Joseph John Chapman was born at Boston, Massachusetts, about 1787, the son of Daniel Chapman (born Ipswich, England) and Rosenda Canata (born Boston). Trained as a carpenter and blacksmith, at a young age Joseph Chapman went to the sea. Sometime after Argentina proclaimed its independence from Spain in 1811, the same year México began its own war for independence, Chapman headed for South America with several other adventurous young New Englanders who signed on with the crew of the Argentine independence privateer "Santa Rosa" under the command of Captain Sheppard. After attacking Spanish shipping along the coast of South America in 1817, the "Santa Rosa" sailed to Hawai'i followed by the larger rebel frigate "La Argentina" commanded by Franco-Argentine revolutionary André-Paul Hipólito Bouchard. After refitting both ships Bouchard set sail for targets along the coast of Spanish Alta California. A few days after Bouchard's raid on Monterey in November 1818, Chapman and Tom Fisher, an African-American, went ashore to refill water casks some 30 miles north of Santa Bárbara near El Refugio. Alert "coastwatchers" spotted them and both men were captured on the beach and taken first to Santa Bárbara and then to Monterey as prisoners-of-war ("pirates" would have been tried and executed). Chapman was put to work in Monterey repairing clocks until Spanish Governor Pablo Vicente de Solá (1761-1826) became aware of Chapman's skills. In December 1820 Solá tasked him with constructing a fulling mill for the washing and compressing of woolen textiles at Mission Santa Inés, which was completed by the summer of 1821 (Schuetz-Miller, Mardith. Building and Builders of Hispanic California 1769-1850; pg 130). With the arrival of news in late 1821 that Mexico had won its own war of independence from Spain, Spanish authority over Alta California ended. Governor Solá transferred his allegiance to Mexico, thereby becoming California's last Spanish and first Mexican governor. He ordered Chapman's release in December and Chapman became a free man. Joseph Chapman converted to Roman Catholicism and was baptized as "José Juan Chapman y Canata" at Mission San Buenaventura June 24, 1822 (SBV Baptism 03602). Soon thereafter he married María Guadalupe Ortega y Sánchez at Mission Santa Inés November 6, 1822 (SI Marriage 00326). Guadalupe was born at Santa Bárbara and baptized at the Presidio Chapel (BP Baptism 00194). She was the daughter of soldado José Vicente Ortega y Carrillo (1773-1807) and María Antonia Sánchez y Montiel (1781-1870), and the grand-daughter of Capitán José Francisco Ortega (1732-1798). Chapman took his bride to Los Angeles where he supervised the construction of a grist mill at San Marino in 1823 to replace an older mill built in 1816, then oversaw the building of two more mills in 1825. He also assisted in the completion of the Los Angeles Plaza Church. It was at Los Angeles that he built a house, planted a vineyard, and became a citizen of Mexico in 1831. That same year he and Miguel Blanco (Michael White) completed construction of a 99-ton topsail schooner (Spanish: goleta) for Mission San Gabriel. Christened the "Guadalupe," the vessel was built in sections at the mission that were transported by carreta to San Pedro where they were assembled. The Guadalupe's anchor is on display in the mission's garden. Chapman returned to Santa Bárbara in 1832, where his last six children were born. Joseph and Guadalupe were grantees of Rancho San Pedro in 1838. Joseph Chapman regained his United States citizenship with the transfer of California's sovereignty in 1848. He died the following year at Santa Bárbara and was buried in the Mission Cemetery ("cementerio de esta Yglesia") on January 10 (BP Death 00843).

(Biography based on source material provided by the original creator of this memorial, Terry Chaffee, and current manager's research.)
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Children:
(born at Los Angeles)
- José de los Dolores Ramón Saturniño (1823-1883)
- José Pedro Juan de los Ángeles (1825-1866)
- María Rita (1827-1849; married Francisco Ortega, 1843)
- María Ignacia (1829-1856; married José G. V. Elwell, 1851)
- María Clara Guadalupe (1831-1897; married José Ortega y Cota, 1848)

(born at Santa Bárbara)
- María de la Concepción (bap. Dec. 8, 1833 [BP Baptism 01019])
- María Dolores de la Concepción (1836-1901; married William S. Maris, 1855)
- María Teresa de la Concepción (bap. Dec. 10, 1838 [BP Baptism 01298])
- María Fervorosa (1839-1919; married Felipe Puig, 1854)
- María del Refugio (bap. Apr. 10, 1842 [BP Baptism 01493])
- José Antonio (1845-1917; never married)