Page 45 - The CRAIG family

It’s somewhat unclear how the word “adopted” is used as it refers to Aunt Gin and Margaret Crowder and Uncle Ed with Annie Hines. I think it is used figuratively rather than factually except when it refers to Uncle George. It is also unclear as to how Margaret Crowder became involved with our family. She is referred to in orphanage records as a relative – Aunt - but no one knew of her connection to the family. At some point Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Gin, Uncle Ed and Daddy spent time with her. We only know her as “Old Lady Crowder” and know that she was very mean to all of the children.
Update: After hours and hours of research, I found the connection. Margaret Crowders daughter Marion F. Mather (from Margaret’s first marriage) married Joseph “Stanley” Cannon, who was Uncle Clifton’s uncle. Joseph Stanley Cannon and Uncle Clifton’s mother May Cannon were brother and sister. So – Margaret Crowder was really not related by blood to the Craig’s. Her son-in-law was related to Aunt Charlotte by marriage to Uncle Clifton. Daddy always said she became involved because of any monies she might receive from the State for fostering children.
Daddy said that she got insurance money for taking the kids and she didn’t care anything about any of them. I did research on her and she was an interesting lady. Daddy talked about them being out in the country and she didn’t feed them, and they were so hungry that they ate grass. I found in my research that she sold her home in Jeff and bought a farm out in the Memphis/Charlestown rural area so that must be where she lived when the kids were there.
As for Annie Hines – she was a neighbor of the Craig’s. She was an old maid and she inherited the farm from her parents which was next to where the Craig’s lived. She agreed to take Uncle Ed and he could work for her and she would make sure he went to school. Daddy says she was “strict” but good to Uncle Ed and to him. Daddy was with her for a while, but he ended up back at the home of Colmore and Lora.
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