My Mother's Family

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Some of the Crabtree kids. Left to right: Elva, Faith, Lois, Gladys, David, Anna
I know my cousin believes that Bess is fourth from the left, not Gladys, but I think that
the birth dates make the case for that frowny girl being Gladys.

The Crabtree family, like most farm families in New Brunswick in the early 1900s, had lots of kids--so many kids, in fact, that they made a rhyme: 

Alma, Hope, and Bessie

Cliff, Beech, and Jesse

Elva, Anna, Sadie, Gladys

Lois, Faith, and David.

The family joke was that there were so many kids they needed a rhyme to help them remember them all. 

I thought it would be helpful to list the siblings in birth order, since that question often comes up. I've used the "story view" on Ancestry.com to give a few facts about each one, so these rather repetitive narratives are computer-generated and based on the records I have found so far. Keep in mind that this is a work in progress and that there may yet be changes made. 

Alma

When Alma Adelia Crabtree* was born on August 20, 1900, in Easton, Maine, her father, David, was 25 and her mother, Edith, was 20. She married George Mavor McLellan and they had nine sons and two daughters together between 1921 and 1940. She then married Ernest "Guy" Nickerson on April 5, 1971, in Vernon, Connecticut. She died on April 1, 1984, in Bristol, Connecticut, at the age of 83, and was buried in Plainville, Connecticut.

Clifford

When Clifford Alden Crabtree* was born on July 19, 1903, in Easton, Maine, his father, David, was 28 and his mother, Edith, was 23. He married Helen Mary Eddy and they had two sons and three daughters together. Helen died in 1976. Clifford married Evelyn Ida Allen on March 25, 1977, in Maine. He died on May 9, 1981, in Bangor, Maine, at the age of 77, and was buried there.

When Beecher Henry Crabtree* was born on October 9, 1906, in Easton, Maine, his father, David, was 31 and his mother, Edith, was 26. He married Waneta M. Savage on February 19, 1942, in Maine. They had one child during their marriage. He died on January 9, 1964, in Portland, Maine, at the age of 57.

When Jesse Howard Crabtree* was born on October 19, 1909, in New Brunswick, Canada, his father, David, was 34 and his mother, Edith, was 29. He had three brothers and nine sisters. He never married. He died in 1950 in Houlton, Maine, at the age of 40, and was buried there, together with his parents. 

When Hope Edith Crabtree* was born on March 7, 1910, in Easton, Maine, her father, David, was 34 and her mother, Edith, was 29. She married Albert Donald McLeod on September 16, 1942, in St John, Canada. They had one child during their marriage. She died in Portland, Maine.

Bess

When Bess Lelia Crabtree was born on August 10, 1913, in New Brunswick, Canada, her father, David, was 38 and her mother, Edith, was 33. She married Clayton LeRoy Valley and they had two sons and two daughters together. She also married Walter York. She died on October 16, 1997, at the age of 84, and was buried in Greenbrier, Arkansas.

Elva

When Elva Myrtle Crabtree (my mother) was born on December 27, 1914, in New Brunswick, Canada, her father, David, was 39 and her mother, Edith, was 34. She was married three times and had two daughters between 1944 and 1949. She died on September 29, 1998, in Vista, California, at the age of 83, and was buried in San Marcos, California.

When Anna Avis Crabtree was born on November 7, 1917, in New Brunswick, Canada, her father, David, was 42 and her mother, Edith, was 37. She married Rev. Eugene M. Middleton on October 31, 1937, in Maine. They had three children during their marriage. She died on September 19, 1996, in Meriden, Connecticut, at the age of 78, and was buried in Southington, Connecticut.

When Sarah Norma "Sadie" Crabtree was born on January 14, 1920, in Canada, her father, David, was 44 and her mother, Edith, was 39. She married Joseph Francis Ayotte and they had one son and one daughter together between 1938 and 1940. After divorcing Joe Ayotte, she married Joseph Ariale in 1957. She died on October 3, 2009, in Meriden, Connecticut, at the age of 89.

Gladys

When Gladys Laversa Crabtree was born on July 17, 1921, in Maine, her father, David, was 46 and her mother, Edith, was 41. She was married three times and had one son and one daughter between 1937 and 1942. She died on October 28, 2002, in Fresno, California, at the age of 81.

When Lois Carrow Crabtree was born on August 27, 1924, in Canada, her father, David, was 49 and her mother, Edith, was 44. She married Gilbert Charles Stockson on October 28, 1943, in Maine. They had four children during their marriage. She died on November 20, 1999, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, at the age of 75.

Faith

When Muriel Evelyn "Faith" Crabtree was born on July 9, 1926, her father, David, was 51 and her mother, Edith, was 46. She married David Stanley Blakely on December 1, 1946, in Randolph, Massachusetts. They had two children during their marriage. She died on May 28, 2001, in Exeter, California, at the age of 74.

David, Jr.

When David Jewett Crabtree, Jr. was born on June 10, 1928, in New Brunswick, Canada, his father, David, was 52 and his mother, Edith, was 48. He married his first wife, Muriel L. Brennan, on February 17, 1951, in San Diego, California. They had two children in the early 1950s. He married three more times. He died on September 19, 1974, in Petaluma, California, at the age of 46.

This is the mother of them all, Edith Rae Giberson Crabtree, with "Unknown" Auntie

And here is the father of them all, David Jewett Crabtree, Sr.,
with his youngest son and namesake, David, Jr.

~~~~~

*The family name was Crabb until changed in a Maine probate court in 1910, so the first five children were Crabbs for a while until they became Crabtrees.