Setting Goals

It's the new year and time for resolutions. Right? Or, if you are like me, you've given up on resolutions. I gave up on 'New Years Resolutions' quite a while ago. Like many people, one of the reasons I quit making resolutions was because I didn't keep them. However, looking back, I think another reason is that we perceive a 'New Year's Resolution' as a declaration to change something about our lives.

Instead of making resolutions to 'change,' I want to set goals for things I want to accomplish - particularly with my genealogy research. Before writing goals for 2020, I thought I'd look back at my previous goals to see how well I've done. 

And guess what - I would receive a failing grade for goal setting in 2019 because I can't find any goals for 2019. However, I did find that I wrote goals for 2018. 

• Get my tree indexed on Ancestry!
• Reduce number of shaky leaves on Ancestry
• Use RootsMagic's link to FamilySearch to add sources for my direct line ancestors
• Connect with cousins on Facebook by sharing family photos
• Blog about my ancestors 
• SCAN -- I still have some photo albums to scan
• Clean up files (sadly I have duplicates of some photos and others that need re-scanned)
• DNA -- update my spreadsheet of matches
• Finish doing visual phasing with my brother's DNA results and then hopefully add a cousin or two 
• Attend a genealogy conference 
• Participate in genealogy study groups and round-tables

With two years to accomplish these goals, one would hope that I could report progress. Even though I can report progress on some goals, I don't have any data to support progress on others and I've abandoned other goals.

In terms of progress, I can claim success for the following goals:

• My Heartland Genealogy tree on Ancestry is indexed and TreeShare with RootsMagic is working great.
• I have attended the Topeka Genealogical Society's conference
• Weather and schedule permitting, I have participated in the DNA Study Group and Brick Wall Study group sponsored by the Topeka Genealogy Society.
• Until recently taking a detour to work with Ancestry hints, I have been frequently blogging about my findings

Even though I think I've been successful with some of the other goals, I have no data to support my feeling of success. For example, I have no idea how many shaky leaves I had at the beginning of 2018, or the number of hints worked. 

In terms of adding sources to FamilySearch, I know I have added some sources. Even though I'm not responsible for adding all of the sources to the individuals in my tree, my tree is gradually turning 'orange' to reflect 10 or more sources for each ancestor.

Adams on Sugar Creek

Garrard County, Kentucky
Deeds 1787-1902; indexes, 1899-1960

Vol. C 1793-1796
Family Search DGS 183284 Film 008141322

Book C page 554 - image 291

This Indenture made this 6th day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety five Between Charles Bland of the County of Madison and State of Kentucky of the one part and Fethergill Adams of the state and County aforesaid of the other part witnesseth that for an inconsideration of the sum of one hundred and twenty pounds current money of the aforesaid state to him in hand paid by the said Fethergill Adams, the receipt whereof the said Charles Bland do hereby acknowledges and himself therewith fully satisfied and contented hath granted bargained sold aliened and confirmed and by these presents doth grant bargain sell alien and confirm unto the said Feathergill Adams one certain tract or parcell of land containing one hundreds and twenty six acres situate lying and being in the County of Madison and on the waters of Shugar Creek being the [apperend] of a seven hundred acre survey assigned to Walker Daniel by Green Glay and bounded as follows to wit Begining at three beech trees standing in Moses Dooley’s south and north line of his five hundred acre survey and on the west side of a small drain extending from thence south eighty one degrees east at thirty four poles crossing Jno Clarks road in all one hundred and ninety four poles to three beach trees standing in William McClures line thence

image 292 — Page 555

with his line south forty five degrees west two hundred and seventy poles to a Shugartree standing in the said Dooleys south and north line thence with sd Dooleys line north two hundred and eighteen poles to the Beginning with its appurtenances To have and to hold the said land and premises with every of its appurtenances unto the said Feathergill Adams and his heirs forever and the said Charles Bland for himself his heirs exors and admors the said tract of land and premises unto the said Feathergill Adams his heirs Exors and Admors shall and will warrante and defend against the claim of him the said Charles Bland his heirs executors and Administrators or from any other person or persons by or under him or them and against the claim of all and every other person or persons whatsoever In witness whereof the said Charles Bland for himself his heirs exors and Admors hath hereunto set his hand and affixed his seal the day and date above written.
Charles Bland (LS)
Phillis (her mark) Bland (LS)
Signed Sealed acknowledged
and delivered in presence of

At a court held for Madison County on Tuesday the 6th day of October 1795.
This Indenture was acknowledged by Charles Bland and Phillis his wife to be their act and deed she being first privately examined as the law Directs and relenquished her right of dower therein and ordered to be records.
Teste Will Irving MCC

Boonesborough Connection

Do you ever attempt to connect a genealogy line to a major historical event? I'm sure most genealogists with families in the United States have tried to connect ancestors to military records related to any of our major wars. 

With my early Kentucky research, one of my goals is to figure out when they arrived in Kentucky. Thus, I checked the list of "Early Settlers of Boonesborough" for my Crawford families and did not find them listed. 

As I've dug into these Crawford families, I've started looking at other family ties. One of those ties is to the John Anderson family. John's daughter, Rebecca, was married to James Crawford. Since I couldn't find documentation of James' arrival, I started looking for information for the arrival of Rebecca's siblings. 

Thanks to a 1798 Madison County Kentucky deed, Rebecca's father was identified as John Anderson and her siblings as the following:

• Samuel Campbell and Mary his wife
• Bez'l Maxwell and Margret his wife
• James Crawford and Rebecca his wife
• James Anderson and Hannah his wife
• John Gass and Anne his wife
• William M. Morris and Betsey his wife
• Isaac Anderson
• Samuel Anderson

Since Bazeleel Maxwell appears in many of the same records as James Crawford, I decided to try and learn more about this Anderson family. 

This took me back to Boonesborough -- where I found several Anderson family members on The Fort Boonesbourough Monument:

• Anderson, James - 1775
• Anderson, Jemima
• Anderson, John - 1780
• Anderson, Mary - married Captain John Kennedy
• Anderson, Nicholas

Besides the Anderson children, I found several of the spouses:

• Gass. John - 1775 -- s/o Capt. David Gass
• Morris, William
• Campbell, Samuel

Based on the names in the deed and the names at Boonesborough, it looks like John Anderson and several of his daughters were in Boonesborough. Missing from Boonesborough are sons Isaac and Samuel and daughters, Margret and Rebecca.

Since Rebecca Anderson was married to a sibling of Bazaleel Maxwell prior to her marriage to James Crawford, there is a strong family connection between Bazaleel Maxwell and James Crawford. Thus, I've been looking for Maxwell families when looking for my Crawford families. 

Thus, I found Bazaleel Maxwell listed on the tax list for Montgomery County, Virginia in 1782. (Kegley, Mary B., compiler and editor. Tax List of Montgomery County, Virginia, 1782. Roanoke, VA: Copy Cat, 1974.) 

Several Crawford families are also listed on this 1782 tax list, including Edward, James, a reference to the estate of John Crawford and Robert Crawford. 

So far, I don't have anything to prove that the James Crawford in the 1782 tax list is the James Crawford who married Rebecca Anderson. However, the fact that a James Crawford and a Bazaleel Maxwell are both listed on the 1782 tax lists is incentive to continue researching the Crawford family in Montgomery County, Virginia prior to 1786 when James Crawford purchased land in Kentucky.

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.

Honoring a Legend

Today, I learned of the passing of Cletus Suther. For those in the Seneca area, the Suther name is associated with lumber and building. However, in the Nemaha County genealogy world, Cletus' name is associated with cemeteries.

Before Find a Grave and before the Internet, there was Cletus' cemetery work. Living in Ohio, Cletus wanted to give back to his Nemaha County roots. Thus, he researched not just one but EVERY cemetery in Nemaha County. Cletus doggedly located the original record holder and transcribed those records into his cemetery notebooks. He then added obituary references for any and all that he could find. Those cemetery notebooks were then FREELY given to the Nemaha County Historical Society and the public libraries in the county.

This body of work was and still is an ENOURMOUS contribution to Nemaha County Genealogy. By using the original records, Cletus' notebooks contain information for burials with no tombstone.

Thank you Cletus for your dedicated work to compile cemetery information for Nemaha County and for your generosity in freely sharing your work.

Cletus Suther with NCHS President Anita Heiman

Cynthia Crawford Crafton

Cynthia Crawford was the child of  James Crawford and Rebecca Anderson Maxwell Crawford.

She was born about 1802.

Cynthia lived as a 50 year old female born in Kentucky who was listed as Cynthia Crafton in Clay Township, Decatur, Indiana, United States on 11 Sep 1850.³

Cynthia Crawford and John Crafton⁴ were married on 1 Apr 1823 in Jefferson, Indiana, United States.^2,5–11

John Crafton² was buried in 1836 at Nauvoo Cemetery in Milford, Decatur, Indiana, United States.¹²

He died on 12 Dec 1836.¹²