Wednesday, December 4, 2019

James Crawford Land in Warren County Indiana

One of the challenges with my CRAWFORD research is separating my CRAWFORD family from the family of James and Martha Crawford. My ancestor, Nelson G. Crawford is the son of James and Sally (Smith Duggins) Crawford.

Both James Crawford families lived in Preble County, Ohio before James and Martha and their children along with my ancestor, Nelson G. Crawford, moved to Warren County, Indiana. So, when I saw that Nelson Crawford was a first land owner in section 8 with James Crawford listed as a first landowner in both section 5 and section 8, I had to wonder if this could be MY James Crawford.



So, when I found the will of James Crawford (wife Martha) on Ancestry, I realized that I needed to put the land descriptions in the will onto a map. Below are the land descriptions from James Crawford's will and images of the sections from First Landowners Project web site.

Home Place:- - Given to wife Martha and then to daughter, Celinda
North end of Quarter Section No 21 Range 8 West Township 21N


Harvey H Crawford
south half of section No 21 Range 8 West Township 21 N

Polly Swank
East half of SW quarter section no five T21N R8 west

Rebeekah
West half of section no 5 T21N R8 West


Nancy
East Half NW Quarter Section 8 T21N R8 W

By looking at the map, I can see that Polly Swank and Rebekah Crawford received the James Crawford land near Nelson G. Crawford via the will of their father James Crawford. Thus, the James Crawford who registered land near Nelson G. Crawford is not the father of Nelson G. Crawford.

Looking at other areas of Warren County on the First Landowners Project, there are several Crawford tracts of land in sections 25, 26, 35, 36 of Township 21 North Range 9 West and section 1 of Township 20 North of Range 9 West.

Will of James Crawford 

Indiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1789-1999, James Crawford, Feb 1834; database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online December 2019).

Page 11
State of Indiana Warren County


Be it remembered that on the 12th day of February AD 1834 there was filed in the office of the clerk of the Probate Court of said County a will and testament of James Crawford late of said county deceased which will & Testament and affidavit or probate anexed thereto reads in the words & figures following to wit

"In the name of God amen I James Crawford of the county of Warren and State of Indiana being at present of sount and disposing mind and memory do make and publish this and no to be my last will and testament in manner and form following that is to say -- First I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Martha the whole of the farm where on I now live that is to say eight acres acrss the norht end of the quarter section No 21 R8 W T 21N Together with all the appurtenances thereunto belonging and I do fur give and bequeath unto her all the stock and other property belonging to said farm, together with all my household furniture all of which is to be for her use and disposal during her natural lifetime -- And at the death of my above name wife Martha I then give and bequeath unto my beloved daughter Clinda the whole of the above described eight acres of land whereon I now live to be for her use and disposal forever. And I do further will and bequeath unto my beloved son Harvey H Crawford all the South half of the above named and described quarter section so soon as he becomes of full and lawful age to be at his use and disposal forever. And I further give and bequeath unto him a young horse known by the name of Poney to be at his disposal forever.

page 12

And I do also give and bequeath unto my beloved daughter Polly Swank the East half of the SW quarter section no five T21 N R8 West to be at her sole use and disposal forever to make her equal with my daughter Betsy Lincoln and Sally Shanklin John D Crawford and William A Crawford and James S Crawford -- And I do also give and bequeath unto my beloved daughter Rebeekah; all the west half of the above described section no five T21 N R8 West to be at her sole use and disposal forever -- And I do also give and bequeath unto my beloved daughter Nancy all the East half of the North West quarter Section Eight T21N R8 W to be at her sole use and disposal forever -- And I do more over give and bequeath unto my beloved sons James & Harvey Crawford one hundred dollars out of a note which I hold on Adam Swinehart which money is to be laid out for an eight acre lot of land to be equally divided between them both, and be at their disposal forever.
And I do hereby ratify and confirm this and no other to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this fifth day of Sepber in the year of our Lord 1831. And I do hereby constitute my friends William Pugh and D. D. Hall to be my executors of this my last will and Testament.
James Crawford (seal)
Attest
John C Irvin
James Higgenbottom

State of Indiana Warren County
Warren Probate Court February Term A.D. 1834
Be it remembered that on the 12th day of February aforesaid being the third judicial day of the aforesaid term of the court into open court

page 13

came John C Irvin and James Higenbottom the subscribing witnesses to the annexed will and testament of James Crawford who being duly sworn upon their oaths say that they saw the said James the testator sign and seal said will and heard him proclaim it to be his last will and testament and that they verily believe at the time of his doing the same he the said James was of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding and that they at that time subscribed their names as witnesses thereunto at his the said Testator request
John C Irvin
James Higginbottom

Sworn to and subscribed in open court this twelfth day of February AD one thousand eight hundred and thirty four

James Cunningham Clerk
by L Kenkennon Depty

Recorded the twelfth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty four.
James Cunningham Clerk of the
Probate Court of Warren County Indiana

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