Generation 3

Jacob ("Jake" or "Jack") Andrew Craig, son of William Jr., was born in Rising Sun, Indiana in 1847.

After Jake's father died and his mother remarried to John Horton in 1857, he moved with his brother and mother to Boone County. On 10-14-1864, he enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War. The veterans records in Washington, D.C. show that Jacob was 18 years old when he enlisted, and his serial number was 9241864. He was mustered into service on 10-29-1864 in Covington, Kentucky. He was in Company B 55th Regiment Kentucky Volunteers Infantry, commanded by Thomas Hardeman, and on 5-1-1865 was transferred to Companies E and F of the same regiment. He was in the same regiment as his uncle, Peter Horton. Jake was a bugler who played revelies and battle charges for the troops. His discharge papers listed him as a musician. He was mustered out of service on 9-19-1865 in Louisville, Kentucky. Jake's discharge paper describes him as 5 feet, three inches tall, with fair complexion, hazel eyes, and light hair. Following is a picture of Jake that shows him dressed in garb typical of the era: a homespun shirt, black breeches, a hat, high leather knee boots, and an old long gun, which in those days was called an "old tom."

Figure 78: Jacob Craig

Information on the 55th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry shows that it was raised under special authority from the War Department and was organized at Covington in 11-1864. It was mounted and performed duty in the counties bordering on the Kentucky Central Railroad until ordered on the Saltville, Virginia expeditions under General Burderige, which was responsible for the capture and destruction of the salt works. On this expedition it performed good and efficient service and was favorably mentioned by the commanding general among other troops of his division for gallant bearing in the face of the enemy. After returning from Virginia, the regiment was, by detail, posted in various Western Kentucky counties to protect the citizens from the depredations of guerrillas, upon which duty it remained until it was mustered out of service. Seven enlisted men and two officers were killed in this regiment, and 29 men died from disease. The regiment had 1409 soldiers.
When Jacob returned from the war, he married Inez "Marcelene" Horton, one of John Horton's daughters whom he had lived with in his childhood. They were married in Normansville in Boone County.

Jake and his family lived on a shanty boat (house boat) for many years. They docked their boat at Hamilton, near Rabbit Hash, Kentucky and at East Bend and Big Bone Lick, Kentucky at various times. His mother lived on the boat with him after her second husband died. Jake was a farmer and, according to family tradition, a whiskey and produce runner on a flat boat. He would run whiskey from Indiana across the Ohio River to Boone County, which was a dry county at the time. He also was a share crop farmer, and the records in the Boone County courthouse shows different people he share cropped with. For several of them, he hauled their produce.

Jake was illiterate and wild. Stories passed down to family by his son, William, recounted how Jake would often ride through the countryside on his horse hollering and shooting his shotgun into the air. This made many people afraid of him.

Jacob’s wife, Inez, was a heavy drinker who made her own "hooch." Her grandson, William Craig, remembered her looking for her glasses, while the children laughed. She thought they were laughing because they hid her glasses, only to find out that the glasses were propped on top of her head! Following are a couple pictures of Inez.

Figure 79: Inez Craig

Figure 80: Inez Craig as an Older Woman

Jake's death was caused by an incident described in the Boone County Recorder in February of 1888. Jacob and his oldest son, William, had docked their shanty boat immediately above the mouth of Gunpowder Creek and were rabbit hunting in East Bend, on the land of George Craig. The paper claimed no relation between the two, but it is possible they were distant cousins.
In the past, Jake and his son had agreed to work for Craig for the privilege of hunting on his land.

Shortly after Jake and his son had beached their boat, George Craig claimed that the two started annoying him in various ways, and on one occasion, went to his house and abused him. He ordered them to leave and forbade them to come back. They paid no attention to his order, and one day, George Craig saw Jake and his son walking across his land with their guns and several rabbits. Craig got his rifle and ordered them off the premises. They started, but went only a few steps when they threw down their rabbits and turned, and, as George Craig thought, were drawing their guns on him, when he leveled his and fired, the ball taking effect in the front part of one of Jacob Craig's legs just above the knee, passing out behind, making quite an ugly wound and fracturing the bone.

George Craig sent his spring wagon and a man to haul the wounded man home and dispatched another for a doctor and then went and surrendered himself. Charges were not pressed against either party. Jake Craig said that he and his son started to leave and were going off the place when the shot was fired, and also denied that he or his son had any intention of shooting at George Craig.

The newspaper article went on to say that in all probability, the limb would have to be amputated.

Jake got gangrene in his leg from the wound, and several weeks later, his son took him down the Ohio River to Cincinnati and carted him in a wagon from the banks of the Ohio to Good Samaritan Hospital. By then, however, it was too late to save him. He died in late May.

The family account of this incident differs from the newspaper account. According to the family, Jake and his son, William, were hunting and had some words earlier with Mr. Craig, on whose land they had tied their house boat. George Craig supposedly saw them coming across the field with their guns and rabbits and hid behind a stack of fence rails and shot Jake. William took Jake home and he tried to care for the wound himself as most people did in those days, saying he would not prosecute for the shooting. Family says he meant to take care of things himself, as was the custom in those days.

At the time of his death, tax records showed that he had a house boat and one horse or mule, that the houseboat was his residence and was untaxable, with one qualified voter over age 21, and one male in the militia. The tax on the horse or mule was $2.00, according to the 1875 tax records of Boone County.

After Jake's death, his family continued to live on the house boat until it suddenly caught fire and burned about three months later. Inez and the children were then taken care of by first one member of the family and then another until, finally, she went to the county poor house, where she remained until 1893, when William helped get her out by working in coal mines with his grandmother Dove Rex Craig Horton's brothers. Inez started a restaurant and kept a rooming house, and with the children's help, managed to raise her family. Before she died, she was living in Boone County with her daughter, Minnie, and son-in-law, Mount Slayback. Minnie also lived in Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, Indiana. She is buried in Aurora there.

Jake Sr. is buried on top of a hill at Big Bone Lick Baptist Church cemetery, on the North side, Row 10, Grave 7. From his son William’s descendants, we learned that he was a kind, loving, and teachable father before his death. He lived a hard but short life. Inez died of hemiplegia, which is paralysis of one side of the body. She is buried in the front of the Burlington I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Burlington, Kentucky. The tombstone refers to her as "Grandmaw."

Following is the family of Jacob Craig:

Jacob Craig (1847/5-24-1888) m. Inez Marcellene Horton (1-1847/2-17-1926) on 11-7-1871. They had:

• William Oscar (2-13-1871/2-24-1949) m. Sally Tungate on 9-3-1891
• Elizabeth ("Ella") (8-1-1873/12-27-1946) m. Elliot Tungate on 9-4-1891
• John Moran (2-27-1875/8-27-1876)
• Mariana (1874/1880+)
• Minnie Ann (1-7-1877/3-13-1947) m. Mont Slayback on 12-13-1898
• Ida "Belle" (3-2-1879/3-10-1944) m. James Slayback on 12-25-1893
• Jacob ("Jake") Andrew (1-24-1881/6-14-1965) m. Ada Garland on 7-7-1902
• George Baltimore (7-23-1884/4-29-1889)
• Jessie Lou (6-26-1886/7-7-1946) m. Millard Fleek on 10-12-1904

All of Jake and Inez's children were 7th cousins to the 11th President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison. Their common ancestor was Barnabas Horton. Following is a picture of Jake Jr. and William Craig.

Figure 81: Jake Craig Jr. and William Craig

William Oscar Craig

Jake’s son, William, married his wife on a horse and buggy. He had:

• Hubert (1900/7-30-1981, m. Beatrice Dunn and Navina and had William about 1920)
• Ella (1899/1972, m. Louis Slayback)
• Jessie (b. 1905, m. George Grossheim)
• Eunice Flora (8-3-1892/1-31-1965, m. Martin Beach on 5-22-1909)
• Charles, and Mamie.

Eunice had:

• Armo O. (1916/1930+)
• Earl E. (1920/1930+)
• Raymond F. (1923/1930+)
• Chester S. (1924/1930+)
• Flora A. (1926/1930+)
• Harold S. (1927/1930+)
• Helen S. (1930/1930+)
• Louis J. Beach.

Next is another picture of William Craig. William is buried in Wesleyan Cemetery in Hamilton County, Ohio.

Figure 82: William Craig

Jacob Craig Jr.

Jake's son, Jake Jr., married a distant cousin who was descended from the same Horton line as his mother. Jake Jr. is buried in Burlington I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Burlington, Kentucky. He had:

• Vernor Andrew (2-15-1906/9-1-1993) Gordon
• Edna Mae (11-16-1909/1913)
• Inez Lee (8-14-1911/10-22-1995, m. John Moore)
• Stella Virginia (7-18-1914/10-16-1999, m. Edwin Aylor on 12-19-1942)
• William Oscar (5-11-1918/11-20-1998, m. Frances Stephenson on 1-10-1938).

William Oscar Craig had:

• Robert (d. pre-2005)
• William (d. pre-2005)
• Jerald (/2005+, m. Judy ?)
• Ronald (/2005+, m. Caroline ?)
• Donald (d. pre-2005)
• Richard (/2005+, m. Sally ?)
• Edna (/2005+, m. ? Gray)
• Nancy (/2005+, m. ? Balcaitis)
• Brenda (m. Julius Mader).

He also adopted Yvonne Jones, Walter W., and Michael Craig. His descendants include 33 grandchildren, 76 great grandchildren and 6 great-great grandchildren.

Following is picture of Jake Jr. as a young man.

Figure 83: Jake Craig Jr. as a Young Man

Jessie Lou Craig Fleek

Jake’s daughter, Jessie, died in Rising Sun, Ohio County, Indiana. She is buried in Bellview Baptist Cemetery in Bellview, Boone County, Kentucky. She had:

• Raymond Shelton (10-21-1905/8-31-1906)
• Lilas May (5-2-1907/1-7-2001, m. Robert Burnside on 4-7-1923 and Wilford Green on 3-8-1941)
• Marshall Eugene (11-11-1908/4-14-1984, m. Elizabeth Chase on 2-17-1934)
• Clarabelle (b. 2-12-1911), Vernon Sylvester (b. 2-11-1913, no known children)
• Orville Lee (11-8-1915/5-22-1990, m. Alma Smith and ? and ?, one son)
• Stanley Irvin (10-31-1923/9-4-1988, m. Sophia ? and had 3 children)
• Gladys Isabel (3-27-1925/1-31-2002, m. Lloyd Whiter)
• Erma Leah (b. 6-10-1927).

Next are a couple of pictures of Jake and Inez’s daughter, Jesse Lou.

Figure 84: Jesse Lou Craig (1922)

Figure 85: Jessie Lou Craig as an Older Woman

Minnie Craig Slayback

Jake’s daughter, Minnie, married the brother of her sister Belle’s husband. She died of carcinoma of the stomach. She is buried in Burlington I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Burlington, Kentucky. She had

• Elbert D. ("Scottie"), (10-5-1901/11-30-1971, m. ? Kennett)
• Lottie V. (3-3-1910/1928+, m. Chester Kennett) Slayback.

Scottie Slayback was a member of the Old Timers Baseball Players Association. In 1926, he was a professional baseball player in the Major Leagues with the New York Giants. He was a backup 2nd baseman for Major League Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch. He did not have a baseball card. Scottie died from a fire in his trailer near Milton, Indiana. He had initially escaped from the fire unharmed but went back in to recover his tithe to Calvary Baptist Church, which he loved dearly, and was fatally injured. Scottie threw and batted right-handed. He was 5’8" tall and weighed 165 lb. His debut major league game was September 26, 1926. He played in two games, batting 0 for 8 at the plate. As a fielder, he had 4 putouts and 4 assists and 1 error for an .889 fielding percentage in his two major league games.

Belle Craig Slayback

Jake’s daughter, Belle, married the brother of her sister Minnie’s husband. Belle could not read or write. She is buried in Burlington I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Burlington, Kentucky. She had:

• William Louis (10-19-1895/7-13-1971, m. Annabel Shears about 1923)
• James Allen (1-29-1898/10-29-1918, died in World War I, unmarried)
• Thomas (3-231900/1920+, m. Sarah Eggleston, no known children)
• Mary L. (4-29-1902/1970, m. Charlie Cahill, no children)
• Daisey B. (6-5-1904/1936, m. Herbert Neiburger)
• Nellie (1-14-1907/1928-1929, m. ? Reed and Guy Hodge)
• Shirley Valentine (2-14-1909/1927+, m. Robert Hodge on 5-21-1927)
• Bessie (12-14-1911, m. Orville Smith)
• Roy (1-19-1913/11-12-1949, m. Doris Cliff)
• Rex ("Mose") (2-12-1915/3-7-1978, m. Kath Yates)
• Ruby Slayback (1-3-1917/1918)

Roy Slayback had:

• Alice (d. 1992)
• Dorothy
• Patricia (m. ? Bargo)
• Doris (m. ? Bamberger).

Roy Slayback had 3 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.

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