There have been Chandlers in the Southern United States since 1609. The first we know of to carry the name was one John Chandler who arrived in Jamestown in that year. Much of the efforts of the Chandler Family Association have been directed at documenting the first five generations of the descendants of this John Chandler. And quite a massive list of descendants has accumulated over the past several years as people provided their individual information. At this point, though, we are unable to tie our first known Chandler ancestor, the Shadrack Chandler listed below, to this line.

In the next few pages we shall give what information we have concerning the first three Chandler families in our family tree. This begins with Shadrack and his wife Martha, then follows their son Samuel and his wife Anna, and concludes with their son Shadrach and his wife Adeline. We follow this with a listing of the descendants of Shadrack and Martha Chandler of which we have knowledge. At present that consists of approximately 1,780 individuals. The bulk of these individuals are from the Florida branch of the family.

Shadrack Chandler was born before 1756 in Virginia and died in 1812 in Franklin County, Georgia. He married Martha _____ who was also born in Virginia. The Virginia births are noted in the 1880 Livingston Parish, Louisiana census record of their son Samuel. Shadrack's parents at present are unknown to us.

There were three Shadrack Chandlers listed on the Greenville Co. SC census for 1790 and two on the 1800 census. He most likely was the Shadrick Chandler (note different spelling) in the 1800 census of the Pendleton District (containing Greenville Co.) on page 130 with three sons and six daughters living at home along with five slaves. The number of children match if you assume the 22 year old and 16 old boys are away from home. In fact, on the same page the adjacent name is a James Chandler with wife and child listed of the correct age bracket to be Shadrack's son James listed below. The only discrepancy is in the age bracket for two of Shadrick's younger sons The census has three sons under 10; but from an unverified source we have that two of these were between 10 and 16. Most likely the census is correct (see the listing of these children that follows later)

We know Shadrack Chandler was living in the Pendleton District of South Carolina in 1804 and sold property there and then purchased 400 acres in Franklin County on the banks of Indian Creek. Shadrack executed a deed of sale in 1804 of 100 acres located in the Pendleton District of South Carolina to Reuben Shinault. In November 1804 "Shadrack Chandler of Pendleton Co., S. C." purchased from Thomas Westbrook of Franklin County, Ga. 400 acres (two deeds for 210 acres and 190 acres, respectively) on the waters of Indian Creek. Thus, he was residing in Franklin Co., Georgia in 1804. And by 1808 he had received a bounty of 202 l/2 acres in Wilkerson County, Georgia.

Shadrack lived on Indian Creek until his death in 1812 as shown by the Franklin County tax digest for 1805, 1808, & 1810. He had 6 slaves listed in 1810. After Shadrack's death his executor filed tax returns for the property until 1818. It is instructive of the way our ancestors lived to look at an inventory of Shadrack's possessions at the time of his death in 1812.

Following this, it was noted that Stephen Hughes, doctor to Shadrick Chandler Dec. got one new woman's saddle and Right Berry, doctor to Shadrick Chandler got two new men's saddles (for services rendered, I suppose). The inventory was signed by J. Gibbs, George Thrasher(he only made his mark), Stephen Westbrook, and Esaias Harbour. This was submitted to the Honorable Court of Ordinary, November 2, 1812, Edmund Henley, James Allen, and Joseph Chandler, Esquires Present.

On Sept. 8, 1818 Jeddediah Chandler, Daniel Chandler, Samuel Chandler, William Chandler, heirs of Shadrack Chandler, sold to Daniel Molder the 400 acres on Indian Creek. William's signature was assigned by Thomas Mayes.

Shadrack Chandler's will was dated April 5, 1812 and proved July, 1812. It listed the widow, Martha, son James Chandler, daughter Elizabeth Mullican, sons, Jedediah, Samuel, Daniel and William, daughters Mary Westbrook, Tabitha Gordon, Susanna and Peggy, Sally and Martha.

The son James was listed as JP on a deed dated Jan. 1810. He performed marriages until 1818. In the 1818 tax digest Jedediah is listed with 3 slaves.

Shadrack and Martha Chandler's children are:

* Of the birth dates above, only that of Samuel is known to be correct.

Samuel Chandler was born in South Carolina, the son of Shadrack and Martha Chandler. His tombstone shows his birth date as October 27, 1803, an obvious error, since the 1850 and 1880 census records of Livingston Parish, Louisiana indicate his birth year as 1796. The 1860 census record states he is 65 years old when the census was taken.

In his application for a pension for the War of 1812 Samuel Chandler stated that he served as a private in Captain A. C. Saffold's Co. Georgia Militia from Nov. 21, 1814 until May 21, 1815. His pension was approved for $8.00 per month on February 4, 1871. He applied for 80 acres of bounty land on December 17, 1850 for which he stated he was due by the fact of his military service.

As noted above, on Sept. 8, 1818 Samuel Chandler joined with his brothers and sold the 400 acres of their father's estate on the banks of Indian Creek in Franklin County, Georgia.

After selling the land in Georgia, Samuel evidently moved to Amite Co., Mississippi where he married Anna Efferson on September 20, 1821. Samuel is shown in the 1830 Census living in Lawrence County Mississippi.

The family moved to Louisiana in 1836, living 10 miles north of Albany. In 1841 Samuel moved from the Albany home to a site on the Amite River named Chandler Bluff near Watson, Louisiana. He purchased this land from the US Government November 15, 1836. It is situated near the confluence of Chandler Branch with the Little Natalbany. Chandler Branch is now know and designated on maps as Smary Branch. Military Bounty Land Warrant 20087 for 80 acres from the Act of 1850 and Military Bounty Land Warrant 44590 for 80 acres from the Act of 1855 were lands applied for by Samuel under the War of 1812 service.

According to her tombstone, Anna Efferson was born July 12, 1816 (this date is obviously wrong, since she was married in 1821) and died September 15, 1870. The 1850 census of Livingston Parish, La. indicates her birth would be in 1805 and that she was born in Georgia. The 1860 census states she was born in La.(a probable error) She is buried in the Amite Baptist Church Cemetery in Livingston Parish.

In the 1850 & 1860 censuses Samuel is listed as a farmer. In the 1880 census he is listed as 84 years of age with his widowed daughter Margaret living with him. Samuel Chandler died September 2, 1882. He is buried in the Amite Baptist Cemetery.

Samuel and Anna Chandler's children are:

Samuel and Anna Chandler's succession papers were filed September 29, 1882 in Livingston Parish Louisiana.. It stated that they left the following heirs, issue of their marriage, Elizabeth Chandler, now the wife of Kinchen Stewart, residing in your parish, Shadrack Chandler, an absentee, Malinda Chandler, surviving widow of Efferson Stewart, Sarah Ann Chandler wife of William J. Allen, James Chandler, and Margaret Chandler, now the wife of Hiram Curry, Tabitha Chandler, now the wife of George S. Minton, all of said parish, Daniel Chandler, deceased, represented by Samuel & John Chandler now majors & two daughters, both minors, and Mary M. Chandler, wife of Joseph A. Minton, petitioners. They show that petitioners are the owners of three interests in the estate of said Mrs. Annie Chandler deceased, one by inheritance and two by purchase, viz.: that of Tabitha Chandler, wife of George L. Minton, and Mrs. Margaret Chandler, now widow Curry. That petitioners purchased the interest of the said Tabitha on the __ day of _____ 1872, when she, the said Tabitha, was the widow of Henry Settoon deceased and that they purchased the said interest of Mrs. Margaret Curry sometime during the year 1872. Mr. W. T. Carter, Attorney at Law, was asked to be appointed attorney. ad hoc to represent Shadrack Chandler an absentee.

Shadrach M. Chandler was born December 23, 1824 in Mississippi, the son of Samuel and Anna Efferson Chandler. He moved to Louisiana with his family in 1836. They settled 10 miles north of Albany; then in 1841 Samuel Chandler moved his family to a site on the Amite River named Chandler's Bluff near Watson, Louisiana.

Shadrach Chandler married Adeline Tucker January 30, 1845, at Springfield, Louisiana. Adeline was the daughter of Beza Tucker and Mary Kinchen Tucker. Adeline was born December 7, 1828 in Louisiana.

The 1850 Livingston parish Census shows Shadrach Chandler age 25 as a lumber cuter living with his wife and 3 children. On February 29, 1860 Shadrach sold 320 acres for $500.00 to William Wells in Livingston Parish. John J. Kinchen and L. T. Rheams of Livingston Parish were witnesses.

Shadrach Chandler and his family left Louisiana shortly after selling his land, as he is shown on the 1860 census living in Hillsborough County, Florida at Tampa. They had traveled across the gulf of Mexico on a sailboat. The 1860 census showed him as a farmer with $500 worth of real estate and $350 worth of personal estate.

He enlisted in Captain W. J. Turner's Company Independent Florida Volunteers at Tampa, Florida September 15, 1861. This was known as Co. K, 8th Florida Infantry. He mustered in October 27, 1861 and was discharged July 23, 1862. He also served in Captain F. A. Hendry's Company, Munnerlhn's Battalion in 1864 and was discharged in 1865 at Fort Meade, Florida, according to his widow's pension application.

Based on legal records, Shadrach and his family were in Polk county from 1864 to 1874 at least. On March 1, 1864 he inventoried the goods of the estates of Bennett Whiddon and William M. Willingham. He was among the Grand Jurors of the Spring Term of the Circuit Court in Polk County, opening Monday, April 5, 1869. He was listed as a registered voter in Polk County in 1871. Two of his daughters were married in Polk county : Licenticia Chandler married Paten S. Pearce Feb. 2, 1868 and Caroline Chandler married J. W. Gant on Dec. 20, 1874.

In 1874 S. M. Chandler is listed as a member of the Incorporators of Pease Creek Navigation Company, December 12, 1874. Also listed with him was his son W. W. Chandler, sons-in law, J. W. Gant, Peyton S. Pearce and William Underhill.

During the late 1870's he moved to the lower Kissimmee Valley and settled at Bassinger. In June 1880 he purchases land in Section 28 Township 35S, Range 33E from the Florida Land and Improvement Company. This was in Brevard County at that time.

Shadrach and Adeline are shown on the 1885 Florida State census living in the Kissimmee district of Brevard County with Charlie age 19 and Lucy age 16.

Shadrach was an experienced ox team driver and was known as one of the greatest ox drivers in the state. He also operated a general store in Basinger in the 1890's.

The following story about a young boy's turkey hunt in1873 in the vicinity of what is now 7th. Avenue, just east of 28th street in the Ybor City section of Tampa includes the much appreciated appearance of Mr. Chandler and his team of oxen.

Quoting Kyle Van Landingham, who quotes Albert DeVane, we have the following story of Shadrach and the great flood.

Shadrach Chandler served as County Commissioner from the Bassinger district in Osceola County after it was split out of Brevard County. He served from September 22, 1890 to June 10, 1891.

Shadrach M. Chandler died April 16, 1898 at Bassinger, Florida and is buried there.

The 1900 Osceola County census shows Adeline Chandler living with her son Charles Chandler and his family at age 71 in Bassinger. She died there June 29, 1906 and is buried next to her husband.

On the 6th of May, 1912 W. W. Chandler, administrator of the estate of S. M. Chandler applied in the County Court of Osceola County Florida to divide 120 acres among the heirs and to sale to pay debts.

In the introduction to her book, The River of the Long Water, Alma Heatherington includes the following comments about her Grandfather Shadrach Chandler.

Her date of 1857 for the arival is incorrect based on Shadrach's land transaction in Louisiana in 1860 and the fact that the 1860 census shows the family in Tampa, not at Peace Creek as they would have been if they had arrived in Tampa in 1857, then two years later moved to Peace Creek.

In 1960, 20 years before the above passage was published, Mrs. Hetherington wrote several letters to the Florida historian Albert DeVane of Highlands Co. concerning Shadrach. The information in the letters in not always consistent, and some dates are obviously wrong, but the reason given for Shadrach's removal to Florida has a correct ring and matches what I had always heard through the years. In what follows Mrs. Hetherington is quoting her cousin Grace Chandler Warden. Mrs. Warden first relates what we have already read above about the family coming by ship to Tampa, living in a tent, then moving to the Peace River area. Next she relates the following story.

Unfortunately most of the records from Livingston Parish for this time have been lost. So the official record can not be searched to confirm this story. The version of the story that I had passed down to me had Shadrach shooting the neighbor because he had refused to help Shadrack build the bridge, but persisted in using the bridge after it was finished.

In a letter of May 16, 1964 Mr. DeVane writes to a Mr. Welch (who apparently had written about the Ft. Bassinger area) and relates the following story about Shadrach, whom he describes as a "most interesting character". This, I promise, will be our last Shadrach story. I do wish, though, that we had as much information on the earlier Shadrack.

As is usually the case, we know much less about Shadrach's wife Adeline. From the same letter quoted above, Grace Chandler Wardern says:

If this were a study of Adeline Tucker Chandler's ancestors, then we would have more material with which to work. But since it is the Chandler line we are interested in here, I will just note that Adeline Tucker's parents were Beza Tucker and Mary Kinchen Tucker. Both Beza and Mary's lines have been traced back to early colonial times. And in Beza's case we can go back to the earliest English immigrants to Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Shadrach and Adeline Chandler's children are:

1.	Samantha	b. Feb. 2, 1846 d. Dec. 24, 1935 m. William Underhill
2.	Littetia	b. Feb. 10, 1848 d. Jun. 26, 1936 m. Peyton S. Pearce
3.	Willis Wells	b. Feb. 13, 1850 d. Oct. 17, 1930 m. Ada Kissia Roberts
4.	Caroline	b. Jan 3, 1854 d. c. 1920-30 m. J. Willis Gant
5.	Horace	b. Jan. 17, 1856 d. Nov. 11, 1867
6.	William Spencer	b. May 21, 1857 d. Aug. 24, 1902 m. Ellen Williams
7.	Louisiana	b. Mar. 6, 1861 d. Nov. 29 1948 m. Peter Raulerson
8.	Allen Luther	b. Nov. 29, 1863 d. Aug. 19, 1932 m. Maude E. Snell
9.	Charles Henry L.	b. Aug. 3, 1866 d. Jan. 11, 1922 m. Ida Elizabeth Raulerson
10.	Annie Lucy	b. Apr. 5, 1869 d. Mar. 15, 1900 m. Paul Gibson

What follows is a listing of the descendants of Shadrack Chandler of the Pendleton District, South Carolina, who moved to the nearby Franklin county, Georgia in 1804. The lineage follows primarily the line of his son Samuel, who was born in South Carolina, who moved with his parents to Georgia, who married in Mississippi, and then made a final move to Louisiana in 1836. The lineage then primarily focus on the descendants of Samuel's son Shadrack M., who moved to Florida in 1860.

The idea of collecting the Florida information originated with a Chandler family reunion held in Okeechobee, Florida April 5, 1986 and organized by Betty Chandler Williamson. There people filled out group sheets on their family trees. However nothing was done with this information until 1994 when I, William F. LaMartin, and my sister, Bobbie Lee Wilson, decided to organize it, add to it, and input it into my computer where it would be readably accessible.

So the bulk of the Florida information came from information supplied by people at that reunion. Additional information was gotten from Kyle Van Landingham and Virginia Westergard's book Parker and Blount in Florida and Steve Underhill's chapter in the Underhill Genealogy Vol. VI, 1980 entitled Descendants of William Underhill of Duplin County, NC. Both books contain information on many Florida families related to the Chandlers. The material on the Louisiana descendants was gathered by Betty Williamson, James E. Phillips, Bobbie Wilson, and myself. For much of the information of the Shadrack of Pendleton South Carolina, including a copy of his will, I am indebted to Joseph Chandler Burton of Anderson, South Carolina.

Spiral bound copies of the entire document may be obtained from William LaMartin