Pearl River resident Debbie Crawford knew her family had lived in the area for quite some time.

What she didn’t know is the Crawfords were one of the town’s founding families. But with areas such as Crawford Landing and Crawford Cemetery bearing her name, it should not have come as a surprise.

A yellowed certificate dated June 1, 1858, certifies that over 100 acres was deeded to an ancestor named Thomas Crawford. When Debbie’s father, Alvin, died in 1987, he passed it on to her with explicit instructions.

Debbie Crawford holds the land grant for 100 acres issued to her ancestor Thomas Crawford in 1858. Also pictured are a handwritten deed and other documents drawn up in 1907 for the cemetery that bears her family name. (Staff Photo by Anne Lautzenheiser)

“He always told me, ‘whatever you do, if you have to evacuate or anything, take this with you’,” she said. “When I finally saw it I thought, ‘hmm, we’ve got some land here’.”

Without giving it much thought, she promptly stashed it in her closet, along with a few other faded papers. While cleaning house one day last month, curiosity finally took hold, and she decided to take a good look at it.

When she went to vote at the Town Hall on Nov. 4, she took the document with her, thinking it might be of interest.

Pearl River Mayor James Lavigne and other town officials were stunned to find such an early record of settlement in the area. Lavigne and attorney Ron Guth are attempting to track down surveyor’s maps from the period to determine the exact boundaries of the Crawford property.

Crawford grew up on Pine Street, just a few blocks away from the 4 1/2 acres where she lives now, which used to belong to her aunt. Two of her great aunts started the United Methodist Church, now on Louisiana Highway 41, and her parents were one of the first couples to be married there.

The original property has been subdivided and sold many times over the years. Alderwoman Ruby Gauley, who used to work at Town Hall, remembers residents’ property tax bills often listed “Crawford Addition” as part of the address.

Crawford is donating the historic document to the new Pearl River Museum, expected to open early next year. She has also discovered a handwritten deed for Crawford Cemetery and her grandfather’s 1917 draft notice.

With no surviving family members, she’s searching for the family Bible, once maintained by her great-aunt Louise, to see if she can trace the thread back to Thomas Crawford.

“People need to know their history, and I’m honored my family helped serve as the foundation for Pearl River,” she said. “I’m so glad I didn’t lose any of this to Katrina.”