Tracing an Ancestry Hint: Did James Crawford Really Appear in the 1937 NGS Quarterly?
Have you ever tried to trace an Ancestry.com database hint back to the original source? Did it lead where you hoped—or leave you scratching your head?
While researching a James Crawford from Augusta County, Virginia, I followed an Ancestry hint suggesting a record related to his immigration. The source listed in the database was:
U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s
Source annotation:
KING, FANNIE BAYLY (Mrs. W.W.). “Augusta County Early Settlers, Importations, 1739-1740.”
National Genealogical Society Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 2 (June 1937), pp. 46–50.
The record indicated James Crawford appeared in legal proceedings before the Orange County Court, where early settlers proved their importations to qualify for public land.
Curious, I located the full-text version of the 1937 NGS Quarterly on the National Genealogical Society’s website. At first glance, I saw entries for Patrick Crawford and Samuel Crawford, but no mention of a James Crawford.
To verify, I enlisted the help of ChatGPT to pull all Crawford-related entries from the article.
🧾 Crawford Mentions in “Augusta County Early Settlers, Importations, 1739–1740”
- July 24, 1740 (Wad. 38, 39)
Patrick Crawford proved importation for:
Ann, James, George, Margaret, and Mary ✳ This James may be a son or relative of Patrick. - June 26, 1740
William Johnston proved importation for:
Ann, Elizabeth, John, and Samuel Crawford ✳ Samuel Crawford is clearly identified, but no James.
Though a James is listed among Patrick Crawford’s dependents, there is no independent listing of a James Crawford proving importation himself.
👥 What About the FAN Club?
Since I’m also researching FAN club surnames (Friends, Associates, Neighbors) in Garrard County, Kentucky, I had ChatGPT check for the following surnames:
Anderson, Kennedy, Douglas, Feathergill, Adams, Maxwell, Gass, and Dooley.
✅ Found in Part One of the Article:
- Anderson, George (1740): wife Elizabeth, children William, Margaret, John, Frances
- Maxwell, John (1740): for self, Margaret, James, Joseph, Andrew, Robert
✅ Found in Part Two (“Early Settlers and Pre-Revolutionary Soldiers”):
- Anderson, Alexander Jr. – A soldier in actual service, writ dated 1761, judgment in 1765
❌ Not Found:
No mentions of Kennedy, Douglas, Feathergill, Adams, Gass, or Dooley in either portion of the article.
📌 Bottom Line
Even though Ancestry’s database pointed me to this article for James Crawford, the article itself doesn’t support that claim. There is no standalone James Crawford listed among the settlers who proved importation. The only mention is as a dependent under Patrick Crawford—insufficient to document an immigration or arrival date for James himself.
This is a great example of why it’s important to trace database hints back to the original source. What appears promising may turn out to be a false lead—or, in this case, only partially helpful.