Earl W. Crall

As printed in 1912

EARL W. CRALL, a resident of Bucyrus, Ohio, who is engaged in the railway mail service, was born in Liberty township, this county, just east of Bucyrus, in October, 1875. He is a son of John Raysor Crall, and a descendant in the fifth generation of Mathias Crall, who was of Swiss parentage and who resided in Dauphin county, Pa. Mathias, who had served as a soldier in the Colonial army in the Revolutionary war, had a son, Henry, who was born in Dauphin county, and who married Elizabeth Henshaw, a native of Pennsylvania, like himself. Among the children of Henry and Elizabeth was John, known as John Crall, Sr., who was born in Dauphin county, Pa., December 18, 1809. When a young man John Crall worked at the millwright’s trade. On April 16, 1835, he married Elizabeth Raysor, a daughter of John and Susanna (Tackier) Raysor. She was born February 10, 1817, in the same county as her husband. After their marriage they lived with his father’s family one year, when they moved to the farm of her father, where they remained nine years. He gave them money to purchase the farm of Mr. Crab’s parents, who were about to sell and move to the West.

The Crall family moved to Ohio, settling in Crawford county, and the flattering accounts sent back by them of this country induced John Crall to move here also. Accordingly with his wife and five children, he left Harrisburgin a two-horse wagon in April, 1852, arriving in Crawford county in June. Here they purchased the Samuel Foster place, in Liberty township, afterwards occupied by their son, Elias, and in this township both Henry and John Crall died and were buried — the former at a very advanced age. Their bodies rest in the old Crall cemetery, connected with the

Crall United Brethren church, which they had taken a leading part in founding, and of which Henry Crall was one of the first trustees. This church has been several times repaired and remodeled and is one of the best known churches in the county, being in fact an old landmark.

John and Elizabeth Crall were the parents of twelve children, three of whom died in Pennsylvania in childhood, and two died in childhood after they came here. The others were: John R., who settled in Milan, Erie county, O.; Elizabeth, who became Mrs. E. M. Moore; William Elias, who for some time taught school and who settled on the old homestead, marrying Lovina Spahr, but who later moved to Hicksville, O., where he now resides; Oliver and Susan, of whom, like William, we have no special record; and David, who served in the Civil war as a member of the 101st Regt., O. V. I., was captured at Chickamauga, and died in Danville prison, May 24, 1864. John Crall, Sr., died Nov. 25, 1879. Pie and his wife were both members of the United Brethren church, her father, John Raysor, being a minister of that persuasion. She died at an advanced age and was buried in the old Crall cemetery. All were worthy people, prominent in the affairs of the township and universally liked and respected.

John Raysor Crall, father of the subject of this sketch and son of John and Elizabeth Crall above mentioned, was born in Dauphin county, Pa., in 1837, and was fourteen years of age when he accompanied the family to this county. He was brought up to farm life and was thus engaged, for the most part in this county, until about ten years ago, when he removed to Wauseon, Ohio, and later to Adrian, Mich., where he resides at the present time with a daughter. Like the majority of the Crall family, he is a Republican in his political affiliations..He was first married in this county to Catherine Eerral, who died in the prime of life, leaving one son, Clark Crall, who is now farm manager for the Sciota Land Co., at McGuffy, Ohio, and who is married but has no children. John R. Crall married sec-

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Earl VV. Crall was educated at Ada, O., and at Alliance, O., and was for some years a school teacher. In the fall of 1903 he took a place as railway mail clerk and is in class 4A of the department. ITe also studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1908. Ide is a broad-minded man of scholarly tastes and has many friends throughout the county. He was married in Whetstone township to Mabel B. Campbell, who was born in that township, April 4, 1875, a daughter of John Benton and Jennie F. (Shanks) Campbell, and who, after receiving a good education, taught school in the county for some three years. Mrs. Crall is a granddaughter of Edward Campbell and a great granddaughter of John Campbell, who was an early settler in Wayne county, Ohio. In 1823 John Campbell came with his family to Crawford county, settling in Whetstone township, where he took up government land and applied himself to the task of developing a farm. For years he resided in a log cabin, which he built himself. He was a man of ability and became one of influence, doing much respected at the age of 76 years.

Edward ( campbell was reared on tlufarm on which lie continued to reside after his father’s death. Ide married Amanda Tupps, who bore him four children. Their daughter, Catharine, married Frank Iveiffer and is now deceased. Their son, Samuel K., became in his turn the manager of the homestead farm. A daughter, Lettie married Andrew J. Gibson and resides on the old Campbell homestead in Whetstone township, which, as has been stated by another historian, “ in the days of its founder was the center, not only of a generous hospitality, but of an influence which extended in many directions, for that honored pioneer served for many years in the office of justice of the peace, at one time represented his district in the legislature, and was an active and prominent member of the Disciple church.”

John B. Campbell was the third child of his parents. He was born and reared on the Campbell homestead and was educated in the public schools near his home and at Lebanon, O. For some time subsequently he taught winter school, working on the farm during the remainder of the year. In 1872 he married Miss Jennie Shanks, a daughter of David Shanks, and they had two children — Mabel Campbell and LJrias Edward. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell settled on Grandfather Campbell’s old home farm, where they lived ten years, then locating on a farm of 160 acres, on which Mr. Campbell has made some fine improvements. He has given his attention to general farming and is a successful breeder of shorthorn cattle and a prominent sheep raiser. In 1892 he was granted a premium for the largest yield of scoured wool per fleece grown in the United States during the year 1892, which was conferred upon him at Boston, Mass. He is a Republican in politics and an influential and useful citizen.

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As printed in History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1912). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.