Crawford to Oklahoma

My recent 'adventure' in Dodge City newspapers on Newspapers.com allowed me to discover information about another Crawford family.

There are two distinct Crawford lines in Dodge City prior to 1890. My line descends from Washington Marion Crawford who followed his brother, James H. Crawford to Dodge City from Indiana around 1884. The other line, Harvey H. Crawford, descends from James Crawford (1770-1836) of Warren County, Indiana thru his son, William Alan Crawford.

Harvey H. Crawford settled in Wheatland Township northeast of Dodge City about the same time that James H. Crawford settled just south of Dodge City. According to newspaper articles, Harvey H. Crawford moved to Oklahoma for a time before settling in Dodge City before 1900.

In May 1889, H. H. Crawford journeyed to Oklahoma pursuing work as a carpenter.

Steve Leavergood and H. H. Crawford started for Oklahoma on last Sunday morning. Mr. Crawford expects to get some work at his trade, carpentering. Mr. Leavergood has taken a claim, but will follow butchering.

Western Kansas Ensign (Dodge City, Kansas), 10 May 1889, page 3; digital image, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online November 2019).

Boarding House

I recently have been spending a lot of time with Ancestry's newly released database: Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s - present. In the process, I discovered that a lot of the early newspapers from Dodge City, Kansas are now on Newspapers.com. Thus, I did a search for CRAWFORD between 1885 and 1890. Many of the results allowed me to get a digital copy of articles I had seen when I read the microfilm.

One of those articles described the building of a boarding house by my 2nd great grandfather, Washington Marion Crawford.

Marion Crawford has commenced the foundation for a boarding house, north of his present location, on 2d Avenue. The main building will be 16 x 26 feet, 18 feet high, with a wing 16 x 18 feet. The dining room and kitchen will be in the basement. A. O. Sherman hs the contract to do the work.

Dodge City Times (Dodge City, Kansas), 30 July 1885, page 4; Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online November 2019).

Member Search

Have you seen it? Ancestry recently released an improvement to their 'Member Search'.

I played around with it a little yesterday, and this feature has a lot of potential. However, I think a better understanding of how the search works is needed before I can use it effectively.

To access the 'Member Search' feature, pull down the SEARCH menu on Ancestry's screen.

Click on MEMBER SEARCH at the bottom of that menu. The Member Search screen will open with the default search for a member by their name or user ID.

In the past, one had to pretty much know the exact name or user id in order to locate that user. This is one of the areas that has been improved. Instead of needed to know the exact name, one can search for part of their name.

Thank God We Don't Need Your Kid!

By a Marine in the South Pacific

You say he can't stand the Army
The life is too tough for him,
Do you think he is any better
Than some other mother's Tom or Jim?
You have raised him like a girl
He don't smoke or drink, is your brag,
If all the boys were like him
What would become of Our FLAG?

Then you say let the roughnecks do the fighting
They are used to the beans and stew,
I'm glad I am classed with the roughnecks
Who fight for the red, white and blue
You say his girl can't stand it
To see him go with the rest,
Don't you think she would be glad
When she felt a Jap's breath on her breast?

Think of the women of Belgium
Of the hardships they have to bear,
Do you think you want that to happen
To your sweet daughter so fair,
You can thank GOD for the Stars in OLD GLORY
Are not blurred with that kind of stain
Because there are millions of roughnecks
with real red blood in their veins.

They go and drill in bad weather
And come in with a grin on their face,
While your darling sits in the parlor
And lets another man take his place,
Maybe we do smoke and gamble
But we fight as our forefathers did,
So warm the milk for his bottle --
THANK GOD WE DON'T NEED YOUR KID!!!!!

Found on Guadacanal, Solomon Is.
November 8, 1942

Published in the 29 April 1943 issue of the Corning Gazette, Corning, Kansas. Digital copy available on seneca.advantage-preservation.com

Honoring the Veterans in My Family

Anyone who has lived in Emporia, Kansas realizes that Veteran's Day is a MAJOR holiday. Today, we take time to honor those who have served and who are serving. Thus, I would like to take a walk thru my family tree to honor my veteran ancestors.

World War II

Eugene Crawford

Between 15 Feb 1945 and 1 Aug 1946, Eugene served at the Naval Training Center in Gulfport, Mississippi and at the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois. He shipped out on the USS Oneida (APA-221) towards the end of the War in the Pacific as seaman 1st class in the U.S. Naval Reserves. He received the Victory Medal and the American Campaign Medal.

Crawford Pioneer Dies

Warren County Pioneer Is Dead

Mrs. Margaret Robb Passes Away at 94; Entire Life Spen in West Lebanon Vicinity

West Lebanon, Ind. April 21
(Special) -- Mrs. Margaret Robb, said to have been Warren county's oldest resident, died yesterday at her home here at the age of 94 years. She observed her birthday last Friday and on the preceding Sunday relatives and friends arranged a birthday party in her honor.
Mrs. Robb was born April 18, 1836, three miles south of West Lebanon, on the farm where her brother, George W. Crawford, 83, now resides. It was entered by her father in 1838. The brother is the sole surviving member of a family of 11 children. The parents were William and Leutitia Crawford, pioneers of the county. Mrs. Robb had been a member of the Christian Church for nearly 80 years and was the teacher of the beginners' class in the Sunday school for 40 years. She was formerly president of the Aid society.
In 1836 she married Bolivar Robb who died in 1913. Besides her brother she leaves many nieces and nephews. The funeral will be held at the Christian church Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock, Rev. Louis Hotelling officiating. Burial in West Lebanon cemetery.

Celinda Margaret Lydia Crawford was the daughter of William and Lutitia (Snodgrass) Crawford and granddaughter of James and Martha (Knight) Crawford.