I was reading the extensive correspondence between George Washington and William Crawford, gathered in the book The Washington-Crawford Letters, by C. W. Butterfield. Aside from being a distinguished military leader, Col. Crawford was one of the first settlers of the Ohio River Valley and helped many of the colonists who migrated there.
They were the same age and had known each other since their teenage years. While he was much occupied in fighting the War of Independence, General Washington put Crawford in charge of surveying, acquiring, and developing his western lands in what is now Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky. It was a daunting task, as Washington desired to own many thousands of acres for farming and renting out to settlers. Many times, Crawford wrote that he had pressed his younger brother, Valentine Crawford, or one of his half-brothers into service to carry out Washington's wishes.
Who were Crawford's half-brothers? They were the sons of Richard and Honora Stephenson, whose property Washington had surveyed on the Bullskin Run in Virginia in 1750. The oldest was Hugh Stephenson, followed by John Stephenson, Richard Stephenson, and James Stephenson. There was also a daughter, and the youngest son, Marquis Stephenson,
served as a private in the Revolutionary War. The older sons were officers, most notably Hugh, who was a Colonel and leader of the Virginia sharpshooters who hiked the famous Beeline March to join Washington near Boston at the beginning of the war.
In 1776, Col. Hugh returned to Virginia to recruit more soldiers and there he died of "camp fever" (malaria). The executor of his will became Valentine Crawford, who also died not long after that by contracting pneumonia while falling through ice. Col. William Crawford wrote to General Washington some months later:
It is said that William took his brother's body back to Bullskin to be buried in the Bullskin Presbyterian Churchyard, beside that of his mother Honora. I read these words just before going to bed, and that night, I had a dream where I saw Honora, Richard, and Valentine lying in repose in their burial place, the same one that I had visited on the grounds of a racetrack two months ago.
But, how could that be? I had found two marked gravestones there, with the names Thomson and Throckmorten incised on them. There were six other smaller gravestones, unlabeled or the letters had worn off after so long. But in my dream, the three bodies lay between the stones, as if there were three smaller footstones.
So, here in these letters that Col. Crawford wrote, was proof of the location of my ancestors' graves! I am forever indebted to William Crawford for his diligent communication with George Washington. A mystery remains, however; where is Colonel Hugh Stephenson buried?
They were the same age and had known each other since their teenage years. While he was much occupied in fighting the War of Independence, General Washington put Crawford in charge of surveying, acquiring, and developing his western lands in what is now Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky. It was a daunting task, as Washington desired to own many thousands of acres for farming and renting out to settlers. Many times, Crawford wrote that he had pressed his younger brother, Valentine Crawford, or one of his half-brothers into service to carry out Washington's wishes.
Who were Crawford's half-brothers? They were the sons of Richard and Honora Stephenson, whose property Washington had surveyed on the Bullskin Run in Virginia in 1750. The oldest was Hugh Stephenson, followed by John Stephenson, Richard Stephenson, and James Stephenson. There was also a daughter, and the youngest son, Marquis Stephenson,
served as a private in the Revolutionary War. The older sons were officers, most notably Hugh, who was a Colonel and leader of the Virginia sharpshooters who hiked the famous Beeline March to join Washington near Boston at the beginning of the war.
In 1776, Col. Hugh returned to Virginia to recruit more soldiers and there he died of "camp fever" (malaria). The executor of his will became Valentine Crawford, who also died not long after that by contracting pneumonia while falling through ice. Col. William Crawford wrote to General Washington some months later:
But, how could that be? I had found two marked gravestones there, with the names Thomson and Throckmorten incised on them. There were six other smaller gravestones, unlabeled or the letters had worn off after so long. But in my dream, the three bodies lay between the stones, as if there were three smaller footstones.
So, here in these letters that Col. Crawford wrote, was proof of the location of my ancestors' graves! I am forever indebted to William Crawford for his diligent communication with George Washington. A mystery remains, however; where is Colonel Hugh Stephenson buried?
