Isaac Crawford Deed Bartholomew County

Section 13 Township 9 North Range 5 East

Bartholomew County Indiana
Deeds 1822-1887

Deeds Vol. A, 1822-1827
FamilySearch Film 1301775 item 2, DGS 8059756
Starts on page 337 - image 186

Page 337

Missing Child

Do you ever feel like you are going in circles when it comes to records? That's how I'm feeling with my research of Isaac Crawford whom I believe to be the son of James and Rebecca (Anderson) Crawford.

I recently found an obituary for George Whitley Crawford who died in 1889 in Gentry County, Missouri. According to the obituary in the 20 Sept 1889 issue of the Albany Ledger of Albany Missouri, George was born in Bartholomew County, Indiana.

The biography of George W. Crawford, found on page 421 of The History of Gentry and Worth Counties, Missouri (St. Joseph, Missouri: National Historical Co., 1882), provides some more information about George's early life.

Mr. Crawford the son of Isaac and Nancy (Miller) Crawford, both Kentuckians by birth.
During his infancy his parents died, and he was reared by his grand
parents. At the age of two years he was taken to Garrard County, Ken-
tucky, where he remained until ten years of age. In 1833, he moved
to Clay County, Missouri, continuing to reside there until about the year
1838, when he came to Gentry County.

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.