ev in Greater Ukraine, Poland, in 1883. He
was the son of an Agricultural College Professor. It is assumed that he
enjoyed the life of the upper class, being a graduate of two
universities; and speaking fluently at least six languages of Central
and Western Europe, and having travelled almost everywhere in Europe. He
possessed a wide knowledge of the peoples, the history and the culture
of all the Central European Countries.

He migrated to Canada in 1908 and settled in Western Canada. He was
employed at various, clerical occupations before entering the
Theological College of the University of Manitoba from where he
graduated as a Presbyterian minister in 1922.

He was the minister of a Ukranian Presbyterian Church in Toronto for two
years. From 1924 to 1936 he served as a Presbyterian missionary in
Poland, organizing some thirty missions in Galicia and Volynia. For some
years before the war, he spent considerable time on a farm near Welcome,
Ontario, building up a European Nursery and in the winters he served
with the Home Missions mostly in Western Canada. During the last ten
years of his life he had to curtail his activities more and more, owing
to poor health and a heart condition.

I met Rev. Crath when he was on furlough in 1934.

I went to the National Exhibition and among the various exhibits I came
across a rather unique exhibit of nuts, grown by the late Geo. H.
Corsan, Echo Valley, Islington.

In the course of our conversation along came the late Prof. Jas. Neilson
and we continued to talk about nut-growing. Prof. Neilson was
interesting indeed. I could see he was a sincere man and most
enthusiastic about the subject. He told me there was a Presbyterian
Ukranian missionary in town who had brought out some hardy English
walnuts from the Carpathian Mountains--a variety which he was sure would
survive in Ontario and the Northern States and that it had great
possibilities. The missionary was returning to Europe to bring out a
shipment but needed, backing for the expedition. I met Prof. Neilson the
following day. The sum required was $400.00 and he agreed to guarantee
the sale of $400.00 worth in the U.S. at least. The next day I met Rev.
Crath at the Exhibition display. We met off and on for two or three
days. I could see no flaw in the project, so I raised the $400.00 by a
bank-note. The banker thought I was crazy--and the missionary was on his
way by the end of the week.

He arrived by mid-September and