New England Confectionery Company(NECCO)history on various websites says that their company was started when Oliver R. CHASE received a patent in 1847 for a "Lozenge Cutter" machine, which they claim is the very first candy manufacturing machine in the country.

The NECCO company is the oldest continuous running candy company still in business and with many of the same products. NECCO Wafers, Sky Bar, and others are still made.

I do not believe that they are likely in my CHASE family line, but I am interested in determining just where this family fits in to the CHASE's in America.

From preliminary research on the web, it appears as though there were at least three brothers involved; Silas L. CHASE b.c.1811, Daniel G. CHASE b.c.1819, and Oliver R. CHASE b.c.1821. They all seem to have resided in or around the Boston area of Mass.

There may be another brother, (purely speculation,) by the name of Lewson who was born about the same time in Mass. and who went South to Virginia, a school teacher in 1850.

The name Lewson shows up in some of the reported descendants of Silas, so I suspect a familial tie.

I have gathered some data on a few of these people, mostly from census and City directories, and would like to correspond with anyone else interested.

Dick Hillenbrand
Upstate New York Genealogy
www.unyg.com