CRAIN-William - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

William S. CRAIN made his advent in the spring of 1829, bringing with him his wife and five children - Mary, Margaret, Martha, William and Charles. He came on a steamboat during a freshet of the Wabash River. At that time there stood two small log cabins near the river, and into one of them Mr. Crain housed his family for a time, although greatly crowded. He immediately purchased lot 119, on which he erected a two-story frame dwelling, into which he moved his family. At the rear of this he built a shop for a hattery, as he was a hatter by trade. In this building he lived till about 1868, when he purchased property in the north part of town and rented his building on the square. In 1870 it was entirely destroyed by fire. Mr. Crain then sold 22' front on the corner to Mr. Harter, who erected on it the present brick store building. He sold 22' front to Mr. H.R. Claypool, who leased it to Mortimer Steely, by whom a small frame building was built. Michael Port bought the other 22' on which he built a large brick business house, now occupied by Samuel Boord as a meat market. Mr. Crain died May 5, 1826 (sic - Rich Lowe richlowe@web-iowa.com has June 9, 1877 recorded from his headstone). His 3 daughters, Mrs. Dr. Hamilton, Mrs. H.R. Claypool and Mrs. Nelson reside in Covington.

Nancy Crain Johnson married William Johnson in Warren County, Ohio on 11 Apr 1820. Nancy and William Sawyer Crain's parents were William and Mary Sawyer Crain. William Crain died in Warren Co OH 8 Aug 1836. William and Nancy Crain Johnson moved to Fountain Co. about 1827 and to Van Buren county IA about 1836-37. When William Johnson died in Iowa in 1845, Nancy then married Joseph Rabb who had also been with them in Warren County OH and Fountain county IN. Joseph Rabb's brother Johnston Rabb lived most of his life in Fountain County. See Rich Lowe's site My Johnsons and Crains were in Lancaster/Dauphin Co PA before coming to OH and IN.

Rich Lowe