CRAWFORD
History
The name Crawford is derived from Old English words meaning "crow ford", and is directly related to the English Crowfoot. While we can only trace our own Crawford line back to the 1800s in America, we can safely assume our descendants are English or Scottish.
Marshal Crawford
1803 - 1879
Marshal was born to unknown parents in 1803, in Kentucky, USA. Little is known about him, but what we do know is that he was a farmer his entire life, working on and owning farms in Kentucky, Arkansas, and Texas over the course of his life. Family rumour has it that many Crawford families were granted several hundred acres of farmland upon being removed from the territory they had been living in, as it was given back to the Cherokee. Those acres are apparently where Marshal began his farming career. In the early 1820s, Marshal married Rebecca Sinclair, and the two raised at least 7 children. One of those children, my fourth-great-grandfather Thomas, was apparently quite close to Marshal - not only are they buried beside one another, but Marshal seemingly served as a surrogate father to Thomas' children. Marshal passed away in 1879.
Marshal and Rebecca's children:
Sources:
Marshal and Rebecca's children:
- Louisa Crawford, b. 1825, d. 1916
- Harriet Crawford, b. 1827, d. 1873
- Thomas Benton Crawford, b. 1832, d. 1860
- Martha Crawford, b. 1834
- Amanda Crawford, b. 1836
- Caroline Elizabeth Crawford, b. 1839, d. 1923
- Charles Sinclair Crawford, b. 1842, d. 1894
Sources:
- 1850, 1860, 1870 Census
- Gravestones
- Letter written by Marshal's granddaughter
Thomas Crawford
1832 - 1860
Thomas Benton Crawford was born in 1832 in Kentucky, USA. He followed his father's footsteps in becoming a farmer at an early age. In 1853, he married Francis Dickson, and the couple went on to have four children. Thomas passed away at just 28 years of age.
Thomas and Francis' children:
Sources:
Thomas and Francis' children:
- Nancy Crawford, b. 1854, d. 1880
- Francis Crawford, b. 1855
- Rebecca Jane Crawford, b. 1857, d. 1931
- Mary Crawford, b. 1859
Sources:
- 1850 & 1860 Census
- Texas Marriage Index
- Gravestones
- Family letters
Rebecca Crawford
1857 - 1931
Rebecca was born on Christmas day in Texas, the third of four children. When she was just two years old, her father passed away, and it seems she considered her grandfather Marshal her father figure; her death certificate, informed by her husband Luther, lists Marshal as her father. In 1880, Rebecca married Luther Bowen, and the two had seven children, five of whom lived to adulthood. Rebecca passed away in Oklahoma in 1931, at 72 years of age.
For more information on Rebecca and Luther's children, please see the Bowen page.
Sources:
For more information on Rebecca and Luther's children, please see the Bowen page.
Sources:
- 1860, 1900 & 1910 Census
- Texas Marriage Index
- Death certificate
