Arthur was born in Fairfield, Vermont, grew up in upstate New York, and practiced law in New York City. Arthur's father, William Arthur, was born in Dreen, Cullybackey, County Antrim, Ireland to a Presbyterian family of Scots-Irish descent; he graduated from college in Belfast and emigrated to the Province of Lower Canada in 1819 or 1820. He was named 'Chester' after Chester Abell, the physician and family friend who assisted in his birth, and 'Alan' for his paternal grandfather. The family remained in Fairfield until 1832, when William Arthur's profession took them to churches in several towns in Vermont and upstate New York. The family finally settled in the Schenectady, New York area.Arthur had seven siblings who lived to adulthood: Mary (1841–1917), the wife of John E. McElroy, an Albany businessman and insurance executive, and Arthur's official White House hostess during his presidencyThe family's frequent moves later spawned accusations that Chester Arthur was not a native-born citizen of the United States.
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