Do you ever get confused looking at a family on the FamilySearch tree, wondering how one woman could possibly be the mother of two different sets of children born in overlapping years? That’s exactly the dilemma I ran into while continuing my CRAWFORD research.
On FamilySearch, Rebecca Anderson [LZ6S-RWZ], wife of James Crawford, was also shown married to John Thomas Maxwell [GX24-T1M]. According to the tree, Rebecca supposedly had children with James Crawford between 1780 and 1804, and children with John Thomas Maxwell between 1778 and 1798. Clearly, something wasn’t right.
The confusion grows when you realize that Rebecca Anderson actually did marry a John Maxwell before her marriage to James Crawford. The problem? That John Maxwell died before 1779.
The Maxwell History and Genealogy Account
The book Maxwell History and Genealogy outlines Rebecca Anderson’s family clearly:
- Rebecca Anderson first married Rusty John Maxwell.
- She married second, James Crawford.
Their children included: John Maxwell, William Crawford, James Crawford (who married Lucy Vawter), Isaac Crawford, Ann Crawford (married Robin Creaths), Jane Crawford (married David Hall), Cynthia Crawford (married John Crafton), Polly Crawford (b. 1786, married William Brown Guthrie), and Elizabeth Crawford (b. 1792, married Beverly Vawter).
This matches the expected timeline: John Maxwell died before 1779, after which Rebecca married James Crawford and raised their family.
Documentary Evidence of John Maxwell’s Death
A full-text search of Montgomery County, Virginia, records confirmed the details. In March 1779, Rebecca Maxwell was appointed administrator of John Maxwell’s estate, alongside Bazwell Maxwell.
“Administration of the Estate of John Maxwell is granted to Rebecca Maxwell & Bazwell Maxwell, who entered into Bond & Security according to Law…”
— Montgomery County, Virginia Court Order Book, 1779 [FamilySearch, image 17 of 94; IGN 007897248]
The corresponding bond, signed March 2, 1779, by Rebecca Maxwell, Bazwell Maxwell, Patrick Campbell, and Robert Buchanan, further proves that her first husband John Maxwell had indeed died by that date.
Correcting the FamilySearch Tree
Armed with this evidence, I corrected the FamilySearch entries:
- Undid the merge of John Thomas Maxwell (1751–1802) [GX24-T1M] and John Maxwell (1753–1779) [PMTV-2V3].
- Removed Rebecca Anderson from the family of John Thomas Maxwell.
- Attached the Montgomery County court records to John Maxwell (1753–1779) to document his death.
While it’s certainly possible that John Thomas Maxwell (1751–1802) was married to an Anderson, no attached sources supported his wife being Rebecca Anderson, daughter of John Anderson of Fort Boonesborough.
A Hope for Clarity
By restoring the correct relationships and attaching original records, I hope this will prevent future confusion and stop these two unrelated Maxwell families from being merged together again. Genealogy is always stronger when we rely on the records—and in this case, they make Rebecca Anderson’s story much clearer.
Glad you were able to find supporting evidence to correct the FSFT entries… I have one ancestor for whom I’ve yet to find the evidence I need to separate her from her cousin of the same name and about the same age – the two have been conflated on the tree, showing one person married to two men at the same time and having children in the same year. For now, I’ve left it alone even though I know it’s wrong.
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