The Croston Families of Haverhill, Part 1

In my first post: About Me- Croston Family History Newsletter, I wrote about how I got started researching my family tree.

I soon discovered that my immigrant ancestors from Ireland were John Croston, who married Margaret Attridge and their son Frank Croston. They immigrated to the United States sometime in the 1850's. In addition, Ann and I researched a few other Irish families in the Boston area that shared the surname Croston hoping to find a larger family group.

Through this research I became aware of 2 more Croston families that settled in the same town as my family: Bradford, Massachusetts (now part of Haverhill). No connection between the families could be found in the records, but it seemed too coincidental that unrelated families with such a rare surname, would settle in the same place at the approximate same time. Unravelling this mystery later lead me to discover where my ancestors lived in County Cork, Ireland.

Haverhill is a town 35 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts along the Merrimack River. Between 1700 and 1800, Haverhill’s industries were farming, fishing, and shipbuilding. By 1800 the town became the regional center of the cattle market. Businesses sprung up, including meat packing, comb making from horn, and the manufacture of leather products: saddles, gloves, and shoes. In the early 1800s and through the industrial revolution, the primary industry switched to shoe manufacturing. This is how Haverhill got the nickname “Queen Shoe City.” The rise of this industry and the need for laborers coincided with the peak of Irish immigration to Boston

1906 Postcard of Haverhill as seen from Bradford MA

The town of Bradford was located across the river from Haverhill and was primarily a farming community. This is where 3 Croston families settled . Bradford was made part of the city of Haverhill in 1897. For this reason you may see me refer to Bradford and Haverhill as the same place.

Family 1: My Family Tree

My great grandfather George Henry Croston was b. July 10, 1894 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He married Ellen Katherine Welch, b. August 15, 1892 in Haverhill, George and Ellen were both workers in the Haverhill shoe factories. The buildings that they worked in were close together and separated by a narrow alleyway. Their work areas had windows directly across the alley from each other and it is said that is how they first saw each other and their romance began. They had 3 children (2 boys and a girl) including my grandfather George Earle Croston or "Earle".

George Henry, Earle and Ellen Katherine (Welch) Croston

Siblings Romaine and Earle Croston about 1920 (2 of George Henry and Ellen's 3 children)

George Henry's parents Francis "Frank" Croston, b. 1869 in Saugus, MA and Nelly Barry, b. 1870 in Haverhill, married 17 Dec 1893 at St. James Rectory (Catholic Church), Haverhill. They had 10 children, George was the oldest child:

-George Henry Croston 1894-1955, m. Ellen Katherine Welch
-Margaret Mary Croston 1896-1959, m. Earl J Miller
-Francis Paul Croston 1898-1901
-Joseph Croston 1901-1928
-Francis Thomas Croston 1904-1907
-Laurence J Croston 1906-1928
-Robert Barry Croston  1908-1979 m. Margaret Fairly Willey
-Catherine E. Croston 1912-1981 m. John Forte 
-Helen Agnes Croston 1913- 1986 m. William Ravgalla 
-William James Crostin 1915-1980 m. Doris V. Derenzo

George Henry Croston and his mother Nelly (Barry) Croston

 

As seen on the above marriage record, Frank Croston's parents were Francis "Frank" Croston, b. 1835 in Ireland and Bridget "Delia" Cragin, b. 1839 in Ireland (my 3X great grandparents). Frank (Sr.) and Delia had 8 Children, only 2 survived into adulthood: Frank and his older brother John Henry Croston b. 1860. The other children- 6 daughters tragically died in 1877 within days of each other of diphtheria: Annie 15, Margaret 13, Agnes 11, Mary 10, Lizzie 6, Ella Caroline 3 years old.

Franks brother and only surviving sibling John Henry married Elizabeth (Lizzie) Jermyn, they had 2 sons: Edward William 1891-1981 and Charles Henry 1983-1977. Jermyn is a surname that will come up in later posts as her family immigrated from the same parish in Ireland as the Croston family.

This takes us back to the generations that immigrated from Ireland. Frank (Sr.) and his brother Thomas immigrated a couple of years before their parents and quickly settled in Bradford where they worked the shoe factories. Frank served in the US Army during the Civil War from 1864 to 1865 when he was discharged due to a disability.

Their parents John W. Croston, b. 1794 and Margaret Attridge, b. 1806 in County Cork Ireland, immigrated sometime before 1857 when they first appear as residents in the city directory of Bradford. The name is mispelled "Crashton"

1857 City Directory of Bradford, MA

Until about 5 years ago this is where the "brick wall' appeared in our family tree. A brick wall is when you are researching a family line and you cannot find any information to take the research to the next level.

I turned back to the other Croston families that lived in Haverhill for clues. Through looking at family trees, Wills and comparing addresses of the other Crostons of Bradford, I discovered that Frank, his parents and siblings were not the first of my family to immigrate to the USA.

The first record of my family in the United States is the military record of Thomas Croston, who I discovered was the brother of my 4X great grandfather John W. Croston. Thomas enlisted to the US Army, 3rd Infantry, Company I12 January 1838, in Boston, Massachusetts. His birthplace on this document is Ireland, Cork. He served almost one year and was discharged on the grounds of a disability on 27 December, 1839. It’s unknown where Thomas lived until 1850 when he appears on the US census record in Bradford.

US Army, Register of Enlistments 1839

On the 1850 Census, Thomas is listed as a laborer in Bradford. He was a widower living with his son John Croston, b. 1834 in Ireland (occupation shoeblack), his older sister Sarah (nee Croston) Baker, a widow, b. 1800 in Ireland, and Sarah’s son Richard Baker, b. 1829 in Ireland (occupation laborer). This record coincides with a 1850 map of Bradford showing a Croston household on Summer Street.

US Census 1850, Bradford, MA

The Croston house on Summer Street (Top of map), a second Croston household on Main St. (bottom of map)

2017 photograph of the Croston house on Summer Street in Bradford built 1850. Home of Siblings Thomas and Sarah Croston and later John and Margaret (Attridge) Croston.

It may be that Thomas’s wife Margaret and Sarah’s husband John Baker died in Ireland, which might have contributed to the reason they chose to leave their native land and start a new life. Thomas, John, Sarah, and Richard remained together as a family unit, with Sarah taking care of the house, while Thomas (then later sons John and Richard) supporting the family.

Thomas and Sarah and their sons might have been more fortunate than later generations to have left home in the 1830s. This was a time when many families - especially Protestant families - began to leave County Cork because of the decline of the cottage weaving industry, the increase in taxes on farmland, and the rising  tensions in society due to the religious divide. This was also before the Irish Potato Famine and they were spared that hardship. But it must have been very difficult for them to know that most of their family and friends were back in Ireland suffering terrible hunger and a fight for their lives.

Unfortunately Thomas’s future was cut short by illness; he died 17 January, 1853 of tuberculosis. Could this be why he was discharged from the military for disability? Thomas left a will that confirmed his sibling relationship with Sarah. It is also telling that he had a will at all. He managed to accumulate enough money and property to warrant a will. Due to the nature of his illness (tuberculosis was often and long and slow demise), he must have known his fate and wanted to ensure that his property would go to his sister Sarah. In the will, his son John and nephew Richard Baker are also mentioned. At this time John was living with his aunt Sarah in Bradford as a shoemaker. Richard had left home and was living in California.

Will of Thomas Croston of Bradford, MA 1853

Thomas’s death and Richard’s absence (in California) must have created hardship for Sarah and John. The aunt and nephew lived alone on Summer Street. John had also come down with tuberculosis and as his health declined he was unable to work regularly. Richard had not returned and possibly had died, but there is no record of him after Thomas’ will.

Six months after Thomas’ death my ancestor Francis “Frank” Croston (Sr.), son of John W. and Margaret, and nephew to Thomas and Sarah, left Ireland and traveled to Boston. In the census of 1855 he was living in a boarding house in Haverhill, occupation shoemaker.

During this time it was very expensive for a family to travel from Ireland to the United States. Most families were poor and didn’t have the money to buy a single ticket. Some people signed up to be indentured servants - their ticket would be paid for upon arrival, but they were required to work a year or more to pay off the debt. Some men like Thomas joined the military which promised a wage and pension after service. Some arrived with nothing and quickly sought work as a servant, laborer, or factory worker.

Most of the working-class immigrants at this time were illiterate but managed to get letters back to Ireland to let family know that they survived the long journey and found work in America. Once they saved enough, they sent money back to Ireland, which was often used to buy a ticket for the next family member to emigrate. That brother or sister would arrive, work, then send money for next family member. This pattern was the most typical, and it’s likely how Frank, along with his sibling Thomas, were able to emigrate.

Arriving as a large family group was more unusual. It would require them to save money for quite some time or sell everything they had at a time when most people had nothing. This may account for the year and a half it took for the next family members to arrive. Other pressing concerns may have contributed to them leaving Ireland quickly as a group.

This brings us to July of 1856. In Ireland the rest of the family, lived through the famine, and there’s no telling how many didn’t survive that horrific time. What I didn’t know when I was searching for the ships passenger list for Franks parents John and Margaret was that their situation at home had become very difficult. They were tenant farmers and the land that they lived on belonged to a landlord that had recently died. The estate was transferred to a different owner and conditions had changed. This contributed to the abrupt move of the rest of the family.

After much searching over the course of a few years, I finally found the evasive passenger list. On 9 July, 1856, John W. Croston and Margaret (nee Attridge) Croston, along with the rest of their children, arrived at Castle Island, New York (the predecessor to Ellis Island) aboard the ship the E.C. Scranton. Their final destination was listed as Boston.

They traveled “between decks” in the steerage part of the ship which was cheapest fare. This area had very tight quarters, and often passengers were required to bring their own food for the long journey, which took anywhere from 40 days to 3 months. The drinking water and conditions were often unsanitary. Many passengers became sick or starved and did not survive. Some carried their illness with them which later lead to their death in America. These ships were given the nickname “coffin ships” for this reason.

The families’ names appear at the bottom of one page and continue to the next page. The first page of names line up with the information I have for the family after their arrival in Bradford, although John and Margaret are listed as about ten years younger than they actually were. This wasn’t unusual; often people at this time did not know their own age and they would give an estimate.

E.C.. Scranton Passenger List pg. 1

The second page is where some questions are raised. The first two names are Jno Croston age 7 (Jno usually was shorthand for John), and Simon Croston, age 6. There’s no record of these two children after the passenger list, and no death record has been found to date. It’s possible they never made it through the Castle Island Quarantine Hospital or that they died in route to Boston from New York.

E.C. Scranton Passenger List pg. 2

The name below “Jno” Croston and Simon Croston is Ann “Allridge” a 24-year-old woman traveling to New York. It’s possible that her name was actually Attridge and misspelled here. If so, she could have been Margaret’s sister or cousin. Many of the Attridge family immigrated to Rochester, New York at this time, but this speculation and not yet proven.

After arriving in New York, the family would have traveled to Boston. From Boston, they made their way to Bradford and moved in with John’s sister Sarah and nephew John. Nephew John would only live a few more years. He shared his father’s fate and passed away from tuberculosis on 13 July, 1859.

In the 1860 Census, John, his wife Margaret, and children Thomas, William, Jeffery, George, and Richard were living on Summer Street in Bradford. This was the same house where Thomas, Sarah, and their sons were living in 1850. Sarah is missing from the census, but she shows up as a boarder with John and family in the city directory of Bradford in 1860, then again living with them on the Census of 1865. 

Despite the discovery of siblings Thomas and Sarah and the passenger list, I was left with the same brick wall. So again I turned to researching other Crostons who lived in the Haverhill area for answers.

1. The family of Francis Croston who Married Susan Love in Boston. This is the "F. Crostin" who's house is shown on the bottom of the map of Bradford (above)

2. The family of Dr. John Croston- a well known physician in Haverhill.

In the next Newsletter: The family of Francis and Susan (Love) Croston of Bradford, MA