Notes for Colonel Walker CROSBY

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Notes for Colonel Walker CROSBY

MEMORIES OF COLONEL WALKER CROSBY AND DAISY CELESTE HANNA
By Their Son
Griffin Grover Crosby, Sr.

We do not know when or why, but Colonel Walker Crosby moved from Texas
back to South Carolina. He and Daisy Celeste Hanna were married around
December, 1901. All their children were born in Lake City, except for
Joseph Leston Crosby, Miriam Lora Crosby, Griffin Grover Crosby, Sr., and
Mildred Eleene (Angelene) Crosby who were born in Columbia, South
Carolina.

While living in Columbia, the family lived in a two-story house. Colonel
Walker Crosby built another house across the street into which the family
moved. Thomas Bertle Crosby moved into the old one. During this time,
Daisy Celeste Hanna was a seamstress. She sewed a lot for professors at
the University of South Carolina. During the time in Lake City and
Columbia, Colonel Walker Crosby was a builder and a farmer. He farmed at
the farm of Uncle Mennis.

Jewell Louise Crosby was born February 29, 1904 at Lake City, South
Carolina. She died September 16, 1919 of pneumonia. She had gotten the
flu, and unknown to her parents, the doctors discovered that she had some
type of leakage in her heart. This condition made her weak and she was
unable to fight the flu. The flu developed into pneumonia and she died.

In the late 1960s or early 1970s Griffin went to visit the grave of his
sister, Jewell, and found it to be outside of the fence at Dents
Cemetery. With the help of Fletcher Hammonds, a judge was contacted for
approval and funeral homes in Columbia and Lake Wales coordinated to move
her remains by train from Columbia to Lake Wales for burial in the
family plot. Today her remains rest in peace beside her parents in Lake
Wales, Polk County, Florida.

The family moved to Lake Wales, Florida in 1925. They traveled in a
Model T Ford car. It was necessary to cross rivers by ferry on their
trip south. Before the family moved to Florida, Colonel Walker Crosby
became involved with some "land sharks" and went to Florida with them.
They took everything he had except for a lot at 615 North Walker Street,
Lake Wales, Florida. There was no building on the lot. When the family
came to Lake Wales, they lived in a house on Center Street. They then
moved into a 20' x 20' tent on the property. Colonel Walker Crosby built
this tent with a wooden foundation and board walls halfway to the tent
roof covering. In 1926, a hurricane destroyed the tent covering. It was
rebuilt with wood framing and made into a small grocery store, "Crosby's
Grocery Store". The family lived in the back of the store. They had two
pitcher pumps to get water.

When they moved to Florida, Daisy was employed to section grapefruit at
a canning plant and was also a seamstress. Ola Ruth Crosby and Thomas
Bertle Crosby stayed in South Carolina until after the rest of the family
moved to Florida. Ola moved there about 1927. Thomas Bertle Crosby was
married at the time of the move and was a body shop man. He moved to
Florida about 1935.

In 1929, the family moved to Weslaco, Texas and lived on a farm at Road
#7 where Colonel Walker Crosby farmed cotton, cabbage, and carrots. On
the way to Texas, he purchased two mules and named them Slim and Jim
which were used on the farm. While in Texas, Griffin Grover Crosby, Sr.
purchased a jenny for 25 cents and later sold it for 15 cents. In 1931,
the family moved back to Lake Wales, Florida.

Colonel Lee Crosby was a painter. He was also a welder in the shipyards
during the war. He painted in and around Lake Wales for years. He was
always a "hot head and liked his beer".

Joseph Leston Crosby worked in food machinery. He built tanks during the
war. After the war, he went into the appliance repair business and
worked in Lakeland, Florida in appliance repair until his retirement.

Carley Cleveland Crosby was an excellent welder. He also operated a
welding school for the government. Carley started a water well drilling
business around 1944 and around 1945, Griffin moved back from the St.
Petersburg, Florida area and went into the well drilling business with
Carley. Years later, Griffin bought the well drilling business "Crosby
Well Drilling" from Carley and ran it until retirement. At that time,
Griffin Grover Crosby, Jr. took over the business, and continued its
operation. John Patrick Crosby, son of Griffin Grover Crosby, Jr., also
worked in the business.

Carley was quiet and easy going until he married his first wife, and then
he developed an opposite personality. In his later years, he "liked the
women". Carley built an airplane from scratch, including the motor, and
flew it successfully. After the original move, Carley always lived in
Lake Wales, Florida.

Griffin Grover Crosby, Sr. went into the Merchant Marines in 1941.

Miriam Lora Crosby moved to Tampa around 1937 to go to college. There
she met Dan H. Tarvin, her first husband, and they traveled together
until settling in California. After moving to California and separating
from Dan, she married Edward R. Murphy. Miriam worked for Hughes
Aircraft and became a very important part of that business making
aircraft components. Years later, she retired and moved to Washington
State to be near her daughters.

Ola Ruth Crosby worked at a dime store in downtown Lake Wales. She met
Culver E. Barfield, who was a foreman at Hills Brothers Canning Plant in
Lake Wales. They moved to Griffin, Georgia to farm after they were
married. Years later, they moved back to Dade County, Florida.

Mildred Eleene Crosby legally changed her middle name to Angelene. She
married William Kersey who ran a Sinclair Service Station. He entered
the service and they moved to California where he was stationed. They
moved back to Lake Wales where he built up his own plant nursery business
eventually employing their two sons and a daughter.

Thomas Bertle Crosby ran his own appliance store in Lake Wales until
retirement. At that time, his son, Ronny Bert Crosby, took over the
business and ran it for a few years until he closed it down. Ronny was
murdered several years ago and the killer was convicted and sent to
prison.

As of January, 1999, all of the children were deceased, except for
Griffin Grover Crosby, Sr. and Miriam Lora Crosby. All the deceased are
buried in the Lake Wales Cemetery, except for Ola Ruth Crosby, who is
buried in Lakeland, Florida.

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