McCandless, William A.

MCCANDLESS, MCCANDLISS, GEARY, MAEKLAND, ANNAN, BROWN

Posted By: Pat Ryan White (email)
Date: 2/24/2012 at 08:13:32

WILLIAM A. MCCANDLISS

Grant Township - William A. McCandliss, miller and grain dealer, was born in Warren County, Ohio, February 9, 1822, and received a common school education, after which he learned the carpenter and joiners trade. He located in Hamilton, where he became a large contractor, and also in Cincinnati, erecting some of the finest structures in those cities. This business he has continued in all for thirty years. In 1855, he moved Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where he constructed a fine steam flouring mill. After operating it for one year he sold it and then went to contracting and building, in which business he remained engaged until 1861, when he joined the 25th Iowa Volunteer Infantry as wagon master. He was in the Seventeenth Corps, under Logan, where he saw difficulties in transportation, etc., but few have had the privilege of beholding. Mr. McC. served for two years, and was discharged for disability. He returned to Mount Pleasant, and in 1866 he moved to Savannah, Andrew County, Missouri, and took the contract of building the county house and jail. This he completed sooner than expected to the entire satisfaction of the county. In 1872 he moved to Barnard, Nodaway County, buying the large flouring mill at that place, and there has continued to reside. Mr. McCandliss has been twice married: First, to Miss Maria Geary, of Hamilton, Ohio, in 1845. They had seven children: Mary, (wife of Edward Maekland) Elizabeth, (wife of H.C. Annan) Emma married Robert L. Annan, of Barnard; Irvin W., in the mill with his father, Charles E., and May, at home. Mrs. McC. died Oct 14, 1877, in Barnard. His second wife was Mrs. Marilla Brown, widow of Dr. Brown, of Troy, Kansas, to whom he was married January 24, 1879. She has one child by her former marriage, Clara Brown. Mr. McCandliss and his family are members of the Presbyterian Church. He has an excellent mill, with three run of stone, the advantages of good water power, and under his management is rapidly gaining in popularity with the people.

[Nodaway County, Missouri, History of 1882, page 939-40; transcribed by Letha Marie Mowry and Pat O'Dell, researchers in Nodaway and Andrew County, MO]