Jacob Kayler was born in 1837, likely in Vaughn, Ontario to John and Mary Ann (Krum).  His father, John (sp.Keailer) was born in the US but of German descent, about 1798 and immigrated to Canada where he presumably married  Mary Ann, born in 1803 in Canada. At the time of the 1861 Census he is listed as a Labourer like his father.

Jacob married Mary Dunnett in York, Ontario on May 5, 1868.  Mary born on December 4, 1847 in Collingwood, Ontario to James and Margaret (Claxton) both of English descent.  In the 1841 UK Census there is a James Dunnett listed as being a cooper and was born in St. Clememt, Suffollk, England about 1821.  James worked as a cooper in Vaughn. They were married on August 21, 1844 in Toronto and had 8 children, Mary being the oldest. At the time of James’s death on November 6, 1900 they were married for 56 years and still residing in Collingwood. Margaret died 1902.

The first record of Jacob and Mary living in Stratford was the 1877-1878 Assessment record.  Jacob is listed as a carpenter at 174 Dufferin Street, as well as 7 family members residing.  Continuing on to the 1881 Assessment records, besides Jacob, Mary age 34, daughters Ida age 13, Maggie age 11, Emma age 9, son John age 6, daughter Annie age 4 and William age 1 are listed as residents.  In the 1885 City Directory and Assessment records Jacob is listed as a tenant of this property.    1889 is the last year he is listed as a resident of Stratford in the City Directories.

Continuing the search to find Jacob led the research to his other children. Ida married John Wertson in Stratford on December 28, 1887, Maggie married Fred Sylvester, a tinsmith, on March 19, 1890. The couple lived at 118 Ontario Street with their five children. Maggie died in 1922 from pneumonia and is buried in Avondale Cemetery. Fred was remarried to Mary Bell Duncan in 1924.  
Emma married John Morley. John moved to Cook County, Illinois, USA. As the Naturalization records show in 1896.  He married Ellen Jane Kinrade on June 28, 1899 and had 6 children.
The death records show Jacob (April 22, 1913), Mary (March 27, 1923), Emma (August 27, 1945) and John (September 18, 1949) all in Cook, Illinois.  Jacob was still listed as a carpenter at the time of his death and living at 1345 Edgemount St, Cook County, Illinois, US. Both Jacob and Mary are buried at Forest Home Cemetery.

It is uncertain why Jacob moved his family to Stratford.  Possibly the railway boom, which brought many new people to Stratford and the wave of new houses being built.
The move to Cook County, Illinois could have been because relatives on his father’s side
lived there or because Chicago was opening up as the gateway to America west and was booming.

*** Jacob’s last name was found spelt many different ways-Kaylee, Kayler, Kuiler &  Keiller. The differences could be illegibility of the handwriting or simple the way the person taking the assessment heard the name and interpreted the spelling. ***