When you get back to a certain point in history, you are going to run into a few basic problems. First, it seems that every darn one of these people is named John – and there are tons of them. But only a couple of them were ever written about or mentioned in the county histories – and of course, none of them were ours. That would make this too easy.
According to my paperwork, John Craig and Mary “Polly” Unknown were the parents of Harriet Craig. Harriet and John Shaffer were married in the 1840s prior to the by name census, so it’s not possible to place Harriet in her parents home using census records. There are numerous family trees online, which agree with my paperwork; however, they provide no proof or documentation. My beginning source was my father-in-law’s family history. He was well acquainted with Harriet’s son Peter and would have been aware of the relationship. Based on that, I will continue with the research for this line and attempt to find some other documentation to back it up.
Records I have attached to John Craig:1
1840 census
Records for John and Mary Craig:2,3
1850 census
1860 census
Records for Mary “Polly” (Unknown) Craig after John disappears:4,5
1870 census
1880 Mortality Schedule
Several of the trees online have decent documentation back to the children of John and Mary Craig, but little if anything beyond the census records to connect them to John and Mary. I have connected as much as I can through Ancestry and the records available online. (I will remind you that I’m in Tucson, Arizona, and this family is in Armstrong and Indiana counties in Pennsylvania.)
I have an extensive list of items yet to research when I go to Salt Lake City this summer and (hopefully) back to Pennsylvania within the next year. Until then, I’m at a dead-end unless someone out there has some help they can provide with documentation of who married who, obituaries, family bibles, or newspaper clippings about family members visiting that would tie this family together.
The family as I know it:
John Craig (abt 1793-bef 1870)
Mary “Poly” Unknown (abt 1804-1880)
Their ten children:
Harriet (abt 1822-) m. John Shaffer
Margaret E. (abt 1824-bef 1870) m. Patrick Shaw
Mary Ann (abt 1826-bef 1878) m. Levi Fry
Exemnia (abt 1829-) m. P.J. Dunmire
Richard (abt 1832-)
John (abt 1835-1862)
Jesse (abt 1839-)
Priscilla (abt 1841-)
James (abt 1845-) m. Sarah Unknown
George (abt 1847-)
There is still a lot of research to be done on the children of this line to see if I can locate any information that might help. Once again, any help is appreciated.
1. 1840 U.S. census, Armstrong, Pennsylvania, Plumcreek Twp., p. 34, John Craig; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 23 Jan 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M704, roll 442.
2. 1850 U.S. census, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Plumcreek Twp., p. 350A, dwelling 234, family 234, John Craig; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.Ancestry.com: accessed 21 Dec 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M432, roll 749.
3. 1860 U.S. census, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Plumcreek Twp, p. 703, dwelling 834, family 737, John Craig; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.Ancestry.com: accessed 21 Dec 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M653, roll 1069.
4.1870 U.S. census, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Plumcreek Twp., p. 350B, dwelling 12, family 12, Polly Craig; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 21 Dec 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M593, roll 1301.
5. 1880 U.S. Census Mortality Schedule of Pennsylvania, Armstrong County, Plumcreek Twp., p. 1, line 5, Mary Craig, age 78, general debility; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 20 Dec 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration Archive Collection M1838; Roll 8.