Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:
It’s Saturday Night again –
Time for some more Genealogy Fun!!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to:
1) If you could go back in time to interview one of your ancestors, what questions would you ask him or her? Tell us your selected ancestor’s name, their birth and death years/locations, and their spouse’s name and marriage date/location. List at least five questions to ask that selected ancestor.
When I think about which ancestor I’d most like to interview, my mind immediately goes to James Crawford (1772–1854), my brick-wall ancestor whose life still holds many unanswered questions. He lived in both Kentucky and Ohio, married Sally Duggins in 1799, and raised a family—but the details of his origins, connections, and relationships with other Crawford families remain elusive. If I had the chance to sit across the table from him, I’d want to fill in the gaps that records have left behind and finally untangle the web of Crawfords who lived along Paint Lick Creek in Garrard County and later in Preble County, Ohio.
If I could go back in time and sit down with my ancestor, James Crawford, I would have a long list of questions for him. His life touches on so many unanswered mysteries in my research, and his answers could help me sort out multiple Crawford families who lived in Kentucky and later in Ohio.
Questions I Would Ask James Crawford:
- Where were you born, and who were your parents?
- When, where, and how did you meet your wife, Sally Duggins?
- Did you serve in the military? If so, which unit did you join, when and where did you serve, and were you involved in any battles?
- Are you connected to these other Crawford families I’ve discovered in the records?
- James Crawford (wife Rebecca), who owned land on Paint Lick Creek in Garrard County, Kentucky.
- James Crawford (wife Mary), who owned land adjoining yours in Preble County, Ohio.
- Rebekah Crawford, who owned land at the southern end of the Sugar Creek valley in Garrard County, Kentucky.
- Mary Crawford, who also owned land on Sugar Creek.
- William Sellers, with whom you purchased land in Preble County, Ohio.
How are you related to each of them?
- How did you travel from your birthplace to Garrard County, Kentucky, prior to your marriage in 1799? Who accompanied you on that journey?
- Besides those already mentioned, were you related to other Crawfords living in Garrard County, Kentucky, or in Preble County, Ohio?
- Do you know who your immigrant Crawford ancestor was? If so, who were they, when did they arrive in America, and where did they first settle?
- Why did you and Sally name your son Nelson?
- Did you have more than the two children we know about—Nelson and Elizabeth? If so, what were their names, did they live to adulthood, and whom did they marry?
As genealogists, we often piece together fragments of the past from deeds, wills, census records, and family stories. But if James Crawford could sit down and answer even a few of these questions, it would transform years of speculation into clarity. His answers would not only resolve lingering mysteries about family connections in Kentucky and Ohio but also give life and context to the names on the page. While I may never get to ask him directly, crafting these questions helps me focus my research and reminds me why the pursuit of family history is both challenging and deeply rewarding.