Furlong, Mary (Mary Elizabeth), 1844-1928
Biography
Mary Furlong arrived on a ship the Sustace with her brother Captain Matthew Furlong in 1864 that set sail from New England. The ship was owned by Barron and Company, probably arriving first in San Francisco. The ship was commissioned to transport leather goods between Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz Island, San Francisco and New England.
Mary was 17 years old at the time of the sailing journey and had kept a diary of the journey. She became one of Santa Barbara’s first school teachers. Her brother, Matthew Furlong bought her a home on Santa Barbara and gifted it to his sister. He would continue to make the sailing journey back and forth from San Francisco to New England while she resided in Santa Barbara and taught school.
Mary served as assistant to the principal in the Girls’ Elementary School from 1867-1869. It was in Santa Barbara that she met her soon to be husband, Truman Fletcher Chapman. Truman has a grandfather who served in the American Revolution. I am a DAR member and love history.
Truman listed his age as 24, born in Ohio, occupation as merchant when he registered to vote on June 3, 1867. By 1868 he had registered to vote in Santa Barbara. It was there that he met Mary Furlong. They eloped to Montecito and married at the Santa Barbara Courthouse on June 15, 1869. The married couple stayed for months while Mary healed from a carriage accident within days of the wedding.
The 1870 Federal Census shows the Chapman family living at San Buenaventura Post Office Township #1, Santa Barbara county, CA. Truman at this time was listed as a druggist, age 26 and owning $800 of real property. Mary is listed as his wife. By this time they had their oldest daughter, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Chapman, my great grandmother.
Mary Furlong eventually moved Portland, Oregon to live with her eldest daughter and died on 16 Feb, 1928. She was 84 years old. Mary Furlong is buried in Alameda, CA next to her brother Matthew where both resided for many years of their lives.
Source: 2021-07-30 email from Linda Brenner, 661-703-9694, Lsbrennerdar@gmail.com, great-great-granddaugther of Mary Furlong.