Crawford Research Project Part 2: Research Objective

In my last post, I gave some background on my ancestors William Torr and Elizabeth Crawford. Now that is off my chest, I'm ready to begin a research project focusing on Elizabeth Crawford Torr. I will use the Research Like A Pro method developed by Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer at Family Locket.

I have never been able to identify the parents of Elizabeth Crawford Torr. To be honest, I wasn't even sure where to start. But with the recent launch of Ancestry DNA's ThruLines, I got a clue. If you aren't family with ThruLines, you can learn more about them on Ancestry's YouTube Channel. If you prefer an excellent objective overview, check out Blaine Bettinger's video, which also discusses the new DNA Match List feature.

ThruLines uses your DNA cousin matches and member family trees to identify possible ways you could be related to your matches. NOTE: because this feature relies on family trees, it is only as good as the data in the trees. SO, if there is an error in a tree, it could produce an error in the ThruLines. ThruLines is just a tool, NOT the be-all-end-all answer.

I'll give you an easy example. This is the ThruLines screenshot for my grandfather, Vaughn Hilyard. My DNA is linked to a tree that only has my direct-line ancestors. In this picture, anyone who appears in my tree has a solid-line box around their name. Any person ThruLines predicts is my relative that DOES NOT appear in my tree has a dashed-line box around them.

ThruLines for my grandfather
Click image to enlarge

On the right is my father, in a solid-line box, indicating he is in my tree (and, indeed, a DNA match at the parent level). In the dashed box is a person predicted to be my uncle, based on information found in other people's trees. He was, indeed, my uncle Ron. Coming down from him are two DNA matches, one predicted to be a first cousin, the other a first cousin once removed. Both of these are correct! I know them to be correct because, in this case, all of these people are known to me, and are in my full-size private tree. But, say I didn't know about this uncle. All of these links and suggestions would be a starting place for me to learn who these two DNA cousin matches are and how they are truly related to me.

Now, on to Elizabeth Crawford. I can't give you a screenshot of this, but as I was scrolling through my mother's ThruLines, I noticed a "Potential Ancestor" button. Clicking on this took me to a man named Alexander Crawford. There were a couple dozen DNA matches that could potentially link me to this man. I was intrigued.  I have since entered him into my database as my ancestor, and this is what the ThruLines looks like now.

ThruLines for Alexander Crawford
Click image to enlarge

I can only show part of it here, but there are more lines if I scroll left or right. I have labeled my line on the left, and it is shown as solid boxes since these people are in my tree. The other four are potential children of Alexander Crawford, with possible links from them down to my DNA cousins.  If there were only one DNA cousin, I might not give this much weight. But my mother has twenty-nine DNA cousin matches that could tie back to this man. That warrants a closer look.

Enter the Research Like a Pro method. The first step in the process is to identify your objective. What is my question, including as much specific identifying information as I can?  I want to know if Elizabeth Crawford Torr is the daughter of Alexander Crawford (and his wife Mary McPheeters).  

My research objective is this:  Determine if Elizabeth Crawford Torr (birth estimated 1752, death estimated after 1807 possibly in Shelby County, Kentucky) who married William Torr about 1772 (birth estimated 1752, death before 29 Oct 1792) is the daughter of Alexander Crawford (birth estimated 1715, death 29 Sep 1764 in Augusta County, Virginia) and his wife Mary McPheeters (birth estimated 1716, death 29 Sep 1764) in Augusta County, Virginia.

In my next post, I'll continue the process by creating a summary of known facts.  This is a timeline or table of everything I know so far and where that information comes from.