HenryCraske  

 
HENRY CRASKE, a member of the State Boardof Equalization, a resident of Rushville, and one of its most prominentcitizens, was born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk county, England, September26, 1845. His father, James Craske, was born in the same place, January4, 1798, and his grandfather was also a native of England, where he passedhis entire life. James Craske was the only one of his children to cometo America. He was reared and educated in his native land and lived thereuntil 1862, when he came to this country and located at Little Falls, NewYork, where he still lives, at the unusual age of ninety-four years. Hiswife’s maiden name was Eliza Clark, a native of Barton Mills, England,and died in Bury St. Edmunds, of the same country, in 1849. Her childrenwere named Marianne, Sarah, James, Caroline, Elizabeth and Henry, all ofwhom were reared to maturity.

The original of this sketch and the youngestof the family was educated in the public schools of Bury St. Edmunds, andwhen fifteen years of age jointed his older brother and sisters in America.He located in York State, where he continued to reside. On September 5,1862, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Fifty-Second New York VolunteerInfantry, and served with distinction until the close of the war. He wasin the Second Army Corps, of the second division, and at different timeswas connected with the First, Second and Third Brigades. At the battleof the Wilderness, May 6, 1863, he was wounded in the head by a minie ballwhile charging the enemy’s lines, a portion of his skull being torn away.On the following day be fell into the hands of the enemy and lay on thefield without medical attendance for fourteen days. The provisions of therebels ran short and they sent word to the Federal commander that he mightsupply his wounded with food and medicine. Consequently a forage trainwas sent upon the field when Mr. Craske managed to crawl aboard and inthat way escape to the Union lines. He remained in the hospital until thelast of June, when he joined his regiment and remained with it in all itscampaigns, marches and battles until he was honorably discharged, July14, 1865.

Upon the termination of his military careerhe returned to York State and, on December 23, 1865, was united in marriageto Miss Ellen Maria Jones, a native of Little Falls and a daughter of Elijahand Jane Jones, born respectively in England and New York. On the 23d ofApril, 1866, he came West, and located in Springfield, Illinois, and therefollowed his trade, that of a dyer, until March 28, 1868, when he removedto Rushville and resumed his trade, continuing until 1870, when he wentto Decatur and lived a year and a half and then returned to Rushville andengaged in the grocery business and in buying and shipping produce to St.Louis, Chicago, New York and Boston, continuing the same for a number ofyears. Mr. and Mrs. Craske have seven interesting children: Geneva A.,Caroline Elizabeth, Mamie, Frances C., Harry Barton, Lillian M. and JohnA. Logan. Fraternally Mr. Craske is a member of Rushville Lodge, No. 9,A. F. & A. M.; Rushville Chapter No. 184, R. A. M.; and Rushville CommanderyNo. 56, K. T. He is also a member of the A. O. U. W. and of Security Lodge,No. 31, I. O. M. A.; and also of Colonel Harney Post, No. 131, G. A. R.

Mr. Craske has taken considerable interestin politics and in that difficult and doubtful field has distinguishedhimself. He was elected a member of the State Board of Equalization in1888, and in 1885 was the originator of the scheme in the Thirty-fourthDistrict which elected a Republican Representative to the State Legislature,thus breaking the dead lock which had tied up the General Assembly formonths and ended in the election of John A. Logan for United States Senator.The following letter explains itself, and shows how the part taken by Mr.Craske contributed to Republican success:

LELAND HOTEL, Springfield, Ill, May 20, l885.

HENRY CRASKE,
My Dear Sir: The election is overand the victory is ours. To the Thirty-fourth Representative District weare indebted for the vote that gave us the majority in the Legislature,and to you, my dear sir, there is much due for the organization and success.You were the first man who suggested to me the possibility of carryingthe district. I wrote you then, saying the plan was a good one. Of course,great credit is due to all our friends who aided in carrying out the programmefrom whom I would not wish to detract anything; but to you I give the creditas the originator of the plan which was a success, and to you I now returnmy grateful acknowledgments.  Your friend, John A. Logan

It should be said by way of explanation,that in the Thirty-fourth General Assembly the two houses were a tie onjoint ballot and in consequence there was a dead lock in the Senatorialcontest which continued under great excitement for months. On the 12thof April, a Democratic member of the Thirty-Fourth Senatorial Districtdied, and a special election was called for May 6th to fill his seat. Inthat district the Democrats had a majority of 2,000, and therefore feltcertain of electing their nominee. Mr. Craske wrote a letter suggestinga still hunt and the plans to be pursued to secure success. His plan wassubmitted to General Logan and by him to the Republican caucus, and wereadopted and acted upon. The result fully met their anticipations, the Republicannominee was elected, the Democrats were out-generaled and astonished, andeven the people in distant States were filled with surprise. The movementwas so adroit that General Logan pronounced it the most daring piece ofpolitical strategy, so successfully executed, since the days of Alexanderthe Great.
 

Biographical Review of Cass, Schuylerand Brown Counties, Illinois, Biographical Review Publishing Co., Chicago,1892, pages 151-153.

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