Have you ever gone after a deed for an ancestor of an in-law? I have to admit that looking for such deeds is not my normal mode of operation. However, I’m trying to prove that Jones Crawford (1856-1925) is the great grandson of Alexander Crawford and Margaret McElwee.
Since I found a 4 year old ‘James’ Crawford living in the John Fish household in 1860 in Lincoln County, Kentucky, I decided to look at land records to see if I could prove a relationship between John Fish and ‘James’ (Jones) Crawford. Since these deeds aren’t available thru FamilySearch, I wrote to the County Clerk to get copies of some of the deeds for John Fish.
I recently recieved a packet of deeds and the first one I transcribed identifies many of the heirs of John Fish, including some Crawford children. Below is a list of descendants of John Fish as found on the FamilySearch tree.
John Fish and Mary Hiatt
- Almyria Fish (1811-1883) md James Jefferson Stigall
- John Fish (1813-?
- Almina Fish (1816-1868) md George W. Miller
- Alvina Miller (1832-?)
- Mary Miller (1836-1915) md Addison Maret
- Walter Miller (1837-?)
- Amstead Miller (1838-?)
- John L. Miller (1840-1864)
- George Washington Miller (1842-1903) md Mary Carson
- James F Miller (1844-1860)
- William Miller (1846-?)
- Belle Miller (1848-?)
- Alvina Fish (1818-1887) md Francis West
- James Fish
- Almira Fish (1828-1887) md Bowen Gover
- Jack FIsh (1830)
- Mary Fish (1833-1862) md Jones Crawford
- John Crawford (1854-?)
- Jones A. Crawford (1856-1925)
- Mary Mollie Crawford (1861-1901)
Not only does this deed identify the three children of Mary Fish and Jones Crawford, it identifies a fourth child: Alex Crawford.
While this deed is a major start in proving the family of Jones Crawford and Mary Fish, it is just a start.
Lincoln County Kentucky
Deed Book 6
pages 320-322Obtained from Lincoln County Clerk
301 North 3rd St.
Stanford, KY 40484
Jan 2024This deed of partition made and entered into this
first day of February 1869 between Mary Fish [LJBM-YN1] widow
and the following named persons as heirs of Jno
Fish decd to wit James Fish [94BJ-JG7] John Fish [2Z4D-2XD] Alvera
West [Alvina 2Z4d-K1X] J J Stigall and Almira Stigall [Almyria 2S42-J6R] his wife B G
Gover and Elmira Gover [Almira LJ1D-M2L] his wife George W Miller [KHLS-P92] Belle
Miller [GZQ3-7T2] William Miller [LJB9-97M] David Carson [unknown] Adam Marit
and Mary Marit [Mary Miller LZG3-GWR] his wife grantors by J W Alcorn Comr of
the Lincoln County Court appointed to convey for & on
their behalf and Jones Crawford [LZPC-WCF] John Crawford [9WMG-YCY] Mary
Crawford [LBHD-8F9] & Alex Crawford [Unknown] children & heirs at law of Mary
Crawford desc a daughter of John Fish decd grantors
witnesseth that whereas the widow and a potion of the
heirs of John Fish decd heretofore filed in the Lincoln
County Court their petition against the other heirs of
said decedent asking an allotment of dower & division of
the lands of decedent among the parties entitle thereto and
such allottment and division having been made and
confirmed J W Alcorn was at the January term 1869 of
said court appointed a [comr] to make deeds o partition
among the parties and convey to each party in securaty
the portion of said lands so alloted to them in said
division and lots No one (1) and Eleven (11) havingmissing lines
page 321
[?] was therefore in consideration of the
premises [] obediance to the order of Court [aford]
the said Comr does by these presents convey release and
set over to said grantors their heirs &c forever all of the
right title interest and claim of the grantors afsd
as heirs of John Fish desd in and to said lots one and
[eleven] afrd which lots & lies in Lincoln COunty Kentucky
and are bounded as follows to wit Lot No 1 is bounded
thus beginning at a fallen hickory and stone it being
Englishes beginning corner and corner now to Fishes heirs
Kissinger and last corner to outside survey thence with
the outside line N 43 3/4 W 78.4 poles to a stone in said
line thence S 46 1/4 W 98 poles to a stake in the dower
line crossing the River thence up the river with the
dower line S 70 3/4 E 39.34 poles to a stake S 11 1/2 E 14.44
poles to a stake S 75 1/4 E 26 poles to a stake thence N 49 1/2
E 21.32 poles to a stake thence S 78 1/2 E 10.2 poles to a stake
in the outside line in the bank of the river thence
with the outside line N 44 1/2 E 4652 poles crossing the
river at five poles to the beginning containing forty
(40) acres of land Lot No 11 is bounded as follows
Beginning at a stake with three black oaks and a
White oaks sappling [?] on top of a ridge corner
to No 10 thence with a line of NO 10 S 43 1/2 E 61 poles to a stake
in Renfro’s line corner to NO 10 thence with Renfroes’ line S 47
W 26.24 poles to a stake in said line with a white and
Black oak and dogwood [?] thence N 43 1/2 W 61 poles
to a stake with a gum and hickory [?] in Elmore’s
line thence with same N 47 E 26.24 poles to the beginning
containing ten (10) acres of land.
To have and to hold said two lots of land unto the
said grantee their heirs &c forever free from any and
all claims or claims of the grantors heirs or heirs
of John Fish Decd
In testimony whereof said comr has hereunto subscribed
his name the day and date first above written.
W Alcorn Comrpage 322
State of Kentucky
Lincoln CountyJ R Carson clerk of the county
court for the county afsd certify that this deed
from John Fish’s heirs by Comr to Mary Crawford
was produced in court by said Comr and acknowl
eged by him to be his act & deed & was examined and
approved by the Court and ordered to record which
is truly done in my office in deed Book NO
6 on page 320
Witness my hand this 18 day of May 1870
R Carson Clk