a baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1915 - beulah kreifel myers
On February 16, 2016, Beulah turned 99. Niece Susie Kreifel Huber reported Beulah's birthday, and said:
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Aunt Beulah told me Dr. McCrea traveled by horse & buggy from Table Rock to deliver her in Elk Creek, Nebr. Dr. McCrea also delivered, my aunt Bernice Hillers, my aunt Viola Fredericks, and my father, George (Babe) Kreifel, but all 3 of those are deceased now. Aunt Beulah at 99 is living in her own home, making homemade bread, mowing her lawn, etc. at her age. As Susie points out, Beulah may be the oldest living baby delivered by Dr. McCrea.
Dr. McCrea delivered Beulah's sister Bernice in 1919. In 1924, Dr. McCrea delivered their brother Babe Kreifel, seen below with his friend of over 80 years, Lawrence Petrashek. It is still to be confirmed but since Lawrence was born just east of Table Rock, Dr. McCrea probably delivered him as well; he was born in 1923. Bernice passed away in 2000, Lawrence in 2009, and Babe in 2010. 
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a baby delivered by dr. McCrea in 1921 - Leland Frank
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Here's a picture of Leland taken at age 97, on a trip to Table Rock in June 2018. He graduated from Table Rock, Class of 1941, just months before America entered World War 2. Leland now lives in Humboldt.
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a baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1926 - floyd vrtiska
On Memorial Day Weekend 2017, bothers Edward Lee and McCrea Miller visited Table Rock, along with their mother and Edward's family. The brothers are the great-great grandchildren of Dr. McCrea. Edward is named after Dr. McCrea, who was born with a middle name he hated and took the name Edward Lee when he became an adult. McCrea Miller got the family name. At a reception held by the Historical Society at the Argus, the brothers and the McCrea babies got to know each other. The brothers shared a few family stories that had been passed down to them, and those who had known Dr. McCrea shared stories like crazy. There was much laughter and fuzzy warm stuff. Here is McCrea baby Floyd Vrtiska with Edward & McCrea.
At age 88, Floyd remembers the doctor who brought him into the world and treated his aches and pains through his teenage years.
a baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1926 - lloyd vrtiska
Yep, there were two of them! Floyd's twin brother Lloyd is on the list. too!
a baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1926 - darlene wilcox turnbull
i was born in Table Rock in 1926, in a house that used to be a church. Of course Dr. McCrea delivered me. Who else would there have been?! Darlene was referring to a house in Lower Town that was built as the first Methodist Church in the late 1870s; the Methodists abandoned it to move uptown to their present church when those in Lower Town who had moved there with the opening of the railroad got fed up with the floods. It was thereafter used as a residence. In later years, some may remember Rudy & Hulda Zelenka living there, or the Garry Harris family.
Darlene passed away in 2018. |
Darlene in January 2016. The "house that used to be a church" was in Lower Town, and was the Methodist Church before they moved to "original town" in 1882. The last residents were the Rudy Zelenkas and then the Garry Harris family. It was torn down years ago.
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1927, Ed hanna comes into the world with dr. mccrea's assistance
Ed in 2016 at the burial of his friend and classmate (Class of 1945) Joe Sochor.
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September 23, 1927
Amanda Anderson reported:
Grandpa Ed Hanna said that Dr McCrea delivered him. He also remembers Dr McCrea had him help set a classmates broken arm in 3rd grade. |
a baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1928 - ardis gottula hunzeker
Ardis graduated from Table Rock in 1945, along with other notables including Willard Binder, Joe Sochor, and Art Alderman. j In November 2016, she visited the Argus Museum in the company of two of her children, Russ Hunzeker and Judy Siefken. We stopped at the desk of Dr. Ed McCrea, and I asked if she was born in Table Rock. "Oh yes," she said, "And Dr. McCrea delivered me!" I forgot to ask her what the year was!
Son Russell gave me a picture of a young Ardis and her husband Arthur, who has passed away.
a baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1928 - marian day goodenkauf
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Marian, the widow of World War 2 vet Arley Goodenkauf, provided great support to the Historical Society when the Veterans Museum was built.
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Marian in November 2018, age 90
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Ladies Aide Group at the Christian Church in about 1928. Marian is held by her mother Laura. They are the mother and baby that are fourth from the left. Photo 1770.
Marian Day is front row on the right (in the dark coat) in this photo of a Sunday school class at the Christian Church circa 1940
a baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1928 - evelyn kalina michaelis
My mom lived to be 95. I feel pretty good. I think I'll live to be a hundred! |
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margaret muscheites hunt, 1929
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Margaret's daughter Terry Korell remembers:
He delivered my mom, Margaret Muscheites, in 1929, at the hospital. Mom used to point out the window where her mom's room was. 
Margaret Muscheites Hunt at the age of 1, September 1930, shared by Terry Korell
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Margaret Mscheites Hunt's 1947 graduation picture, shared by Terry Korell
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a baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1929 - david d. lang
David at about age 2, which would be in 1931.
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David the day after turning 87, in 2016.
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a baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1931 - edward tomek
Dr. McCrea delivered me in 1931. |
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baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1934 & named after him - edward kent
Edward, in a photograph posted by "Don" on Edward's Findagrave.com memorial
Edward's two brothers were Alvin and Myron ("Snappy") Kent
Edward and his wife Dolores had children Christine, Lawrence, Gerald, Michael, and Kathleen. |
Mike Kent posted on the Historical Society's Facebook page
My father Edward Kent was delivered by Dr. McCrea and named after him. Edward's parents were Glen & Antonette Colling Kent (1899-1983, 1897-1947) and they were married in 1924.
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a baby delivered by dr. mccrea -- milan tomek
I heard you were looking for people that Dr. McCrea delivered. I was one of them. Add me to the list! Milan is Edward Tomek's brother. There is a third brother, George, but he was born in Pawnee City, delivered by another doctor.
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allen covault
Allen's family moved away, but in the meantime Dr. McCrea delivered him!
a baby delivered by dr. mccrea in 1940 - gerald anderson
The editor had a dead camera battery and no cell phone when Gerald stopped by for a visit in July 2017! Hopefully we can add a picture of him soon. Dr. McCrea delivered him on April 16, 1940. He lives in Tecumseh. He recalls the muddy medicine that Dr. McCrea mixed up as "Grandpappy's butter," presumably the same as the Denver Mud remembered by others.
By the way, Gerald remembers Table Rock "back then" pretty well. One thing that he noted was that on Saturday nights you could hardly find a place to park in Table Rock!
By the way, Gerald remembers Table Rock "back then" pretty well. One thing that he noted was that on Saturday nights you could hardly find a place to park in Table Rock!
the good doctor remembered
donna brown-mcmann
When I was little, my sisters would chase me and scare me. Well, one day when theyt were chasing me I fell on a broken fruit jar. Dad held it together and took me to Doc Mcrea, who sewed my arm up. Dad said my arm was almost cut in two. Dr. McCrea did a great job. I have full use of my arm and am just a little numb where the scar is. |
Donna Brown McMann
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larry layden
Larry Layden remembers Dr. McCrea:
He made house calls when I was a child. Us kids kind of looked forward to getting sick and having the Dr come to us because he always has a supply of Hershey candy bars in his doctor's bag and he would give us one when he left. |
Larry Layden
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glenda alderman blecha
When I was little, the soda fountain was owned by the Maddens. Dr. McCrea would buy me ice cream cones there. |
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ken ahntholz
I remember my parents taking my sister, Lois, to Dr. McCrea to treat ring worm. I can still smell the awful liquid medicine he gave to treat her ring worm. But it worked. |
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dr. mccrea's hospital
Dr. McCrea’s hospital closed but the building lingered for a long while. It housed a nursing home for many years, and toward the end was used as a haunted house by the Methodist youth group and also by high school kids. Nothing remains of it.
What remains of Dr. McCrea in Table Rock is his and Mother McCrea’s tombstones in the Table Rock Cemetery. And some of the 302 babies that he delivered up to 114 years ago, when he went into practice in Table Rock in 1900 -- and their children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren and great-great grand grandchildren.
What remains of Dr. McCrea in Table Rock is his and Mother McCrea’s tombstones in the Table Rock Cemetery. And some of the 302 babies that he delivered up to 114 years ago, when he went into practice in Table Rock in 1900 -- and their children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren and great-great grand grandchildren.
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Undated, probably from the Pawnee Republican
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read dr. mccrea's autobiography for yourself. here is the full text of "a book about my life," by e. l. mccrea.
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in the argus museum - dr. mccrea's desk
Previously, the desk had been in the Pioneer Museum, where the concrete floor and the dust did not agree with it. In 2016, Dr. McCrea's desk and also Judge Marble's desk were moved to the Argus and given a cleaning and a good rubbing of a bees wax concoction.
more
50th wedding anniversary, 1938
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60th wedding anniversary - 1948
an addendum: the four mccrea children
Dr. McCrea was born at the close of the Civil War, in 1865. In 1888, he married Eliza Wade; he was 23. They had four children: Veda, Ural (1890 - 1948), Zelma (1892 - 1924), and Lowrain (1896 - 1980).
Eliza - Mother McCrea -- was the same age as he. She lived a few years longer. Dr. McCrea died in 1951, she in 1954.
Eliza - Mother McCrea -- was the same age as he. She lived a few years longer. Dr. McCrea died in 1951, she in 1954.
veda
Sadly, we know little about Veda at this time. She married Harold J. Smith and lived in Lincoln at one time. She had at least one child, Arlene.
ural (1890 - 1948)
Ural was born in 1890. She graduated from high school in 1908. She married and had a daughter. She died in 1948 at the age of 58.
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zelma (1892 - 1924)
We know some data. She married Gordon David Miller (1885-1961); he was the son of David K. Miller, a farmer and a cashier at the State Bank of Table Rock from when it was founded in 1885. Zelma died young; she was only 32 when she died in 1924. She is buried in Pawnee City.
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Here we have a school picture from about 1905. She is identified as 5th from the left in the 2nd row. The photo is from Margaret Muscheites Hunt; she knew Zelma's son Ed, who was a friend of Margaret's brother. Photo 1827.
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We do know something personal about her: she was a violinist -- so says this August 1907 newspaper article from the Table Rock Argus.
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Zelma's son Edward Lee Miller became a doctor like his grandfather Edward Lee McCrea; Dr. Miller practiced in New Mexico. Here he is in 1986, at which time he lived in Portales, New Mexico. On the right his his brother Gordon of Carmel, California.
Dr. Miller died in Portales in 1993 at the age of 76. |
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lowrain (1896 - 1980)
Dr. McCrea's son Lowrain, third from left (1896 - 1980) became a doctor himself. It appears that he practiced in Philadelphia. He died in North Carolina in 1980, at the age of 84. He reportedly had no children.