Elihu Elnathan Chandler (1795 - 1884)

Born 27 Jan 1795 in Foxcroft, Piscataquis, Maine, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Jemima (Mathis) Chandler — married Jun 1835 in Danville, Iowa

Descendants

Died 24 Sep 1884 at age 89 in Baltimore Township, Henry, Iowa, United States

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Biography

Descendant of Mayflower passenger Peter Browne.

Elihu Chandler was born in Maine.

Elihu Chandler was a homesteader in the United States. Join the Homesteaders Project.

"Elihu traveled from Maine around 1830. He helped build a fort in Henderson County, Illinois in 1832 during the Blackhawk War. He moved to Burlington where he made the first rails in "Old Flint Hills," as the village was called. He helped lay Jefferson Street in Burlington, took a claim in Danville Township in 1834, and finally settled in Baltimore Township." -Source Kelly Reunion Book

"Brother Chandler was baptized by Rev. Evans in June 1837, and was the third person baptized into the fellowship of what is now Danville Baptist Church and, therefore, probably the third in the territory of Iowa." - Source Historical sketches of Iowa Baptists [database on-line]. Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.

Name: Elihu Chandler Birth Year: abt 1796 Birth Place: ME Gender: Male Marital Status: Married Census Date: 1856 Residence state: Iowa Residence County: Henry Locality: Baltimore Roll: IA_56 Line: 29 Family Number: 51 Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Elihu Chandler 60 Jemima Chandler 50 James S Chandler 19 S J Chandler 15 R O Chandler 12

Ancestry.com. Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Microfilm of Iowa State Censuses, 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925 as well various special censuses from 1836-1897 obtained from the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest.

Name: Elisha Chandler Age in 1870: 76 Birth Year: abt 1794 Birthplace: Maine Home in 1870: Baltimore, Henry, Iowa Race: White Gender: Male Post Office: Mount Pleasant Household Members: Name Age Elisha Chandler 76 Jemima Chandler 65 Alice M Chandler 7 - *Sophronia died when Mae was less than two years old. Elihu and Jemina raised her. Source: 'Ward Kelly Booklet'

Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: Baltimore, Henry, Iowa; Roll: M593_395; Page: 124B; Image: 253; Family History Library Film: 545894.

General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 about Elihu Chandler Name: Elihu Chandler Issue Date: 1 Dec 1841 State of Record: Iowa Acres: 160 Accession Number: IA1870__.033 Metes and Bounds: No Land Office: Burlington Canceled: No US Reservations: No Mineral Reservations: No Authority: April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry (3 Stat. 566) Document Number: 7752 Legal Land Description: Section Twp Range Meridian Counties 26 70-N 5-W 5th PM Henry

Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Automated Records Project; Federal Land Patents, State Volumes. http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/. Springfield, Virginia: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, 2007.

"Died on the 24th in Baltimore township, Henry county, Elihu Chandler aged 80 years.

Mr. Chandler was born in the state of Maine Jan. 27 1795. In 1830 he came west to the State of Ohio, and from thence the next year to Henderson county, Illinois. The Blackhawk War was raging so Elihu helped build and gaurd the forts in the county.

In 1883 Mr. Chandler crossed the Mississippi river at a point where there was a little white settlement of two or three cabins, and known in that early day as "Pinhook." This was the very beginning of your city, Burlington. And here Mr. Chandler worked six weeks at the honest business of splitting rails and chopping wood for Dr. Ross, the first white physician who practiced medicine in Burlington.

In the fall Mr. Chandler went back to Illinois, but in February recrossed the river, and with Enoch, Cyrus, William Dickens and Noble Housely, came west some fifteen miles and started the first settlement made in Danville, and perhaps in Augusta Township. In June 1835 he was married to Mrs. Jemima Dobson who, the October previous came with her brother, Mr. William Mathis, and his family from Kentucky and who with her four little children were living at the time of their marriage in the third cabin (or rather the second cabin as Cyrus' cabin was literally a rail pen) built by a white man in the township. There Mr. Chandler lived for nearly four years, and then moved to what is now Baltimore Township, Henry County. In this neighborhood he lived over 46 years greatly respected and beloved by his neighbors and all who knew him. And here his widow over fourscore years of age survives him.

Mr. Chandler was a sincere Christian and was the third person baptized into the fellowship of what is now the Danville Baptist church. That church being organized October 20, 1834.

The funeral of this early settler took place at the residence of his widow and the services were conducted by Rev. S. H. Mitchell, his pastor, and others. A very large concourse led by six old settlers on horseback followed his remains to the graveyard on Mr. Runner's farm, where the remains of Nancy Duke, the first white person who died in this part of Des Moines County." Source: Daily Gazette Henry County, Iowa Sept. 30 1884

Burial Pleasant Grove Cemetery, New London, Henry County, Iowa. Find A Grave http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=chandler&GSfn=elihu&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=14&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=8582948&df=all&Sdy=&GScntry=4&GSst=0&GScnty=0&GSgrid=&df=all&GSob=n

Sources

• "Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4WC-5DZ : 14 January 2020), Elnathan Chandler, 1795.
• United States Census, 1850", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ46-QWX : Thu Oct 05 23:47:02 UTC 2023), Entry for Elihn Chandler and Jemima Chandler, 1850.
• "United States Census, 1880", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD2V-FFP : Wed Oct 04 04:19:39 UTC 2023), Entry for Elihn Chandler and Jemima Chandler, 1880.
• The Daily Gazette, Burlington, Iowa, September 30, 1884.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8582948/elihu-elnathan-chandler : accessed 23 December 2021), memorial page for Elihu Elnathan Chandler (27 Jan 1795–24 Sep 1884), Find a Grave Memorial ID 8582948, citing Pleasant Grove Cemetery, New London, Henry County, Iowa, USA ; Maintained by Mo and Dave Gates (contributor 46929143) .

Chandler was among the charter members of the first Baptist church in the state of Iowa.

In the spring of 1834 Chandler was part of a group that left Green County Kentucky and traveled to Long Creek six miles south of Danville, Iowa. Upon reaching their destination, they discovered there was no church in the area. Unaccustomed to being without a house of worship, they were anxious to organize one as soon as possible. They sent word to Elder John Logan, who lived in Illinois, asking him to come to Long Creek to help start a church. On October 19, 1834 Elder Logan and Gardiner Bartlett, representative of the House Mission Society arrived and the Regular Baptist Church at Long Creek was established.

In 1838 Elihu Chandler, Jemima’s husband, joined the church. He was the third person baptized. Both he and Jemima were devoted members the rest of their lives.

From 1838 to 1849 the congregation met in homes. In 1849 a church was built but became too small for the growing congregation so in 1888 a new and larger church, Danville Baptist, was erected . On the 100th anniversary, a celebration called Chandler Sunday was held to honor five generations of Chandler membership. They were; Elihu, James, Frank, Glen and Don. A picture of the Chandler men was given to the church.

SOURCES

• Danville Baptist Church History obtained from Danville Church Secretary

• Danville’s First Baptist Church Marks Sesquicentennial, Burlington Hawkeye Newspaper 1984