know what his name actually was, if anyone would, and the records have been amended to reflect his correct name, and the large number of descendants in that branch of the family.
Gordon Murray Chute submitted a Family Data worksheet, although the date was not included - he did update his own family tree, at least up through 1961.The birth dates (and some of the dates of death) were provided for the children of Isaac Merton Chute: this information changed the birth order, and Max Clarence Chute was demoted from first in line to second to last in line, in this family. My problem is with the name of the source, identified on the worksheet as "Mamie in Vienna" (Vienna, Ontario, Canada, not the Austrian Vienna) - I suspect this may be Maria (Mary) Alexia Blundell Chute - if anyone knows whether or not she went by the nickname "Mamie", let me know. Note the daughter's name change from Neva Mary Irene to Neva Mary IRENA.
A Family Data worksheet completed by Deanna Jean Weer Chute, wife of Richard Martin Chute in 1966, has been added to the source records. Those with Gedcoms should note that two later additions to the Chute - Backus family were recorded on this worksheet.
As you've seen, the folks at the Chute Homestead in Naples, Maine, were terrific at collecting information from and about Chutes that passed through their part of the world and passing it along - on May 4, 1958, Philip Conrad Chute passed along a few such items that had been collected by his aunt Lilla May Chute Bean - some of these may have actually been collected by Philip's father James Cleveland Chute, as at least one item is dated July 23, 1938 (Philip would have been only 18 at the time), and the other appears to have been even earlier. All of this was made even more confusing by the fact that there were two "Lila"s mentioned: Lilla May Chute Bean (mistakenly written as "Lila" now and again), and Mary Lila Chute of Pasadena, the daughter of James Thurston Chute.
This first item is interesting - and perhaps there is someone in the Chute Family who can place a woman's hairstyle in a particular time frame and might want to take a look at this card - an announcement card (3"x5" in size), for the "Screenland Beauty Shop", Hollywood Boulevard. (What is a "Marcel Waver", and when was "bobbing" all the rage?) In any event, on the reverse of this card, the following story is written with a fountain pen, although I'm not sure who wrote it:
"Samuel Hews, who married Helen E.A. Day. Contested for her love with another young man. The 2 men went to California in 1849 - to the gold fields & talked about the girl they had left behind & made a compact that when they returned that whichever one won the girl, the other should give them 6 gold spoons as a wedding gift. Mr. Chute won the girl & the other one sent the solid gold spoons & Lila Chute has seen them and heard the story."On the very bottom of this card, in different handwriting, and in ballpoint pen, is written: "I know (or knew) Lila Chute well. - Alice" ... I believe the "Alice" is an Alice Church, mentioned in Philip's letter (more on her in a moment) - so we know Mary Lila didn't write on the card, and Alice didn't write the story - so who did? And do the Seegers have anything to do with the story? Or did someone just jot the story down on a handy advertisement while having their hair "bobbed"?
As for Alice Church, there is a considerable number of individuals from the Chute, Church and Hasty families, based in Naples, Maine ... Alice doesn't appear to be recorded, however. Philip's letter to George M. Chute, Jr. in 1958, says,
"I'm sending along a note from my father's sister Lilla Chute Bean. I had written, wondering what had happened to all Alice Church's collections of Chute, Church and Hasty history. It seems she was a good historian right to the last and her records are in Midland, Michigan! The little cards and notes about Chutes are typical, she sends them to all of us. I have some here I can hardly read."
Actually, Phil was not entirely accurate in his rendering of his aunt's letter, which says, "I will send you a few letters I have had from Alice Church. The Chute History is in the Maine Historical Building in Portland. She sent about all her books to a John Church - great-nephew? - in Michigan, Midland. The Chutes in Michigan can get in touch with him."
The letters she mentioned were not attached to this letter, so may have not been forwarded, or may have been filed elsewhere.
I'm not sure if that meant she gave papers to the "Maine Historical Building", or if she gave William E. Chute's Chute Genealogies to them - but apparently, the Maine Historical Society has something, related to the Chute family!
Among the other items sent: a business card from a "John W. Chute" who was a "Sales-Service Representative, Electric Razor Division, Remington Rand" in Portland, Maine with the comment, "This Chute fixed my electric razor. Says he has heard from you, but I don't think he replied - he is a Nova Scotian." (I don't think whoever wrote on this card meant to imply that his being a Nova Scotian explained the lack of a reply ...!) There is a John W. Chute whose family moved from Nova Scotia to Maine, but only because he drowned at sea in 1866, and this business card is much more recent ... as are business cards in general, as is the Electric Razor Division of Remington Rand, so I'm still searching for the match.
Finally, there is another Alice Church note, dated 23 July 1938 that read:
"Lila Chute of Pasadena told me today (she is 86 yr) that "Willie Young Chute"'s wife first name was Mollie and that she was a nurse from England. Was in San Francisco at the time of the great quake in 1906 and was called to Los Gatos, California, on a case in the family of Grace Fairchild Jacobs, where she met Willie Young Chute who was visiting his sister after delivering one or more carloads of flour to the quake sufferers, sent from Minnesota in his charge. They fell in love and were married some [time] later."
Actually, the wife's official name was "Edith May Pickburn", although she may have gone by the nickname "Mollie" - and this would have been the mother of the famous Chute authors, Beatrice Joy, Marchette and Mary Grace Chute ... one of Marchette's works being, of course, Shakespeare in London.
A few more records have been added to the "Miscellaneous Records" sections, in Great Britain and Ireland.
All of the children of Frederick Chute and Louise Mather Chute have been added to the records, along with their spouses and children ... and this was a family of fourteen children, so the number of Chutes and allied family members just increased dramatically. The data was provided by both Frederick and Louise, over a period of several years - and it looks like we're still missing the latest generation, so if any of these names belong to someone in your immediate family, we'd love to hear from you.
A record of the birth and christening of a Francis Thomas Chute looks suspiciously similar to the records of the emigration of Thomas Chute, who arrived in Australia with the British Navy, and remained, serving as best man for his friend Alvin Edwin Millard. As with most genealogical records, there are two discrepancies: the Australian records list his mother as "Emma", while the British records list her as "Mary". Until we can confirm that her name was, in fact, "Mary Emma", or that his father married twice - in short, until we can get confirmation of anything useful - we're keeping the records close, but separate. The other discrepancy is that the Thomas who arrived in Australia was recorded as being 28 in May of 1870 when he arrived. If he were born in June of 1842, Francis Thomas wouldn't turn 28 until June of 1870, a month later. Neither discrepancy is serious enough to discount the possible connection, however - someone just subtracting a birth year of 1842 from the arrival year of 1870 would have arrived at "28", if they didn't take the month of the year into account.
The possibility of additional daughters in the Addie Sophronia Chute and John Ferguson marriage was raised in a letter written by the grandson of Addie's daughter Irene Adelle Simpson Ferguson, Craig Ferguson Misener to George M. Chute, Jr., in 1978 -- I'm still sorting through documentation for additional information.Marriage date and location information for Willys Glen Chute and Claire Wallman have been uploaded, the source being a 1951 letter from brother Edward Clark ("Ted") Chute.
Thanks to a letter from Verna Danbrook Chute, written in 1969, I've corrected the name of her husband from "George Gerald" to "Gerald George", so those with Gedcoms might want to take note. She also provided the dates of death for Marion Louise Chute and Vera Trask Chute.
The correspondence between Edward Clark ("Ted") Chute and my grandfather included a photograph of three brothers, Glenn Chute, Ted's father Alfred Edward Chute and Andrew Augustus ("Andy") Chute, standing in front of the Dawson Creek Zero Mile Marker, in 1962. The correspondence also included a number of consecutive annual Christmas letters, which are not only a joy to read, but will undoubtedly remind our very own Frederick Stephen ("Steve") Chute of the many years he spent on his thesis ... the entire process dutifully recorded by his loving father, as he went through it. Another reminder: if you're thinking of sending out Christmas letters this year, be sure and put me on your mailing list!
Family Data Worksheets were added to the source records for Jared Leslie Chute, Jared Troop Chute, Gilbert Welcome Chute, Charles Tower Chute, James Hamilton Chute, and Ramond Clare Chute, with many more to go ... these are the Family Data Worksheets which were received in the 1950's through the 1970's. The reason I'm having to review all of the earlier work is to make certain that they didn't arrive after publication (some of them did), and to add data such as marriage dates and comments which were not included in the 1978 supplement.
Harvey Israel Chute mailed in a Family Data Worksheet in 1959, which has been added to his family's records as the original source - the given name of the youngest son of Keith Kenzie Chute was written as "Garham", but I wondered if this wasn't an accidental misspelling of the name "Graham". I've recorded him under both names, until I get the correct first name confirmed.
An art gallery in the midst of researching a painting in their possession asks if we know of a "Max Chute, the artist who resided in Oregon in 1926." I took a wild guess and suggested Max Leo Chute, but only because he lived in the right area and time frame, although his being an artist isn't in the Family records. If anyone can confirm this (or has another Max to nominate), let me know! (Might even be a "Maxine" - they didn't specify the gender).
Some Family Data Worksheets added to the records have changed a few birthdates and residence locations: Arthur Roderick Chute completed his in 1955 - at this point, his second child, Robin Marie, was still "due in July" - we had both Arthur and his brother born in Brookline, while he says they were born in Boston; the spelling of Delores Keller has been corrected to "Dolores". Earl Henry Chute returned his on September 19, 1966, with a cover letter from the company he apparently owned, "E.C. Office Supplies" in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He asked about the whereabouts of a "Helen Chute Arbogast" - the reason was, "we have been trying very hard to know something about her to clear up an estate." I don't find record of an "Arbogast" surname in our records, so hoped the name rang a bell with someone. He also provided the correct date of death for his mother, Sophie Christine Paulsen Chute. Frederick Butterfield Chute provided additional birth and date of death information on his family in March of 1951 - this added data to the records of Samuel Sharp Chute, Frederick Hawley Chute and James Thurston Chute; also, those with Gedcoms should note that he corrected the spelling of the spouse of Earl Henry Chute from "Doris Jane Kime" to "Doris Ione Kime".
Claudia Roberta Cunnington Chute, married to Curtis Cecil Chute, filled out a Family Data Worksheet in 1966, shortly after the birth of daughter Tammy Lynn. "We have a baby girl - needless to say, we are all her slaves. The children just love her and spoil her. She is just getting big enough to laugh and "goo" and the other children just love to hear her.", she wrote. Claudia was the source of the information on sisters-in-law Doreen Eleanor Chute Gibbs and Hazel Shirley Chute Wright. She also provided information on her own parents, which I've added to the web site.
Last - and those of you with Gedcoms might want to get your pencils out - I've been trying to translate a folder of correspondence between my grandfather and Emerin Semple Keene Chute, wife of Mervyn Lyde Chute. Mervyn Lyde is a direct descendant of William Lyde Wiggett Chute, so we have added about 15 names you've never seen before to this line: Mervyn Russell Chute, Anthony Vere Chute, Edward Russell Chute, Lawrence Vere Chute, to name a few of the additions. Emerin was on a year-long tour of the United States at the time this information was collected, so letters arrived, on the run, from all over the country. I haven't uploaded any notes yet, just data, but there is a lot of interesting family information she collected from various Aunts and Great-Aunts as she went along - there are about 15 or 20 letters to translate.
One of the treasures located in my grandfather's files was an 11-page (single-spaced) family history, written by Minnie Gertrude Chute Sellers, daughter of John Milton Chute, in 1948.
Being raised in urban areas all of my life, there are some things which I just never had the chance to learn. For example, all of us have heard the nursery rhyme, "Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man …" - but how many of us actually know what a "patty cake" is? I'd always thought it referred to the act of slapping (or 'patting') the palms of the hands together in time to the rhythm of the song - and, naturally, I was wrong! I learned what a "patty cake" actually was, reading this Family History, and said, "Ohhhhhhhhhh!! THAT'S what the song means!" Those of us living now, if you find this history as entertaining and informative as I did, should realize that future generations will find OUR family histories just as interesting. Minnie, for example, lived during at least two significant events in America's history: the invention of the automobile, and the change from oil lighting to electric lighting, both of which she mentions in her history.
Coincidentally, as I was typing this Family History, I received a copy of a photograph of the "Andrew Chute House", which is one of the houses she mentions in this piece, from a wonderful gentleman named Frank Brackenbury. Frank was able identify a few Chutes in the photo - I have a Nova Scotia cousin's family giving it their best shot at identifying others, if they can. As I downloaded the photo, I realized it wasn't just the photo of the house - there were at least 30 Chutes and relations posed in front of it, taken at the turn of the century or thereabouts, and my jaw just about hit the floor when I first saw this photo. It is way too large to upload to the web site, but it is not too large to mail out, upon request. So while I know you're all tired of me adding new categories to this site, I just have to - I've added the "Photos On Request" category. There are a few other photos that were too large to upload to the web site, but were so terrific, I'd hate to have them go unseen, or so badly cropped that the details are lost. I'll add other photos to this area when I find them - for now, anyone interested in this astounding photo, just send me an e-mail and I'll send it. (The line of scowling Chute children in the front row cracked me up - some of them looked just like the "Our Gang" kids, in very bad tempers.)
From Steven Eckwielen: "I have some sad news ... my grandmother, Mae Gilbert (Chute) passed away on Monday, 9-2-2002 at 7:10 a.m. in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The family was there to say goodbye and she was very happy to have the chance to hold my son, who is two months old. For me there was closure and happy memories. I believe the same can be said for the rest of my family. I received four large binders after she passed containing many, many pictures, a very lengthy family history that was hand written, and numerous other genealogy related things ... Grandma did a great job documenting the family tree."
As always, our collective love and prayers are with Steve and his family.
I've added a new category to the Index page, on the Chute Coat of Arms. The best example of it can still be found on Lance Chute's web site (see "Links"), but I am adding historical records of various types, and the correspondence with College of Arms mentioned in the "Mysteries" section. More will be uploaded shortly; I've just stuck in a copy of an item from the Boston Transcript on the Chute Coat of Arms, from 1937.
A letter written by Estella K. Chute (nee Langdon) provided some details on the passing of Earle Frazer Chute in 1952 ... note the spelling of the first name ('Earle', not 'Earl') and a new residence location for 1952. The pertinent details of the letter have been added to their notes.
An obituary of Paul Jones Chute was found in the same file as Isaiah Chute's memorial program, which added three children to the records of Rupert James Chute and Lelia J. Robinson. His sister ("Mrs. Fannie Chute Darling of Franklin") was undoubtedly the "Fannie" who attended the gathering. Unfortunately, no date or source was given for the obituary, so the records will have to be obtained elsewhere - also unavailable is the correct birth order of the three children mentioned, so they have been added to the records in the order of mention in the obituary.
Many of you will recall the earliest copy machines - where the contents came out smudgy and in sepia tones ... one of the problems with those early copy machine results was that they do begin to fade. A copy of a souvenir program duplicated in that fashion back in 1970, handed out at an event on 29 March 1907 was forwarded first to Philip Conrad Chute and then forwarded to George M. Chute, Jr., from Roslyn Chute - I'm going to see if we can't preserve the copy somehow.
The event was a "Complimentary Reception and Dinner" held in honor of the 84th birthday of Isaiah Chute, at the United States Hotel in Boston. The event was thrown by his sons and daughters ... and as he had lots of those, this was a large celebration. We have only a partial guest list.
The speech given by James Milledge Chute is especially interesting. Obviously, some of the Chute history he reports has been proven to be inaccurate, but two things struck me as noteworthy: the description of Cuthbert Chute as the brother, not the son of John Chute - meaning Cuthbert is also a son of Alexander Chute in this version - AND the casual mention that Lionel Chute had traveled to the American Colonies on the ship "The Lion" - we had all been assuming it was the Hercules, I believe. "The good ship Lion had tripped her anchor and sailed out of Bristol Bay, having on board a number of pilgrim passengers destined for the new world. Among them, Lionel Chute, the true parent of the family in America. After a tempestuous voyage they arrved at Agawam, or Ipswich, in Essex County, of the Massachusetts Bay Colony." So, if any of us can locate the passenger list for "The Lion" - I have no idea where James Milledge Chute came by that piece of information, but lacking anything more substantial, we'll go with his version for the moment, since we sure haven't been able to find Lionel on the "Hercules". His description of the offspring of Trevor Chute is incorrect, however; he was childless, and the individuals he lists were nephews and other relations.
The alternate version of the genealogical line in Britain is still being prepared. Cuthbert as the son and not grandson of Alexander Chute is the second version, which is PROBABLY the version Lionel brought with him.
Want to mention a number of Chutes and Chute descendants who checked in just before, during or while my system was down - if anyone else checked in in the last 2-3 weeks, check-in again, as it might have scrolled out of my e-mail. Planning to update or correct the family records:
Janet Chute Armstrong checked in - there are a number of Janet's who need updating, so until she sends in the Family Data Worksheet, I haven't been able to determine which one she is - and it's always nice to find another Armstrong to add to the records! Susan Chute, who works in the Lincoln Center Library in New York dropped a line - Susan is the daughter of Burton Elbert Chute - and while she was at it, solved one of our UFO's - the Eleanor Chute who is the well-known education writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Susan's cousin), she tells me, is indeed the daughter of Merlin Maples Chute. John W. Chute also checked in, wanting to update his family records.
Mike Wiggett, in researching his family, has gotten back to his Great-Great-Grand-Great Grandfather, Anthony Wiggett, born in England in 1797 - he thinks the Reverend James Wiggett, father of our William Lyde Wiggett Chute, may be an Uncle or father of this Anthony Wiggett ... Chute research has only found two children of that marriage, and it's always possible there are more. We're adding Mike to the researchers' records, for anyone else interested in the Wiggett family line. Pam Taylor also wrote in - Pam is a descendant of Elizabeth Chute and John Taylor, and provided the name of Thomasine Isaac's father, John Isaac of Levington, Sussex. She also has a date of death for John of 1560 - we had 1550, so we're recording both. She says that her line of descent comes down to her Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Dr. Edward Taylor of Monmouth County, New Jersey (b. 1763, d. 1835). A prolific woman, our Elizabeth Chute!
Painted Turtle, who is researching the Genealogy of Pocahontas' father, Chief Wahunsonacook Powhantan - was wondering if anyone knew who Powhantan's father, Apachamo, married. Anyone who has tried to research Native American genealogy knows how tough a task that is - so if anyone was looking into the Pocahontas-Chute connection and happened to run across anything with some data on her family, check the researcher's section.
On May 19, 1964, two daughters of William Edison Chute, Lillian Frances and Gertrude Ann, were far away from home (Madison, Wisconsin), visiting the state of Maine. They dropped in to the Chute Homestead in Naples, enjoyed a chat with Philip Conrad Chute (son of James Cleveland Chute, who founded the Homestead) about Chutes, and, according to Phil, were observed "prowling around in the Chute Cemetery". (Lillian would have been 52 at the time and Gertrude 48, so trying to imagine these two distinguished Chute family matrons 'prowling' around a cemetery gave me my laugh for the day). Phil then sent their current home addresses to my grandfather along with his comments, which have been added to their notes section - the original is in their father's file folder.
My grandfather also sent out Family Data Worksheets, although his were in the form of a hand written questionaire ... the returned questionires of Nelson Edward Chute and Rodney Cecil Chute have been added to the source listings - and the correction of Nelson's mother's name from Mildred H. Besk to Mildred Henrietta Beek has been made to the database. Also added to Rodney Cecil Chute's notes was his listing of his occupation as Electonic Technician. He also provided the family data information on his older sister, Camilla Rae Chute.
A letter just added to the family records, from Garfield Edward Chute to George Chute in 1951, is one of those letters that captured so much of his personality, you can almost hear him speaking as you read. He wrote about so many other Chutes, that the letter is full of links, so you can keep track of the people he's discussing. One interesting note is his mention of a daughter of James Wellington Chute, a "Jean Chute", who married a brother of Leland Chute's wife, Blanche A. Cameron - no first name given. He does not mention the other daughter of James Wellington, "Ellen" Chute, so it is possible that Jean and Ellen are the same person, known by her middle as opposed to her first name. She's now in the index under both names, until there is some evidence that they need to be combined into one. A few dates of death have been added to the family records, based on this source.
A newspaper photo of Raymond Chester Chute, from the 10 July 1975 edition of the Suffolk Times - meanng Suffolk, Long Island, New York - was mailed to my grandfather on 30 July of that year by Evelyn Paskevich, who lived in Smithtown (Long Island) - from which we gather that Raymond Chute used to play the cornet! (This wasn't a case of brilliant deductive reasoning - the caption is also included ["Greenport Cornet Band"] - and he IS holding one.) Photo was taken in 1906.
27 years after she wrote the letter (!), the detailed information that Kimberly Ida Chute submitted to my grandfather has been added to the family records - at the time she was a student at Acadia University, working on a B.Ed, after having received a BA in History ... if anyone knows where Kimberly might be now, let us know! Note that the name of the spouse of Allison Whitman Chute was not Vera Lang, but Verna Long, so that change has been made, as is the addition of two children (including Kimberly herself) who were not in the records, and their spouses. The name of the spouse of Marilyn Inez Chute was difficult to read. I'm settling for "John Joseph Bryan Arbic" of Shawnville, Quebec, but am putting a big question mark after the surname.
Back from a major computer crash, unrelated to the problem with the hacker mentioned on the opening page - this crash was caused by a family member downloading a newer version of an existing software program without fully checking out the specs first. If you wrote an e-mail and have not received an answer, please resend, as it may have scrolled out of the mailbox in the interim. Also, if you missed that announcement on the index page - especially if you are used to exchanging files with other Chutes - please go back to the Index page and do so - someone has apparently swiped names and e-mail addresses from this site and is cheerfully sending out "zip" files to other Chutes - all of which are guaranteed to give you - or your computer - a big headache. As big an annoyance as this is, all of us are going to need to notify any intended recipients that we're sending out a file - before sending it. Otherwise, don't assume that because it comes from a "Chute" it's a safe file to open - if you weren't expecting it, it probably isn't.
Do any Chute historians out there know what a "20-Mule Team Borax Wagon" is? A California Chute was apparently the co-inventor ... and as I'm only familiar with Borax as a soap, I can only picture 20 mules dragging around a huge box of laundry detergent. I know that there has to be someone out there who knows what a "Borax Wagon" really is!
I've been trying to make sense of the following letter, which my grandfather noted as "received and answered, February 16, 1963" - no copy of the response was attached.
"My second great-grandfather who was Eleazer Wyer Hooper who was born in April 3, 1806 married a Olive Chute born in 1816 in Waterville, Maine. Her parent[s] were James Chute and Olive. Olive Chute Hooper died May 22, 1883 in Woburn, Massachusetts, a widow."
The letter was written by a Mrs. Grace Hooper Hutchins of Manchester, New Hampshire. Do any of these names ring a bell with anyone?
I particularly liked her closing comment: "I have been doing genealogy since 1954 and I find it a wonderful thing to be able to trace your ancestors back as far as possible. I have about 8 or 9 generations pretty complete. But you are always looking for something else. I do hope I can always do this work. I find it so inspiring. Any little bit of help means a little bit more. We sure have the spirit of Elijah with us to do this work that some day will be very important."
Additional notes and back-up have been added to the records of Charles Lycurgus Chute and his sister Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Chute; source references have been added to the records of Ralph General Chute and Cecil Wellington Chute. Note that Cecil's wife's surname has been corrected to "Sudsbury" (not Sudebury), and that the spelling of her first name may have in fact been "Gereldin" - it's difficult to determine if the name was a mispelled "Geraldine" in this case. Ralph General's wife Katherine, was recorded in the source letter as "Katherine Knight (Harris)". Also, the wife and daughter of Dean Walker Chute, III have been added to the records.
After waiting a year since they submitted the information (I'm sorry, guys!), the descendants of Edward Merton Chute in Casco, Maine, are finally up there on the web site.
I've been having a problem with the conflicting pedigrees of the Chutes from Alexander through Philip, and again from Philip through the Bethersden branch. Published pedigrees conflict with each other, and with other official documentation, Chutes are identified as father and son who should perhaps be brothers, and etc., and so forth. This problem has been highlighted, of course, by the absence of Chutes from various Visitations (Lionel discovered this problem in his correspondence with College of Arms), Steve Chute has found conflicting information during his travels throughout Great Britain (tombstones of Chutes who should appear on SOME pedigree, but don't), the problems with multiple marriages, and identical names.
What I'd like to do is draw up a comparison chart that basically says, "This version of the pedigree says THIS and has THIS documentation to support it") - we may not be able to resolve all of the discrepancies, but at least we'll all have some idea of the various versions we have to work with.
Ray Chute of Florida mentions out the source which he believes to be the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, and appears to be based on the parchment "that was in the possession of Ariel P. Chute of Lynnfield, MA." This is the parchment we suspect was brought over by Lionel Chute when he arrived. Ray reports, "It says John Chute and Jane Bromfield had a son Edward who married Christiana Chiddock. The file you sent me shows the son as Cuthbert (as does Lance Chute's website). It also said Alexandre had a second son, Richard, in 1274. But again your file and Lance's say he died in 1268. And there are other differences as well. Also somewhere else among her [his aunt's] papers I read that Lord Alexandre Chewte was born in 1230."
Over the next several weeks, I'll be trying to pull this comparison chart together - maybe this will help us in getting a handle on some of these conflicts.
Have been slowly adding the records of the 1619 Visitation of Kent to the Bethersden Chute branch records. The records are already in place, but additional allied family members and source references have been added to the database for the spouse, children and grandson of Philip Chute: Margaret Colepeper, George Chute and Ann Barnham,, Elizabeth Chute and Sir John Taylor, and Anne or Anna Chute who married Sir Walter Waller.
For those with Gedcoms (or who just love finding unexpected links between people), here's a few links for you: Anne Chute and Sir Walter Waller had a son, Thomas. Thomas Waller married Margaret Lennard. Margaret Lennard was the daughter of Samson Lennard and Margaret Fiennes, and the sister of Henry Lennard, Baron Dacre of Hurstmonceux. Henry was the father of Richard Lennard, also Baron Dacre of Hurstmonceux, who was the first husband of Dorothy North. Dorothy North married, secondly, Challoner Chute of the Vyne. Note also the connection between the Lennards and the Barnhams - Sir Francis Barnham, father of Ann Barnham, was the executor of the will of Thomas Lennard, son of Samson.
Ann Barnham, of course, was the wife of Sir George Chute of Bethersden.Additions have been made to the British Miscellanous Records, from the Civil Registration Index - one of the more useless indices on record (names, dates and places only, which is why you have marriages without spouses listed, births without parents listed, etc.) - at best, they are a springboard for places you can write to, begging for additional data, and hope that something useful turns up. A record for "John Colman Chute" did appear in the index - this is the Chute recorded as "John Coleman Chute" who appeared in the Australian archives as bring involved with a production of East Lynne, although he is not recorded as residing in Australia. Also found was the marriage record of Mary Chute Montgomery Holland (she of the Balfour scandal), and John Holland, which also ended in separation.
Also added: obituary information on Marguerite Louella Chute Hardwick, data posted by a researcher on Margaret Chute and William Quill, although it's uncertain which James Chute she is referring to. Also added: a posted request for additional information on Eliza Ann Chute and Gilbert H. Peters, a request for an obituary for Harry Lloyd Chute, although the niece making the requests lists his date of birth as one year later than the date in our records, the more specific birthdate of Sir Trevor Chute, and the addition of the marriage record of Trevor Edward Chute and Maria Coldwell Billon to the Miscellaneous Records. Also, the descendants of Jemima Chute and John Edward Henshaw have been added to the database, thanks to the Hinshaw Family Associationwebsite.Other Additions to the Web Site:
2001
24 Mar 2001 through 26 July 2001
26 July 2001 through 31 December 2001
2002
3 February 2002 through 26 April 2002
1 May 2002 through 29 July 2002
10 August 2002 through 27 October 2002
2 November 2002 through 28 December 2002
2003
10 Jan 2003 through 15 Feb 2003
2 Mar 2003 through 28 Sep 2003
28 Sep 2003 through 31 Dec 2003
2004
2005
2005
2005
Other Additions to the Web Site:
2001
24 Mar 2001 through 26 July 2001
26 July 2001 through 31 December 2001
2002
3 February 2002 through 26 April 2002
1 May 2002 through 29 July 2002
10 August 2002 through 27 October 2002
2 November 2002 through 28 December 2002
2003
10 Jan 2003 through 15 Feb 2003
2 Mar 2003 through 28 Sep 2003
28 Sep 2003 through 31 Dec 2003
2004
2005
2005
2005
INDEX
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