One of the most interesting family stories of former slaves who came to Jefferson is certainly the one of the Crooms. It is well documented and covers seven generations or more by the time of this series.
I only have the information from the 1995 file of the Jefferson Historical Society, so I am sure there are even more generations!
Shirley Boyd, then of Ashtabula, did an extensive search of her family roots and the information and her story is from what she gathered in her research. Boyd was able to trace the first of her ancestors in Ashtabula County through her great grandfather, William Robinson, a fugitive slave, who came to Jefferson from Virginia, bringing his daughter Mary.
In 1864, Mary Robinson married Charles C. Crooms, who was born in Alabama in 1836. Charles served in the Civil War and his gravesite in Oakdale Cemetery honors his service.
Ten children were born to Charles and Mary, with most of their descendants living in and around Ashtabula County. Charles worked as a blacksmith before he passed away on Oct. 3, 1886, at the age of 50.
The second oldest son, Walter (Boyd’s grandfather) married Betty Belle Gaines, who was born in Virginia. Walter became a carriage driver for General James Wade and his wife, Clara Lyons Wade.
Belle, as she was known, worked as a cook for the Wades. According to Boyd, they told others how kind Wade was to them and cared about their families.
When General Wade retired from the service, he moved into his parents’ home at 22 W. Jefferson St. His father had died in 1878, and his mother, Caroline Rosecrans Wade, had died in 1889.
I have not been able to determine who lived in the big Wade home now occupied by a bank and parking lot, but by 1907, James and Clara Wade were back living in the home. Walter and Belle both lived until 1923, so they could have been working for the Wades.
Walter and Belle had six children. According to the U.S. Census of 1910, the children were William, 18; Walter, 16; Dwight 14; Harry, 12; Wardell, 1 ½. Another child, Wynette, would be born after the census was taken.
Their home at their deaths, according to his 1923 obituary, was 62 E. Ashtabula St., where they had lived for 70 years. Charles Crooms, Walter’s father, had built the home and Walter had made additions to it. Belle died on July 1, and Walter died shortly afterwards on Oct. 16.
The oldest child, William, born 1892, married Cora Looney and together they ran a dry-cleaning business in Jefferson.
Walter, the second child, married Jessie Gordon in 1916. Jessie Crooms, identified in the Jefferson Gazette as “Mrs. Walter Crooms,” was very active in the community. On Nov. 16, 1920, she was recognized in the newspaper for her appointment as chair of the Ashtabula County Republican Colored Women’s Club during the campaign. The article stated, “The colored women of the county, as well as the men, took a deep interest in the campaign and were solidly [r]epublican. Every town where there is a colored population was organized and the vote was out in force, Nov. 2.”
Boyd’s father was Dwight Gaines Crooms, born in 1895, in Austinburg but lived in Jefferson most of his 78 years. He served in World War I and was in the Battle of Meuse Argenne in France and a member of the Baylor Post, American Legion. He married Julia Hendrickson in 1921 in Michigan. Dwight worked for the New York Railroad for 30 years and had lived in Jefferson for 25 years.
One amazing discovery I found was that in 1974, Dwight passed away at his home at 316 North Chestnut, the same home former slaves, the Woodards, had lived in when they came to Jefferson. Today this home is owned by Tom and Mary Ellen Talcott.
The fourth Crooms child, Harry M., worked for the city of Ashtabula for 42 years. Wardell, born 1909, lived and worked at the Ashtabula County Courthouse. Shirley Boyd was added in her search, she stated, by Daisy Baskerville and Thomas Hubbard.
In all the news clippings and photos I found related to the Crooms family at the research room of the Jefferson Historical Society, I had two articles that I could not match up with the names and dates of the family. But the information is so intriguing and concerns a Crooms person in Jefferson, that I am including them in hopes that a reader can add to the story. The articles are printed as they appeared with misspellings.
From the Ashtabula Sentinel of April 28, 1898:
“Cad Crooms Vaudeville Performer with Harry Martell’s ‘South Before the War Company’ is home for a visit. They have just returned from a tour of the Pacific Coast.”
From the Jefferson Gazette of Aug. 5, 1915:
C. Johnston Crooms Heads Opera Troup – Has Traveled Extensively
“The Gazette is in receipt of a letter from C. Johnston Crooms, a former Jefferson colored boy who has made good in his profession and is now at the head of his own musical comedy aggregation known as the ‘Strollers Opera Company.’
Mr. Crooms company begins rehearsal at Los Angeles on Aug 15th. And will go on the road in his own car, with special scenery and orchestra and a troup of 25. The company will open at the Empress theater for one week then to Portland, Seattle and then on their way east to New York, stopping in Cleveland.
Mr. Crooms left Jefferson 15 years ago with the remark that he would never return until he was ta the head of his own organization. He plans to come back to the old hometown and give a special matinee. He has been in concert work for years and has traveled extensively in Australia, Japan and China.”
The date of the last news item is 1915. A wealth of information is contained in these two articles. I hope you readers can join in this mystery! Contact me at onesouthernwriter@gmail.com or call the office at the Jefferson Gazette, 440-576-9115 and leave a message for me.
