Frank Leroy Chance 1883-1924
2010
Frank Chance was certainly a well-known baseball player and coach of the Chicago Cubs and other major league teams. Our interest in him is not about baseball but is in his marriage and connection to our family history. Frank was born in Fresno, California. He married Edythe Lillian Pancake, who was the daughter of Stewart Pancake and his wife Priscilla Jane Freeland. Stewart and our great grandmother Edith Glendora Pancake Watrous were siblings. When we discovered first, the children of Stewart and Priscilla Pancake we had hope that one of them . . . Carl or Edythe had posterity. If they did, we might be closer to finding answers to some questions about this family line. As fate would have it, Frank and Edythe lived a good life in Illinois and California. They did not have any children. So, when Frank’s brother had a son, his brother named him Frank Leroy Chance. One would think upon finding that name repeated that Frank had a son. Not so. Nephew Frank’s wife remembers Edythe. She called her “a lovely woman”. She didn’t know why Edythe and Frank, and Edythe’s brother Carl and his wife Margaret chose to remain childless. Thus, the posterity of Stewart Megge Pancake ended here.
When Frank Chance died, his wife remained his widow and did not marry again. When asked she said that there just wasn’t another person in the world like Frank. In the year 2010, Fresno, California dedicated The Frank Chance Field. Nephew and namesake was present for the dedication. He is in his 80s. He showed the gold watch that his Uncle Frank won when he played in the World Series with the Chicago Cubs. In fact, he played in four World Series games. Edythe had given the watch to him after Frank’s death. Sounds like a connection between Frank and Frank. Without a son of his own, I’ll bet that was nice.
The migration of Frank Leroy Chance
California to Illinois to New York to Massachusetts to Illinois to California