An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., 
The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893, pages 455-456

	WILLIAM P. CRAWFORD, senior member of the firm of Crawford, Marshall &
Company, grocers of Vancouver, was born in Cowlitz county, Washington, January
23, 1858, a son of Peter W. and Zillah H. (Patterson) Crawford, both now
deceased. The father was born on the banks of the river Tweed, in the parish of
Sprouston, Roxburyshire, Scotland, toward the close of 1822. When a young man he
removed to Edinburgh, where he attended school, subsequently proceeded to
London, and later to Southampton, England, completing his education at the
last-named place. In 1843 he took passage for Quebec, but shortly afterward
traveled through Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, remaining in the city of
Chicago until 1847. Leaving Valparaiso, Indiana, on April 12, of that year, he
crossed the plains to Oregon, arriving at The Dalles, October 12, 1847. Mr.
Crawford first located on Cowlitz river, and later made the first survey for the
town site of Vancouver. He was next engaged in mining in California for a time,
but subsequently returned to the Cowlitz river, and in 1881 brought his family
to Vancouver. He was elected the first County Surveyor of Cowlitz county; served
as Justice of the Peace; was United States Deputy Surveyor; in 1883 was elected
Surveyor of Vancouver, and in the following year accepted the office of County
Surveyor of Clarke county. Mr. Crawford was married July 30, 1854, to Miss
Zillah, a daughter of the late Hon. Ira Patterson. They had seven children, of
whom our subject was the second in order of birth, and three are still living.
	William P. Crawford attended the public schools of Cowlitz county, and
completed his studies at the high school of Portland, Oregon, in 1876. His early
life was devoted to farming, but after completing his education he engaged in
telegraphing and clerking at Kelso, Cowlitz county, about two years. He then
removed to Fisher's Landing, Clarke county, and in 1884 came to Vancouver. In
January, of that year, the grocery firm of W.P. Crawford & Company was
established, and they continued business about two years, when Frank N. Marshall
was admitted to the firm. The firm of Crawford, Marshall & Company carry a large
and well-selected stock of general groceries, delicacies, etc., and their store
is second to none of its kind in southwestern Washington. Mr. Crawford has been
prominently identified with many of the private and public enterprises of
Cowlitz and Clarke counties. He is one of the directors of the Commercial Bank
of Vancouver, Treasurer of the Vancouver Building Association, which was
organized in 1888; has served as School Clerk, and has always taken an active
interest in educational matters. In his political relations, he is a staunch
Republican, and in 1889 represented his party in the State convention.
	April 20, 1892, at Atlanta, Illinois, Mr. Crawford was united in marriage to
Miss Mayme Hartley, a native of Bloomington, Illinois. Our subject has passed
all the official chairs in the subordinate lodge, I.O.O.F., and holds a
membership in the Encampment and Rebekah degrees of that order.

Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in October 2003 by Jeffrey L. Elmer

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.