Chester Crafts
Chester Crafts was born on March 6, 1812, in West Springfield, Massachusetts. He married Martha Graves Morgan in Brattleboro, Vermont, on November 25, 1834, and their son Homer was born around 1837. His wife died in the late 1830s, and Crafts married Sarah W. Knight in West Springfield on August 12, 1840. Their daughter Sarah was born around 1842. His wife died in the early 1840s, and he married Olive Day on May 30, 1843. They had at least five children: Edward, born around 1844; Alexander, born around 1846; Howard, born around 1849; Judson, born around 1850; and Linus, born around 1852.
 
As a young man, Crafts worked as a hostler in West Springfield, Then, in 1837, he purchased a tavern and inn in Holyoke, Massachusetts. His inn served as the “social center of this section” of the county. It also “served as a political meeting place and [location] for red hot debates between the Whigs, Know-Nothings and representatives of other political parties.”
 
By 1850, Crafts owned $9,204 of real estate. A decade later, he owned $10,000 of real estate and $10,000 of personal property, and by 1870, his wealth had grown to $32,000 of real estate and $12,000 of personal property. He died of consumption in Holyoke on June 10, 1871.
1659
DATABASE CONTENT
(1659)Crafts, Chester1812-03-061871-06-10
  • Conflict Side: Union
  • Role: Civilian
  • Rank in:
  • Rank out:
  • Rank highest:
  • Gender: Male
  • Race: White

Documents - Records: 11

  • (5664) [recipient] ~ Homer M. Crafts to Chester Crafts, 1 May 1862
  • (5666) [recipient] ~ Homer M. Crafts to Chester Crafts, 11 March 1862
  • (5667) [recipient] ~ Homer M. Crafts to Chester Crafts, 28 September 1861
  • (5668) [recipient] ~ Homer M. Crafts to Chester Crafts, 20 August 1861
  • (5669) [recipient] ~ John T. Graham to Roxana Crafts, 5 August 1861
  • (5670) [recipient] ~ Homer M. Crafts to Chester Crafts, 11 July 1861
  • (5672) [recipient] ~ Homer M. Crafts to Chester Crafts, 9 June 1861
  • (5674) [recipient] ~ Homer M. Crafts to Chester Crafts, 30 April 1865
  • (5676) [recipient] ~ Homer M. Crafts to Chester Crafts, 18 May 1862
  • (5677) [recipient] ~ Homer M. Crafts to Chester Crafts, 5 August 1859
  • (6203) [recipient] ~ Homer M. Crafts to Chester Crafts, 6 July 186X

People - Records: 3

  • (1659) Crafts, Chester is the [parent of] (1658) Crafts, Homer Morgan
  • (1660) Crafts, Edward Rensselaer is the [child of] (1659) Crafts, Chester
  • (1663) Crafts, Olive Louisa is the [wife of] (1659) Crafts, Chester

Places - Records: 2

  • (1377) [birth] ~ West Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts
  • (1342) [death] ~ Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts

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SOURCES

1850, 1860, and 1870 United States Federal Censuses, available from Ancestry.com; Massachusetts Town Birth Records, 1620-1850, available from Ancestry.com; Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, available from Ancestry.com; Massachusetts Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, available from Ancestry.com; Transcript-Telegram (Holyoke, MA), 26 February 1914.