A couple of weeks ago, my mouse started ‘misbehaving’. The first thing I noticed was the inability to highlight text. Instead of highlighting what I wanted highlighted, it would jumb somewhere else and start the highlighting. Even if I could get the section of text highlighted that I wanted highlighted, it wouldn’t ‘stop’ highlighting. Then it started creating a ‘double-click’ when I only clicked once.
The obvious solution was to replace the mouse. Since I live with someone who hangs onto older hardware, we tested several different mice. We found that a wired mouse worked as well as a different branded wireless mouse worked.
So, I was ready to order a new mouse. However, my husband was still trying to figure out why my mouse – and other mice – were not functioning correctly. He ran the diagnostics and discovered that my hard drives are failing. Yes, that is plural. Both the C and D drives are failing.
Thus, all of my genealogy files are at risk! Even though I am working with a dying computer, I am thankful. I am thankful for the lessons learned about backing up and restoring files while working as a high school technology coordinator. I am thankful for the monthly reminders from Dick Eastman and other genealogists to back-up my genealogy files. I am thankful for Cousin Russ and his reminders to test your backups to make sure files can be retrieved.
Thus, I do have back-ups — and I have redundancy.
I use a cloud backup service to backup both drives to the Cloud.
I use the program, Second Copy, to set up tasks to run overnight to copy my data files to a USB drive
I use a cloud service to store most of my files in the cloud
I copy my genealogy files – especially pictures — to a portable USB drive.
Knowing that my computer could stop at any moment, I have spent the last couple of days verifying that my genealogy files are backed up to multiple locations. (I also have new hardware on order.) Having all of this redundancy will make it easy to transfer my files to the new hardware.
Now, I need to verify the list of installed software and make sure I have installation files and serial numbers.
Even though the thoughts of a crashed computer is disturbing, I am thankful that my computer is still running. I’m also thankful for the chance to improve the organization of my files.
If you don’t currently automatically backup your files, take this post as a warning to backup your genealogy files — and listen to the monthly reminders to backup your data!
I’m struggling with ‘same name’ issues. Particularly in regards to Alexander Crawford. I believe there are two different Alexander Crawfords.
Alexander Crawford who married Margaret McElwee in Lincoln County, Kentucky in 1788 and likely lived in Pulaski County, Kentucky
Alexander Crawford, son of Rev. James Crawford of Fayette County, Kentucky and grandson of Alexander Crawford and Mary McPheeters
Other researchers disagree with me. Thus, I’m on a quest to locate documentation to hopefully resolve this issue.
Today, I’m working with census records. Since these are all pre-1850 census listings, they can’t be depended upon to prove family relations. However, they can help establish places of residency.
Using the family information for Rev. James Crawford from the book Descendants of Alexander and Mary (McPheeters) Crawford, I can determine approximate ages for the various census years.
Name
Birth Year
Death Year
Sex
Age 1810
Age 1820
Age 1830
Age 1840
Rev James Crawford
1752
1803
m
Rebecca McPheeters
1755
1830
f
55
65
75
Martha Crawford
1775
1831
f
35
45
55
Alexander Crawford
1782
1845
m
28
38
48
58
Mary Crawford
1784
f
26
36
46
56
Elizabeth Crawford
1789
1845
f
21
31
41
51
Sarah Crawford
1801
1841
f
9
19
29
39
Rebecca Crawford
1805
1830
f
5
15
25
35
Using the above chart, I can then look at the census records for Fayette County and compare the tick marks to potential family members.
In the 1810 census for Fayette County, Kentucky (where Rev. James Crawford lived), I was able to find a Rebecka Crawford as the head of household on the census with 12 total people in the household:
Free white males 26-44: 1 – son – Alexander Crawford – age 29
Free white females 10-15: 1 – daughter Rebecca Crawford – wrong age – she would have been 5
Free white females 16-25: 3 – daughters Sarah age 9, Elizabeth age 21, Mary age 26
Free white females 45 and over: 1 – Rebecca Crawford
Number of slaves: 6
number of household members under 16: 1
Number of household members over 25: 2
number of household members: 12
In the 1820 census for Fayette County, Kentucky, I was able to find Alexander Crawford listed as a 26-44 year old male head of household.
Males 26-44 — 1 – Alexander age 38
Females 16-25: 2 – sisters Sarah age 19 / Rebecca age 15
Females 26-44: 2 – sister Mary age 36 / Mother Rebecca age 65
Slaves – Males 26-44: 2
Slaves Female under 14:5
Slaves Female 14-25: 2
number of persons engaged in agriculture: 3
Free White persons over 25: 4
total free white persons: 6
Total Slaves: 9
Alexander Crawford again appeared as the head of household in the 1830 census for Fayette County, Kentucky.
Males 40-49: 1- Alexander age 48
Females 20-29: 1 – sister – Rebecca age 25
Females 30-39: 2 – Sisters Sarah age 29, Mary age 46
Females 70-79: 1 – Mother Rebecca age 75
Free colored persons Females 24-35: 1
Slaves Males 24-35: 1
Slaves Males 36-54: 1
Slaves Females under 10: 3
Slaves Femlaes 10-23: 2
Slaves Females 24-35: 2
Free white persons 20-49: 4
Total Free white persons: 5
Total Slaves: 14
Total free colored persons: 1
The 1840 census of Fayette County, Kentucky also lists Alexander Crawford as a head of household.
Males 50-59: 1 – Alexander age 58
Females 30-39: 1 – Sister Rebecca age 35
Females 40-49: 1 – Sister Sarah age 39 or Mary age 56
Free colored persons – males 36-54: 1
Slaves males under 10: 9
Slaves males 10-23: 2
Slaves Males 36-54: 1
Slaves Females under 10: 7
Slaves Females 10-23: 2
Slaves Females 36-54: 2
Persons employed in agriculture: 4
No. white persons over 20 who cannot read and write: 1
Free white persons 20-49: 2
Total free white persons: 3
Total free colored persons: 1
Total slaves; 23
Total all persons – free white, free colored, slaves: 27
The above census records support an Alexander Crawford living in Fayette County, Kentucky between 1820 and 1840. Although there are a few discrepancies, the tick marks appear to line up with the Rev. James Crawford family structure. Thus, there is support – but not definitive proof – for the theory that the Alexander Crawford in these census records is the son of Rev. James Crawford.
If there are two separate Alexander Crawfords, then there should be a second set of census records. I used the information I had compiled on the family of Alexander Crawford of Pulaski County, Kentucky to create a similar table showing ages of the family members in the various census records.
Name
Birth Year
Death Year
Sex
Age 1810
Age 1820
Age 1830
Alexander Crawford
1767
1823 / 1838
m
43
53
63
Margaret McElwee
1766
1832
f
44
54
64
Adams Crawford
1789
1869
m
21
31
41
Andrew Crawford
1791
1878
m
19
29
39
Martha Crawford
1801
f
9
19
29
John A. Crawford
1803
1838
m
7
17
27
Shelby Crawford
1805
1870
m
5
15
25
Harrison Crawford
1808
1870
m
2
12
22
Unfortunately, the census records for Alexander Crawford in Pulaski County, Kentucky are more difficult to line up with these known family members. In the 1810 census, this could be explained if one of the sons and his family was also living in the household
Free males under 10: 4 – ? grandsons?
Free males 10-15: 3 – sons John, Harrison, Shelby
Free males 16-25: 1- son Adams or Andrew
Free males: 45 and over: 1- Alexander
Free females under 10: 1 – unknown
Free Females 10-15: 2 — ? granddaughters?
Free females 10-15: 2 – unknown
Free females 16-25: 1 – daughter Martha or wife of Adams or Andrew
Free females 26-44: 1 – wife Margaret
Number of household members under 16: 10
Number of household members over 25: 2
Number of household members: 14
The 1820 census of Pulaski County, Kentucky showing an Alexander Crawford is even more confusing. If this is the same family, then Alexander likely has at least one if not two daughters-in-law living with him along with several grandchildren.
Free white males under 10: 2 – ? grandsons
Free white males 10-15: 2 – ? grandsons
Free white males 45 and over: 1 – Alexander Crawford
Free white females under 10: 1 – ? granddaughter
Free white females 10-15: 1 – ? granddaughter
Free white females 16-25: 2 – daughter Martha Crawford and 1 daughter-in-law or 2 daughters-in-law
Free white females 45 and over: 1 – Margaret McElwee Crawford
Free white persons under 16: 6
Free white persons over 25: 2
total free white persons: 10
Total all persons: 10
A search of the 1830 Pulaski County, Kentucky census for Crawford does not include an Alexander Crawford in the results.
This study of Kentucky census records does support
an Alexander Crawford living in Fayette County, KY at the same time as an Alexander Crawford lived in Pulaski County, KY.
the Rev. James Crawford family unit living in Fayette County under the name of Rebecka Crawford in 1810 and Alexander Crawford in 1820, 1830 and 1840.
Since the Pulaski County, Kentucky census records are hard to match up with the family unit of Alexander Crawford and Margaret McElwee, it is hard to conclude that the Alexander Crawford shown in these records is the husband of Margaret McElwee.
Thus, I need to locate more records to support my position that these are two different Alexander Crawfords.
Do you struggle with ‘same name’ issues in your genealogy research? I know that over the years I have struggled to either separate two people or prove that the records I found apply to my ancestor and not to someone else of the same name.
My newest struggle is with someone that I currently can’t even connect to my tree. I found an Alexander Crawford who married Margaret McElwee in Lincoln County, Kentucky in 1788. This marriage is one of four Crawford marriages that occurred in early Lincoln County:
1788 – Alexander Crawford married Margaret McElwee
1791 – Mary Crawford married James Sellers
1793 – James Crawford married Martha Knight
1796 – Sarah Crawford married William David Sellers
My ancestor, James Crawford married Sally Duggins in 1799 in Garrard County, Kentucky. Garrard County was formed from Lincoln County, Kentucky in 1796 — the year Sarah and William Sellers were married.
Thus, these 5 Crawford couples were married in the area of 1788 Lincoln County, Kentucky within an 11 year time period. Based on the marriage bonds and some land records, it is believed that Mary, Sarah and the James that married Martha Knight are all children of Rebekah Crawford who purchased land in Garrard County from George Douglas.
Since my ancestor, the James Crawford who married Sally Duggins, lived in the same area as the James Crawford who married Martha Knight, it is thought that they are somehow related, possibly cousins.
So that leaves Alexander Crawford. Is Alexander a sibling to Mary, James and Sarah? Or, is he possibly a sibling to my James Crawford?
In hopes of proving that Alexander Crawford is a sibling to one of these two families, I’ve done some research on Alexander. Although I haven’t done extensive research on Alexander, I have established a basic timeline for him.
Birth
abt Jan 1767
Augusta County, Colony of Virginia, British Colonial America
Mount Pleasant Baptist Cemetery, Pulaski, Pulaski, Kentucky, United States
Since my goal was to figure out whether this Alexander Crawford was related to any of the other Crawford families in early Garrard County, Kentucky, I started looking at trees hoping to find someone with parents for Alexander Crawford.
And I found several trees showing Rev. James Crawford and Rebecca McPheeters as the parents of Alexander. This lineage would make the Alexander Crawford who married Margaret McElwee a grandson of Alexander Crawford and Mary McPheeters.
Although Rev. James Crawford may have been an itinerant minister, he did not live in the Garrard County area. Instead he raised his family in Fayette County. Thus, I decided to look at information about the descendants of Alexander and Mary (McPheeters) Crawford to see if the Alexander Crawford of Pulaski County was a grandson.
Thus, I turned to the book, Descendants of Alexander & Mary McPheeters Crawford: Pioneer Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia by Amanda Crawford Arbogast Forbes and Lucetta Crawford Smmis. This book identifies the children of Rev. James Crawford as
Mary Crawford – died unmarried
Martha Crawford (1775-1831) married Charles McPheeters
Alexander Crawford (1782-1845)
Elizabeth Crawford (1789-1845) married Joseph Galloway
Sarah Crawford (1801-1841) unmarried
Rebecca Crawford (1803-1833) unmarried
p. 205.
Also in the book is some information from the Fayette County, Kentucky will of Alexander Crawford.
p. 206.
Comparing the information I have compiled for the Alexander Crawford of Pulaski County, Kentucky with the information in the book about descendants of Alexander Crawford and Mary McPheeters, I don’t believe these two Alexander Crawfords are the same person.
However, I am basing my conclusion on one book. Since that isn’t sufficient evidence to convince others, more research is needed to support my conclusion. Perhaps in the process, I will stumble on something that leads to information connecting the Alexander Crawford of Pulaski County to the Crawfords of Garrard County.
Sources for Alexander Crawford who married Margaret McElwee:
1. Dodd, Jordan R., Kentucky Marriages Early to 1800 (: Precision Indexing Publishers, ), p. 49.
2. “Family Tree”, database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online November 2016), Alexander Crawford / Margaret McElwee Family; undocumented and unnamed family tree submitted by wendyhar, [contact information for private use]; Crawford Tree.
3. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online 3 September 2020), memorial for Alexander Crawford (1767-1823), Find a Grave Memorial no. #186274065, created by Sandra Lytch, citing Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky;, Alexander Crawford.
4. Kentucky, Lincoln County. Tax Books, 1787-1875. Film #DGS 007834472. Alexander Crofford, 1789 : image 104; digital images, Family Search http://www.familysearch.org : viewed online 4 September 2020.
5. “Kentucky, Tax Lists 1799-1801,” database online, Genealogy Publishing Company, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online August 2019), Alexander Crawford.
6. “Kentucky, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes ndex, 1810-1890,” database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : viewed online July 2019), Alexander Crawford.
7. 1810 U.S. Census, Pulaski County, Kentucky, population schedule, Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky, image 16, Crawford Alexander; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online August 2019).
8. 1820 U.S. Census, Pulaski County, Kentucky, population schedule, Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky, image 7, Alexr Crawford; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online August 2019).
9. “Family Tree,” database, Ancestry.com, Alexander Crawford / Margaret McElwee Family.
10. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online 3 September 2020), memorial for Alexander Crawford (1767-1823), Find a Grave Memorial no. #186274065,
11. “Family Tree,” database, Ancestry.com, Alexander Crawford / Margaret McElwee Family.
12. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online 3 September 2020), memorial for Alexander Crawford (1767-1823), Find a Grave Memorial no. #186274065,
Do you ever find yourself so engrossed in researching those 6th and 7th generation brick walls that you overlook documenting earlier generations with obvious sources? That’s what I’ve found to be true with my research.
I recently read the post, 7-gen-1-sheet that suggests using a spreadsheet of ancestors to look at one’s data in a different manner. Thus, I decided to look at the sources I’ve attached to death facts to see whether I have sourced an obituary and their Find a Grave site.
See all of that red? Needless to say, I’ve failed! A few of these don’t have known death dates/locations – but I’ve been to some of the other graves shaded red.
Before shading the 7th generation, I’m going to try and turn more of these yellow.
To start turning the red to yellow, I started by checking the burial fact . For many of these 6th generation ancestors, I had attached the Find a Grave source to the burial fact but not to the death (or birth) fact. Thus, I simply had to memorize the source on the burial fact and paste it onto the death fact. That simple task changed a lot of the red to green.
For those still shaded red, I do not know a death date or place. Thus, they will likely remain shaded red until such time that I can verify their death date and place.
I doubt I would have ever gone back to update these death facts if I hadn’t looked at my data in this way.
Are you overwhelmed with DNA data? Have you ever tried looking at the data in a different way to see what you can learn from it?
The Leeds method of looking at DNA matches is often used for this purpose. Today, I read the blog post, 7-gen-1-sheet, by Ann Raymont. In this post, the author explains how to set up a spreadsheet to display 7 generations of ancestors. Once the spreadsheet is created, color coding can be used to identify patterns such as European roots, lineage society lines or whether a specific source has been used.
Intrigued by how this spreadsheet could be used, I decided to create the page of ancestors. As I was creating the spreadsheet, I decided to use it to look at my ThruLines data. Since I’ve tested myself, my two brothers and my mother, I have four sets of ThruLines. Even though I’ve looked thru this data for each match, I’ve never compared the results.
By adding columns for each of my DNA tests, I was able to record the number of matches for each ancestor from the 4 DNA tests.
Having this data all in one place will help me evaluate my tree in relation to my DNA results. For example, does it indicate an error in my tree if I only have a few matches for that ancestor? Having this data side by side has also allowed me to see that even though I might only have a few matches with descendants of a particular ancestor, my brothers or mother could have quite a few more matches. In those cases, the probability that my tree is accurate increases when I look at all four tests versus looking at just my results.
Now that I have 9 generations of ancestors on my spreadsheet, there are several other ways that I hope to utilize this sheet.
Color code states of residence in 1850
Color code ancestors whom I have found an obituary
Color code ancestors whom I have a Find a Grave source for
Color code potential DAR ancestor lines
Thank you Ann Raymont for sharing your 7-gen-1-sheet method of looking at our ancestors.
In your genealogy research, do you have a FAN (Family Associates, Neighbors) club? If so, do you ever see a name and question whether to add him/her to your FAN club? If so, that’s how I felt about Moses Dooley.
It was like that name, Moses Dooley, kept cropping up in different places and times. My first notes for Moses Dooley are from tax records for Preble County Ohio — living in the same community as my ancestor, James Crawford (wife Sally Smith Duggins) and ‘big’ James Crawford (wife Martha Knight).
Thinking that I should find Moses Dooley in Kentucky with these same Crawford families, I looked back at my Kentucky notes and discovered that I didn’t record anything about Moses Dooley. Rechecking the tax records, I found Moses Dooley in 1794 Madison County, Kentucky — on the same page as several Crawfords. [Kentucky, Madison. Tax Books, 1787-1874. Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY. Film #8126 DGS 7834478. Crawford James, William, 1794 Tax bookx 1787-1797, 1799-1807: image 197; digital images, Family Search http://www.familysearch.org : viewed online February 2019.]
Assuming the Moses Dooley of Preble County, Ohio is the same person as the Moses Dooley of Madison County, Ky, that places Moses Dooley traveling a similar migration path as that traveled by the two James Crawford families.
A brief study of the information about Moses Dooley on the FamilySearch tree [L66r-BYH] revealed other connection points with my research:
Moses Dooley was born in Augusta County, Virginia in 1748. Augusta County, is where my ancestor, James Crawford, is said to have been born.
Moses Dooley died in 1822 in Preble County, Ohio. James Crawford was living in Preble County, Ohio in 1822 and died there in 1854.
Moses Dooley’s grandson, Silas Dooley married Isabel McCracken. Isabel’s grandparents were Nathan Sellers and Sarah Finley. The Sellers family is part of my Crawford FAN club.
Moses Dooley’s son, Abner married Nancy Douglas. Nancy is the daughter of George and Rebecca Douglas. George Douglas is believed to be the brother of Rebekah Crawford. Rebekah Crawford is believed to be the mother of Sarah Crawford (md Williiam Sellers), Mary Crawford (md. James Sellers) and James Crawford (md Martha Knight)
With all of these loose connections to my Crawford family, I decided to see what else I could learn about Moses Dooley and his family. Digging thru Google searches, I stumbled upon a biography of Reuben Dooley, son of Moses Dooley.
Not only does this biography provide a lot of detail about Reuben Dooley and his parents, but it provides details for their migration path. This path took the family from Bedford County, Virginia to Madison County, Kentucky in 1781. From there the family moved to Barren County, Kentucky and then to Preble County, Ohio.
This migration path is very similar to that of the Preble County Crawfords. Deeds place James and Martha in Barren County, Kentucky prior to moving to Preble County, Ohio. Marriage records place both James in early Kentucky. James and Martha were married in Lincoln County, Kentucky in 1793. James and Sally were married in Garrard County Kentucky in 1799. Both James are believed to have been born in Augusta County, Virginia, one in 1770 and the other in 1772.
Although I haven’t found any relationship between my Crawford line and the Dooleys, this biography provides support for the migration of the Preble County James Crawfords South onto the Marrowbone out of the Garrard County Kentucky area prior to the migration North into Preble County, Ohio.
I am glad I followed that ‘nudge’ to do more research on Moses Dooley. He is now an ‘official’ member of my Crawford FAN club.
Heartland Genealogy 