Parents

Son of William H CRISWELL & Martha A JACKSON.

Life History

Notes

• The Simons genealogy gives the name as Jesse B.  No source is given for the name or date of birth in this source.  The gravestone has JesseQ, and the Essex Funeral Home burial registry gives the full name as Jesse Quitman.  I have not found information that would indicate two different persons named Jesse Criswell.
  
  The names of Jesse (Jessie) B and Jesse (Jessie) Q (Quitman) seem to refer to the same person.  But it is not clear what the initial B means or why it appears sometimes.  Only one child named Jesse appears inthe Criswell or Simons genealogies I have found.
  
  The greatest difference, however is in the birth date.  Simons reports July 1892, while the grave has 9 September 1895, a difference of 3 years and 2 months!  I have found no sources in the Simons online information, so I have gone with the firm date I have seen.
  
  The other information of this individual and family are so similar this must be the same family, despite the great discrepancy of birth dates.
  
  Also the age of the mother is a bit of a problem.  Simons is the onlysource where I have found the family as a whole, originally online but no longer posted.  Others I found later are similar.  If the dates of birth and ages of parents are correct, Martha A Jackson Criswell remained fecund into her fifties.  This is quite unusual, but the information seems to make sense otherwise.  Martha would have been 52 when Jesse was born.
  
  The 1900 census reports Jessie and his siblings in their parents' home in Prairie Township of Arkansas County Arkansas.  This census reports birth month and year of birth:
  1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 16 June 1900, PrairieTownship, District 7, Page 11B, Hse #192, Family #195
  William H Criswell Head  W M  Mar 1840  60  Alabama Alabama Alabama
  Martha A Criswell Wife W F  Apr 1840  60  Alabama Georgia Georgia
  Thomas Criswell   Son  W M  Mar 1881  19  Miss Alabama Alabama
  Robert F Criswell Son  W M  Aug 1882  17  Miss Alabama Alabama
  Joseph L Criswell Son  W M  Jul 1884  15  Miss Alabama Alabama
  Edward M Criswell Son  W M  Jun 1886  13  Miss Alabama Alabama
  Maggie E Criswell Dau W F  Apr 1888  12  Ark Alabama Alabama
  Lee R Criswell Son  W M  May 1890  10  Ark Alabama Alabama
  Jesse B Criswell Son  W M  Sep 1892  7  Ark Alabama Alabama
  
  This census reports both William and Martha born in Alabama.  Most sources report his birth place as South Carolina.  The latter seems to be correct.  The Simon Family genealogy reporting on the Criswells gives his and his wife's birth as Attala, Mississippi, where many of their children were born.  In several of the children's census reports, their father's birthplace is reported as South Carolina, and once in Harvey's record, it is North Carolina.  Martha's birth state is usually reported as Alabama.
  
  In the censuses for 1910 and 1920, William is reported as born in South Carolina.  In 1880, the record for his son James indicated that William (James' father) was born in Alabama, as the 1900 census.  Subsequent censuses, however, reported James' father born in South Carolina, matching the earlier reports for William himself.  I find that family genealogies usually report William was born in South Carolina, Abbeville District, specifically.
  
  1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 16 April, Prairie Township, District 13, page 1A, Hse/Fam #7
  Criswell, William H  Head M W 69 Married 43 yrs SC SC SC Farmer
  Martha A  Wife F W 59 Married 43 yrs AL TN GA
  Criswell, Maggie D Dau F W 20 AR SC AL
  Criswell, Lee J  Son  W M  18  Ark SC AL
  Criswell, Jesse B  Son  W M  15  Ark SC AL [born abt 1895]
  Cochran, Hal  Hired Man  W M  18  Ark Miss Miss
  
  I also find another entry for what seems to be the same person.  Jesse Criswell, age 14, is listed in the household of his brother Thomas,4 days later.  Thomas is a son of William and Martha, so this must bethe same Jesse (Jessie, Jesse B or Jesse Q).  Jesse's information is the same in this entry as for that for Jesse B in the household of hisparents, except for one small difference.
  
  The age for Jesse B is 15.  the age for Jesse in Thomas' household appears to have been entered as 15, then a 4 written over the 15.  If his birthday was in September, then his age was actually 14 at the timeof this April census.  I have found several double enumerations for persons in Prairie Township families in the 1910 and 1920 censuses.
  
  1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 20 April, District 18, Sheet 3A, Prairie Township, Ethel & Point Rd, Hse/Fam #121
  Criswell, Thomas  Head  Male W 30  Marriage1 4years  MS SC AL
  Criswell, Lida    Wife  Female W 24  Marriage2 4years  Ark  MS MS
  McSwain, Albert  Step-son  Male W 5  Ark  Ark  Ark
  Criswell, Jesse  Brother Male W 14  Single AR AR AR Farm Laborer
  
  In 1920, Jesse's name is spelled Jessie, which is usually the female spelling of the name.
  
  1920 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 5 January, Prairie Township, District 15, page 1A, Country Road, Hse/Fam #4
  Criswell, William H  Head  Rents Farm  M W 74 Widowed SC SC SC Farmer
  Criswell, Jessie [sic]  Son M W 24 Single AR SC SC Farm Laborer
  Criswell, Maggie Dau F W 30 Single AR SC SC
  Criswell, Woodrow Grandson M W 4 Single AR AR AR
  
  After finding him in all these censuses, I found Jesse's Draft Registration for both WWI and WWII.  For WWI, he is registered as simply Jesse Criswell, and he signed it as Jesie Criswell (only one S).  But forWWII, his name is Jessie Quitman Criswell and he signed it Jessie Criswell.
  
  For both Draft Registrations he is living at Ethel, Arkansas County, Arkansas.  Ethel is his birthplace.  His birth date is given as 9 September 1895.  He is described as being of medium height, and slender build, having Grey eyes and Brown hair.  In 1917, he is a single Farmer.  he says he is supporting his father, although the census for 1920 reports that William is Head of the house and a Farmer.  The 1942 registration gives his wife's name as Lavada Criswell.  He is self-employed, but his occupation is not given, presumably a Farmer.
  
  1930 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 16 April, District 7,Sheet 5A, Prairie Township, Ethel & Point Rd, Hse #88, Fam #89
  Criswell, Jesse Q  Head  M W 34  Married at 24  AR SC AL Farmer
  Criswell, Nevad (Lavada) M   Wife  F W 28  Married at 18  TX AR Indiana
  Criswell, W H  Son  M W 8 AR AR AR
  Criswell, Nora M  Dau  F W 4yrs 1mo AR AR TX
  
  Notice that the birthplace of the mother of the two children is different.  But the information indicates that this couple have been married for about 10 years, and that Lavada is the mother of both children.  Jesse and Lavada must have married in 1920.

Sources

• 1. 1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 16 April, Prairie Township, District 13, page 1B, Hse/Fam #7
• 2. Gravestone of Jessie Q Criswell, Mt Pleasant Cemetery, Ethel, Arkansas
• 3. 1930 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 16 April, District 7, Sheet 5A, Prairie Township, Ethel & Point Rd, Hs
• 4. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
  • Jesse Quitman Criswell, signs name as Jessie
• 5. U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
  • Jesse Criswell, signs as Jesie [sic] Criswell
• 6. 1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 16 June, Prairie Township, District 7, Page 11B, Hse #192, Family #195
• 7. 1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 20 April, Prairie Township, District 18, Page 3A, Ethel & Point Rd, Hs
• 8. Social Security Death Index
  • Jessie Criswell
• 9. Essex Funeral Home Registry
  • BOOK XVII -----    12 February 1974 - 13 February 1978, p. 47