Stephen's Smith Family - Ancestors, Descendants and Cousins

Notes

James Kearney Crawford

    Prominent among the substantial and enterprising citizens of Van Buren township who are devoting their entire lives to agricultural pursuits and through their well directed efforts are meeting with gratifying success is numbered James K. Crawford. A native of Minnesota, his birth occurred on the 4th of February, 1861, a son of William and Mary (Martin) Crawford, natives of Ireland, who came to America in the '40s. Upon arriving in this country they first took up their abode in New York state but later made their way west to Iowa, locating in Jackson county, where they resided for only a short time. Subsequently they removed to Minnesota and continued to make their home in that state for eight years, after which they returned to Jackson county, where their remaining days were spent, the father passing away on the 13th of March, 1885, and the mother surviving until 1901. In their family were three children, namely: Mary Jane, now deceased; William M., Jr., residing in Jackson county; and James K., of this review.
    The last named was reared under the parental roof and acquired his education in the public school, while the periods of vacation were devoted to assisting his father in the cultivation of the fields. He remained on the home farm until twenty-three years of age, and in the meantime, amid the busy activities of rural life, laid the foundation for future success in hard labor and comprehensive experience. Then, seeking to enter the business world on his own account, he removed to his present farm in Van Buren township, where he has since continued to make his home. Here he has directed his entire energies to tilling the soil and with the passing of the years has brought his fields under a high state of cultivation, annually gathering rich harvests as the reward for his care and labor. As he has prospered he has added to his property holdings and is now the owner of two hundred acres of valuable land in Woodbury county, Iowa, in addition to his home farm consisting of three hundred acres located on sections 23, 24 and 26, van Buren township, all under a high state of cultivation. he practices rotation of crops, has make a thorough study of the cereals best adapted to soil and climate, and so carefully and wisely manages his affairs that he is meeting with most excellent results in his agricultural pursuits.
    On the 1st of October, 1884, Mr. Crawford was united in marriage to Miss Allie Koch, a native of Clinton county, Iowa, and a daughter of Daniel and Treville (Kramm) Koch. both parents were born in Pennsylvania and after their marriage came west to Iowa, locating in Clinton, while later they took up their abode in Miles, Jackson county. In 1903 Mr. koch went to California and while on this trip died at Oakland as the result of pneumonia. His wife, who was one of a family of six children, still survives and at the age of seventy-five years makes her home in Miles. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Crawford was born one son, Lisle, who married miss Lula Minneke, of Jackson county, and they also have one son, Kenneth.
    Mr. and Mrs. Crawford are both consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which they are active and helpful. Mr. Crawford is now serving as trustee and steward, while hi swife is a member of the Aid Society. I politics he is a stalward republican, giving stauch support to the principles of that party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He is not an office seeker, however, although he is public spirited in his citizenship, supporting many public movements and taking a commendable interestin all those things which tend to further the upbuilding and progress of the community. honorable purposes and an upright life have won him the respect and conifidence of his fellowmen and he is popular with a large circle of friends, which is almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintances.

DEATH: obituary - JAMES K. CRAWFORD DIES AT MILES HOME
    James K. Crawford, son of Wm. and Mary Crawford was born in Anoka, Minn., on February 4, 1861, and died at his home in Miles, Iowa, May 10th, 1937, at the age of 76 years, 3 months and five days. He was the youngest of a family of three, his sister, Mary Jane Crawford, died on August 26, 1901, and his brother, William M. Crawford, passed away on March 25, 1937. When he was five years old he moved with his parents to Jackson county, Iowa, where he has resided ever since. He united with the Methodist Episcopal church under the pastorate of Rev. J. W. McCord and has been a faithful member since that time. He was a regular attendant of the Men's Bible class of the Sunday school and of the regular church services as long as his health permitted.
    He gave freely of his services and of his financial aid to the church work. He was a member of the town council for a number of years and labored faithfully for the welfare of the town.
    On October 1, 1884, he was united in marriage with Miss Allie Koch, of Miles, after which they moved to a farm northwest of town. In 1910 they left the farm and moved to Miles where he spent the remainder of his life. On Oct. 1, 1934, Mr. and Mrs. Crawford celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.
    Surviving are his wife, a son, D. L. Crawford, and four grandchildren: Kenneth Crawford, Beverly Hills, Calif.; Charles Crawford, Creston; Lucille Crawford, Los Angeles, California, and James Crawford, Miles. He also leaves a number of cousins.
    Funeral services were held from the M. E. church Tuesday afternoon, the Rev. Albert C. Schue preaching the sermon. The pallbearers were W. B. Jepsen, Wm. C. Cook, A. E. Pearson, Chris Kyarsgaard, F. E. Kutzli and Marshall Hysell. The floral offerings were in the care of Mrs. Ivy Cook, Mrs. J. R. Witzigman and Mrs. Chris Kyarsgaard. Mrs. Wm. Householder and S. W. Watts, with Mrs. Fred Menneke at the piano sang "I Need Thee Every Hour," "Is It Well With My Soul" and "Jesus Saviour Pilot Me."
    Those present from a distance were Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford Crawford, St. Paul, Minn.; Mr. and Mrs. Dick Chambers and daughter, Jessie, of Cedar Rapids; Charles Crawford, Creston; Mrs. Anna McNeil, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Downey, Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Eads, Mr. and Mrs. N. J. Millhaem, Mr. and Mrs. Bert Menneke and Lyman Marvin, of Preston.

Alvesta E Koch

DEATH: obituary - MRS. ALVESTA CRAWFORD CALLED BY DEATH FRIDAY
   We were saddened to hear of the death of an old resident of Miles and community at 6 p.m Friday morning. Mrs. Alvesta E. Crawford was called to her heavenly home after having been a helping influence in this community all her life. The writer has fond rememberences of her hospitality to neighbors near Mt. Algor. Since the death of her husband she has lived alone in the home and we knew that aften her life was lonely owing to her deafness.
    Alvesta E., daughter of Daniel and Tevilla Koch, was born on a farm southeast of Miles and passed away at her home in Miles March 13, 1942, at the age of 79 years, two months and twenty-four days. Her girlhood was spent in this community as well as her entire life.
    She was married to J. K. Crawford on October 1st, 1884. To this union was born one son, David Lyle Crawford. The home was established one and a half miles northwest of Miles where they lived until 1910 when the present home in Miles was built. They moved into this home the same year.
    Mrs. Crawford was a member of the Methodist church and was ever loyal, attending services at both Teeds Grove and Miles. She kept her membership in both the Teeds Grove and Miles missionary societies and faithfully attended their meetings up to a few weeks prior to her  death. Other societies of the church also claimed her devotion, such as the Sunday School and Ladies Aid.
    The deceased was preceded in death by her husband who passed away May 10, 1937 and her son, David Lyle, who died Nov. 15, 1938.
    She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Lula Crawford, and four grandchildren, Kenneth and James Crawford, and Mrs. Lucille King, all of Los Angeles, Calif., and Charles Crawford, of Burlington; one sister, Mrs. R. W. Chambers, lives at Cedar Rapids.
    Services were held Saturday at the late home at 2 o'clock and at the church at 2:30 with Rev. E. J. Starr officiating. Hymns were sung by Mrs. Grace Householder and S. W. Watts with Mrs. Beryl Menneke at the piano.
    Pallbearers were C. J. Bryant, Chris Kyarsgaard, W. C. Cook, James Koch, Marshall Koch and Werner Jepsen. The women in charge of the flowers were Mrs. Winnie Kyasgaard, Mrs. Ivy Koch and Mrs. Ruby Witzigman.
    Burial was in the Miles cemetery beside her husband.
    Those attending the services from a distance were: Mrs. R. W. Chambers and daughter, Jessie, of Cedar Rapids; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Crawford, of Chicago, Ill.; Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Crawford of Burlington; Miss Harriet Potts and Mr. and Mrs. George Kruse, of Clinton; Mrs. McNiel, Mr. and Mrs. N. J. Millhaem and Miss Dorothy Sullivan, of Preston.

Marriage Notes for James Kearney Crawford and Alvesta E Koch-4119

Observe Golden Wedding At J. K. Crawford Home
From a Sabula, Jackson County, Iowa Newspaper - October 4, 1934
A beautiful day ushered in the Golden Wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Jas. K. Crawford.  Open house was kept Monday afternoon and evening when their many neighbors and friends called to extend congratulations.
The rooms of their beautiful and spacious home were filled with baskets and bouquets of beautiful flowers, the gifts of their friends and relatives.  The floral decorations in the living room where they received their friends were very effective, the mantel was a mass of beautiful yellow and golden flowers and with the floor baskets bouquets of other flowers made a very pleasing scene.  When the guests arrived they were received by the two grandsons, Charles and James Crawford and invited to register their names.
At the close of the day 105 guests had called and registered.  They were then ushered into the living room where they were received by the bride and groom of fifty years ago.
Assisting Mr. and Mrs. Crawford were their son and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. D. L. Crawford, Mrs. A. C. Kellogg and the Misses Gertrude Rice and Florence Bryant assisted in the dining room.
The guests were served at a large table decorated in white and yellow.  The centerpiece was a low bowl of beautiful golden flowers and at each side were tall yellow tapers in crystal holders.  The colors, white and yellow were carried out in the table service and refreshments were white cake and white and yellow ice cream, wafers and candies.
The place cards bearing the names of Mr. and Mrs. Crawford and dates 1884-1934.
Jas. K. Crawford and Miss Allie Koch were married Wednesday evening, October 1st, 1884, in the home of the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Koch, by the Rev. N. A. Kimball, pastor of the M. E. Church.
They began housekeeping on the home farm two miles northwest of Miles which was their home until about twenty years ago when they retired and came to Miles where they built one of the finest homes in our little city.  They are the parents of one son, David Lyle, and four grandchildren, Kenneth Crawford, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Charles Crawford of Clinton; Lucille Crawford, who is attending the University of Southern California and James at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Crawford have always been prominent in the church and social life of the community.  They have been active workers in the M. E. Church all their lives and Mrs. Crawford has always been a faithful worker in church and missionary societies.
The following guests were present from a distance, Mrs. C. Schwartz, of Winnett, Montana; Mrs. George Phelan, of Boone, Iowa; Mrs. Agnes Crinklaw and daughter, Mrs. Edythe Rhodes, of Atwater, Minn.; Mesdames F. A. Menneke, Joe Tompkins and E. E. Menneke of Maquoketa; Dr. and Mrs. C. W. Miller, Mrs. Frank Wells, Miss Anna Cain, Mrs. Anna McNeil, Mrs. Chas. Marvin, Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Eeads and son, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Downey, Minnie Leinberger, Mr. and Mrs. N. J. Millhaem, Mrs. Orville Hicks, Mrs. Peter Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Loran Rice and daughter, Gertrude, all of Preston.

Marsha's Note:  The only  error is the spelling of David Lisle Crawford's middle name.   It is not Lyle.

1884-1894 (The following was printed in the local newspaper)
And it came to pass in the year of our Lord 1884 that one James, second son of William, surnamed Crawford, a young man who had gathered about him a goodly store of worldly possessions, land and cattle and withall a comely young man held in high esteem by the Milesities, went forth into the best families of the land seeking for himself a helpmate to share with him life's joys and sorrow.  And moreover he found a modest maiden, devoted to household and fair to look upon in the family of one Daniel, whose surname is Koch, a parent of austere manner and hard to pursade, but never the less yound Crawford said unto himself, I will arise and go unto her father, and will say unto him, "Father, I am wholly worthy of her and desire for my wife your second daughter, whose Christian name is Allie."  Now this bracing up of the young man pleased the austere father exceedingly and he arose and answered him immediately, saying, "take her Jimmy, take her Jimmy and may the Lord bless you and yours all the days of your life."  And Jimmy made haste and took her, and she found favor in the eyes of the Crawfordities who, according to the custom of their motion, after ten years assembled together and conseled with their leaders as to how they should reward their faithfulness of this man and wife who had lived in strict accordance with the laws of the marital relation.  Now, there arose among them a woman much given to feasting, and she spoke unto to them saying—"Let us make them a feast and spread it before them."  And they all answered as with one voice "Verily, let us."  Now the Cook's and Crawford's went forth and gathered together many baskets filled with the good things of the land and on the 28th day of the tenth month of the year of our Lord, 1894, they went into the abode of James and Allie, who arose in astonishment and said—"Why come ye thither?"  And they answered and said—"To feast with you," and they feasted and made merry all day long and when night came they departed, leaving with the household their blessings and presents.  And after they all departed James looked about and seeing the rich store of provisions and the comfortable easy chair, said unto Allie, "Verily it is a good thing to be married," and Allie answered and said, "Yes James, and it is likewise good to find favor in the eyes of your people who are the best livers in the land."

Marsha's Note: Spelling and grammar are as they were written in the original document.  I am unsure who is the actual author, though an old letter to Al from his grandmother Lula Crawford mentions that "Aunty Darling," the first teacher in Miles, Iowa, may have written it.

Sabra Crawford

never married