THE CREAGER HISTORY
by
Irene Creager Lawson

pp. 89-107

Don was born in Brookville, Ohio, and lived on a farm as a youth. He graduated from West Alexandria High School. He received his bachelor’s degree at Miami University in Oxford, Butler County, Ohio. Don received his master’s degree at State University in Iowa at Ames, Iowa, and his Ph.D. in plant pathology at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1937. He taught at Iowa, Cornell, Duke, Harvard, and Kansas State Universities. He was plant pathologist for the Illinois Natural Historical Survey from 1939 to 1944 and the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station from 1944 to 1945.

Don and his wife, Freddie, owned and operated their own gladiolus farm three miles north of St. Anne, Illinois from 1948 to 1957, when he left due to his health. Don was chief pathologist at the Florida State Plant Board at Gainesville, Florida from 1957 to 1962. He was biology professor at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, the last six years of his life. He was the author of more than fifty articles on plant diseases in scientific journals and trade publications as well as a member of numerous organizations and honorary societies. As an educator, researcher, and author, Don was listed in Who’s Who in American Education and in American Men in Science.

After Don’s death, Freddie went back to school to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. She has worked at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital ever since her graduation.

Earl was the second son in the family and was born in the town of Brookville, Ohio. He attended Montgomery County schools.

The automobile was taking the place of the horse and buggy at the time he was young man. Since his dad did not want to learn to drive, Earl took over as “chauffeur” for the family. The first car was Durant touring car with isinglass curtains [windows]. [Isinglass refers to sheets of mica, once commonly used as a heat-resistant substitute for glass.] [Mica is a transparent mineral that had the characteristic of forming in layers, and is able to easily be split into thin, elastic sheets that were originally used as glass.]

After his marriage, he lived near West Alexandria, north on Rt. 503, for several years. He and his family then moved to Franklin, Ohio. His first love was farming and for several years they lived at the edge of Franklin where he farmed a few acres of land. At the same time, he was also employed at the Miami Valley Coated Paper Mill where he was shipping clerk for twenty-five years. Another Creager “workaholic,” it took three men to replace him at his job when he became unable to work.

Earl died in 1961 and his wife, Kate, who was in ill health for many years, died in 1966. They are buried in Sugar Grove Cemetery at Lexington, Ohio, down the same drive as to Edward and Nora Creager’s graves. Earl and Kate’s graves are to the right of the drive, across from his parents.

Norma was born in the city of Dayton on Western Avenue. While she was still small, the family returned to Brookville, this time to live on a farm. She attended a one-room country schoolhouse in the lower grades and attended West Alexandria High School. Her first employment was at the Indianapolis Glove Company in Eaton at the age of eighteen. The trip to and from West Alexandria each day was made on the traction car, which ran along Route 35.

At the age of twenty, Norma married Lloyd J. Swain. They made their home in Eaton and for more than fifty years it has been on East Mechanic Street. For the first ten years they resided at 215 East Mechanic Street and for over forty years their home was at 218 East Mechanic Street.

While Lloyd served in World War II, Norma made her home in Florida and New Hampshire near the Air Force bases where he was stationed. After returning to Eaton, they opened the Eaton Sporting Goods Store in 1948. It was located at 118 North Barron Street on the east side of the street. Lloyd was an avid sportsman and took care of the sporting goods, while Norma’s interest was in the wallpaper, paint and toys.

After Lloyd’s death in 1955, Norma continued to successfully operate the store until she sold it and retired in 1970. Eaton Sporting Goods Store has since been torn down and replaced as a bank parking lot. Now she “keeps busy doing nothing.”

Joe was born in Montgomery County and his younger years were spent on farms in Montgomery County and Preble County, Ohio. He attended West Alexandria High School.

After working a short time at Sunshine Biscuit Company in Dayton, Ohio, he entered Joe Reich School of Auctioneering in 1945. He returned to his farm home south of New Lebanon. The following thirty-six years were spent auctioneering in and around Montgomery County and Preble County, Ohio.

His running commentaries on veterinary instruments, chamber pots, or spittoons were classics. He would stand on a hay wagon holding some item in his hand. It was always “a good ole’ outfit” if he hadn’t the slightest idea on earth what it was; or he would hold up some atrocity and say, “This is absolutely the worst looking outfit I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen them all.” During a flurry of bidding, Joe would stop to say, “This isn’t worth half what you are bidding, I’m telling ya,” which only stimulated the activity that much more.

He and his family moved to Brookville in 1953. For a number of years, Joe was the popular emcee at the Brookville Community picnic. His love of horses and ponies encouraged him to take a course in the training horses at the Beery School of Horsemanship conducted by Prof. Jesse Beery of Pleasant Hill, Ohio.

Joe's motto on his business card read, "A stranger is a friend I've never met." And this has been his philosophy all his life. Joe always enjoyed talking and joking with people --- so a stranger never remained a stranger for any length of time.

Ray was born on a farm in Montgomery County, Ohio and attended schools in Montgomery and Preble Counties. As a young boy, he was given the nickname "Butch" by his grandfather Creager. All through his life,he was known as Butch, many never knowing his real name. When a teenager, he did a lot of trapping for muskrats, minks, etc. along Twin Creek and would sell the furs to a fur house in West Alexandria for his spending money. His first employment was at the Indianapolis Glove Company in Eaton. In December of 1943, he went to work at Delco Moraine in Dayton [Montgomery Co., OH], where he spent twenty years until his health forced an early retirement.

Butch was a worker and was seldom ever idle. He loved the outdoors and always raised a large vegetable garden. He particulary liked growing flowers and kept a beautiful flower garden and lawn at their home at 301 Chicago Street where he and his family lived for thirty-five years. Growing up during the depression days, he acquired a very conservative nature. He prided himself in not buying a car until he could pay cash.

Since his death in 1976, his wife, Viola, has moved to a new home at 501 Little League Drive in Eaton.

RALPH HAMEL CREAGER


Son of Edward Creager

Ralph was born in Preble County where he lived as a youth. Moved to Eaton in 1935 where he graduated from Eaton High School. He started watercolor painting in school and sold a number of pictures during his teen years, which are still hanging in homes in the Eaton area. He was employed in business in Dayton first with the Dayton Power & Light Company in the purchasing department, and then was purchasing agent for the Third National Bank, where he also designed and decorated their offices. Ralph has also designed and decorated several other new bank facilities around the Dayton area.

Maintaining his interest in art, Ralph studied at the Dayton Art Institute and took painting courses at the Old Mill Art School in Elizabethtown, New York. He has taught watercolor, oil, acrylic painting and drawing for over thirty years in the informal schools of the YMCA and conducted special watercolor courses for art associations. He authored and developed two educational films on watercolor painting used by many universities for teacher training. He also served as a juror for many area art shows and has exhibited and won many awards throughout the area. His paintings are included in the collections of several major corporations and local businesses.

He, with the assistance of his wife, Wilma, owned and operated “The Artist,” an art shop, studio and gallery in Centerville, Ohio. They sold out and retired in January of 1984.

Irene was born in the second house north, at the crossroads of Dadsville Route 35 and Enterprise Roads. At the age of six months, the family moved to the “Creek” road (now named Stotler Road) a half mile north of West Alexander. They lived there until the death of her mother in 1935, when Irene was fourteen years old. She attended the two room schoolhouse, No. 5, at Lexington, where she was “ciphering” champion. Moving to Eaton at the age of fourteen, she took over the duties of keeping house for her dad and brother, Ralph. At the age of seventeen, she went to work at the IGA grocery store on Barron Street, where the manager of the store was Robert Lawson, from Washington Court House, Ohio.

At the age of twenty-three, Irene was married to Bob shortly after he returned from serving in World War II. They went to housekeeping on the northwest corner of Maple and Somers Street, where they lived only a short time before purchasing 301 Walnut Street. Two daughters later, she returned to work in the meat department of their grocery, which was then Lawson Brothers Super Market at the east edge of Eaton, on the south side of East Main. The old Lawson Brothers Store is now joined to the Pontiac dealers big showroom.

Bob was supervisor for Super Value Stores at the time of his death in June of 1972. Irene has continued to live in their home on the corner of Walnut & High, where they lived most of their married life, as well as continuing to work in super markets until her retirement in 1980. Her interests now are her church, grandchildren and genealogy.