Monday, April 15, 2019

Who Is this James Crawford?

Have you ever run across a record in a county you've been researching and have no idea how the person in the record fits with known families in that area? Well, that's my situation -- and it is anoter James Crawford.

James and Martha Crawford sold land in Barren County, Kentucky. Tax lists for Barren County show a James Crawford with 200 acres on the Marrowbone River. These tax lists also show another James Crawford with 50 acres on the Marrowbone. This second James Crawford is thought to be James and Sally (Smith Duggins) Crawford.

I've also identified the family of David Crawford who died in Barren County, KY in 1812.

Now, I've found a deed for a James Crawford and Patsy his wife selling land in Wythe County Virginia to Peter Kinson. This 1806 deed indicates that James and Patsy were living in Montgomery County, Ohio at the time.


So, who is this James Crawford? Patsy could be a nickname for Martha. Unfortunately, every record I've seen for James and Martha use her given name and not the nickname, Patsy.

Being in Montgomery County, Ohio in 1806 would imply that James and Patsy were early settlers of that state.

Based on that, I checked History.Geo's First Landowners Project. There are 3 entries for James Crawford in Preble County. Two of these entries are for James and Martha while the third is for James and Sally. The Montgomery county entry is for Robert C. Crawford in 1816. Darke County has two entries: Alexander Crawford 1832 and Norman B Crawford 1831.

The Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office Records has 3 entries for Crawford in Montgomery County. All of those entries are for Robert Crawford.

A search of 'Settlers and Builders' of Ohio does not include any James Crawford nor any Crawford in Montgomery County, Ohio.

Since the 1882 book, History of Montgomery County, Ohio has been digitized and is part of the book collection on FamilySearch, I searched it for James Crawford. Other than references to Col. William Crawford, the only Crawford reference from the early history was in a section on James Grimes. James Grimes emigrated from Rockbridge County, Virginia in 1805 travelling thru Crab Orchard, Kentucky. The James Grimes section names Mr. Crawford as one of those who made the trip with him.

At this point, I can't place the James Crawford in this deed.

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