The Craig Family
The Craig Family is one of my newest families on my website. I have know about the Craig family for a long time, but had not had time to do any in-dept research on them. Mary Jane Craig was my Great Great Grandmother on my Father's maternal side. All I knew about her was that she was born March 29, 1847 in Henry County, Indiana to Andrew and Mary Heston Craig, she grew up in the northern part of Missouri in Harrison County she was the 2nd youngest of ten children, and supposedly she was full blooded Delaware Indian on her Mother's side. Everything is true except the part about being a full blooded Delaware Indian and the Indian blood coming from her maternal side. She was probably one-quarter Indian. Her Grandmother on her paternal side was probably a full-blooded Indian, but a Cherokee from North Carolina, not Delaware from New Jersey. Rodrick got married in North Carolina in 1780 and the Delaware Tribe was from the New Jersey area. In addition, we know from the 1850 and 1860 census' that her Mother Mary Heston was also born in North Carolina. Richard Harvey a Craig descendant emailed me that he had always heard his Great Grandmother was a full blooded Cherokee.
For some reason I knew that my Great Grandmother's family had been in the North Carolina area and I figured I should do some research on them before my trip back there in October. What a surprise. What a story. Over the years I connected with Sue Dale and I've met another great family researcher in Carolyn Craig. I really have to give Carolyn the credit for a lot of the research on the Craig's other than Mary Jane's line. Now Fleta has joined our group with more information and pictures about Levi's line.
Rodrick Craig
Rodrick Craig was Mary Jane Craig's Grandfather. He is another DAR documented Revolutionary War soldier in my family. We learn from Lou Jenson, that one of one his relatives had compiled the following handwritten information about Roderick Craig - that he came to Colonial America as a young man to do garrison duty as an English soldier when this country was a colony of England and decided to stay and previous to the Revolutionary War, he settled near Ashville, North Carolina. There is a family tradition which says that he served seven years as a sailor and seven years as a soldier in the English army and navy.
We know from his Revolutionary War Pension Application that Rodrick was born 1740 in London, England. We learn from Carolyn Craig that "some records have his date of birth 1750 others 1740. His tombstone is 1740 to 1844. Some say the dates are wrong and should be 1750 to 1854. It still makes him 104 years old at his death. His marriage information for Randolph County, in North Carolina states he was 31 years old when he married his wife Rebecca F. in 1780. This would mean he was born in 1750 not 1740, or he lied about his age. If, this is true then the dates on his tombstone are wrong or right ? He died at the age of 104 years, 5 months, and 23 days."
As I said, it is thought that Rebecca, his wife was a full blooded Cherokee Indian. There are some family stories through some branches of the family that she was a Delaware Indian, but that doesn't make sense. The Delaware's were further north, not in North Carolina. The Cherokee's were in North Carolina. There probably weren't many white women in North Carolina in 1780. So, like many men during that time period they married an Indian maiden. Then, for whatever reason, in the fall of 1781, he decided to join the Revolutionary Forces. He enlisted as a private in Capt. Elijah William's Company, Colonel Belford's North Carolina Regiment. Three months later the British surrendered and the Revolution was won. Because he was in the service for less than six months he was unable to get a pension.
We then learn from his Pension Application that he lived in North Carolina until about 1804 when he moved to Ohio. However, based on his youngest son Andrew being born in North Carolina in 1808 they had to have left sometime after 1808. This also happens to coincide with when Ohio was opened up to settlers. We don't know where he lived in Ohio, but we know that William's son Isaac was born there in 1819.
Henry County, Indiana
The settlement of Henry County, Indiana began in the year 1819, prior to this time all the territory of this county was in possession of the Indians, but in 1818 the United States Government negotiated a treaty with the Indians, purchased their lands and opened up Henry County, along with other portions of Central Indiana for settlement. Some of the first settlers of this county put their name down in the order in which they came into the county: Andrew Shannon, George Hobson, Asel Woodard, Allen Shepherd, Wm. Hannon, Benjamin Harvey, George and Charles See, Moses Keens, Joshiah Morris, J. R. Leakey, Daniel Paul, Jonathan Bundy, Daniel Jackson, Thomas Greenstreet, Samuel Carr, Allen Hunt, A. Heaton, John Huff, W. M. Carey, Jacob Woods, Roderick Craig, Wm. Owen, John Hart, Demsey Reece, and others. In 1822 he settled on government land grants in what is known today as the State of Indiana, Henry County, Harrison Township. By now, Rodrick was spelling his name Roderick and he was settler number 22.
Roderick and his descendants settled and lived in Henry County for many years. Many of them still live there today. Roderick Craig is buried in an unmarked cemetery between Cadiz and Markleville, Indiana in a small barn yard - west of county road 775 west along state road 38. There are only four stones in the cemetery. His tombstone reads 1740- 1844, but as is discussed earlier some say the dates are wrong and it should be 1750-1854. Source: Carolyn Craig.
Andrew Craig and the move to Harrison County, Missouri
For some reason in 1859 my Great Great Grandfather Andrew Craig and his wife Mary Heston Craig decided to move to Harrison County, Missouri on the northern boarder of Missouri and Iowa. " In 1859, made a 32 day trip from Henry County, Indiana with oxen and wagon to Mercer County Missouri." Source: Carolyn Craig Eventually they settled on land attached to Harrison County and next door to Mercer County that was being opened up to settlers, so maybe since Andrew was the youngest son, this was the only way he could get land. By this time Andrew and Mary Heston had ten children: Martha, Iverson, Louisa, Sarah, Enoch, Elias, Alexander, Mercy, Mary Jane and Amanda. This was one of the reasons why families moved on and settled new territories.
Originally after moving to Missouri Andrew and his family
settled in Mercer County and in the 1860 Census he and his family are living in
Lindley, Mercer County, Missouri between Mary Robertson Booth and her family,
and Samuel Robertson. I suppose this is how the Craigs and the Robertsons
met. This is important for me because later John M.
Robertson my Great Great Grandfather after moving to Barry County, Missouri
between 1850 and 1860 on
the southern boundary of Missouri and Arkansas traveled back to Mercer County
where he had fallen in love with his neighbor Mary Jane Craig. James and
Mary Jane married in March of 1865 and she returned with him to Barry County,
Missouri where they started their family.
Andrew and most of his family continued to live in Harrison County. He died December 27, 1876 and he is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Cainsville, Harrison County, Missouri along with his wife Mary Heston Craig and many of this family members.
After the wedding Mary Jane moved to Barry County with James and they started their family there. Go to the Robertson Page for more information about their family.