INDEX for the Crawford family files

Generation 1

THOMAS CRAWFORD (m. 1738) of Haverhill, Hampstead and Bridgewater

Parents: Unknown

Thomas Crawford was born "near the beginning of the eighteenth century". [Ref] He married Jane Johnston on 9 Mar 1737/8 in Haverhill. [Ref][Ref]

Thomas lived in Haverhill. In 1741 the boundary between Massachusetts and New Hampshire was changed and as a consequence his homestead in Haverhill was located in Hampstead. [Ref]

Thomas's name appears on a 1743 petition in Hampstead. [Ref] Thomas Crawford of Hampstead is on the 1756 muster roll of Capt. Abraham Perry's company in Col. Meserve's regiment in the Crown Point Expedition. [Ref][Ref] He served in Capt. Mooney's company in that regiment in the 1757 Crown Point Expedition and Capt. John Hazen's company in Col. Tash's regiment in the 1758 Crown Point Expedition. [Ref]

Thomas moved from Hampstead to New Chester (now Hill), New Hampshire in 1767 and bought land in the part of the town that later became Bridgewater. [Ref]

On 7 Apr 1768, Thomas Crawford of Hampstead purchased and settled on lot 8 in Bridgewater. [Ref]

Children of Thomas Crawford and Jane Johnston:

1. Abigail Crawford [Ref] was born on 9 Jun 1743 in Haverhill. [Ref] She was the eldest daughter. [Ref] She died in 1830, age 90, in Stanstead Province, Quebec. [Ref] She married Peter Heath on 11 Feb 1768 [Ref] in Hampstead. [Ref]
   Abigail and Peter lived in Bridgewater until 1804, when they moved to Stanstead. [Ref]
2. Capt. Jonathan Crawford was born about 1746. He married Mary Heath.
3. Col. Thomas Crawford [Ref] was born about 1749, probably in Hampstead. [Ref]
   In 1766, at age 19, Thomas Crawford, Jr. purchased 400 acres in Bridgewater, including lots 3, 5, 9 and 20. He settled on lot 9. [Ref]
   Thomas Crawford, farmer, enlisted as a soldier in the Revolutionary War on 11 Jul 1775. [Ref] Jonathan and his brother Thomas were on the payroll of Capt. James Osgood's company of Rangers, raised in New Hampshire, which joined the Continental Army in 1775. Thomas served in the company from 9 Jul to 21 Dec 1775. [Ref] Thomas was a sargeant in James Osgood's company. [Ref] After the war, he is said to have commanded the local militia. [Ref]
   The warrant for the first town meeting in Bridgewater was issued by Thomas on 25 Feb 1788. [Ref] At the 11 Mar 1788 town meeting, Thomas was chosen town clerk and selectman. [Ref] He was the town clerk for 21 years; he represented his district 13 times in the legislature between 1787 and 1806. [Ref] He was a delegate to the convention that ratified the constitution of the United States in 1788. [Ref]
   some descendants of Thomas Crawford
   
4. Robert Crawford was baptised in Jun 1755 in Hampstead. [Ref] He was the third son. [Ref] He died on 18 Apr 1813 while a soldier from Bridgewater in Concord during a scarlet fever epidemic. [Ref][Ref, p. 346]
   Robert Crawford of Sandown settled on lots 6 and 7 in Bridgewater. [Ref]
   Robert served from 16 Jun to 16 Dec 1775 in Col. Timothy Bedel's regiment of Rangers. [Ref] He was a member Capt. Joshua Abbott's company in Col. John Stark's Fifth Regiment of Foot Soldiers in 1886. [Ref] He enlisted from New Chester in Capt. Amos Morril's company in Col. David Hobart's Regiment and served until 6 Mar 1779. [Ref] He enlisted in the War of 1812. [Ref]
   It seems possible that the Robert who enlised in the War of 1812 is, instead, one of his nephews.
   some descendants of Robert Crawford
   
5. Sarah Crawford was baptised in 1755 in Hampstead. [Ref]
6. John Crawford was baptised in 1758 in Hampstead. [Ref] He might be the John Crawford who died on 8 Nov 1831, age 76, and is buried in the Candia Village Cemetery in Candia, Rockingham, New Hampshire. [Ref]
   John Crawford was a soldier in the Revolutionary War from Bridgewater. [Ref]
7. Mary (Molly) Crawford born on 16 Aug 1741 in Haverhill. [Ref]
   
8. Hannah Crawford (supposed daughter)

Generation 2

CAPT. JONATHAN CRAWFORD (b. abt 1746) of Chester and Bridgewater

Parents: Thomas Crawford and Jane Johnston [Ref]

Jonathan Crawford was born about 1746. [Ref] He married Mary Heath. Mary is often said to be the daughter of Nathaniel Heath and Sarah Stevens. This, however, does not seem obvious. Nathaniel and Sarah had a daughter Mary, born 15 Apr 1733 in Haverhill and too old to be Jonathan's wife. Even if this Mary died young, the Hampstead records (where Nathaniel and Sarah moved) do not show them having another daughter Mary.

In 1769 Jonathan Crawford of Chester settled on lots 11 and 12 in Bridgewater. [Ref] In 1788 Jonathan was on a tax list in Bridgewater. [Ref] In 1790 the town voted to build pounds and one was to be at Capt. Jonathan Crawford's. [Ref]

On 22 Mar 1774, Jonathan was chosen surveyor of highways in New Chester. [Ref]

Jonathan Crawford, farmer, age 28, enlisted as a solder in the Revolutionary War on 11 Jul 1775. [Ref][Ref] He enlisted from New Chester and was on the muster role of Capt. Matthew Thornton's company on 24 Jul 1775. [Ref] Jonathan and his brother Thomas were on the payroll of Capt. James Osgood's company of Rangers, raised in New Hampshire, which joined the Continental Army in 1775. Jonathan served in the company from 10 Jul to 2 Dec 1775. [Ref] Jonathan was one of 18 men raised by Col. David Hobart of Plymouth, Grafton, New Hampshire out of his regiment to reinforce the Continental Army in New York on 16 Dec 1776. [Ref]

The town of New Chester was incorporated on 20 Nov 1778 in response to two petitions, one dated 24 Dec 1776 and one dated 13 Oct 1778. Jonathan signed both; his brother Thomas signed the first. [Ref] New Chester was later renamed "Hill".

Children of Jonathan Crawford and Mary Heath:

1. Ezra Crawford (supposed son)
2. Mary Crawford was born on 12 Nov 1770. She married Nathaniel Cummings.
3. Susannah Crawford was born about 1773. She died on 19 Jul 1850, age 77 years, 10 months and 8 days. [Ref] She married Simon Harris on 17 Sep 1790. [Ref] Simon, the son of Job and Helena Harris was born in 1770 and died on 13 Jan 1821 in Bridgewater. [Ref] Simon and Susanna had 13 children. [Ref]
   Simon was a resident of Bridgewater and a mail carrier between Haverhill and Concord between 1817 and 1820. [Ref]
   
4. John Crawford (supposed son)
5. Abigail Crawford (supposed daughter)
6. Robert Crawford (supposed son) might be the soldier from Bridgewater who enlisted in the War of 1812 and who died of scarlet fever in 1813 in Concord. See his uncle Robert's entry.
7. Hannah Crawford was born on 4 Oct 1780 in Bridgewater. [Ref, p. 191] She died on 16 Nov 1870. [Ref, p. 191] She married Andrew Cummings, half brother of Nathaniel Cummings.
   some descendants of Hannah Crawford
   

Generation 3

MARY CRAWFORD (1770 - prob. living 1830)

Parents: Capt. Jonathan Crawford [Ref, p. 189][Ref, p. 171] and Mary Heath

Mary Crawford was born on 12 Nov 1770. [Ref, p. 171][Ref, p. 189, gives only the year] She married first Nathaniel Cummings in May of 1788, 1789 or 1790. [Ref, p. 189, says 21 May 1788/9][Ref, p. 171, notes that there is disagreement over the date.] It was the first marriage recorded in Bridgewater. [Ref] She married second a widower with eight children named Cox and moved to Holderness. [Ref, p. 171]

In 1830 the widow Mary Cox was living in Holderness, Grafton, New Hampshire and headed a household with one woman 40 through 49 and seven people ranging in age from under five to between 20 and 30. [Ref]

References

Bouton, Nathaniel, The History of Concord: From its first grant in 1725, to the organization of the city government in 1853, with a history of the ancient Penacooks : the whole interspersed with numerous interesting incidents and anecdotes, down to the present period, 1855, embellished with maps, with portraits of distinguished citizens, and views of ancient and modern residences, Concord, NH, B.W. Sanborn, 1856.

Bureau of the Census, Fifth Census of the United States, 1830, Washington, DC, National Archives and Records Administration, 1830.

Child, Hamilton, Gazeteer of Grafton County, NH, 1709 - 1886, Syracuse, NY, H. Child, 1886.

Cummins, Albert Oren, Cummings Genealogy: Isaac Cummings, 1601-1677, of Ipswich in 1638 and some of his descendants, Montpelier, A.O. Cummins, 1904.

Little, George Thomas, Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1909.

Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Online Database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2007.

Mooar, George, The Cummings Memorial: A genealogical history of the descendants of Isaac Cummings, an early settler of Topsfield, Massachusetts, New York, B.F. Cummings, 1903.

Musgrove, Richard W., History of the Town of Bristol, Grafton County, New Hampshire, Bristol, NH, R. W. Musgrove, 1904.

No author, History of Merrimack and Belknap Counties, New Hampshire, Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1885.

No Author, Revolutionary War Rolls, www.fold3.com.

No author, Revolutionary War Service Records, www.fold3.com.

Noyes, Harriette E., Memorial History of Hampstead, uknown, 1899, unknown.