Simon and Anne (Brigham) Crosby were my 8th Great Grandparents. They were born in Holme-on-Spalding-Moor in the County of York, England at the beginning of the 17th century.
Simon, the son of Thomas and Jane (Sothern) Crosby was born in 1608 and Anne was born in 1606 to Thomas and Isabel (Watson) Brigham. The two married on April 21, 1634 and Anne gave birth to their first child, Thomas Crosby (my 7th Great Grandfather) on February 26, 1635.
All Saints Church, Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, York, England. The church where several generations of Crosbys were baptised and married.
Simon and his family didn’t stay long in Holme-on-Spalding-Moor. The information I have located does not give the reason, but in July 1635 Simon, Anne and Thomas arrived in Boston, MA aboard the sailing vessel Susan and Ellyn. Sailing to America in the 1600s was not a simple voyage. Aside from any dangers from the sea and storms, the trip took about 2-4 months. This would have meant that Thomas set sail when he was 8-weeks old.
The family settled in Cambridge, MA where Anne gave birth to Simon (6 Aug 1637) and Joseph (12 Aug 1639).
On April 18, 1638, Simon’s parents set sail from London for America aboard the John of London.
… before the end of 1635 we find Simon Crosby living at Newtown (Cambridge). He was admitted as a freeman on March 3, 1636 and chosen as a selectman in the fall of that year. In September of 1637 he was elected surveyor of highways; was selectman again in 1638, and in October of that year was elected constable.
On Dec. 5, 1636 land was granted to him and six others for pasture. He died in Cambridge in September 1639, at only 31 years of age. The cause of his death is not known, but we can surmise that his death may have been fairly sudden, since he died intestate. An addendum to Ernest Howard Crosby’s record quoted above says that the orginal inventory of the estate of Simon Crosby, signed by his widow Anne, is on file in the archives of Massachuetts at Boston. It places the value of his property at 433 pounds.
– Henry Howard Crosby, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, October 1898.
Simon’s wife, Anne, died on 11 October 1675, in Braintree, MA.
Thomas, Simon’s oldest son, helped to ensure that the Crosby name lasted in America. Thomas and his wife, Sarah Fitch, were married in 1662 and had 12 children. Some of the names – Mercy, Increase, Ebenezer & Eleazer — were typical for New England in the late 1600s.
Thomas graduated from Harvard in 1653 and for a period of 15 years, beginning in 1655, he was the Reverend for the church in Eastham, MA. Thomas subsequently became a merchant in Hawrich, MA and wrote several religious books.
On June 27, 1702, Thomas died and was buried in Old Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA. His wife Sarah died in 1719 in Fairfield, CT.
The lineage from Simon Crosby to my son is as follows:
Simon Crosby > Thomas Crosby > Thomas Crosby > Edward Crosby > Edward Crosby > Edward Crosby > John Crosby > John Crosby > Roy Crosby > Maurice Crosby > Maurice Crosby Jr. > Maurice Crosby III
Sources:
- New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Vol 28-29 October 1898: Henry Howard Crosby
- The Descendants of John Crosby (PDF File @ http://fcrosby.com)
- Yarmouth Nova Scotia Genealogies, 1896-1909
- Simon Crosby the Emigrant by Eleanor Crosby, published 1914.
Very cool information. My closest Crosby Ancestor was Amanda Crosby born in Putnam NY. Her Father was Stephen Crosby (he married Lydia Sears), his father was Abner Crosby,his father was David Crosby Jr, and then David Crosby Sr., his Father was Thomas, and ending with Simon. Funny thing, my daughter’s father is a Crosby. Didn’t know I had a Crosby line when we were together. My daughter gets grossed out by this. Not sure exactly where we are related. The trial ended in NY.
Lisa,
My tree has a loop in it as well. Two great grandchild of a Wenger married each other. It wasn’t all that uncommon in the 18th & 19th centuries.