Clara Churchill (Jones) Crittenden (1820 - 1881)

Born 31 May 1820 in Kentucky, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Alexander Parker Crittenden — married 24 Apr 1838 in Charleston, West Virginia, United States

Descendants

Died 29 Dec 1881 at age 61 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States

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Biography

Clara was born in 1820. She was the daughter of Alexander Jones and Ann Churchill.
On 24 April 1838 she married Alexander Parker Crittenden (1816–1870) in Charlestown, Virginia. Their children were:

Laura (Crittenden) Sanchez 1839–1919

Churchill Jones Crittenden 1840–1864

James Love Crittenden 1841–1915

Nannie Churchill (Crittenden) Van Wyck 1843–1916^[1]

Howard Crittenden 1844–1871^[2]

Parker Alex Crittenden 1849–1923

Carrie Campbell (Crittenden) Pratt 1855–1923^[3]

Thomas Turpin Crittenden 1857–1933^[4]

Florence Alexander Crittenden 1858–1862

Henry Crittenden 1859–1863

His first daughter, Laura, was born in Kentucky; the next five of her were born in Texas, where the family moved in 1839. There her husband studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began practicing law. In 1849 Alexander moved to California^[5]where he was elected from the Los Angeles district to the legislature. In August 1850, only Clara was recorded in the Texas census^[6] with her six children, and in December of the same year she was again censused at her parents' home in Virginia^[7]. In 1852 Clara, via Panama, with six children and 2 servants joined her husband in Santa Clara County, California. In the following years, 6 more children were born. Of Clara's 14 known children only eight lived to adulthood. They were still living in San Francisco in 1860^[8].

During the American Civil War Alexander relocated to Virginia City, Nevada Territory after refusing to take the wartime oath of allegiance to the federal government, and Clara remained in San Francisco. On the other hand, two of their sons, Churchill and James Love, joined the Confederate States Army. After the father sent them to Europe, they jumped the ship in Havana and made their ways to the Confederacy. Churchill Jones Crittenden, a private in the 1st Maryland Cavalry, was later captured behind the Union lines and executed as a spy; James Love Crittenden had risen to be captain.

In 1870, as Alexander Crittenden sat next to Clara aboard the ferry from Oakland to San Francisco, he was shot and killed by a woman with whom he had been in a relationship^[9].

In1880 Clara lived in San Francisco with her daughter Laura family^[10]. She passed away in 1881^[11].

Sources

1. ↑ "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3LT-1SS : 10 March 2018), Clara C. Jones in entry for Nannie Crittenden Vanwyck, 27 Oct 1916; citing Seattle, King, Washington, reference cn 2076, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 1,992,417.
2. ↑ "Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6N8F-52V5 : 4 April 2023), Clara C Crittenden in entry for Howard Crittenden, 1870.
3. ↑ "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3G2-4FD : 10 March 2018), Ann Churchill Jones in entry for Carrie Crittenden Pratt, 12 Jul 1923; citing Seattle, King, Washington, reference 1618, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 2,022,219.
4. ↑ "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG2T-CWXN : 1 March 2021), Clara Churchill Jones in entry for Thomas T Crittenden, 1933.
5. ↑ "California, Pioneer Migration Index, Compiled 1906-1935," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP82-TN8H : 16 August 2019), Clara Churchill Jones in entry for Alexander P Crittenden, 1849; citing Emigration, California, United States, California State Library, Sacramento.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXLJ-52J : 23 December 2020), Clara V Crittenken, Brazoria, Brazoria, Texas, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8D7-9SL : 23 December 2020), Clara Crittenden in household of Alexander Jones, Richmond, Henrico, Virginia, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDKK-PY6 : 18 February 2021), H C Crittenden in entry for A P Crittenden, 1860.
9. ↑ Wikipedia about Alexander Parker Crittenden
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6PX-LHS : 13 January 2022), Clara C. Crittenden in household of Roman B. Sanchez, San Francisco, California, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .
11. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51466543/clara-churchill-crittenden: accessed 17 April 2023), memorial page for Clara Churchill Jones Crittenden (31 May 1820–29 Dec 1881), Find a Grave Memorial ID 51466543, citing Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Mateo County, California, USA; Maintained by April (contributor 49217035).

see also:

• Crittenden family papers, 1837-1907 with a brief biography of her and other relatives