A Look Back at the “Crawford-Bougard” Family     The roots of a family are planted deep in history, spanning several generations and telling the story of who we are and where we come from.     In celebration of our 2006 family reunion, we are taking a look back over seven generations of our ancestors’ lives.     Many of the facts were found through talking with family members and from public records dating back to the 1800s; however, we should point out that a fire in the Holly Springs, Mississippi courthouse destroyed nearly all of our ancestors’ records.      We invite you to read on and take a trip down Memory Lane.     CRAWFORD FAMILY     Tom Crawford(paternal ancestor) was born in the area of Ashland (Red Bank), Mississippi. Tom sharecropped an 80-100 acre farm owned by a man named Norvel.    Tom married a young woman named Irene (last name unknown) and together they had eight (8) boys and seven (7) girls. The known names are Coleman, Vance, Ned, Alex, Zule, John Gene, Allen, Lillie, Lizer and Irene.    One of Tom and Irene’s sons, Alex Crawford, would later move to Posie, Mississippi.     BOUGARD FAMILY     In the 1800s, Jim Bougard (maternal ancestor) was a farmer in Mississippi. He married Sally Mitchell. Although we don’t know where they were born or what year they married, we do know that from this union ten (10) children were born: Arthur, Louish (Lushie), Prather, Melissa, Charlie Henry, Pearlie, James Lewis, Dorothy, Annanis and Katie Jane.    Louish “Lushie” Bougard (daughter of Jim and Sally) met Alex Crawford (son of Tom and Irene) in Holly Springs, Mississippi in the late 1800s. They began a life together and gave birth to five (5) boys and six (6) girls: Ollie, Veola, Sallie, Irene, Annie, Jettie Mae, Alex Jr., Ellis, Mary and Willie James.      Alex and his family were farmers. Early on, Alex moved his family to Memphis, Tennessee to lease a larger farm.  He owned his equipment and leased 180 acres of land from E.W. Hail for $300 a year. He grew cotton, corn, potatoes, peas, beans, watermelon and processed sorghum. He also raised livestock, as mules and horses were used to prepare the land for the crops. After the harvest, Alex sold bales of cotton, cattle, hogs, chickens, milk and eggs. After Alex’s oldest son Ollie became a young adult, he sharecropped a 60-acre farm from his dad.     “Lushie” was an unusual woman. She rose early in the morning to tend the household chores, and then worked alongside her husband and children on the farm. At 10 a.m. every morning, she would return home to prepare meals for her family.  Lushie also worked as a mid-wife and was known to be blessed with the power of God to heal others by laying hands on them. She served as Mother of the Church and died at the early age of 56 from a massive stroke.   As the family grew, the older children began leaving home and starting their own families: o       Ollie Crawford married Callie Dandridge and they were blessed with ten (10) children: Ruthie Mae, Johnnie, Oscar Lee, Ollie Lee, Bettie Jean, Ena Bee, Sara, Jewel, Frank and Callie. Ollie learned the trait of sharecropping from his dad and he later became a furniture maker; he eventually retired from the Memphis Furniture Company.   o       Veola Crawford married Henry Nolan, Jr. The couple had no children, but raised Elizabeth (Lit), her niece, after her sister Annie died at an early age. Veola was a domestic worker and homemaker.   o       Sallie Irene Crawford married Willie B. Crutcher. Together they had four (4) children: Willie B., Jr., Mosetta, Ruby Lee and E.B. Sallie was a domestic worker and homemaker.   o       Annie Lee Crawford married Eddie Lee Wilson, and they had three (3) children: Annie Mae, Bobbie Jean and Elizabeth. Annie died at a young age from diabetes complications.   o       Luevator Crawford married Lawrence Brittmon. Six (6) children were born to this union: Lawrence Jr., Theodis, John, Stephen, Loreta and Curtis. Luevator made her career as a licensed beautician in Memphis, Tennessee.   o       Jettie Mae Crawford married James Harris and they gave birth to five (5) girls: Lula Bell, Lucille, Sharon Kaye, Shirley Mae and Stella Marie. She and James moved to Des Moines, Iowa where she spent most of her live caring for her family and serving as the first lady of the Mount Hebron Baptist Church; James was the pastor at Mount Hebron for 47 years. For a short time, Jettie worked as a banquet cook for Governor Ray of Iowa.    o       Alex Crawford, Jr. moved to Des Moines, Iowa along with his sister Jettie and her husband James. There he met and married Vera Yvonne Snead. They had six (6) children: Richard, Alex Rugene, Thurman, Carolyn Ann, Curtis and Terrell Lyn. Alex made a living in the manufacturing business and retired from the John Deere Company. Alex has been a minister for 45 years and for the last 40 years has served as the pastor of Morning Star Baptist Church in Des Moines, Iowa.   o       Ellis Crawford left Memphis and followed his brother, Alex, to Des Moines, Iowa in pursuit of a better life. Ellis has seven (7) children: Jesse, Dennis, Charlotte Kay, Kevin, Craig, Ellison, Diane and Annette. Ellis married Charlotte Browne in Des Moines, Iowa, and in the late 50s he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to pursue his singing career. For many years, Ellis traveled throughout the U.S. singing with quartets, the Supreme Angels, Mighty Clouds of Joy. Ellis currently lives in Fort Worth, Texas with Earline, his wife of 30 years. He retired from the City Water Department of Fort Worth.    o       Mary Crawford married Percy Harden. The couple had ten (10) children: Nathan, Oliver, Leroy, James, Linda, Vernita, Vernetta, Paul, Jeffrey and Stanford. Mary was a homemaker and an accomplished cook.   o       Willie James Crawford left Memphis, like his brothers Alex and Ellis, and moved to Des Moines, Iowa. There he married Delores Hicks and became a father to Willie, Jr. Willie has spent most of his life pursuing his musical career. As an accomplished lead guitar player, singer and songwriter, Willie also traveled the country with the Supreme Angels and various quartets (many of which were his own). Willie is currently living in Los Angeles, CA. To continue…go to ‘Our Story continued’ on the home page.