Thomas Armor Crooks: Merchant and Citizen

1842-1920

      Thomas Armor Crooks was born on a hillside farm in Hanover Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, on November 28, 1842, the son of Henry Crooks and Margaret Springer. He had 9 siblings: Margaret (1836), Susan (1836), Nancy Jane (1838), Andrew (1840), William (1845), John S. (1847), Amanda (1849), Henry Jr. (1852) and Mary Martha (1855). Susan and Henry Jr. both died in early childhood.

      At age 21, he joined the Hopewell Presbyterian Church. Shortly after the close of the Civil War, he moved to Barton County, Missouri, where he farmed and taught a rural school for 4 years. While there, he sold land in Barton County to his brothers Andrew and John.

      By 1871, he was residing in Gilman, Illinois, where he opened a general store with his brother Andrew. Andrew had enlisted in the 149th Pennsylvania Volunteers and fought at Gettysburg, where he was wounded and subsequently lost his right leg below the knee. While still enlisted, Andrew attended the Iron City Business College in Pittsburgh. Andrew was the general manager of the store and did the bookkeeping. Thomas was the "legs".

      On July 31, 1878, Thomas married Meroa Louisa Yeomans of nearby Onarga, in a double wedding with Meroa's brother Edwin James Yeomans. Meroa's brother Charles was a witness at the wedding. Thomas and Meroa had 3 children: Charles Henry (1883), Helen Redfield (1885) and Fred Raymond (1888).

      Thomas and Meroa were active in the First Presbyterian Church of Gilman and their children joined the church when young. In addition, Thomas served as a church elder from 1885-1897 and as church treasurer.  He also served as clerk of the Gilman Board of Education for over 25 years, was frequently secretary of the board and often took the school census. Although he and Andrew were not noted as joiners, he did belong to the Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal society that sought to protect families when the breadwinner died.

      The stored owned by Thomas and Andrew, A. Crooks & Brother, sold dry goods, clothing, groceries, hardware, cattle feed and farm supplies. When the store closed late on Saturdays, they brought home the produce that was close to too-ripe and canned it late into the night. Since money was scarce, they frequently had to accept farm commodities in exchange for merchandise or extend credit to customers. Sometimes, they accepted money from customers as investments, with the intent of later returning the money with interest. The Gilman store closed in 1897 during a financial panic in the country and they declared bankruptcy.

      After the store closed, Thomas worked as a day laborer on Frank Mann's farm and also worked in a nursery. He raised chickens on his lot, had roses on 3 sides of the front lawn area, grew cherry trees and grew sweet potatoes in a trough below the bay window.  In 1900, he lived with his wife, 3 children and mother-in-law, Sarah Haines Yeomans in the home he owned on Commerce Street. After Meroa's death in 1917, he probably remained in his home until November 1919, when he went to live with his daughter Helen in Loda. Thomas died March 11, 1920, age 77, due to cancer of the pancreas and liver. He is buried in Onarga Cemetery near his wife Meroa.

      Dad's cousins remember Thomas as quiet, but knowing how to make his presence known. He was polite and very devout. For one of his granddaughters' birthdays, he sent a bushel basket of cherries to Paxton with roses on top for the birthday girl.