Joshua Chamness

  General Notes:

Joshua Chamness was born April 5, 1761 in Orange County, North Carolina, the 12th and youngest child of Anthony and Sarah (Cole) Chamness. His mother died when he was 3 or 4 years old, and his father was married to Rachel Haworth in 1766. She helped to raise several of Anthony's young children as well as her own, but died in 1775, just before Joshua's 14th birthday. A year later Anthony married again, this time to Margaret Williams, widow of William Williams. She also brought several children into the household, the oldest being Rachel who was born in Loudoun County, Virginia on March 20, 1753.

A few months after Anthony and Margaret were married, Joshua, age 15, and Rachel, age 23, married and were dismissed from the Cane Creek Friends Meeting. Later they acknowledged their error and rejoined the meeting, Joshua in 1781 and
Rachel in 1787. They became respected members of the meeting; Joshua was an elder at the time of his death.

Joshua and Rachel lived in the house built by his father and inherited the majority of his father's land. Zimri Hanson's book, The Chamness Family in America, contains the following description of the house and farm:

The farm lay a mile west of Cane Creek Friends church, was a good body of land and lay fine. The dwelling was large, perhaps 20 X 80 feet, consisted of two main rooms, made of hewn oak logs, with two shed rooms with porch the whole length on the front side, and with a division wall thru the center.
A small creek ran thru the farm, on which there was a grist mill. Large meadows lay on either side the stream. The barn was commodious, and was occupied by a stationary thrashing machine propelled by horse power, to which many of the neighbors hauled their wheat, to have it thrashed and cleaned.


Rachel's youngest brother was William Williams. He moved to Indiana and later made several trips through the East as a traveling minister in the Friends church. He kept a journal which was published in 1828. The following are accounts of his visits to the Cane Creek Meeting:

First day, 3rd of 2nd month, [1811]...attended Cane Creek meeting. That evening I had large service at the house of one of my relations, with many of my near connexions, some friends, and a number of others who came in to see me...

Seventh day, 9th of the Tenth month, 1813...arrived at the house of my brother-in- aw, Joshua Chamness; and on First-day, the 10th of the Tenth month, attended Cane Creek meeting. Oh! how strong drink hath prevailed in this place! It is sorrowful to behold how it doth degrade the children of men! It brings them even, yea beneath the brute creation; unfits them for service both in civil and religious society; stupifies the faculties, and above all things, breaks their peace with God.

On fifth-day, the 13th [of the 9th month, 1817], had a very large meeting at Cane creek, the place of my nativity, which appeared to be as a parting opportunity with many of my dear friends and relations, and old neighbors. And the Lord was with us in this our parting opportunity, who opened my mouth in a large manner, and it was a tender and watering time, under a sense of which we parted. Oh! there might be much said of this day's work, for indeed there was a shout of a lung to be heard in the camp, to the rejoicing of the tabernacles of Jacob, and to the consoling of many precious minds; but I feel easy to give a short account of the work that I have to do, and to give God the praise, for all is his, and all cometh from him; blessed be his name forever and ever. Amen. Sixth-day, the 14th...I am resting at my brother Joshua Chamness' house in great peace and quietude of mind.

Copies of the journal may be found in the archives of Earlham College and DePauw
University.

Joshua and Rachel raised a family of 9 children. Four of these with their spouses and families migrated to Indiana between 1810 and 1820. Three others with their families migrated together to Indiana in 1848.

Rachel died on September 21, 1840 at the age of 87 and Joshua died on November 8, 1843 at the age of 82. They are both buried at the Cane Creek Cemetery.

Joshua married Rachel Williams, daughter of William Williams Sr. and Margaret Evans (McGrew), on 6 Dec 1777 in Chatham, North Carolina, USA. (Rachel Williams was born on 20 Mar 1753 in Loudoun, Virginia, USA ¹ and died about 1840 in Cane Creek MM, Orange, North Carolina, USA.)