“Chipman, Judge Henry, was born July 25, 1784, in Tinmouth, Rutland County, Vermont; and died at Detroit, Michigan. He was one of the early settlers of the Territory, and , in various capacities, performed the full part in shaping its affairs. His father, Judge Nathaniel Chipman, after serving honorably as an officer during the American Revolution, was chosed to represent Vermont in the United States Senate. He was also Chief-Justice of the State for many years. He was a man of solid learning and sound sagacity; and was as much resorted to by his neighbors, to settle their difficulties in a friendly way, as he was trusted in his public functions as a distinguished statesman and jurist. He was one of the earliest writers upon law in the United States, having published, not only text-books and reports, enriched with variable annotations and treatises, but also a work on the Principals of Government. This belongs to a class of productions called out by the new and peculiar political conditions of the United States, which have been very influential in shaping the affairs of the country. He married Miss Sarah Hill, an estimable lady of Vermont. Judge Henry Chipman had a profound respect for his parents, and his whole career was influenced by his father’s teachings and example. It was his good fortune to receive a thorough education. He entered Middlebury College and graduated in 1803, before attaining his majority. This college had already a high reputation, and Judge Chipman left with solid acquirements and scholarly tastes, which were a source of comfort and enjoyment through all his life. He was present at the commencement exercises of 1866., and was then the sole survivor of his class. On that occasion he received the degree of Doctor of Laws. Immediately after graduating, he began the study of law, and in due time, was admitted to the Vermont bar. His unsparing devotion to study had been too much for his physical strength, and his health failed. In hopes of amendment, he removed to the West Indies, and resided four years in Jamaica. During that time his constitution became so invigorated that the remainder of his life was more than commonly free from sickness. On returning to the United States, he first settled in Charleston, South Carolina. From there he soon removed to Walterborough, where he entered upon the practice of his profession. The South Carolina bar was then, as since, eminent, and Judge Chipman became intimate with the leading lawyers,--Huger, Pettigrew, and their contemporaries. His most cherished friend was James L. Pettigrew, a gentleman known throughout the United States, not only for his legal accomplishments, but for his unflinching love for the Union. This was unshaken by the trials to which he was subjected, first, during the nullification troubles, and, afterwards, during the more painful times of succession, when he stood solitary in his political fidelity. So long as they both lived, he and Mr. Chipman were strongly attached to each other. They found increasing pleasure in a frequent interchange of correspondence, upon affairs of mutual interest. As age crept upon them, and their circle of old friends became narrower, this intercourse became more and more valued; and, in the changes, they found their harmony of sentiment very pleasing. Such lasting friendship is as rare as it is honorable. While settled in Walterborough, Mr. Chipman formed the acquaintance of Miss Martha Mary Logan, to whom he was afterwards married. She was the daughter of John Logan, a wealthy planter of South Carolina, and was a remarkable woman. Her appearance was striking, and her intellectual and moral superiority made her respected and influential. She was warm-hearted and benevolent, of generous sympathies and strong attachments. She read much, observed carefully, and was informed on public questions as completely as on matters of literature. She was a clear and ready writer, and was especially brilliant in conversation. Such a woman could not fail to be a worthy mistress of her household, and a mother whoh won the strong affection, as well as filial respect, of her children. She lived to a good age, and died in the full vigor of her faculties, beloved and lamented. Mr. Chipman first visited Detroit, in company with his father, in 1823. Michigan Territory was then the extreme outpost of civilization in the North-west. The population, exclusive of Indians, was less than fifteen hundred thousand, and Detroit had no more that fifteen hundred people within its limits. Its business, however, was very large, as it was the center of the fur and Indian trade of the North-west. The society of the place was intelligent and cultivated, and Mr. Chipman had the sagacity to see the great promise for its future. He, therefore, decided to settle in Detroit, and, in 1824, moved there with his family. Soon after his arrival, he became associated with Mr. Seymour in publishing the Michigan Herald, an ably conducted and popular newspaper. Mr. Chipman’s editorial labors did not interfere with his professional industry, and he soon became well established as a lawyer. He gave up his interest in the paper when he was appointed Chief-Justice of the Court of Wayne County, which was then the court of ordinary general jurisdiction. In 1827, on the death of Hon. John Hunt, he was appointed a Judge of the Territorial Supreme Court, to fill the vacancy. At the expiration of the term, he was re-appointed by President Adams, and held the office until 1832, when he was left out for political considerations. His colleagues on the bench were Solomon Sibley and William Woolbridge, both men of eminence. His judicial record was honorable in all respects. For several years after leaving the Supreme Court bench, Judge Chipman remained in public life, attending to his practice and devoting more or less of his time to writing for the press. Upon organization of the Whig party, he became an active member, and used his utmost means for advancing its principles. He continued to labor for it until it was disbanded, upon the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and in anticipation of the Presidential election of 1856. He strongly denounced the Congressional action which repealed the compromise. The new party arrangements involved associations which were, in some respects, disagreeable to him, and he thereafter voted independently. He was among the few in his own State who voted for Bell and Everett, in the election of 1860. Upon the breaking out of the civil war, in 1861, he placed himself, unconditionally and zealously, on the side of the Union; and, in spite of the physical infirmities of advancing age, entered heartily into all measures within his reach for helping the country and the army. Judge Chipman wrote with great ease and rapidity, but his critical taste and desire to be accurate rendered extemporaneous speaking somewhat irksome, and he preferred writing to speaking. His political views were settled and his opinions well defined. In 1841 he was made Judge of the District Criminal Court, comprising, within its jurisdiction, Wayne and some of the adjacent counties. He held the office until it was abolished. This was his last public position, and, after relinquishing it, he continued the practice of law until his age rendered it burdensome. He furnished articles for the press as often as circumstances called for them, and never gave up the habitual use of his pen. At an early period of his life, Judge Chipman became identified with the Episcopal Church, and was, during a large part of the time, either a member of the vestry of St. Paul’s, or a trustee of the Mariner’s Church. The latter was formed, with his advice and assistance, by one of his old friends and clients. Judge Chipman had nine children, three of whom died in childhood. His oldest son—Henry Logan Chipman—became a Lieutenant in the navy and died at the age of thirty-two. He was not only a brave and good officer, but a man of genius, and a writer of much promise. The only remaining son,--John Logan Chipman,--a man of eloquence and recognized power, is a member of the Detroit bar. The daughters have inherited the qualities of their parents.” – Excerpt from “American Biographical History of Eminent and Self-Made Men, Michigan Volume,” published by Western Biographical Publishing Co., Cincinnati, O., 1878.