William Crafts

William Crafts, the father of the Long Island Crafts around Inwood and Cedarhurst, was assessed tax on his property in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY on 9/29/1683. He came from earlier immigration by his grandfather to Boston, MA in 1630. He arrived in Oyster Bay in Sept. 1683

This addition of another son, William born April 1655 to John Crafts of Roxbury, MA comes from the genealogy research of Roger Kenyon (deceased) from Cedarhurst, Long Island, NY. Two of Mr. Kenyon's grandparents were Crafts descending from the same Daniel Craft bc1735 in Oyster Bay, Long Island and his son James Craft. Daniel's grandfather was William Crafts born in Roxbury, Boston early in 1655 or 1664. Mr. Kenyon's Craft family had arrived in Boston in 1630. Mr. Kenyon was always interested in tracing the Craft family because not only was his mother a Craft, but his father's mother was born to two Crafts who were 1st cousins. So Mr. Kenyon was doubly a Craft, more than a Kenyon.

After the marriage of John Crafts to Rebecca Wheelock in June1654, there was a 4 year break in records of any children born to them. First there was a Thomas found to have been born in 1656-57 to John and Rebecca. John's father, Griffin, had a probable brother named William Craft living nearby them in Lynn and evidence shows many family relationships with family and friends in Lynn. This profile's William Crafts was born in mid 1655 judging by the early date that he moved to Long Island. He then would have been born to the John Crafts family rather than the William family of Lynn and during the 4 year period when John's births were not recorded in Roxbury. Also John died intestate in 1685 so there was no help from a will. However, John had already deeded his dwelling house and his orchard to his second wife, Mary and her children. The older ones like William and Thomas were left out, but they had obviously by then moved on into adulthood. John would have already given them their inheritance. William chose to use his in 1683 by buying property of farm land in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York.