The Crandall Family, which numbers among the pioneer families of Baraboo, Wisconsin, first became established in that community in 1847 when David Phelps Crandall (1802-1863) located there. The family included Crandall's parents Simeon (died 1852) and Ruth, his second wife Priscilla, and his children, Robert B., Katherine M[ary?] (born 1842), Eliahu Alonzo, and David M. (1852?-1863). In 1851 the family moved to a former home in Montgomery, Mississippi, but in 1856 returned to Baraboo.
David P. Crandall was described as “a man of mark, famous for his endurance,” although the Sauk County histories do not indicate his occupation. Apparently he was concerned about educational matters, as he is listed as one of the incorporators of the Baraboo Collegiate Institute, a private high school established in 1858, to which he sent his children. During the 1870's Katherine Crandall became a teacher in a private school in Baraboo which offered progressive kindergarten instruction. Eventually she became the director of this establishment, which then became known as Miss Crandall's Select School. David P. Crandall's son Robert, who was a 2nd lieutenant in the 23rd Wisconsin during the Civil War, was also interested in educational matters, serving briefly as Sauk County superintendent of schools. Robert Crandall later moved to North Dakota, where he was deputy clerk of court, and to Olympia, Washington, where he held a similar position. He died in 1901.
Katherine Crandall continued to reside in the family home with her mother. On September 6, 1894 she married James G. Train (born 1830), a widower. A former Wisconsin legislator, Train was also an attorney and a farmer who had resided in Baraboo since 1853. Train was described by one Sauk County historian as “liberal in religion.” Although the Crandalls were originally Baptists, Katherine Train apparently held views similar to those of her husband, and she was a member of the Free Congregational Church. The date of Train's death could not be established, but it is presumed to have taken place about 1910. Katherine Crandall died on December 3, 1920.
