A Treasury Warrant for James Crawford
Today’s find from my Crawford files is a photocopy of a page from the book Land Entries for Madison County, Kentucky, 1780–1793. At first glance, this appeared to be just another Crawford reference. But as is often the case, a closer look revealed something more—it also included a member of my Crawford FAN club: Bezeleel Maxwell.
Below is my transcription of the entries for Bezeleel Maxwell and James Crawford:
June 28
Bezeleel Maxwell & John Downing [Downing?] enters 1000 acres of land upon two Treasury Warrants Nos. 9321 & 9319 lying on the deviding ridge between the waters of Paint Lick & Silver Creek joining James Douney’s & Campbell’s entry of 2000 acres on the south side and to extend up the said ridge for quantity and to include the Heads of both waters for the said quantity.
James Crawford & John Downing enters 600 acres of land upon a T. W. No 9324 to adjoin the said Downing’s former Entry of 875 acres made for William Campbell on the north east side of Sugar Creek and on the north & east side of said Entry and to extend north & east for the quantity to include a body of black oak woods for said quantity.
June 28
Bezeleel Maxwell & John Downing [Downing?] enters 500 acres of land upon a T. W. No 9317 to adjoin John Downing’s Survey of 300 acres on the Middle Fork of Sugar Creek on the lower or northwardly and to extend down northwardly to include the middle Fork of Sugar Creek for quantity.
Following the Trail
This seemingly simple find sent me down a familiar—and rewarding—research path.
I was able to locate images of these entries in two places:
- “Madison, Kentucky, United States records,” FamilySearch (image 13 of 70)
- Lincoln and Fayette County land entries, 1779–1817 (including May’s land entries)
From there, I turned to the Kentucky Land Office Index for Virginia Treasury Warrants. The warrants themselves—Nos. 9317, 9319, 9321, and 9324—were indexed, but notably, the “authorized patent” field was blank for each.
That absence raised an important question.
Continuing the search, I located the original warrant entry for James Crawford in the Virginia records:
- Registers, old treasury warrants, nos. 1–23087 (image 723 on FamilySearch)
A Description Worth Noting
Although I have not yet located a survey or patent for James Crawford’s 600 acres, the land description itself is intriguing.
The entry places the tract:
- On the northeast side of Sugar Creek
- Adjacent to an earlier 875-acre entry connected to William Campbell
- Near land associated with John Downing and Bezeleel Maxwell
This immediately caught my attention.
In my earlier research:
- Mary Crawford purchased land along Sugar Creek
- Rebekah Crawford acquired land on the headwaters of Sugar and Boones Creek
The clustering of these names and locations suggests a possible geographic—and perhaps familial—connection worth exploring further.
What Does the Missing Patent Mean?
The lack of an associated patent may indicate that:
- The land was never surveyed
- The claim was abandoned or reassigned
- Or the warrant was used elsewhere (a common occurrence)
In other words, James Crawford may never have taken legal ownership of this tract, despite the entry.
Why This Matters
Even without a final patent, this record is far from insignificant.
It:
- Places James Crawford in a specific time and place (Madison County, 1780s)
- Connects him to known FAN club members like Bezeleel Maxwell and John Downing
- Provides geographic clues tied to other Crawford-associated land
And perhaps most importantly—it opens new avenues for research.
Sometimes the value of a record isn’t in what it confirms, but in the questions it raises.