Gregg Bonner's Chappell Family

John Chappell and his wife Sarah

I will expand on this page at some point, but for now I only want to make one point. The John Chappell who married Sarah P. Heath is not the son of the John Chappell who married Nanny Harrison. Doubtless the two families are related somehow, but I would like to try to separate the two families. The confusion arises because both John Chappells married women named Sarah.

John Chappell and Sarah P. Heath

This is my line. This John Chappell left a WILL in Monroe County, Georgia, where he lists his wife as "Sarah P. Chappell". You can find her in other records as Sallie Chapple. In this will, John mentions his daughter, Nancy Bonner. This is also my line. Nancy Bonner is Nancy (Chappell) Bonner, the wife of William Bonner, the founder of a Methodist Episcopalian Church.

Documents concerning the marriage of Nancy Chappell to William Bonner state that the marriage took place "in the home of John Chappell, Sr.", which I think has been taken to demonstrate that Nancy Chappell's father was John Chappell, Jr., and that her grandfather was John Chappell, Sr. Then, on top of that, you add the records which show that the John Chappell who married Nanny, aka Nancy Harrison had a son, John Chappell, Jr., who married a woman named "Sarah", and 'bingo!', you have a connection, right?

Not so fast:

Question: When was Nancy Chappell married to William Bonner?
Answer: 27 APR 1809.

Question: When did John Chappell, Sr. (husband of Nanny Harrison) die?
Answer: Well, he left a WILL in Hancock Couny, Georgia, and his inventory of estate was signed 29 JAN 1808.

So this shows that John Chappell (husband of Nanny Harrison) was already dead by the time of the marriage of Nancy Chappell to William Bonner. Notice that John Chappell and Sarah P. (Heath) Chappell had a son named John D. Chappell. I believe that John D. Chappell is John Chappell, Jr., and his father is John Chappell, Sr. Therefore, when Nancy Chappell married "in the home of John Chappell, Sr.", she was marrying in the home of her father, not grandfather (which seems sensible enough).


John Chappell and Sarah Mathis

This is the John Chappell who is the son of John Chappell and Nanny Harrison. He married Sarah Mathis about 1795, and together they had at least 11 children. One of these children was William Rutherford Chappell, born about 1811. The name "Rutherford" is a sensible name, particularly when you consider this fact. Sarah Mathis was the daughter of Thomas Mathis, Jr., and his wife, Mary Rutherford. Make sense? The Will of Thomas Mathis names a daughter "Sally Chappell".

The John Chappell, Jr., who married Sarah Mathis died in 1845, in Talbot County, Georgia.

Here is my present list of Descendants of John Chappell and Sarah P. (Heath) Chappell.
Last update: 15 January 2012