Crawford Research Project Part 1: Background Information

Last year, I stumbled upon a great method to improve my genealogical research. It is the "Research Like a Pro" system, constructed by mother-daughter team Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer. You can read all about it on their website at Family Locket. They have also put together the information in a book, available in hard copy or e-book, titled Research Like A Pro: A Genealogist's Guide. This method helps me focus my efforts on a single question instead of wasting time mindlessly clicking from website to website.

I recently had a new question pop up that needs some serious attention. Using Ancestry DNA's new ThruLines feature, I identified potential parents for a brick-wall ancestor. This ancestor's name is Elizabeth Crawford Torr, my fifth great-grandmother.  She, along with her husband William Torr, came into my cross-hairs recently when I "rediscovered" my cousin Ken, a lively octogenarian who would like to learn more about this couple before, as he puts it, "it's too late."

Before I launch into my research project, I want to provide a bit of background. There is much controversy about the Torrs. Quite a bit has been written, most of it without sources. This hearsay has become gospel over the years, and I have decided to throw my hat into the ring. With sources, of course.

Ken and I met with another Torr cousin, Jane, over 20 years ago. Not too long after we worked over these lines with limited success, I wrote up my summary of my findings and conclusions. The rest of this post contains my nearly 20-year-old Progress Report, with a few updates.

Progress Report on William Torr

Purpose of report:  To clarify what is now known about William Torr and to correct some previously published errors regarding him and his family.

Questions:

1. What are the known facts about William Torr?
2. How many times was he married? What is the name of his wife (or wives)?

Introduction

The earliest record we have for William Torr is a tax record (1) from Frederick County, Virginia from 1782 under the name William Toor.  He appears on subsequent lists in 1783, 1784, 1785, 1786, and finally on a list dated 30 May 1789. I have images of the originals for each of these, but only include one here for brevity. 

1782 Tax List Frederick County, Virginia
Click to enlarge

Next is a Revolutionary War Public Service Claim.  General information about this can be found in the Library of Virginia’s online catalog.  Quoting from the website, “...in May 1780 the General Assembly passed an act authorizing the governor to impress supplies needed by the American army.  The governor appointed commissioners of the provision law in each locality to carry out the terms of the act.  The commissioner, when he impressed property, gave the owner a certificate describing what was taken.  Between 1781 and 1783 county county courts held special sessions at which certificates were presented and authenticated, and booklets listing authenticated certificates were compiled and sent to Richmond for settlement. Two commissioners appointed to settle the claims recorded those for which they authorized payment, and warrants were issued by the auditor of public accounts.”  The card catalog lists Torr, William, place of residence Frederick County.  

From the August 1783 court:
 “William Torr for Ferriage of 117 Men & 3 horses over Shanandoah River for same use.”(2)

This piece of information is useful for several reasons.  First, many (undocumented) Torr genealogies state that William Torr operated a ferry.  This public service claim bears that out.  However, some genealogies state he was on the Potomac River; I haven’t found any reference to William Torr on the Potomac.

In 2016, I discovered one further reference to William Torr. In a transcription of Frederick County, Virginia Deed Books is this entry (3): 

"MARTIN, THOMAS BRYAN (of Greenway Court in Frederick Co. VA)--14 Mar 1785, 1 Nov 1785--Lease of Property--for the annual payment for the sum of 20 pounds due each 14th Mar paid by Wm. HAND to lease a farm with all its houses, buildings, orchards, gardens, meadows, ways, paths, water course, profits, commodities, hereditaments & appurtenances, including Ferry Boat Landing, lying on the Shenandoah River in Frederick Co. VA, formerly the lease of Wm. TORR, the lease to run for 10 years, signed by T.B. Martin & Wm. "W" Hand, Wit: Edward Rogers, Samuel Sharp & John Simson, received by James Keith CC; Book 21, 108."

The transcribed deed gives some fertile ground for further research.  But sadly, the tax lists and public claims records are the only primary source materials I have found for William Torr.   Much has been stated as fact about him, his parentage, wives, and family, but these are the only primary sources to support any claims made about him.  We can say definitively that William Torr lived in Frederick County, Virginia from 1782 to 1789, and that he operated a ferry on the Shenandoah River.  The rest is inference and speculation!  However, I will try to support any further claims with as much secondary information as possible.

One Wife or Two?

Many Torr genealogies state that there were two generations of Williams: the first William was married to Mary Troxal and the second generation William was married to Elizabeth Crawford.  Another theory is that there was one William, with two wives.

It is my belief that Mary Troxal never enters into our Torr family, and that there is one William Torr, who was married to an Elizabeth whose maiden name is believed to be Crawford.

Some Troxal genealogies say Mary was married to a “Barr or Derr or Tarr”.  I believe a Torr researcher latched onto that statement, assuming it was William Torr, and linked the two families.  Hence, it is stated in some Torr genealogies that the William Torr who operated a ferry married “Mary Troxal, a Virginia girl of English parentage”.  Others cite a Mary Troxal dying in Scott County, Kentucky in 1795.  Why would she have still been referred to as “Troxal” if she had been married to a Torr?  Lastly, research into the Troxal name shows that it is actually Swiss, and spelled Trachsel and many other variants; not, as the genealogies claim, “of English parentage”.  I firmly believe that the Troxal-Torr link is not valid.

A family genealogy referred to as “The Ashby Pearce Book” (or a photocopy of it) is located at the Filson Club in Louisville, Kentucky.  Ashby Pearce was the son of Philip and Else Tarr Pearce, and this book has places to fill in information about one’s family.  It gives Aley (Else) Torr Pearce’s father as William Torr and her mother as Elizabeth Crawford. 

Aley Torr Pearce page from Ashby Pearce Book

This is the one piece of information that gives Elizabeth’s maiden name.  There has been no other record located thus far.  This record also states under “No. Br’s & Sisters:  Three sisters 4 brothers”.  It is not known if this tally includes Aley/Else or not.  My research shows only seven total children of William and Elizabeth.

The first primary evidence I found regarding Elizabeth Crawford Torr was the 2 Nov 1807 marriage bond of his daughter Else Tarr and Philip Pearce in Shelby County, Kentucky.  This is evidence that William Torr was not alive in 1807, and that he had a wife named Elizabeth.

“Sir:  you have my consent to Issue Licance of marrage between my Daughter Else and Philip pierce. my Daughter is of full ages and her father is dead.  I am Sir yours, Elisabeth (her X mark) Tarr” (4)

Else Tarr was born in 1787.  That means that William and Elizabeth were married by 1787, providing further evidence against the idea of a first wife named Mary Troxal who died in 1795.  

Summary:  It is my belief that there was only one generation of William Torr, and he only had one wife, named Elizabeth Crawford.  There is no Troxal connection to the Torr line.

Elizabeth Crawford Torr

Elizabeth Crawford Torr was probably born by 1752 This is based on the fact of her oldest son John Tarr’s estimated birth in 1773, and her being at least 21 at this event. 

A search of Kentucky’s tax lists revealed further information about this Torr family.  Kentucky became a state in 1792.  The first tax list from Fayette County dated 29 Oct 1792 lists Elizabeth Tar.  This is significant.  For Elizabeth to be enumerated on the tax lists, her husband was not alive.  Now, we can move the date of William Torr’s death from 1807 back 15 years to before 29 Oct 1792.

Fayette County, Kentucky 1792 Tax List for Elizabeth Tar

Next, in 1793 (no day or month), Elizabeth Tore is on the Fayette County tax list with two white males over 16.  These are her two oldest sons, John and William.

In 1794, Elizabeth is not on the tax rolls.  However, her oldest son John appears for the first time on 17 Jun 1794 in Fayette County with one white male over 21.  This is most likely the year he turned 21, putting his birth around 1773.

Elizabeth continues to appear in the Fayette County tax rolls in 1795, 1796, and 1797.  There is no roll extant for 1798.  After this, her son John appears in the Shelby County lists from 1799 to 1809.  The only further record for Elizabeth is the previously mentioned bond for her daughter Else’s marriage in 1807. 

One further note: some erroneous genealogies give Elizabeth Crawford’s parents as George Crawford and Nancy Winters.  The marriage record for this couple can be found in Augusta County, Virginia; they were married on 22 Jun 1789!  They are obviously not the parents of Elizabeth.  This needs to be corrected.

Summary:  William Torr was born by est. 1752 based on his wife and children's ages (though possibly much earlier), and died sometime between 30 May 1789 and 29 Oct 1792, from tax records. Elizabeth Crawford was born est. 1752.  She married William Torr probably around 1772 (prior to the birth of their son John in 1773).  She was widowed by 29 Oct 1792, and lived in Fayette County, Kentucky from that time until 1797.  She mostly likely moved with her family at that time to Shelby County, Kentucky, where the last record she left was her permission for her daughter to marry Philip Pearce in November 1807.  No record of her death has been found.

 _______________

  

Sources

1. Frederick County, Virginia Tax Rolls, Frederick County, Virginia, unnumbered, Personal Property Tax Lists, 1782-1802, film #7842567, 1782, Virginia State Library, Richmond Virginia. microfilm available at FamilySearch.
2. Microfilm; Public Service Claims.  Court Booklets and Lists (reels 1-4) arranged by county, p. 5 and 36.  Also Commissioner’s Books, II, p. 214. 
3. Buck D. A., Abstractor and Compiler, Frederick County, Virginia Deed Books 21-26.
4. Shelby County, Kentucky marriage bonds, located at the county courthouse.

Edward Moore and Martha Thompson: A Working Family Group Sheet

As I wrote in my last post, I have only within the last year discovered an error in my Moore line.  My ancestor was Edward Moore (I'm going to start referring to him as Jr.), born 17 Dec 1769 in Guilford County, North Carolina. This comes from a transcript of a Bible record. I'm working with the theory that he is the son of Edward Moore (I'll refer to him as Sr.) and Martha Thompson.

Edward Moore Sr. wrote his will in Moore County, NC on 15 Jul 1800. It entered into probate in Nov 1803 in the same county.

Edward Moore Sr.'s will; Moore County, NC Will Book A

In this will, Edward Moore Sr. mentions the following: sons William and Edward; daughters Sarah Stamper, Mary Wilson, and Johana Kannedy; grandson George Moore; and son-in-law David Kannedy. He also mentions his wife, who is alive, though not by name.

We can add to this list a son Thomas, who died 18 Sep 1794 in Moore County, NC. It doesn't seem as if a will was produced, but testimony was made about its existance here:

Testimony as to Will of  Thomas Moore; Moore County, NC County Court Minutes Aug 1784-Nov 1795

A family Bible record of Edward Moore Sr.'s son-in-law David Kennedy lists 10 children for Edward Sr. and Martha Thompson: Susey, Salley, Mary, William, Elisabeth, John, Thomas, Martha, Joaner, and Edward. Since they are not mentioned in either of the above wills, it is presumed that Susey,  Elisabeth, John, and Martha died before Thomas' will of 1794, and without children. The one exception to this is Edward Sr.'s mention of his grandson George Moore. I do not yet know who the father of this George Moore is.

Page from the family Bible of David Kennedy listing the children of Edward and Martha Thompson Moore

So, listing the children in the order given in the Bible, and filling in what few details I have, here it is:

The Children of Edward Moore Sr. and Martha Thompson, married 10 Nov 1746 in Salem, New Jersey

1. Susey Moore: born est 1747, died before 1794
2. Sarah/Salley Moore: born 9 Aug 1749, died 12 Mar 1839 in Morgan County, KY; married James W. Stamper
3. Mary Moore: born est 1751, died after father's will of 1800; married George Wilson
4. William Moore: born 16 Dec 1754 in Botetourt County, VA per his Rev War application for pension, died 15 Apr 1832 in Orange County, IN; buried in Stamper's Creek cemetery (his sister married a Stamper but doesn't seem to have settled here); wife Rachel
5. Elisabeth Moore: born est 1756, died before 1794
6. John Moore: born est 1758, died before 1794
7. Thomas Moore: born est 1760, died 18 Sep 1794 in Moore County, NC; married Phebey; appears to have no children as his siblings were subpoenaed to approve "will"
8. Martha Moore: born est 1763, died before 1794
9. Joanah Moore: born 17 Jul 1766, died 12 Oct 1857 in Lauderdale County, Alabama; married David Kennedy 24 Apr 1788
10. Edward Moore Jr.: born 17 Dec 1769 in Guilford County, NC, died 19 Jul 1848 in Parke County, Indiana; married Pharaba Pearce. [My Line]

Lastly, there is the grandson George Moore mentioned in Edward Moore Sr.'s will. I know that Edward Moore Jr. did not have a son named George. William Moore did have a son George, born about 1795.

Longstanding Errors: The parents of Edward and William Moore of Orange County, Indiana

It can be a hard blow to find out years of research were wasted on the wrong family. But the feeling that you finally have it right makes it all better again.

For me, it started with a typewritten manuscript about the Moore family that I found at the Orange County [Indiana] Genealogical Society in the 1990s. If it had a cover page, I failed to copy it. I believe it was written in the mid-20th century, and I am sorry to say I do not know who authored it. I am indebted to her for collecting so much information, including many personal stories that would be lost now, and committing them to paper.

However, I believe her link between the first and second generation to be wrong. These are the pages that led me astray:

Initial pages of Moore manuscript

My ancestor was Edward Moore, born 17 Dec 1769 in North Carolina and died 19 Jul 1848 in Parke County, Indiana. He married Pharaba Pearce (26 Jun 1769-18 Aug 1845). Pharaba is the subject of a blog post here, in which I busted the brick wall of her maiden name.

This Edward Moore moved to Indiana along with one of his brothers, William Moore (1754-1832). The above two pages claim that the father of Edward and William was William Moore Sr., who died in Wake County, North Carolina in 1780. I don't know how the author made this connection, whether from the work of others or by William's will, but I took it and ran with it. Researched it for decades, tracing the descendants of William Moore Sr. to Tennessee and North Carolina. It was a wild goose chase. 

When I discovered the maiden name and parents of Pharaba Pearce, I started uncovering information about her husband Edward Moore and who his true parents might be. The first thing that made me question it was this:

Ancestry post by user nikame1

Somehow (thank you Google, I'm sure) this led me to an incredible website called The Wallace Family of Moore County, NC. Don't be deceived, it is not strictly on the Wallace family. It documents many families from the area, including the Moores and Pearces. 

On the Wallace Family website is a family group sheet for the presumed parents of Edward Moore. You can see it here, the family group sheet of Edward Moore and Martha Thompson. What I love about this website is that it has links to actual documents. If you scroll down the page in this link you will find all their documents available right there.

The two pieces of information that convince me these are the right parents for Edward and William Moore of Orange County, Indiana are these:

1. Edward Moore (let's call him Sr.) owned land on Deep River in Moore County, NC. Windsor Pearce, father of Pharaba, also owned land on Deep River, in Randolph County, NC. Deep River spans the two counties, so they were actually fairly close to each other.  Edward Moore Jr. and Pharaba Pearce were likely "neighbors", making a match possible.

2. Edward Moore Sr.'s will lists sons William and Edward, among other children. 

This post is just breaking the surface. I look forward to further research and posts to clarify my findings.

52.8: Heirloom; Cherry Chest of Drawers

This post is part of a project called "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" created by Amy Johnson Crow.

My favorite heirloom is also my biggest.

Moore Family Chest of Drawers

This chest of drawers is made of cherry and is over 200 years old. It sits quietly in the corner of my spare room, waiting for me to come in and admire it from time to time (which I do quite frequently).

I saw a very similar chest on Antiques Roadshow once. According to the appraiser, they are quite common and not of great monetary value. This cherry chest, though, is priceless to me.

Family lore says this chest was made by my Moore ancestors and came with them on a wagon from North Carolina to Indiana. It has been handed down each generation to the oldest male child ever since.

Sounds simple enough, right? Maybe, but look a little more closely.

First, at when and how it was made.  The family that made the trip to Indiana was that of Edward and Pharaba (Pearce) Moore.  I estimate they were married about 1788 in North Carolina, based on the birth of their first child Martha in late 1789. The family moved to Indiana sometime after the birth of their last child Thomas in early 1811, and in time for Edward to appear on the Militia Roster for Harrison County, Indiana Territory in 1812.

The construction of the chest is interesting to my modern eyes. Of course there were no power tools then. The nails are square; each drawer has dovetailed joints.

Square nails and board salvaged from repair work needed on the chest

Closeup of dovetail joint

I admire the craftsmanship for each step of its construction. Did they use stain then? What is the finish? 

The original hardware was removed and replaced by my grandfather, Lee Moore. He was a janitor at Paoli High School and had someone in the wood shop make round wooden pulls for the drawers. I'd love to put the old hardware back in if I had it, but the wooden pulls are now part of the story.

Original hardware removed and filled

"New" wooden pulls replaced the original hardware

So how did this chest, allegedly subject to the rules of primogeniture (passing to the oldest male Moore child), make it to a female named Heverly? Let's follow it.

I traced the male Moore descendants in a previous post.  They are a rare breed indeed. Edward and Pharaba Moore made the trek to Indiana, as stated before, around 1811. They had nine children ranging in age from 22 to about 1. The oldest girl, Martha was newly married but her family came to Indiana as well.

Here's where the family lore breaks down. My next ancestor in line, Edward Windsor Moore, was not actually the oldest male child. He had an older brother John who lived to a ripe old age. So....so much for family lore? I'm not sure what to make of it.

Edward Windsor Moore, subject of many blog posts starting here, was the father of William Bryant Moore. Though he also had an older brother named John, this John died as a boy.  William Bryant Moore holds the title of my shortest-lived ancestor. He died at the age of 20 while working in the newly-constructed Orange County Courthouse.

Orange County Courthouse in Paoli, Indiana
Photo by Vonda Heverly, taken on a research trip in 2016

William Bryant left behind a 17-year old widow, Mary, and 15 month old son, William Braddock Moore. Mary remarried to Henry Pierce Breeden, and they had five children of their own.

Sadly, all six of these children were orphaned when Henry and Mary Breeden died within a few months of each other in 1862. William Braddock Moore was 13, and did not qualify for any of his stepfather's Civil War pension. He seems to have lived for a time on his grandfather Edward Windsor Moore's farm, but I think he had to grow up pretty fast. 

Someone (I would guess his grandfather) took charge of the chest until he established his own house by marrying Martha Ann Tillery in 1870. From there the chest had a mostly uneventful life, traveling to the home of William Braddock Moore's son Fred, to his son Lee, and finally to my uncle Bill.

My uncle Bill has no children. I had heard about the chest over the years and wondered what would happen to it. By this time I was grown and had my own house. My mom asked Bill about the chest, and he agreed I could have it since I was interested in it. 

One small problem:  while Bill was moving, the chest fell off the truck and suffered some minor injuries.  One drawer was busted and the back panel broken. I didn't care; I wanted it anyway!

My father took on the repair job. He had to construct a few new pieces. I believe he used some old yellow poplar to craft them.  He kept all the old pieces, which I hang on to, just because.

Board replaced by my dad

I am a historical re-enactor, and I keep much of my clothing and blankets for this hobby in the chest. It seems fitting that it holds linen and wool, like it did when it was new.  Every time I open the chest, I think of all my ancestors who have opened it, and I feel a connection to them.

Brick Wall: BUSTED! The maiden name of of Pharaba Moore is...

Have you ever watched a mystery where the super sleuth is hunting diligently for a secret panel or switch to open up a passage, when the bumbling sidekick accidentally leans on it without even trying?

Enter me, the bumbling sidekick. Yesterday I stumbled on some documents on Ancestry that have solved, in my mind, a mystery that has eluded me since I started doing genealogy.

I have blogged about my ancestors Edward Windsor and Susannah Bryant Moore extensively.  Edward's parents were Edward and Pharaba Moore. This is proven by a family Bible belonging to Edward Windsor Moore's brother Thomas Moore.

Third page of Thomas Moore family Bible transcription,
listing his parents and siblings

Other than this, I can find only one other record in my possession that lists Pharaba (in its myriad number of spellings) by name. It is a deed where Edward sold a piece of land, and Pharaba, as his wife, had to be listed. This is a transcription of the deed provided many years ago by my cousin Phyllis Hill.

Deed from Edward and Pharaba Moore to William Wolfington, 1833

Beyond this, 27 years of research hasn't yielded a single clue as to who Pharaba was before becoming Mrs. Edward Moore.

Yesterday, I stumbled onto the metaphorical secret panel:

THE BRICK WALL BUSTER

This document is a petition by Reuben Pearce, who was attempting to settle the estate of his maiden aunt Kiziah Pearce. She died without children so her estate fell to her siblings and their heirs. To quote from above:

"She had a sister named Ferabee who married Edward Moore, who removed from the county with his wife some twenty years ago and neither of them has been heard of for the past twenty years and your petitioner is advised that their long absence, not being heard from by their relatives, is presumptive evidence of their deaths."

This is the magical piece of the puzzle I always hoped to find. But not only this, the great internets yielded up to me the names of Pharaba's parents as well. Ready?

Will of Windsor Pearce, Randolph County, North Carolina

Down towards the end it says this:

"and to My Daughter Pherrebee More They give one Featherbed & Furniture and Two Dollars to her or Her's".

Windsor and Mary Pearce, the parents of Pharaba Pearce Moore. Pharaba Pearce Moore, the mother of...don't forget...Edward WINDSOR Moore! Huzzah! 

In my mind, this is proof. I hope my fellow Moore researchers will read over this, and rejoice with me!

I have much more to share with you, but I'm still processing all this.