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Joseph CRAWFORD (b c1789)

Joseph Crawford is my maternal great-great-great-grandfather.

There is little question that Joseph Crawford was the father of Nancy Crawford who married Jason Comer. Joseph's will, dated 25 Nov 1868, names Nancy Comer as his deceased daughter and the identification of her children makes her identity complete. The first thing that we know about Joseph Crawford is that he died shortly after his will was written in 1868, on 16 Apr 1869. He was buried in [Upper] Fairforest Baptist Church Cemetery in Union County, SC.

Joseph Crawford appeared in the 1860 US Census and provided his age as 72 years and his place of birth as South Carolina. This would suggest that Joseph was born in 1788 and it is likely that he was born in Union County. There were two Crawfords in the 1790 US Census of Union District, James and Arthur. Either of these could have been the family of Joseph Crawford.

Joseph Crawford first appears as a head of household in the 1820 US Census. In that year, presuming Joseph is the oldest male in the household, Joseph was reported to be 26-44 years old. If he was born in 1788, he would have been 32 in 1820. There was also one male under 10 in the household , a female in the same age category as Joseph, a female age 16-25, a female age 10-15 and a female under 10. There were also two slaves in the household, one male and one female, both over 45 years of age. Two people were engaged in agriculture. My guess would be that only the youngest children in the household were children of Joseph and his wife. Perhaps the other two females were sisters of Joseph or his wife.

In 1830, Joseph's household has grown to 10 persons. There are, once again, two slaves in the household, but both are females in this decade, one age 55+ and one 24-35 years. The eldest male in the household is reported to be 30-39 years of age. The 1860 Census would suggest that Joseph was 42. There are three other males in the household, one under 5 and two 15-19. One might guess that one of the two older males was Joseph's son Benjamin (b c1817). There are four females in the household, one age 20-29, and presumably Joseph's three daughters, Louisa, Nancy and Jane in the age bracket 10-14. The eldest female in the household is not old enough to be the mother of Joseph's children if the age range recorded by the enumerator is correct. For this reason, I suspect Joseph's wife died before the 1830 census.

By 1840, Joseph's household included five slaves. There were only four free white persons in the household, one male 10-14, two males age 30-39 and one male 50-59. Joseph should have been 52 in this decade. The fact that there was no white free female in the household in this year suggest that Joseph's wife and the mother of his children had died before 1840.

In 1850, Joseph appears in a household with Margaret, age 36, and two males, William Crawford, age 47 and noted as idiotic, and Thompson Turner, age 23 and designated as laborer. Joseph gave his age as 62 (an age that is consistent with that reported in 1860). One might guess that William is a brother and that he is one of the males age 30-39 in Joseph's household in 1840.

The assets of Joseph's farm were assessed in the 1850 US Agricultural Census on 29 Oct 1850. The record shows that he owned 317 acres of land, 217 of which were improved. He valued this property at $1914. He owned 2 horses, 2 mules, 4 milch cows, 2 working oxen, 4 other cattle, and 40 swine. In the year he had produced 65 bushels of wheat, 700 bushels of corn, and 60 bushels of oats. In addition, his farm produced 20 bushels of ginned cotton, 100 bushels of sweet potatoes, 156 pounds of butter and 40 pounds of honey and beeswax.

The record of the probate of Joseph's will showed that at his death in 1869 he owned 495 acres of land. In 1873 after his wife Margaret had died, his children petitioned to sell the land. That record shows that his wife Margaret married the Rev John G Kendrick after Joseph's death. She apparently married Kendrick soon after he had lost his wife Delilah about 1870. Margaret appears in Kendrick's household in the 1870 US Census, with Delilah's son Wister, age 4 months. Wister, too died before the end of the year.

Joseph's son Benjamin lived out his life in Union County and died in 1894. He was buried in Fairview Cemetery in Union County, SC. He appears in the 1880 US Census in Union County with his wife Emaline and a son named States Rights.

Joseph's daughter Louisa (b c1810) married Johnathan Hampton and moved to Rutherford County, NC. Daughter Jane married Edward [also Edwin] Gregory. She appears in the 1850 US Census in Union County with her husband, Edwin (age 29) and five children. The couple settled in Chickasaw County, MS and can be found there in the 1870 and 1880 census. Their son, Draton, who was 24 in 1880 was born in South Carolina, so they did not leave Union County until sometime after 1856 but before 1870.

Sources and Notes:

1868 Will of Joseph Crawford. Union County South Carolina Will Books. Family Search, Union County, South Carolina, Will books, v. C (transcript) 1849-1868 Will books, v. D 1868-1911, Film #007642194, Image 232 of 543.In the will, Joseph Crawford names his wife Margaret Crawford, his son Benjamin Crawford, daughters Louisa Hampton and Jane Gregory, and the children of his deceased daughter Nancy [Crawford] Comer "namely Benjamin Comer, Simpson Comer, Sally Hollingsworth (wife of James Hollingsworth), Polly Kelly (wife of Thomas Kelly), Franky Sherman (wife of James Sherman)."

1820 US Census, household of Joseph Crawford: Ancestry.com. 1820 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Union County, SC; Page 134; NARA Roll: M33_121; Image 244. The census, conducted on 15 Jan 1821, shows the household of Joseph Crawford comprised of 1 male under 10 [presumably son Benjamin], 1 male age 26-44 [presumably Joseph Crawford], 3 females under 10 [presumably Nancy, Jane, and ?another daughter who did not live to marry?], 1 female 10-15 [possibly Louisa], 1 female 16-25 [?a daughter who died before 1868 without issue?], 1 female 26-44 [presumably Joseph's wife Margaret] and 2 slaves.

1830 US Census, household of Joseph Crofford: Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Union, South Carolina; Series: M19; Roll 171; Page 159; Family History Library Film: 0022505. The 1830 US Census of Union County, SC (enumeration date 01 Jun 1830) shows the household of Joseph Crofford [Crawford] consisting of 1 male <5, 2 males 15-19, 1 male 30-39 [presumably Joseph Crawford], 3 females 10-14 , 1 female 20-29. There are also 2 slaves in the household. Note: The composition of this household is confusing. Son Benjamin would be 13 in 1830 and could account for one of the males. Joseph himself would be 41 and is surely the elder male in the household. Joseph's three daughters should be 20, 16, and 10. One possibility was that the census enumerator was lazy and lumped the three daughters into a single age group and the one female age 20-29 would be Joseph's wife. She could not possibly be that young. She should be nearing 40. So, I think the more likely explanation is that there are extra people in the household, male and one female, each in their teens and one male under 5, the female age 20-29 is daughter Louisa, and Joseph's wife and the mother of his four children has died in the prior decade.

1840 US Census, household of Joseph Crawford: Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Union, South Carolina; Series: Roll 516; Page 174; Family History Library Film: 0022511. The census, enumerated officially on 01 Jun 1840, shows the household of Joseph Crawford comprised of 1 male 10-14 [presumably son Benjamin], 2 males 30-39 [would include Joseph's brother William who was disabled], and 1 male 50-59 [presumably Joseph]. There are no free white females in the household. The household includes five slaves.

1850 US Census, household of Joseph Crawford: Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Union, South Carolina; Roll M432_859; Page 92B; Image 435. The census of dwelling 46, family 46, enumerated on 30 Oct 1850, shows the household of (1) Joseph Crawford (age 62, male, planter, real $1914, cannot read or write), (2) Margaret Crawford (age 36, female) and (3) Wm Crawford (age 47, male, cannot read or write, idiotic).

1860 US Census household of Joseph Crafford (12 Jun 1860): Ancestry.com, 1860 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Union, South Carolina; Roll: M635_1227; Page: 198; Family History Library Film: 805227. The record shows dwelling 230, family 193 a household comprising (1) Joseph Crafford (age 72, male, farmer, real $10000, pers $20000, born SC), (2) Margaret (age 47, female, born SC), and (3) William Crafford (age 52, male, born SC).

Find A Grave memorial for Joseph Crawford: Find A Grave Memorial 86792952. The memorial provides neither birth nor death dates but does include a photograph of the tombstone that marks his grave in Fairforest Baptist Church Cemetery in Union County, SC. The date on the tombstone may read 16 Apr 1869.

1870 US Census household of J G Kendrick (30 Jul 1870): Ancestry.com, 1870 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Gowdysville, Union, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1510; Page: 452A; Family History Library Film: 553009. The record shows Margaret Kendrick [formerly Crawford], age 56, in the household of J G Kendrick (age 65, Minister of the Gospel). Neither of the two Kendrick children, James (age 24) and Wester (age 4 months), are hers.

Find A Grave memorial for Benjamin Crawford: Find A Grave Memorial 109664353. The memorial provides 04 Dec 1894 as death date and burial in Fairview Cemetery in Union County, SC. The date of Benjamin's death is given as 04 Dec 1894.