A New Beginning

The First Thirty Years Continues...

On July 24, 1941 Timothy Richard Marsh and Helen Joe Crawford were married in Huntsville, Alabama, in the courthouse by Judge Jones, in his private chambers.

Helen Crawford Marsh and Timothy Richard Marsh

I will interrupt the chronology of events here to give a brief background of our meeting and a brief genealogy of Helen's family.

Helen Crawford Marsh, the bride, was born November 21,1921 in the village of Flintville, down the lane toward the creek, on what was once the Yost place. This was where Helen and her brother, Lee Earl, grew up. Helen attended grade school in the old school down on the creek near the Flintville Baptist Church. She started to Flintville High School in the fall of 1936 along with me. We were the first class in the new school. Somehow I managed to be elected president of the senior class and editor of the school paper the "Kidoodler." Helen was secretary and typist. She played basketball during part of her tenure there. Some of the teachers boarded with Mrs. Jennie Braden, Helen's grandmother.

Helen and I were attracted to each other during our senior year, correction, seriously attracted, we became engaged May 10, while rehearsing our senior play "Aunt Susie Shoots the Works," that we gave May 15, 1940. This special event took place behind the curtains, in the east wing of the stage, at Flintville High School.

Helen's grandmother Jennie found out that I was a grandson of Lelia Beasley Marsh, her close friend while they both lived near Delina in Marshall County, Tennessee before and after their marriages, she to Harvy Braden and my grandmother to M.G. (Mike) Marsh. After that she was on my side. I made the eighteen mile round trip to Flintville for over a year, until our marriage. Wonderful time in our young lives.

Helen's father was Henry Clark Crawford (1897-1953), a N.C. & St. Louis Railroad section foreman, born at Howell, Tennessee. He was son of William Robert Crawford, grandson of Joseph Crawford, great grandson of Williiam (1780-1859) the first to come to Tennessee and Lincoln County. This William was son of William (1744-1792) a Patriot of the Revolution from Augusta County, Virginia, who was son of Alexander and Mary McPheeters Crawford from County Donegal or Tyrone Ireland, who came to Pennsylvania about 1730 and to Augusta County, Virginia in 1740. The Crawfords originally came from Scotland, around Crawford John. Alexander and Mary, the emigrants, were massacred by the hostile Indians in August 1764 near Churchville, Virginia. All were Presbyterians.

Helen's mother was Vertna Mae Braden (1902-1990) born at Ostella, Marshall County, Tennessee, daughter of Harvy and Jennie Ray Braden. She was the granddaughter of John W. Braden (1804-1871) who was born in South Carolina and probably came to western Lincoln County, Tennessee with his mother Cassandra in the early 1800s.

A more detailed account of our ancestors may be found in the book Lincoln Community that we edited in 1988. [I will share from that publication in the future]