Isaac Chatfield, the son of Joel Chatfield and Ruth Stoddard, was born in Derby, New Haven, Connecticut, on January 15, 1787. Isaac's father, Joel, had served in the War of 1812 under Colonel Sill. Isaac's birth came just three months after the Continental Congress had adopted the dollar and decimal coinage. The infant who would become his wife was born that same year--a half year before the U.S. Constitution was adopted. When George Washington took office in 1789, Isaac and his future wife were just two years old.

In 1806, at the age of 19, while still in Derby, New Haven, Connecticut, Isaac married Lucy Tomlinson, of Woodbridge, Connecticut. Born on March 20, 1787, Lucy Tomlinson was the fifth of twelve children of Levi Tomlinson and Amelia Beard. The 1806 wedding occurred during Thomas Jefferson's second term of office, around the time of the return of Lewis and Clark following their exploration of the Louisiana Territory--an eventful time in American history. The couple settled in Seymour, Connecticut, barely six miles away from Lucy's birthplace, where Isaac farmed while taking college coursework.

Nathan Stoddard Chatfield -- The father, a capable and hard working farmer -- was a disciplined and gentle man, much like Edward.
Margaret Prudentia Herrick--Edward's mother--was from Twinsburg, a village just 21 miles southwest of Middlefield. The couple had seven children, all born in Middlefield, Ohio. By birth order and date:
· Edward Livingston Chatfield  (Aug. 4, 1842 -- Dec. 3, 1924)
· David Avery Chatfield   (Nov. 13, 1845 -- Sept. 18, 1864)
· William Stoddard Chatfield  (July 28, 1847 -- Jan. 26, 1925)
· Isaac Newton Chatfield   (July 13,1849 -- May 25, 1926)
· James Herrick Chatfield   (Aug. 16, 1851 -- April 20, 1919)
· Charles H. (Henry) Chatfield  (Aug. 25, 1855 -- Dec. 22, 1891)
· Mary Margaret Chatfield   (Feb. 14, 1859 -- Feb. 15, 1925)