Adam Crum

By Herb Dawson

Adam Crum (Oct 5, 1756 — Oct 10, 1851) is the subject of this brief article. I shall cite my sources as I proceed to summarize his life. He was in the 1810 and 1820 census of Floyd Co. Ky. In 1830 he was in the census of Lawrence Co. Ky. Since Lawrence was formed from Floyd County in 1823, he probably had not moved very far from his original residence in 1810. In the 1840 census, he had moved across the Tug Fork to what was then Cabell Co. Va. His name was then spelled Crom. In 1850, he is listed in the residence of his son, William Crum (Sr.) and Elizabeth. He made application for a Rev. War Pension on March 13, 1834 in Lawrence Co. Ky. According to “Abstracts of Rev. War Pension Files,” he was born 5 Oct. 1756 in Augusta County, Va., and was of German parentage.

Concerning Adam’s Revolutionary service, he was drafted for six months in the County of Burke in the State of North Carolina in June of 1776. Under the command of Col. Cooke and Capt. Brown he marched over the mountains until he arrived at Holstein and until the Virginia troops came up and went down the Holstein River, crossed the French Broad and went into the nation of the Cherokees. He further states that being young and a German, he could not understand all the names, although he was a native of Augusta County, Virginia.

In the year of 1778, he volunteered in Burke County, North Carolina for six months to keep down the Tories and Indians on the head of Catawba River. During this enlistment, he was taken captive, but his life was spared on the condition that the Tories and Hessian who captured him would receive a paper stating that they were good Whigs to the State of Georgia. Capt. White gave him his discharge in January of 1779.

In July 1780 he volunteered for three months to take Ferguson. On the first day of October, or the last of September they overtook Ferguson near South Carolinia. Ferguson was killed and his whole army taken except a few Tories who escaped. In November 1780, he returned to the County of Burke and was there discharged.

He moved to Clinch River, in Washington Co. Virginia in May, 1781 near Blackmore’s Fort. He enlisted for a fourth term on the 7th day of that month in the State Troops of Virginia. As an Indian spy he was marched to the mouth of the North Fork of the Holston River and then over on Powell’s Valley. He was discharged at Hunters Ford and the Wry Cove on the 29 day of October, 1781

In the 1850 census of Cabell County, Va, (now Wayne County, WV) he was staying with his son William, and was listed as being from Pennsylvania. He was blind, aged 80. Since he said he was 77 when he made application for a pension in 1834, the age of 80 is obviously incorrect. Going back to the 1840 census of Cabell Co. Va., he lists his age as being 85, therefore he would have been about 95 years of age in 1850.

According to the interview of F. B. Lambert of William Crum, Jr. of Crum, WV., “The house in which I live was my grandfather’s home for 12 years. He was blind. My father built it for him. He died at Crum, Oct. 10, 1851 at the home of a son, William Crum. The log homestead is still standing, and is occupied by Adam Crum’s grandson, William Crum, Jr.” This house is also mentioned in a Wayne County News article dated December 12, 1947. “Adam Crum, one of the early settlers of the Big Sandy Valley, is survived today by two grand children, William Crum (Jr.) and Elizabeth Queen, who live at Crum, in the southern part of Wayne County.” This house was located just north of the present Crum School. It burned in 1956.

According to the F.B. Lambert notebooks, which are located in the local history room of the John Morrow Library of Marshall University, Barbary Crum, wife of Adam, died Feb. 13, 1851.

Now as to the actual grave location of Adam and Barbary Crum, this writer has interviewed some of the older Crum family. Maude Crum Dutton, great granddaughter of Adam Crum, said that Adam was buried under the cedar trees at the mouth of Silver Creek. Other people have mentioned the decorating of these graves in this Silver Creek location. This writer has been to this site several times. He is still looking for these graves. He is of the opinion that Adam is probably buried there. This location is level, and it is a very picturesque. These three cedar trees are very large and majestic. This would certainly be only about a half of a mile from the home place where he died. The second possible grave site would be the Crum/Farley cemetery, which is located about a half of a mile north of the home place. There are several field stones located in this cemetery. William Crum, Sr., who died in 1892, and who was the son of Adam and Barbara Horn Crum is buried in this cemetery, as well as Elizabeth Crum Queen, daughter of William. Other Crum family members buried there include Rachel Crum, daughter of Frederick Crum, who was a son of Adam & Barbara Crum. Rachel Crum does not have a marker, but her son, Melvin Crum (1848-1930) is marked.

The children of Adam and Barbara are just briefly mentioned in this article, but this is not intended to be a complete genealogy of the Crum Family. There also seems to be some question as to how many children they had, and who they married. Everyone in the family seemed to have had an Adam, a Frederick, a Barbara, etc. Some of his children were: (1) Frederick born ca 1798 and who married Sally Crisp 5 Feb. 1818 in Floyd Co. Ky. (2) Nancy who was born ca 1800 and married John Venters 27 Oct 1816 in Floyd Co. Ky., (3) Polly who was born ca 1801 and who married Pleasant Bannister 12 April 1835 in Lawrence County, Ky. (4) Susannah born ca 1806 and who married William Dingess and then Samuel Aldridch. She died 15 Aug. 1874 in Martin Co. Ky. of dropsy. (5)Adam, born ca 1807 married Nancy Adams 14 July, 1830 in Lawrence Co. Ky. (6) Reuben born ca 1810 married Alafair Ward 16 Jan. 1834 in Lawrence Co. Ky., and (7) William C. Crum, born 10 March 1812 married Elizabeth Pack 26 July, 1835 in Lawrence Co. Ky. Other children may have been: John, Phoebe, & Jesse.

All of these dates are relative because they are estimates taken from census records.

Please send any corrections or additions to:

LHDawson@suddenlink.net or phone 304-393-3792

I would especially like any documentation or leads to locating the grave of Adam Crum and Barbara. Since they spent their last years at the residence of their son, William Crum, I can’t believe they were buried anywhere except in the immediate Crum area.