JAMES R. CHAMBERLIN

Main Cemetery -- Area C 
Lot 44 -- Eastside

James R. Chamberlin got shot in the buttocks and after that, in photographs, he was never seen sitting again because it hurt to sit! From his listing in the Grand Army of the Republic's Directory, we learned that James was born in Troy, New York, on September 19, 1825. Although the GAR directory says this, the 1900 US Census for Rochester NY says that James was born in October of 1824. He was a graduate of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

James married Jane Bellows on December 6, 1849, in Pittsford, at the age of 24. Together, the couple moved to Rochester, New York, in the fall of 1850. Then James and Jane had a little baby girl in 1854. They named her Jennie. The 1870 US Census for Rochester stated that James lived in the 32nd Ward in the City of Rochester.

Before James enlisted, he was a coal dealer The 1890 Veterans' Schedule states that he enlisted on August 31, 1861, in the US Army 3rd NY Cavalry as a Private. The Daily Union and Advertiser issue from Friday Evening, January 30, 1863, reported that even though James had many promotions, his highest promotion was when he got promoted to Captain on June 1, 1863 James was mustered out with the rank of Captain on August 31,1864. The 3rd N.Y. Cavalry participated in over 100 battles while Chamberlin was serving. Most of them took place in North Carolina.

According to the Chamberlin Rubber Company Centennial published in 1966, James opened Chamberlin Rubber Goods in 1866. An early location of his rubber store was 13 Buffalo Street, now West Main, in downtown Rochester. A newspaper advertisement in The Rochester Daily Union and Advertiser from Saturday evening, November 3, 1866, states that the store sold hoses, belts, boots, and shoes. They also sold all kinds of clothing, piano covers, notions, fancy rubber goods, stationary, drugs, and jewelry.

Jane Chamberlin's obituary stated that she died September 15, 1904, at age 73 of an illness. From the 1910 N.Y. Death Index we found out that Mr. James R. Chamberlin died on January 29, 1910, in Rochester, New York at age 84.

James served in the military and helped America, but he also came back from the war and helped his community by offering two things when he opened his store. One, was that he offered jobs and the second was that he was selling supplies that people could use for bad weather. In fact, the whole reason James started his business was because he saw soldiers in the war suffering from the weather and had ideas about how to help. Captain Chamberlin was a leader, both in the army and in his community.