1. Roots in Coaticook Canada
The Chandler family had its roots in Coaticook, Quebec, Canada, a village near the New Hampshire/Vermont border. Mary Ann Lorimer was born in Scotland, and her family immigrated to Coaticook when she was a toddler. At age 34, she met Reverend Joseph Chandler, a Baptist minister and widower. They married in 1850 and ultimately had seven children: George, Isabel, James, John Alexander (later known as Dr. Alexander John Chandler), Harry, Priscilla, and Joseph. They also raised Hannah, Joseph’s daughter from his first marriage. As Dr. Chandler once noted, it was hard going for the family in a parsonage home. Two of their children would go on to become pioneers of a new state and a new town, businessmen on the leading edge of irrigation, hydro-electric power, agriculture, and land speculation in Arizona.
The Chandler Family Home
The Chandler family lived on a farm made up of forty acres with rocky soil. They raised a garden, a few cows, hogs, chickens and a fruit orchard. Rev. Chandler, originally trained as a tailor, made suits to supplement the family’s meager income.
As they grew up in Coaticook, life for the Chandler youngsters involved school, chores and fun. They all attended a little red schoolhouse called Crooker's School. John Alexander Chandler, who became known as A. J. Chandler, later remembered with fondness visits to his Grandmother Lorimer's home. There he ran loose in an apple orchard, eating his fill and stuffing his shirt with apples for future snacks. The Chandler youngsters all had chores on the farm and attended the Baptist Church with their parents. For all but two of the children, formal education ended in high school. A.J. Chandler went to McGill University in Montreal. His half-sister, Hannah, sold her watch to help pay for his education. Years later after becoming a veterinarian, A.J. Chandler bought a new handsome watch for Hannah to repay her kindness. According to Priscilla Chandler, Harry Chandler could have gone to college if he had wanted to become a minister, but instead he finished his studies at the high school in Coaticook. Priscilla, the youngest daughter, attended Montreal Normal College and became a teacher.