"Elder" John Crandall

Elder John Crandall Homestead

105 Pound Road

Westerly, Rhode Island

Elder John Crandall was a Welshman; the original name in Welsh is Craun Dell, meaning Iron Dell. (see sources below).

Reverend John Crandall, one of the founding settlers of Westerly, Rhode Island was born about 1612 in Monmouthshire, England to James & Eleanor Crandall. Some biographers put his date of birth closer to February 16, 1617, the date of his christening recorded at Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England. As such, some historians believe Westerly, Rhode Island was named for the town in England where he was christened, or possibly even born.

The Crandall genealogy by John Cortland Crandall likely errs in providing an undocumented lineage for Elder John. That work stated that he was the son of John and Elizabeth (Drake) Crandall. Elizabeth Drake was a first cousin, once removed, of Sir Francis Drake. However, no collaborating documentation has been located in England of a couple by the name of John and Elizabeth Drake Crandall. Several members of the Crandall Family Association have done research using parish records from Westerleigh which indicates that Elder John was the son of James and Eleanor (---) Crandall. This work cannot be underestimated in its importance in establishing Elder John's parentage. It is hoped that further research on the Crandall heritage will help to further elucidate the story of the Crandalls in England and America.

While the exact date of Crandall's arrival is not known, it is believed to be 1637 when he arrived in Providence, Rhode Island, then a new settlement and a refuge for dissident Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

From Providence he came to Newport, Rhode Island, as early as 1651 (The first actual documentation for Elder John Crandall in American is in 1643 when he appears as a grand jury member in Newport), and became a prominent member of the Baptist church there, subsequently the first elder of the denomination at Westerly, Rhode Island. With John Clarke and Obadiah Holmes he went to Lynn, Massachusetts, to hold services for the Baptists, was arrested there July 21, 1651, and sent to prison in Boston. Ten days later he was convicted of breaking the law by holding services and fined five pounds, in default of which he was to be publicly whipped. Upon his promise to appear at the next term of court he was released.

In 1655, he was a freeman of Rhode Island; in 1658-59, 1662-63, he was a commissioner.

With eight others he signed a letter to the court of commissioners of Rhode Island, dated August 27, 1661, in relation to a tract of land at Westerly, where they and others desired to settle.

He was a deputy to the general assembly in 1687, and in the fall of that year was living at Westerly. He and Joseph Torrey were appointed commissioners to treat with Connecticut as to jurisdiction over disputed territory, May 14, 1669, and he was supplied with thirty-five shillings by the colony of Rhode Island to pay his expenses to Connecticut.

In November 18, 1669, he received a letter from the governor and assistants of Connecticut, complaining that he and others had appropriated a large tract of land belonging to Stonington, Connecticut. He and Tobias Saunders answered the complaint for the Westerly people. He was conservator of the peace at Westerly in 1670, and deputy to the general assembly again in 1670-71.

He was arrested by the Connecticut authorities, May 2, 1671, and was advised by the Rhode Island government to decline to give bond. The Rhode Island colony promised to pay his expenses and defend him.

His first wife, (thought by some to be Mary Opp (born 1633) died August 1, 1670), and he married (second) Hannah Gaylord (born 1647), probably daughter of William Gaylord and Ann (Porter) , of Windsor, Connecticut. She died in 1678. He died at Newport, where he had moved because of King Philip's War, in 1676. Crandall is the ancestor of a number of prominent Americans, including Lucille Ball, Katharine Hepburn, Julia Child, Ruth Benedict, Garrison Keillor and Frances Folsom Cleveland, wife of the President.

Note that there is no record of the name of Elder John's wife in any Rhode Island records nor has a record of the marriage ever been found. Based on the approximate dates of birth of their children (with the eldest, John, born ca. 1649 based on the date he appears as a freeman in Westerly) it would appear likely that Elder John married his first wife in the latter part of the 1640s. It also would seem to indicate that he probably married her in America. Since she is referred to as a "Sabbath keeper" in communications from Samuel Hubbard, it is likely that she was of the Seventh Day Baptist faith and perhaps she was a daughter of one of the SDB families in Rhode Island at the time.

[Br%C3%83%C2%B8derbund WFT Vol. 4, Ed. 1, Tree #0813, Date of Import: Nov 14, 1999]

John Crandal "The Elder"

Added by Suzzii on 24 Dec 2007

John Crandall left the Church of England and founded the Baptist Church.[Family (8-21-03).FTW]

There is no documented information about Elder John before his appearance in Newport, Rhode Island in the early 1640's. There are secondary sources that suggest that he had spent some time in Salem, MA. Since he went back there on occasions, it seems that he may have had some ties there.

Several years ago the son of some LDS (Mormon) Missionaries serving in Gloucestershire, England, contacted me. His parents were in a parish called Westerleigh doing some microfilming of the parish records. This microfilm is now available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, and can be ordered for loan at any local Family History Center.

In the parish records of Westerleigh (also spelled "Westerley" in some places), can be found a baptism for John, sonne of James Crandell baptized 15 February 1617!

There is also another child of James Crandell baptized in that parish, a daughter, Anne, baptized in 1621, obviously a daughter of this James and sister of John.

This is of particular note because:

1)no other Crandalls of that time frame in England appear frequently;

2) the parish name, Westerleigh is most tantalizing, as Elder John was one of the original settlers of Westerly, Rhode Island in 1661;

and 3) the parish of Westerleigh is in Gloucestershire, not too far from Monmouthshire, thence not too far from the Welsh border, which fits some of the "traditions" about Elder John coming from Wales.

Earl P. Crandall, Website editor 1995 - 2002

The first photograph is that of The Church of St. James The Great in Westerleigh, Gloucestershire where John1 Crandall was baptized. The church dates from the late 900's, but it was greatly damaged by fire in 1868 and there have been several structural restorations since that time.

The second photograph is the Norman baptismal font.

Elder John CRANDALL was employed 1634, in Newport Co, RI. John immigrated, 1634. Destination: Boston, Middlesex Co, MA. The biography of Elder John Crandall that follows was extracted from the book by John Cortland Crandall, Elder John Crandall of Rhode Island and His Descendants, New Woodstock, NY: Published by the author, 1949.

John Crandall, the first Baptist Elder in America, was also a Deputy Commissioner and statesman of Newport and Westerly, Rhode Island, and the head of the Crandall family in America. He was born in Monmouthshire, England, on the line between England and Wales in 1612. His mother may have been Scottish. He came to Boston in 1634 and later became a close associate of Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island. He was the first Baptist Elder at Westerly, and "Elder Crandall was well calculated both by talent and sufferings to lead his people in their devotions. He took an active part in the border difficulties between Massachusetts and Connecticut and subsequently between Connecticut and Rhode Island, concerning the lines between the states." He was first married about 1649, and her name is not known for certain but was probably Mary Opp. He married second, Hannah Gaylord. Elder John Crandall died before November 29, 1676 at Newport, Rhode Island where he was sojourning on account of the King Philip's War. As early as 1635 Rev. John Crandall was living in Salem where, as elsewhere in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, there was at this time much opposition to all dissenters from the authorized tenets of the Puritans. He was the minister of the Salem church, but he adopted the opinions of the Baptists, which were very obnoxious to Congregationalists, and in the autumn of 1635 he was dismissed as pastor. As did so many others of the early Baptists of New England he determined to settle in the Narragansett country. The Indians proved friendly and he obtained from them a grant of land. He has been called one of the founders of Providence. He was living there as early as 1637. He was one of the original purchasers from Chief Sosoa of Narragansett of the Misquamicutt tribe, of the land of comprising Westerly, from which Hopkinton was later formed. On July 21, 1651, John Crandall, with John Clark and Obadiah Holmes [note: Holmes was also a direct ancestor of William A. Barnett], "being the representatives of the Church of Newport, upon the request of William Witter, of Lynn [Massachusetts] arrived there ... (to visit him). The next day they spent in religious services at his house, and were then apprehended by two constables at the insistence of the Massachusetts authorities while Mr. Clark was preaching., and the next morning they were sent to prison in Boston. [Baptists were forbidden in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, by law]. For the dire offense of holding this little meeting, and on other frivolous pretexts Obadiah Holmes was fined, imprisoned and whipped. [He was tied to the back of a high wagon, and whipped with 30 lashes as the wagon moved through Boston. He later said that he could not rest except on his knees and elbows. The other two where fined and released.] Elder John Crandall died in Newport on November 29, 1676, having moved there on account of the Indian War [King Philip's War]. On this same date, Samuel Hubbard wrote to Mr. Edward Stennitt in London, and after speaking of the devastation caused by King Philip's War [Providence was totally destroyed by the Indians] he recounts the recent deaths in the First Baptist Church. He says: "of the old church, first Mr. Joseph Torrey, then my dear brother John Crandall, then Mr. John Clark, then William Weeden, a deacon, then John Salmon; a sad stroke in very deed, young men and maids to this day I never knew or heard the like in New England."

CRANDALL GENEALOLGY, page 1 thru 3.

First Baptist Elder, Deputy Commissioner, and statesman of Newport and Westerly RI, was born in Monmouthshire, EN on the line between England and Wales in 1612. His mother is supposed to have been a Scotch lady. He came to Boston within a very few years after the landing of the Pilgrims, in 1634.

The first valid doc. account of John in New England shows him to have been activiely identified with the Baptish Church in Newport, July 21, 1651. His name next is found, with that of Matthew West in a Freeman's list of Newport, 1655. John Crandall was the first Baptist Elder in Westerly. He took an active part in the border difficulties between Massachusetts and Connectcut and sub. bet. Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Source: Immigrants to America Before 1750.

Immigrants: Rev. John Crandall, a Seventh Day Baptist minister.

Researching this line is Nancyann Norman Marr at nancyannmarr@earthlink.net

Researching this line is Donna in RI at DonnaRNCEN@aol.com

SOME RECORDS INDICATE DOB 1612. WESTERLY, R. I. (POP. 7300) IS A PLACE THAT ONE WOULD BE THRILLED TO VISIT IF A DESCENDANT OF THE ABOVE ELDER JOHN CRANDALL. MANY CHURCHES, UNUSUAL LIBRARY THE OLD HOMESTEAD, BUILT IN 1665 (STILL OWNED BY A MEMBER OF THE CRANDALL FAMILY) (DR. HARRY FRANKLIN CRANDALL). ONE SHOULD SEE THE ORIGINAL ORCHARD AND VISIT THE TWENTY-SEVEN PIONEER GRAVES WITH THEIR PRIMITIVE STONE MARKERS. WESTERLY WAS INCORPORATED IN 1669 AND THERE WERE THIRTY FAMILIES SCATTERED ALL OVER THE 10 X 20 MILE TRACT. IT WAS A FRONTIER TOWN AND BOTH MASS. AND CONN. LAID CLAIM TO THE LAND AS THEIR OWN. THE BOUNDARY QUESTIONS WAS NOT SETTLED UNTIL 1728 AND THE COLONY SAVED.

ELDER JOHN CRANDALL WAS BORN 1612 (ONE AUTHORITY SAYS 1609) IN MONMOUTHSHIRE, ENGLAND. HIS FATHER WAS JOHN CRANDALL AND HIS MOTHER WAS ELIZABETH DRAKE A DESCENDANT OF THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH OF SCOTLAND, WHO IN TURN IS DESCENDANT FROM MALCOLM II KING OF SCOTLAND.

JOHN CRANDALL CAME TO BOSTON ABOUT 1634 AND BY 1637 WAS LIVING IN PROVIDENCE. HE WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH IN NEWPORT JULY 21, 1651. LATER ON AT WESTERLY HE WAS THE FIRST BAPTIST ELDER. THE NAME OF HIS FIRST WIFE IS UNKNOWN ALTHOUGH IT IS RECORDED THAT SHE DIED AUG. 1, 1670 AND WAS BURIED ON AUG. 2, 1670. (MILDRED SMALL OF ETNA, PA. STATES THAT SHE SUMS IN THE RECORDS AT WASH. D.C. THAT FIRST WIFE OF ELDER JOHN CRANDALL WAS MARY OPP, WHO DIED AUG. 20, 1969.)

JOHN CRANDALL WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL PURCHASERS FROM CHIEF SOSOA OF NARRAGANSETT OF THE MISQUAMIOUTT TRIBE, OF THE LAND COMPROMISING. WESTERLY, R.I. HIS HOUSE, NEAR BURDENS POND, STILL STANDS IN PART AND ACROSS FROM THE HOUSE IS THE OLD ORCHARD WITH THE COMETARY IN IT AND THE 27 GRAVES. HE DIED IN NEWPORT HAVING GONE THERE ON ACCOUNT OF THE INDIAN WAR. DATE OF DEATH 1676? HE IS BURIED IN THE OLD COMETARY AT WESTERLY.

JOHN WAS THE FIRST BAPTIST ELDER, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER AND STATESMAN OF NEWPORT.

HE ARRIVED IN BOSTON IN 1634.

"Howard Crandall affirmed that more than five thousand descendants of Elder John Crandall had become ministers. Records of precinct, state and nation disclose the names of Crandalls who have gained places of note in education, science, invention, law, medicine, industry, business and various other fields. However, the rank and file have been humble, middle class folks. For the most part they have been known for their sturdiness of character, noble principals, good citizenship, and consistent religious devotion. Bruce Verne Crandall wrote a treatise in which he featured the claim that the one outstanding trait of the Crandall family was- “Independent thinking, oft times developing into obstinacy, tho’ accompanied by open-mindedness, conscientiousness, liberality and purposefulness of.” If all that has been written about Elder John Crandall is true than most of the hundreds of thousands, emanating from this progenitor, must naturally posses those characteristics, which exemplify the best American life. To wit: Independence of thought and action, democracy of the first water and unadulterated religion."

John Cortland Crandall, _ Elder John Crandall of Rhode Island and his Descendants_ (New Woodstock, New York, 1949), text file: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/family_histories/cra...; via Crandall Genealogy: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/family_histories/cra...

Accessed 8/17/09

The dueling sources on John Crandall's genealogy (John Cortland Crandall, author versus several unnamed members of the Crandall Family Association) should both be noted with the research discoveries behind each. The fact that the former names his mother as Elizabeth Drake, while the later lists it as Eleanor of an unknown maiden name, is not a definitive proof that the former is wrong and the later is correct just because a record cannot be located in the United Kingdom.

The parish record listing a James and Eleanor Crandall as his parents indicates the John Cortland Crandall genealogy is probably in error and the Crandall Family Association research is probably correct. However, since the Crandall Family research source is documented (although it goes no further), it is probably more correct than the John Cortland Crandall source, which relies on similar, but not identical names, in the same geographical area and goes back further.

Accordingly, it should not be right to state one source is definitely correct and the other is definitely wrong, but simply to state the facts as available and let the reader draw their own conclusion until such time, if any, that better research is discovered.

A Genealogy has John born about 1609 in Shropshire, England. He was said to have come from Wales to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634/35. He was a Baptist Minister, at Providence, RI in 1637, then later at Westerly. source: Representative Men & Old Families of Rhode Island page 519.

"John Crandall, Colonial pioneer, First Baptist Elder, Deputy Commissioner, and statesman of Newport & Westerly, Rhode Island, was born in Monmouthshire, England on the line between England & Wales. His mother is supposed to have been a Scotch lady. He came to Boston within a very few years after the landing of the Pilgrims, in 1634. He was associated with the Congregational Church at Salem, as early as 1635, and probably was a close associate of Roger Williams, one of the founders of Providence." (The descendants of Elder John Crandall)

The Journal of American History begins with the following in the sketch of Elder John Crandall: "As early as 1635 Rev. John Crandall, who is believe to have been of Welsh ancestry, was living in Salem where, as elsewhere in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, there was at this time much opposition to all dissenters to the authorized tenets of the Puritans. John Crandall was the minister of the Salem church, but he adopted the opinions of the Baptists, which were very obnoxious to the Congregationalists, and in the autumn of 1635 he was dismissed as pastor. As did so many others of the Baptist of New England, he detrmined to settle in the Narragansett Country. The Indians proved friendly and he obtained from them a grant of land. He has been called one of the founders of Providence, Rhode Island. Certainly he was living in Providence as early as 1637."

An early mention of Elder John Crandall seems to be in Newport, Rhode Island as a grand juror on 8 Sep 1643. He was also mentioned in a case against Thomas Gennings in Newport 3 Dec 1643.   "The Great Migration Begins" notes: "John Crandall, of Providence in 1637, married Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Gorton, and I suppose, adopted his opinions, as had his Father Elder John Crandall who in Aug 1651 was imprisoned at Boston for a Baptist freeman at Newport in 1655, removed to Westerly, preaching as a 7th day Baptist and died 1676.  

Elder John, along with many others, is bequeathed part of the estate of Henry Sandyes of Boston, MA in a will dated 7 Feb 1651. He is referred to as "of providence".

The next mention of Elder John is of the same account, telling of his journey to Lynn, MA from Newport on Baptist church business to visit William Witter, referred to as "an aged member" in July 1651. He traveled with Rev. John Clarke (pastor of the first Baptist Church in Newport) and Obadiah Holmes. They spent the day in religious services and were apprehended by two constables at the insistence of the Massachusetts authorities, while Mr. Clarke was preaching, and the next morning they were sent to prison in Boston. All were fined: Clarke, £20; Holmes, £30; and Elder John £5. In default of the fines, each was "to be well whipped." Elder John was finally allowed to go home on bail, July 21, 1651. Obediah Holmes (6th G Grandfather of Abraham Lincoln), was fined, imprisoned, & "well whipped", by 30 lashes at a whipping post placed near the old State House at Boston, on Saturday, Sept 5, 1651, because he refused to pay the fine.

Elder John Crandall & John Clarke were finally allowed to go home on bail, July 21, 1651. Their release from prison was on the promise of appearing at next court." This incident prompted Rev. John Clarke to write the pamphlet "Ill News From New England" published in England in 1652

Elder John Crandall was again actively identified with the Baptist Church in records, in Newport, July 21, 1651. His name next is found, with that of Matthew West, in a Freeman's list of Newport, 1655. (From "Representative Men & Old Families of Newport, RI).

He is listed as a Commissioner for the town of Newport 2 Nov 1658.

In that same year, Elder John, along with Thomas Olney, Samuel Gorton, and John Tripp, was "chosen and authorized to draw up a letter to be sent to Mr. John Clarke in England, to be presented to his Highness and Councell ..."

He was appointed as a Commissioner from Newport again on 17 May 16597.

Elder John was chosen in 1659, along with Arthur Fenner, Thomas Cooke, and Robert Westcott, "... to marke out the westward bounds of our collony ... "

Listed 27 Aug 1661 as one of the original petitioners for the settlement of Askomicutt [Westerly, RI]. The other eight listed are: Josph Torrey, John Cranston, William Vaughan, John Coggeshall, Hugh Mosier, James Barker, Caleb Carr, James Rogers [spellings as in original document].

Elder John was listed again as Commissioner for the town of Newport 22 May 1662.

Listed as a committeeman from Newport regarding legislation on the same date.

Listed again as a Commissioner from Newport 17 June 1662.

Listed as a quasi tax collector in Newport in 1662.

Listed as a Commissioner from Newport 12 May 1663.

He is mentioned again in Rhode Island history in relationship to his "intrusions" into Stonington, CT. The complaint is dated 30 Oct 1667, mentioning that he had "laid out a mile square of land for his son [John, Jr.] within the limits of their town."

On 14 Apr 1668 he participated in a religious debate in Boston, MA. He is called " John Grendall of Narragansett."

A claim was made by John Crandall to about a square mile of land on the west side of the Pawcatuck river.  Connecticut & Massachusetts had much dispute as to their jurisdiction, and in 1671 the dispute grew so serious that Mr. Crandall , with others, were actually carried off by the Connecticut authorities and imprisoned at Hartford. Elder John, as a Rhode Island "officer", was seized and taken to New London, CT for trial on 2 May 167118.  RI assembly advised him not to yield to Connecticut's claims and assured him of the Colony's support and that his financial losses would be borne by the Colony.  

Elder John signs over "all ... my goods, Chattels, Debts, household stuff ... and ... have putt my ... sonn in ... possession of all ... promisees by the delivery unto him of one shilling in silver currant mony ... of England ..." This is a document dated 3 Oct 1670 and involved his son, John, Jr.

1675, January 23, In a letter from Ruth Burdick to her father Samuel Hubbard of Newport, she says "Brother Crandall hath the ague and fever still, and have been but little amongst us this winter. Sister Crandall is brought to bed with a son, and is in a hopeful way." (Ruth Burdick's daughter Deborah, Samuel Hubbard's' granddaughter) later married Elder John Crandall's son by his first wife, Joseph.

Elder John Crandall died in Newport, having moved there on account of the Indian War. Samuel Hubbard writes from Newport to Mr. Edward Stennitt in London, November 29, 1676, regarding the deaths in the First Baptist Church caused by King Phillips war, "My dear brother John Crandall, then Mr. John Clarke, then William Weeden, a deacon, than John Salmon, a sad stroke in very deed, young men and maids, to this day I never knew or heard the like in New England". He also recorded a few years later: "My dear brother John Crandall of Squamicut, is dead and his first wife, a Sabbath keeper, the first that died in that blessed faith in New England.

Elder John Crandall died before November 29, 1676, at Newport, where he was sojourning on account of the Indian War (King Philips' War) The "Journal of American History" continues the following sketch of the life of Elder John Crandall.

"His name heads the list of a list of Free Inhabitants of the Town of Westerly, and he was authorized by the colony, with Tobias Saunders, to summon juries and hold courts. He was on of the original purchasers from Chief Sosoa of Narragansett of the Misuamicutt tribe, of the land of Westerly, from which Hopkinton was later formed. The townships of Westerly, Hopkinton, Charleston, & Richmond, as they now are, were a tract called by the Indians Misquamicutt and on August 27, 1661, John Crandall was one of the nine signers of a petition of the Court of Commissioners for the Colony of Providence Plantations, in session at Portsmouth, for the purchase of that part of the tract which became Westerly.

His house was near Burdens Pond, and part of it now stands, as one room in the homestead occupied by lineal descendants. Across from the house, in the old orchard field, is the original cemetery, in which twenty seven bodies including Elder John, buried in the row nearest the swamp, in the end grave to the left as one stands facing the swamp. Next to his grave is that of his son John. Each of the graves here is represented by a field stone some 14 inches in width, appearing four to eight inches above the ground set at the head while a smaller stone marks the foot of the grave. There is no inscription on any of the stones. He was the first Baptist Elder at Westerly and held a number of public offices at various times. In 1658, 59, 62, 63, he was a Commissioner and was a Deputy to the General Court in 1667, 70 & 1671 representing Westerly during the latter terms. "

CONNECTICUT STATE ARCHIVES: COLONIAL BOUNDARIES 1662-1827,SERIES 1,VOL.1, DOC. 45

"Onered Gentellmen

Yours bearing date November th 18 last past wee received whear in you wear pleased to signifi unto us that ye have bin often solisited to hear seaverall complaints mad against us by the inhabitance of Stoningtown & allso of other gentellmen. & that ye saw reason to grant them a time of hearing & did give us timly notis of & wee did not apear. Unto the which wee cannot omit but make you sum return. As to that of complaint mad by the inhabitance of Stoningtown we do profess that wee ar not sensabell that we ar in any measure guilti which if we wear wee should have prevented thair complaint by rendering satisfaction. But wee ar very sensable of great wrongs that wee have susstained by them for seaverall years.

And as to a time of hearing and giveing timly notis - wee being by Chartar & otherwise subjected to an other coloni could not asent but with the hazard of breaking our obligations - it not withstanding we ar much in clind to a peacable and a finall issu of those diffarances by a leagall prograce in Law in the jurisdiction whearunto we do belong & by whos athoriti we ar hear setteled whear we dout not but equall justis will take plac. As for your advic to agree with those our neighbours of Stoningtown & the other gentellmen we hop that your coloni & ours will in the first plac loveingly agree and then we question not but thar will be an agreement between us and our neighbours of Stoningtown and the rest of the gentellmen.

Seemacut [?]

John Crandall (signature)

This 11 of March 1669/70

Tobias Saunders (signature)

in the Behalf of the Town

Onnered Governor wee do desier & intreat ye to signifi by this ingion that ye have recived the letters then wee shall know wheather he have don faithfully.

For the worshipfull John Wintrop Esqr Goverr of Coneticut to be communita to the Asistant thear.

Paul A. Saunders (Matthews, NC) 3/25/98

Newman's History of the Baptists page 111, states that Dr. John Clark was born in Suffolk Co, & he & his two brothers Thomas & Joseph were closely associated with Elder John Crandall in the church of the R.I. Baptists. It is claimed that Elder John Crandall came over from Shropshire County with Joseph Clark.

The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume II C Clarke, John:

CLARKE, John, colonist, was born in Suffolk, England, Oct. 8, 1609; third son of Thomas and Rose (Herrige) Clarke. He received a university education, practised in London as a physician, and came to the new world actuated by his religious and political opinions. Finding on his arrival in Boston in 1637, just at the close of the Antimonian controversy, that men "were not able to bear each with other in their different understandings and consciences....and to live peaceably together," he proposed to a number of citizens to withdraw and found a colony elsewhere. On March 7, 1638, a compact was signed in Boston by Clarke, Coggeshall, Aspinwall, Coddington, Hutchinson and others, and the island of Aquidneck in Narragansett bay was purchased from the Indians, the deed bearing date March 24, 1638. A church was founded in Newport in 1638, of which Mr. Clarke was preaching elder, this being the second Baptist church in America. When in 1647 the island was united with the other towns included in what afterward became the state of Rhode Island, Mr. Clarke is supposed to have framed the code of laws for the united towns.

For visiting William Witter, a member of his church in Lynn, some say for preaching there, Mr. Clarke with two elders, Obadiah Holmes and John Crandall, who accompanied him was arrested and condemned to pay a fine of £20 "or else be well whipped." After an imprisonment of nearly a month his fine was paid by an unknown person and he was released. In November, 1651, he went to England with Roger Williams to obtain the revocation of Governor Coddington's commission, and after remaining there for twelve years he succeeded in gaining for Rhode Island, in the charter of 1663, perfect religious freedom and advantages which the older and larger colonies did not possess. On his return home in July, 1664, he was a boundary commissioner, was elected to the general assembly, and was re-elected each year until 1669, being appointed in 1666 to codify the laws. He was deputy governor in 1669 and again in 1671. He left the bulk of his property in trust for religious and educational purposes, and he established the first free school in America. He published Ill-News from New England, or a Narrative of New England's Persecution (London, 1652). No adequate record of the life and times of John Clarke has been published; a sketch of him, however, may be found in Backus's History of New England with Special Reference to the Baptists (2nd edition, 1871). See also a pamphlet by H. M. King, D.D. (1880), reviewing the visit to Lynn. He died in Newport, R. L, April 20, 1676.

The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume III C Crandall, Charles Lee

From the writings of Bruce Verne Crandall of Three Lakes, Wisc, who was exceptionally well versed in Baptist history, we have taken the following "I am quoting from a lecture by Rev. Walter E. Tanner, D.D. pastor of a Baptist Church in Springfield, MO. Dr. Tanner's lecture was on Baptist History and any reference which he made to John Crandall was only incidental to his main theme. As he gave the sources of his information, even down to volumes and page numbers, I regard what he gives as undoubted accuracy. He said:

John Clarke, John Crandall, Obediah Holmes & Roger Williams went to England in the year 1664, and obtained from King Cahrles the 2nd, a charter, which secured the Colony of Rhode Island as a free State, where there was a guarantee, forever, from the King and all his successors, that all the inhabitants of Rhode Island Colony should be given political and Religious Freedom, no matter what country they came from. (This original charter can be verified through the Rhode Island Historical Library through the Callander History of Rhode Island & from Colonial Records, found at Newport. the charter was signed July 8, 1663).

The colonies of Rhode Island & Pennsylvania, the one founded by the Baptists & the other by the Quakers, were the only two colonies that guaranteed absolute liberty. And it was the Constitution of the Colonies, especially the one in Rhode Island, and its democratic manner of handling public affairs, that is declared by Thomas Jefferson to be the leven of Liberty and Democracy of the American Constitution. (see Memoirs of Thomas Jefferson).

It is interesting on this account, that with the growth of Democracy came the struggle for Liberty & Independence in the Revolutionary War, and that the Colony of Rhode Island & the men who founded it, namely Obediah Holmes, John Clark, John Crandall & Roger Williams should really be looked upon as the first pioneers of Religious & Political Freedom in America" (From the Descendants of Elder John Crandall, Appendix 11.)

On July 16, 1651, John Clarke, John Crandall and Obadiah Holmes journeyed from Newport into MA, coming to the town of Lynn on the 19th of that month. The purpose of the visit was to bring spiritual comfort and communion to one William Witter, a blind and aged fellow Baptist who had invited the three to come to his house. The broader purpose was, of course, an evangelical one: to tell of the new baptism and its import to all who would hear. And indeed the word was proclaimed, converts were baptized, the elements of the Lord's Supper were served - all of this done privately in William Witter's home.

On Sunday, July 20, two constables entered the house. "With their clamorous tongues" they interrupted Clarke's discourse, "telling us that they were come with authority from the Magistrates to apprehend us." Clarke asked to see the authority for so rude an intrusion, "whereupon they plucked forth their warrant, and one of them with a trembling hand read it to us." The three Rhode Islanders were placed under arrest and taken to the local "Ale-house or Ordinary", Anchor Tavern, to be fed and to await their scheduled appearance before the local magistrate, Robert Bridges, early the next morning.

One of the constables suggested to the 3 prisoners that if they were free, then all might go together to the Lynn church for evening services. Clarke replied (humor presumably intended) that if they were free, none of this awkwardness would have happened. Yet, he said, we are at your disposal and if you want us to go to church we will go to church. Off they went, but on the way Clarke informed the constable that if forced to attend "your meeting, we shall declare our dissent from you both by word and gesture." Believing this to be a problem for sacred officers, not civil ones, the constable held his peace. Upon entering the church, where services were already underway, the three visitors took off their hats, "civilly saluted", sat down, and put their hats back on again. This action was more than rude; the replacing of hats was an open declaration of disapproval of whatever was being said or done. The constable quickly snatched three hats from three irreverent heads and afterwards, the three were returned to the tavern where they were "watched over that night as thieves and robbers." In the morning, after a brief appearance before Robert Bridges in Lynn, the itinerant evangelists were sent to Boston for trial.

They were committed to the common jail. The mittimus, or court order for commitment to prison, indicated essentially four complaints against the "strangers". They had offended by (a) conducting a private worship service at the same time as the town's public worship; (b) "offensively disturbing" the public meeting in Lynn; (c) more seriously, "seducing and drawing aside others after their erroneous judgment and practices"; and (d) "neglecting or refusing to give in sufficient security for their appearance" at the next meeting of the county court.

The trial before the General Court began one week later. The trial itself was so swiftly consummated that the accused hardly knew it was done. We were examined in the morning, wrote Clarke, and sentenced in the afternoon - sentenced "without producing either accuser, witness, jury, law of God or man..." It was the assumption of Governor Endicott and his assistants of the guilt of the accused and cut off any defense when Holmes and Clarke tried to speak. The members of the court shot questions at them, or made statements to them, which showed their guilt prejudged. The violence of some of the bystanders, in the presence of the court, and without its rebuke, went so far that Holmes was assaulted, struck, and cursed by Rev. John Wilson. This happened while Holmes was in the custody of an officer, in the presence of the court, and within the protection of the law.

The penalty which the law provided was banishment. But what sort of punishment is it to "banish" persons who already live in another jurisdiction? Obviously, some other manner of rebuke had to be meted out, whether the law made provision for it or not. Clarke, clearly the spokesman and leader of the group, was fined £20; Crandall, as a tag-along and largely silent companion, was fined only £5. But Obadiah Holmes, already under the cloud of excommunication from the church in Rehoboth, received the largest fine of £30. All the fines provided for a hard alternative: to be paid in full or else the culprit was to be "well whipped". Until the fines were paid or satisfaction otherwise received, all three were to remain in jail.

They were not without friends and sympathizers, however. The friends of Clarke and Crandall speedily raised the amounts of their smaller fines and paid them. The fine of Holmes was higher and required a little more time to raise the amount, but his friends were ready to pay it. When he learned what they were proposing to do, he promptly forbade the payment of the fine, making it a matter of his conscience and scruples.

After another week, Clarke was released when friends paid his fine. John Crandall put up bail and went home. So only Holmes remained in prison, adamantly refusing to pay his fine or to let others pay it for him. The court's explicit alternative awaited him - to be "well-whipped". The 5th day of Sep 1651 came and he was taken from the jail, stripped naked down to the waist - he refused to aid by touching even a button of his clothing - tied to the post and publicly whipped. 

There were thirty strokes, with a three-cord whip, held by the executioner, not in one hand, but in both hands. The strokes did not follow each other quickly or lightly. They were laid on slowly and with all the strength of the officer wielding the instrument of torture. Throughout, there was not a groan or murmur from the victim. The first sound from his lips were the words to the magistrates, who stood about as witnesses, "You have struck me as with roses."

After his release from jail, Holmes returned to Newport and in 1652 succeeded Dr. John Clarke. He became the second minister of the first Baptist Church in America. The church at Newport was his permanent charge for more than thirty years until his death on October 15, 1682.

Linda Burakiewicz, who sent pictures of the Crandall Homestead in Westerly, RI, shared these thoughts about it. "Westerly is a true Crandall Land...Crandall Ave...Crandall Farms...Crandall Field; Like a dream come true if you are a researcher. I am from Ct. & Rhode Island was always just a hop & a skip for us when we were young and we spent many days at the beach on vacation. As with every young person I was selfish and could care less about the history of the area. I never paid attention to what was around me. I hadn't been down that way in a long time so when I had a chance to go down and visit a high school girlfriend.

I took the opportunity to contact Earle Crandall and find out the exact address of the Crandall homestead so I could view it with my own eyes-picture this: Long and overgrown dirt road with ruts and trees bending down before you-also a rainy and dreary day-also no tresspassing signs. Only to find a little windy path leading to the front of the house with an old car parked in the driveway loaded with trash and ???? I was so dissapointed to see the disrepair and neglect of the area. According to a cousin who has been down to the reunions-the Crandalls who live in the house, are not quite right if you know what I mean. The pictures that I sent you were taken from an angle that that glorified the area and hide the bad points. Also there is a plaque somewhere designated as Elder Johns resting place but I have no idea where that is and no doubt will have to travel down to the reunion myself just to find the spot. The bad part is they always have the reunions in the summer when it is the height of tourist season and the beach traffic is bad - after all, not everyone that goes down there is interested Crandalls"

WY015 OLD CRANDALL CEMETERY WESTERLY POUND RD ->200 ft. S of tele. pole # 4043

Waterford

From the Connecticut Historical Collection

BY John Warner Barbour

Published 1836

"A new sect came out from among the Baptists about this time, who have caused not a little trouble to themselves and others, of whom 1 have collected the following brief account, chiefly from the letters preserved by Mr. Samuel Hubbard. In the close of the year 1674, the family of Mr. James Rogers of New London, called Mr. Crandal over from Westerly, who preached among them, and baptized his sons John and James, and an Indian named Japhet.

This alarmed the other denomination, and Mr. Bradstreet, minister at New London, said be hoped the next court would take a course with them. They sent to Newport, and elder Hickox, Mr. Hubbard and his son Clarke were sent to visit them in March, 1675, when Jonathan Rogers was also baptized, and all four of them were received as members of their church by prayer and laying on of hands. Hereupon John Rogers' father-in-Law, took his wife and children from him; and upon her complaints against him, he was carried before their deputy governor, and committed to Hartford goal, from whence he wrote to Mr. Hubbard, April 6th, 1675. How long he continued there I do not find, only he visited the church at Newport, the next September.

On September 18th, 1676, those four members went with a boat, and brought elder Hickox and Mr. Hubbard to New London again, when old Mr. Rogers, his wife, and daughter, were all baptized and received into that church; whereupon they were called before the magistrate, but were soon released; though-from that time they began to imprison the Rogerses for working on the first day of the week. and when Mr. Hickox and Mr. Hubbard visited them again, and held worship with them two miles out of town, on their sabbath, Nov. 23, 1677, and Joseph Rogers' wife had next morning given them a satisfying account of her experiences, John must needs have them go up to town to baptize her there. Mr. Hubbard opposed it, but John carried the day; and while Mr. Hickox was preaching at town, the constable came and took him, and they all went before the magistrate; where also was the minister, Mr. Bradstreet, who had much to say about the good way their fathers had set up.

Upon which Mr. Hubbard, obtaining leave to speak, said, you are a young man, but I am an old planter of about forty years, a beginner of Connecticut, and have been persecuted for my conscience from this colony, and I can assure you, that the old beginners were not for persecution, but we had liberty at first.' After further discourse, the magistrate said could you not do it elsewhere? A good answer,' says Mr. Hubbard and so they were released and went to Samuel Rogers' house, where his brother John put himself forward, prayed, and then went out to the water and baptized his sister: upon which Mr. Hickox was seized again, as supposing he had done it, but John came before the magistrate, and was forward to make known his act therein; so the others were released and returned home."

"Jonathan Rogers, had married Naomi Burdick, grand daughter to Mr. Hubbard, and on March 2, 1678, elder Hickox baptized her at Westerly,

John Crandall was born in Monmouthshire (near the Wales and English border) and was christened in Westerleigh, Gloustershire, England in 1617/8. It is believed that the name Westerly was derived from his Westerleigh roots. Although where he first landed in the colony is uncertain he is first recorded as a grand juror in Newport in 1643. He was later named Newport Freeman and Commissioner of Newport.

In 1651, Crandall, John Clark and Obadiah Holmes made a legendary eighty mile trip to Lynn in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to visit William Witter, a “shut-in” member of the Newport Baptist church, who was too feeble to make the journey to Rhode Island. Baptist preaching was not welcome in the strict Puritan world of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The three were arrested, taken to Boston, and fined without legal defense. Holmes did not pay the fine and took 30 lashes in a public whipping. It was an illustration of the intense religious strife between geographic regions of New England at that time. It was written that some in Massachusetts later called Crandall “Grendall of Narragansett” a derogatory spin on the monster Grendel from Beowulf. ...

Footnote: Some prominent Americans have roots to Elder John Crandall –Lucille Ball, Julia Child, Prudence Crandall, Katherine Hepburn and Garrison Keillor.

More information on the Crandall ancestry is available through the CFA (Crandall Family Association) website: http://www.cfa.net/cfa/contents.html

The CFA produces a quarterly publication called The Crandall Corner. The Crandall Family Association also has a family picnic every other Summer.

http://www.newengland.com/editorial_full.php?editorial_id=17491

'First appears in Salem, MA in 1634/35. Removes to Providence with Roger Williams about 1636. First real documentation of him is in Newport in 1651. One of the six purchasers of Misquamicutt (Westerly), RI in 1661. Builds his homestead on Pound Road circa 1665. Was first Baptist Elder in the U.S., later converting to the Seventh-day Baptist faith, holding meetings at his home in Westerly, Washington Co., Rhode Island. Removed to Newport because of the dangers of the King Philip Wars in 1676, and, while there, he died. 'Buried in the family burial ground on the Homestead (Historical Cemetery #27). Monument erected by CRANDALL FAMILY ASSOCIATION 27 MAY 1991. 'ABSOLUTELY NO DOCUMEMTATION for the tradition that he is the son of a Sir John CRANDALL & Elizabeth DRAKE of Monmouthshire, Wales. 'The township of 'Westerleigh' is certainly very circumstantial evidence, since he was one of the founders of 'Westerly', Rhode Island.'[159]

John(1) CRANDALL was christened on 15 Feb 1617/1618 in Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England and died November 29, 1676 in Newport Co., Rhode Island. He married (1) Mary about 1649 in Newport Co., Rhode Island. She died August 20, 1670 in Westerly, King Co., Rhode Island. . He married (2) Hannah GAYLORD 1670. She was born January 30, 1647 in Windsor, Hartford, Conn, and died August 03, 1678 in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island.

John Crandall: Burial: December 01, 1676, Westerly, King Co., Rhode Island;

JCC states he married Mary Opp. CFA research indicates this is most likely incorrect. No documented proof has been found that anyone with the surname Opp was in the New England area during this period. Her first name may have been Mary. Please refer to the CFA web site or members for additional information on John's first wife.

According to JCC: Immigration: bet. 1634 - 1635, Boston, Massachusetts. This is unproven and other more current research indicates a different timeframe and location. Additional information on this can be found on the CFA web site.

Mary ? : Burial: August 22, 1670, Westerly, King Co., Rhode Island

Hannah Gaylord: Burial: Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island

Children of John Crandall and Mary ? are:

John Crandall: Burial: December 01, 1676, Westerly, King Co., Rhode Island;

JCC states he married Mary Opp. CFA research indicates this is most likely incorrect. No documented proof has been found that anyone with the surname Opp was in the New England area during this period. Her first name may have been Mary. Please refer to the CFA web site or members for additional information on John's first wife.

According to JCC: Immigration: bet. 1634 - 1635, Boston, Massachusetts. This is unproven and other more current research indicates a different timeframe and location. Additional information on this can be found on the CFA web site.

Tradition states that he first appears in Salem, MA in 1634/35 and removes to Providence with Roger Williams about 1636. However the first real documentation of Elder John is as a grand juror in Newport, RI 8 Sep 1643.

![Extensive research in both civil and church records of Salem, Lynn, Rehoboth, and Swansea, MA as well as in early Providence and Newport, RI show absolutely no record of Elder John until 1643, even though there is frequent mention of Roger Williams, Obadiah Holmes, and John Clark.]

!He is one of the six purchasers of Misquamicutt (Westerly), RI in 1661, and builds his homestead there on Pound Road circa 1665.

!He was perhaps the first Baptist Elder in the U.S. (according to tradition), later converting to the Seventh Day Baptist faith, holding meetings at his home in Westerly, RI.

!He removed to Newport because of the dangers of the King Philip Wars in 1676, and, while there, he died.

!He is buried in the family burial ground on the Homestead (Historical Cemetery #15). His monument was erected by CRANDALL FAMILY ASSOCIATION 27 MAY 1991.

!THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DOCUMEMTATION for the tradition that he is the son of a Sir John CRANDALL & Elizabeth DRAKE of Monmouthshire, Wales.

!CRANDALL genealogy: 1st generation !Parish Records in Westerleigh, Gloucestershire. !FHL microfilm #1596176.

The township of "Westerleigh" is certainly very circumstantial evidence, since he was one of the founders of "Westerly", Rhode Island.

"First appears in Salem, MA in 1634/35. Removes to Providence with Roger Williams about 1636. First real documentation of him is in Newport in 1651. One of the six purchasers of Misquamicutt (Westerly), RI in 1661. Builds his homestead on Pound Road circa 1665. Was first Baptist Elder in the U.S., later converting to the Seventh Day Baptist faith, holding meetings at his home in Westerly, RI. Removed to Newport because of the dangers of the King Philip Wars in 1676, and, while there, he died.

"Buried in the family burial ground on the Homestead (Historical Cemetery #27). Monument erected by CRANDALL FAMILY ASSOCIATION 27 MAY 1991.

"ABSOLUTELY NO DOCUMEMTATION for the tradition that he is the son of a Sir John CRANDALL & Elizabeth DRAKE of Monmouthshire, Wales.

"The township of "Westerleigh" is certainly very circumstantial evidence, since he was one of the founders of "Westerly", Rhode Island."[159]

Rev. John Crandall immigrant ancestor, was of Providence, Rhode Island, a s early as 1637. He was early associated with the Baptists, and being p ersecuted for his religious opinions, fled from MA to the above mention ed place. How long he remained in Providence is unknown, but he was a r esidence of Newport in 1651, and was there a prominent member of the Ba ptist Church, and subsequently became the first Elder of that denominat ion at Westerly, Rhode Island. July 21, 1651, he with John Clarke and O badiah Holmes, being the representatives of that church, journeyed to L ynn, for the purpose of holding services there, and were arrested and s ent to prison in Boston. July 31, he was sentenced to pay a fine of fiv e pounds, or be publicly whipped. On his promise to appear at the next c ourt, however, he was released. In 1655 he was freeman. He was commissi oner in 1658-59-62-63. With eight others, he signed a letter to the cou rt of commissioners of Rhode Island, August 27, 1661, in relation to a t ract of land at Westerly, where they and others desired to settle. He w as deputy in 1667, and in the fall of that same year was at Westerly.

His name was on the list of inhabitants of that town, May 14, 1669. He a nd Joseph Torrey were appointed commissioners to treat with Connecticut , relative to jurisdiction of lands, May 14, 1669, and he was supplied w ith 35 shillings by the Colony of Rhode Island to pay his way to Connec ticut.

He received a letter from the Governor and assistants of Connecticut on N ovember 18, 1669, in which the latter persons complained that he and ot hers had appropriated a large parcel of Stonington township, and sought s atisfaction. He and Tobias Saunders answered on behalf of Westerly, and d enied any guilt in the matter complained.

He was conservator of the Peace at Westerly, in 1670, and deputy from t hat town 1670-71. He was apprehended and held by the Colony of Connecti cut May 2, 1671 and desired the advice of the Governor of Rhode Island, w hether to give bond, or abide imprisonment. The assembly advised him to g ive no bond, and promised to bear his charges and endeavor to justify h is acts. [Research of Amy Connell, WorldConnect]

There is Much info published about Elder John Crandall especially in the achives of Rhode Island. (United States) Note: I may add and edit this info periodically.

There is a book entitled:

• * "Elder John Crandall and his Descendants" of which I have a copy.
• There is some controversy as to his parents backgrounds and if there are any "royal" ties in England.
• It seems that he founded some Baptist churches, or at least was a follower / companion, of Roger Williams...(who was a founder the Baptist faith in Rhode Island).
• John Crandall also helped establish Rhode Island's state borders.
• I will include a basic brief history:
  • (Elder) John Crandall, born 1609 to Elizabeth Drake (Scot descent) and John Crandall (English / Welsh descent)
    • John Crandall (Elder John Crandall's father) is said to have come from Monmouthshire or the Shropshire areas of England/Wales... and may or may not have been dubed a "Sir" John Crandall. He at least had (at times) some reported "visits" to royalty in England.
  • Elder John Crandall came to the "new world" / (United States) the year of 1635 to Salem Mass. while some of the colonies and "states" were forming.
  • From there he settled in Rhode Island.
  • He sought religious freedom and leaned toward the Baptist faith. Personal:
• He married first, Mary Opp,( about 1649 ) they had seven children.
• After her death: August 1670 John married a second time to Hannah Gaylord. They had two children.

( my line comes through Mary Opp and their son, Samuel. signed: Diane L. Crandall Tatum )

• was christened on 15 Feb 1617/1618 in Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England and
• died November 29, 1676 in Newport Co., Rhode Island.
• He married (1) Mary about 1649 in Newport Co., Rhode Island.
  • She died August 20, 1670 in Westerly, King Co., Rhode Island.
• He married (2) Hannah GAYLORD 1670.
  • She was born January 30, 1647 in Windsor, Hartford, Conn, and
  • died August 03, 1678 in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island.
• John Crandall: Burial: December 01, 1676, Westerly, King Co., Rhode Island;

  ---

John first appears in Salem, MA. in 1634/35. Removes to Providence with Roger Williams about 1636. First real documentation of him is in Newport in 1651. One of the six purchasers of Misquamicutt (Westerly), RI. in 1661. He built his homestead on Pound Road circa 1665. He was the first Baptist 'Elder' in the U.S.; later converting to the Seventh Day Baptist faith. He held meetings at his home in Westerly, RI. One of the founders of Westerly, RI. He removed to Newport due to the dangers of the King Philip Wars in 1676 & died there. Buried in the family burial ground on the Homstead (Historical Cemt. #27). Monument erected by Crandall Family Assoc. May 27, 1991.

• Was a minister of the Salem Congregational Churh, later dismissed for adopting opinions of the Baptists.
• In 1669 he was a freeman of Westerly (now Hopkinton), and an elder of the First Baptist Church of Westerly.
• Served as deputy to the General Court in 1667/70

  ---

See link: http://www.applelog.com/the_crandall_book.htm

• Sources:
  • Title: Elder John Crandall of RI & his Descendants
  • Author: Crandall, John Cortland
  • Year: 1949
    • Description: Incl info abt Coat of Arms, Pawcatuk Village, Crandall Etymology, illustrations, immigration of Elder John Crandall & his activities, & 1st 11 generations of Crandall family.
  • Title: One Crandall Family: 1651-1996
  • Author: Park, Alice Crandall
  • Year: 1996
    • Description: Chronicles family history beginning w/John Crandall, going thru next 3 generations to Henry Sprague Crandall & 4 generations of his descendants. Incl info abt modern generations, notable colonial ancestors, & pedigree charts.

From findagrave.com:

• Believed b Westerleigh, S Gloucestershire Eng 2/1617, c Feb 15 1617 in Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, Eng
• Son of James + Eleanor Crandell
• Came to Am c1643, Mentioned as Juror in Newport RI Sep 8 1643
• Burial: Old Crandall Cem, Westerly, Kings Co, RI, USA
• Plot: Old Crandall Cem

  ---

• He was the first Seventh Day Baptist Minister of Westerly, Rhode Island

  ---

• John Crandall first married Mary, it is unknown if that is her real name. They had 7 children.
• He then married Hannah Gaylord and had two more children.
• He immigrated between 1634 and 1635 to Boston, MA (unproven)

  ---

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/SR1J-3PN

'''Elder John Crandall''' 

• Birth: Feb., 1617 Gloucestershire, England
• christening: 17 February 1617 Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England
• death: 29 November 1676 Newport, Newport, Rhode Island
• First Baptist Elder, Deputy Commissioner, and statesman of Newport and Westerly RI,
  • was born in Monmouthshire, ENG on the line between England and Wales in 1612.
  • His mother is supposed to have been a Scotch lady.
  • He came to Boston within a very few years after the landing of the Pilgrims, in 1634.
• The first valid doc. account of John in New England shows him to have been activiely identified with the Baptish Church in Newport, July 21, 1651.
• His name next is found, with that of Matthew West in a Freeman's list of Newport, 1655.
• John Crandall was the first Baptist Elder in Westerly.
• He took an active part in the border difficulties between MA and CT and sub. bet. CT and RI.

Source: Immigrants to America Before 1750.

• Immigrants: Rev. John Crandall, a Seventh Day Baptist minister.
• John married (1) Mary OPP on Mar 1649 in Newport Co., Rhode Island.
  • Mary was born about 1625 in England.
  • She died 20 Aug 1669 in Westerly, King Co., Rhode Island and
  • was buried in the Homestead, Westerly, Kings Co., Rhode Island.
• They had the following children:
  • i John CRANDALL was born about 1649 and died before 14 Aug 1704.
  • ii James CRANDALL was born about 1651 and died after 1681.
  • iii Jane CRANDALL was born about 1653 and died before 1715.
  • iv Sarah CRANDALL was born about 1654.
  • v Rev. Joseph CRANDALL was born 1661 and died 12 Sep 1737.
  • vi Samuel CRANDALL was born 1663 and died 19 May 1736.
  • vii Peter CRANDALL was born 1665 and died 1734.
• John also married (2) Hannah GAYLORD,
  • daughter of William John Nicholas GAYLORD and Ann PORTER, about 1670 in Windsor, Hartford Co., Connecticut.
  • Hannah was born 30 Jan 1647 in Windsor, Hartford Co., Connecticut.
  • She died 3 Aug 1678 in Westerly, Kings Co., Rhode Island and
  • was buried in the Homestead, Westerly, Kings Co., Rhode Island.
• They had the following children:
  • viii Jeremiah CRANDALL was born Aug 1673 and died 1718.
  • ix Eber CRANDALL was born 1676 and died 1727.
• Burial: 1 December 1676, Old Crandall Cemetery Also known as: Crandall Family Burial Ground, Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Westerly #15, Pound Road, Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island

Sources:

• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nanc/crandall/aqwg01.htm
• REPRESENTATIVE MEN AND OLD FAMILIES OF RHODE ISLAND
• Elder John Crandall of Rhode Island and His Descendants, by John Cortland Crandall (1949)
• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=33907996&ref=wvr
• http://awt.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=flakey&id=...
• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5757231
• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fitchett/Person_Sheets/ps0...

  ---

Colonial pioneer, First Baptist elder, Deputy commissioner, and statesman of Newport and Westerly, RI Came to Boston within a few years after the landing of the pilgrims, in 1634. Born on the line between England and Wales C- 1612 His mother is supposed to have been a Scotch lady.

John Crandall, Wiki Tree FREE Birth: Feb 15 1616 - Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England Death: Nov 29 1676 - Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, USA Parents: James Crandall, UNKNOWN Eleanor Wife: Hannah Gayload, Mary Opp Children: Jeremiah Crandall, Eber Crandall, Peter Crandall, Joseph Crandall, Samuel Crandall, James Crandall, Jane Crandall, Sa...

Info from Findagrave.com:

Birth: Feb., 1617 Westerleigh South Gloucestershire Unitary Authority Gloucestershire, England Death: Nov. 29, 1676 Newport Newport County Rhode Island, USA

Believed to be born in Westerleigh, S.Gloucestershire England 2/1617 Was Christened on Feb 15 1617 in Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England Son Of James + Eleanor Crandell Came to America around 1643, Mentioned as a Juror in Newport RI Sept 8th 1643

Family links:

Spouses:

 Hannah Gaylord Crandall (1646 - 1678)*

 First Wife Crandall (1625 - 1670)*

Children:

 John Crandall (1649 - 1704)*

 Sarah Crandall Button (1654 - 1696)*

 Joseph Crandall (1661 - 1737)*

 Samuel Crandall (1662 - 1736)*

 Jeremiah Crandall (1673 - 1718)*

 Eber Crandall (1676 - 1727)*

*Calculated relationship

Note: Original Headstone has been lost over time.

Burial: Old Crandall Cemetery Westerly Washington County Rhode Island, USA Plot: Old Crandall Cemetery

Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?]

Created by: David Crandall Jr. Record added: Sep 10, 2001 Find A Grave Memorial# 5757231

John Crandall was born in 1618 (baptized February 15, 1617/8) in Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England to James Crandall, a yeoman of Kendleshire in that parish, and his first wife Eleanor. The origin of the name may be a place-name, Crundelend, or an Anglicized French name; people bearing the Crandall name were concentrated in the 16th century. Abberley, Worcestershire area. Crandall's great-grandfather, Nicholas Crundall (died 1589), of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, came to south Gloucestershire in 1572 as the vicar of the parish of Winterbourne. Being dissidents ( the family were' Sabbatarians, not Puritans' ) ran in the family. In a case brought in the Star Chamber against Nicholas Crundall, Jr., who succeeded his father as vicar, his accuser reported that Crundall resisted a constable, mockingly crying out "The Queen's name! The Queen's name! I do not care a turd for thee nor her either." John Crandall's (his relatives started spelling the name "Crandall" around 1610) life in England prior to his emigration to America is unknown. The Sabbatarians never "separated" from the Anglican Church, nor the Roman Cathollic; they have always been Sabbatarians, a church founded in Sardis, Turkey approximately 2,000 years ago.

While the exact date of Crandall's arrival is not known, it is believed to be 1637 when he arrived in Providence, Rhode Island, then a new settlement and a refuge for dissident Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. From Providence he came to Newport, Rhode Island, as early as 1651. (The first actual documentation for Elder John Crandall in American is in 1643 when he appears as a grand jury member in Newport.) He became a prominent member of the First Baptist Church in Newport there, subsequently the first elder of the denomination at Westerly, Rhode Island. With John Clarke and Obadiah Holmes he went to Lynn, Massachusetts, to hold services for the Baptists, was arrested there July 21, 1651, and sent to prison in Boston. Ten days later he was convicted of breaking the law by holding services and fined five pounds, in default of which he was to be publicly whipped. Upon his promise to appear at the next term of court he was released.

In 1655, he was a freeman of Rhode Island; in 1658-59, 1662–63, he was a commissioner. With eight others he signed a letter to the court of commissioners of Rhode Island, dated August 27, 1661, in relation to a tract of land at Westerly, where they and other Sabbatarians desired to settle, as they were not being accepted among the Puritans for many reasons including rejecting infant baptism, celebrating the Sabbath, rejecting Trinitarianism and other Sabbatarian beliefs.

He was a deputy to the general assembly in 1687, and in the fall of that year was living at Westerly. He and Joseph Torrey were appointed commissioners to treat with Connecticut as to jurisdiction over disputed territory, May 14, 1669, and he was supplied with thirty-five shillings by the colony of Rhode Island to pay his expenses to Connecticut. On November 18, 1669, he received a letter from the governor and assistants of Connecticut, complaining that he and others had appropriated a large tract of land belonging to Stonington, Connecticut. He and Tobias Saunders answered the complaint for the Westerly people. He was conservator of the peace at Westerly in 1670, and deputy to the general assembly again in 1670-71.

He was arrested by the Connecticut authorities, May 2, 1671, and was advised by the Rhode Island government to decline to give bond. The Rhode Island colony promised to pay his expenses and defend him. The name of his first wife (by whom he had at least seven children)is not known, but it was not Mary Opp as was previously thought and is widely mentioned. He married, as his second wife, Hannah Gaylord (born 1647), daughter of William Gaylord and Ann (Porter), of Windsor, Connecticut. She died in 1678. He died at Newport, where he had moved because of King Philip's War, in 1676.[2]

(f/g) Elder John Crandall Birth: Feb., 1617 Westerleigh South Gloucestershire Unitary Authority Gloucestershire, England Death: Nov. 29, 1676 Newport Newport County Rhode Island, USA

Believed to be born in Westerleigh, S.Gloucestershire England 2/1617 Was Christened on Feb 15 1617 in Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England Son Of James + Eleanor Crandell Came to America around 1643, Mentioned as a Juror in Newport RI Sept 8th 1643

Elder John Crandall, a Baptist minister, of Newport and Westerly is stated by the family,came from Wales to Boston in 1634-35. He was arrested at Lynn, July 21,1651 and suffered imprisonment at Boston, was fined and publicly whipped for his attachment to the Baptist cause. He fled to Rhode Island in 1637. He was early associated with the Baptists at Newport and was made a freeman in 1655. He became the first elder and preacher in Westerly, where his name is the first in the list of "free inhabitants," 1699. Elder Crandall was twice married. His second wife Hannah, died in 1678.

His children were as follows:

John James Jane, who married Job Babcock Sarah, who married Josiah Witter Peter, who's wife's name was Mary Joseph, who married Deborah Burdick Samuel, who married Sarah Colby (or Celbey) Jeremiah Eber

-- from "Representative men and old families of Rhode Island" volume 3

Family links:

Parents:

 James Crandall (1586 - ____)

 Eleanor Crandall 

Spouses:

 Hannah Gaylord Crandall (1646 - 1678)*

 Mary Sarah Crandall (1615 - 1669)* 

Children:

 John Crandall (1649 - 1704)*

 Sarah Crandall Button (1654 - 1696)*

 Sarah Crandall Button (1654 - 1696)*

 Joseph Crandall (1661 - 1737)*

 Samuel Crandall (1662 - 1736)*

 Jeremiah Crandall (1673 - 1718)*

 Eber Crandall (1676 - 1727)*

Note: Original Headstone has been lost over time. Burial: Old Crandall Cemetery Westerly Washington County Rhode Island, USA Plot: Old Crandall Cemetery Created by: David Crandall Jr. Record added: Sep 10, 2001 Find A Grave Memorial# 5757231 -tcd

Page 9 https://archive.org/details/genealogyofbranc00cran

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Crandall-3

John Crandall (bef. 1618 - 1676)

Elder John Crandall aka Crandal, Crandell

Born before 15 Feb 1618 in Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England [uncertain]

Son of James Crandall and Eleanor (UNKNOWN) Crandall

Brother of Anne Crandall [half]

Husband of Mary (UNKNOWN) Crandall — married Mar 1649 (to 1670) in Newport, Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Husband of Hannah (Gaylord) Cottrell — married about 1671 (to after 1676) in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

Father of John Crandall II, James Crandall, Jane (Crandall) Babcock, Sarah (Crandall) Button, Peter Crandall, Joseph Crandall, Samuel Crandall, Jeremiah Crandall and Eber Crandall

Died 29 Nov 1676 in Newport, Rhode Island

Crandall-3 created 28 Dec 2008 | Last modified 9 Jun 2021 | Last tracked change:
25 Apr 2022

22:40: S (Hill) Willson replied to a comment on the page for John Crandall (bef.1618-1676) [Thank S for this | 4 thank-yous received]

Biography

Flag of Gloucestershire (adopted 2008)
John Crandall was born in Gloucestershire, England.
Disproved Parents and Fictitious Claims

There is a false lineage for John Crandall, claiming that he was the son of another John Crandall and Elizabeth Drake, an imaginary woman with an imaginary medieval pedigree.

Two early works on John Crandal and his descendants are rife with misinformation.[1] The 1888 work by A.P. Crandall, Genealogy of Elder John Crandall and his Descendants, contains an introductory section (among others) which is now proved to be unfounded, and the second is the 1949 work by John Cortland Crandall, Elder John Crandall of Rhode Island and His Descendants, which seems largely to have been based on the mistakes of the first.[1] These works make many statements without citing sources, and when later researchers sought documentation, they found either no evidence, or suggestion that our John Crandall was confused with a John Cranwell/Craniwell of Boston[1] (see Cranwell's profile in Anderson's Great Migration Begins. Vol 1 (A-F) pages 492-493).

One of the fictitious claims is that John arrived in Boston in 1634/5. Actually, there is no evidence of his presence in British America prior to 8 September 1643, when he was a member of the Newport, Rhode Island Grand Jury. Many researchers have searched for any evidence of his presence in Boston or Salem and have found none.[1] John Cortland Crandall contends that John was in Providence by 1637 and explains the lack of records with, "Many of the early Providence records were early destroyed." According to researcher, Jerry Huggins, "This is just simply not true - the early Providence records are very complete."[1] Another unsupported claim is that John went to England in 1663 with a group of men to to obtain the Rhode Island Charter.

Origin

John was probably born in 1618 at the parish of Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England and was baptized there on 15 February 1617/8.[2] There is good circumstantial evidence that John was the son of James Crandall and his first wife, Eleanor (Unknown) Crandall.[2] John had a half-sister named Anne, daughter of James and his second wife, Joan, who was baptized 30 December 1621.[2]

By 1603, the Crundall family, which included generations of priests, had been displaced from their home, the Winterbourne church, by a powerful parishioner, Robert Bradston.[2] As a result, not all the children's births were recorded in the usual manner and some of the family's relationships had to be deduced indirectly.[2]

There is some Welsh connection in the family's past, although it seems John was born in England. Family tradition, as evidenced by the book by A.P. Crandall, contends that the family had Welsh origins.[2]

Marriages and Children

John married, as his first wife, to (Unknown) Crandall, who died 2 August 1670 (NOTE: his first wife is NOT Mary Opp, as stated by John Cortland Crandall).[2]

Children of John and his first wife, born before 1670:[2]
John, d. betw. 25 January and 14 August 1704, mar. 18 June 1672 to Elizabeth Gorton;
Jane, mar. bef. 1693 Job Babcock;
James;
Peter, d. bef. 29 July 1734; mar. Mary Unknown;
Sarah, mar. 1) bef. 1677, as his second wife, Josiah Witter, mar. 2) Peter Button;
Joseph, b. c 1661, d. 12 September 1737, mar. 1) Deborah Burdick, mar. 2) by 1717 Elizabeth (Witter) Langworthy;
Samuel, b. 1663, d. 19 May 1736, mar. 1685 Sarah Celly.
John married, as his second wife, to Hannah Gaylord, daughter of William and Anna (Porter) Gaylord of Windsor, Connecticut.[2] She married, as her second husband, to John Cottrell of Westerly.[2]

Children of John and Hannah Gaylord:[2]
Jeremiah, b. aft. 1670, d. August 1718, mar. Priscilla Warner; she mar. 2) Abraham Lockwood of Providence;
Eber, b. 1675, d. betw. 22 August and 15 September 1727, mar. 1) Unknown, mar. 2) Patience Lampear, mar. 3) Mary Cottrell.
Immigration and Life in Newport

The date and place of John's arrival in New England and the ship on which he sailed are unknown, but he is first found in New England in Newport, Rhode Island in 1643. He is listed in Newport records as a grand juror on 8 September 1643 and is found again named in a case against Thomas Gennings in December 1643.[3]

He was on a list of freeman at Newport in 1655 and was named as a commissioner there on 2 November 1658, 17 May 1659, 22 May 1662, 17 June 1662 and 12 May 1663.[4]

Founder of Westerly

In a deed dated 29 June 1660, five Newport investors purchased the tract known as Misquamicuck or Misquamicut from Sosoa, an Indian Captain of Narragensett.[2][5] Some of those original investors sold their portions and never settled there. John Crandall, together with six others and two of the original purchasers (William Vaughan and Hugh Mosher), on 27 August 1661, petitioned the Rhode Island General Assembly for permission to settle on the newly purchased Misquamicut[2] (aka Askomicutt).[4]

Gifford, author of The Probable Origins and Ancestry of John Crandall ..., called John Crandall "one of the settlement's leaders"; in fact, Gifford believes that John may have been influential in the naming of Westerly, because his birth place was probably the parish of Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, England.[2]

In May 1669, after many years of boundary and jurisdiction disputes, the town of Westerly was incorporated by the colony's assembly. John Crandall's is the first name on the list of freeholders in the town of Westerly on 18 May 1669,[5][6]

On 21 May 1669, the Governor and Council of Rhode Island appointed six men as Conservators of the Peace for the Colony. The men were assigned to geographic areas in pairs, the first of the pair to also act as coroner for their area. John Crandal and Tobias Saunders were appointed as justices at Misquamicut, with John likely acting as cornoner.[7] John is also listed as a deputy representative of Westerly in the General Assembly in both 1670 and 1671.[5][6]

From the time Rhode Island was founded, disputes over jurisdictions arose and contunued with Massachusetts and, particularly with Connecticut. These disputes sometimes resulted a property seizures, arrests and imprisonments. John Crandall was the subject of a complaint dated 30 October 1667, in which he was accused of "intrusions" into Stonington, Connecticut, for laying out a square mile of land for his son within the town limits.[1] A copy of a letter to the Governor, dated 11 Mar 1669, from John Crandall and Tobias Sanders regarding such a dispute, can be seen in John Cortland Crandall's 1949 book.[8] John was sent to present a letter dated 15 Oct 1670 from the General Assembly to the Connecticut court.[7] In 1671, John Crandall was arrested and imprisoned at the Hartford, Connecticut jail[5] and tried in New Haven on 2 May 1671.[1] The Rhode Island General Court addressed this matter on 3 May 1671, advising that John should not to post bond and stating that the colony would bear John's charges.[7]

It is thought that John temporarily removed to Newport in 1676 as Westerly had become too dangerous during King Philips War.[citation needed]

Church

John was a Baptist and then later, a Seventh Day Baptist. It is unknown whether he was a baptist in England or if he converted in Rhode Island. Gifford contends there was baptist activity in Bristol, England in the 1630's, and that Seventh-Day Baptists were in Gloucestershire by 1620.[2] John Crandall was to become the first Elder of the Baptist Society of Westerly.[2]

In July 1651, John, with Rev. John Clarke and Obadiah Holmes, were arrested for preaching in Lynn, Massachusetts and jailed in Boston until their trail, the following week. At the trail they were charged with being anabaptists and fined, Clark £20, Holmes £30 and John £5 and were "to be well whipped" if they did not pay their fines. They refused to pay the fines and were imprisoned. Rev. Clarke and John were later sent home on bail, but Holmes was severely whipped.[9]

John Crandall was persecuted for his religious beliefs. John was called "Grendall of Narragansett" after participating in a 14 April 1668 religious debate in Boston.[1]

Death and Legacy

Possibly injured in Great Swamp Fight of 19 Dec 1675 at Westerly.

John died in 1676 at Newport, Rhode Island,[2] as evidenced in a letter from Samuel Hubbard dated Nov 1676.[10] John is buried in a famly cemetery located west of the Crandall homestead. He is buried with both of his wives, his son John Jr. and his wife,[5] in Rhode Island Historical Cemetery #15, where a monument to the family was erected in 1994.[11]

No will has been found for Elder John Crandall but, in a document dated 3 Oct 1670, he signed over all his goods, chattels, debts., etc. to his son, John Crandall Jr.[1]

In a document dated 13 May 1678, John Crandall's house and 200 acres of land in Westerly were turned over by John Crandall Jr. to his brothers Jeremiah and Hebe of Newport who were "in the tuition of their mother Hannah Crandall".[1]

In The Early History of Narragansett ..., among the listing of Indian and Other Names of Places: "Quequatnck or Qneqiiathanic or Queqvatage - About twenty miles up Pawcatuc river, near where Crandal's mill stood on said river in 1681." This property was named in a 1699 lawsuit.[7]

Sources

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Huggins, Jerry, A HUGGINS line: John Crandall RootsWeb post, updated 11 Dec 2017.
↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 Gifford, Paul M., "The Probable Origins and Ancestry of John Crandall, of Westerly, Rhode Island (1618-1676)," published in Rhode Island Roots, vol. 32, no. 4, Dec 2006, pages 165-186. Online database of NEHGS - AmericanAncestors.org: John Crandall of Rhode Island pages 165-166 (origins), 182-185 (marriage/children).
↑ Chapin, Howard. Documentary History of Rhode Island [1641-1646]. Vol. II. Providence RI: Preston & Rounds, 1919. Online at Archive.org, pages 145 (juror), 149 (Gennings).
↑ 4.0 4.1 Bartlett, John Russell. Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England. Providence: A. C. Greene and brothers, 1856. Online at HathiTrust, pages 301 (freeman), 394, 409, 468, 480, 501 (commissioner), 449-50 (Askomicutt).
↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Denison, Frederic. Westerly (Rhode Island) and its Witnesses. Providence RI: J.A. and R.A. Reid, 1878. Online at Archive.org, pages 47-50 (purchase of Misquamicut, jailed), 52 (1669 free inhabitants), 154 (Gen. Assembly rep.), 282 (Crandall burial grounds).
↑ 6.0 6.1 Cole, J.R., History of Washington and Kent Counties, Including Their Early Settlement ... New York: W. W. Preston & Co., 1889. Online at Archive.org, page 246 (freeman), 254 (rep.).
↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Potter, Elisha R. The Early History of Narragansett; With an Appendix of Original Documents, Many of Which are Now for the First Time Published. Providence: Marshall, Brown and Co., 1835. Online at Archive.org, pages 71 (just. of peace/coroner), 183-185 (letter to CT), 188 (response to imprisonment), 65, 305 (Quequatnck).
↑ Crandall, John Cortland. Elder John Crandall of Rhode Island and His Descendants. New Woodstock, NY: J.C. Crandall, 1949. Online at Archive.org, letter to governor at page viii.
↑ Arnold, Samuel Greene. History of the State of Rhode Island And Providence Plantations. 4th ed., Vol. I. Providence, RI: Preston & Rounds, 1899. Online at HathiTrust, pages 234-236.
↑ Champlin, J.D., "Early Settlers of Westerly Rhode Island." published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Vol. 3, Jan 1860, page 25. Boston, MA: NEHGS. Online at Archive.org.
↑ Rootsweb - Crandall Family Burial Ground.
See also:

Cutter, William Richard, "New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: a Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation." published by Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1915. Series 3, Vol. I, Page 165 at Archive.org.
J.H. Beers & Co. Representative Men And Old Families of Rhode Island: Genealogical Records And Historical Sketches of Prominent And Representative Citizens And of Many of the Old Families ... Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1908. Online at HathiTrust, Vol. I., page 519.
FamilySearch Ancestral Files.
FamilySearch Tree (they copied/pasted our section on disproved parents/facts).