Page 18 - The CRAIG family
P. 18
In the 1880 census, George’s occupation was a cheese maker and he, Nancy and their 5 children lived in Saluda, Jefferson County, next door to George’s parents, William and Mary Reed. George died in July 1882.
When Colmore and Nancy married she had 5 children ages 3 to 11 – The REED children:
Ollie - Born 1871 – He died some time before 1900 but cannot locate death information. In the 1880 census is shows that Ollie was disabled because he had been kicked by a horse.
William A – Born 4/11/1872 died 1/17/1933. William married Anna Barbara Enders. He worked at the Speed Mill as a Foreman. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage and is buried in the Sellersburg Cemetery
Alancin Savage – Born 10/4/1873 died 8/29/1944 of a cerebral hemorrhage. He married Mary Lee Huckleberry and they had 4 daughters. He was a retired conductor for the Pennsylvania Railroad. He is buried in Walnut Ridge Cemetery.
Bell – Born about 1875-1876. She died some time before 1900 but cannot locate death information.
Matie E. - Born 10/5/1878 died 9/28/1967 of complications of a 20-year heart disease history. She was at the Hillcrest Nursing Home in Jeff when she died. She was married to Edward Hilton and they had 3 children. She named her son Winfield (after her father George Winfield Reed), a daughter Nancy Louelva (Elva) after her mother and a daughter named Pauline.
Since I started this journey, I have spoken to Matie’s granddaughter (daughter of Elva), who lives in Tampa. She is 89 years old and sharp as a tack. She told me she remembered her grandmother Matie speaking of “Grandpa Craig” but never heard anything about her biological grandfather, George Reed.
Colmore and Nancy had 4 children – The CRAIG children:
Marshall Edward (my grandfather) born 12/27/1882 (His personal information is outlined separately.)
Margaret (Maggie) Pearl – born 7/19/1884. Alvah Earl – born 2/17/1890
Ruby - Born 1893
Margaret (Maggie) Pearl – Born 7/19/1884. Apparently, she was called Maggie but was most commonly known as Pearl. She married Rutherford Garfield Sparks on May 1, 1902 and they had 2 children. Helen Letitia born July 23, 1903 and Ruth “Alden” born September 18, 1905. (Certain that the Ruth stands for Rutherford, but Rutherford is not spelled out in anything that I found) Pearl was 22 years old and was at the home of her father Colmore Allen when she died on June 17, 1907. Her death Certificate states that the immediate cause of death was Bright’s Disease of the Kidneys that had been present for 90 days. Her obituary states that she died after a long sickness of tuberculosis. She is buried at New Chapel Cemetery.
After Pearl died, Garfield Sparks took the children, Helen and Alden, to live with his parents, William and Janie, in Utica/Watson. He later married Pearl’s stepsister, Bertha May Courtney. (Bertha was the daughter of Lora Courtney (Colmore’s second wife). She was also the step-sister to Aunt Mildred
013