Randolph County, West Virginia Biography of LEE CROUCH This biography was submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: The submitter does not have a connection to the subject of this sketch. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 560-561 Randolph LEE CROUCH, president of the Elkins National Bank, is a West Virginian who was reared in the back country, had no particular advantages beyond those he worked for, and with determination to succeed has achieved something more than the ordinary station in life, not only as a business man but as a citizen. He has held public office, and for two years was a merchant before he entered banking. Mr. Crouch represents one of the oldest families of Ran- dolph County, and was born on a farm in that county July 13, 1859, son of Abram and Elizabeth (McNeil) Crouch. His father was born and reared and spent his life in Ran- dolph County, a practical farmer. The grandfather was Andrew Crouch. Maj. John M. Crouch, a brother of An- drew, is said to have been the first white male child born in Randolph County. Andrew Crouch was also a native of that county, and in 1810 married Elizabeth Hutton, of an- other pioneer family. The old farm of Andrew Crouch is now owned by his grandsons Lee and Jackson Crouch. The mother of Lee Crouch was born in Pocahontas County, was a woman of fine qualities of heart and mind, and she did much to inspire, her son with an ambition for worthy achievement. Lee Crouch was one of six children, all of whom grew up on the farm. The country schools attended by Lee Crouch hardly averaged more than a four months term each year. With this education and with his home training he started out without capital to do for himself, and soon afterward was a partner in a small store at Huttonsville. From merchan- dising he became deputy sheriff, filling that office two terms, or eight years. He was next elected clerk of the County Court of Randolph County, and at the end of his first six year term was re-elected and filled that office with every degree of efficiency for twelve years. On leaving public office Mr. Crouch was made cashier of the Elkins National Bank. On the death of the late United States Senator Henry Gassaway Davis, Mr. Crouch was elected president of the Elkins National Bank. This bank has total resources well upwards of two million dollars, and is one of the strongest banks in this part of the state. Mr. Crouch is president of the Board of County Com- missioners, his term ending in December, 1924. He has always been an active democrat, is a member of the Ma- sonic Order and the Elks and is a Presbyterian. In 1893 he married Sarah A. Wallace, a native of Augusta County, Virginia. Their four children are: Mary, Wallace, Maude and Evelyn.