Do you have any nagging questions about relationships in your genealogy research?
I certainly do — and one of my biggest is whether Mary (who married James Sellers) and Sarah (who married William Sellers) Crawford could be sisters of my ancestor James Crawford (1772–1854), instead of sisters of the James Crawford (1770–1833) who married Martha Knight.
In 1791, Rebekah Crawford, guardian of Mary Crawford, gave permission for Mary to marry James Sellers. This affidavit was witnessed by James Crawford and William Sellers and was recorded in Lincoln County, Kentucky. At the time, Rebekah owned land on the dividing ridge between Boons Mill Creek and Sugar Creek, an area now part of Garrard County.
In 1793, James Crawford married Martha Knight in Lincoln County. Martha’s guardian, John Goodpastor, gave permission for the marriage, with James Sellers and Samuel Sellers as witnesses.
Then, in 1796, Rebekah Crawford again gave consent, this time for the marriage of Sarah Crawford to William Sellers. This affidavit was witnessed by James Crawford and James Sellers.
In 1799, another James Crawford married Sally Duggins (widow of Alexander Duggins) in Garrard County, with James Sellers serving as guarantor on the marriage bond.
By 1816, William Sellers received a land patent in Preble County, Ohio, as a tenant in common with James Crawford. Ohio land records confirm that this James Crawford was the one married to Sally Duggins.
Here’s where it gets more complicated:
- The two James Crawfords were only about two years apart in age.
- They owned adjacent land in Preble County, Ohio.
- Their descendants migrated to the same regions for over 100 years.
Based on the marriage affidavits, Mary and Sarah Crawford have long been believed to be daughters of Rebekah Crawford, along with the James Crawford who married Martha Knight. Rebekah’s husband — and presumed father of these children — is believed to be John Crawford, brother of James Crawford who owned land on Paint Lick Creek. BigY DNA results support this interpretation.
However, my ancestor James Crawford (who married Sally Duggins) and the James Crawford married to Martha Knight cannot be brothers, given their similar ages. According to the Crawford DNA project administrator, BigY results also do not support them being first cousins.
This raises a big question: Why do I have numerous DNA matches who descend from James Sellers or William Sellers? Could Mary and Sarah actually be sisters of my James Crawford rather than of the James married to Martha Knight? (If so, our common ancestor would be eight generations back.)
With no clear documentary evidence to distinguish between the two James Crawfords in Kentucky, I decided to try an unconventional approach. I temporarily added Sarah and Mary as sisters to my James Crawford in my tree and assigned John Crawford (1748–1779) as his father. Then, I let Ancestry’s ThruLines work its magic.
To my surprise, ThruLines didn’t just identify descendants of Mary Crawford Sellers and Sarah Crawford Sellers in my match list — it also found descendants of James Crawford and Martha Knight among my DNA matches!
While pinpointing the exact common ancestor may remain challenging, these matches provide valuable clues. They can help me identify other connected matches and may offer hints about where to search for additional records to untangle this mystery.
Conclusion
Exploring these DNA connections has opened new possibilities and raised even more questions about the Crawford and Sellers families. While I may not have all the answers yet, each new clue brings me closer to understanding these relationships. I look forward to continuing this journey, and I welcome insights or suggestions from anyone researching these lines. Together, we might finally unravel this long-standing mystery.