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Garrard County Names

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Do you use a list of FAN (Friends, Acquaintances, Neighbors) club names when researching county records for your family? If so, do you ever struggle with remembering how the members of your FAN club fit together? If so, you are not alone.

As I’m getting back into my CRAWFORD research and Garrard County, Kentucky records by reading an order book, I’ve found that I not only need a list of names, but a diagram of how they might fit together. Since I don’t own any software to easily create such a diagram, I used Microsoft Publisher and multiple text boxes to create my diagram of the CRAWFORD families in early Garrard County, Kentucky along with some associated families.

In the early tax records for the area, I have identified four CRAWFORD families with land in what becomes Garrard County: Rebekah Crawford, William Crawford, James Crawford and Mary Crawford. Based on research of these four families, their spouses and potential children, I have been able to identify contemporaries who had ties to these families. This is the generation that settled the region.

  • Absalom Adams (father of Feathergill Agams)
  • Feathergill Adams
  • Isaac Anderson
  • James Anderson
  • John Anderson (father of Rebecca Anderson)
  • Rebecca Anderson
  • Samuel Anderson
  • Samuel Campbell
  • James Crawford
  • John Crawford
  • William Crawford
  • George Douglas(s)
  • Rebekah Douglas(s)
  • John Gass
  • John Kennedy (brother of Thomas Kennedy)
  • Bazeleel Maxwell
  • John McElwee
  • Jacob Miller
  • William Morrison
  • Nathan Sellers

Since many of the potential children of the four CRAWFORD families were married in early Kentcuky, I can add their spouses to my list. This is the generation that mostly moved away from the Garrard County area.

  • John Crafton
  • Robert Creath
  • Elizabeth Davis
  • Alexander Duggins
  • William Guthrie
  • David Hall
  • Martha Knight
  • Nancy Miller (daughter of Jacob Miller)
  • James Sellers (son of Nathan Sellers)
  • William Sellers (son of Nathan Sellers)
  • Sally Smith
  • Abigail Trowbridge
  • Beverly Vawter
  • Lucy Vawter

As I read the court order book, I will be looking for any mention of the following surnames:

  • Adams
  • Anderson
  • Campbell
  • Crafton
  • Crawford
  • Creath
  • Davis
  • Douglas(s)
  • Duggins
  • Gass
  • Guthrie
  • Hall
  • Kennedy
  • Knight
  • Maxwell
  • McElwee
  • Miller
  • Morrison
  • Sellers
  • Smith
  • Trowbridge
  • Vawter

Hopefully, these court records will help me learn more about these Crawford families and their migration to Kentucky. 

Possible Distant Cousins

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Have you tested your DNA? If so, have you been able to break through a brick wall using your DNA results?
My main purpose for testing my DNA was to learn more about my Crawford ancestry. Since I already have identified my 4th great grandfather on my Crawford line, I was hoping to identify his siblings and parents via DNA. So far, my results have not helped me get thru that brick wall.
However, there is one DNA test that has puzzled me for quite some time. This is the sole test that shows up when I search my matches for ancestors born in Garrard County, Kentucky: i******. I share 23 cM across 2 segments with i****** and one of my brothers shares 24 cM across 2 segments with i******.
When I looked at shared matches with i******, I found two other matches that appear to have the same common ancestors: Isaac Crawford and Nancy Miller. In looking at matches shared with these two other matches, I discovered a fourth match who descends from a different Garrard County family.

I believe Isaac Crawford is the son of James Crawford and Rebecca Anderson. However, the trees for the I, D and J matches either don’t go back that far or have a different father for Isaac.
Based on my research of the records of Madison, Lincoln and Garrard Counties in Kentucky, I am theorizing that my ancestor James Crawford (md. Sally Duggins)  is somehow related to the other Crawford families in that area prior to 1800: Rebecca Crawford, Mary Crawford, James Crawford (md Rebecca Anderson) and/or William Crawford. It is believed that James (md Rebecca Anderson) and William are brothers and that Rebecca is the widow of a third brother. Because of the ages, my current theory is that my ancestor, James (md Sally Duggins) is the nephew of James (md Rebecca Anderson) and William Crawford. Thus, I would be a 7th cousin to I, D, and J IF Isaac is the son of James and Rebecca Crawford and IF my theory about the uncle/nephew relationship is correct.
To figure out whether these DNA shared matches support my being a 7th cousin to I, D, and J, I looked at the Shared Centimorgan Project to see if the amount of shared DNA was within the range for 7th cousins. Since one of my brothers doesn’t share any DNA with any of these individuals, our range of shared DNA is none to 34 cM. According to the shared cM project, we could share anywhere from 0 to 57 cM and be 7th cousins.

Thus, we are within the range to be 7th cousins. 
This does NOT prove that we are both related to James Crawford and Rebecca Anderson. We could easily be related on some other line that my bias is preventing me from recognizing. However, it does support the possibility of a relationship. Thus, I will continue researching the families of James and Rebecca Crawford as well as the families of William, Rebecca and Mary Crawford.

Configuring Crawford FAN Club in My Tree

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Do you have ‘floating’ or ‘orphan’ trees in your Ancestry tree? I know that I do have ‘floaters’ in my tree. I recently watched a Genealogy TV video by Constance Knox on how to make connections to link some of those ‘floaters’ to my big tree.

Today, I decided to get this set up for some of the members of my Crawford FAN Club:

First, I created a ‘Custom Tag’ called FanClub Crawford and attached it to each member of the FAN club.

I also added comments:

  • Explain FAN club membership
  • Explain links located at bottom of page
  • Provide link to my blog — particularly the Untangling James Crawford post when appropriate

Hopefully, this will not only help me ‘migrate’ around my tree, but also help others see potential connections among this group of people.
This process has been very helpful since it helped me put in writing the members of the fan club. 

Pioneer Women Jefferson County Indiana

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Anderson, Rebecca, d/o John Anderson, native of NY and Anne Irvine, was born at Augusta Parish, VA , m. 1st R. John Maxwell, 2nd James Crawford, located in Jeff. Co. IN prior to 1830

Crawford, Mary (Polly) d/o James and Rebecca Anderson Crawford, b. in Garrard Co. KY May 28, 1786, m. William Brown Guthrie, Apr. 6, 1809; came to Jeff. Co. soon after marriage; had 11 children. She d. July 18, 1834 and she and her husband are buried at Hanover. Her husband was called to fight Indians in 1812 and she walked 12 miles carrying her baby, Anderson Crawford Guthrie, who was born Apr. 22, 1811 and her companion, a boy age 12, carried an older child, James Guthrie. They walked to the block house near the Francisco farm. Her ancestors served in the Rev. War.

Crawford, Betsey, d/o James & Rebecca A. Crawford, b. in 1792, m. in Mar, 1812 to Beverly Vawter of Woodford Co. KY, a minister of the Christian Ch.

Source:
Melish Mrs. Charles, Pioneer Women (www.jeffersoncountylocalhistory.org/fampioneerwomen : viewed online May 2019), Crawford.

Following Women to Find Hints

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Do you research the spouses of your ancestor’s siblings? If you are like me, you don’t spend much time identifying let alone researching the parents of an ancestor’s sister-in-law.

However, with my Crawford research, I’m finding valuable clues from published genealogies. Many of those published genealogies are for the families of women who married into the Crawford family.

There are a couple of McPheeters genealogies that include the family of Alexander and Mary (McPheeters) Crawford. These works have helped me separate my Crawford line from the descendants of Alexander Crawford.

Since my ancestor, James Crawford, was married in Garrard County, I have spent a lot of time researching the Crawford families in Garrard County at the time. I suspect that my James Crawford is somehow related to the James Crawford that owned land along the Paint Lick Creek in Madison and Garrard counties. This James Crawford was married to Rebecca Anderson.

Thru the John Anderson deed found in Madison County, Kentucky (Book D page 712 and 713), I was able to identify the siblings of Rebecca Anderson Crawford. This deed along with additional research on James and Rebecca Crawford led me to a Maxwell Family History.

I also found information on some of James and Rebecca Crawford’s children in the Vawter Family History. 

By researching these VAWTER families, I came across a WPA Interview with James Vawter Crawford and hist mother Mary F Cowgill (Crawford) Coon.

The transcript of the interview contains a ‘Life Sketch of Philamen V. Crawford, written by himself in 1882.’ This life sketch includes information on James and Rebecca Crawford, the grandparents of Philamen V. Crawford.

All of these sources provides clues about the family of James and Rebecca (Anderson) Crawford. Armed with these clues, I have been able to locate marriage records, deeds and court documents to further document this family.

Even though I’ve been able to back up the information from these family genealogies with other records, that isn’t always the case. Scott Fisher reminds us to utilize caution when working with published genealogies in episode #77 of Fisher’s Top Tips.

“Early genealogists were just as prone to error as anyone posting a public tree today … use that old book as a clue, then validate that the author got it right,” said Scott Fisher on Episode #77 of Fisher’s Top Tips.

I’m no closer to proving a relationship between my James Crawford and James and Rebecca (Anderson) Crawford. However, I’m thankful that I’ve found these published genealogies. Who knows, one of these clues might lead to a document connecting the two men.

Sources Used:
Forbes, Amanda Crawford Arbogast and Lucetta Eggleston Crawford Sammis. Descendants of Alexander & Mary McPheeters Crawford: Pioneer Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia. Silver Spring, Maryland: A.A. Forbes, c1980.

Grace Vawter Bicknell, Vawter Family in America: with the Allied Families of Branham, Crawford,Wise, Lewis, Stribling, Glover, Moncrief (Indianapolis: The Hollenbeck Press, 1905), p. 324; digital images, Internet Archive (us.archive.org : downloaded pdf May 2019).

Houston Florence Wilson, Laura Cowan Blaine, Ella Dunn Mellette, Maxwell History and Genealogy (Indianapolis, IN: C. E. Pauley & Co, 1916), 255; digital images, Google Books (books.google.com : viewed online August 2016; Rebecca Anderson / James Crawford family.)

Interview with James Vawter Crawford and his mother Mary F. Cowgill (Crawford) Coon (Shedd, Oregon), by WPA Interviews for Linn County Oregon and transcribed by Patricia Dunn, transcribed 2000. transcription held by WPA Interviews (http://www.lgsoregon.org/lgstng/showmedia.php?mediaID=22398).

Rice, Helen McPheeters. The McPheeters Family. Winter Park, Fla.: Russell Fuller Multi-copy, 1956.

Samuel Anderson Will

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Madison County, Kentucky
Family Search
Mixed Probate Records, Vols. A-B 1787-1819
FS Film 183266 DGS 007553082

Will
Vol. A
page 351 (Image 184)

In the name of God Amen
I Samuel Anderson being a low state of
health and knowing the uncertainty of Humane existence although in
my propoer sence and memory for which I bless God do make [co?]
and appoint this to be my last will and testament [?]
dis[cumuling] all other to wit, Impres[?] my [w?]
just debts to be first paid out of my personal estate [?]
hereafter [? – blurred ink]
and to my niece Betsy Campbell my stock of horse Creator, to be
equally divided between them Item I give all my [?ing]

page 352

wearing apparel to my brother William Anderson
Item I give to my brother Isaac my stock of hogs
Item I give to my sister Margaret Maxwell, Rebecah Crawford
Mary Campbell and Anne Gass and my brother John
Anderson each twenty five cents Item I give to my
Brother James Anderson my plantation and land adjoining
my brother Isaac, Joseph Kennedy and William Morrison
together with all my farming tools and all other property
not herein mentioned and I do appoint my said brother James
Anderson my sole executor of this my last will and Testament
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal
this 10th day of December 1804
Samuel Anderson
Signed and Acknowledged
In presence of
William Briscoe
David Maxwell
At a Court held for Madison County on Monday the 7th day of
April 1806 this will was proved to be the last will and
testament of Samuel Anderson deceased by the oath of William
Briscoe and on another day to wit on the 5th day of May 1806
The said will was fully proved by the oath of David Maxewell
another witness thereto an ordered to be recorded

Albert Will Irvine CMC

John Anderson Deed

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Madison County Kentucky

Deed Book D
page 712 and 713
FamilySearch Film #183285

This indenture made this third day of October one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight between Samuel Campbell and Mary his wife of the County of Madison, Bez’ l Maxwell and Margret his wife, James Crawford and Rebeca his wife of the County of Garrard, James Anderson and Hannah his wife of the county of Madison, John Gap and Anne his wife of the County of Bourbon and William M. Morrison

Page 713

and Betsey his wife of the County of Madison and all  of the State of Kentucky being the part of the  legatees  to the estate of John Anderson Dec’d  not provided for of the one part and Isaac and Samuel Anderson legatees of the other part witnesseth that the said Samuel  Campbell, Bezabel  Max well , J ames Crawford, James Anderson, John Gaps and William M. Morrison and each of their wives for and in consideration of them the said Isaac and Samuel Anderson relinquishment of their interest and claim to all other parts of the said John Anderson Dec’d forever estate doth grant bargain and telling wish unto Isaac and Samuel Anderson  the heirs and  assigns all  am right title interest claim and demand of in and to  two hundred acres of land adjoining  the land of Joseph Kennedy on the north which  is the balance of six hundred acres obtained in two surveys by John Anderson Dec’d and bounded on the south of the lands conveyed by the John Anderson Dec’d to William and John Anderson and the land William Morrison on the east with its appurtenances to have and to hold the said land or parcel of land be the same more or less with i ts premises and every of its appurtenances  until the said Isaac and Samuel Anderson the i r heirs and assigns forever and the said Samuel Campbell, Bez’l Maxwell, James Crawford, James Anderson, John Gap and William M. Morrison for themselves their heirs executors and administrators the said land and  premises  unto the said Isaac and Samuel Anderson their heirs, executors and administrators shall and will warrant and forever defend against the claim of them the said Baz’l Maxwell and Margret his wife, James Crawford and Rebeca his wife , Saml Campbell and Mary his wife, James Anderson and Hannah his wife John Gaps and Anne his wife William M. Morrison and  Betsy  his wife their heirs, executors, and administrators or from any other person or persons claiming by or under them.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals this day and year above written in presence of Jas Barnett, William Anderson, John Anderson.
Bez’lMaxwell
Maggaret Maxwell
Saml Campbell
Mary Campbell
James Crawford
Rebecca Crawford
Jas Anderson
Hannah Anderson
John Gass
Anne Gass
Wm. M. Morrison
Betsey Morrison