Pleasant Irvin Craig Biography
(Contributed by his great grandaughter Patti L. Bowman Silvestri.
Patti's email address is: patti1@redrivernet.com)
NOTE: This short biography is for posting to THE FORTY-NINTH ALABAMA
INFANTRY, hosted by jemcgee@hiwaay.net. For full biography see Pleasant
Craig family group sheet information on FTM.
Pleasant Irvin Craig was born 11 November 1833 in Jackson (the part that became Marshall)County, Alabama, the third child of William and Adaline (Bates) Craig. Pleasant's siblings were:01-Adaline B:circa 1830 Jackson Co., Al married: Marshall Co. 23 January 1850 David W. Cooper; 02-Caroline B:circa 1831-32 Jackson Co., Al married Marshall Co. 04 April 1850 William Wright; 03-Andrew Jackson B:07 December 1835 Jackson Co., Al married Jackson Co., Al 10 October 1854 Mickey McGehee. Andrew Jackson served Civil War, unit unknown, died 28 May 1885, buried Ashburn cemetery near Grant, Al.; Mariam B:circa 1837 Marshall Co. married 28 October 1835 William Wright; one half brother, John L. Craig and two half sisters (twins), Mary Jane and Eliza Jane.
Pleasant married Marshall Co., Al 05 October 1835 Elizabeth Wright, daughter of James and Mary (Whitaker) Wright, there were eight children of this marriage, he married a second time to Sarah Crawford in Mena, Polk Co., Ar there was no issue of this marriage.
Late December 1861 or early January 1862 Pleasant traveled 166 miles to Nashville, Tn to join Capt.Bain's Company of Marshall County, as a Private for a term of twelve months, he arrived at general rendezvous January 3, 1862 and was mustered into the service by Capt. D.R. Hundley on January 13, 1862.
Pleasant was captured at Port Hudson, La on July 9, 1863, and paroled from there on July 12th or the 13th, 1863 (He attended the 50th anniversary of the Civil War in Gettysburg, Pa a year before his death in 1916). When he was patroled he headed home to see his wife and three children; John, Mary Ann and Isaac,(my grandfather), upon his arrival home he found that his in-laws and their children that remained at home plus his wife and three children had moved to Jackson County, Illinois. The Wrights had leanings towards the North and Jackson Co., Illinois was a hot bed for Southerns that felt the same. Pleasant did not return south nor did he return to the service, his next child Joseph Craig was born 19 July 1864 in Jackson County, Illinois.
On the 1865 State Census for Jackson County, Illinois Pleasant and family are living between his wifes parents and a brother law, Joseph Wright. Joseph Wright is listed as being in the Militia and Pleasant is shown as not having any service. At first when I found this information I thought perhaps Pleasant was a spy, but such was not the case. Pleasant never drew a pension from the State of Arkansas or Oklahoma, this has always been a mystery to me as to why?
The Craig family remained in Illinois along with Wrights, Cagles, Coopers, Mills and Hughes families all from Marshall and Madison Counties, Al until 1878, when part of the Craig, Hughes, Mills and Cagle families moved to Polk County, Arkansas.
While in Polk Co., Ar, Pleasant was a farmer and cattleman, his children; 01-John married several time first wife Ellen Alexander, second wife unknown, third wife City Hughes Mills; 02-Mary Ann married John H. Cagle; 03-Isaac Monroe married Fanny Hosey; 04-Joseph married Martha Martain, Dona Loftes and Martha Thomas; 05-George Washington married Molly Emma "Dollie" Hughes; 06-Matilda Alice married John Hughes; 07-Laura married John McMillan; 08-Silas married Martha Alameda "Mattie" Mills,daughter of John Curtis and City Hughes Mill, all were married in Polk Co., Arkansas.
Elizabeth Wright Craig died 15 December 1881 in childbirth in Polk County. Pleasant married a second time 12 March 1885 to Sarah Crawford. He remained in Polk County until 1909 when he sold his property to John Rhode and Rinda (Brewer) White, Rinda was a neice of first wife,Elizabeth. He then moved to Milfay, Creek County, Oklahoma to live with his oldest son, John and wife where he died 08 August 1916. Pleasant is buried in the Hosey family cemetery in Creek County.
It seems as tho Pleasant did not read or write according to the 1860 Marshall Co., Al census, he and his brother, Andrew Jackson did not stay in touch. In the years that Pleasant lived in Polk Co., Ar he seems to be able to read and write as he conducts much business in and out of Court that would require one to be able to read and write, where and when he learned these skill is unknown to me.
Several years ago a descendant of Andrew Jackson contacted me from Pennsyvania wanting to know what I had on his Craig line. This was the first time that the two families had been in touch since Pleasant and family moved from Alabama into Illinois.
In 1983 I had the honor of taking my mother, Lula Ova Craig Bowman back to Oklahoma for a Craig family reunion. I had never seen the Hosey family cemetery, upon arrival at cemetery I was shocked to see that the farmer that now owns land around the cemetery had encroached upon cemetery (2 acres of land set aside in 1901 by my DePriest ancestors, which were part Creek Indians), and was parking his farm equipment and bales of hay on and over many of the headstones, several of them had been knocked down off their bases. A family conference was called right then at cemetery to think of ways that we could raise money to save cemetery. I had taken all my research work with me for an older aunt to see what I had been doing, it was decided right there by several cousins that had accompanied me, to head for the nearest Kino's and have my information put in a booklet form to sell at family reunion that coming up that week-end. We raised enough money through sale of booklets and begging for addtional donations to save the Hosey family cemetery. Much work had to be done through attornies and surveyors to have all taken care of, but I'm happy to say the farmer has not started encroaching again. All the fun of doing a much beloved hobby paid off on Craig line in saving the Hosey cemetery.
Also in 1983 Dr. Robert Craig made a trip to Polk Co., Ar to speak with some of the older residents about Pleasant Craig, Grover Roach, age 96 years could remember the day that Robert's father was born and also related the the following anecdote: "Pleasant Craig owned the farm directly behind my, now the property of Walter White, Pleasant kept sheep and he had a ram that was the subject of some jokes among the men. This ram was so mean that in order to break him from butting people, Pleasant tied a large board to the barn and the ram butted that board constantly until he died" (NOTE: Grover Roach's mother was Nancy Ann Hughes born in Madison Co. Al, sister to Molly Emma "Dollie" Hughes that married George Washington Craig, son of Pleasant and sister to Emma "City" Hughes-Mills that married John Craig another son of Pleasants. The Walter White property was property that Pleasant sold in 1909 to his deceased wife Elizabeth's niece, Rinda Irene (Brewer)White and her husband John Rhode White).
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