My biggest mystery

[Barnesville Blues]

I would just like to get your thoughts and opinions on this soldier.

I am looking at Private James M. Crawford of Company B, 4th Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters. This company was raised in Barnesville Georgia and most of the men came from Pike County Georgia and the surrounding counties so I started my search there. I find a James M. Crawford in both the 1850 and 1860 Pike County Census born about 1841/1842. I was convinced this was the correct man but I couldn't find him after the civil war. After examing his compiled service record closely, I saw mention of a Pension board who was examing his war record, the Pention board was for the State of Oklahoma so I started looking there. I found a J. M. Crawford living in Greer County Oklahoma, both he and his wife filed for Pension for his service. He claimed to be a member of Company B, 4th Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters... I don't have his pention but the Oklahoma Archvies has pention summary cards online.

http://digitalprairie.ok.gov/cdm/compoundobject/collection/pensioncard/id/11537/rec/7

His wife here.:

http://digitalprairie.ok.gov/cdm/compoundobject/collection/pensioncard/id/8221/rec/10

Make sure you have a look at "side two" on both. On Side two of his wife's penstion card, it lists him as James Marshall Crawford. Again all sounds good. I foud his grave on findagrave in Greer County Oklahoma, contacted the manager and asked them to change his name to James Marshall Crawford...they transferred the memorial to me instead and I changed it.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15817513/james-marshall-crawford

I still manage the memorial so you can see the notes I have left. I have just been contacted by a descenant of this man...the J. M. Crawford buried in the link above and he swears that his name was not james...but John Marshall Crawford. Further more, the descendant claims he is NOT the James M. Crawford in the 1850 and 1860 Pike County Georgia Census, that his family is living in Coosa County Alabama in 1860 and Chambers County Alabama in 1850. There is one Pike County Georgia Connection...this J. M. Crawford in Greer County Oklahoma married his wife in Pike County Georgia. His pention card states he was married in Millner Georgia. Milner is a town in modern day Lamar County Georgia (same county as Barnesville) but duirng the civil war was in Pike County. I also found their marriage record on familysearch.org. J. M. Crawford married Sarrah A. Collier in Pike County Georgia on November 26, 1866. According to Census information. J. M. Crawford of Greer Couty Oklahoma is listed as bieng born in Alabama. While the pension card I found and linked too above states his name was James Marshall Crawford. The descendant claims that in the actual pention documents, his widow Sarah lists his name as John Marshall Crawford.

Deos anyone anyone have ancestory and can look this pention up? I am looking at the CSR of Private James M. Crawford right now. IT is a very short CSR adn refers to him as James M. Crawford on every card but one...which seems to refer to him as Marcial Crawford maybe Marsial.

What do you guys think? Could whoever was talking roll mistakenly called this man James wen his name was John? According to the descendant in the pention application, he has statesments from other members of the 4th GA SS in other location so this man apparently did serve. There is Private James M. Crawford in company B and Private Joel M. Crawford in Company C...and he is certainly not Joel Crawford as I have found him. Could James M. and this man be two different men and John Marshall Crawford is somehow left out of the Compiled Service Records? I would love to get your thoughts.

 

[Barnesville Blues]

Ok so I just got a reply from the Oklahoma state Archives who sent me both pention applications via email. The descendant is correct. Sarah A. Crawford claims in her pention that her husband is John Marstall Crawford. This just further confuses things. There is no record of a John M. Crawford serving in the 4th Georgia Sharpshooters. In his pention, he has a signed letter from W. J. Goggins and W. P. Holmes of Pike County Georgia to prove his service. Both of these men were indeed members of Company B, 4th Georgia Sharpshooters with William Penn Holmes rising to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant of the Company. Any ideas?

 

[connecticut yankee]

Nearly everything you have found out thus far (birth, parents, census, marriage, military, post war, burial) is tied together properly and shouts out to me that JAMES M. CRAWFORD is your man. I think you are overthinking the references to someone called John M. Crawford. The Crawford decendent is most probably wrong in his assertions. It's possible that if there IS a "John" connection this was a nickname that he used and/or family referred to him by. Your findagrave info that you developed and maintain should stand as being accurate until someone can prove otherwise. You did a fine job in your research.

 

[DixieRifles]

When I see two different names filed together under one soldier's record—-such as a James and a John—- then I assume it was a transcribing error by the Archivist staff.

I wouldnt have thought he may have used a nick name of John.

 

[Barnesville Blues]

Nearly everything you have found out thus far (birth, parents, census, marriage, military, post war, burial) is tied together properly and shouts out to me that JAMES M. CRAWFORD is your man. I think you are overthinking the references to someone called John M. Crawford. The Crawford decendent is most probably wrong in his assertions. It's possible that if there IS a "John" connection this was a nickname that he used and/or family referred to him by. Your findagrave info that you developed and maintain should stand as being accurate until someone can prove otherwise. You did a fine job in your research.

Thank you for your reply connecticut yankee. At first I agreed with you and when I was contacted by the descendant, I stood my ground. I presented my research to him and at first he was amazed and begain to doubt his information. He stated that he wanted to talk this over with his mother who is the Great Grandaughter of this man. He came back to me with some pretty compelling evidence. His mother somewhere (they have not yet found it) has an obiutary for this man, with his name listed as John Marshall Crawford. Furthermore, in his pention application, he does indeed claim to have been born in Chambers County Alabama. His death certificate also lists his parents as David and Mary, just like the descendant claims. So it does appear that whoever this man is, he is not the James M. Crawford who appeared in the 1850 and 1860 Pike County Georgia Census...although that James M. Crawford did have a mother named Mary, the siblings just don't match.

There are some other interesting facts to consider from the Pention application of J. M. Crawford as well. J. M. Crawford claims to have enlisted in Company B, 4th Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters "about October 15, 1862 in Barnesville Gerogia and served continuously until the surrender". Now he is an old man at this stage. His memory is likely failing him but it is still worth comparing this information to the compiled service records of Private James M. Crawford.

First of all, the 4th Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters did not exist at all in October 1862. They were not created until May 4, 1863. However, Company B 4th Ga SS did exist in October 1862 except at this time they are Company D, 3rd Battalion Georgia Infantry. There is no Crawford...at all listed in the Compiled Service records of Company D, 3rd Battalion Georgia Infantry. In the compiled service records of Private James M. Crawford, Co. B, 4th Batt'n Ga SS, it states he enlisted on January 8, 1864 in Barnesville...that is a huge difference. Private James M. Crawford was present at the surrender of the army however. What J. M. Crawford says is so different form the CSR that if both were listed as J. M. Crawford, I would assume they were two different people. The more I research in Oklahoma, the more confused I become.

 

[Barnesville Blues]

When I see two different names filed together under one soldier's record—-such as a James and a John—- then I assume it was a transcribing error by the Archivist staff.

I wouldnt have thought he may have used a nick name of John.

Is John a common nickname for James? I would love to get my hands on some of the original muster rolls that the compiled service records were created from to compare...but the National Archives has told me that they will not copy them and mail them to me...I would have to buy a copy of the entire Microfilm roll...and nowwhere here in Ireland that I have found so far has a microfilm reader I can use.

 

[Barnesville Blues]

Ok Guys so this is interesting and came to me from the descendant, the Compiled service record of J. M. Crawford of Company A, 54th Georgia Infantry....but again, there was no 4th Georgia Sharpshooters at this date so not sure which Sharpshooters he was transferred too....more confusion. But according to Lillian Henderson's Rosters of Georgia Troops...this man too was named James M. Crawford and was transferred to the 1st Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters.

 

[Barnesville Blues]

Looks like Henderson was right:

 

[Package4]

James M. Crawford

Residence Bibb County GA;
Enlisted on 4/18/1862 as a Private.

On 5/16/1862 he mustered into "A" Co. GA 54th Infantry
He was transferred out on 7/30/1862

On 7/30/1862 he transferred into "C" Co. GA 1st Sharpshooters
He deserted on 6/13/1863 at Camp Anderson, GA


Sources used by Historical Data Systems, Inc.:

- Roster of Confederate Soldiers of Georgia 1861-1865