William Smith Crouch 4 (Richard 3, John 2, Richard 1) was born September 7, 1815 [1] in Virginia, the son of Richard and Martha (Britt) Crouch. He moved to Todd County, KY with his father sometime between 1816-17 when he was about seven years old.
The Logan County Brides Marriage Index lists a William S. Crouch as marrying Elizabeth J. Morrow on October 30, 1842. This is most likely the Elizabeth Crouch who died 4/28/1848. [7] If the William S. Crouch is actually William Smith Crouch then he first married at the age of twenty-seven. The record states the groom was of age and the bride was marrying with consent, indicating she was under legal age. There is no family tradition for this union. Further, William S. Crouch is known to have lived near Daysville, KY, and there is a grave marker in a cemetery near where the father of William S. Crouch lived, indicating the death of a Elizabeth J. Crouch, wife of William S. Crouch. This evidence strongly indicates William S. Crouch had a previous marriage prior to his marriage to Virginia Jesup. On March 10, 1852 at the age of thirty-six he married Virginia Jesup (born March 13, 1828 [1] ) of Fairview, Todd County, KY the daughter of Col. Samuel and Catherine (Sydner) Jesup [3]. He died on July 4, 1895 from injuries received when his buggy wrecked due to a runaway horse on the road between Hopkinsville and Elkton, and Virginia (Jesup) Crouch died on December 16, 1911. She's burried in the Jessup Cemetery between Elkton and Fairview, Todd County, Ky.
He was a school teacher for a few years, he later operated a merchandise store on the southwest side of the public square in Elkton. He made trips to Philadelphia each year to purchase merchandise for his store. On one of these trips he brought back a bell that he had been authorized to buy for the Christian Church in Elkton.[2] His selection was made by Alexander Campbell, an early leader in the Disciples of Christ movement.
In 1860, William Smith Crouch's business partner in the merchandise business took all available company business funds and started on the annual trip to New Orleans to purchase merchandise for the following year. On a river boat between Memphis and New Orleans, he unfortunately, became involved in a gambling game and lost all of the money. William S. Crouch immediately dissolved the partnership upon learning what had happened. To compound the troubles, that night when the business partner returned to Elkton, the store building burned to the ground with a loss of the remaining merchandise, none of which was covered by insurance. Mr. Crouch was forced to move to his farm about six miles west of Elkton. He moved into an existing house on the north side of present Highway 68. The log house was originally built by Jacob Kershener and was probably the oldest house in Todd County. In 1993 the house was dismantled and moved to near Nashville, TN.
Their children were as follows:
1. Caterin "Katie" D. Crouch 5, born February 11, 1853 [1] ; died December 9, 1886 [1] ; married J.S. Wood December 16, 1884 in Todd County, KY.2. Samuel Richard Crouch 5, born September 21, 1855 [1] ; died October 2, 1915; married Mary J. Hurt January 16, 1895; She died on March 9, 1899 at age 36 years, 11 months, 7 days. Married his second wife Belle White on March 15, 1900.
3. William Hickman Crouch 5, born April 7, 1858; died July 15, 1930 [1] ; married Louisa Edna Taylor (born December 6, 1881) on April 15, 1901. Continued to live at the W.S. Crouch home place between Fairview and Elkton. Burried in the Jesup Cemetary between Fairview and Elkton, Todd County, KY. with Edna at his side who died in October 1980.
4. Virginia Jesup Crouch 5, born October 9, 1860. (Lived 24 days.) Died December 9, 1860 [1] . Burried in the Jessup Cemetery between Elkton and Fairview, Todd County, KY.
5. James Thomas Crouch 5, born December 7, 1861; died December 5, 1933 [1] ; married Martha Artemisia Mobley, born Nov. 4, 1865, died Jan. 22, 1940) on February 16, 1886.
6. George Davis Crouch 5, born January 5, 1864; died July 20, 1929 [1] ; married Nannie Oneal, on January 5, 1892. George served several terms as mayor of Clarksville, TN. George and Clarence Tilden. operated a hardware store there until 1929.
7. Mollie Wickliffe Crouch 5, born June 24, 1866; died June 3, 1904 [1] , burried in the Jessup Cemetary between Fairview and Elkton, Todd County, Ky.; married James Urile Lockett on June 3, 1888. "Mollie" was a nickname for "Mary". Was her given name actually "Mary"?
8. Rodman Vinson Crouch 5, born December 14, 1869; died December 9, 1914 [1] ; married Lucy Belle Cannon, on December 29, 1904. Farmed near Fairview.[5] [6]
9. Margaret C. Crouch 5, born March 24, 1872 [1] ; married D. Andrew Hurt on December 24, 1894. Lived to be 97 years old. Son Robert Hurt( ) daughter Mabel Hurt Warner (Hopkinsville, granddaughter Marjorie Warner Showhn, Murray, Kentucky.
10. Clarence Tilden Crouch 5, born December 24, 1876 [1], died February 10, 1964. (Named after Samuel Jones Tilden, an 1876 presidential candidate); died at age 87 at Clarksville, Tennessee nursing home. Retired Real Estate Agent , had lived in Clarksville for the past 70 years. Married Hester Watts on January 17, 1906.
Source of material:
[1] William Smith Crouch's 1856 family bible (Births and Deaths - Marriages) in the possession of the webmaster; along with a second bible dated 1868 belonging to one of William Smith Crouch's son's who migrated away from Todd County, KY.
[2] The Christian, a publication of the Disciples of Christ, (The church bell story.)
[3] The book 'Edward Jesup and his Descendants'
[4] 1860 Census - Elkton, Todd County, Kentucky
...........................................................................................REAL.....PERSONAL....NAME.............AGE...SEX......RACE........TRADE..................ESTATE..... ESTATE......BORN
W.S. Crouch....... .45 ......Male ......../ .............Farmer ..........................................300 .........Virginia
Virginia Crouch ...32 ......Female ........................................................................2,000 ..........Kentucky
E.A. Crouch .........12 ......Female ...........................................................................................Kentucky
C.M. Crouch ..........6 ......Female............................................................................................Kentucky
S.R. Crouch ....... ....5 ......Male ...............................................................................................Kentucky
W.H. Crouch .... .....2 ......Male ...............................................................................................Kentucky
[5] 1900 FEDERAL CENSUS - Clarksville District, Montgomery County, Tennessee July 6, 1900 enumeration
====================================================================================================================LN HN FN ...LAST FIRST .....RELATION-..............BIRTH DATE...........MAR..YRS...# OF.........#.....YOUR......FATHERS..MOTHERS
.................NAME.NAME.....SHIP....RACE..SEX MONTH YEAR AGE..STAT..MAR. CHILD..LIVING...BIRTHPL..BIRTHPL ..BIRTHPL....OCCUP.
=====================================================================================================================
33.311.60...Crouch, George.....Head....W.......M....Jan...1864....36......M.....7.............................Kentucky.....(census record illegdable)
34.............Crouch, Nannie P...Wife....W.......F......May.1864....36......M.....7........3..........3........Tennessee....(census record illegdable)
35.............Crouch, Rodney V. Brother W.......M.....Aug.1867.....33......S.....................................Kentucky.....(census record illegdable)
[6] 1910 FEDERAL CENSUS - Fairview Precint - Todd County, Ky. April 30, 1910 ennumeration
====================================================================================================================LN HN FN .LAST FIRST ...RELATION-.....................MAR..YRS...# OF.........#.....YOUR....FATHERS..MOTHERS
.................NAME.NAME...SHIP...SEX RACE AGE..STAT..MAR. CHILD..LIVING..BIRTHPL.BIRTHPL ..BIRTHPL....OCCUP.
=====================================================================================================================
92.151.152 Crouch, R.V.....Head....M....W.....40.....M.......4..........................Kentucky....Kentucky....Kentucky...Farmer
93..............Crouch, Lucy B. Wife...F......W.....37.....M.......4.......0........0.......Kentucky....Kentucky....Kentucky
[7] Logan County Bible & Cemetery Records:
Elizabeth Crouch born 10/22/1826; died 4/28/1848 Page 27
Buried in Old McElwain Cemetery on Road #1007 about halfway between Daysville & Allensville. Probable 1st wife of William Smith Crouch.
If you are a descendant of the Goochland County, Virginia Crouch's, have information different, or in addition to what's shown above (birth information, baptistry info, marriage bonds/certificates, wills, obituaries, deeds, court records, etc..) please feel free to forward to or contact Joe Crouch who maintains this site.