Mrs. Eliza Jane Crawford

Mrs. Crawford moved to Cooperstown as a young widow in January 1898.  She moved from Fountain, Minnesota where she had lost her husband from tuberculosis November 11, 1897.

Mrs. Crawford was a sister of Mrs. Elije Hamilton whose husband was to become a part owner in the Hammer and Condy Company of Cooperstown.

Times were very hard for Mrs. Crawford and her two small children as the only means for her to make a living was by doing cleaning and washing by hand for those who could afford to hire her.  For this work she was paid ten cents per hour and yet from this small wage she always gave one-tenth to her church.

In 1906 she left her oldest child, Ruth, with her sister, Mrs. Hamilton and took her 12-year-old son Paul with her to Dickinson, North Dakota, to homestead a 160-acre claim.  After proving up on the land she returned to Cooperstown.  She retained ownership of this land as long as she lived and it now belongs to her grandson, Arthur Mostad.

She later became very active as a practical nurse and did much nursing for Dr. Westley in Griggs County.

In 1936 she moved from Griggs County with her son-in-law and her daughter, Henry and Ruth Mostad and family, to Osakis, Minnesota where she resided on a farm until her death January 24, 1949 at the age of 80.

Mrs. Crawford's children were Ruth and Paul. 

1.     Ruth married Henry Mostad and their children were Art, Robert and Helen. 

2.     Paul married Sophie Archambault and they had one son, Robert.

Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 63