Anna Catherine (Wood) Crabtree

Anna Catherine (Wood) Crabtree

Anna Catherine Wood was born in Pickett County, July 23, 1907. The area where she was born is known as Caney Creek, in the community of Forbus, Tennessee. Her parents were John E. Wood (March 10, 1872-May 20, 1960) and Genira Jane (Crouch) Wood (Nov. 13, 1877-August 13, 1958). Anna's maternal grandparents were James Crouch and Mary Jane (Dishman) Crouch. They had six daughters, Laura, Florida, Maud, Genira, Sophia, and Millie. They had one son, Marcus. Anna's paternal grandparents were Pleasant Beaty Wood and Nancy (Moody) Wood. Pleasant and Nancy had seven children, Matilda, John Eddie, Gardener, Catherine, Sophia, Bates and Abbie. Nancy (Moody) Wood's father (Anna's Great grandfather), was Peter Moody, a very prosperous farmer in the community. He had bought thousands of acres of land when it was ten cents an acre. People say he owned all the land from Ball Rock to Chanute, Tenn. Legend has it that he also owned quite a few slaves. He was able to give each of his children a home and substantial acreage when they married. When Nancy married Pleasant Wood she came into the marriage with quite a dowry. Moody Cemetery in Travisville is on land originally owned by Peter Moody. Anna's mother, Genira, married John Eddie when she was sixteen years old. They lived on the "Kidwell Place," in the Forbus-Caney Creek area, after they were married. John Eddie farmed and hunted and trapped. Genira was kept busy being a homemaker and starting her family. Their first child, Bonnie, (Mrs. John Sharp) was born in 1895. Their next child was a son, Charles Robert, horn in 1899. They moved to Sunnybrook, Kentucky for a few rears where John Eddie worked in the oil fields. While there, their third child, Audra Dahlia (Mrs. Allen Bertram) was born in 1900. While living in Sunnybrook, John Eddie got saved at the age of twenty-one and joined the Sunnybrook Baptist church. He also joined the Masonic Lodge there. One day, while working on an oil derrick, John Eddie fell from the derrick, injuring his head. Fortunately he wasn't hurt too bad, but it shook him up a bit and after that they decided to move back to the Forbus community. Their fourth child, Owen Herschel, was born in 1902. Lowell Lamb was their third son born in 1904. Anna Catherine was next, born July 23, 1907. Norman was their youngest, born in 1909. John Eddie farmed and also hauled freight from the railroad at Rugby and Elgin Tenn. to stores in and around Fentress County and the county seat, Jamestown. Back then, the road from Forbus to Jamestown was dirt and gravel, and going up the mountain with team and wagon to Jamestown, and then onto Rugby and Elgin, took two days. There was no bridge at Clear Fork River so they forded it going, and coming back with their freight also. John Eddie also worked on the "Alvin York" highway, as did many men in the community, when they started making what is now U.S. 127 North. Anna and Norman were the youngest in the family so they were close friends and playmates. Her sisters, Bonnie and Aurdra, married and moved away and that left Anna the only girl at home. She helped her mother and learned how to keep house, cook, sew, etc., all the things girls were expected to learn back then. Anna attended grammar school at Thompson School in the Travisville Community. She belonged to the Methodist Church at Travisville. In those days nearly everyone in the community were "kinfolks." Anna's Uncle Bates Woods Lived near and he had quite a few children, among them Virgie and Bessie Woods. They were about the same age as Anna and played together as children. Anna, Bessie, Virgie, and another cousin, Marie were best friends. This friendship lasted throughout their lifetime. When Anna was eighteen years of age she met Holland Crabtree. They dated for two or three years and then were married June 28th 1929. They got married when the Great Depression was just starting. People were committing suicide, jumping from windows and everything because the country was in such a sad state. Anna and Holland didn't Let these things stop them. They were young and in love and their future looked bright with their life together just beginning. Anna and Holland lived with Holland's parents until he finished school and then they moved to Jamestown where they lived and raised their family. They had seven children, five girls and two boys. The girls are Reba Jo, Norma Jean, Franklin Jeanette, Patricia Hay and Kathryn Pay. Patricia and Kathryn were twins born in 1950. Patricia died at birth and Kathryn died at ten months. Their sons are William Holland and Robert David. In 1960 Holland and Anna moved to New Castle, Indiana where Holland was employed at Chrysler Corporation. He worked there until his death in 1969. Anna still lives in New Castle.

by Reba Joan Fox
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Posted with permission from Curtis Media Corporation
This page was last updated on 03/05/00.