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BARBOUR COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Valerie & Tommy Crook
vfcrook@trellis.net
March 18, 2000
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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 350-351
HERBERT M. CRAWFORD. One of the well known mining
men and operators of Barbour County is Herbert M. Craw-
ford, a resident of Philippi and president of the Craw-
ford Coal Company. He is a civil and mining engineer
by profession, but for a dozen years or more his time has
been fully taken up with the practical operations of coal
production.
Mr. Crawford was born at Kittanning in Armstrong
County, Pennsylvania, June 12, 1867. His family came
to America from Scotland, and some four or five genera-
tions have lived in Pennsylvania. Hia grandfather, James
Crawford, was a farmer in Armstrong County, and mar-
ried Rebecca Peoples, whose father was an officer in the
American Revolution. They had four sons and three
daughters. The sons were, James, Samuel M., Jehu and
Robert, the last three being soldiers in the Union Army
in the Civil war. The daughters were: Amanda, who
married William Brown; Susan, who married Silas Rider;
and Adaline, who married William Morrison.
Samuel M. Crawford, father of Herbert, is a native of
Armstrong County, received a common school education
and early in life entered the Union Army. He was in
the Army of the Potomac, was wounded at Gettysburg,
but subsequently rejoined his command and continued in
service until the end. After his military experience he
became a contractor of painting and carpenter work, and
followed that vocation until he retired. He is now living
at Aspinwall, Pennsylvania. He married Rosanna Crum,
whose father, Capt. Daniel Crum, was a Union soldier
and was killed in the battle of the Wilderness. The chil-
dren of Samuel M. Crawford and wife are: Herbert
Maurice; Mrs. Pearle Beatty, of Aspinwall; and Muriel,
wife of Dr. F. C. Robinson, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
Herbert M. Crawford grew up at Kittanning, graduated
from high school at the age of eighteen, and subsequently
entered Lehigh University, where he took the civil engi-
neering course and graduated in 1895. For five years he
was an engineer on the engineering staff of the Frick Coal
and Coke Company. He then opened an engineering office
at Uniontown, known as the Fayette Engineering Com-
pany, of which he was senior engineer. His first work
in West Virginia was as mining engineer, representative
of the Fayette Engineering Company of Uniontown in
the construction of the Midland Coal Company's plant in
Barbour County. During this work he became interested
in this mineral region, investing in some coal lands in
the Tygart Valley. He first came to Philippi in 1905,
and in 1908 began the development of his property. His
company owns the Luella Mine at Arden and the Black
Jo Mine at Clements. During the World war these mines
were running at capacity, with a force of from 100 to 150
men. He is also vice president of the First National Bank
of Philippi and one of its directors.
During the war period he was county chairman of the
Bed Cross, and had charge of one of the Liberty Loan
drives, putting it "over the top." He has been a mem-
ber of the Philippi City Council, being on the board when
the electric light plant was installed. Mr. Crawford is
president of the Kiwanis Club of Philippi, is a Lodge
and Chapter Mason, and his family are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
At Indiana, Pennsylvania, June 25, 1901, Mr. Crawford
married Miss Luella Smith, a native of Indiana County
and daughter of William and Sarah Smith, who had four
daughters and one son. Mrs. Crawford has two sisters
living: Mattie, wife of George Barren, an attorney at
Greensburg, Pennsylvania; and Mrs. Elizabeth Wachob, of
Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. Three daughters and a son
have been born to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Crawford:
Emily Catherine is a student in the Chevy Chase School
at Washington, District of Columbia; Ruth and Josephine
are students in the Philippi High School; and Herbert
Maurice, Jr., is attending grammar school.
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