AQUILLA1 CHASE, b. in Conway, Eng., in 1618, was the honored ancestor of all of this name who have ever lived in Cornish. With two of his brothers he came to America in 1639, and settled in Hampton. He m. Ann Wheeler, rem. to Newbury, Mass., in 1646 and d. there Dec. 27, 1670. They had eleven children.
Their youngest son, Moses2, sometimes called “Ensign Moses,” was b. Dec. 24, 1663. He lived and d. in Newbury. He m. Nov. 10, 1684, Anne Follansbe. They had nine children. Their eldest son Daniel3 was b. Sept. 20, 1685; m. Jan. 2, 1707, Sarah March. Rem. to Sutton, Mass., about 1730, and d. there April 17, 1768, aged 83. They were the parents of ten children. Three of their sons: Samuel4, Caleb4,* and Moses4, with their families settled in Cornish. Some of them came at the time of settlement of the town in 1765 and others soon followed. A few representative men of other families joined them in the work and hardships incident to the new settlement.
At this time, and for many years following the Chase family were more numerous than any other in town, and their influence of course, correspondingly large. Most of them were possessed of minds “not born to serve, but rule.” Their motto, “Ne Cede Malis” (yield not to difficulty), was fully exemplified in their history as pioneers of Cornish, and that in a marked degree. But like other families, many of their records have been irrecoverably lost. Had the early settlers preserved theta, it would have enabled the genealogist to have done ampler justice to the memory of those of whom we have just reason to be proud.
*Doubts have arisen that Caleb, ever lived in town, yet some of his children became residents, as the records show. (See Caleb branch.)