Josiah Foster Kanaga, 1812-1889
Josiah Foster Kanaga (1812-1889) married Mary Gehman (1814-1847) on March 23, 1837 in Morgantown, Berks Co., PA. Josiah is the son of Christian Kanaga (1786-1877) and Susan Byers and Mary is the daughter of Benjamin W. Gehman (1830-1882) and Elizabeth Morris (1814-1876).
Josiah and Mary had seven children, the eldest of which is my great-grandmother Elizabeth "Lizzie" Morris Kanaga, the namesake of her grandmother Gehman. She was born on Oct. 7, 1838 in Urbana, Champaign Co, OH. The family later moved to Shawnee Co, Kansas. On Oct 14, 1869 at age 31 she married my great-grandfather George Rush Crow in Topeka, Shawnee Co, KS. By 1870 they were residing in Elkhart Twp, Logan Co, IL where he was a farmer living near his younger brother. In August 1870 they moved to Normal Twp, McLean Co, IL where he was a Professor of Latin Languages and Literature at Illinois Weslyean University. Then, in November 1883, the family of six moved to Los Angeles, California.
Elizabeth was well spoken and stayed very close to her siblings for her whole life. She died in her home in Los Angeles where she was living with her younger sister, Minerva, on April 17, 1922 at the age 84. She is buried in Angeles Rosedale Cemetery in the family plot. This is a photo of Elizabeth with her sister Minerva shortly before their deaths in 1922. The little girl is my mother, Barbara Dell Crow.
