Which James Is the Son of Alexander?

Do you ever look at someone else's tree? Do you trust other trees? Do the number of sources attached to the tree matter? Do you trust Ancestry public member trees more than the global tree on FamilySearch?

For the most part, I look at trees and I use them for hints. I prefer trees with sources other than other trees but will look at any tree that seems to match what I know about a family. I also use the tree on FamilySearch for hints.

Recently, I've been frustrated when looking at trees for any of the James Crawford families with roots in early Kentucky. For some reason, many of them seem to lead back to Alexander Crawford and Mary McPheeters as parents.

To see if my impression was wrong, I decided to do a search of Ancestry's public member trees for a James Crawford with parents of Alexander Crawford and Mary McPheeters. My search turned up 50 trees.

Assuming I counted correctly, I found the following:

• 12 trees showing a James Crawford who died in 1803 in Fayette County, KY
• 3 trees showing a James Crawford born in 1752 and dying in 1753
• 3 trees showing a James Crawford who married Jean and died in 1791
• 1 tree showing a James Crawford who married a Llewellyn and died in 1847
• 9 trees showing a James Crawford who married Rebecca Anderson and died in 1836
• 1 tree showing a James Crawford who married a Vansandt and died in 1836
• 6 trees showing a James Crawford who married a Frazier and died in 1811
• 2 trees showing a James Crawford born in 1748
• 3 trees showing a James Crawford born in 1735 and dying in 1825

Working with Land Records

Have you discovered all of the resources available on the FamilySearch website? If so, then you know how they can provide that little 'nugget' of information that leads to major breakthroughs in one's genealogical research. If not, then you are missing out on some very valuable resources.

My favorite group of sources is the land records. As a U.S. researcher whose various family lines moved across the country, these records help me place someone in a specific time and place and sometimes help me connect family members.

When I login to FamilySearch (accounts are free), the menu gives me several options. The Wiki is a fantastic resource to learn about records available in a community. I often use the Wiki, but the Catalog is my 'go to' resource.

On the CATALOG screen, I type in the name of the county and then select the one I wish to work with from the suggested list.

James A. Crawford's Move to Texas

James A. Crawford, who is right
close to the oldest settler of Gentry
county, is preparing to remove
from the county and take up his
residence with his son in Texas.

George Crawford Obituary

Sudden Death of Geo. W. Crawford
At his home near Gentryville, on
Tuesday night, September 17th, Geo.
W. Crawford died suddenly. He ate
a hearty supper and went to be feel-
ing as well as usual. The next morn-
ing he was cold in death, and it is sup-
posed he died of heart disease.

William Brown Guthrie

William Brown Guthrie^1–2 was born on 12 Nov 1786.^1,3 He was the child of Jane Carnes and James Guthrie.⁴

     He was the parent of James Walkup Guthrie.⁵ William was the parent of Anderson Crawford Guthrie.^4–5 He lived in Rifleman, Clark, Indiana Territory, United States in 1812.⁶ He served in the military about 1812.⁷

     William filed land entry papers for the Southwest quarter of Section 21 of township 4N of Range 10E on 13 May 1815 in Jeffersonville, Clark, Indiana Territory.⁸ He  sold land being the Southwest quarter of section twenty one township four North range  ten East on 1 Jun 1822 in Jefferson, Indiana, United States.⁹ He filed land entry papers for land being the West fraction of the South West quarter of section thirty one in Township nineteen, north of Range on 20 Feb 1824 in Jeffersonville, Clark, Indiana, United States.¹⁰ William filed land entry papers for land being the East fraction of the South West quarter of section thirty one in Township nineteen North of Range three West in the District of Terre Haute and State of Indianan containing eighty acres on 20 Feb 1824 in Jeffersonville, Clark, Indiana, United States.¹¹ He has made full payment for the South East quarter of Section thirty six in township five North of Range ten East, containing one hundred and sixty acres on 7 Apr 1825 in Jeffersonville, Clark, Indiana, United States.¹² He  sold land being a portion of the SE quarter of section 36 on 5 Jan 1828 in Jefferson, Indiana, United States.¹³

Guthrie Patent

IN2880.019
Guthrie, Anderson C.
4/10/1848
Doc # 20167 - Indiana
Meridian - 2nd PM
Twp 6 N Range 9 E
W 1/2 SW 1/4 Section 35
Jennings County, IN

19
The United States of America
Certificate
No. 20167