Chambers Family

THE CHAMBERS FAMILY.

In 1725 five brothers of the name of Chambers, emigrants from Ireland, settled on the Susquehanna River, in Dauphin (then Lancaster) County. Afterwards this family removed to the Cumberland Valley, where its descendants laid out the town of Chambersburg. One of the line of this family, John Chambers, located at the beginning of the century in Washington township, where he resided when he married Annalena Humes, daughter of John Humes, of this township. Their eldest child was William Chambers, born near Manor Dale, Feb. 14, 1818. He was married in 1843 to Elizabeth, daughter of Alexander and Mary (Lusk) Duff. His children are James Alexander, John Humes, Mary Elizabeth (deceased), and Sarah Jane, married to Washington Hill. He was elected in 1879 on the Democratic ticket as one of the county jury commissioners, which position he still holds. His maternal grandfather, John Humes, was once chased by the Indians to the block-house, and was so hotly pursued by one of their number that he turned around and struck the savage in the face with his hat, which baffled him for a minute or so, and thus enabled him to reach the house, only a few rods away. Once when out hunting his horses, which had got loose and wandered off, he was pursued by the Indians, but taking the creek he got home safely, although the bullets from the enemy’s guns grazed his clothing. At one time, when plowing, an Indian dog approached him, which he killed, and took from it a ring fastened to its neck by its master, who was near, and soon approached with several of his comrades, but jumping on his horses he escaped to the blockhouses before the savages could get within shot of him.