SOBIESKI

Who was Sobieski?  Sobieski's name appears in many of the letters of Harriet Deuel Swayze.  He is also referred to as Uncle Sobieski.  He served in the Civil War and many of the letters from soldiers refer to them trying to find him, or locating and spending the night with him.  Research has been done at the National Archives without success.  A soldier by the name of  Sobieski  L. Chapin was found.  Date of marriage conflicts with time frame of letters referring to his marriage.  He is probably not same person referred to in the letters, however, the information on Sobieski L. Chapin has been included below.

Finding Sobieski has become an obsession from the first time I  read the letters.  There is a Sobieski enumerated in the 1850 Census, Dryden, NY, living with Morgan Dewell and his wife, Lydia.  Sobieski was 16,  Harriet 16, and James 10 years of age.  Sobieski L. Chapin  would have been 12 years old at the time of the 1850 Census.

Families often took in boarders to help with the chores.  Uncle Sobieski may not have been related but it appears the Sobieski we are searching for was well liked throughout the family.  It is unfortunate that there were no letters from Sobieski.

This following was the only Sobieski I could find on record.   

SOBIESKI CHAPIN

Son of Alvin Chapin and Elvira Horton
5'9", Dark Complexion, Dark Hair, Hazel Eyes
Born: Oct 10 1837, West Union, (Steuben), NY
Died: June 5 1918, Bradley Hills, MD
Buried: Herndon, VA

Married: Feb 8 1860, No. Bingham, PA
    Sarah Lawrence
    Died: April 1914

Children of Sobieski L. Chapin & Sarah Lawrence:
    1. Alvin W. Chapin
    Born: Dec 1860
    2. Charles J. Chapin
    Born: May 1863
    3. Arthur A. Chapin
    Born: May 1866
    4. Minnie M. Chapin
    Born: May 1868

Service:
Enrolled: July 10, 1863, Elmira, NY
Discharged: June 1865, Alexandria, VA
Private, Co. C, 76th NY Infantry
Transferred Apr 3, 1864 to Signal Corps, Army of Potomac
Muster Roll: Sep 24, 1863, Paid Bounty & Advance Pay $25.00, Bounty Due $75.00
Muster Roll: Nov 8, 1864, Near Petersburg, VA
Participated in Battle of New Market, May 1864
Pension Application No. 1053 230
Pension Certificate No. 902713 VA
Roll # 551-132

Additional Information:
March 17, 1915 living in Herndon, VA.

Alvin Chapin (son of of Charles Chapin and Clarissa Day)
Elvira Horton (Daughter of Luther Horton and ClarissaForsyth).  
This information can be found in the "Ancestry of Horace Ebenezer
and Emma Babcock Horton".

Source:
Civil War Pension Records, Washington, DC

 Return to:  The Letters