WILLIAM CRAGGS, farmer, P. O. Kilbourne; brother of Charles Craggs, of this township, was born March 22,1823, in Yorkshire, England, and during his 6th year, came across the briny deep in company with his parents to cast their lot in the land across the sea; the family located west of Jacksonville, Morgan Co., at what is now known as Lynnville, where a colony, or a number of English from Yorkshire, had settled, and the Craggs were among the number. They were eight weeks on the ocean, and the crew come very near running out of both water and supplies, and were, for a time, allowanced. In the spring of 1845, the family moved to this township, and William's first purchase was eighty acres of land, at $3 per acre, $12 down, balance at 6 per cent interest. He put in a crop, and intended to marry the following year, and was engaged to be married; but that season there came a severe hail storm, and almost entirely destroyed his crop, and the prospects for assuming his matrimonial obligations were almost disheartening, but he finally mustered up courage, and borrowed of a neighbor, Frederick Shirtliff, money to buy the license and a shirt to be married in. Mr. Crane has now 520 acres, and has become identified with the interests of the county as one of its valued citizens. He was first married to Jane Williamson, a native of Kentucky; four children, Mary A., Henry B., William A. and John, were the offspring; she died January 8, 1855. Oct. 14, 1857, he married Prances Folley, also a native of Kentucky; they had seven children, five now living:  Isabel, Charles F., Amelia J., Jessie, Wesley and Caroline. Oct. 7,1878, his wife died; since her demise, his daughters have been keeping house. He has always been a man of true Christian principle and of generous impulse, and has given much in charity, and there is no better man in Mason Co.



Maintained by Mason County Coordinator Donna Mayer