The Crites Family - Generation 4
Abraham Crites ( 8 Mar 1822 Hardy County, West Virginia - 28 Apr 1906 Montgomery County, Illinois)
Abraham married Elizabeth KURKENDALL (28 Oct 1836 West Virginia - 16 Mar 1913 Montgomery County, Illinois). Elizabeth's father was John Kurkendall.
12 Children
1 - Hannah Kathryn "Kate" (13 Oct 1844 Hardy County, West Virginia - 29 Apr 1934 Bost Hill, Montgomery County, Illinois. Her second marriage was to Aaron FRIESLAND 7 Mar 1895.
Kate married John WHITTEN 4 Mar 1864 Coffeen, Montgomery County, Illinois. She lived on the farm for nearly 75 years; all her children were born and raised there. Her husband died 30 years before her. She attended Bost Hill Church in which she was an active member until she became to feeble to leave home. Her son, Charley and daughter, Sally continued to live on the farm after their mother died. Kate & John are both buried at the Bost Hill Cemetery.
2 - Phebe "Jane" (13 Aug 1846 West Virginia - 19 Dec 1925 Hillsboro, Montgomery County, Illinois)
Jane married William WARF 29 Nov 1866 Hillsboro, Illinois. She was six years old when her family came to Illinois in a covered wagon. When her children were young - her husband William deserted them and was never hear from again. She provided for her family by taking in washings.
After she married Aaron - he died a few years later. This left Jane again to provide for her family by doing laundry; and she continued to do this for 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year for nearly 60 years. She did the laundry for one Hillsboro family for nearly 50 years, and missed only one week.
And so Jane toiled to provide for her family of children; educating them and making them worthwhile men and women. She prized her ability to support her family and to guard her independence. Twenty-five years before her death, she decided that she wanted to own her own home. She bought a brick house on South Oak Street in Hillsboro, Illinois. The cost of $800.00 was met by making small payments regularly from her meager income. She died in that house.
She attended church regularly and was a woman of remarkable strength, perfect health and great determination. She is buried at the Oak Grove Cemetery.
3 - Dorcas Elizabeth (20 May 1834 West Virginia - 1872 Bost Hill, Montgomery County, Illinois)
Dorcas married Isaac ALLEN 22 Oct 1868 Hillsboro, Illinois. Second marriage Howard HUFFMAN 16 Sept 1869.
4 - John (24 May 1850 Hardy County, West Virginia - 29 May 1940 Litchfield, Illinois)
John married Eliza J. "Lizzie" STEWART 30 Mar 1870 Montgomery County, Illinois. He was confirmed in the Bost Hill Church in 1867. He retired from work at the smelter and the mine in Hillsboro, Montgomery County, Illinois.
He died of Cerebral Aterio Sclerosis at the home of his sister, Julia, just eight days following the death of his brother Samuel. He is buried at the Elmwood Cemetery in Litchfield, Illinois.
5 - Ann Jemima (4 Aug 1842 Hardy County, West Virginia - 2 Feb 1943 Irving, Illinois)
Ann married James Christopher JOHNSON 14 Nov 1872 Nokomis, Illinois. Second marriage John T. Mann 15 Nov 1894.
She is buried at the Irving Cemetery in Irving, Montgomery County, Illinois.
6 - Isaac David (13 Jan 1854 Petersburg, West Virginia - Bost Hill, Montgomery County, Illinois)
Isaac married Sarah Elizabeth MYERS 4 Apr 1876. He came as a baby with his parents in the wagon train to Illinois during the year 1855 - 1856. He was a farmer in the Coffeen Fillmore Community all of his life. He became totally blind, as his father had been.
From the Montgomery News, April 1920 - "The death of Mrs. Crites is exceedingly sad, because of the fact that her husband is totally blind; having lost his eyesight three years ago. He was almost totally dependent upon her to look after his needs, and her death is a terrible blow to him".
7 - Samuel Hardy (21 Jan 1860 Fillmore Twnshp, Montgomery County, Illinois - 21 May 1940 Bost Hill, Montgomery County, Illinois) this is the line I follow.
Samuel married Laura A. ENZOR. He was baptized at Bost Hill 26 May 1861. Sam was a coal miner. He is buried at the Olive Hill Cemetery in Coffeen, Illinois.
8 - Robert Abraham (22 Sep 1862 Fillmore Twnshp., Montgomery County, Illinois - 6 Feb 1959 Loveland, Larimer County, Colorado)
Robert married Emma Cordelia RITCHIE. He was a farmer and lived in the Champaign, Champaign County, Illinois area until about 1900. Taking his young children, he moved to Nevada, Missouri. He owned a big 2 story square farm house and aprox. 60 acres southwest of Nevada.
In 1929, the family moved to Loveland, Colorado where Robert passed away in a rest home.
When he left Illinois, he took his nephew, Francis V. Johnson "Frank" whose father had recently died. Frank stayed with his Uncle until he was through school and old enough to work. After he returned to Illinois, he married a sister of his Aunt Jessie (wife of Thomas Crites).
9 - Ida Mae (27 Apr 1863 Montgomery County, Illinois - 27 Aug 1952 Bost Hill, Montgomery County, Illinois)
Ida married John H. SMITH 8 Mar 1885 Hillsboro, Illinois. She was confirmed at the Bost Hill Church on 1 Jan 1859. She was a Lutheran and very active in the Ladies Society there. Her entire life was spent within a short distance of Bost Hill, except for a very short time in Kansas.
She is buried at the Bost Hill Cemetery.
10 - Amanda F. (30 May 1856 - )
11 - Julia Etta (7 Feb 1869 Fillmoire Twnshp, Montgomery County, Illinois - 16 Jul 1945 Hillsboro, Illinois)
Julia married Joseph Andrew MOORE 17 Feb 1889 Hillsboro, Illinois. Second marriage Lee TAULBEE 24 Nov 1928.
She is buried at the Cress Hill Cemetery in Hillsboro, Illinois.
12 - Thomas Henry "Tom" (13 Jan 1871 Fillmore Twnshp, Montgomery County, Illinois - 28 Jan 1961 Hillsboro, Illinois)
Tom married Jessie BUCHANAN 6 Feb 1897 Monticello, Illinois. He was baptized 3 Dec 1871 at the Bost Hill Church. Tom was a farmer in his younger years and became a carpenter by trade; he followed the sinking of new coal mines; where he framed the timbers which were used when developing a new shaft.
The family lived in Monticello, Kortkamp, Hillsboro and in Nokomis. In their late years, Tom & Jessie lived with their daughter, Frances, in Champaign and in Paxton, Illinois.
Notes on Abraham
The six older children were born in West Virginia before the family began their trek to Illinois, across country in 1855 - 1856. They traveled in a wagon train; several families traveling together. In coming across Ohio, the mud was so deep that they all had to get out and walk.
Hannah, the eldest child, carried her little brother "Baby David" on her back.
They all suffered, but endured the hardships which face all travel in unknown country. The winter of 1855 - 1856 was rough in Kentucky, the families had to huddle for protection from the elements. Several members of that wagon train did not survive that awful winter. Fortunately, Abraham, Elizabeth and their children lived through it.
In the spring, they traveled north with three other families into Illinois. A Johnson family, a Stevens family and ?. Abraham's family settled as close neighbors in Irving Township. The log cabin in which they lived burned down, and it was then that the Myers family sold the 20 acres with another log cabin already built.
Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Montgomery County in Central, Illinois. With his family, he came to Illinois in 1856 and first settled four miles east of Irving, on what is known as the Bartlett farm. In 1864 he bought 20 acres from Davidson B. and Louvine Myers for $200.00 about a mile north of Bost Hill, in Fillmore Township. At that time, Bost Hill was a tiny village; now only a country church and cemetery.
About a year before Abraham died, he was taken to the home of his daughter, Julia Moore in Hillsboro to be cared for because he had become so feeble. He had been blind for several years; his faithful little dog led him about the place. They had a beaten path along the garden fence, and across a little ravine to the barn. Abraham passed away in Julia's home. He was buried on Sunday afternoon, April 29, there in the church cemetery where so many of the pioneer settlers are laid to rest.
Rev. Martin, Pastor of the Bost Hill and Fillmore Lutheran Church officiated at the service.
Abraham is buried in the Bost Hill Cemetery , just East of Hillsboro in Montgomery County, Illinois along with his wife Elizabeth.
Notes on Elizabeth
Some say that Elizabeth was part Indian.
In August 1903, Elizabeth sold the 20 acres to he grandson, Charley Whitten for $500 - Charley later sold it in August 1906 to Henry Whitten for $650.
After the 12 children were gone, Elizabeth could often be seen walking with a few clothes and her pipe to Coffeen, Irving, Irving, or Hillsboro in Illinois to visit with one of her children.
Elizabeth lived with her daughter, Amanda Blackburn of Coffeen, Illinois until her death in 1906.
Generation 3 - Jacob II & Mary (Teter) Crites
Generation 5 - Samuel Hardy & Laura A. (Ensor) Crites
A complete list of my Surnames
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