Draft:Cyrenius Chapin

Cyrenius Chapin (February 7, 1769- February 20, 1838) was the first physician to practice in Buffalo, New York. In 1803, he purchased the first lot sold by the Holland Land Company in the village of New Amsterdam Buffalo, New York. Chapin is best known for being the last to confront the British army before they burned Buffalo in the War of 1812. When Chapin built a frame house for himself and his wife Sylvia on his Buffalo property in 1805, it was the sixteenth frame house in the village. As a local Federalist Federalist Party partisan, Chapin supported policies that limited British interference at the Canadian border. He founded several Western New York institutions, including the first almshouse, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the Erie County Medical Society, and the Erie County Agricultural Society. He fired the last cannon shot at the British before they burned BuffaloHistory of Buffalo, New York in 1813 and in December 1837 he provided shelter and support to the anti-British leader of the Patriot (Hunter) Wars, Canadian William Lloyd Mackenzie.

Typical of America's provincial frontier influencers, Chapin did much to establish Buffalo's infrastructure in the early 1800s. A visitor to Buffalo once asked what sort of man was this Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, "I have heard so much about him." The answer, "Oh, the doc is a fine fellow, he does all the praying, swearing and shouting for this community." (Viewed in nineteenth century scrapbook at Buffalo and Erie County Library.)



Early Life
Born on February 7, 1769 in Bernardstown, Massachusetts, Cyrenius Chapin was the youngest of five children. Cyrenius's great-great-grandfather was Deacon Samuel Chapin, a Puritan who arrived in Massachusetts in 1643. Cyrenius' father, Captain Caleb Chapin (1736–1815), was a Bernardstown farmer who supplemented his income by making and installing mill stones. Captain Caleb Chapin fought in both the French-Indian and the Revolutionary wars. In 1786, Cyrenius served as his father's personal aide when Captain Chapin was ordered to lead a Massachusetts State militia to put down anti-tax riots known as the Shays RebellionShays' Rebellion. Led by Daniel Shays, New England farmers and Massachusetts neighbors were challenging state authority.

Medical Career
Cyrenius apprenticed under his eldest brother, Dr. Caleb Chapin, a highly respected doctor in Bernardstown. Neither Chapin brother attended lectures at a medical college or received a formal academic degree. They both learned medicine through apprenticeships that focused on the composition and compounding of medicines prescribed based on patient symptoms. Textbooks included the U. S. Dispensatory, a Medical Dictionary, and an anatomy book.

With few effective remedies, Chapin relied on a commanding, paternalistic temperament that he backed up with a stubborn willingness to tackle any affliction his patients suffered. He was not described as ostentatious, but at six feet, his height alone drew attention. Near constant exposure to the outdoors gave Chapin a rugged bronze complexion set off by eyebrows that arched over sharp and piercing blue eyes on a thin face with a prominent Romanesque nose. His signature attire was a long cloak of blue cloth. The only likeness of Dr. Chapin was created by an artist for a 1927 issue of the Buffalo Times. Several hopeful apprentices and partners complained Dr. Chapin needed little sleep, rose early, and remained active through long days that wore them out. Chapin included many Native Americans in his patient population, including the famed Haudenosaunee leader, Chief Red Jacket. Frequently encountering Seneca men with earlobes torn by adornments worn in their ears, Dr. Chapin invented a surgical procedure to restore the ear's contours.

Personal Life
Shortly after completing his medical studies in 1793, Cyrenius Chapin married Sylvia Burnham from Bernardstown. For several years, he practiced medicine in Winhall, Vermont, then he and Sylvia moved to Sangerfield in Oneida County, New York. Thirty-two-year-old Dr. Cyrenius Chapin first visited New Amsterdam (Buffalo) in 1801 and made an offer to bring 40 of his friends from Oneida County to the Holland Land Company's proposed village. Joseph Ellicott, the surveyor and agent for the Holland Land Company, declined the proposal as he had not yet completed laying out the street grid for his Lake Erie village. Once Ellicott completed his street grid for the future Buffalo, Dr. Chapin bought Lot 41, Township 11, Range 8 on October 11, 1803, for $346.50. It was Ellicott's first village sale. Lack of housing forced the Chapin family to rent a home in Fort Erie, Canada before moving into New Amsterdam in 1805. Their sizable lot was on Swan Street, running from Main to Pearl Street. It overlooked Lake Erie and was half-a-mile north of the Seneca village on Buffalo Creek. Theirs was the sixteenth frame structure in Buffalo and comprised two stories, a first-floor drugstore and a second-floor office and home. A stable in the back housed their horses and buggies. Though it was burned by the British in 1813, a replica was rebuilt on the original foundation after the War of 1812.

Cyrenius and Sylvia Chapin had five children. Their first child, Sylvia, was born on February 7, 1796, and died at age 36 on December 1, 1832, as the cholera epidemic swept the United States. She had married the son of Reverend Elkana Holmes, Buffalo's first regular pastor and frequent guest in the Chapin home. The Chapins' second child, Royal, lived only six weeks. Their third child, and only son, was born in 1800, though no specific birthdate can be confirmed. He was named Cyrenius Burnham Chapin and died of unknown causes on April 1, 1811. The Seneca Chief Red Jacket joined the Chapins in mourning the child's death. Their fourth child was born on January 13, 1801. She was named Amelia and died at age 17 on August 15, 1818, cause unrecorded. A fifth child, Louise, was born in 1803, married a hardware merchant, Thaddeus Weed, and died on July 20, 1894, at age ninety-one. All family members are now buried in Plot Section 5 of Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.

War of 1812
Cyrenius Chapin was a leader of the New York State Federalist party. When the War of 1812 was declared by Democrat/Republican President James Madison, Federalist feared war would damage international trade. But convinced that Canada wanted to join the United States, Chapin embraced the idea of ending all British influence in North America. The United States never raised over 10,000 regular soldiers in the War of 1812 and relied on local militias to battle Britain. Chapin organized a militia of Buffalonians to support America's military efforts on the Niagara Frontier. His regiment of rifle men acquired a reputation for aggressively attacking anything connected to British power or infrastructure and became known as the Forty Thieves.

Battle at Beaver Dams
In May 1813, the United States, under command of General Henry Dearborn took control of Fort George on the Canadian side of the Niagara River. Chapin's militia (aka. Forty Thieves) were sent on frequent sorties to clear the region of forces sympathetic to the British. The British responded by organizing a base at the Canadian village of Beaver Dams to counter the raids on their infrastructure and placed Lieutenant James FitzGibbon in charge. American Lieutenant-Colonel Charles G. Boerstler was ordered to force FitzGibbon to out of Beaver Dams and Chapin's militia, knowing the area better than Boerstler, was ordered to lead the way. A couple of miles from Beaver Dams, Chapin discovered Fitzgibbon had deployed an ambush and warned Boerstler. Boerstler accused Chapin of cowardice and ignored the warning, marching his troops directly into an ambush that forced Boerstler to surrender. Fitzgibbon was overjoyed to discover that his captives included the notorious Chapin and his Forty Thieves. Immediately, Chapin and 26 of his men were loaded onto two boats to be transported to a British prisoner of war camp in Kingston, Ontario. With the American prisoners rowing the two boats, Chapin began entertaining their sixteen British guards with bawdy stories while the rowers moved the boats closer together. Upon Chapin's signal, the Americans overtook their captors, reversed course, and returned to Fort Niagara, then on to Fort George by the next morning. Chapin wrote a letter to Secretary of War John Armstrong Jr. with copies of several letters that confirmed his version of the events. The letters were published as a pamphlet in 1836. Chapin may have unwittingly been responsible for FitzGibbon being well prepared for the battle at Beaver Dams. Before the scheduled battle Chapin and several officers had dinner at an Inn owned by Laura Secord. The legend of Laura Secord claims she relayed the information she overheard at that dinner to FitzGibbon.

Burning of Buffalo
In early December 1813, the Americans abandoned their occupation of Fort George on the Canadian side of the Niagara River to concentrate on capturing Montreal. Upon leaving, the American General George McClure ordered the burning of the nearby village of Newark, today known as Niagara-on-the-Lake, on December 10, 1813. His order left British/Canadian civilians desperate for shelter, food and supplies. Near midnight on December 29, 1813, British soldiers reinforced with Algonquin mercenaries, landed on the American shore north of Buffalo. Under the command of British General Phineas Riall, they marched along the Niagara River shoreline, burning every village and farmhouse they encountered. Cyrenius Chapin called upon his Buffalo militia to harass Raill's forces and impede their destructive march. Far outnumbered, Chapin's men could do little but delay the advance, eventually taking a last stand at the northernmost edge of the Buffalo village. Now, with only five men still at his side, Chapin mounted a used cannon on a makeshift carriage and fired at the British. With a second blast, the makeshift carriage broke apart. Chapin then tied a handkerchief to his sword and marched out to negotiate a surrender. His effort accomplished a brief delay in the destruction of every home and building in Buffalo. Cyrenius Chapin was taken prisoner and removed to Montreal, where he remained incarcerated until released by the British in September 1814. Following the War, Chapin rebuilt his medical office and home on its original foundation.

Medical Society
When the New York State Legislature established a system of physician licensing in 1806, it empowered individual county medical societies to grant applicants licenses after reviewing credentials and conducting an oral exam. When the state legislature organized upstate counties in 1808, Niagara County was created and Cyrenius Chapin led a group that organized a medical society for Niagara County in 1811, but the effort was largely vacated during the War of 1812. In 1821, Erie County was carved out of the larger Niagara County with Buffalo as its capital. Cyrenius Chapin thus became the driving force in creating his second county medical society, this one for Erie County. In his inaugural speech as the first president of the Erie County Medical Society, Chapin declared the medical profession "lax in maintaining the rank among the learned professions which it demands" and decried the community's habit of ignoring the physician's bill. "Nonpayment," he said, "is an insult and a hardship, compelling physicians to resort to an immediate collection at the time of service" much like the common snake oil salesman practicing at the back of a cart. Cyrenius Chapin was elected the founding president both times he organized a county medical society.

Agricultural Society
Chapin bought several farms in western New York and by 1820 he had become fascinated by agriculture and the breeding of animals. Buffalo was welcoming new immigrant arrivals who, like Chapin, were conservative, industrious, and willing to work on his farms until they accumulated enough money to buy their own farms. They had strong backs, little money, and a willingness to begin their American lives working for a landowner. Chapin put his available workforce to good use and by employing modern farming methods, he created surpluses and profit facilitated by transport on the Erie Barge Canal. The New York legislature passed a series of bills to sponsor county agricultural societies intended to advance agriculture by deploying skilled agents to teach modern farming methods. Chapin convened several farm families to establish a Niagara County Agricultural Society in 1820 and then, once the counties split in 1821, convened an Erie County Agricultural Society. Once again, he served as the first president of both county societies. In 1820, he also funded and organized the first county fair held in western New York. (Smith, 1884)p.321-334

Commerce
Chapin was a founder of the company that dredged Buffalo Creek, paving the way for the Erie Barge Canal to select Buffalo as its western terminus. He made a significant contribution to the building of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Patriot (aka. Hunter) War
By the 1830s, numerous citizens in both Upper (Ontario) and Lower (Quebec) Canada were losing trust in the standard two-tiered legislative structure employed by the British. Both provinces had a lower house, called the Assembly, that was elected by voters. But the real power lay with the upper house, called the Executive Council, whose members were appointed by the British Crown. A newspaper publisher and assemblyman, William Lloyd Mackenzie, organized a revolt commonly referred to as the start of the Patriot War. Mackenzie's untrained army was quickly defeated on a battle ground just north of Toronto. Mackenzie escaped and five days later (December 11, 1837) appeared in Buffalo in the company of Cyrenius Chapin. Chapin funded and helped organize a Buffalo chapter of the Patriot Society (also called the Hunter Society). Mackenzie was a rousing speaker and soon plans for a Canadian invasion were formulated that included a base camp on a small island in the middle of the Niagara River called Navy Island. United States President, Martin Van Buren, did not want war with Canada or Britain. and sent General Winfred Scott to disperse Mackenzie's forces. Navy Island was evacuated, but Mackenzie continued to stir up sympathy for his Canadian revolt and encouraged Hunter Lodge activities from New England to Detroit. The Buffalo Hunter Lodge, supported financially by Chapin, planned an invasion of Canada across a frozen Lake Erie for February 1838. When spies working for General Scott reported the plans, Scott sent a force to break up the advance camp established on Lake Erie ice. An advance party of Americans camped on the ice was broken up and the men were brought back to the New York shore where they were released after agreeing to discontinue all further insurrectionist activity. It is rumored, but not clear, that Chapin was among those on the Lake Erie encampment. (Rosenthal, 2020)p222 Following the breakup of the Lake Erie ice invasion, sixty-nine-year-old Cyrenius Chapin took a fever. He had contributed much in the way of leadership, money and energy to support Mackenzie's mission and had spent 26 years trying to liberate his Canadian friends from the British yoke.

Death
Two days after the breakup of the Lake Erie ice camp, on February 20, 1838, Dr. Cyrenius Chapin died in the home he and Sylvia built on Seneca Street in Buffalo in 1820. He was the last person buried in the 'New Amsterdam' Franklin Square Cemetery, site of today's Erie County Hall, and only a few steps from where he defended Buffalo using the makeshift cannon in 1813. His grave was later moved to Forest Lawn Cemetery. His wife, Sylvia, was awarded the government pension Chapin had received for his services in the War of 1812. She died on October 1, 1863. In 1836, two years before his death, a committee led by Peter Buell Porter, a former congressman and War of 1812 general, celebrated Cyrenius Chapin's service to Buffalo with a testimonial dinner. They presented Chapin and his wife Sylvia with a silver setting of two massive pitchers and twelve goblets. General Porter remarked that no one displayed more patriotic zeal or enthusiasm, nor "embark[ed] in almost uninterrupted succession of enterprises against the enemy, involving imminent personal hazard, as well as great fatigue and privation, none more liberal of his purse."