Crabb Furniture Store - Merle Crabb

I Merl Crabb, was born June 7,1905, in Kewanna, to Lemuel and Lulu Crabb. My mother's maiden name was Loudon. They moved to Culver when I was five years only. I attended grade school and high school here and graduated in 1924.

I had two brothers, Carl and Ernest, both now deceased.

My mother's parents died early so the only grandparents I knew were my fathers parents, Welsey and Hetty Crabb, of Kewanna.

Shortly, after my parents came here they purchased a building at 220 North Main Street, now occupied by the Culver Florist and Gift Shop, where they operated a furniture store for 40 years. They lived next door to the store.

My most vivid childhood experience was our miniature "town" in our backyard which we called Crabbtown. Streets were laid out and named, Tall cigar boxes and small wooden boxes turned upside down represtented houses. We made imaginary names for the town's residents, the crazier the names the better, it suited us. My playmates were Jack Speyer and Ray Cook and my younger brother, Ernest, also played with us. We even had our own cemetery, fire truck and cars.

Upon graduation from high school, I attended Dodge's Institute of telegraphy and Manager's Training School at Valparaiso, completing at age 19. I worked at 23 different Western Union offices, mostly vacation relief, in Michigan and Indiana, in one year. Then I was assigned permanently to Rochester, where I worked for over two years and was then transferred to Warsaw. I worked there for eight years, during which time I met and married Helen Buffo, of Versailles, on August 7, 1932. A son, Allan Edward, our only child was born at Warsaw.

A vacancy occurred in the Western Union office at Culver , and I was stationed there, our son being four years old at the time. In January 1952, the Western Union office was converted to an agency office and, as my father was retiring from the furniture business, I purchased the store and my wife and I continued to operate the store and also the Wester Union office which had been moved to the store.

After 15 years, we sold the furniture stock and both of us obtained work at the Culver Military Academy until our retirement. We later sold the building and moved to our present home at 114 North Ohio Street, Culver .

Our son, after graduating from North Central College, Maperville, Illinois, married Arlene Wegemann of Oak Park, Illinois, and now lives in Elmhurst, Illinois, and works for a loan company in Chicago. They have four daughters: Debbie, Vicki, Susie, and Bonnie, and one son, Scott, and now have twin grandsons.

Upon moving to Culver , both my wife and I joined the Emmanuel United Methodist Church (then Evangical) where I have been their organist for 38 years, financial secretary three different times for a total of 20 years, and a member of the official board for many years.

My wife was active in the church, including the United Methodist Women's work until four and half years ago when she was stricken with a terminal illness. She is now a resident of Miller's Merry Manor, Culver.

We have been married over 3 years and although we have had adversities, God gas been good to us. Merl Crabb. - - History of Marshall County Indiana Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 -, Taylor Publishing Co., 1986, Publication # 357 of 1422, Marshall County Historical Society pg. 134