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Some families know a great deal about their roots; others know very little. When I started my Crawford family research in 2005, all I knew was that my grandfather, Percy Crawford, had come to the United States from Vancouver in the 1920's as a young man, and I had almost no information about his parents or his roots. Since that time, I have traced my Crawford family's route from Donegal County in Ireland to their settlement in Ontario in 1846 and their westward migration across Canada around the turn of the 20th century. Along the way, I discovered other branches of my grandfather's family from Ireland, Scotland and England, and even found a branch on his mother's side who were Loyalists during the American Revolution and who emigrated to Canada after the war. My research also took me deep into the family histories of my other grandparents' lines, including the histories of the Duvall and related families who came to America in the 1600's after suffering persecution as French Huguenots; the Pisor and related German families who moved westward in the 1700's and early 1800's to bravely settle central and western Pennsylvania; and the Oliver and related families who helped found Portersville, Pennsylvania and were part of the Scotch and Irish Presbyterian heritage there. Along the way I discovered my extensive Quaker and Pennsylvania Dutch roots; family members who suffered scalpings or capture during the French and Indian War; several Revolutionary War veterans; a Confederate Civil War veteran who was captured and imprisoned in Ohio; original Dutch settlers in New York; early New England settlers in the 1600's; and many other linear ancestors with fascinating stories. Before I started
this journey, I knew almost nothing about my family beyond my grandparents. Now I know a great deal about my roots,
extending for many lines back 400, 500 and even 600 years. Throughout my research, I have sourced every bit of
information I have accumulated about each family member, preferring as often as possible to use primary source material.
For example, below is the original November 19, 1806 christening record for Samuel Crawford, the original Crawford immigrant
to Canada and Percy's great-grandfather, from the parish records in County Donegal. It is my hope eventually to
use this website as a portal to share and record what I've learned about my family history, and to serve as a repository
of information about these families so that others who are descended from these lines can learn more about their family histories
as well. — Mark Crawford, San Francisco CA
The Susquehanna University Press published in 2010 "A Thirst for Souls: The Life of Evangelist Percy B. Crawford (1902-1960)" by his son, Dan D. Crawford, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the Universitiy Nebraska-Lincoln. The book is an historical and analytical account of Percy's life and his pioneering work in Christian radio and television broadcasting. A preview of the book and ordering information are available at Amazon.com by clicking on the book link below.
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