“Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County,” published:  Dallas;
  Walsworth Publishing Company, 1892.


CRAWFORD TREES,  deceased, was born in Union county, Illinois, 
December 26, 1823, a son of Jacob and Catherine Trees, natives of 
Germany.  The parents came to the United States in an early day, being 
among the first settlers of the State of Illinois.  Crawford, the youngest of 
their six children, lived with his parents until he came to Texas in 1845.  He 
settled on the farm where his widow now lives, in what was then known as 
Peters’ Colony.  In 1846 Dallas county was organized, and Mr. Trees was 
the first to obtain license to marry in the county.  In 1849 he left his family 
for the gold fields of California, where he spent the greater part of two years, 
and as a reward for his adventure he returned in the spring of 1851 with 
several thousand dollars in gold.  With the exception of the two years spent 
in California his life was devoted to farming and stock-raising, and by hard 
work and conservative dealings he amassed quite a fortune.  Before his 
death, January 31, 1889, he deeded to each one of his children a farm of 160 
acres, and at his death he left all his possessions to his widow, which 
amounted to about $40,000, consisting of 3,858 acres of land, stock and 
cash.  He lived to see what was a wild prairie, inhabited mostly by wild 
animals, converted into one of the finest farming sections in the State.

In 1846 Mr. Trees was married to Miss Annie Kimmel, a daughter of Daniel 
and Catherine Kimmel, who were of German descent.  Mrs. Trees was born 
December 12, 1831, and when only fourteen years of age she came with her 
mother to Texas, her father having died in 1842.  She is one of three children 
that came with her mother from Illinois in 1845, and settled on the farm 
where she now lives.  Mr. and Mrs. Trees had ten children, viz.:  Catherine, 
Beatrice, David, Philip W., Samuel H., Crawford, Texanie, Mary E., Lee and 
George W., all of whom Mrs. Trees has lived to see married except Lee, 
who still resides with her.

Submitted by: L. Pingel