Church records from the Owston parish show there were Crackel families throughout several counties of England, and most were clustered in Lincolnshire county and neighboring communities. There were variations of the Crackel name, such as Crackall, Crackel, Crackle, and Cracknell. Genealogists believe all of these are descended from the same blood line. The earliest Crackel record in the parish archives was registered in 1589, however, the Domesday books, recorded by William the Conqueror in 1066 A.D. show a house of Crac located in the parish of Oweston, where most of the Crackels were later found.

The blood line in this family history is descended from Richard Crackel, born about 1769. He was the father of three of the sons who came to America—Joseph, Kelsey, and Thomas.298

There is no mention of the three Crackel brothers’ father, Richard, in the extracts from Mr. Flower’s book. Richard was 67 years old when he came to Illinois in 1836 and probably too feeble to leave an impression upon Mr. Flower. According to voters registration records held in Springfield, Illinois, Richard was living in Edwards county in 1838 when he voted. The record states that his son Joseph lived in Edwards county and that Kelsey and Thomas lived in Wabash county.298