Biography

John Craig served his entire career in Public Service as a Chief of Police, Correction Officer & Squad Leader and Code Enforcement Officer.

John was born in Gilmer County, WV in 1939 to George Craig & Mary Amos. His family later migrated to Upshur County, WV and Lewis County, WV. ^[1]

When John was born, his family were very poor farmers in Gilmer County, West Virginia. Work was hard and times were tough in West Virginia after the depression and just before WWII. His family would lose the farm and move around until finally settling in Weston, West Virginia. In the 1950 Census, he is living with his parents and a few of his siblings on 285 Minden Ave, Weston, West Virginia.

1950 Census

His father liked alcohol a little too much and was not a good provider for the family. So, during his teenage years, John was an extremely industrious man leaving home at the age of 16 to work for room and board at the local motel. While working and living at the motel John finished high school at Weston High School, Weston, WV.^[2] John never touched alcohol his entire life after seeing the effects it had on his family.

1950 Census: Weston, Lewis, West Virginia, USA

Name	Age	Relation	Status	Sex	Birth Date	Birth Place
George W Craig	54	Head	Mar	M	abt 1896	West Virginia
Mary M Craig	48	Wife	Mar	F	abt 1902	West Virginia
Margery Craig	14	Daughter	Nev	F	abt 1936	West Virginia
John Craig	10	Son	Nev	M	abt 1940	West Virginia
Ida J Craig	9	Daughter	Nev	F	abt 1941	West Virginia
William H Craig	7	Son	Nev	M	abt 1943	West Virginia

^[3]

In 1957, John entered Army Basic Training with the intent of being in the Army Reserve. ^[4][5]

In 1958, John married Edith Bonner King in Walkersville, Lewis County, West Virginia. ^[6] They met at a local drive up restaurant that he owned (the kind that the waitress wore rollerskates).

John Craig, Weston Fire Department

In the early 1960's, John worked for the local Pepsi distributor with a delivery route all over Central WV and as the Chesterfield Cigarette Salesman. One day during his deliveries, he noticed a home on fire. As a Weston, WV volunteer firefighter, he called the fire dept for help and before they got there, John started throwing Pepsi bottles onto the fire to try to bring the flames down. In 1963, John and his father-in-law, Ward King were one of the founding members of the Walkersville, WV fire dept.

Officer John Craig

In 1965, John, now married with kids, moved his family to Baltimore, MD. Jobs were scarce in Central West Virginia and it was a struggle to earn a living.

Knowing that he and his wife, Edith, would be the first to migrate out of Appalachia, they felt they had no other choice but to ride "the Hillibilly Highway". They moved, first, to Baltimore, Maryland to live with his Uncle, Fred Craig. They would move again to Prince George's County, Maryland on the border with Washington, D.C. so he could attend the PG County Police Academy.

He graduated from the Police Academy and became a Prince George's County, MD police officer and eventually Sargeant. During his tenure, John was one of the police officers in attendance and personally assisted George Wallace when he was shot at a shopping mall in Laurel, MD. Officer Craig was one of the PG County Police Officers that helped Wallace into the ambulance and secured the area. Watch around the 3 minute mark.

A policeman's life took a toll on his marriage and he and Edith divorced in 1976. After the divorce, John moved back to West Virginia and became the Chief of Police in Buckhannon. ^[7]

After being in the public service for many years, John decided to step into the entrpreneur world. He bought and operated the highly busy Maggie's Restaurant in Buckhannon (now closed due to road reconstruction of the area). He owned Maggie's for several years before returning to public service. He worked, briefly, as a Correctional Officer in Moundsville, WV before returning to PG County in 1982 to become a Sectional Chief for the Dept of Corrections.

Key to Bladensburg, Maryland

In 1988, John went to work as a Code Enforcement Officer for the Town of Bladensburg, MD where he finished his career in public service. For a dedication of his years in public service, the Town of Bladensburg planted a tree at City Hall in his honor.

Missing his fellow police officers, he went to Barber School to learn how to be a Barber so he could still see his friends when they came in to get a haircut.

Throughout his life, John was a man of strong character and valued his family and friends. He never missed an opportunity to tell a good joke. His dedication to serve others was always apparent throughout his career. He never let the hardships and hard knocks bring him down. He was a religious man whose favorite hymn was "How Great Thou Art".

Officer John Craig

John died, too young, in 1996, at age 56, at Prince George's County Hospital, Cheverly, Maryland. Cause of death was multi-quasi (septis, stroke, atherosclerosis) but is now believed to be from Buerger's Disease. BD is also known as thromboangitis obliterans. BD was the cause of an amputation of his left leg. Two weeks before his death, he would lose the other leg. If anyone is reading this and is a smoker, my advice would be to quit so your children do not have to see the tragedy of amputation. There is no cure for BD.

He is buried in the Masonic Cemetery (now called Lewis County Memorial Gardens), Weston, West Virginia next to two of his brothers and one of his sisters.^[8]

Ancestors

Sources

1. ↑ John Craig Birth Record [1]
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7CG-QXB : 8 January 2021), John Dale Craig in household of George W Craig, Courthouse Magisterial District, Lewis, West Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 21-3, sheet 5B, line 66, family 127, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4417.
3. ↑ 1950 Census: "1950 United States Federal Census"
   United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Weston, Lewis, West Virginia; Roll: 1078; Sheet Number: 31; Enumeration District: 21-11
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62308 #36639339 (accessed 5 May 2022)
   John Craig (10), nev son, in household of George W Craig (54) in Weston, Lewis, West Virginia, USA. Born in West Virginia.
4. ↑ John Craig Fold3 Profile [2]
5. ↑ Military: "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010"
   Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Page number: 1
   Ancestry Record 2441 #8229853 (accessed 31 January 2023)
   Name: John Dale Craig; Gender: Male; Birth Date: 29 Apr 1939; Death Date: 14 Feb 1996; Enlistment Branch: ARMY; Enlistment Date: 7 Jun 1957; Discharge Date: 7 Dec 1965.
6. ↑ Marriage Certificate for Craig & King [3].
7. ↑ Buckhannon Police History [4]
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/101757371/john-dale-craig : accessed 05 May 2022), memorial page for John Dale Craig (29 Apr 1939–14 Feb 1996), Find a Grave Memorial ID 101757371, citing Lewis County Memorial Gardens, Weston, Lewis County, West Virginia, USA ; Maintained by Kit (contributor 48510217).

John D Craig Obituary

• Bio and Data entered from personal family collection of his daughter, SCP
• FamilySearch Person: L2XR-YQK