BIO: Edward M. McCRACKEN, Clearfield County, PA
 
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From Twentieth Century History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania,
and Representative Citizens, by Roland D. Swoope, Jr.,
Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, 1911, page 921.
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  EDWARD M. McCRACKEN,* who is one of the representative citizens and 
substantial business men of Ferguson township, where he is a justice of the 
peace and the owner of a farm and a saw-mill, has lived in this township since 
he was four months old.  He was born January 19, 1872, in Jefferson county, Pa., 
a son of Frederick S. and Mary (Michaels) McCracken.
  Frederick S. McCracken was born also in Jefferson county and moved from there 
to Ferguson township, Clearfield county, in April, 1872, and has resided on his 
farm which is situated two and one-half miles west of Kerrmoor, ever since.  
Farming and lumbering have been his occupations together with attending to the 
duties of the numerous public offices to which he has been elected.  He is a 
Democrat and on the Democratic ticket was twice elected assessor of Ferguson 
township, nine years tax collector and a number of times road supervisor.  He 
married Mary Michaels, who also survives, and they have two children:  Edward M. 
and Ida, the latter of whom is the wife of Samuel Bear, of Glen Hope, Pa.  They 
are members of the Baptist church.
  Edward M. McCracken obtained his education in the schools of Ferguson 
township.  He went into the woods to work after he left school and through his 
industry accumulated enough money to purchase twenty-six acres of land, which he 
subsequently sold and then purchased the Allen W. Moore farm, of sixty-five 
acres, on which he has made many improvements including the building of his farm 
house.  He continues to be interested in lumbering and own a saw-mill and gives 
employment to ten men in that industry.
  On May 30, 1890, Mr. McCracken was married to Miss Minta Bailor, who was born 
in Boggs township, September 16, 1876, a daughter of Daniel and Phebe (Thurston) 
Bailor, and they have had eight children:  Enloe, David, Margaret, Frederick, 
John, Levi, Harriet and Ada, all of whom survive except John, who died when only 
two days old.  After purchasing his farm, Mr. McCracken served eight years as 
foreman of a gang in the lumber regions.  At present he is operating on 450 
acres of timber land and has just finished cutting the last remaining tract of 
white pine timber left in Ferguson township.  He is a charter member and one of 
the stockholders in the Farmers and Traders Bank of Clearfield.
  In politics Mr. McCracken is a Democrat and in 1908 was elected justice of the 
peace.  The first township office he ever held was that of road supervisor, then 
served two terms as auditor, two terms as township clerk and one term as 
supervisor under the new law.  He is a member of Susquehanna Grange, No. 1145, 
at Curwensville, and belongs to the Odd Fellows at Lumber City.