Have you ever run across a little tiny clue that changes your entire thinking about family members?
Well, I may have run across just such a clue for my Crawford family members in early Lincoln County, Kentucky. In the 1783-1786 Court Order book for the Lincoln County Supreme Court of Kentucky (Family Search film 551323), I found mention of a deed for John and William Crawford on image 69.
Image 69
June the 18th 1785
Saturday the 18th day of June 1785
Present
The Same judges as yesterday
The Heirs of John McClelland plts
against
John and William Crawford Defts
Upon a Caveat
Ordered that the former order herein be set aside and that
the first be discontinued
So, who are John and William Crawford — and — are they the same as the John and William Crawfords I already have discovered in the area?
John Crawford
- listed on Lincoln County, KY tax lists for 1787, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792 and 1795
- patented 913 acres of land on Hanging Fork of Dick’s River
- Power of Attorney deeds suggest that John Crawford did not have children
William Crawford
- listed on the Garrard County, KY tax list for 1797
- Tax list indicates that William Crawford owned 180 acres of land originally patented to John Kennedy
William Crawford is believed to be the brother of James Crawford
- Listed on the Garrard County KY tax list for 1797
- Tax list indicates that James Crawford owned 146 acres of land on Paint Lick Creek
- Married to Rebecca Anderson Maxwell
- Migrated to Indiana
Two Crawford widows, Rebekah and Mary, are also listed on these early tax lists. These widows are believed to be sister-in-laws to James and William of the Paint Lick area.
Based on previous research of the family, it has been theorized that Rebekah’s husband was John Crawford – and possibly the John Crawford that died in 1779 in Montgomery County, Virginia.
If the William Crawford in this court document is the same William Crawford shown on tax lists with land along the Paint Lick Creek, then it is possible that the John Crawford in this court document is his brother. This would mean that Rebekah Crawford’s husband was not John Crawford, brother of William and James.
There are a lot of ‘IFs’ here and more documentation is needed, but at this time, I believe that John Crawford of Hanging Fork in Lincoln County may be the brother of James and William Crawford.