In 1930, 25 year old Frances Crum lived with his wife Minnie (25) in a rented home ($20/mo) at 313 Wood (St., Ave. ?), Belle Vernon, Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. Living with them was their 4 year old daughter Ruth, and Minnie's brother Deems Theakston (20) and Minnie's sister Betty Theakston (10). According to the census, Frances and Minnie had been married for 6 years. Betty attended school. Frances worked in a steel mill furnace and Deems as a checker in a glass factory. All members of the household as well as Frances' and Betty's parents were born in Pennsylvania. The family owned a radio.
Obituary:
FRANCIS H. CRUM, 67, FORMER AREA OFFICIAL Francis H Crum, a former Monessen city clerk, died
Saturday at 1:45 p.m. in the Charleroi Division of Mon
valley Hospital Inc. Mr. Crum, 67, resided at 55 Reed Ave, Monessen. Mr. Crum was city clerk from 1950 until January 1960. Prior to that time, he had been deputy sheriff of West-
moreland County and secretary to U.S. Rep. Guss
Kelly and then U.S. Rep. John H. Dent. He had served as state liquid fuels tax investigator,
resigning in May of 1960. For many years Mr. Crum was a close political ally to
the late Monessen Mayor Hugo Parente and served as
one of the mayor's chief political lieutenants. He was employed as book-keeper - treasurer for N.
Victoria Co until his retirement six months ago. Mr. Crum was born in Belle Vernon Dec. 2, 1904. He was a member of St Leonard R C Church, Eagles
Aerie 2399, Elks Lodge 773 and Raven Athletic Associa-
tion, all of Monessen. Surviving are his widow, Minnie E. Theakston Crum;
his mother Anna Crum of Finleyville R.D.; one daughter
Mrs. Patrick (Ruth) Traynor of Belle Vernon; two grand-
children and one great-grandchild; two sisters, Mrs
William (Catherine) Buchanan of Washington, D.C.,
and Mrs Robert (Elizabeth) Van Voorhis of Finleyville
R.D.; five brothers, Edward of Chadds Ford, Pa, Regis
of Phoenix, Ariz., William of New Brunswick, N.J.,
James of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and Arthur of Cumber-
land, Md. Friends are being received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.
at the Edwin Melenyer Funeral Home, Monessen.Source: Valley Independent (Monessen, Pennsylvania), newspaper, obituary of Francis H. Crum, Nov 13, 1972
Minnie E. Theakston Crum's obituary appeared in The Valley Independent (Monessen, PA) newspaper on April 28, 1993: Minnie E. Crum, 88, of 55 Reed Ave., Monessen, died
Tuesday, April 27, 1993, in Mon Valley Hospital, Carroll
Township. She was born Jan. 13, 1905, in Belle Vernon, a daughter
of the late Fred B. and Anna E. Nickeson Theakston. Mrs. Crum had been active for many years as a Democratic
committeewoman in Monessen's First Ward. She was a member of the United Methodist Church of Mon-
essen, Monessen Democratic Women, Home League of the
Salvation Army, Golden Agers and Mon Valley Senior Citizens.
She was a member and past state president of the Fraternal
Order of Eagles Auxiliary and a member and past president
of Monessen FOE 2399 Auxiliary. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her
husband, Francis H. Crum; and three brothers. Survivors include one daughter, Mrs. Patrick J. (Ruth Lakel)
Traynor of Belle Vernon R.D. 4; two grandchildren, Deidre Lakel
Manack of Belle Vernon RD 3 and Francis (Randy) Lakel of
Tampa, Fla.; four great-grandchildren, Randy, Amber and
Brandon Manack and Zachariah Lakel; and three sisters,
Sadie Craig of Uniontown, Dulcie Postal of North Charleroi
and Betty Smith of Columbus, Ga. Friends will be received Wednesday from 7 to 9 p. m. and
Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. in the Rhome Funeral
Home, Inc., 1209 grand Blvd., Monessen.
The following article appeared in the Valley Independent newspaper, Monessen, Pa on July 2, 1970:
Edward G. Crum to Retire Edward G. Crum, a native of North Belle Vernon and
a 1924 graduate of Charleroi High School, will retire
Aug. 1 as vice president of Hercules Inc., Wilmington,
Del. Crum is the son of Mrs Anna B. Crum, 89, who lives
with a daughter, Mrs. Robert Van Vorhiss in Finleyville,
and the late John E. Crum. He stared his meteoric
career with Hercules in 1929. Hercules has a plant
in Donora. Charleroi graduate Following his graduation from Charleroi High School,
Crum worked for Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. in Charleroi
for a year and then enrolled in Penn State University
where he was graduated in 1929 with a degree in chem-
ical engineering. Crum's career with Hercules began 41 years years
ago as a developmental chemist at the Parlin, N.J.,
plant. He advanced from a supervisory position in
1932 to plant manager in 1941, He transferred to the home office in 1945 as assistant
general manager of the Cellulose Products Department.
Crum was named general manager of the virginia Cellu-
lose Department in 1954. Four years later he was elected a director of the company
and appointed general manager of Pine & Paper Chemicals
in 1962. He has been a vice president and member of the
executive committee since 1964. Throughout his career, hge has been active in business
and civic organizations, serving as president of the Delaware
State Chamber of Commerce in 1966, vice president and dir-
ector of the Deleware Safety Council and a member of the
executive committee and board of managers of Artisan's
Savings Bank, Wilmington, Inc. He is the brother of Francis H. Crum, 55 Reed Ave., Mones-
sen.
On September 22, 1941, unmarried Regis J. Crum (dob 1913) of Washington Co., Pennsylvania registered for the U. S. Army at Fort George C. Meade in Maryland. According to his enlistment information, his civilian occupation was that of a carpenter. He was 71 inches tall and weighed 155 pounds.
The following appeared in The Charleroi (PA) Mail newspaper on August 14, 1945:
EX-SERVICEMEN OPEN MINERAL BEACH POOL
It didn't take three enterprising veterans of World War
II very long to get into business after their discharge.
Led by a Charleroi veteran of the famed Third Division,
Pfc. Regis J. Crum, Second street, who is home to stay,
two veterans are launched on an enterprise which had
reopened Mineral Beach swimming pool and picnic
grounds along Route 88, two miles north of Finley-
ville.
Veteran Crum's partners in his enterprise are Pfc.
Wilbur VanVoorhis, veteran of the 94th Division, his
brother, Pfc. John VanVoorhis, 28th Division, prisoner
of war, in the European theater of operations, and a
third brother Robert VanVoorhis.
Dancing, round and square, and free parking and
free use of the picnic grounds are provided. The pool
is open each day from noon until 8 p.m.[Note: Robert VanVoorhis would later marry Regis Crum's sister Elizabeth.]
The following appeared in The Charleroi (PA) Mail newspaper on January 2, 1946:
Regis Crum has returned to Miami, Florida, after
spending several days during the holiday season
with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Crum, 212
Second street. His brother William Crum, of
Asbury Park, New Jersey, was also home for
the holidays. This was his first Christmas to
be spent at home in ten years.The following appeared in The Charleroi (PA) Mail newspaper on December 1, 1948:
Pfc. Regis Crum, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Crum of
212 Second street, who has re-enlisted in the service
of the United States Army , is stationed in Seoul, Korea
Regis Joseph Crum's obituary appeared in The Valley Independent (Monessen, Pennsylvania) newspaper on June 12, 1997: Regis Joseph (Joe) Crum, 83, of Belle Vernon, died
Wednesday, June 11, 1997, in Haven Crest Nursing
Center, Carroll Township. He was born Dec. 25, 1913, in North Belle Vernon,
a son of the late John Edward and Anna Crock Crumm
(sic). He was retired security guard having worked in
Phoenix, Ariz. He was a U. S. Army veteran, having
served during World War II. He was with the first Amer-
ican unit to meet Gen. Romell and his African Corps.
He took part in Gen. George Patton's invasion of Sicily
and was with Gen. Mark Clark at the first landing force
at Anzio Bay in Italy. He received the Silver Star. He
also [one line of the obit is missing] with the occupation
forces. Survivors include on sister, Elizabeth (Honey) Van
Voorhis of Finleyville; and two brothers, Edward G.
Crum of Greenville, Del., and Arthur C. Crum of Cum-
berland, Md. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death
by his wife, Clarice T. Crum, on Nov. 9, 1990. There will be no public visitation.
Social Security number issued in Wisconsin prior to 1951.
The following article appeared in the Monessen Daily Independent on May 8, 1942: Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Crum, of Charleroi, have received
word that their son, William, who has been employed
at Asbury Park, N. J., will be inducted into the Army at
Fort Dix, in the near future. The Crum family formerly
resided on Broad avenue, Belle Vermon. They have
another son, Pvt. Regis Crum, already in the service.
Partial Obituary , Washington (PA) Observer newspaper, January 27, 2002
Robert VanVoorhis Sr. Owned insurance/real estate agency
Date: January 27, 2002 Publication: Observer-Reporter (Washington, PA)
Robert P. VanVoorhis Sr., 87, of Finleyville, died Saturday, January 26, 2002, in Washington Hospital.
He was born September 6, 1914, in Hazelkirk, a son of John Glenn and Laura Hill VanVoorhis.
Mr. VanVoorhis was a lifelong resident of Union Township and a member of Mingo Presbyterian Church.
In 1947, he established VanVoorhis Insurance and Real Estate Agency from his home on Mingo Church Road, moving it to Finleyville in 1958. He remained active in the business throughout his...
The following wedding announcement for Robert Van Voorhis and Elizabeth Crum appeared in The Charleroi (PA) Mail newspaper on October 10, 1936: LOCAL GIRL WEDS MONONGAHELAN Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Crum, of 212 Second street, announce the
marriage of their daughter, Miss Elizabeth Crum, to Rovert Van
Voorhis, of Monongahela. The ceremony was performed on Thursday evening, October 8,
at 8 o'clock in the rectory of St. Jerome's Catholic church by the
church pastor, the Rev. Father Peter J, Brennen. Mr. and Mrs. Van Voorhis plan to make their home in Monogahela.
The following Anniversary Announcement appeared in The Valley Independent (Monessen, PA) newspaper on November 30, 1996: THE VAN VOORHISES Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Van Voorhis recently celebrated
their 60th wedding anniversary. they were joined by over
200 guests at a picnic held in their honor at the home of
their son in Nottingham Township. The day's events were highlighted by a surrey ride for the
couple and their maid of honor Louis Sanders and best man
Regis Crum, a serenade by a barbershop quartet, a catered
meal and pig roast, and a large evening bon fire. Mr. Van Voorhis and the former Elizabeth Crum were mar-
ried Oct. 8, 1936, in Charleroi. They are the parents of four
children. Betty Chile, Kay Steinmetz, Dottie Bewick and Bob
Van Voorhis Jr. They also have seven grandchildren and 11
great-grandchildren. Mr. and Mrs. van Voorhis owned and operated the van
Voorhis Agency, now Century 21 Van Voohris Inc., in Finley-
ville for over 30 years. Both Bob and Honey, as they are known,
have been and continue to be very active in community affairs
in the Finleyville area.Elizabeth Crum VanVoorhis' obituary appeared in The Washington (PA) Observer Reporter newspaper on March 1, 2007. Elizabeth "Honey" VanVoorhis, 89, of Finleyville, died Wed-
nesday, February 28, 2007, in Presbyterian SeniorCare,
Washington. She was born September 27, 1917, in Belle Vernon, a daughter
of John Edward and Anna Crock Crum. Mrs. VanVoorhis, along with her late husband, owned and operated
VanVoorhis Insurance and Real Estate Agency in Finleyville for many
years. She was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Finleyville,
where she was past president of its Christian Mothers. She also
belonged to Peters Creek Historical Society, Ginger Hill Grange
and the former Finleyville BPW Club. Surviving are her son, Robert VanVoorhis Jr. of Venetia; three
daughters, Betty Amato of Houston, Kay Steinmetz of Bethel Park
and Dottie Bewick of Finleyville; a brother, Arthur Crum of Cumber-
land, Md.; six grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. Deceased are her husband, Robert VanVoorhis Sr., who died in
2002; five brothers, Francis, Edward, Regis, Bill and James Crum; a
sister, Catherine Buchanan; and a grandson, Brad Columbus. Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday and 10
a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3, in Kegel Funeral Home Inc.,
Tim P. Kegel, supervisor, 3560 Washington Avenue, Finleyville,
followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 1 p.m. in St. Francis Church,
Finleyville. The Rev. Robert J. Boyle will act as celebrant. Interment
will follow in Mingo Cemetery, Finleyville. Memorial contributions
may be made to Presbyterian SeniorCare Benevolent Fund, 880 South
Main Street, Washington, PA 15301; or St. Francis of Assisi Building
Fund, 3609 Washington Avenue, Finleyville, PA 15332Elizabeth Crum VanVoorhis' obituary also appeared in The Post Gazette (Pittsburgh,PA) newspaper on March 1, 2007. VANVOORHIS, ELIZABETH "HONEY" Age 89, of Finleyville, died
Wed. Feb. 28, 2007 at Presbyterian Senior Care in Washington. She
was born Sept. 27, 1917 in Belle Vernon; daughter of John Edward
and Anna Crock Crum. Mrs. VanVoorhis, along with her late husband
owned and operated the VanVoorhis Insurance and Real Estate Agency
in Finleyville for many years. She was a member of St. Francis of Assisi
Church in Finleyville and a past President of the Christian Mothers of St.
Francis Peters Creek Historical Society, Ginger Hill Grange and the for-
mer Finleyville B.P.W. Club; surviving are her son, Robert VanVoorhis,
Jr. of Venetia; 3 daughters, Betty Amato of Houston, PA, Kay Steinmetz
of Bethel Park and Dottie Bewick of Finleyville; brother, Arthur Crum of
Cumberland, MD; 6 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; deceased are
her husband, Robert VanVoorhis, Sr. who died in 2002; 5 brothers,
Francis, Edward, Regis, Bill and James Crum; sister, Catherine Buchanan
and a grandson, Brad Columbus. Friends received 2-4 & 7-9pm Friday
and 10 until 11:30 am Saturday at KEGEL FUNERAL HOME, INC., Tim
P. Kegel, Supervisor, 3560 Washington Ave., Finleyville.
Mass of Christian Burial 12 noon Sat. March 3 at St. Francis Church,
Finleyville. Interment in Mingo Cemetery, Finleyville. Memorial contributions
to Presbyterian Senior Care, Benevolent Fund, 880 South Main St., Wash-
ington, PA 15301 or St. Francis of Assisi Building Fund, 3609 Washington
Ave., Finleyville, Pa 15332. Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb