John Chandler was born in Milton, Canada, October 26, 1836. Here he spent his younger days on the farm and in school. When he was seventeen he came to Wisconsin and clerked in a hotel in Union. In 1856 he came to Lyle and took up a claim, but later waived his right to other parties who built a saw mill and grist mill on it. They first sawed for nearly a year, but the latter ground but one grist, when the exceedingly wet rains of 1858 washed out the dam and mills.

A part of this claim was platted for Cedar City. His brother, D. L., had already opened up his farm, and the father came the next year. John and his father constructed the first mill in the county, making it out of a hollow log and an iron wood pestle, which hung on a spring pole, and could reduce corn to hominy and even pretty fine meal at a lively rate. This mill was in great use by the Chandlers and their neighbors in preparing corn for hominy and Johnny cakes. In order to pre-empt his claim he borrowed money in Chatfield at 50 per cent interest.

It was hard times for everybody, and he finally lost all his land but sixty acres, and was obliged to sell his yoke of oxen, which he paid $100

Memorial Tombstone at Cedar City Cemetery.  Sarah was buried in Cedar City Cem.

for, at a loss of $60. The next few years he did carpenter work with his farm work. In 1860 he began working in a sawmill at Moscow, first as an employee, then renter and finally owned it for five years. He then entered the grocery business in Austin with his brothers, Sterling and William, but later moved back to his farm. He now has 320 acres of land, and crops enough to free him from debts in which he became involved while doing business in Austin.

He first married Sarah Vancil, Apr. 15, 1860. She died in 1871, leaving him three children, Amy Eldora, Iva A., and Stephen D. In 1874 he married for his second wife Emily J. Lawyer. They have two children, Carrie Bell, born Feb. 24, and Ruth Rebecca, born Aug. 14, 1886.

 

 

---

Submitted to MnGenWeb by Darrel K. Waters