%images; ]> wpa0-07012601 [Crawford Ellis]: a machine readable transcription. Life Histories from the Folklore Project, WPA Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940; American Memory, Library of Congress. Selected and converted. American Memory, Library of Congress.

Washington, DC, 1994.

Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only.

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 U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project, Life Histories from the Folklore Project; Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. Copyright status not determined; refer to accompanying matter.

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 1994/03/15 2002/04/05
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Page 1.

Life sketch

Dallas County

Mildred Thrash

(Source?)

Crawford Ellis

In 1893 a small Norweigian steamship cast off from Mobile. It was bound for Nicauraga [Nicaragua?] and with it an eighteen year old Dallas County boy. In the pocket of his trousers he clinked one twenty dollar gold piece against another twenty dollar gold piece. Forty dollars! and as he looked over the stern rail ofthis steamship this lad was looking into one of the most brilliant careers of any Alabamian.

Crawford Ellis was born in Selma in 1875 and educated here. When still a boy he moved with his family to Orrville. Here he remained until he set sail for Nicarauga Nicaragua where he took a job with the United Fruit Company for twelve dollars a month.

By 1899 be had risen rapidly and was given the place of auditor. Steadily going up, he became one of the three vice presidents of the United Fruit Company. He organized the Pan American Insurance Company with himself as president.

Thus one Selmian made a place for himself in aCompany by beginning at scratch and looking forward to the future as he gazed over the stern rail of a chugging Norweigian steamer.