Honoring the Veterans in My Family

Anyone who has lived in Emporia, Kansas realizes that Veteran's Day is a MAJOR holiday. Today, we take time to honor those who have served and who are serving. Thus, I would like to take a walk thru my family tree to honor my veteran ancestors.

World War II

Eugene Crawford

Between 15 Feb 1945 and 1 Aug 1946, Eugene served at the Naval Training Center in Gulfport, Mississippi and at the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois. He shipped out on the USS Oneida (APA-221) towards the end of the War in the Pacific as seaman 1st class in the U.S. Naval Reserves. He received the Victory Medal and the American Campaign Medal.

Crawford Pioneer Dies

Warren County Pioneer Is Dead

Mrs. Margaret Robb Passes Away at 94; Entire Life Spen in West Lebanon Vicinity

West Lebanon, Ind. April 21
(Special) -- Mrs. Margaret Robb, said to have been Warren county's oldest resident, died yesterday at her home here at the age of 94 years. She observed her birthday last Friday and on the preceding Sunday relatives and friends arranged a birthday party in her honor.
Mrs. Robb was born April 18, 1836, three miles south of West Lebanon, on the farm where her brother, George W. Crawford, 83, now resides. It was entered by her father in 1838. The brother is the sole surviving member of a family of 11 children. The parents were William and Leutitia Crawford, pioneers of the county. Mrs. Robb had been a member of the Christian Church for nearly 80 years and was the teacher of the beginners' class in the Sunday school for 40 years. She was formerly president of the Aid society.
In 1836 she married Bolivar Robb who died in 1913. Besides her brother she leaves many nieces and nephews. The funeral will be held at the Christian church Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock, Rev. Louis Hotelling officiating. Burial in West Lebanon cemetery.

Celinda Margaret Lydia Crawford was the daughter of William and Lutitia (Snodgrass) Crawford and granddaughter of James and Martha (Knight) Crawford.

Configuring Crawford FAN Club in My Tree

Do you have 'floating' or 'orphan' trees in your Ancestry tree? I know that I do have 'floaters' in my tree. I recently watched a Genealogy TV video by Constance Knox on how to make connections to link some of those 'floaters' to my big tree.

Today, I decided to get this set up for some of the members of my Crawford FAN Club:

• Nathan Sellers
• James Crawford (wife Elizabeth Vansant)
• Alexander Crawford (wife Mary McPheeters)
• James Crawford (wife Rebecca Anderson)
• James Crawford (wife Rebecca McPheeters)
• James Crawford (wife Martha Knight)
• Alexander Moore (wife Mary Crawford)
• Alexander Duggins (wife Sally Smith -- who married James Crawford)
• John Anderson (father of Rebecca Anderson Crawford)
• Bazeleel Maxwell (brother-in-law of James Crawford/Rebecca Anderson)
• Alexander Crawford (wife Margaret McElwee)
• Absalom Adams (grandfather of Margaret McElwee)
• James Crawford (wife Sally Duggins) -- MY ANCESTOR
• Edward Crawford - yDNA connection
• Jacob Miller - father of Nancy / father-in-law of Isaac Crawford

Fabulous Find

Do you use Ancestry.com in your genealogy research? If so, have you checked out one of their newest sources of shaky leaf hints: Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current? Randy Searver's instructions on how to access just the hints from this one source in his Using the 'Mining Ancestry.com Hints from a Specific Collection' Tool makes it easy to pull these hints. 

Shhh! It's a Secret!

As a genealogist, do you do most of your research online? I have to admit that I tend to concentrate on sources that are online and don't take the time to see what I'm missing by relying on online sources.

Since I happen to live a few hours from the Midwest Genealogy Center and since my husband is also hooked on the genealogy habit, we try to visit this fabulous genealogy library at least once a year. Usually, my pre-trip plans center around creating a list of localities I want to research and not a specific list of sources.

This time, I had a book that I wanted to find: Descendants of Alexander and Mary McPheeters Crawford. According to WorldCat, this book was supposed be in the collection at the Midwest Genealogy Center. However, it wasn't listed in their catalog. Thus, I knew I would need to ask for help to verify that they did not have the book.

I am SO GLAD I asked for help! The librarian verified that the print copy of the book was missing. However, she didn't stop there. In our conversation, I told her that there was a copy on microfiche at the Family History Library. She immediately looked the book up on FamilySearch and then with some computer magic, told me they had the book on microfiche!

Not only did they have this book, but they had drawers full of microfiche and microfilm from the Family History Library.

John S Crafton Deed

FamilySearch
Bartholomew County, Indiana
Deeds, Vols. W (cont.) - X (to p.651), 1856-1858
FamilySearch Film 1301899 DGS 8059780

This is likely, John S. Crafton [KP3G-WHX], grandson of James and Rebecca Crawford.

Book W page 519 - Crafton Jno S heir

Possible Distant Cousins

Have you tested your DNA? If so, have you been able to break through a brick wall using your DNA results?

My main purpose for testing my DNA was to learn more about my Crawford ancestry. Since I already have identified my 4th great grandfather on my Crawford line, I was hoping to identify his siblings and parents via DNA. So far, my results have not helped me get thru that brick wall.

However, there is one DNA test that has puzzled me for quite some time. This is the sole test that shows up when I search my matches for ancestors born in Garrard County, Kentucky: i******. I share 23 cM across 2 segments with i****** and one of my brothers shares 24 cM across 2 segments with i******.

When I looked at shared matches with i******, I found two other matches that appear to have the same common ancestors: Isaac Crawford and Nancy Miller. In looking at matches shared with these two other matches, I discovered a fourth match who descends from a different Garrard County family.