According to historian Michael Hagemeister, sources contemporary with John described him as "an adventurer of the most dangerous character", an "inveterate liar", and a "scoundrel in money matters".
His parents were the Hungarian inventor and entrepreneur Lasslo (Laslo) Philip Chandor[3] (1815/1817 – October 7, 1894) and Laura Mannabourg (Mannaberg) (September 28, 1827 - April 14, 1878).
[4] In the 1870s and 1880s, John lived in Paris, with his wife Adeline and his mistress Elizabeth Fry Ralston, partly on the proceeds of investments from his father's career.
[1] John married Adeline Augusta Dickinson[5] (1850-1947) on April 1, 1874 in New York City, and they had six children: In December 1875, John met Elizabeth "Lizzie" Fry Ralston (née Red) (November 9, 1837 – November 30, 1929), the widow of San Francisco businessman and financier William Chapman Ralston (1826–1875), on a ship travelling from New York City to Europe.
Louise was co-author, along with Edith Starr Miller (Lady Queenborough) (1887-1933) and others, of the famous conspiracy classic titled Occult Theocrasy (2 vols.)