Table 2
An Hypothesis about the Children of Gideon Crawford and Sarah
Burgess
Estimated
Child Birth Date
1 Daughter 1820-1825
2 Daughter 1825-1830
3 Daughter 1825-1830
4 Daughter 1830-1835
5 Gideon, Jr. 1834-1835
6 John C. 1835-1836
7 Daughter 1836-1837
8 Earline/Eveline 1837-1838
From the information in these various censuses, an hypothesis can
be
advanced about the children of Gideon and Sarah Crawford. This
hypothesis appears in Table 2. From the information available,
only
three of the eight children can be named, although reasonable
conclusions about the other children can be drawn concerning their
existence, gender, and approximate year of birth.
Identifying Sisters of the Seven Brothers
There is evidence that the seven Crawford brothers had as many as
four
sisters. One sister can be linked reasonably well with the seven
brothers. Two other sisters can be circumstantially linked with the
seven brothers, and a fourth sister can be inferred from census
records.
In the 1830 census of Lowndes County, Georgia [31], John Bennett is
shown as living between the Crawford brothers, Thomas and James.
Also
in Lowndes County in 1830, John Bennett was indicted along with four
of
the Crawford brothers for "riot, revolt and tumult" [38]. According
to
Civility Bennett, John Bennett's widow, in her application [13] for
a
pension as the widow of a soldier killed in service, John Bennett
was
killed by Indians on 21 September, 1838, while serving in the
Georgia
Mounted Volunteers as a substitute for William Crawford. Also
included
in the pension application is an affidavit from Reverend Moses
Westberry stating that he married John Bennett and Civility Crawford
in
1824 in McIntosh County, Georgia. Based on the close relationship
between John Bennett and the Crawfords, established by his living
near
two of the brothers, by "rioting" with four of the brothers, and by
substituting in an Indian war for another Crawford brother, it seems
reasonable to conclude that Civility Crawford Bennett was a sister
of
the seven Crawford brothers. The fact that her marriage to John
Bennett
occurred in McIntosh County provides additional support for this
conclusion.
Two other individuals have been identified as possible sisters of
the
seven Crawford brothers. Martha Crawford married Joseph Hitchcock in
Effingham County in 1817 [34, p. 65]. By proximity and age, she is a
possible sister of the seven brothers. In the 1850 census of
Effingham
County [50], Martha Hitchcock is shown as age 50, and is living with
Lucretia Morgan, age 60. Lucretia Morgan's maiden name was Crawford
[40, 79]. It is reasonable to conclude that Lucretia Morgan and
Martha
Hitchcock were sisters. Three Crawford families in Effingham County
are
known to have borne children during the period from about 1790
through
1810. These families were William and Martha Crawford, John and
Priscilla Crawford, and James and Mary/Polly Crawford. William and
Martha had six children, all of whom are accounted for [18]. James
and
Polly had at least eleven children, but the earliest birth for any
of
their children is estimated to be no earlier than 1798. Since
Lucretia
was born in about 1790, her parents were most likely the same
parents
as those of the seven brothers and Civility. Also, Martha was very
likely a sister of Lucretia's, and, hence, of the seven brothers.
The evidence derived from estimating birth year from age in a later
census is that neither Civility, Lucretia, nor Martha was the sister
"under 10" in the entry for the Crawford family in the 1820 Census
of
McIntosh County [45]. Civility reports her age as 50 in the 1850
census
of McIntosh County [78], while Martha is 50 and Lucretia is 60 in
the
1850 census of Effingham County [50]. The youngest of these three
sisters would have been about 20 at the time of the 1820 census.
This
evidence points towards the presence of a fourth daughter in the
Crawford household.
A Profile of Gideon Crawford
Based on this research, the following points constitute a reasonable
profile
of Gideon Crawford:
- he was born in Effingham County, Georgia about 1795;
- he moved with his mother, brothers and sisters to McIntosh County,
Georgia, by 1820;
- he drew in the 1821 Georgia Land Lottery;
- by 1830, he had moved to Lowndes County, Georgia, along with several
of his brothers and a sister and her husband;
- he presumably married Sarah Burgess at some time prior to about 1830,
probably in McIntosh County;
- he is shown in the 1830 Census as living with four females, one aged
between 20 and 30, one aged between 5 and 10, and two of age less
than 5;
- in 1830, he was indicted for riot, revolt, and tumult, with several
brothers and his brother-in-law;
- by 1840, he and his brother, Thomas, had moved to Ware County,
Georgia;
- Gideon Crawford and Sarah Burgess had eight children who survived
infancy: six daughters and two sons;
- Sarah Burgess Crawford died in Ware County in 1843;
- In 1844, Gideon Crawford married Orenna/Irene/Renee/Renay Stone or
Slone;
- Gideon Crawford died in 1873 in Pierce County, Georgia; and,
- no record of his estate has been found.
The Search for the Parents of Gideon Crawford
The first step in searching for the parents of Gideon Crawford and
his
siblings was an investigation into the evidence concerning any
Crawfords in Effingham County. This discovery process focused on the
years preceding 1795, the approximate year of Gideon's birth,
through
1820, when Gideon and his brothers were known to be in McIntosh
County.
The parents of these seven brothers have been reported as James and
Polly Crawford [25, p. 81], and the mother has been identified as
Marcilla [27, p. 83], Micilla [16, 75, p. 91], and Mercilla [89].
These
mistaken identifications are apparently primarily based on two
previously discussed considerations. One consideration is the
mistaken
interpretation of the data contained in the 1820 census of McIntosh
County, leading to the identification of James and Polly Crawford as
the parents of the seven brothers. The other consideration was a
misreading of the name of a winner in the 1820 Georgia Land Lottery,
which led to the identification of Marcilla, Micilla, or Mercilla as
the mother of the seven brothers. Since the time that this mistake
has
appeared in secondary sources [75, 89], it has been perpetuated.
Additional support for John and Priscilla Crawford as the parents of
the seven brothers is that a couple by that name can be shown to
exist
in Effingham County from in the 1790's until about 1813. A James and
Mary(or Polly) Crawford also can be shown to exist, but evidence
favors
John and Priscilla Crawford as the parents. No evidence of anyone
named
Marcilla, Mercilla, or Micilla Crawford can be found. There is also
evidence explaining how the name, Priscilla, has been mistakenly
read
as Marcilla, Mercilla, and Micilla.
Land Surveys, Warrants, and Deeds
A series of land and legal documents provides evidence of the
presence
of John and Priscilla Crawford and James and Mary Crawford in
Effingham
County in the time period of interest. A Patsy Crawford does appear
in
records as well, as the wife of William Crawford and later Richard
Touchstone. A review of the records of land and other legal
transactions in Effingham County in the period of interest yields
other
data about the Crawfords of Effingham County. These deeds and other
land records are summarized in Table 3.
John Crawford's presence as an adult in Effingham County can be
documented from at least 1785 until 1812. These documents also
establish that he was married to Priscilla. His actions of selling
land
in 1810 and 1811 are perhaps indicative of a pending relocation, but
this conclusion is speculative until corresponding dates for his
appearance elsewhere can be found. James Crawford can be shown to be
present as an adult in Effingham County from 1798 until 1813, at
least.
Further analysis of Table 3 yields the conclusion that there must
have
been two individuals named Mary Crawford in the Effingham County
area.
The earlier of the two Mary's was the widow of Alexander Crawford.
The
later Mary or Polly was the wife of James Crawford. Evidence will be
shown below that supports the hypothesis that this James was the
brother of John Crawford and, hence, was the uncle of the seven
Crawford brothers.
After additional review of Table 3, a reasonable conclusion can be
drawn that there was a close relationship between William, John, and
James Crawford. Also, a reasonable inference can be made that these
three individuals had some relationship, though not necessarily
sanguinary, with Charles, Alexander, both Marys, and Henry.
Review of Table 4, which includes only the male Crawfords, supports
some additional detail about Crawford relationships. Carter Crawford
was the earliest mentioned Crawford, followed shortly by Thomas and
then Charles. Then John, William, Alexander, James, and Henry
appear,
in that respective order. The time of the first appearances of
Carter,
Thomas, and Charles, relative to the other Crawfords, suggests that
these three Crawfords may have constituted an earlier generation.
The
relatively late appearance of Henry suggests that he could be the
offspring or younger brother of the other Crawfords.
James and John as Brothers
A Warrant for Survey was issued to Robert H. Hughes in 1795 for 400
acres in Effingham County, "the land where John and James Crawford
lives on" [11]. John and James Crawford were also the chain carriers
for the survey of this land. Their living together is further
confirmation of a close relationship between the two men, most
probably
that of brothers. The author accepts the hypothesis that John and
James
were brothers. John and James may also have had some relationship
with
Robert H. Hughes, since he bought the land occupied by them and they
then acted as his chain carriers for the survey. One last
observation
that can be made about John and James is that John was likely the
older
of the two brothers. This conclusion is based on John's appearance
ten
years earlier(in 1785) than James' in the records of Effingham
County.
Other data discussed below supports this observation. A birth year
of
about 1765 seems to be a reasonable estimate for John's year of
birth.
Possible Brothers of John and James
Tables 3 and 4 illustrate the appearance of Alexander Crawford,
William
Crawford and Henry Crawford in conjunction with John and James
Crawford. These joint appearances suggest a family relationship
between
John and James Crawford and Alexander, Henry, and William Crawford.
The records mentioned in Table 3 tell us only that Alexander
Crawford
and Henry Crawford existed. They provide us nothing concrete with
which
to further identify either of these Crawfords. The only other
mention
of Henry Crawford discovered by this researcher is that a Henry
Crawford witnessed a land transaction in 1806 in nearby Bullock
County
[32]. Unfortunately, no further information about Alexander Crawford
has been found by this researcher.
Further information is available about William Crawford, however,
and
this information provides significant further evidence of a close
family relationship between William, James and John. William
Crawford
first appears in Effingham County in 1785. William Crawford married
"Patsey" Bailey in 1794 [80]. Patsy is a diminutive form of the
name,
Martha. In 1796, William Crawford deeded his estate to his wife,
Martha
Crawford, and "her five children", Thomas, Nelly, Patience, Leita,
and
Jesse [60, p. 274]. The puzzling wording "her five children" rather
than "our" or "my" children is interesting but will not be explored
here. Jesse Crawford was born in 1795 [18], so he is certainly the
child of William and Martha Crawford.
In 1798, a Mrs. Martha Crawford married Richard Touchstone [34, p.
160]. Apparently, as mentioned above, William deeded his estate in
1796
in lieu of a will, and died shortly afterward. In 1799, John
Crawford
deeded land for a price of $50 [61, p. 386] to Martha Touchstone,
"also
called Martha Crawford", and her five children. Note that the sale
was
not to Richard Touchstone, as it probably would have been if this
sale
was a normal business transaction. The fact that John Crawford
deeded
land to Martha Touchstone, William Crawford's widow, after her
remarriage, suggests a degree of concern with the well being of her
and
her five children best explained by the existence of a close family
relationship between John and William.
TABLE 3
SOURCES
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