POSTING #25 July 2, 2012
While visiting the Island Cemetery on Block Island June 21, 2012, several people came across a very old pair of gravestones in the old section. These were the stones of Prudence Champlin and her infant son, Amos Champlin. They are the only two Champlins in the cemetery who are not descended from Nathaniel Lewis Champlin who settled on the island in 1790. In fact, they are from the William line of the family. I had visited this cemetery several times in the past, most recently in 2004 and had never been able to find their stones even though I knew they were buried there. Prudence and Amos' stories follow (Prudence was the wife of Samuel Champlin):
194. SAMUEL CHAMPLIN
[Jeffrey (1), William (2-3), Samuel (4)]
Samuel Champlin, son of William Champlin and Mary Clarke, was born at Westerly, Rhode Island in 1708 and died at New London, Connecticut on January 20, 1779. On April 26, 1996 I located Samuel's gravestone in the Antientist Cemetery at New London. The stone is engraved as follows:
"In memory of Capt. Samuel Champlin who departed this life on the 20th day of January 1779 in the 74th year of his age"
Samuel married Prudence Thompson c1735 at Westerly and was one of three brothers who married three Thompson sisters (see the Thompson Family essay following the biography of Samuel's brother, William). Early in their married life, Samuel and Prudence removed from the mainland and took up residence at New Shoreham, Block Island, where all their children were born. Prudence, daughter of Isaac Thompson and Mary Holmes, was born at Westerly on March 11, 1716 and died at New Shoreham (Block Island), Rhode Island on January 28, 1751. She is buried next to her young son Amos in the Island Cemetery there where many of us located their gravestones during the Champlin Family Reunion on June 21, 2012. The slate tombstone marking her grave, with skull and cross‑bones sculptured at its top, was probably imported from England, and bears the following inscription: "In Memory of Prudence, ye Wife of Samuel Champlin died Janry ye 28th 1750‑1 in ye 34th year of her age". A similar stone marks the grave of her son Amos.
Samuel and Prudence had children:
1588. Elizabeth (1736)
1589. Amos (1738)
1442. Samuel (1739)
1590. Susannah (1742)
3991. Isaac (1743)
735. Lodowick (1745)
1591. Prudence (1749)
1592. Ann (1751)
Following his wife's death, Samuel removed to New London. A Samuel Champlin of New London (either this Samuel or his son) was awarded 12 shillings compensation for damages done to his home by the Continental Army during their march to New York in May of 1776. Samuel's home in New London, on the corner of Washington and Brewer Streets, was built before 1740. It remained in the possession of the Champlin family for more than 150 years.
THOMPSON - CHAMPLIN FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
ISAAC THOMPSON
l
___________________l______________________
l l l l
BRIDGET PRUDENCE SARAH ELIAS THOMPSON
m m m l
JOSHUA SAMUEL WILLIAM l
CHAMPLIN CHAMPLIN CHAMPLIN l
l____________l____________l l
l ____________l____________
l l l l l
l THOMAS* MARY SAMUEL THANKFUL
l m m m m
l HANNAH ASA MARY JOHN
l l________l_____l________l
l l
l CHRISTOPHER CHAMPLIN
l l
WILLIAM CHAMPLIN CHRISTOPHER CHAMPLIN
l l
WILLIAM CHAMPLIN CHRISTOPHER CHAMPLIN
l___________________________l
l
JEFFREY CHAMPLIN
* some references give his name as John Thompson
1589. AMOS CHAMPLIN
[Jeffrey (1), William (2-3), Samuel (4), Amos (5)]
Amos Champlin, son of Samuel Champlin and Prudence Thompson, was born in 1738 and died at New Shoreham (Block Island) Rhode Island on February 11, 1749. He is buried next to his mother in the Island Cemetery. According to Joseph Champlin of Olean, New York, who found his stone in October 1993, Amos' stone read: "A.C. 1749".
Cemetery records indicate that "Amous" died on February 11, 1750 in his 11th year. I failed to locate this stone during my visit of May 7, 1995. The stone was located by several Champlin's during the Champlin Family Reunion visit of June 21, 2012.