Esther M. Chase (maiden name: Merrill) was born around 1812 in Maine. She married Thomas Chase on January 15, 1832, and they had at least nine children: Malona, born around 1835; Roscoe, born on November 3, 1838; Abbie, born around 1840; Charles, born around 1841; George, born around 1844; Howard, born around 1847; Lucy, born around 1849; William, born around 1853; and Homer, born around 1856.
They lived in Buckfield, Maine, and her husband worked as a farmer. By 1850, they owned $2,000 of real estate. Her husband died on March 13, 1866. She remained in Buckfield, and by 1870, she owned $3,000 of real estate and $1,000 of personal property. She died in Buckfield on July 13, 1887.