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.