Jacob Crowninshield (1732 - 1774)

Born 1732 in Salem, Mass

Ancestors

Husband of Hannah (Carlton) Crowninshield — married 30 Mar 1756 in Salem, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 1774 at about age 42 in Salem, Mass

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Biography

HANNAH CARLETON,^[1] b. 26 Jul 1734 daughter of Samuel and Deborah (Stevens) Carleton; d. 14 May 1824; m. 30 Mar 1756, JACOB CROWNINSHIELD, b. 9 Jan 1732/3 son of John and Anstus (Williams) Crowninshield; Jacob was a mariner who died on a passage from Jamaica in Nov 1774.

Captain Jacob Crowninshield was a member of the renowned Crowninshield mariner family. Jacob was lost at sea. He did not leave a will and his estate entered probate 4 January 1775. Hannah Crowninshield was administrator of the estate. The estate was declared insolvent and it was ordered to be sold 17 February 1790. The widow’s dower had been set out to Hannah but was returned to the estate for sale in 1790, although she retained her right to live in a portion of the house. The estate included two Negros who claimed and took their freedom.^[2]

Hannah Carleton Crowninshield’s will was written 12 June 1810 and it was recorded 6 July 1824. Hannah’s daughter Hannah and son Benjamin were executors of the estate. “Whereas the providence of God has blessed with prosperity my beloved son Benjamin Crowninshield, and he has no need of my assistance, I do will and bequeath to my only daughter, Hanna Crowninshield, the companion and friend of my widowhood, in reward for her faithful duty, all the property of every name. . . “ Hannah did add a codicil in which “being disposed to express my fondest regards to my son Benjamin, I do will and bequeath to my said son Benjamin, the family tankard, as the best testimony of my affection.”^[3]

Hannah Carleton and Jacob Crowninshield lived in half of what is now known as the Crowninshield-Bentley house in Salem. This house was built about 1727 most likely by Jacob’s grandfather. After Jacob’s death, Hannah and her daughter lived in the East half of the house and supported themselves by taking in boarders. The Reverend William Bentley was one of the boarders from 1791 to 1819, and he kept a diary of the daily goings on in Salem. Hannah’s son Benjamin inherited the West half of the house. Benjamin was quite successful and made substantial improvements to his half. In 1795, Benjamin’s half was valued at $1,350 while his mother’s half had a value of $250.^[4]

There is record evidence for three children of Hannah Carleton and Jacob Crowninshield.

i BENJAMIN CROWNINSHIELD, b. 15 Feb 1758; d. at Salem, 1836; m. 9 Nov 1780, MARY LAMBERT, b. at Salem, Nov 1760 daughter of Joseph and Mary (Foote) Lambert;^[5] Mary d. at Charlestown, 21 Jun 1851.

ii JOHN CROWNINSHIELD, b. 1762; d. at Salem, 19 Feb 1786; m. SARAH HATHORNE, b. about 1761 daughter of Daniel and Rachel (Phelps) Hathorne; Sarah d. 18 Jan 1829. John and Sarah do not seem to have had children. In her 1829 will, Sarah left her estate to her sister Ruth Hathorne. "John, m., mate with Capt. Lambert, s. wid. Hannah [s. Jacob and Hannah, h. Sarah (Hathorne)], dysentery, Feb. 19, 1786, a. 24 y. CR4."

iii HANNAH CROWNINSHIELD, b. 1764; d. at Salem, Apr 1832. Hannah did not marry.

Sources

1. ↑ Family summary taken from Abbott, Patricia A., The Descendants of John and Elizabeth Stevens of Andover Through Six Generations, 2021, In Press
2. ↑ Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881. Probate of Jacob Crowninshield, 4 Jan 1775, Case number 6677.
3. ↑ Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881. Probate of Hannah Crowninshield, 6 Jul 1824, Case number 6675.
4. ↑ Crowninshield-Bentley House, Peabody Essex Museum, 2006. http://teh.salemstate.edu/educatorsguide/pages/Federal/CBHouse.pdf
5. ↑ Belknap, Henry Wyckoff. 1918. The Lambert Family of Salem, Massachusetts. Salem, MA: Essex Institute. p 30

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/223974718/jacob-crowninshield: accessed 9 November 2023), memorial page for Jacob Crowninshield (1732–1774), Find a Grave Memorial ID 223974718, citing Burying Point Cemetery, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA

• The Salem World of Nathaniel Hawthorne

By Margaret B. Moore