Why Joseph Chapman Adopted California and "Why California Adopted Him"

Abstract

Yankee carpenter-blacksmith, who sailed from Boston as Joseph Chapman and changed his name to Jose Juan Chapman when he embraced the Catholic faith in his adopted California, was a pioneer all his life. He never grew rich and powerful as did Abel Stearns, William Workman, Benjamin Wilson, and so many of his countrymen who followed him; he was not a gifted financier, nor a flashy politician out to capture the minds of men. Rather he was the skilled craftsman, able to turn his dreams of invention and building into reality. Much needed he was in the pioneer land where work with metal and wood was considered beneath the "gente de razon"