Letter # 1

Granville Criner

January 15, 1940
P.O. Box 1450
Houston, Texas

Dear Miss MOORE,
Mrs. J. P. TEMPLETON of Grand View Texas told me of you. I am sending you my family tree and would appreciate it if you would send yours in return.

My father and his brothers and sisters are all dead. My Uncle, H.D. (Dug) CRINER told me a long time ago about Granville CRINER (my great grandfather’s brother) settling at Grand View, Texas before the war between the states.

One day in December, 1938 I stopped at the Grand View Cemetery, alongside the highway at Grand View, Texas, while enroute to Fort Worth and began looking through the cemetery. I soon found and made a memorandum of the following information.

GRANVILLE CRINER Born July 18, 1804--Died Oct. 21, 1882.

MINERVA EVANS wife of Granville CRINER Born Dec. 11, 1808--Died Sept. 15, 1882.
W. CRINER Born Sept. 17, 1844--Died Sept. 7, 1878.

ENO, wife of G. W. CRINER Born Sept. 29, 1847--Died Sept. 7, 1870.

EUGENE son of G.W. & E. CRINER Born Feb. 4, 1870--Died Jan. 16, 1870.

I met and talked with a man at the cemetery, who referred me to H.R. HEAD of Grand View, a brother Mason and secretary of the Masonic Lodge of Grand View. Mr.HEAD had records showing that G.W. CRINER was made a Mason about 1868, as I recall it now.

Mr. HEAD referred me to Mrs. J.P. TEMPLETON of Grand View, who is a CRINER descendant. I met Mrs. TEMPLETON and had an interesting talk with her.

Last October I visited the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas, at Waco and in their library I found this book: “The Lone Star State-Johnson and Hill Counties. A Memorial and Biographical History of Johnson and Hill Counties, Texas. The Lewis Publishing Co, Chicago, 1892”.

On page 193 of the above book, the following appears: “Other early settlers in the neighborhood of Grand View were - - - CRINER, Walker MEADOWS, William KENNARD, Drew KENNARD, Samuel DAVIS, John S. MORROW, Samuel J. CHAPMAN, A.E. JONES, Joseph WATTS, Dr. L.H. GEBHARD & S.P. HOLLINGSWORTH.”

On page 194 of the same book I found the following: “The first settlers were a mere handful in number. The writer recalls the names of Phillip WALKER, William HOWARD, Granville CRINER, S.K. DAVIS, W.S. QUINN, B.C. QUINN, J.C. BARNES, Dr. TALIAFERRO, Lewis GOEN, John WHITMIRE, besides J.F. SCURLOCK AND S.H. RICHARDS before mentioned.

It is more than possible that several of the men mentioned in this book came from the same neighborhood that Granville CRINER came from.

Hoping to hear from you soon,
Yours truly,
J.C. CRINER

Letter Kindly Contributed by Mandy Queen.

Letter #2
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Webmaster Jerry D. Criner July 28, 2004.