Family Tree

All of my research results and conversations are now on FamilySearch Family Tree. Come and participate.

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Eilsha Cragun and Mary Polly Osborne Marriage

On the Virginia Wiki page there are several sources to find Virginia marriages. As of this date I have searched in all of the Virginia Digital Collections with no positive results. I am moving on to searching for other Elisha Cragun research. The link below takes you to the Wiki page for Virginia.

https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Virginia

All sources that I find I post on FamilySearch Family Tree which is now open to everyone and it's free.

Simeon Cragun Homestead Document

Simeon Cragun, Elisha Cragun's Grandson married my grandmother, Blanche Bingham in 1906. He was 46 and she was 20 years old. In 1920 he moved his family to Idaho and this is a homestead document.

A Research Plan Should Be Small Enough To Manage Easily

Bite size is the way to describe the scope of an ideal research plan. The one below is too large: Patrick and all his children, and their downline descendants. What a huge project. I have been drowning in confusion. I will reassess my priorities and return with a managable plan. In the meantime - if you  have any knowledge or know of  someone who has proof of any part of Patricks history, please let me know.

Cragun Research Plan

This is a large sweep I know, covering one large family as a goal. I will systematically go through Patricks Children. Each is likely to become a research plan of its own. You are welcome to help. I can be reached by your leaving a comment of emaling me at larry@cragun.net.

Pc1 from Larry Cragun

Pc2 from Larry Cragun

Blanche Rebecca Bingham Death Certificate

Important Change In Publishing Style

As you start to study successful genealogists, take classes from them, etc. you begin to develop improvements in your skills and effectivenss. That's a natural thing.
Beginning about the 5th of August this site will change in it's publishing style. It will make this blog more valuable to those who want to research the Cragun line. I am embracing the "Plan Your Way to Research Success", a better way to to focus our research, and to manage it, by Marian Pierre-Louis.

As I introduce this to you, you may decide to help achieve the plan. The plan will be right there, the task items to do will be visible. This plan, being posted on line becomes a perfect collaboration tool.

Then, as Family Search Family Tree becomes available you can link your research results to that cool tree.

Moving Forward On Patrick Cragun Research

ARE YOU A DECENDENT OF PATRICK CRAGUN'S CHILDREN THAT DID NOT JOIN THE MORMONS AND GO WEST?  IF SO, WE I WANT YOU! (See who went west at end of the article)

I have spent hours, even days in researching Ireland, looking for Patrick and his father, Caleb (we think that's his name). This has probably been wasted to a great degree as I don't know how he spelled his last name back then. Cragun is not  the way I am sure.

I also don't know what County he lived in. We are told, Dublin, and that is possible. But was it really? I spent all day yesterday on my research day looking at at Dublin records. I write that research in the previous article.

For quite some time I have felt that Patricks children that did not join the Mormons and move west would have clues and answers. The photo below my be wrong, but it shows Patrick and Rose Hannah Alley had 12 children. Only three went west. My Grandfather, Elisha, died on the plains in the trek west. Most of those pioneers lost almost everything and their heirs are relying on word of mouth stories for most of their facts. His son Simeon was my great grandfather. Simeon made it to Utah.

With that in mind, It seems to me if you are related to those that stayed in Indiana, Tennesse, even Virginia might hold the clues in your records. You might have stories passed on that confirm or change the stories we know.

Regarding Patricks children going to Utah:
Enoch started and diverted to Missouri.
Hiram did not go.
Rebecca Cragun Beemer made it to Council Bluffs and aborted, ending up in Inidana.
James, Simeon, Mary, Tyresha, and Tabitha made it.
His other children died.

Elishas Siblings Elizabeth and Syren joined the Mormons, I have not yet determined if they went west.

My Next Effort = Find Caleb In England

Archives and Libraries Census Church History Church Records Civil Registration Court Records Description and Travel Directories Emigration and Immigration Genealogy History

Cragian???? Abt 1700  - Huntingdonshire, England

Maps Medical Records Memorial Inscriptions Military Records Names (Personal) Newspapers Occupations Poorhouses and Poor Law Etc Societies Taxation

Sullivan County, Tennessee

Caleb had a son named Patrick who was born c1745 in Ireland, perhaps in County Armagh, Ulster. However, Heiner reports that a book entitled, History of Cass County, Indiana found at the Indianapolis Library states on page 214 that, "the family of CRAGUN was founded in America by Patrick Cragun who came from Dublin, Ireland prior to the Revolutionary War and who took part in the struggles of the American Colonists that resulted in the winning of Independence.'' She also reports that a genealogical history of South West Virginia states that one Patrick Cragun had been arrested for the fourth time by the King's officers for his revolutionary tendencies. The identity of his wife, Rose Alley (or Abby) or Hanna Elsy (perhaps a second marriage) is unclear as is the date (1780's) and place of marriage. They are however, tied to Russell County, Virginia located in the extreme southwestern part of the state 20 miles north of Bristol, through the record of their eldest son Isaac as recorded in the Cass County history. Otherwise the family is more closely identified with Sullivan County, Tennessee which borders Virginia and shares the city of Bristol.The first record of Patrick known to exist is his listing in 1779 as a taxable in Washington County, N.C. which became Sullivan County, TN after 1780. In this record he is entered as Patrick Craguner where he is shown to have been assessed on: 170 acres of land, value L100; four horses, value L510; three cattle, value L30; and ready money, four shillings; for a total taxable estate of L640 and four shillings. While Negros were taxable property at that time, none were taxed to Patrick.
A 1784 listing of 5,486 North Carolina land grants in the new state of Tennessee shows at page 47, grant #1274 to be a general purchase grant to Patrick Cragon for 170 acres on Indian Creek, Sullivan County, Tennessee, a tributary of the Holston River. This farmsted was located only a few miles from Booher Creek, a tributary of Indian creek and the likely location of members of the Booher family. The Cragun and Booher families were later near neighbors in Boone County, Indiana. Patrick's greatgrandson, S. N. Cragun married Adelaide Booher at Worth Township, Boone County, in 1883, nearly one hundred years following their familiy's neighboring settlements in Tennessee.
The last known listing for Patrick was in 1812 showing that Patrick Creggon sold 164 acres on Indian Creek to Charles Barnette on Feb. 19, 1812. However, a bit earlier he is found as Patrick Cragun of record in Russel Co., VA in 1806, about 30 miles North of the Indian Creek farm, when he was exempt from County levies on account of age and bodily infirmity.

Family tradition as expressed in Heiner, ( Patrick Cragun Descendants in America

Family tradition as expressed in Heiner, ( Patrick Cragun Descendants in America, 1744-1969 ) holds that Caleb Cragun was born in England in 1700 and lived at Huntingdon, Huntingtonshire until he relocated to Ireland perhaps as a part of the Plantation Movement to settle lands forfeited to the British Crown by deposed Irish nobility. This settlement effort was being made using English and Scottish workers at the same time that other settlements were being established in Colonial America. However, another tradition in the family of Jean (Cragun) Tombaugh, tells that our ancestor was originally of Scotland and the name was McCRAGUN.

Caleb had a son named Patrick who was born c1745 in Ireland, perhaps in County Armagh, Ulster. However, Heiner reports that a book entitled, History of Cass County, Indiana found at the Indianapolis Library states on page 214 that: “the family of CRAGUN was founded in America by Patrick Cragun who came from Dublin, Ireland prior to the Revolutionary War and who took part in the struggles of the American Colonists that resulted in the winning of Independence.” She also reports that a genealogical history of South West Virginia states that one Patrick Cragun had been arrested for the fourth time by the King's officers for his revolutionary tendencies. The identity of his wife, Rose Alley (or Abby) or Hanna Elsy (perhaps a second marriage) is unclear as is the date (1780's) and place of marriage. They are however, tied to Russell County, Virginia located in the extreme southwestern part of the state 20 miles north of Bristol, through the record of their eldest son Isaac as recorded in the Cass County history. Otherwise the family is more closely identified with Sullivan County, Tennessee which borders Virginia and shares the city of Bristol.

The first record of Patrick known to exist is his listing in 1779 as a taxable in Washington County, N.C. which became Sullivan County, TN after 1780. In this record he is entered as Patrick Craguner where he is shown to have been assessed on: 170 acres of land, value £100; four horses, value £510; three cattle, value £30; and ready money, four shillings; for a total taxable estate of £640 and four shillings. While Negros were taxable property at that time, none were taxed to Patrick.

A 1784 listing of 5,486 North Carolina land grants in the new state of Tennessee shows at page 47, grant #1274 to be a general purchase grant to Patrick Cragon for 170 acres on Indian Creek, Sullivan County, Tennessee, a tributary of the Holston River. This farmstead was located only a few miles from Booher Creek, a tributary of Indian creek and the likely location of members of the Booher family. The Cragun and Booher families were later near neighbors in Boone County, Indiana.

Patrick's great-grandson, S. N. Cragun married Adelaide Booher at Worth Township, Boone County, in 1883; nearly one hundred years following their family’s neighboring settlements in Tennessee.

The last known listing for Patrick was in 1812 showing that Patrick Creggon sold 164 acres on Indian Creek to Charles Barnett on Feb. 19, 1812. However, a bit earlier he is found as Patrick Cragun of record in Russell Co., VA in 1806, about 30 miles North of the Indian Creek farm, when he was exempt from County levies on account of age and bodily infirmity.

The various spellings of his surname were characteristic of the times when clerks and recorders often wrote what they thought they heard without knowing whether the name was being spelled correctly or not. Doubtless these records all refer to the same individual.

Patrick and Rose (Alley) Cragun had eleven children
as follows:
Isaac , b. 1785. Immigrated to Indiana and settled in Cass County. His line spells the name CRAGAN.

Another Day Searching For Caleb Cragun In Ireland

The bad news is at the bottom. In Ancestry.com there is a tree http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/195701/person/-2111813003?ssrc= that shows Patricks birth in Abt 1700in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England near the home of OLIVER CROMWELL.. I have heard this before.

It also shows Spouse & Children

Hannah as Spouse 1726 –

• and children
  Joshua Cragun – 1847 Patrick Cragun1745 – 1825

One of the better websites for free Irish church records is http://www.irishgenealogy.ie

Aside from the info below there wasn't a record of Patrick or Caleb under any spelling. There were enough not Patrick or Caleb to make it interesting, see comments below.  I followed every trail I could to no success.

These are Catholic Churches in Dublin. If Patrick came to Ireland as part of the plantation movement, it seems he would be Protestant.  Although legends say he was born in Dublin, that in fact may not be correct.

I am using the websites listed in the right sidebar of http://larrycragunfamily.blogspot.com/
I am searching the names that the website http;//www.IrishTimes.com/ancestor lists as most common: cregan, creaghan,creegon, creegan, creighane, creagin, cregin, creigan, Mac Creigain, Creagon, Creagone, Creegon, Creighan, Creggan.
I will be focused on Limerick, Galway, Monoghan, and Dublin as these are the areas with the most families with these names.

Nothing found in the site: http://digital.ucd.ie/ or The National Library of Ireland

http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/ = FOUND a baptism of a Patrick Joseph Creagan June   21, 1852: Father George Creagan, MOther Rose Murray: June 21, 1852: Spsonser Maurice Crehan in DublinParish Church: St Nicholas

There were many Creaghan, Cregan, and some Creagan in the mid 1700's found on the Irish Genealogy Site - In Dublin.

The Churches were St Nicolas, St Andrew, St Audoen, St Catherine, St Michan, and St Mary Pro Cathedral

I was able to do a  thorough name search of all names, only coming up with these mentioned.

I did find 1 Patt Cregan of Ormond Key who was baptized 9 July 1738. His father was James and mother Mary Duffe.

Searched FindMYPast.com for Caleb with name variants to no success.

Also Searched FamilySearch.org for:
Caleb *cra and *cre in London 1700 - 1799 with no results. 

Elisha And Caleb Cragun Familly Story

Elisha is believed to have been born at either Russell County, VA or Sullivan County, TN on February 22, 1786, the second child of Patrick and Rose Alley Cragun. While Elisha's birthplace may have been in doubt, his Virginia connection was certain through his wife. In 1811 he married Mary (Polly) Osborn, daughter of James and Mary (Whitaker) Osborn of Castle's Wood, then in Washington County, Virginia (now Castlewood in Russell County, Virginia). The Osborn's are recorded as being wealthy slave and land owners of the area.
Polly's father, James Osborn(e), was a member of the second group of settlers to reach the Castlewood area of Russell County Virginia shortly after 1769. It was a part of the Clinch River settlements in extreme southwest Virginia. His father, Caleb, was owner of a plantation of over 579 acres in the area of Cedar and Dutchman's Creek at the Forks of the Yadkin, Rowan County, North Carolina. James' wife, Mary Whittaker, was (probably) the daughter of one of the Whittakers whose land adjoined that of the Osborn's.
James Osborn was listed as a soldier at Moore's Fort in 1777. It was located at Cassell's Woods and until 1775 had been under the command of Daniel Boone who at that time departed the area to make his second entry into Kentucky. The story of Moore's Fort and the names of its' soldiers on June 30, 1777 can be found in the Historical Sketches of Southwest Virginia, Pub#4, 1986, of the Historical Society of Southwest Virginia. James died on Dec 14, 1821 leaving to his widow the dwelling house, 1/3 of that tract of land and two Negroes. The remainder of his farm and eight Negroes were left to his son, Solomon. His other children, including Polly Cragun, Elisha's wife, were each bequeathed a certain undisclosed sum of money.
Polly was born in 1790, the youngest of nine children. Married at age 21, when Elisha was 25, they moved the fifty miles or so to join Patrick and the family in Sullivan County, Tennessee, where Rebecca was born to Mary in 1812 after Elisha had departed for army service.
Polly's older brother, Jonathan, migrated along with members of the Alley family to the area that became Franklin County, IN in 1811, the same year that the land was opened for settlement having been obtained from the Indians in 1809 by the Twelve Mile Purchase treaty. In 1813 he was among the first to draw land. The next year, in 1814, Elisha and Polly left Sullivan County, TN with their daughter, Rebecca, and on September 16th. entered four surveys of land near Jonathan's property and adjoining property of Peter Alley along Pipe Creek, at the junction of Metamora and Butler Townships in Franklin County, IN. Apparently, Elisha's entry into Indiana was delayed by service in the war of 1812 in which his brothers Isaac and John also served. Both John and Elisha are said to have served with the troops of General Andrew Jackson; however, Elisha's service can not be verified through records at the National Archives.
Later, on March 2, 1819, Elisha's younger brother, Caleb, twin of Joshua, entered a survey in the same area in Franklin County as Elisha and married the widowed Sarah (Alley) Jones with two children. By 1828, Joshua Cragun also settled in Franklin County; however, sometime between 1825 and 1827, Elisha and Polly moved on to Noble Township near Richland in Rush County after that land was opened for settlement following the St. Mary's Treaty with the Indians.
One can only be impressed with the way Elisha and his family kept following the frontier. As new lands were opened for settlement, they moved into them and developed farms bringing civilization along with them. They settled land and cultivated it in contrast to speculators of the time who claimed and simply held land against the hope of increased prices thus retarding both settlement and development of the frontier as it moved west.
With the exception of Rebecca, who had married and established her own home with Aaron Beeman in Rush County, in 1835 Elisha, Mary, and their nine other children claimed land in Boone County, cleared it of growth including the black walnut trees which grew in abundance and began to farm near what became known as the Pleasant View Community in Eagle Township between Zionsville and Whitestown. Not much is known about the family during this period. The record indicates that Mary died December 14,1844 at age 54 and daughter Abigail died three days later on December 17 at age 21. They were buried side by side on the farm in an otherwise unmarked grave where a large black walnut tree then stood.
Heiner described the land in 1965 as being lush and green with a stream called Jackson's Run flowing through the Pleasant View Church yard. This is now the location of Hutton Memorial Cemetery East of Whitestown where several family members have been buried. Heiner also reports that Elisha sold all or part of his holding to Washington St. Clair on September 8, 1845. This perhaps marks the breakup of the homestead done in preparation for the next shift to the west, which is explained by Heiner as follows: "During their moves from one county to another, Elisha encountered two Mormon missionaries - Nathan T. Porter, and Wilber Earl. Their doctrine appealed to Elisha and his wife, Mary. A very good friend, Henry Mower, a Methodist minister, had been converted to the Latter-day Church of Jesus Christ and he also influenced their faith and baptized Elisha 15 March 1843 at Jackson's Run."
After the death of his wife and daughter and sale of his property, Elisha made his way to Nauvoo, Illinois, to be near the head of the church there receiving a Patriarchal Blessing on November 10, 1845. Heiner also reports that Elisha was accompanied by several members of his family. With him at Nauvoo were his sister, Elizabeth, and brother, Syren. The record also shows that all of his surviving children except Hiram departed for the west. Two sons, James and Simeon and three daughters: Mary, Tyresha, and Tabitha ultimately completed the treck and settled in Utah. Rebecca Cragun Beeman and her family were reported by her son, Elisha, living in 1909 near Elizaville, Indiana, to have gone as far as Council Bluffs, Iowa, and then turned back for unknown reasons.
Elisha Cragun's fifth child, Enoch, and his wife, Molly (Peters), got as far west as Missouri then went north to Minnesota establishing a branch of the family which still lives in the area of Brainard, Minnesota.
Sara Jane, Elisha's youngest child, is reported to have died in 1847 or 1848. Nothing further is known of her.
Elisha is believed to have departed with a party from Nauvoo headed for Utah and got as far as Council Bluffs, Iowa or Winter Quarters, Nebraska where he died during the winter of 1846-47 at age 61. No record of his grave has been found, but he may be burried in one of the nearly 800 unmarked graves at the cemetery near the encampment at Florence, Nebraska on Rt.#75, north of Omaha, a victim of a cholera epidemic that winter.

Using The Website Roots Ireland To Search For Patrick Cragun

With my using my 43 different spellings of Cragun form I was tediously but fairly quickly able to search this website, as I do others, for variations of the name Cragun. Most of the time I search using the first initial and the last name. I entered C for Caleb and the spellings, using 1750 as a target date. Patrick was supposedly born in 1740, so I used a year within 10. The spelling Creagh is interesting, I also had a positive response when using that spelling.

On 10 of those versions they say they have records for those spellings. You get 10 free page results then have to pay.

I used 1 of those pages and the photo below is the result for C Cregon. Note the results came up Creagh,. This is helpful. It names counties I have searched: Limerick and Cork. Other research suggested I look in Limerick.

Being cheap, I didn't buy credits to view the documents. I am more likely to spend money when I have an idea these are relevant. 

In the meantime, they are clues.

Isaac and Caleb Cragun

Brothers Isaac and Caleb Cragun were found in Brookville, Franklin, Indiana 1820 Census. We are told that Caleb was also the name of their grandfather.

Elisha Cragun

I suggest you go here for an update on Elisha Cragun:

http://larrycragunfamily.blogspot.com/2012/12/there-is-lot-to-know-about-elisha-cragun.html


Info From Ancestry.com

Birth 22 February 1786. Sullivan County Tennessee

Died 1847 as a Mormon Pioneer in 1847. Age 61.

Mary had died 3 years earlier in after giving birth to a daughter who died 3 days later.

You can double click this photo to enlarge it.

Mary Polly Osborne

Mary Polly Osborne Married our grandfather Elisha Cragun in 1811. She was born in Russell Country Virginia Dec 17,1790 and died in Eagle, Boone County, Tennessee 14 Decembr 1844. Her parents we Janes Osborne and Mary Whittaker.

Glenn Samuel Cragun Obituary

Glenn S Cragun Obituary

To see the text in larger print click the slideshare logo.
Note, Glen was my Uncle - He only was married to Mrytle and they had no children. 

Searching for Isaacs wife, Esthers birth

1850 census shows born in VA. Is she Cornwell or Cornwall, that is my focus this afternoon:
Family Search: No results
FindAGrave: Searched Cass County Esther: Cragun, Craigen, Craigan, Cragan, = no results.
  Did Find via a search in Cass County a memorial for Caleb J Cragan, "the aged and well known citizen, died at his home at 722 Race street this morning at 9:30 o'clock, aged 73 years."

Isaac and Esther Cragun and Family and Spouses

The above is a photo off of Family Tree.Isaac is Patrick Craguns oldest son.

These are close descendants to Patrick Cragun. I am hoping that someone in Isaacs descendants, also then a descendant of Patrick might have a record confirming any detail of him. For example, Patricks Father is also a Caleb, we think. Can we confirm that? Who was Calebs wife? We have no details. I know it's a long shot, but there are 7 married children from Isaac. Maybe they will stumble along and be able to help.

Below are some of the fables or facts I would love to document:

• 
  The family of CRAGUN was founded in America by Patrick Cragun who came from Dublin, Ireland prior to the Revolutionary War and who took part in the struggles of the American Colonists that resulted in the winning of Independence. History of Cass County, Indiana p. 214
  Genealogical history of South West Virginia: Patrick Cragun had been arrested for the fourth time by the King's officers for his revolutionary tendencies.
  The identity of his wife, Rose Alley (or Abby) or Hanna Elsy (perhaps a second marriage) is unclear as is the date (1780's) and place of marriage. They are however, tied to Russell County, Virginia located in the extreme southwestern part of the state 20 miles north of Bristol, through the record of their eldest son Isaac as recorded in the Cass County history. Otherwise the family is more closely identified with Sullivan County, Tennessee which borders Virginia and shares the city of Bristol.