Crain Photo Gallery

These couples make up the majority of the direct ancestors of Carl Russell and Lillie Smith. 

Each couple will be their own book in the Life & Times of XX Series

Life in the depression in Iowa in 1920 creates an opportunity "out west" and the family of 10 drives 2 cars, across the country to start fresh in Clearwater, California. They start C.R. Crain and Sons, construction just in time for the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. 

1900 Iowa Census shows Charles as a brick mason, Ceruia Moyer is sister to famous (infamous) Charles Moyer, President of Western Association of Mines, acquitted of murder of a governor, and supporter of social and protection of miners and mill workers. 

In 1850 census George is listed as mason. He died in 1889 at 75, working in Chicago after apparently leaving his family in search of construction work. Why Chicago and what was the situation that killed him? 

Widowed farmer raising a family of 8 in Iowa with mixed results.  

They leave their two children in Iowa, and head to the Yukon Gold Fields. Henry dies in Montana and Fannie has an adventurous life in the Alaska outback as a mink farmer, post master and prostitute??? There is more to the story than meets the eye. 

Curious family stories here. Were the Smith's/Novitsky's actually from Royalty? What happened to the family portrait that proved they were? Was cigar rolling a good career? 

They raised their own family, then raised their 2 grand children on an Expressman's wages in Iowa. What were the wages of an Expressman and what exactly did he express?