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Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

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family herein recorded, was born about<br />

1621 in England, and died March 21, 1709.<br />

He was among the early Dorchester set-<br />

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY<br />

tlers, where he bought a farm <strong>of</strong> one<br />

hundred and twenty acres, and a house,<br />

September i, 1654. He served as selectman<br />

<strong>of</strong> the town <strong>of</strong> Milton, 1679-80-81<br />

was one <strong>of</strong> the first trustees. Henry<br />

Crane became a large landowner and was<br />

a man <strong>of</strong> considerable education. He<br />

married (first) Tabitha Kinsley, daugh-<br />

ter <strong>of</strong> Elder Stephen Kinsley, who died<br />

in 1681.<br />

(II) Ebenezer Crane, son <strong>of</strong> Henry and<br />

Tabitha (Kinsley) Crane, was born in<br />

England, August 6, 1665. He enlisted in<br />

the company which went with Sir Wil-<br />

liam Phipps' expedition to Quebec, in<br />

August, 1690, under command <strong>of</strong> Colonel<br />

John Withington. He was one <strong>of</strong> the<br />

twenty-nine men to return out <strong>of</strong> seventy-<br />

five sent. He married, November 13,<br />

1689, Mary Tolman, born November 26,<br />

1671, daughter <strong>of</strong> Thomas, Jr., and Elizabeth<br />

(Johnson) Tolman, granddaughter<br />

<strong>of</strong> Thomas Tolman, Sr., who came from<br />

England in 1635, a first settler <strong>of</strong> Dor-<br />

chester.<br />

(III) Thomas Crane, tenth child <strong>of</strong><br />

Ebenezer and Mary (Tolman) Crane, was<br />

born May 12, 1710, in Braintree ; married,<br />

January 13, 1732, Deborah Owen, daughter<br />

<strong>of</strong> Nathaniel and Deborah (Parmen-<br />

ter) Owen. They were admitted to the<br />

Braintree church in 1732.<br />

(IV) Joseph Crane, son <strong>of</strong> Thomas and<br />

Deborah (Owen) Crane, was born September<br />

II, 1737, and died in 1810. He<br />

was a cordwainer by trade, and lived at<br />

Braintree. He served in the Revolutionary<br />

War, in Captain Silas Weld's com-<br />

pany. Colonel William Heath's regiment.<br />

He married, December 20, 1757, Mary<br />

Savil, daughter <strong>of</strong> Benjamin and Mary<br />

(Blanchard) Savil, born November 24,<br />

1739, died August i, 1809.<br />

;<br />

28=<br />

(Vl Thomas (2) Crane, sixth son <strong>of</strong> Jo-<br />

seph and Mary (Savil) Crane, was born in<br />

May, 1770, in Braintree, and died September<br />

25, 1818. He removed to George's<br />

Island, Boston harbor, where he lived<br />

until 1810. In the latter year he pur-<br />

chased a house on Quincy Point, near<br />

his boyhood home, and where there is a<br />

stream which is still known as Crane's<br />

Brook. He was a successful and well-<br />

to-do man. He married, November 6,<br />

1796, Sarah Baxter, daughter <strong>of</strong> Daniel<br />

and Prudence (Spear) Baxter, born in<br />

1771, at Braintree, died August 19, 1824.<br />

(VI) Thomas (3) Crane, son <strong>of</strong> Thomas<br />

(2) and Sarah (Baxter) Crane, was bom<br />

on George's Island, October 18, 1803,<br />

and died in New York City, April i,<br />

1875. He grew to manhood in the clear,<br />

invigorating air <strong>of</strong> his native home. He<br />

was only fifteen years <strong>of</strong> age when his<br />

father died, and he early went to work.<br />

Desiring to be occupied out-<strong>of</strong>-doors, he<br />

learned the trade <strong>of</strong> stonecutter, and in<br />

1829 removed to New York City. There,<br />

in association with others, he purchased<br />

a stone yard. Mr. Crane furnished the<br />

granite for the New York Customs<br />

House ; St. John's freight depot ; and the<br />

Forty-second street district reservoir.<br />

He was a member <strong>of</strong> the Universalist<br />

church, and when he was a young man in<br />

Quincy, was accustomed to walk nine<br />

miles to and from church. He was an intimate<br />

friend <strong>of</strong> Horace Greeley, and was<br />

one <strong>of</strong> the founders <strong>of</strong> Tufts College at<br />

Medford, Massachusetts, <strong>of</strong> which he was<br />

a trustee. After his death his widow and<br />

sons presented "The Crane Memorial<br />

Hall," one <strong>of</strong> Richardson's fine designs,<br />

to the town <strong>of</strong> Quincy, beloved by Mr.<br />

Crane for his childhood associations there.<br />

Mr. Crane married (second) in Boston,<br />

November 23, 1836, Clarissa Lawrence<br />

Starkey, born in Troy, New Hampshire,<br />

March 3, 1813, a descendant <strong>of</strong> John

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