Nash, Josie C., 1864-1949

Dates

• Existence: 1864 - 1949

Biography

Josie Bentley Crandon Nash was born November 14, 1864 in Columbia Falls, Maine, the daughter of John H. Crandon and Lucy Helen Wilson. Josie attended Cherryfield High School and was accepted to Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois in 1883 where she was a member of Delta Gamma sorority and the Ossoli Literary Society.

As a student, Josie resided at 312 Forest Avenue in Evanston, the home of her relative, Frank P. Crandon, and his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Washburn. Frank Crandon served as Trustee and Secretary of Northwestern University from 1883 to 1919 and was the recipient of an Honorary Master of Arts degree from the university in 1894. The Crandons had three daughters, two of whom were graduates of Northwestern. Anna Lyon Crandon (known as Nannie) graduated in 1883 with a Ph.B. (Bachelor of Philosophy) degree. Leila Moss Crandon Noble completed her Bachelor of Literature in 1884 and her Master of Literature in 1887, and briefly taught English at Northwestern. Both women were also members of Delta Gamma.

In 1885, Josie served as Vice-President of her class. Winner of the Norton Declamation Prize, Josie graduated in 1887, earning a Ph.B. After graduation Josie briefly taught in the Minneapolis public schools. She married James Walker Moore Nash, a banker and lumberman, on October 10, 1888 and moved to Cherryfield, Maine. Josie and James had three children, Caroline Moore, born February 10, 1890 (a graduate of Wellesley), Mary Curtis, born April 22, 1892 (a graduate of Simmons), and John Crandon, born July 26, 1897 (a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

The Cherryfield house in which the family resided, a masterpiece of local builder Charles A. Allen, has been designated a historical house. Josie Crandon Nash died August 11, 1949.

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