Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 627
LOGAN CRAWFORD

Logan CRAWFORD (Portrait), an early settler and prominent farmer of St. John's Township, will form the subject of this biographical notice. He was born in Union, Conn., January 13, 1822, and can trace his ancestry back to Hugh CRAWFORD, his great-grandfather, who with five brothers came from Belfast, Ireland, and were of Scotch descent. The great-grandfather married a lady named CAMPBELL from Ireland, and their son Samuel was born there, and followed farming for a livelihood. He was the grandfather of our subject. In this family there were five sons--Luther, John, Samuel, Ingoldsby W. (the father of our subject), and Charles, all of whom are now deceased.

Ingoldsby was born in Connecticut, August 7, 1786, and was reared on his father's farm and in his day was quite a prominent man in New England, serving as a member of the Legislature, State Senator, and Collector of Customs at New London, Conn., hold the last named position eight years. He received his appointment from Gen. JACKSON, then President of the United States. He was also Judge of his county for several years, and an honored member of the Masonic fraternity, attending the general Grand Chapters of the United States. He married Rhoda TAFT, a native of Mendon, Mass. She was the daughter of Daniel TAFT, and a descendant of the TAFT family, to which present Consul of the United States belongs, as well as a relative of Judge TAFT, of the United States Supreme Court. Our subject's parents had a family of nine children, all of whom taught school--Calista, who for her first husband married a Mr. LYONS, a cousin of the telegraph man--Prof. MORSE--and later married Mr. SESSIONS. She is now deceased; Daniel T., deceased; Caroline, Mrs. NEWELL, deceased; Sarah Ann, deceased; Logan, our subject; Ossian, a resident of Wales, Mass.; Marcia, Mrs. LAMBERSON, now a resident of Livermore, Iowa; Harriet, decease; and Alonzo, a resident of California.

Our subject spent his early life on his father's farm, obtaining a good business education attending an academy at Brooklyn, Conn., where he boarded with Mr. MATHER, the father of Prof. MATHER, of geological fame. He also attended Worcester County Manual Labor High School, in Massachusetts, under S. S. GREEN, the author of "Green's Analysis." After leaving school, our subject taught school winters and worked on the farm in the summer time. In 1847 he located in Dodge County, Wis., where he worked in a sawmill, and took up a piece of land, and when the railroad was run from Fond du Lac to Watertown, he assisted as flagman in the survey and worked the following summer in a plow factory at Mayville, and that fall (1851) was employed by Mr. SEWELL, of the railway company, to run the compass, which he did until July, when he was transferred to Illinois, to run the Northwestern from Chicago towards Janesville, and in May, 1854, came West.

He was united in marriage September 21, 1851, to Helen M. RISING, daughter of Oliver and Hannah (HAWS) RISING, a descendant of the GOFF family of New Hampshire. She died February 29, 1884, and was the mother of five children, three of whom still survive. The children were: Virginia, Mrs. PURCELL, born July 27, 1852, and died April 7, 1889; Penina, Mrs. PURCELL, born February 14, 1854, now a resident of St. John's Township; Ira, born November 19, 1855, living in St. John's Township; Clinton, born November 19, 1857, died September 29, 1881; Esther, now at Ames, Iowa, in the Library of Iowa Agricultural College.

Mr. CRAWFORD first located in Calhoun Township, purchased timbered land on section 32 and entered one hundred and twenty acres of wild prairie land, which he partially improved but subsequently sold. In 1857 he pre-empted swamp land in St. John's Township, the same being a part of his present farm, to which he has added at various times until he now has three hundred and sixty acres, all enclosed by a substantial fence and under cultivation.

November 27, 1861, he enlisted in Company H, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, as a private, and was assigned to the Army of the West. He participated in the following engagements: Shiloh, Corinth and Vicksburg. At the battle of Corinth he was wounded in the head by a gun-shot. Before their time expired, the regiment re-enlisted in the Veteran Corp and joined Gen. Sherman on his famous march to the sea. At Atlanta, Ga., he was shot, left on the field in the hands of the enemy, who took him prisoner and sent him to Macon, Ga., and from there sent to Andersonville, where it was found by the Rebels that he was an officer (he having been promoted to Second Lieutenant), therefore they did not keep him at Andersonville, but returned him to Macon, where he remained until the last of August, when he was sent to Rickersville, a station four miles from Charleston, where he remained until December, when he was exchanged. His wound was a severe one in the left lung, the effects of which will go with him through life. He was exchanged at Charleston Harbor, S. C., December 14, 1864, returned home, receiving his final discharge February 19, 1865.

Politically, Mr. CRAWFORD is a supporter of the Republican party; and among the local offices he has held may be mentioned, that of County Surveyor, having been appointed to fill a vacancy and elected twice. He has also been Justice of the Peace in Calhoun Township.

As a historical item, it may be mentioned, that the winter Ingoldsby W. was twenty-one years of age, he taught school in the center of the township (of Woodstock, Conn.), near the residence of Deacon MORSE, the grandfather of the great telegrapher, and many times accepted invitations to dinner with him, Mr. MORSE being very much interested in all educational work, and always asked, "How many scholars had you t-day?" and at the end of the term says, "I can tell you the daily attendance at your school."

Return to 1891 Biographical C Surnames Index

Back to 1891 Biographies Index