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| Chace family | |
|---|---|
| Name | Chace family |
| Region | New England; Rhode Island; Massachusetts; Connecticut |
| Origin | Industrial Revolution; Colonial America |
| Notable members | Samuel Chace; Harvey Chace; Elizabeth Chace; Malcolm Chace; Malcolm Greene Chace Jr. |
| Estate | Valley Falls Mill; Lippitt Mill; River Point |
Chace family
The Chace family is an American lineage with roots in Colonial Providence, Rhode Island, industrial prominence during the Industrial Revolution, and influence across New England civic, commercial, and cultural institutions. Members of the family figure in the development of textile manufacturing, banking, higher education, and civic philanthropy, connecting to institutions such as Brown University, Yale University, Harvard University, Rhode Island Hospital, and the Providence Journal. The family's networks intersect with other prominent New England families including the Lippitt family, Waterman family, and Greene family (Rhode Island).
The earliest documented Chace ancestors arrived in colonial New England in the 17th and 18th centuries, settling in and around Providence, Rhode Island, Warwick, Rhode Island, and Cranston, Rhode Island. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries the family became associated with entrepreneurs and mill founders active in the Rhode Island System of textile production exemplified by sites such as Slater Mill, Harris Mill, and later the Valley Falls and Lippitt enterprises. Connections through marriage linked the Chaces to families prominent in maritime trade centered on Newport, Rhode Island and mercantile houses with transatlantic ties to ports such as Boston, New York City, and Bristol (England).
Prominent individuals include early industrialists who established cotton and woolen mills in Pawtucket and Valley Falls, financiers who served on boards of local banks like the Providence Institution for Savings and the Industrial Trust Company, and civic leaders who were trustees of Brown University and benefactors of Rhode Island School of Design. Noted figures appear in the historical record as founders of firms that evolved into regional employers contributing to the development of Woonsocket and the Blackstone River Valley industrial corridor, an area later recognized by the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.
Specific members held positions such as mill superintendents at Valley Falls and Lippitt Mill, directors of railroad companies like the Providence and Worcester Railroad and investors in early textile patents connected to inventors who worked alongside figures associated with Samuel Slater and Francis Cabot Lowell. Later generations produced athletes, legal professionals admitted to the bar in Rhode Island, and trustees engaged with cultural institutions such as the Providence Athenaeum and the RISD Museum.
The Chace family's business activities centered on textile manufacturing, finance, and real estate development. They operated and managed cotton and woolen mills that utilized waterpower on tributaries of the Blackstone River, participating in networks of trade that linked to the Erie Canal era transportation improvements and the expansion of regional railroads. Family investments extended into banking institutions that later consolidated into entities such as the Bank of Rhode Island and early 20th-century trust companies.
Industrial leadership included adoption of mechanized looms and carding machinery influenced by innovations traced to the Lowell system and patents circulated among New England manufacturers. Real estate holdings encompassed mill villages and worker housing in communities like Valley Falls, with commercial ties to import-export firms in Providence and manufacturing supply chains reaching firms in Manchester (New Hampshire) and Lawrence (Massachusetts).
Members of the family served in municipal roles within Providence and neighboring towns, as well as in appointed positions on boards overseeing public institutions such as Rhode Island Hospital, the State Board of Education (Rhode Island), and municipal waterworks commissions. Involvement in politics included participation in party organizations active during the 19th century, engagement with issues central to industrial communities such as labor relations and public health, and collaboration with governors from families like the Lippitt family and Green family (Governor).
Some Chace relatives held appointments or candidacies for state legislative seats in the Rhode Island General Assembly, contributed to civic reform movements, and served as delegates to regional commercial associations that lobbied state legislatures on tariff and transportation policy. Civic roles also encompassed trusteeships at Brown University and leadership positions in charitable relief efforts tied to organizations such as the American Red Cross chapters in Rhode Island.
Philanthropy by Chace family members supported cultural, educational, and health institutions including donations, endowments, and governance roles at Brown University, the Providence Public Library, and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Contributions funded scholarships, building campaigns, and collections for museums like the RISD Museum and historic preservation efforts within the Blackstone River Valley. The family also patronized performing arts venues including organizations akin to the Trinity Repertory Company and supported social welfare institutions such as House of Hope (Providence) and local orphanages active in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Genealogical records for the family are preserved in regional repositories such as the Rhode Island Historical Society, municipal archives in Providence, and private collections donated to university special collections including those at Brown University Library and the John Hay Library. Family trees trace lines through intermarriage with the Lippitt family, Waterman family, Greene family (Rhode Island), and other New England lineages, producing documented branches that spread into Massachusetts and Connecticut. Published genealogies and probate records detail wills, land conveyances, and mill ownership transitions spanning the 18th to 20th centuries.
Historic properties associated with the family include mill complexes and residences in the Blackstone River Valley area, mill villages in Valley Falls and surrounding districts, and affluent domestic architecture in Providence neighborhoods near institutions like Brown University and the Providence Athenaeum. Some properties are part of registered historic districts recognized by state preservation agencies and featured in surveys conducted by the Historic American Buildings Survey and local historical commissions. Adaptive reuse projects have transformed former mill buildings into residential lofts and cultural spaces, contributing to heritage tourism initiatives tied to the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.
Category:American families Category:Rhode Island history