When Mary Orr was born on 8 August 1839, in Muskingum, Ohio, United States, her father, Andrew Orr, was 37 and her mother, Sarah Love, was 23. She married John A Chrystal on 21 March 1867, in Delaware, Iowa, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 4 daughters. She lived in Delaware, Iowa, United States in 1880 and Antelope Township, Spink, South Dakota, United States in 1900. She died on 21 March 1928, in Saint Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota, United States, at the age of 88, and was buried in Golden, Delaware, Iowa, United States.