Samuel M. Crawford, a farmer and stock raiser, who lives three miles north from Morrow, is one of the substantial men of the section and came to the reservation at its opening, took a farm which he sold later and moved to his present place. He is an upright man, a good Democrat, as were his ancestors before him, and he is thoroughly grounded in the old Jeffersonian principles.
Samuel M. Crawford was born in Marion County, Oregon, on February 11, 1867. His parents, James and Lucetta (Lennon) Crawford, were born in Indiana, the father in 1840 and the mother in 1842. They were pioneers in Oregon, settling in the Willamette valley in 1863. The paternal grandfather was a Kentuckian and his wife was born in Indiana. The mother’s parents were early pioneers in Iowa.
When Samuel was five the family came to the vicinity of Dayton, Washington, and there he was educated and grew to manhood, laboring with his father on the farm. He remained there until 1893 and then went to Latah County and farmed for two years. Mr. Crawford raises diversified crops and handles a good many horses. He is a thrifty and skillful farmer and is being prospered.
On March 21, 1893, in Juliaetta, Latah County, Mr. Crawford married Jane, the daughter of James Thornton, a farmer at Elgin, Oregon. He was a pioneer of this northwestern country and packed to various camps. He also assisted to build old fort Lapwai, rafting the timbers down the river. Mrs. Crawford was born in the Willamette valley in 1867 and has three brothers and three sisters, Orie, Sude, Ida, Otes, William and Herbert. Mr. Crawford has the following named brothers and sisters: William, James, Abner, John, Anna, Sarah, Florence. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Crawford, James, Arthur, Charles, Samuel and Mabel.
Back to: Nez Perce Biographies
Source: An Illustrated History of Northern Idaho, Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903