Chapman was born in Illinois, USA, on 16 November 1904, to parents John Turner (1876–1949) and Hettie Jones (1884–1936).
In 1923, she married William Chapman. The couple had four children: Ollie, Clayton, Freddie (1926–1987), and Clyde (1928–1937). Her husband passed away in May 1937, and a month later, their youngest son also passed away.
Her older sister, Clara (16 July 1900 – 10 November 2008), passed away at the age of 108 years, 117 days. Her younger brother, Haywood Albert (17 April 1915 – 23 September 2018), passed away at the age of 103 years, 159 days.
Mary Chapman passed away in Belleville, Illinois, USA, on 5 March 2017, at the age of 112 years, 109 days. At the time of her passing, she reportedly had great-great-great-great-grandchildren. This would make her one of only a few documented people who had six generations of descendants at the time of their passing.
At the time of her passing, she was the second-oldest (known) living person in the U.S. state of Illinois, after Mildred Salk, who was 13 days older.
Her age was verified by Stefan Maglov and Jimmy Lindberg, and validated by LongeviQuest on 22 February 2024.
* Clara L. Chapman – Legacy, November 2008
* “Obituary for Ms. Mary Ann Chapman” – Serenity Memorial Chapel (Belleville)
* Mary Ann Turner Chapman – Find A Grave
* Haywood A. Turner – Dignity Memorial