CRANE-Joel - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Joel Crane, farmer, Stone Bluff is the son of Jonathan and Kezia (Tappen) Crane, both natives of New Jersey. After their marriage they first went to Ohio, where they remained for some time, the former joining with a stock company, for the purpose of buying land in Fountain county. In 1832 they came and settled where Joel, their son, now lives, and lived to a good old age. The children of this pioneer couple are now heads of several of the prominent families of this county. Joel, who now lives on the old homestead, was married in 1840, to Elizabeth Jenkins, daughter of Absalom and Elizabeth Jenkins, both natives of Virginia, pioneers of Ohio, and came to Fountain county in 1838. By this marriage he had six children. Oliver H., Malvina, Louis, Cyrus, are the only ones living. The mother of these dying, Joel was married a second time, to Elmira Longstreth, native of Ohio, who also died. He was married a third time, in 1856, to Polly A. Smith, daughter of Taylor Smith, one of the early pioneers of Fountain county. Mr. Crane’s first wife was a member of the New Light Christians, his second and third wives, of the Methodist Episcopal church. His son Louis C. was a soldier of the late war, and was wounded at Stone River, and sent home, but reenlisted as soon as able for duty, and remained during the war. His son Cyrus enlisted at the close of the war. Both Lewis C. and Cyrus were under age at the time of their enlistment. Joel received but a very limited education. When he came from his native state, Ohio, with his parents, to Fountain county, he was fifteen years of age. Then more attention was paid to the cultivation of the land than to the cultivation of the mind. He began life in limited circumstances, and now has a farm of 178 acres of good land in a high state of cultivation, and well stocked.