Am I Wrong?

Investigating a Possible Crandall Connection at RootsTech 2025

If you’re attending RootsTech 2025, you’re likely familiar with the popular activity Relatives at RootsTech. As of this post, I have over 32,000 relatives identified through this tool! Each year, I enjoy scanning the list for close cousins or connections that might help extend my family research.

While browsing the connections by ancestor, one name stood out—Almira Nafus, my 3rd great-grandmother. Since Almira passed away before her husband, Lewis Crandall, remarried in 1846, I have very little information on her or Lewis, who died in 1852. This made me curious to see what other researchers might have uncovered about her.

A Curious Connection: Frederick Crandall

The first match I explored was a descendant of Frederick Crandall and Mary Mockerman. While I had Frederick in my records, I had identified him as the son of Carey Billings Crandall and Sally Shaw. The only documentation I have on Frederick is an 1850 census listing an 11-year-old Frederick in the household of Anna Crandall in Van Buren County, Iowa—alongside Jane, Salomer, John, Eliza, Eliz, and Lewis Crandall. This same record is linked to Lewis Crandall’s widow, Anna, and his other known children: Jane, Salome, John, Eliza, Elsie, and Lewis.

This raised an important research question: Was the Frederick Crandall who married Mary Mockerman in Eaton County, Michigan, in 1880 actually the son of Lewis Crandall?

Investigating the DNA and Migration Patterns

Since Mockerman is a unique surname in my research, I decided to check my DNA matches for anyone with the Mockerman name in their tree—possibly indicating a relationship between Lewis Crandall and this Frederick. The search came up negative.

Even though the Crandall family was in Van Buren County, Iowa, in 1850, it wouldn’t be unusual for a child to later appear in Eaton County, Michigan. My 2nd great-grandmother, Salome Crandall, married Thurston Wells in Van Buren County, Iowa, and they later moved to Eaton County, Michigan, where Thurston’s mother and siblings lived. However, I found no record confirming that a Frederick Crandall from Van Buren County, Iowa, moved to Michigan.

Probate Records: A Key Discovery

To clarify Frederick’s parentage, I reviewed probate records for Lewis Crandall—and made a key discovery.

A son named Frederick is NOT mentioned in these records. Since the 1850 census lists Frederick as an 11-year-old, he should have been recorded as a minor child in probate records from 1856. Instead, the probate records name a child called Freelove Crandall. Interestingly, the guardian records list the children in the same order as the 1850 census—but with Freelove instead of Frederick.

Additionally, an 1862 deed records that Thomas C. Dodson purchased the undivided interests of Lewis Crandall’s minor heirs:

• John N. Crandall
• Eliza Ann Crandall
• Elsey Crandall
• Lewis Crandall, Jr.

In a separate deed, Freelove Crandall sold her undivided seventh share to Thomas C. Dodson.

Final Conclusion and Next Steps

Based on probate records and land deeds, I do not believe Lewis Crandall had a son named Frederick. This suggests that I was correct in not linking Frederick Crandall, husband of Mary Mockerman, as a son of Lewis Crandall.

However, further research is still needed to fully confirm or disprove this hypothesis. Additional sources, such as court records or local histories, may help provide further clarity on Frederick’s true parentage.

RootsTech always provides an exciting opportunity to challenge assumptions, explore new connections, and refine family history research—and this case is a perfect example of that!

SOURCES:

1846 Marriage Record: Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934,” FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : Van Buren County, Iowa, viewed online (12 November 2023), Lewis Crandall / Anna Tuttle.Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934,” FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : Van Buren County, Iowa, viewed online (12 November 2023), Lewis Crandall / Anna Tuttle.

1850 Census: 1850 U.S. Census, Van Buren County, Iowa, population schedule, Washington Township, Van Buren County, Iowa, page 263 (stamped), Image 14 of 26, family 95, Anna Crandall; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 3 October 2022); NARA microfilm publication M432

1855 Sale of land by Freelove Crandall to Thomas Dodson: Iowa, Van Buren. Deed Records, lands and lots, 1837-1903. Film #967297 DGS 8584530. Freelove Crandall, April 1855; Book 3: page 207; Digitized images, FamilySearch http://www.familysearch.org : viewed online April 2022.

1856 Court Guardian Record: Iowa, Van Buren. Probate Record, Vol. E-F, 1854-1860. Film #967595 DGS 7591599. Lewis Crandall, 8 Apr 1856; Vol. E: page 451; Digitized images, FamilySearch http://www.familysearch.org : viewed online April 2022.

1858 Sale of Land by Minor Children to Thomas Dodson: Iowa, Van Buren. Probate Record, Vol. E-F, 1854-1860. Film #967595 DGS 7591599. Lewis Crandall, 1 Apr 1858; Vol F: page 260; Digitized images, FamilySearch http://www.familysearch.org : viewed online April 2022.