Author: Cal Bivens
It was always a curiosity to me that we never knew any more about this man. There was no mention of him in any of the family notes that I ever saw. He was a grandson of John and Elizabeth Crabb and son of Elijah and Priscilla Crabtree.
Youth
John Crabtree was born about 1839 in Canada, perhaps at St. John, New Brunswick. John lived with his parents, Elijah and Priscilla, in Portland, Maine in 1850. He was 11 years old that year. James Knight, a cooper, with his wife and son was boarding with them.
John attended school. He may have started going by “John” in school. Whether his parents ever called him that is debatable.
The family moved to Kane County, Illinois about 1859, settling in an area where a lot of relatives had already settled.
In 1860 Jonathan worked as a farmhand for A. Perry in Lodi, Illinois. He boarded with his employer. Perry and his wife, Ida, had 5 kids: Delia, Ambrose, Lonzo, (male), and Viola. Perry was a farmer whose real estate was valued at $1600.
Enlistment in the Army
John enlisted July 16, 1861 at Chicago, Illinois as a recruit in Company B, 2nd Battalion, 16th US Infantry (Regular Army). He was enrolled by Captain Robert Erskine Anderson Crofton (1834 - 1898), an Irishman by birth who was appointed from Delaware.
John was 22 years old, he gave as his place of birth Portland, Maine (he was “from” Portland but born in New Brunswick). John was described as 5’ 7-1/8″ tall, hazel eyes, light brown hair, and ruddy complexion. He entered the army as a Private at Camp Slemmer, Chicago. (more…)