EDMUND’S COMMUNITY COURIER
November 2006
Barb Chandler Editor
GETTING TO KNOW YOUI joined EFCA about a year ago when our son pointed out the web site. I am amazed at everyones interest and energy in our backgrounds. Thanks to Mary Chandler Lowells book our line seems clear.
I’m Steve (Stephen) and my lineage goes like this; Warner<charles<andrew<solomon<philip<peleg<philip<joseph<joseph
Natalie and I have been married 41 years. We met in our senior year at college. She a Nutritionist and I a Forester. I worked 34 years with the US Forest Service. We’ve enjoyed the cultures in the states of New Hampshire, Minnesota, West Virginia and now back to Maine. Our son Eric wife Shelley, son Sam and daughter Grace live in Minnesota. He is an F-16 pilot with the Air National Guard and employed by United Airlines. Our daughter Stacy just married Chris she is a Social Worker at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Our line has been in New Gloucester, Maine since Peleg brought his wife Sarah here from North Yarmouth in the first wheeled vehicle to town . . . an ox cart. The family has been invested in agricultural and forest land since. My grandfather and his three brothers acquired Uncle Solomon’s land, in the 1890s, and ran a successful sawmill and lumber business. An Aunt and her son and daughter along with Natalie and I are presently managing the same 2800 acres of land under the traditional name of Chandler Brothers. Some of the land dates back to the mid-1700s.
These lands lured me into the Forestry profession. Today the properties lie between the two major metropolitan areas of Maine…Portland and Lewiston/Auburn. Sprawl pressures are horrendous and much of my time is spent working on long range land management issues to try and maintain the character of the Town of New Gloucester.
THE GENEALOGIST’S TOOLBOX
Genealogy 101: Strictly for Beginners
by Bob Chandler
*Continued From Last Edition
GENEALOGY FORMS: There are forms galore in genealogy which you will soon enough discover. For now, the use of Pedigree Chart, Family Group Sheet and a sample census form are at Attachments 1, 2 and 3, respectively, to start you off.
The ‘Pedigree Chart’ starts with YOU on the first left hand line in the center, usually marked as ‘1’. Your father is on the upper, right central line, usually marked ‘2’ and your mother below him usually marked as ‘3’. The paternal line is always even numbers and the maternal line is always odd numbers no matter what the surname. The “Pedigree Chart” is useful to show the generations as you collect your ancestors.
The “Family Group Sheet” is a repository of genealogical facts gleaned from various sources. A “Family Group Sheet” is prepared for each generation on the “Pedigree Chart” with the father on the top line. If no known father, that line is left blank. On this “Family Group Sheet”, you may cross-reference to the document in your filing system from which you obtained the info. By adding that reference now, it will save you hours of searching for it later.
COPIES of these forms can be taken with you on your genealogical ventures, thus negating the carrying of the original documents which should never be done.
The “Census Form” is used to extract family information from the actual census document. Be sure to look on preceding and succeeding pages of each Census for possible family continuations as well as nearby in-laws and outlaws. Most families moved in groups in the old days for economic and safety reasons.
HELPFUL HINTS: Here are a few “tricks of the trade” which will save you time and money throughout your genealogical research. You will probably develop some of your own “tricks” as you get more experienced.
- Always use a pencil to record genealogical information. There are many sources of errors in genealogy and using a pencil will expedite your research. When the data are confirmed, you may then transcribe them in ink or ball point pen. In some libraries, staffs will not permit you to take the latter into the building.
- Always take plenty of change (usually dimes and quarters will suffice) for the copying machines and small bills for the change makers. Staffs are not bankers and dislike being interrupted for your forgetfulness.
- Always be brief, focused and polite when writing to request information. Include a SASE or state you will reimburse for expenses incurred on your behalf in the quantity is more than a SASE will accommodate. Be prepared to follow-up if you don’t get a response in a reasonable time. The staffs of libraries, historical/genealogical societies and government offices, etc., are usually understaffed, and, too. you arent the only one seeking genealogical information. Whenever you visit a site to collect genealogical information, remember to thank them for their expertise and efforts on your behalfeven if they didn’t find your great grandfather’s birth record. If some staff member has been exceptionally helpful, drop him/her a note of thanks. Who knows, you most likely will be going back there and it is by far better to be recognized as an appreciative person. It pays.
- Never take your original documentation with you as it can be easily lost or “borrowed”. If you can recall all that is missing, you will be fortunate, but either way, it is time consuming and expensive to replace documentation. Instead, make notes of who/what youre looking for and take those instead along with copies of your “Pedigree Charts” and “Family Group Sheets”. And, as with the ball point pen mentioned above, some sites refuse you entry with anything other than a few pieces of paper. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
HELPING YOURSELF: Please take advantage of local genealogical societies by becoming a member and attending meetings, getting on committees to learn more about genealogy and attend other seminars sponsored by sister societies. The web contains thousands of sites pertaining to genealogy. You will find these few exceedingly helpful:
//www.cyndislist.com/
//www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/
//www.familysearch.org/
htttp://www.westegg.com/inflation/
//www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php (formerly //www.spatial-literacy.org/UCLnames/)
//www.easycalculation.com/days-between-dates.php
New, May 2020: In addition, Family Tree Magazine has a variety of downloadable forms. Recently, these have been changed from “free” to (at least some) pay-per-purchase. You can find them at //www.familytreemagazine.com/?s=download+forms
CONCLUSION: The preceding is only the tip of the genealogical iceberg. Our goal is to start you off in the right direction armed with some the proper tools, procedures, forms and a few “tricks of the trade”. We trust these will make your tasks easier and hasten the days of discovery which await you.
And, all of us here of the EDMUND CHANDLER FAMILY ASSOCIATION do wish you the very best of “GOOD LUCK”.
TIDBITS
Photo Documenting Grave Stone Info
by Orland Chandler
Often a grave stone is the only good surviving documentation of a person’s birth and death. Getting a good readable photo can be a lot harder than it sounds. Badly damaged stones or poor lighting can do you in. Following is a method I have found works well.
Items Needed:
- Camera
- Water tank (A 5 gal. fire extinguisher with hand pump works well)
- Good Squeegee
- Can of Shave Cream
- Roll of Paper Towels
Steps:
Apply shave crčme to face of stone
Squeegee crčme off face of stone, lettering will remain white
Take photo
Clean stone well with water, this is a must. The shave cream will mold and damage the stone if it’s not cleaned well.
This stone was very hard to read before I gave it a good shave.
A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIFE OF . . .
THE JONATHAN CHANDLERS
by Carol May
Just like the Johns and the Josephs, there were many Jonathan Chandlers that descended from Edmund. It seemed like the Chandlers especially loved to honor their relatives, hence, we present day descendants, are led on a merry chase trying to figure out which one was which. The biggest surprise was to very recently find another Jonathan Chandler and family in Poland, Maine.
So here are the early ones The Jonathan of Minot/Poland and his grandsons, also named Jonathan, the Jonathan of North Yarmouth and later of Minot/Poland, Maine, the Jonathan of North Yarmouth, Maine, and finally the Jonathan of Connecticut and New Hampshire and his named Jonathan.
We have more information about them all, including sources, in our Members Only section of the website. Anyone interested in the Edmund Chandler family including the mystery Chandlers, Capt. John, Nathaniel, Mercy, and Zebedee is welcome to join. We also welcome new information and corrections with sources.
Jonathan Chandler of Minot/Poland, Androscoggin, Maine (Capt. John)
The most well known Jonathan Chandler of Poland, Maine was the son of Capt. John and his wife, Bethiah (Rickard) Chandler. He was born in Duxbury, Plymouth Co. Massachusetts on September 24, 1731 and died February 13, 1818 in Minot or East Poland, in what is now Androscoggin Co., Maine. He married Rebecca Packard. He had sons Reuben, John, Nathaniel, Ichabod and Avira who all migrated with him from Duxbury to what to the now present day Poland and Minot, Maine. His sons had so many descendants that most researchers were not even aware that there were other Chandler families Poland/Minot in addition to his family.
Jonathans grandson, also named Jonathan (Nathaniel>Jonathan>Capt. John) lived in Turner, Maine, which was adjacent to Poland and Minot. He was born September 17, 1783 in Poland, Maine. He died January 4, 1864 in Turner, Maine. He married Marcy Hall.
Records are fuzzy, but Jonathan may have had another grandson, Jonathan (John>Jonathan>Capt. John) born, in Dover-Foxcroft, Piscataquis Co. Maine about 1810. No further information has been found out about him, so he probably died young.
The other Jonathan Chandler of Poland, Androscoggin, Maine (Judah>Joseph>Joseph>Edmund)
Yes, there was another Jonathan Chandler, but he was not a son of Jonathan and Rebecca (Packard) Chandler. He is a new discovery. He appears only once on the Poland, Maine census and that was in 1820. All evidence, so far indicates he was the Jonathan that was born on December 14, 1750 in North Yarmouth, Cumberland Co. Maine to Judah and Rebecca (Seabury) Chandler. Marriage intentions to Zeruiah Brown were filed on November 21, 1778. His marriage has not been found.
It appears that he was the same Jonathan Chandler who was recorded in the 1800 and 1810 census in North Yarmouth, Maine and the 1820 census in Poland, Androscoggin, Co. Maine. He probably died between the 1820 and 1830 census as he was not in found in the 1830 census and he would have been 80 in 1830.
From census records it appears that he had several children of the correct age to have been Aunt Rachel, Jonathan, Jr. born about 1803, Rufus and Reuben who were buried in the Empire Cemetery in Poland, Maine. Jonathan Chandler, Jr. married Cynthia Lane, was also buried in the Empire Cemetery.
Rufus, who married Sarah Bradbury, had a son named Jonathan C. Chandler, born about 1827. Rufus has a family obelisk in the Empire cemetery with his name, his wifes name and their childrens names inscribed on it, including Jonathan C. Chandler.
Other possible members of this family could include Jacob Chandler of nearby Danville, Maine who married Thankfull Higgins and Anna Chandler of North Yarmouth who married Moses Bailey. Jacob was born in North Yarmouth, Maine in 1787 according to information on the Androscoggin Historical Society website, but his parents names were not given.
There needs to be much more work done on this family to establish ties beyond the circumstantial. There seems to be few remaining descendants from this family.
Jonathan Chandler of North Yarmouth, Cumberland, North Yarmouth, Maine (Joseph>Joseph>Edmund)
He married Rachel Mitchell, although he has been erroneously confused with the Jonathan Chandler who married Rebecca Packard (see above) in old books, However, vital records set the story straight. He was born to Joseph and Martha (Hunt) Chandler on February 18, 1717/18 in Duxbury, Plymouth, Co. Massachusetts and died March 20, 1786 in North Yarmouth, Cumberland Co. Maine. He owned land on Chebeague Island, Maine along with his brothers. He was described as a coaster and later a yeoman. Coasters sailed up and down the coast bringing in merchandise for sale and leaving with timber and other products of Maine to be sold. He had many children.
Capt. Jonathan Chandler of Piermont, Grafton, New Hampshire and the Battle of Bennington. (Joseph>Benjamin>Edmund)
He has been frequently confused with Capt. John; however, he was Capt. Jonathan not Capt. John. He was the son of Joseph and his second wife, Deborah Bonney. He was born in Cornwall, Litchfield Co., Connecticut on December 30, 1735. He married Sarah Pierce and moved with his family to New Hampshire. He fought in the Battle of Bennington, Vermont in the Revolutionary War. He died in 1799 in Piermont, Grafton Co., New Hampshire. His son, also named, Jonathan was born on July 26, 1758 in Cornwall, Litchfield, Connecticut. He married Ruth Stevens on March 11, 1801 in Piermont. Jonathan and his family were buried in the River Road Cemetery in Piermont, New Hampshire.
If you have questions or comments please direct them to Barb Chandler at barb95831 @ gmail.com |
