User:Zelda Hofsinger

James Weldon Crouch

James was born 30-Jun-1916 in Pickett County, Tennessee. He was the son of Joseph Daily Crouch and Merty Mae Upchurch. His mother died when he was very young and he was raised by his father in a one room cabin beside a creek. He was the seventh child out of eight. His eldest brother was Shelly Crouch. They had an older brother Fred Crouch who died as an infant in a terrible accident. Merty was crossing a log bridge which rolled and threw herself and her infant son into the creek. She hit her head on a rock in the creek and was rescued by her husband but he was unable to save his infant son. Fred was buried when he was very young. A life drawn short by a tragic accident. Shelly was a veteran of the US Navy serving in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. James had other brothers, Spencer, Martin, Ray, and Morrison. He had one sister Millie. Spencer was a defense worker during WWII but Martin and Morrison were also in the military during WWII. Morrison served in the US Navy in the Pacific Ocean while James and Martin were in the US Army in North Africa and then Northern Italy.

While Merty's eldest child died as an infant she became the mother of seven more children before she too died in a tragic accident.