John Willard CRAWFORD

John Willard CRAWFORD

Male 1867 - 1941  (74 years)

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  • Birth 24 Jan 1867  Galesburg, Knox, IL Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Census 29 Apr 1910  Everett, Snohomish, WA Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    • 1910 Census shows J. W. Crawford, 43, married 8 years, b. IL, parents b. IN/OH, second hand dealer, own store; Myrtle S., 28, 1 child born/1 child living, b. MO, parents b. IL/MO; Erma, daughter, 2, b. WA, parents b. IL/MO.
    Census 13 Jan 1920  Ballard Township, Adair, OK Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    • 1920 census shows: J. W. Crawford, age 52, born IL, parents born IN/OH, farmer; Myrtle S., age 38, b. MO,parents b. IL/MO; Irma Fay, age 11, b. WA.
    Census 5 Apr 1930  Elk Township, Elk City, Beckham, OK Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    • 1930 census shows: J. W. Crawford, age 63, b. IL, parents b. IN/OH, occupations, salesman, oils, age at marriage 34. Myrtle, age 48, b. MO, parents b. IL/MO, manager grocery and filling station.
    Census 1 Apr 1940  South Elk Township, Washita, OK Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    • 1940 census at South Elk, Washita, OK shows John W. Crawford, 73, b. IL, 1935 residence same, farmer; Myrtle, 58, b. MO.
    Note 1987  [1
    • Irma sent me the following, she said it was her response to Nancy Speck (61.1.1.1) regarding family history.
      "My father didn't like to talk about his life with his people, though he told many stories of his life alone after he left home as a bachelor in Montana and Wyoming. He was a guide in the Yellowstone Park, or rather he drove a stage there. He carried mail in Wyoming and said often the Indians would watch him and travel along with him at a short distance, but they never bothered him. He rode horseback and just made the trip once a month. One winter he was snowed in a cabin alone for two months and that was when he read the Bible, really studied it and decided it was full of lies and contradictions so he never cared to go to church. He said his father (Francis Marion Crawford) might be called an interior decorator, he had some kind of store for a time where he sold furniture. Willard said once that I might have gotten some of my artistic desire from his father. Grandma Crawford (Nancy Rebecca Dailey), as I always called her seemed to be a woman of character, I stayed with her for a week or so while I was 10 years old. I recall how neat she kept her little house. She had a cistern outside and got all her water from that. She told me she never drank straight water, she always kept a coffee pot on the back of the stove and had coffee instead of water all day when she got thirsty. She lived near her daughter, (the mother of Wadena Phillips (#61.1.1) , the mother of Nancy Rebecca Speck.) and helped her look after her children, as she was a widow. ((note: The mother of Martha Wadena Phillips was NOT Nancy Rebecca's daughter but rather her daughter-in-law, Mayetta Bell Long, widow of Nancy Rebecca's son Edward Arthur Phillips, #61.1)).
      My father had many hurts in connection with his mother, it seemed that no one approved of her marrying her cousin, Edward Arthur Phillips**, their mothers were sisters. Sally and Mary Deweese. Also, he must have been an alcoholic, as he used to excuse Arthur, who committed suicide and was drunk, I remember, at my father's funeral, by saying he took after his father. Oh yes, now I remember it was Arthur's wife that lived by Grandma, it was Howard that was drunk at Willard's funeral. His two sisters were Cora and Della, Della was Mildred's mother. He loved them, but disliked his half brothers and mother seemed to think they were the reason he left home to go west, but I don't know exactly what age he was when he left. When mother met him he was 14 years older than she was. He could even have been married in those years, but if he was it was a secret.
      He had a terrible hurt against his brother, Harley, because for 20 years he never contacted his mother, never sent her any money, though he had moved to California and had a nice home near Whittier. When I was about 10 he decided to forgive Harley and go visit him. He and his wife belonged to a radical religous sect, the Weslian Methodists, or something, and he had even less respect for him after he knew that, as he had been so unkind to his mother.
      Willard was very close to his brother Elmer, he talked of him more than anyone, understood and loved him with a deep affection. He loved his sister, Neva, and sent her money when Mother needed it to buy groceries, so Mother had a deep resentment of her. That resentment grew when we visited her in their 4-bedroom home in Bedfort (sic), Iowa, and found how well off they were, yet had never returned any of the money. When we were very poor in the Ozarks my father wrote of our poverty and they sent no money, but a huge box of fancy (that was what mother called them) clothes. For a while I was the best dressed little girl in our community, I had a hat with a big plume and high buttoned, thin shoes which didn't fit."

      ** Nancy Rebecca did marry her first cousin, but his name was Isaac Phillips, Edward Arthur Phillips was their son.
    Death 20 Sep 1941  Sentinel, Washita, OK Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Burial Odessa Cemetery, Lake Valley, Washita, OK Find all individuals with events at this location  [6, 7

    Father Francis Marion CRAWFORD,   b. Abt 1840, IN Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 4 May 1875, Galesburg, Knox, IL Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 35 years) 
    Mother Nancy Rebecca DAILEY,   b. 21 Oct 1838, Morrow Co., OH Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 9 Jul 1926, Worth, Worth, MO Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 87 years) 
    Family ID F274  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Myrtle Sarah CLARK,   b. 20 Sep 1881, Chilhowee, Johnson, MO Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 20 Jul 1973, Sonoma, Sonoma, CA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 91 years) 
    Marriage 24 Nov 1901  Gotebo, Kiowa, OK Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Children 
     1. Irma Fay CRAWFORD,   b. 6 Mar 1908, Everett, Snohomish, WA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 5 Nov 1996, Seattle, King, WA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 88 years)
    Family ID F276  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 24 Jan 1867 - Galesburg, Knox, IL Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 24 Nov 1901 - Gotebo, Kiowa, OK Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 29 Apr 1910 - Everett, Snohomish, WA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 20 Sep 1941 - Sentinel, Washita, OK Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Odessa Cemetery, Lake Valley, Washita, OK Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Photos
    crawford_willard.jpg
    crawford_willard.jpg

  • Sources 
    1. [S66] Wallem, Irma Crawford, Irma Crawford Wallem Letter, 66.

    2. [S1910] 1910 United States Federal Census, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D. C., 1910), 1910.

    3. [S1920] 1920 United States Federal Census, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D. C., 1920), 1920.

    4. [S1930] 1930 United States Federal Census, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D. C., 1930), 1930.

    5. [S1940] 1940 United States Federal Census, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D. C., 1940), 1940.

    6. [S246] Sullins, Donney P., Washita County Cemeteries, (http://www.rootsweb.com), 246.

    7. [S500] Find A Grave, 500.