Crews- James
Source: Zach, Karen B. Crawfordsville: Athens of Indiana. Crawfordsville: MCHS, 2002
Talk about an oddity. I found the research on James H. Crews led me down many wrong paths, and the only solid proof I have regarding the man was that he married Margaret E. Clements July 21, 1864 in Montgomery County when he was 56 and she was 21. The 1870 Coal Creek Township census shows him as being born in South Carolina and having two sons: James L. and Henry C., along with the above mentioned wife, Margaret.
Note from kbz: Ancestry has come on to the scene since the above book was researched and written. Not that I found a whole lot more on James H., but as you see, he "led me down many different paths." However, since I was typing this into Montgomery County Indiana GenWeb page, thought I'd see if I could find more. Funny, the "paths" he lead me down ended-up being him I was chasing ALL ALONG.
I found out that James was quite a character. His first wife was Ambrosine (well, I think his first wife :) Barry (married 27 April 1840 Fayette County Kentucky) and they lived for several years in St. Clair, Butler County, Ohio. She was 20 years younger than him. They had at least these children: Francis; Alice; Laura; Florence and William E. The five children were born in three different states, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and then the last two in Ohio again. Just of a bit of interest, Francis would have been in Indiana with his parents at least briefly (enlistment papers say born in Indiana), as he enlisted in Co. K Indiana Infantry. Definitely, the family were movers and shakers as Laura was born in Cambridge City (Wayne County), Indiana, the only mention of their father as a doctor at all in Indiana was in 1862 in Blooming Grove which is in Franklin County. Then of course he lived in Montgomery for at least 14-15 years and probably died about 1881 in Indianapolis, Marion County. Don't forget Kentucky and Ohio, as well.
You would indeed think that a doctor, would want to stay around one place to watch-over his patients, but this man was all over. In fact, when he came to Montgomery County, he was back and forth several times to his ex-wife, Ambrosine, even though he divorced her in October 1863 just a few months (July 1864) before he married Margaret Clement, who was 35 years younger than he. Granted, he could have been going back to visit the above children, but it was odd that she is thereafter listed as his "widow," even though in 1880 when she is listed as such, he is alive and well, living with Margaret and their two children, James L who must have gotten his father's wanderlus as he went to Galveston, Texas, joined the service for two years, returned to Galveston, married, had a daughter, Minnie and died 18 June 1903, a policeman, and still a very young man. His brother, Henry Charles, lived in Marion County was married twice, as well and died fairly young on October 19, 1910. He is buried in Crown Hill.
Now, what happened to James H., is another story. There are a couple dozen or so James Crews buried in the U.S. None are him. Even Margaret seems to have gone MIA, although she possibly could have remarried. Even wonder what happened to first wife, Ambrosine? She died in 1904. James shows-up on only one family tree in Ancestry and it says he died in 1881. Who knows?