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Dedication
My father, Frank Elton Crowson (who always
used his middle name), was a pioneer in Crowson genealogy.
Around 1937, at the age of 32, he wrote his first letter
of inquiry to another Crowson, asking about the family history.
Working before the age of computers, Elton painstakingly
wrote letter after letter to every Crowson he could find
listed in phone books, city directories, and other sources.
He was not the first to look into the family history, though
he was one of the early ones. However, he probably did more
to bring the pieces together into a slowly emerging picture,
than any other person of his day. I am amazed that he had
the time to spend on genealogy. We were not financially
well off, and for many years he held two jobs. for 20 years
he worked about 60 hours a week, sometimes up to 70 or more.
He never quite got a college degree, but he was one of the
most intellectual persons I have known.
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He was of
course delighted when I finally became interested in genealogy as
he approached his 90s. His extensive files helped me tremendously
as I did my own research, and I picked his brain many times. He
was fascinated by the wonders of email, as I shared most of my email
correspondence with him. Elton never published his research in book
form, and it became my desire to publish in his honor. My book is
the result. My father died in 1997, before the completion of the
book. I wish that he could have lived to see the end product of
his work. I am glad, however, that he knew the book was in progress,
and that he did get to read most of the introduction, which I wrote
before his death. And so the book is dedicated to the memory of
Frank
Elton Crowson
Pioneer Genealogist
Beloved Father.
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