In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1906) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1825, Pickaway County
From History of Allen County, Ohio : containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; biographies; hist (1885), History of Allen County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1906)
ELIAS CRITES, farmer, P. O. Elida, was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, June 21, 1825, son of John D. and Catharine (Petra) Crites, natives of Pennsylvania, and who were married in Berks County, Penn., and moved to Pickaway County, Ohio, in 1812, where they died. Of their family of thirteen children only five are now living: Charles, Amos, Levi, Jacob and Elias. Our subject was married, in 1851, to Miss Catharine Mowery, a native of Pickaway County, Ohio, and a daughter of John and Rachel (Dunkel) Mowery, who were among the first settlers id Pickaway County, Ohio, where they lived and died. To our subject and wife were born three children: Mary S. (deceased), John D. and Willison W. Mrs. Crites died in 1862, and in the fall of same year Mr. Crites married Mrs. Leannah (Mowery) Reichelderfer, a sister of his first wife, and widow of Venus Reichelderfer, by whom she had two children, of whom George S. is now living. Our subject came to this county in 1871, and settled in German Township, where he still resides. He spent his early years working at the carpenter’s trade, but now follows farming and pays special attention to raising short-horn cattle exclusively. He has served in some of the township offices; in politics he is a Democrat.
As printed in History of Allen County, Ohio : containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; biographies; hist (1885). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
LIAS CRITES, one of the esteemed citizens and substantial residents of German township, where he owns a finely improved farm of 228 acres located in sections 7 and 8, was born June 21, 1825, in Salt Creek township, Pickaway County, Ohio, and is a son of John D. and Catherine (Peters) Crites.
John D. Crites was torn in Linn township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and moved from there to Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he married Catherine Peters and later moved to Salt Creek township, Pickaway County, Ohio, where both died in the course of time. They reared a family of 13 children, 10 of these reaching maturity, our venerable subject being the only survivor. John Crites and wife were consistent members of the German
Reformed Church, in which he was a ruling elder.
Elias Crites was reared on his father’s farm and attended the district schools. His mother died when he was 17 years of age and he left home and learned the carpenter and cabinetmaking trade at which he worked for some eight years. He then engaged in farming in Pickaway County, Ohio, until 1871, when he came to Allen County and bought 228 acres of land just north of Elida. This land he has placed under a fine state of cultivation and he has improved it with substantial houses and barns. He served eight years as trustee of Salt Creek township and for eight years was a trustee of German township.
On June 18, 1851, Mr. Crites was married to Catherine Mowery, who was a daughter of John Mowery. She died May 3, 1862, leaving three children: John D. and W. W., who operate the home farm; and Mary Selena, now deceased, who was the wife of Alvin Davis, of Elida. On October 5, 1862, Mr. Crites was married to a sister of his first wife, Mrs. Leannah (Mowery) Reichelderfer. Mrs. Crites by her first marriage had one son — George S. Reichelderfer, a resident of Pickaway County, engaged in the banking business at Laurelville, Ohio; and one daughter, Sarah Jane, deceased, who was the wife of Hon. S. D. Crites, of Elida. Elias Crites i6 a member of the German Reformed Church, while his wife is a Lutheran.
As printed in History of Allen County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1906). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Named in this biography: S. D. Crites (b. 1847)
Their biographies name Elias Crites: Johnny Appleseed B. Willower (b. 1877)
The printed record stops around 1885. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.