The journey of the early settlers to Cherokee Nation West is a complicated one. My great grandfather Moses Crittenden was born in Cherokee Nation East Georgia in 1825. The next record that I have found for him is the 1850 census that shows him living in Freedom Township Polk County Arkansas at age 25 with his wife Eda Quniton, age 22. I believe Eda (Edith) is Moses’ niece, his sister Lydia’s daughter.
I am on a constant quest for records that will help me determine exactly when Moses moved from Georgia to Arkansas. His father William Crittenden is shown on the 1835 census as living in Talking Rock Creek, GA. Both Moses and his father William are listed on the Old Settler Roll of 1851
In the 1850 census in Freedom, Polk County AR there are six Quinton family households listed on the same census record with the Moses Crittenden household. Moses is listed as a farmer.
In the 1860 census in Freedom AR the Moses Crittenden household is surrounded by six Quinton family households. Moses’ father William, then 80, is living with Moses. Two important facts are found on the 1860 census. Moses is now listed as a merchant and in the column under Value Real Estate is the figure 2000.
In November 2013, now knowing that Moses owned real estate in Arkansas, I started a search to try to find information on land owned by Moses Crittenden. I accessed the following sites which eventually led me to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Federal Land Record site.
http://www.ark-ives.com/documenting/
http://www.arkansasgenealogy.com/
http://searches.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/arkland/arkland.pl
http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Federal Land Record site includes a searchable database where I found a copy of Moses’ land patent signed by President James Buchanan. I also found two patents for land owned by James Quinton.
http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx
Moses Crittenden Search Result BLM Land Patents
I sent for a hard copy of the document for under $5.00 I received a printed copy on parchment paper along with a copy of the plat map.
Copy of Moses Land Patent
My next genealogy research trip in November 2014 will take me back to Oklahoma and then on to Arkansas. Finding the exact location of Moses’ land means that I will be able to search local archives, libraries and museums for additional information on my great grandfather’s time in Arkansas. I will also be able to go to the site of his land, surrounded by the echoes of my great grandfather Moses Crittenden and his extended family.
Cherokee Roots Blog 