Deed Crawford to Kinson

I found the following deed in Barren County for a James Crawford and his wife, Patsy. This James Crawford was living in Montgomery County, Ohio in 1806. I currently do not know anything about this James Crawford.

Vols. Before A 1798-1807 Vol. A 1799-1899
FS Film 209719 DGS 7899149

Vol. A page 277 Image 270

Page 277
Crawford to Kinson

Locked FamilySearch Update

Are you using the county records on Family Search? If so, have you figured out the levels of access? Well, I thought I had until a couple of weeks ago. That's when I discovered a 4th level that isn't obvious from the icons.

In review, there are three icons that indicate where/how the microfilm records can be viewed. One of those is a microfilm reel.

The 'reel' icon indicates that the record was microfilmed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and is available for viewing at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

The second icon is the camera.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

For this week's mission (should you decide to accept it), answer the question:

1)  Have you done a good job of citing your sources in your genealogy management program or online family tree?  How are you doing?  How many source citations do you have, and how many people are in your tree?  What is the sources to persons ratio?

2)  Which master source (e.g., 1900 U.S. census, Find A Grave, specific book, etc.) do you have the most citations for?  How many?  How did you figure this out?

3)  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment on this blog post, or in a post on Facebook.

Randy Seaver provides another interesting challenge thru his 'Saturday Night Genealogy Fun' to look at my genealogy data in a different way.

Since I use RootsMagic, I thought I'd show how I'm getting the answers to these questions as well as answer them.

Will David Crawford of Barren County, Kentucky

One of the tasks handed me during my 'Brick Wall' Consultation was to review all of my data and document the elimination of individuals as potential fathers to James Crawford (1772-1854) of Preble County, Ohio.

Thus, I'm digging thru both my memory and my files. My memory was telling me that I had found a will for a Crawford in Barren County, Kentucky that eliminated this person as a father to James. Digging thru my files, I found some handwritten notes about a will in Barren County, Kentucky.

Connections

Do you have 'genealogy buddies' that you exchange research with? Do you write letters, post on mailing lists or message boards or in any other way make connections with others researching your family tree? Do you belong to a local, regional or national genealogy society?

If your answer to any of these questions is 'No' then I encourage you to write those letters, messages and posts and to join a local organization and meet their members. It has been my experience that some of my best breakthroughs have not come from my own isolated research, but from the help of others.

When I started researching my family, I was dependent on the U.S. mail to connect me with other researchers. Several times a year, a new edition of Everton's Genealogical Helper (searchable at MyHeritage) would arrive. I would sit and study that magazine looking for anyone researching any of my surnames. When found, I would send off a letter to see if we might connect. Occasionally, I would pay for my own 'advertisement' listing my surnames and locations. Either way, I waited anxiously for responses to those letters and advertisements.

When email entered the picture, mailing lists, such as those hosted by RootsWeb, became the 'go-to' resource for contacting other researchers. I could send my message to the list and wait to see if anyone would respond. Message boards on Genealogy.com and Ancestry.com entered the picture shortly after that and became a popular way to post queries seeking answers. Facebook groups seems to be replacing the message boards and mailing lists. Thankfully, Katherine Wilson maintains a list of these groups so that we can find them and connect with other genealogists.

The methods used to connect have changed over time, but the value of these connections hasn't.

One of my first 'genealogy buddies' was Walter Salts of Warren County, Indiana. My Crawford family migrated from Warren County to Dodge City, Kansas. Thus, I had Crawford and Foster ties in Warren County. I would send Walter a question and he would send me back a packet of information that usually involved at least a few newspaper clippings.

I 'met' another genealogy buddy thru e-mail. Sandy Kuchenreuther was researching her Currey family in Oregon and Washington. I was researching my ancestor, Hiram Currey of Leavenworth and trying to prove that he was the grandson of Hiram M. Currey, treasurer of Ohio in 1819. Thus, I was trying to prove my way into Sandy's family. Anytime we would find something, we would share it. I remember our emails back and forth over an obituary claiming her relative was buried in Oregon. We both tried to track down the burial location to no avail -- until one of us realized that there was an Oregon, Missouri. Once we made that connection, it was simple to find the burial and lots more information on that branch of the family.

I will be spending tomorrow with several of my genealogy buddies at the Topeka Genealogical Society. Each month, TGS hosts a DNA and a Brick Wall study group. Not only can I learn from the presentations but I can learn from the conversations. It is these conversations that spur me on to look for new resources or new genealogy buddies.

My participation in these study groups provided the incentive to apply for a 'Brick Wall' Consultation at the recent TGS conference and to register for that conference. Needless to say, I was thrilled to have been selected for one of four 'Brick Wall' Consultations.

Since applying for this consultation, I have been reviewing my research, searching for more documents and evaluating my findings. From this process, I have a new theory that I might have SELLERS ancestry. During my consultation last Friday, I was encouraged to continue this review process and expand it. I was also encouraged to reach out to other researchers, make connections and collaborate.

On Friday evening, I started applying some of the suggestions from my consultation. As I was doing this, I kept thinking about my new SELLERS theory. Remembering that I had met a TGS member in the past who was a SELLERS descendant, I decided to try and find her research. When I found her son's tree on Ancestry, I was amazed to see that their Sellers brick wall ancestor died in Warren County, Indiana - the same county my Crawford family migrated to Kansas from.

Since I knew that this Sellers descendant was attending the TGS Conference, I decided to visit with him on Saturday. Even though neither one of us can connect our research to the other's, I learned something very valuable from him. He told me where the Walter Salts collection of papers is housed!

During the final session of the conference, Michael J. Hall reviewed several of the features of Family Search. One of those features was the Family Search Community, which I need to investigate further.

Based on the recommendations from my consultation with Michael J. Hall and my experiences this weekend, I am going to do more to CONNECT and COLLABORATE by

• Sending emails to local libraries, historical and genealogical societies to see if they have any letters, diaries or other sources to help me in my Crawford research
• Submitting queries to Ancestry Message boards and the FamilySearch Community Groups
• Contacting other researchers 
• Maintaining current memberships in genealogical societies and possibly join other societies in the communities where I am researching

I'm looking forward to making new CONNECTIONS. 

Won't you join me?

PRIVILEGED!

I had the privilege of doing a brick wall consultation with Michael J.Hall, Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer at Family Search this afternoon as part of the Topeka Genealogical Society Conference!

I submitted my research for the parents of James Crawford of Preble County, Ohio and the associated same name issues as my brick wall.

The primary suggestion Mr. Hall had was to use "indirect evidence". Other suggestions included

Sellers Mystery

Have you ever seen names on documents and wondered how they fit into your tree? That's my situation right now with the SELLERS family!

My ancestor, James Crawford, married Sally Duggins in Garrard County, Kentucky in 1799. James Sellers signed the bond and was one of the parties named in the bond.

Know all men by these presents that
we Jams Crawford and James Sellers are
hito and firmly bound unto James Garrard
Esqr Governor of Kentucky in the just and
full sum of fifty pounds current money
to which payment will and trust to be
made we bind ourselves our heirs [so] jointly
and surrally firmly by these presents seald and
dated this 12th day of Sept 1799
Th eCondition of the above obligation
is such that whereas there is a marriage shortly
into to be solemnized between the above bound
James Crawford and Sally Duggins for 
which a licenses has issued now if there 
be no lawful cause to obstruct the sd
marriage then the above obligation so
be void. Else to remain in full force and 
virtue
James Crawford (seal)
James Sellers (seal)