Note for: Joseph Chandler, BET 1737 AND 1739 - 5 JAN 1805 Index --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Ilene Chandler Miller's notes: 

Joseph Chandler lived in the middle part of North Carolina that borde rs on Virginia. He lived in this area for about forty-five years until h is death at the age of sixty-six.

Joseph was born in Goochland County, Virginia about 1739, the son of Jose ph and Sarah Chandler. He moved to Lunenburg County, Virginia with his pa rents about 1749 at the age of ten, not old enough to appear on the Tit he Lists of 1750, 1751, and 1752 that identify his father and brothers.

Joseph was a farmer and began to acquire his own land at an early age. T he first of his land acquisitions was in Lunenburg Co. in 1757 at eighte en years of age when he bought 300 acres from his brother William. He w as identified in the deed as Joseph Chandler, Jr., and similarly referr ed to in another deed in 1757.

In 1761, at age twenty-two, he left his parents in Lunenburg County and wi th his cousin, Joel Chandler moved to Granville County, North Carolina whi ch was an early colonial county formed from Edgemont County in 1746. It w as located on the border with Virginia. They were the first Chandle rs in Granville County and were shown in early tax lists. Soon after Jose ph arrived in Granville County, he bought two-hundred acres in the Count ry Line District.

During the several years after he came to Granville County, Joseph had ext ended his acquaintance and influence with his frontier contemporaries beyo nd his own community. In the late 1760's he engaged in court proceedin gs in the adjoining Orange County.

When Joseph and Joel Chandler moved to Granville County, they came at a ti me when long felt discontent among the small farmers had led to a milita nt movement called the Regulators.

Joseph, still living in Granville County, but having moved to the Goshen D istrict, was in the midst of an intrastate civil war as well as the Americ an Revolution. But apparently he survived very well. He took the oa th of Allegiance in 1778.

By the time the North Carolina Census of 1786 was taken, Joseph was abo ut forty-seven years old and his family was complete. The census enumerat ed ten persons in residence. There were nine children, and eight of th em living at the homestead and his oldest son James had his own home--al so in Goshen District. Joseph's wife was apparently still alive at this t ime although her name is not known. In 1790 Joseph's family, including s on James, were still living in Granville County.

In 1797 most of them moved to Caswell County where he continued to buy a nd sell land - his sales were to members of his family in apparent anticip ation of his death. All of the children were still living when he die d. Joseph wrote his will in May 1800 and he died in late 1805. His wi ll was proven in January court 1806.

Although there is no proof, it is certain that Joseph was buried in Bush A rbor Cemetery. His is probably one of the graves marked only by field sto nes. Many of his descendants are buried in this cemetery.

Joseph Chandler (Jr.) lived in the middle part of North Carolina that bord ers on Virginia. He lived in this area for about 45 years until his deat h. Of that time, he lived in Caswell County for eight years, but so me of his descendants live there even today.