Hi Carol, My father Frank Crews Jr was born in Firecreek, WVa Fayette county in 1931 or 1933. His parents and siblings are listed in the 1930 census. I'm eager to see the 1940 census in 2012 to see what year my father was actually born. I wasn't able to locate a birth cert, just have his military records. I've a feeling he lied about his age to enter the Marines and fight in the Korean War. My grandfather Frank Crews was born in Covington, Va and there is a long documented history of them there up to the slave Arthur Lee born 1790. My grandmother Annie Turns-Crews was born in Firecreek and there is a fairly long history of her people there, her father Wyatt Turns being from Campbell county, Va. Thanks to the kind posters of this website I was able to locate a death cert for Wyatt E. Turns who died in 1918 of a crush injury in the coal mine in Fayette county. My grandfather's brother Robert Crews showed up in Logan county WVa cesus 1920 with his wife Mary. I was able to locate his death cert in Wva also. This is what I'm working on,
Wyatt E.Turns/Tourens/Turner/Torrence
All these spellings show up in various census at 1 time or another. His Father is Jackson Torrence and I wonder if he is the same African-American Civil War soldier. How many and who migrated with my grandfather Frank and his brother Robert from Covington, Va to WVa to work in the coal mines.
Frank Crews 1904-1978 grandfather
Annie Turns-Crews d. 1959 grandmother
Wyatt E.Turns d. 1918 her husband
Jackson Torrence Wyatt's father
Hattie Turns Wyatt's wife and I believe she too was from Covington, possibly Hattie Hill? I also believe Wyatt was married to a Sarah prior to Hattie and had at least 1 child with Sarah. Is Torrence the slaveholder? from Italy or Spain? Is he a blood relative? Are ther any relatives left in WVa?
Toria