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Class photo at country school yields story of generationsOne of the satisfactions of doing this column since 1992 has been the interesting material that comes to my attention. Recently, a fellow musician (who wants to remain anonymous but whom I’ll refer to as Mr. B) showed me this old school class picture. It came from the personal effects of Rev. James Moyer. He is pictured in the left center part of the picture.After careful study, I was able to recognize two of my great-uncles — Lewis Crum and George Crum. And Uncle Lewis would marry Maggie McNair, whose grandfather had donated the land for the school to be built upon. The school was named in his honor; a common practice in that day. It was about 1 1/2 miles north of Friendsville at the first crossroad. The building still exists.Back in the 1970s it was converted into a residence by a retired teacher. Dick Hamler. He and his very gracious wife lived there for many years in the summer. The school was a typical one-room school for grades 1-8. James Moyer. the teacher, would have been quite busy with those 32 students.In 1897. Mr. Moyer would be ordained as a minister at the Lancaster Christian Church. So Mr. Moyer was first a teacher and then became a minister for 59 years of service to the Lord. He served as minister of several Christian churches in this area, including Allendale. Lick Prairie. Lancaster, Keens-burg, and Barney’s Prairie (25 years).HISTORICALLYYOURSBy DALLAS KRUMMThe children in the photo are very well-dressed, neat and very presentable. That is the only rural school picture that I have seen where the rural children are dressed-up.” some of them are in their Sunday Best.’’ All other rural Wabash County school pictures show the boys in often faded bib overalls and the girls in simple shift dresses. And most other children are barefoot. That these children are so well dressed and organized is a testament to Mr. Moyer's influence.Lewis and George Crum were the youngest boys in the Crum family. They were born and raised about one-half mile west of the school. Their next older brother was Frank Edgar Ed Crum. He went to school there and graduated.He then went on to college at Vincennes University and came back home to teach at «8 school and at «9 School west of there (on the Parmenter Place). Mcpher-son Mack was the oldest of the four surviving Crum children. They lost their mother. Mary Elizabeth Clark, when George was very young.In addition to farming, Ed and Lewis raised George and mostly took care of themselves.Lewis also attended Vincennes University in 1897 or 1898. When the Spanish-American War started, all the cadets (male students taking military training) atVU enlisted in the Army. They were known as the VU Cadets. They went to Cuba and were stationed in the Savannah and Tampa. Fla., areas. They enlisted in an Indiana unit.They made a good name for themselves.Lewis came home and married Maggie McNair. They moved to Mt. Carmel. He was a mail carrier for the next nearly 50 years. Some of you may remember him as a long. tall, friendly man who could be seen carrying mail all over his assigned part of town.They raised a daughter. Ruth, and helped raise her son, Harmon. Ruth and Harmon went through the Mt. Carmel school systems.George Crum went to Oklahoma with his brother Ed and his father William Anthony Crum. He married an Oklahoma girl. They came back to Mt. Carmel.He went to work at the Big Four Shop. They raised seven children. The boys were outstanding athletes at MCHS. George. Bob and Bill were outstanding football and basketball players during the 1920 1940s. Of the three girls. Esther Crum Smith is the eldest survivor. She will soon be 91. She is in reasonably good health. This column is dedicated to her.Much of this material comes from shirt-tail descendents/relatives of Rev. Moyer.They are descendents of Mrs. Florence Beesley Moyer.These include the Beesley families — Bill, William Penn, Raymond. Gail and Deanna Beesley Hipsher and sons Philip. Stuart and their children.A class photograph from 1895. In top row from left are Frank Putnam, Edward Seybold, Ross Putnam. Lizzie Chaffee, Florence Poole Keen, Maggie Me Nair Crum, Mary Stone Gerlach, Bertha Seibert Milburn and Judith Chaffee McCracken. In second row are Ira Putnam. Herman Seibert. Marshall Couch, Lewis Crum, Harley Alton, Charles Seybold. George Crum. Harvey Chaffee and Orra Seibert. In third row are Mary McCrary Strine, Rev. J.E. Moyer. Romeo Poole. Everett Tilton, Eliza McCrary Fearheily. Mable Liddle Dia-ber, Beulah Keen Bippus and Ethel Liddle Leighty. In fourth row are Laura McCrary Blood, Ethel Pixley. Mattie Keen Hershey, Ella Seybold Luthie. May Purnell. Janie McCrary Smith and Maude Seibert Milligan.
Newspaper Details
Mount Carmel Daily Republican Register
Mount Carmel, Illinois, US
Tue, Jul 22, 2008
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
George C.
VA, USA 28 May 2017
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Mount Carmel Register
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