Luella Richardson Crawford

by Lavina Crawford Witbeck

  Luella Richardson Crawford was born September 20, 1892, in Benjamin, Utah.  She was the second child in a family of nine children.  She was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 14, 1900 in Benjamin, Utah, by S. M. Richardson.

  She came to Raymond with her parents and siblings in 1904.  She married George Alexander Crawford on the 20th September 1910 and was to become the mother of nine children.  In 1913 her parents moved to the Manyberries area to farm, but  mother stayed in Raymond.  She had one child at that time;  Robert Alexander, born 26 June 1911, and during the five years her parents lived in Manyberries she had two more children;  Thelma Luella, born 6 June 1914  and Margaret Jane (Peggy), born 19 January 1916.  Dad worked at the Sugar Factory to support his family.

  Dad's mother lived in Coutts, Alberta, so in 1919 they moved there so they could be close to the rest of the Crawford family.  Before they moved, mother had given birth to another daughter;  Georgina, born 17 April 1919.  During the five years they lived in Coutts two more daughters were born;  Fanny May, born 4 November 1920/died 14 January 1921, and Hazel Patricia, born 7 November 1921.

  Mother's health was very poor, so in 1923 they moved back to Raymond.  There, three more children were born;  Mary Lavina, born 15 February 1923,  James David, born 12 February 1924  and Harry Earl, born 16 June 1925.

  Mother had a bad tooth and when they pulled it they cracked her jaw bone.  Her health became worse and she needed special attention, so they took up a 'collection' and sent her to Rochester, Minnesota.  There, they found she had cancer and there was nothing they could do for her, it was just a matter of time.  Grandpa and Grandma Richardson took care of her and her eight living children until her brother and sisters took over the responsibility of raising her children.  Mother's one request was that we would keep our own surnames and that we would know each other as brothers and sisters.  Therefore we all grew up with the Crawford name and knew each other well.  Robert (Bob) lived with Uncle Dave and Aunt Ethel Richardson,  Thelma lived with Grandpa and Grandma Richardson to help with the babies, Jim and Earl,  Peggy live with Uncle Alma and Aunt Effie Betts, Georgina lived with Mrs. Hovey (she was a very good friend to mother),  Hazel lived with Uncle Mel and Aunt Leah Richardson Flexhaug, and I lived with Dad and Mom, Art and Laura Richardson Atwood.

  Being only two years old when I went to live with Dad and Mom Atwood, I don't remember my mother, but from all reports from different family members she was a very hard worker.  Aunt Lorena remembers Mom hitching the horses to the wagon, putting her little kids inside and going for a load of coal to help keep her children warm.  Thelma tells of the time when they lived in Coutts that she helped tend the babies.  At one time there were three that needed bottles, diapers changed, etc.  She also said that many times Grandma Crawford stayed with them and Uncle Andy Crawford and Uncle Simon Crawford came for a meal and a place to sleep.  There were cows to milk, and kids to tend to and feed, as well as feeding the many others that dropped in.

  Luella passed away on 18th of January, 1927, in Raymond and is buried in the Temple Hill Cemetery there.  It makes me proud to be a part of this wonderful woman, and I only wish that we would have been granted the time to have our own memories of her.

Robert married Marjorie Mae Brown on September 20th, 1934, and was the father of nine children.  He passed away 28 January 1993.

Thelma married Walter John Pufflet the 4th of November 1942, and was the mother of six children.  She passed away 16 August 1998.

Peggy married Mathew John Spencer 6th March 1942, and was the mother of two children.  She passed away 10 October, 2001.

Georgina married Paul Leonard Wolersheim on 12 July 1940, and she was the mother of eight children.  She passed away 3rd of June 1967.

Hazel married Robert Hugh Douglas on 9 January 1942, and she was the mother of six children.  She passed away 8 February 1991.

To return to the David Richardson Family page, click here.

To return to the Richardson Family index page, click here.

Lavina married (#1) Elmo Wentworth Hatfield on 8 September 1942 and they had six children.  She married (#2) Melverton Owen Witbeck on July 4th, 1972 and Brownie (Owen) has three children.  Lavina and Brownie live in Raymond, Alberta, Canada.

Jim married Hendrika Geertruida Vandenburg (Ricki) on 9 April 1946 in Holland.  They have three sons. Ricki passed away 28 July 2001, and Jim resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Earl married Mary Ann Dorothy Bendall (Marion) 21 September 1946 and they have two sons.  Earl and Marion live in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.