LANDER

      JOHN EDWARD LANDER, was born on 30 Apr 1869, Calais, Washington Co., ME. and died on 4 Oct 1941, Bangor, Penobscot Co., ME. John was adopted and his birth parents aren't known. What is know about his place of birth is taken from the birth certificate of his son, William Ambrose Lander who was born at home on 10 Jan 1892 in Codyville, Washington Co., ME. John is listed on the certificate as the person who reported the birth to the town clerk of Codyville, and in this record of birth John gave his own birthplace as Calais, Washington Co., ME. The 1870 Census needs to be checked for John's adoptive parents to see where they were and if he, at the age of about 1 or less was residing with them at the time.

Could John Lander, the adoptive father of John Edward Lander have moved to Topsfield from Codyville? My father maintained that the man who adopted John was living in Topsfield as late as 1910. Topsfield is directly west of Codyville and they share a border - an easy move.

   Family tradition holds that John's biological parents were surnamed Clark. This hasn't been confirmed through a primary source so remains simply tradition. All the stories handed down concerning how John came to be adopted seem to deal with shipwrecks. In one the family was coming from England and John survived while his parents didn't. The other shipwreck has his father accompanying a load of lumber to some port south of Calais when the ship went down and his father drowned. This story makes no mention of what happened to his mother. We have absolutely no proof that any variation on this theme is true, either in its entirety or in part.

   The second shipwreck version also indicates that John's father was in partnership  in the lumber trade with a man named "Landaire" (and thats just a guess at spelling because its a verbal tradition), and after John's father was drowned he was adopted by this man and his wife. DJohn later changing his name to Lander.

   Heres what little we do know about the couple that adopted John. On the 1880 Census, when John was eleven years old. He was living with his adoptive parents, John and Elizabeth Lander (so much for the "Landaire" theory),  in Codyville, ME. John Lander Sr, was forty eight years old at the time, a farmer, who couldn't read or write. He had been born in Canada and so had both his parents. His wife Elizabeth was fifty, and had also been born in Canada. There was also a Fred Thibodeau, age 24 living with them.

    This is interesting because Harriet Knox, the mother of Daisy James, is said to have married a Thibodeau after she divorced Charles James. Any connection to the Fred Thibodeau living with the Lander family in Codyville on the 1880 Census? They both resided in Codyville, Maine.

     Could Fred Thibodeau have been related to either John Lander or his wife Elizabeth? Could Elizabeth's maiden name have been Thibodeau?

    Could the association between the John's biological and adoptive parents have been that of blood relation rather than business. Many times orphan children were adopted by relatives.

   Now, it seems less than probable that John Lander, unable to read and write, was running a lumbering business on any scale other than small. While he may have been cutting some timber it was most likely a seasonal occupation, taken up in winter when farming was on hold.

   The whole "legend" of shipwreck and what have you seems to be very weak. More likely is the next family story which holds that on one occasion, his wife's sister accused John of being illegitimate in front of a number of family members. John is said to have remained silent while Daisy and her sister removed to the kitchen where Daisy chewed her out.

   If the circumstances of John's birth were in fact, less than kosher, then it wouldn't be surprising at all if the family concocted a cover story to hide the fact. Whatever the case may be a lot more research needs to be done to try and uncover more about John's origins.

   John Lander worked for the Bangor & Aroostook Rail Road as a section foreman for many years. If he followed an earlier trade any mention of it hasn't been handed down.

     John Lander married DAISY MAE JAMES on 10 Jan 1892 in Codyville, Washington Co., ME. Daisy was born on 10 Nov 1872 in Calais, Washington Co., ME, and died on 15 nov 1942 in Sherman Mills, Aroostook Co., ME. She was the daughter of CHARLES F. JAMES and  HARRIET KNOX.

CHILDREN:

1. Amelia Elizabeth Lander, b. 19 Jun 1892 in Codyville, Washington Co., ME., d. 14 Sep 1936 Sherman Mills, Aroostook Co., ME. She m. Francis A. Irish. They had 13 children.

CHILDREN:

1. Frances Mae Irish, b. 30 Jan. 1908

2. John Edward Irish b. 4 Dec. 1909

3. Vaughn Lewis Irish b. 1 Sep. 1911

4. William Everett Irish b. 26 Sep. 1913

5. Maurice Alton Irish, b. 4 Nov. 1915

6. Charles Elston Irish, b. 23 Sept. 1917

7. Leon Harold Irish, b. 16 Mar. 1919, d. unmarried.

8. Alfred Ray Irish, b. 8 Jan. 1921

9, Winfred Frank Irish, b. 11 Nov 1923

10. Audrey Marie Irish, m. Raymond Darke.

CHILDREN:

1. Karen Ann Darke

2. Betty Rae Darke

3. Wayne Everette Darke

11. Alvin Eugene Irish, b. 11 Dec. 1928

12. Nina Amelia Irish, b. 14 July 1930

13. Alta Louise Irish, b. 8 Oct. 1931

2. WILLIAM AMBROSE LANDER

3. Charles Elston Lander, b. 06 Jun 1895 Codyville, Washington Co., ME, and d. 02 Aug 1962 in Patten, Penobscot Co., ME. He m. Lona Helen Stevens on 01 Nov 1921 in Patten, ME. Charles was of Millinocket, Maine at the time of their marriage. Lona was b. 14 Apr 1904 in Patten, the daughter of Asa Ira Stevens and Ella Grant. They had three children, Neil, Charles Elston Jr. and Helen Amelia.

CHILDREN:

31. Charles Elston Lander Jr., b. 25 Apr. 1924, Bangor, Me., d. in Mar. 1996 on visit to the Dominican Republic. He m. Alice Irene Brnier on 15 Jun 1945 Waterville, Kennebec Co., ME. She was the daughter of Archie J. Brnier and Flixne Bolduc.

32. Neil Lander, b.; m. Alice Van Dyke. Ch. Neil & Terry

33. Helen Amelia Lander, m. Burtrum Main. Ch:1. Joanne Main, 2. Burtrum Main Jr., 3. Richard Main

4. Than Robinson Lander, b. 04 Mar 1910 in Sherman Station, Aroostook Co., ME. He died on 07 Jan 1972 in Skowhegan, Somerset Co., ME.  He married Sarah (_____). They apparently had no children.

     WILLIAM AMBROSE LANDER, b. 9 Aug. 1893 Codyville, Washington Co., ME; and died on 7 Aug 1975 in Cleveland, Bradley Co., TN;. He m. DELIA FRANKIE DEARBORN on 8 Nov. 1916 in Island Falls, Aroostook Co., ME. Frankie was born on 27 Jun 1899 in Island Falls, ME at the home of her great grandparents. She died on 9 Jan. 1971 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She was the daughter of FRANK DEARBORN and FLORA BELINDA PERRY.

CHILDREN:

1. GLEN LANDER

2. Jean Jaqueline Lander

SOURCES:

"Maine Marriages" Website of dept of vital stats. Maine, "Dearborn, Frankie, Crystal, Me., m. Willie A. Landers, Sherman, Me., 11-8-1916"

     GLEN LANDER, b. 07 May 1917 Crystal, Aroostook Co., ME., d. 28 Feb 1996 Cleveland, TN. He m.CONSTANCE SARAH TWITCHELL b. 06 Oct 1921 Rumford, Oxford Co., ME., d. 08 Feb 1991 Cleveland, Bradley Co., TN. The daughter of ELDEN ELI TWITCHELL and ADA FLORIS ATKINS.

CHILDREN:

1. WILLIAM CHARLES LANDER

2. Cheryl Marion Lander

3. Judith Gail Lander

4. Deborah Frankie Lander

From "Maine Marriages" Website of dept of vital stats. Maine                                           "Daisy M. James, Codyville, Me., m. John E. Lander, Codyville, Me., 1-10-(18)92."

This following entry is from the 1880 Census of Codyville:

  1. JOHN LANDER, age 48, mar., farmer, cannot read or write, b. Canada; father b.Canada, mother b. Canada

  2. ELIZABETH, age 50, wife, mar., Keeping house, b. Canada; father b. Canada, mother b. Canada

  3. THIBODEAU, FRED, age 24 border, single, Laborer, b. Maine; father b. Canada, mother b. Canada

  4. JOHN LANDER, age 11, adoptive son, single, At school, b. Maine; father b. Maine, mother b. Maine

 

In a search various records conducted by Sharon Howland for the family it was found that:

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