smith-wilson

WARNING: Information appearing on the INTERNET is not documentary proof. This site is offered only as an aid to bonafide genealogical research. These essays explore the identity of Daniel and Hannah Candler, their children and grandchildren, and such issues as might aid in the discovery of the Virginia Candler lineage. Contributions from other Candler writers are welcome. They will retain full intellectual property rights to their work (but I make no claim of protection from illegal copying by the public). The public is free to use this material for non-profit purposes, but please credit the author and source.

Traditional Data

Georgia Governor Allen Daniel Candler (1834-1910) mentioned John Candler of Tennessee in his book, Colonel William Candler of Georgia, His Ancestry and Progeny, 1896, the Foote & Davis Co, Atlanta, GA.

Allan Daniel Candler was wrong about many details, but he was correct that Zachariah Candler of North Carolina had a brother in Tennessee. Every account I have read of this John Candler of TN has said that he married but had no children. This seems to be the case. After I learned just how many "facts" in A. D. Candler's book were wrong, I started from scratch. Here are some results of my inquiry.

Thumbnail Sketch of Early Tennessee Candler Data

Smith and Wilson County, TN were created in 1799. Within 10 years of the founding of this area, John and Martha Candler were living among the original settlers. Sometime before 1810, John Candler settled in the Liberty area (this later became DeKalb County in 1837). He must have lived very close to the county boundary lines because his records are spread between the two (a current resident of the area told me that "the roads are so wind-y, sometimes I'm not sure which county I'm in").

Zedikiah Candler Moved to Tennessee

Sometime before 1820, Zedikiah Candler migrated from Bedford County, VA to the Smith/Wilson area, presumably to live near his son John. Zed's daughter, Mahaly (Candler) Crowder and her husband, also made the move and one assumes they made the journey of 400+ miles together. In the 1820 census, Zed has a middle-aged woman, and a young man living with him. I believe the young man to have been Winston Candler (more below).

Below, I have constructed a time-line of early Candler records, but first, a word about the area of settlement. According to the History of DeKalb County, Tennessee, by Will T. Hale:

CHAPTER III, The Oldest Village,

[pg. 21] On his arrival at the site of Liberty from Maryland in 1797, Adam Dale, who came by way of East Tennessee and over Cumberland Mountains, Mr. Riley Dale says, must have been impressed with the country, for he sent back in some way a report to his friends which induced the coming of a colony consisting of William and John Dale, Thomas West, William and George Givan, Thomas Whaley, Josiah and T. W. Duncan, James and William Bratten, Henry Burton, the Fites, Truits, Bethels, and many others, some of whom were young married couples.

It is not certainly known that he had a companion during the something like three years before the arrival of the immigrants. If he was alone, life must have been lonely at times. The descendants of all the pioneers who have talked on the subject, repeating the stories handed down, join in saying there was no wagon road through from Nashville after the first few miles. One, perhaps W. G. Bratten, told the agent for Goodspeed's history of the State that the colony "came down the Ohio River, up the Cumberland to Nashville, and from that point made their way overland to the Dale settlement in wagons." Another, perhaps a descendant of Rev. John Fite, stated to Rev. J. H. Grime, author of "A History of Middle Tennessee Baptists": "When he [Fite] landed here in the very beginning of the nineteenth century, he found

[Pg.22] this country still a wilderness. . . . He helped to cut away the cane and underbrush to construct the first road to Liberty, the work consuming a period of nineteen days for a number of hands." We may assume that there were roads a short distance eastward from Nashville, but it may be taken as true that a part of the fifty-six miles to Liberty was almost primeval forest. Doubtless game and fish abounded, and these occupied Dale's mind by day; but the snarl of the bobcat or other noises of the night, together with the solemnity of the great woods, were necessarily spirit-depressing, even if he had no fears of Indians.

In the 1841 deed (mentioned below), John Candler's land bounded that of Josiah Duncan, Lemuel Moore, William Estes, and unknown Clark. Josiah Duncan was married to Adam Dale's sister. The Candlers (John and wife Martha) belonged to the same church as did Adam and Thomas Dale, John Fite, and William Estes (the Salem Baptist Church).

1810 Martha Candler joined the Salem Baptist Church on Smith's Fork, Liberty, TN: Salem Baptist Church

1812 John Candler joined Salem Baptist Church, Liberty, TN: Salem Baptist Church

1814 John Candler of "Wilson Co. TN" sent an affadavit to Bedford Co, VA Court selling his interest to his mother's estate (Anna Moorman Candler's estate) to Wm. Dickinson of Bedford County.

1814 John Candler received a land grant from the State of Tennessee for land on Smith Fork Creek

1820 TN federal census, Wilson County, p 412: John C(H)andler is listed, neighbors include several of those listed in the 1827 and 1841 land deeds (below).

1827 John Candler bought some more land on Smith Fork (adjacent to his own earlier grant) from Louis (Lewis) Vick.

1829-1834 John Candler and Winston Candler are neighbors on Smith's Fork Creek in Wilson County (tax lists).

1830 TN federal census, Wilson County, p. 132: John C(H)andler -- unclear but likely to be John Candler

1832-1833 John Candler listed in Dr. Wright's (storeowner in Liberty, TN) daybook DeKalb History also "John Canler"

1840 Winston Candler listed on Smith County TN fed. census

1840 John CHandler listed in fed census among Wilson County neighbors named in the 1841 deed (below)

1840 John T. Candler bought 110 acres of land on Dry Creek, DeKalb Co, TN from Thomas Ward

1841 John Candler sells land on Smith Fork, Wilson County, TN to James T. Hays

1844 John Candler bought 90 acres of land on Dry Creek from Moses Mathias

1847 John T. Candler sells 110 acres of land on Dry Creek to William Hays

1850 Winston Candler listed in fed. census in Macon County (separated from Wilson)

1850 Martha Candler listed in fed. census (Dry Creek District) in DeKalb Co.

1851 Martha Candler's will in DeKalb listing only her sister, Ruth Elvira Harbin, widow, as heir. She leaves to her sister land on Dry Creek.

Research in Wilson County-Winton Candler

In the Spring of 2000, I visited the Wilson County, TN Public Library -- ph. [615] 444 - 0632. Early records are very slim and I was disappointed that there were so few Candler citations. The following is a report on that which I was able to collect in a scant three hour search. I'm told that there is a great old data archive in Lebanon. Perhaps more time there or at the courthouse will result in more Candler data.

US Census Data

1820 US Census, Smith County -- Zedekiah Candler http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/tn/smith/census/1820/0048.gif

One male "of sixteen and under twenty-six" years old, one male over 45, one female "of twenty-six and under forty-five."

1830 US Census: I could not find any Candlers on the 1830 US census schedules BUT I was lucky enough to find two booklets that listed some Wilson County Tax Rolls. In the foreword to one of these booklets, the transcriber/compiler (see below) said that these tax rolls were to be thrown away so he took possession of them. The titles are Wilson County, TN, General Resource Materials 1827-1869 (GRM), and Wilson County, TN Tax Lists 1830-1832 (WCTL), by Thomas Partlow, 816 W. Spring St., Lebanon, TN, 37087.

Year/s	Surname	Given Name	Comment	Acreage	Title	Page
1827-1829	Candler	Wilson	Capt. Reeve's Co.	---	GRM	181
"	"	John	Capt. Adam's Co.	46	"	273
"	"	Winsor		67	"	"
1832	"	Henry	Capt. Holman's Co.	---	WCTL	110
1831	"	John	Capt. Jennings Co.	50 acres on Smith's Fork	"	108
1831	"	John	Capt. Adam's Co.	Mostly Smith's Fork neighbors but no location listed	"	101
1831	"	Winston	Capt. Adam's Co.	"on Smith's Fork"	"	101
1830	"	John	Capt. Wilson's Co.	30	"	7
1830	"	Winsor	Capt. Barbee's Co.	---	"	47

1840 US Census, Smith County -- Winston Candler

http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/tn/smith/census/1840/0289a.gif

Two sons age five to ten; head of household age 30 to 40; two daughters age under 5; two daughters age 5 to 10; 2 daughters age 15 to 20; one female 30 to 40 -- Eight children. In the 1850 census (below) one older daughter is gone from the household, one daughter aged 15-20 is gone, and a younger daughter (Judith) has been born. I'm assuming that Sarah was one of the daughters listed as 5-10. The reason is this: William is listed as 5-10 on the 1840 but is age 21 on the 1850. From this I infer that the ages on the 1840 and 1850 are a year off -- this happens often -- the 1840 could have been taken early and the 1850 late in the year. This only matters if the person is near the cut-off point for the age category.

Gender	Age	Assumed identity/relation	Known birth date/place
Male	30-40	Winston Candler - husband	c1800, VA
Female	30-40	Mary Candler - wife	c1805, SC
Female	15-20	Unknown daughter
Female	15-20	Falby Candler	c1830, TN
Male	5-10	William Candler	c1829, TN
Male	5-10	Winston Candler	c1833, TN
Female	5-10	Sarah Candler	c1836, TN
Female	5-10	Unknown daughter
Female	Under 5	Unknown daughter
Female	Under 5	Henrietta Candler	c1840, TN

1850 US Census data for "Wilson" Candler of Macon County, TN.

Surname	Given Name	Age	Birthplace	Age on the 1840
Candler	Wilson	50	VA	30-40
"	Mary	45	TN	30-40
"	Falby	23	"	15-20
"	William	21	"	5-10
"	Martha	18	"	5-10
"	Winston	17	"	5-10
"	Sarah	14	"	5-10
"	Henrietta	10	"	Under 5
"	Judith	6	"

A Tennessee Historical Chronology up to 1820-- http://www.wizard.com/~bascs/tnchron.htm

Rootsweb DeKalb County, Tn Page -- http://www.tngenweb.org/dekalb/

Rootsweb Tennessee Resource Page -- http://www.rootsweb.com/roots-l/usa/tn.html

Rootsweb TennesseeGenweb Page -- http://www.tngenweb.org/

Rootsweb Macon County, TN Page -- http://www.tngenweb.org/macon/

Tennessee USGENWEB Project -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/tn/tnfiles.htm

Tennessee USGENWEB Project, Wilson County Page -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/tn/wilson.htm

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