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Male, born 1848-03-17, died 1896-12-12

Associated with the firm network

Seaton, C.B., Architect


Professional History

Résumé

Chauncey B. Seaton worked in Saint Paul, MN, before relocating to Spokane Falls, WA, after its 1889 fire. He became well-known during his short stay here for two main buildings: the Northwestern Industrial Exposition Building (1890) and Spokane Falls Review Building (1891). He passed away at an early age before completing more commissions.

Superintendent, Corlies, Chapman and Drake, Saint Paul, MN, c. 1887- . Corlies, Chapman and Drake was a manufacturer and retailer of office furniture, mantels, grates and tiles in Saint Paul, with a factory on Eagle Street near Seven Corners in Downtown Saint Paul. (See R.L. Polk and Company' St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1887, p. 1091.)

Principal, Chauncey B. Seaton, Saint Paul, MN, c. 1888-1889. Seaton rented an office in Room #40 of the German-American Bank Building in Saint Paul in 1888 and 1889. (See R.L. Polk and Company's St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1888, p. 1422 and R.L. Polk and Company's St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1889, p. 1400.)

Principal, C.B. Seaton, Architect, Spokane, WA, c. 1889-1896. In 1893, Seaton leased Rooms #36 and 27 of the Review Building at Riverside Avenue and Monroe Street.

Personal

Relocation

Born in Crawford County, OH, Seaton grew up in Tod Township, Crawford County, OH, a farming area in the north-central part of the state, between 1850 and 1860, where his family operated a farm. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington, DC; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Todd, Crawford, Ohio; Roll: 671; Page: 51a, accessed 01/30/2025 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Tod, Crawford, Ohio; Roll: M653_951; Page: 39; Family History Library Film: 803951, accessed 01/30/2025.)

Seaton lived in the vicinity of Wyandot County, OH, until at least 02/1884, when he married there. Unfortunately, records are thin on him, and his whereabouts during the period between 1860 and 1884 are unknown. He seems to have arrived in Saint Paul, MN, by either late 1886 or early 1887.

In 1887 Seaton resided at Winslow House, a boarding house run by Ursula Winslow and Charlotte Corbett, located at 197 West 4th Street in Downtown Saint Paul. Winslow House was situated nearby to the Corlies, Chapman and Drake factory. (See R.L. Polk and Company' St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1887, p. 1091 and 1262.)

He resided In Saint Paul, MN, on the north side of Inglehart Avenue, two houses west of Amos Street in the Merriam Park neighborhood. (See R.L. Polk and Company's St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1889, p. 1184.)

Seaton moved west to Spokane, WA, apparently six months before the Spokane Fire of 08/04/1889, as noted in his obituary. He lived in Spokane, WA, between 1889 and his death at age 48 on 12/12/1896. (See "Was a Prominent Architect," Spokane Spokesman-Review, 12/13/1896, p. 6.) During most of his six or so years in Spokane, the architect lived and worked in Rooms #36 and #37 of the Review Building, that he designed. (See R.L. Polk and Company's Spokane, Washington, City Directory, 1895, p. 438.) The architect was buried in the Greenwood Memorial Terrace, Spokane, WA.

His obituary indicated this information about Seaton's career: "He has been an architect all his life; first at Seima, Ala., later at Chicago, then at St. Paul and since about six months before the fire in this city." The Chicago, Illinois, City Directory, 1870, (p. 743) did list a "Chauncey Seater," who worked as a carpenter for George W. Howard. Seater board at 79 Adams Street in Chicago. (Howard was a Chicago carpenter and builder who maintained an office at 193 and 195 Dearborn Street in Chicago in 1870. [See Chicago, Illinois, City Directory, 1870, p. 399.]) Seaton also did work as a superintendent in a furniture factory when he first arrived in Saint Paul, but quickly switched to a running and architectural practice.

The obituary also made the comment about his death: "The death was quite a surprise to his many friends in the city, many of whom did not know he was sick. The cause of the death could not be learned definitely, but it is said to have been due to troubles of the kidneys. He had been sick about ten days." (See "Was a Prominent Architect," Spokane Spokesman-Review, 12/13/1896, p. 6.)

Parents

His parents Asa L. Seaton (born 07/04/1803 in NY-d. 01/16/1890 in Chetopa, KS) and Dorothy Wilcox (born 1810 in Canada-d. 11/24/1884 in Chetopa, KS) wed in Canada in 1831 and operated a modest farm in Tod, OH, in 1850. The Decennial US Census of that year documented that the Seatons owned $200 worth of real estate, a small amount compared to neighbors on larger estates. The family's wealth had increased to $1000 in land and $375 worth of other assets by 1860.

In 1850, Chauncey was the youngest of eight children. His siblings included Loraine Seaton Leith (born 01/05/1832 in Cobourg, Canada-d. 01/10/1920 in Saint Augustine, FL); Polly Seaton (born 12/11/1834 in Cobourg, Canada-d. 10/08/1835 in Cobourg, Canada); Warren Seaton (born 1836 in Canada-d. 02/05/1912 in Huntington, IN); Clarinda Seaton Gray (born 04/05/1838 in OH-d. 05/30/1909 in Wooster, OH); Valentine Seaton (born 02/04/1840 in Stark County, OH-d. 09/07/1901 in IN); Miranda Seaton McClellan (born 12/29/1841 in OH-d. 12/28/1923 in Wooster, OH); and Robert Seaton (born 07/01/1844 in OH-d. 11/1915 in Shawnee, KS)

In 1870, Asa and Dorothy lived in Nevada, Wyandot County, OH, where Asa worked as a laborer, according to the decennial census. (One census document listed Asa Seaton to have lived in Pitt, Wyandot, OH, a town near to Nevada. See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, DC; Non-population Census Schedules for Ohio, 1850-1880.; NAID: 2791276; Record Group Number: 29; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007, accessed 02/04/2025.) They resided in a house with two daughters--"L." (for Loraine) Dombaugh and Miranda Seaton--and two granddaughters, Clara Dombaugh (born c. 1859 in OH) and Mary Dombaugh (born c. 1868 in OH). Chauncey Seaton did not live with his parents according to census records. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1870; Census Place: Nevada, Wyandot, Ohio; Roll: M593_1284; Page: 759B, accessed 02/04/2025.) Laura Dombaugh worked as a school teacher in Nevada, OH. Warren Seaton, Chauncey's brother, also lived in Nevada, OH, with his family and worked as a butcher. A neighbor of Asa Seatons in Nevada, was a physician, M. Stewart (born c. 1841 in OH), who may have been a relative of his future wife, Ella Stewart.

By 1880, Asa and Dorothy Seaton worked on a farm in Jackson, IN. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Jackson, Wells, Indiana; Roll: 323; Page: 75c; Enumeration District: 144, accessed 02/04/2025.)

Spouse

Chauncey Seaton married Ella M. Stewart on 02/20/1884 in Wyandot County, OH. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016, accessed 01/30/2025.) According to his obituary, Ella worked as a Spokane public school teacher and the couple had no children.

In 1880, there were three families listed in the US Census for the small town of Nevada, OH, with the surname "Stewart." There was the family of James Stewart (born c. 1844 in PA), a hardware merchant, and Robert M. Stewart (born c. 1839 in OH), the physician. Both of Robert's parents had been born in PA. One other listing was for Ella Stewart (born c. 1860 in PA), who lived on her own nearby to James. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Nevada, Wyandot, Ohio; Roll: 1079; Page: 606b; Enumeration District: 170, accessed 02/04/2025.) It is likely that Ella was the sister of James. as she lived with him in a household in Antrim, Wyandot, OH, in 1870. In that year both Ella and James resided with Rosanna D. Stewart (born 06/11/1813 in PA-d. 04/03/1898 in Kansas City, MO), likely their mother. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1870; Census Place: Antrim, Wyandot, Ohio; Roll: M593_1284; Page: 610A, accessed 02/04/2025.)

Additionally, a sister of Ella's, Amelia Stewart (born c. 1849 in PA-d. 1939), married Chauncey's brother, Robert Seaton. They had two children, one of whom was named "Chauncey Alfred Seaton" (born 06/08/1874 in IN-d. 01/26/1929 in Santa Ana, CA).

Biographical Notes

A "Chauncey E. Seaton" resided in Chicago, IL, during the 1870s and 1880s, who worked as a clerk for the American Express Company. (See Chicago, Illinois, City Directory, 1882, p. 1097.)


PCAD id: 6793