John Daniel Cravens was born July 9, 1838, in Howard County, Missouri. In 1860 he married Mary Louise Kivett and immediately joined the Army and went off to the Civil War. Mary died in 1861 and when John returned from the war four years later he married Mary 's sister, Martha Catherine Kivett. Martha was born March 25, 1848, also in Howard County, Missouri.

John was a farmer and they also raised children. Some time following the Birth of the third child in 1870, the family moved to Colusa, California, and John continued farming. After the birth of the ninth child in 1883, te family moved to a 160 acre farm on Stillwater five miles from Anderson where john worked a truck garden and the last two children were born.

The children are as follows:
 

Sarah Belle Cravens Yank	1866-1889
Roma E. Cravens Cross	1868-1940
Ada Lee Cravens Payton	1870-1944
Charles Cravens	1872-1915
John Vivian Cravens aka "Viv" never m.	1874-Unknown
Hattie Mae Cravens Meyer	1876-1946
Orra Cravens Cunningham	1878-1942
Mary Josephine Cravens Huff	1881-1963
Cora Cravens (Never Married)	1883-1911
Arthur Cravens aka "Op"	1885-1966
Norma Cravens Holt Givan	1891-1994

 
The family attended the Christian Church and John and Martha raised the children under strict supervision. Martha and the girls cooked all Saturday as they did not do anything on sunday exept attend church services.  The Rev. Burtner came from Happy Valley on Saturday staying at the Cravens' home and held church services on Sunday in the schoolhouse. The Cravens had a croquet set and a place to play ball so there was always a crowd at their home on Sunday. Rev. Brutner also fought in the civil War, but he was a Northerner and John was a Southerner, however, they spent many hours talking and singing about the war.

Martha Cravens loved to dance so John would take her, even though he did not dance, and he spent the evening talking to the ladies while Martha danced.

In 1907, the family still remaining at home, moved to Anderson on 5 acres and raised grapes. Orra worked in a drugstore, Cora taught school, Op worked in a mill at Bella Vista and Norma attended the first high school which was in a dwelling, John died in 1917 in Anderson and Martha then lived with Orra, Op and Norma. She died in 1924 in Dunsmuir. Both John and Martha are buried in the Anderson District Cemetery. Norma Holt Givan was the last child living to the age of 97 years.

Source:  Shasta Historical Society