Biography - EDWIN W. CRUM

The well established family physician obtains an influence in any community which is more far-reaching than that of any man sustaining other relations to the public, and if his life is actuated by honorable principles and lofty ideals, he becomes a notable force for good in support of those measures and movements which are calculated to benefit the community at large. Such a physician is Dr. Edwin W. Crum, one of Illinois’ native sons, his birth having occurred on a farm in North Palmyra township, March 21, 1876. He is a son of Andrew Jackson and Phoebe E. (Almond) Crum, and has back of him an ancestry long and honorable. He is of German descent on the paternal side, his great-greatgrandfather, Mathias Crum, having come to- this country in colonial days from the Rhine province. He made three trips to America before locating here and on taking up his residence chose Montgomery county, Virginia, as his home. By occupation he was a stone mason.

John Crum, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born in Germany and was six years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to the new world, his boyhood and youth being mainly passed in Frederick county, Virginia, and Louisville, Kentucky. In 1800 he removed to Clark county, Indiana, settling on the bluff overlooking the Ohio river near Bull Creek. One Christmas while crossing this creek his canoe was upset and he was drowned. He was a great surveyor and for a time was employed as government surveyor, surveying a tract of land in Indiana, known as the “grant.” During the Revolutionary war he aided the colonists in their struggle for independence, serving under Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox.” One of his descendants. Francis Marion Crum, a lawyer of Palmyra, is named for that intrepid leader. John Crum was twice married, his first wife bearing the maiden name of Allhands, while his second wife was Elizabeth King.

Joseph Crum, the grandfather of the doctor, was nicknamed “Hoozier” Joe, on account of his having come from Indiana and also to distinguish him from “Redhead” Joe Crum, a distant cousin of our subject. The grandfather was born in Clark county, Indiana, August 13, 1811, and died in Palmyra Illinois, June 24, 1886, his remains being interred there. For his first wife he married a Miss Kirkpatrick, and after her death wedded Miss Maria L. Burnett, who was born in Spencer county, Kentucky, on the 11th of November, 1822, a daughter of William Burnett, who fought under General Andrew Jackson in the war of 1812, participating in the battle of New Orleans. It was on the 14th of April, 1844, that she gave her hand in marriage to Joseph Crum. Her death occurred on the 23d of September, 1872. She was a granddaughter of Joshua Richardson, (the doctor’s great-great-grandfather) who was born December 19, 1762, and who on the 18th of April, 1798, was married to Mary Burnett. He died March 14, 1844. Of the eight children of Joshua Richardson, one daughter was Elizabeth, who was born February 12, 1801, and was married, February 23, 1819, to William Burnett. She died in March, 1876, and was buried in the old cemetery at Palmyra, Illinois, where a monument still marks her last resting-place. She was the mother of eight children, including Maria L. Burnett, the grandmother of our subject. Joshua Richardson, like the father of our country, was a surveyor and surveyed a large tract of land in Virginia. In return for this service he received from the government a grant of land upon which is now located a part of the city of Richmond, Virginia. He enlisted about April, 1781, in the colonial army, and was in the service for three months and fifteen days. He was a private in the company commanded by Captain David Baird and assisted in guarding prisoners captured at the battle of Cowpens. For a time he was also under the command of Captain Clemmens, Captain Pate, Colonel Charles Finch and Major Ward, in the Virginia State troops, and took part in the engagement at Guilford Court House and the battle called ’96. At the time of his enlistment he was living in Bedford county, Virginia, and the day of application for a pension was August 9, 1832, when living in Shelby county, Kentucky. He was first married in Pittsylvania county, Virginia, January 15, 1789. to Mary Snow. After her death he was married again, April 18, 1798, his second wife being Mary Burnett, who was born May 7, 1774. His death occurred March 14, 1844, and she was allowed a pension on application at her residence in Macoupin county, Illinois, at the age of eighty years, December 31, 1853.

Andrew Jackson Crum, the father of Dr. Crum, was the second in order ot birth in a family of ten children, his birth occurring on the 13th of February, 1846. He is a farmer by occupation, having followed that line of activity throughout his business career, now making his home upon a tract in North Palmyra township, consisting of one hundred and seventy acres of land, in the operation of which he is assisted by his two youngest sons. He is a democrat in politics, is a member of the Christian church while his wife affiliates with the Methodist Episcopal church, and his fraternal relations are with the Modern Woodmen of America at Modesto, Illinois. He was married on the 9th of September, 1873, to Miss Phoebe E. Almond, who was born at Wilmington, Delaware, on the 5th of May, 1851, a daughter of Dr. R. J. Almond, now deceased, who during his active career engaged in his profession in Palmyra, where he was accorded a large patronage. He was a stanch democrat in politics and an active and influential worker in the Methodist church. His second wife still survives and makes her home at Palmyra. In the family of Mr. anc Mrs. Andrew J. Crum were ten children, as follows: Nellie May, who married Henry White, a farmer residing near Franklin, Illinois; E. W., of this review: Rubie and Lee, both now deceased; Le Roy, who is married and now engages in farming near Waverly, Illinois; Golda Tie, the wife of Mark Snyder, a farmer residing near Winnipeg, Canada, who is also interested in the street car line of that city; Ola, who wedded Walter Reed, a farmer living near Waverly, Illinois; Carl C., a telegraph operator in Okarche, Oklahoma; and Glen and Ferris, both residing with their parents, assisting their father in the operation of the home farm.

Dr. Edward W. Crum, whose name introduces this sketch, spent the first seventeen years of his life on the farm upon which he was born, and in the meantime attended the common and high schools of Palmyra in the acquirement of his preliminary education. Later he took a course of study at the Central Normal College of Danville, Indiana, which institution conferred upon him his B. S. degree, after which he began his professional training at the Barnes Medical College of St. Louis, Missouri. Upon his graduation therefrom, on April 12, 1900, he received his M. D. degree, and at once opened an office in Morgan county, Illinois, where he remained one year. He was then located in Scott county about six years, after which he came to Palmyra, where he has since practiced his profession. His training, which was comprehensive and thorough, well qualified him for a professional life, while his subsequent study, investigation and research, have greatly supplemented his knowledge, making him well equipped for the duties and responsibilities that devolve upon him in the practice of his profession.

Dr. Crum was married, on the 22d of May, 1901, to Miss Ethel R. Jones, a daughter of Charles W. and Lillian (Gordon) Jones, the father of Scotch-Irish descent and the latter of Irish origin. Both were born in America, however, and here the father engaged in farming for many years. The former was a son of Rev. John T. and Emily (Woodward) Jones. In the Woodward line the ancestry is traced back to a period antedating the Norman conquest of England more than one hundred years. The name Woodward is of Anglo-Norman origin and dates back to 912 A. D. About this time one Nathan Woodward served in the Warwick Yeoman Horse, with troops, being captain and also standard bearer, and he was the founder of the “Standish Hall” branch of the family, which was founded in the old province of Massachusetts in 1642. The name of the Woodward family up to 1066, the time of the Norman conquest, was Du-Bois-Garde. A valiant knight of the name of Richard Du-Bois-Garde fought in the battle of Hastings and was one of six hundred and forty-eight knights whose names (for bravery) were preserved on tapestry by William the Conqueror in Battle Abbey to> commemorate the battle of Hastings. In the year 1520 Ambrose Woodward settled near the ancient borough of Birmingham and two of his descendants, Samuel Ezekiel and Nathaniel Woodward, came to America in 1640, settling at Roxbury, Massachusetts. Ezekiel Woodward, of Boston, a son of Samuel Ezekiel, had nine children, of whom Ezekiel, the second, born August 9, 1666, a resident of Ipswich, Massachusetts, was the direct ancestor of Mrs. Crum. Ezekiel, the third, had a family of nine children, of whom Ezekiel, the fourth, was born October 4, 1731. He was the father of Moses Woodward, who had a family of five children, including William Wallace Woodward, who was married in Philadelphia, in 1791, to Susan Janvier, who was descended from Huguenot ancestry.

To William Wallace Woodward and his wife were born fourteen children, including Emily Woodward, who was born March 15, 1805, and became the grandmother of Mrs. Crum. She married the Rev. John T. Jones and died May 9, 1852. They were the parents of eight children, of whom Charles Woodward Jones, born June 27, 1829, became the father of Mrs. Crum. He married Lillian Gordon, who was born October 17, 1833, and they became the parents of eight children, of whom Ethel R., born November 24, 1879, is the youngest. Her father passed away on the 15th of February, 1911, at the age of eighty-two years, while his wife still survives, making her home in Lynnville, Morgan county, Illinois. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Crum have been born four children, Edwin, Helen, Margaret and Martha Virginia. The youngest daughter was named in honor of Martha Washington, being born on George Washington’s birthday.

Dr. Crum is an earnest and faithful member of the Christian church, and is well known in fraternal circles in this community, belonging to the Modern Woodmen of America, the Knights of Pythias and the Royal Neighbors, all at Palmyra. Although one of the comparatively recent arrivals in this locality, Dr. Crum has nevertheless firmly established himself in the confidence and affection of his fellow citizens by reason of his trustworthy character, his earnestness, zeal and scrupulous regard for the ethics of his profession. He is skillful in diagnosis, sure in prescription, thoughtful and tactful in attendance and prompt and efficacious in emergency, and is winning for himself a high place in medical circles in Macoupin county.

Extracted 17 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 590-597.