CHARLES A. CRAWFORD

We turn the pages of history back to 1810 when James Crawford, a Scotch-Irish native, married Catherine Miller and this young couple left their homeland to make their way in a new land, America.

Coming by boat to America was slow. In addition to their adventure, the War of 1812 broke out and they were detained for over a year in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ship that they had sailed on was their home in the harbor of Halifax. To add to their problems, their first child, a son, George, was born. After coming into the United States, they settled in Washington County, Pennsylvania.

In 1837, when their son, George, was twenty-six years old, they moved to Dresden, Muskingum County, Ohio. Here George married Jane McCann. While in this area, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was built and George Crawford contracted to furnish the horses which were used to do the grading. Subsequently, he introduced the Belgian draft horse to the United States. He personally contacted the King of Belgium and through him he obtained eighty of the huge animals at one time to make a boat-load of prized horsepower. The huge horse barn that these animals were housed in is still standing on Route 16 about three miles west of Newark.

This couple had four children: Jerry, who settled in the Denver, Colorado area; George Alva, born in 1849 near Dresden, Ohio, who lived most of his life in Liberty Township, Henry County; and two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth.

The Crawford family moved to Liberty Township, Henry County, in 1855, where father James died in 1867.

He had purchased 1200 acres in the heart of Liberty Township for $1.25 per acre. This price was set in order to raise money to build the Miami and Erie Canal.

Upon the death of his pioneer father, George Alva Crawford inherited enough work for a dozen sons, but his brother Jerry headed for the West in 1870 instead of helping. Jerry had six sons, all born and raised in Colorado.

George Alva Crawford operated a sawmill and became involved in building bricks. He burned his own brick from Liberty Township clay and at least a score of the old brick homes which he helped build are still liveable in Liberty Center and Liberty Township.

George Alva married Jennie Knauss and they had two children, Lena and Charles K. Lena married a Lutheran minister, James F. Lambert of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. Here he served the same church for fifty-six years.

Charles K. Crawford married Rilla Weirich and they had six children: Evelyn, Mary, Charles A., George, Ruth, and Robert.

Charles A. Crawford married Gertrude Murdock and they have one son, Gary, who is a graduate of the University of Michigan Pre-Medical and Medical School. He also has done two additional years of special studies in internal medicine in preparation for a degree in cardiology. Gary is married to the former Shirley Hayhurst of Fairmount, West Virginia. They have two daughters, Lisa and Christy.

Gertrude was a teacher in the Liberty Center School System and is a graduate of Ohio State and Bowling Green State Universities. Charles A. attended Ohio Northern University and is involved in business and farming in both Liberty and Washington Townships.

Submitted by Charles Crawford