John Crane (aft. 1664 - 1711)

Born after 1664 in Guilford, New Haven Co., Connecticut

Ancestors

Husband of Martha (Daggett) Crane — married 25 May 1694 in Killingworth (Middlesex) Connecticut

Descendants

Died 18 Oct 1711 before age 47 in New York on his way home to Killingworth, Connecticut

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Biography

John Crane^[1]

John Crane, born bet. 1664 and 1674, at Guilford, New Haven, CT, was the eldest son of Henry Crane of Guilford and Killingworth. He married Martha, daughter of John Daggett of Rehoboth, Mass., May 28, 1694, and settled in that part of the town of Killingworth, now Clinton, Midddlesex Co., CT. He in many respects was much like his father, an intelligent, self-reliant, enterprising man. In all his endeavors and aspirations thoroughly devoted to the general good of the public. Although he was cut down in middle life, yet by virtue of the confidence reposed in him by his fellow-citizens lie already had assumed the high position in the affairs of state which his father had so long and acceptably occupied before him. In minor public matters Mr. Crane was also over ready to contribute his full share of time and energy.

He was delegate to the General Court for thirteen sessions, from 1703 to 1711, the year of his death. In 1708 he received a captain's commission, and went in command of a company with the expedition under the command of General Sir Francis Nicholson against Canada, which proved so unsuccessful, in the year 1711. Captain Crane returned with his company as far as New York, which place they reached in the month of October on their way home. Worn out and completely exhausted, and diseased in consequence of the exposures and hardships attending this disastrous campaign, he was unable to journey further, and died in New York, October, 1711. and was there honored with a State funeral. The expense of that funeral in New York was paid by the Colony of Connecticut, as will be seen by the following vote passed by the General Court in October, 1711: " Whereas by the Providence of God Captain John Crane of Killingworth on his returning from the Expedition against Canada, died by tin way at New York, It is therefore ordered by this Assembly, that the cost and charges of his funeral there be borne and paid out of the public treasury of this colony, and the Honorable the Governor and council are desired to examine Lt. Col Livingston's account of the said charge and to make out an order to the treasurer to pay what is reasonable and just therein," At a meeting of the Governor and Council held in Now London in the month of December following, we find that the account of Captain Joseph Aspinwall for the charges of Captain Crane's funeral, amounting to £19 — 11 s — 6 p , was laid before that board and allowed; that an order was given the treasurer to pay the same. This Capt. Aspinwall was born at Muddy River, Mass. ; went with others of his father's family to Connecticut, resided at Seabrook and perhaps Wethersfield.

It also appears that Captain Crane took part in a previous expedition against Canada, for at the session of the Assembly in February, 1711, an order was passed " To pay 5th company Captain John Cranes 150—13s—4p for pay and Bounties due." He was captain of the 5th company in the regiment of the Colony of Connecticut.

Birth

John Crane was born sometime after 1664 and before 1674, at Guilford, New Haven, CT.

Note: Henry removed to Killingworth from Guilford ca. Nov. 26, 1669

Siblings

• John Crane, eldest son, was b. sometime after 1664 and before 1674, at Guilford, Connecticut^[2], who succeeded his father as Representative to the General Court of Connecticut from Killingworth. John, the eldest son, married Martha Daggett, of Rehoboth, or Taunton, Mass., May 25, 1694. Father Henry was aged 29.

Note: John's father, Henry Crane, removed to Killingworth from Guilford aft. Nov. 26, 1669. A distance of 11 miles.

• Joan, b. ca. 1664. ? Guilford, New Haven, CT.

• Elizabeth Crane, 1666, Guilford, New Haven, CT, USA. Father Age 31.

• Concurrance Bartlett, December 27, 1667, Guilford, New Haven, CT, USA. Father Age 32.

• Mary Crane, August 23, 1670 Killingworth, Middlesex, CT, USA. Father Age 35.

• Phebe Kelsey, December 24, 1672 at Guilford, New Haven Co., CT. or at Killingworth, Middlesex, CT. Father Age 37. [most likely Killingworth]

• Theophilus Crane, January 5, 1674, Theophilus Crane Killingworth, Middlesex, CT, USA. Father Age 39. [This Theophilus may have died young]

• Theophilus Crane, b. Jan. 25. 1675. ? [Possibly a second son named Theophilus]

• Abigail Crane, April 3, 1676, Killingsorth, Middlesex, CT, USA. Father Age 41. [Possibly died in infancy.]

• Henry Crane (Capt.), October 25, 1677, Killingsorth, Middlesex, CT, USA. Father Age 42.

• Mercy Crane, 1680, Killingsorth, Middlesex, CT, USA. Father age 45. Mercy died August 18, 1739 in Killingworth, Middlesex, CT, USA

• Nathaniel Crane, August 7, 1682, Killingsorth, Middlesex, CT, USA. Father age 47.

Marriage

JOHN CRANE of Killingworth, CT., married: Martha Daggett, or Doggett on 28 May 1694, at Killingworth, Middlesex, CT. MARTHA, was b. 1672 at Edgartown, Dukes Co., MA; Alternate marriage date: 25 May 1695.^[3] Martha was the dau. of Thomas Doggett, b. 1630, Watertown, Middlesex, MA. and Hannah Mayhew, b. 15 Jun 1665 at Medford, Middlesex, MA.

Children

The following children of John Crane and Martha Daggett were named in the Probate papers^{[4] [5]}:

• 1. JOHN, b. March 23, 1695, at Killingworth, CT; died without issue Feb. 15, 1722.
• 2. HANNAH, b. Aug. 28, 1697, at Killingworth, CT.
• 3. JANE, b. Feb. 10, 1701, at Killingworth, CT.
• 4. EBENEZER, b. May 11. 1702, at Killingworth, CT.
• 5. CONCURRENCE, b. June 4, 1709, at Killingworth, CT.
• 6. ELEANOR, b. Aug. 25, 1711.

Estate of John Crane^[6]

At the request of his stepmother John Crane was appointed administrator of his father's estate, but died before the duties of the office had been fulfilled. On Nov. 13, 1711. his widow Martha was appointed administratrix, and Nov. 11. 1712. she presented to Richard Christopher. Judge of Probate at Now London, an inventory of the estate. At Court of Probate held in New London, June 9, 1713, before the same judge, the following report was made and distribution ordered  :

" Mrs. Martha Crane of Killingworth administratrix on the estate of her deceased husband Capt. John Crane of said place presented to this court an account of sundry debts paid by her and costs and charges on the estate and in housekeeping together with £10 towards the repairing of the house and barn to which account she made oath, and it is accepted by the court and now on file, amounting in the whole £53—0—1) money. She also made an addition to the inventory of said estate to the value of £23—15—4 money. And this court do now proceed to make distribution of the said estate the whole whereof after the £53—0—9 is taken out being £348—12s-—10p of which this court distributes to the widow one third of the Real Estate during life being £78 — 13—2 and one third of the personal forever being £37—12—1.

To the eldest son a double portion being £66—8—3 and to the other live children single portions being £33—4—1-1/2p a piece, and this court appoints Mr. John Griswold, Mr. John Kelsey and Mr. Nathaniel Pamerly of Killingworth to divide the said estate accordingly. And desire Mr. Justice Taylor of Saybrook to swear them accordingly to that office. The charge of this court and of the division of said estate to be born in proportion to what they receive by the widow and children. If any debts hereafter appear to be due from said estate they must be paid by them in like proportion."

The above named persons each appeared Nov. 13, 1711, and signed a bond to the court for £500, and subsequently rendered the following report:

January 25, 1721-22. Distribution of Capt. John Crane's estate. We whose names are hereunto subscribed being appointed by ye Honorable Court of Probate for ye County of New London to make distribution of the estate of Capt. John Crane late of Killingworth deceased accordingly we have done as followeth.

Imprimis.

[[[A rather lengthy detail distribution of properties to each of the children has been omitted]]]

Made out in handwriting of J o h n Kelcey at Killingworth April 26. 1716

J O H N G R I S W O L D

J O H N KELCEY

N A T H A N I E L PARMERLY

Estate entered in Killingworth 3rd book of Records J a n y 25, 1721-2 by J o h n Kelcey Town Clerk.

This inventory or statement of account was entered in New London probate Court records at request of Isaac Kelsey, husband of J a n e Crane, daughter of Capt. J o h n , and who presented the above paper Sept. 23, 1737, when it was recorded by order of the court. Children  :

13—1. JOHN, b. March 23, 1695; died without issue Feb. 15, 1722.

14—2. HANNAH, b. Aug. 28, 1697.

15—3. JANE, b. Feb. 10, 1701.

16—4. EBANEZER, b. May 11). 1702.

17—5. CONCURRENCE, b. June 4, 1709.

18—6. ELEANOR, b. Aug. 25, 1711.

Death

Capt. John Crane died in November, 1711, at New York, NY. He received a state funeral there. His remains were brought back to Killingworth, CT for burial.

Sources

• Genealogy of the Crane Family V1

• Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records for Killingworth, Middlesex Co., Connecticut. Vol. 1: 67.

• Banks, Charles Edward, The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol. III, (Edgartown, MA: Dukes County Hist. Soc., 1925). Pg. 127.

• Shirley Amacher Robinson (Researcher) 1002 South Brown Street, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan 48858.

• The History of Martha's Vineyard by Dr. Charles Banks: Volume III Family Genealogies: pp. 126 - 145, THE DAGGETT FAMILY-[1]

• The New England Historical & Genealogical Register and Antiquarian Journal, Volume 27 (Google eBook), S.G. Drake, 1873 - Genealogy Pages 76-78.

• Bill’s Family: Ancestors of Eldora Beahm, John Crane and Martha Daggett, Beahm 03932 John Crane and Martha Daggett Compiled by Bill Stupak. Last update: Aug 2013 [2]

1. ↑ Genealogy of the Crane Family V1 Pages 61--62
2. ↑ Genealogy of the Crane family, by Crane, Ellery B. (Ellery Bicknell), 1836-1925, Vol 1, page 55.
3. ↑ The History of Martha's Vineyard by Dr. Charles Banks: Volume III .
4. ↑ Probate Court-Estate entered in Killingworth 3rd book of Records Jany 25, 1721-2, by J o h n Kelcey Town Clerk.
5. ↑ The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol. III, (Edgartown, MA: Dukes County Hist. Soc., 1925). Pg. 127.
6. ↑ Genealogy of the Crane Family V1 Pages 63--64

Acknowledgements

Family Notes

The New England Historical & Genealogical Register and Antiquarian Journal, Volume 27 (Google eBook), S.G. Drake, 1873 - Genealogy Pages 76-78.

THE CRANE FAMILY.(Page 76) Communicated by the Rev. Jonathan Crane, of Kalamazoo, Mich.

THE large number of persons, in this country, bearing the name of Crane, are generally the descendants of some one of the five families that were known as early as the year 1666. How they were related, and from what particular locality in England they came, remains yet to be learned; and in the hope that some progress may be made in this direction the fol- lowing statistics are prepared. They are the best in our possession, and may need correction, being derived chiefly from correspondents. These five families are represented by Jasper, of Newark, N.J.; Benjamin, of Weth- ersfield, Ct.; Henry, of Killingworth, Ct.; Henry, of Dorchester, Mass., and Stephen, of Elizabethtown, N.J.

Jasper, one of the founders of Newark, N. J., is placed first, because he was evidently the eldest, having a family before he came to this country, and appearing in the New-Haven colony as early as 1639. His eldest son John was born in 1635, and was a native of England. He had, beside John, three sons and two daughters. His sons were as follows :- Jorm, born 1635. Delivered, or Deliverance, b. June 12, 1642. Azariah, b. 1648; d. Nov. 3, 1730. Jasper, b. 1650: d. March 16, 1712- His daughters Hannah and Mercy were both married, one in Newark, N.J., the other in Stamford, Ct. Of the sons, Azariah took a prominent part in the Newark Colony and Church, having married a daughter of Robert Treat, who afterwards returned to Milford, Ct., and some of his

descendants settled what was originally called Crane Town, now known as Mt. Clair, New Jersey.

In the New-Haven Colony, a Henry Crane appears as marrying Con- currence, daughter of John Meigs, in 1663, and as one of the proprietors of Killingworth, Ct. His children were eight, three sons and five daugh- ters, as follows :—

Joan, b. about 1664. Phebe, b. Dec. 24, 1672. Elizabeth, b. 1666. Theophilus, b. Jan. 25. 1675. Concurence, b. Dec. 27, 1667. Abigail, b. April, 1676; d. young. Mary, b. Aug. 23, 1670. Henry, Oct. 25, 1677.

The eldest son, John, married Martha Daggett, of Rehoboth, or Taunton, Mass., May 25, 1694.

Not far from Killingworth, at Wethersfield, Ct., we find Benjamin Crane, who married April 23, 1655, Mary, daughter of William Backus, of Say- brook, Ct. A daughter of William Backus, of that period, married a Benjamin Crane, and this is the only Benjamin of whom we have any knowledge, of that generation, and though the name Breck has been given by Savage, it was also expressed as doubtful. Benjamin Crane had nine children, seven sons and two daughters, viz. :-— Benjamin, b. March 1, 1656: d. June 20, 1693. Jonathan, b. Dec. 1, 1658; d. 1734. Joseph, b. April 1, 1661 ; d. Nov. 8. 1707. John, b. April 10, 1663; d. Oct. 23, 1694. Israel, b. Nov. l, 1671 ; d. April 28, 1707. Abraham, b. 1668; d. July 5, 1713. Jacob, Elizabeth, Mary

The second son of Benjamin, Jonathan Crane, married Deborah, daughter of Francis Griswold, of Norwich, Ct., Dec. 19, 1678, and died in Lebanon, Ct., in 1735, having lived a number of years in Windham. His children, born between 1680 and 1700, were: Jonathan, Mary, John, Hannah, Isaac, Joseph, Elizabeth, Deborah and Abigail. The first three were born in Norwich. There was a John Crane, of Coventry and Mansfield, who is supposed to belong to this family, but in what way does not appear. His wife was Abigail, daughter of Peter Cross who removed from Norwich to Windham, in company with Jonathan Crane. The name of Deborah is also found, in his family of children and grandchildren; and so far as we can learn, the change of name to Crain is confined to some of the descendants of Jonathan, and John, of Mansfield, if he is of another family. He was married Oct. 29, 1712, and had nine children, five sons and four daughters, beside one that died in infancy. They were born between 1713 and 1781, and their names are as follows :—Abigail, John, Ebenezer, Mary, Samuel, Hezekiah, Deborah, Daniel and Ruth.

The third son of Benjamin, Joseph Crane, married Sarah, daughter of John Kilbourne, Dec. 10, 1684, and his son Joseph, born Nov. 25, 1696, was the father of Joseph Crane, who migrated to Putnam County, N. Y., and died Aug. 28, 1781, leaving eight children, five sons and three daughters, born between 1721 and 1735. To this family may be ascribed the origin, in some form, of Irving’s fancy sketch, that has made the name Ichabod almost national, as connected with the Cranes.

Hezekiah Crane, and Elishama Crane, mentioned in the history of Windsor, CL, were sons of John Crane, of Windham, Ct., and probably grandsons of Jonathan, second son of Benjamin Crane. John Crane, of Windham, CT, married for his first wife, Sarah Spencer, Sept. 16, 1708, and

for his second wife, Prudence Belden, April 18, 1716, and had eleven children, six sons and five daughters, born between 1709 and 1731. Their names were :—-John, Abia, Eunice, Elishama, Sibyl, Hezekiah, Prudence, Lemuel, Hannah, Rhoda and Adonijah.

The next and fourth family we find by the name of Crane, is Henry Crane, of Dorchester, Mass. From the Book of Records, of Suffolk Co., Mass., book 17, page 193, we infer he had a large property, and learn the names of his children. The property was divided among the children and their mother-in-law. The names as recorded are :—Benjamin, of Taunton; John, of Taunton; Stephen, of Braintree; Henry, of Dorchester; Ebenezer, of Milton; Anna, of Taunton; Elizabeth, wife of George Townsend, of Taunton; and Mary, wife of Samuel Hackett, of Taunton. The fifth child, Ebenezer, was born Aug. 10, 1665, and the presumption is, that his father was a brother of Benjamin, and nearly of the same age. The eldest son, Benjamin, with his brother John, bought real estate in Taunten, Feb. 15, 1699, aud the names Benjamin and John that appear" upon the records of Taunton, Dartmouth and Tiverton, were evidently of this family, and we presume the Cranes from Berkley, Mass, are the descendants of Benjamin the son of Henry.

The fifth distinct family we find, is that of Stephen Crane, of Elizabeth- town, N. J., who was in that town as early as 1666, which is the date of the origin of the town. According to Mr. Thomas O. Crane, of Perth Amboy, N. J., this Stephen married a Danish woman, and came over in the Caledonia, that sunk in the Amboy harbor. He was born about 1620, and his children were :—Jeremiah, John, Daniel, Nathaniel, and probably Aza- riah. The children of Daniel were :--Daniel, Jonathan, William, Stephen, who was the father of Gen. William Crane, mentioned in Appleton’s 0yclopedia, and the grandfather of Com. William M. Crane, formerly of the United States Navy.

These five families were in all probability closely related to each other, for they were virtually of the same or similar colonies, came over early in the history of the country, and their descendants have revealed certain characteristics that would mark the families as possessed "of a common ancestry, either in one or two generations previous to their migration to this country.

Visitors to Cologne, Prussia, are generally introduced to the chapel, for ancient relics connected with the church of St. Ursula, erected by John Crane, with the pictures of the birds on the ceiling, in reference to the origin of the name; and the church proper contains a monument, erected to the memory of St. Ursula, in 1643, by John Crane, styled an ambassador from Holland to Prussia.

The name Crane is found among emigrants from Ireland to this coun- try, but they only take the name in English for the sake of convenience ; their original being a diflerent word, and having altogether a diflerent signification.

We presume that the few families about Windham, Ct, in the fourth generation from Benjamin, who saw fit to cast off the reference to the bird, and introduced Crain, did so from a prejudice against the bird; but could they have seen the pictures of the Numidian crane, with its light tufts, or of the Siberian crane, as purely white, they would have discarded their repugnance to the species, and we should not find some of our families divided in the mere orthography of the name, nor any discrepancy between the fathers and the children in the origin of the name. -