John CRANSTON was born in Ireland around 1759, probably somewhere in Ulster and possibly in Co. Monaghan, Tyrone, Cavan, or Fermanagh. Like other CRANSTONs, it is assumed that his ancestors came originally from Scotland, probably in the 17th century. John's wife, Mary MOORE, was also born in Ireland. Their first five children were James (born in Co. Monaghan), Thomas, Margaret, John, and Nancy. Shortly after Nancy was born, the family emigrated to the United States, arriving at New Castle, Delaware, about 1802 AUG 1. Initially the Cranstons settled in Cecil County, Maryland, close to New Castle. There the Cranstons had another son, Archibald. Their final child, William, was born shortly after the CRANSTONs joined the land rush in Ohio.

On 1807 NOV 16 John CRANSTON, Sr. entered 164.00 acres of land at the NE 1/4 of Section 11, Twp. 9, Range 7, located in Oxford Township of Guernsey County. This is a few miles south of Fairview and northwest of Barnesville. The CRANSTONs were thereby some of the first settlers in that township. On 1813 NOV 17, John CRANSTON, Sr. purchased an additional 163.00 acres of land (originally entered by John SIMONSON on 1808 FEB 29) at the NW 1/4 of Section 5, adjacent to the east. The N 1/2 of this land was apparently rented out to James WHITCRAFT, another Irish immigrant who appears to have also come from Co. Monaghan, possibly at the same time as the CRANSTONs.

Like most of the settlers the CRANSTONs were farmers, and judging by their land purchases they were fairly prosperous, owning 560 acres of land between them by 1840. The Cranstons were apparently Methodists, since most of them are buried on the grounds of Fletcher’s Methodist Church, about half a mile to the northwest of their farms. On 1811 APR 23 James CRANSTON petitioned for naturalization, and he was followed on 1812 AUG 18 by John, Sr. and Thomas, possibly in response to the War of 1812 that had just begun (James served in Col. John DeLONG's regiment of the Ohio militia during the War). John, Jr. was young enough that he received derivative naturalization.

John CRANSTON died on 1823 June 9; his will can be found here.

The oldest son, James CRANSTON, married Elizabeth FERGUSON, another Scots-Irish immigrant, and the daughter of William FERGUSON. They had six children: John B., William, Foster, Mary Anna, Jane, and James Agnew. Before his father died, James was apparently given a quarter of his land, specifically 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 11, consisting of 82 acres (it is unclear if it was the north or south 1/2). He continued to farm this land until 1853, a year after his wife died, when he and his children relocated to Iowa. He died shortly thereafter.

When the CRANSTONs were living in Maryland, Thomas apparently met Ann "Nancy" COMMONS, the daughter of Elijah COMMONS, a descendant of English Quakers. The COMMONS lived just across the state line in Chester Co., Pennsylvania. It is unknown if Thomas joined his family on their trip to Ohio in 1807 or if he remained behind, but in any case he married Nancy, and they were living in Chester Co. in 1810. On Nancy's 21st birthday, 1812 MAR 19, she received an inheritance from her grandfather William COMMONS, and apparently Thomas and Nancy came to Ohio within a month. On 1812 APR 22 Thomas entered 163 acres of land consisting of the NE 1/4 of Section 5, Twp. 9, Range 7, half a mile to the east of his father's land (and subsequently adjacent after his father's second purchase the following year).

Thomas and Nancy had twelve children. The eldest, John, was born in Pennsylvania, while the others were born in Guernsey County: Mary "Polly", Lydia B. "Liddy", William Cummins (presumably named after his great grandfather, but the spelling here of his middle name is from his gravestone), Margaret, Matilda, Sarah, Thomas J., Amos, Wesley, Isaac, and George Washington. Amos and Isaac died in infancy. In the late 1830s, John, William Cummins, and Thomas J. all purchased land south of Guernsey Co. in Enochs Twp. of Monroe (now Noble) Co. (Thomas J. later went to California to participate in the Gold Rush.) The brothers were joined there by their sisters Lydia B., who married James COFFIELD (the brother of John's wife Mary "Polly" COFFIELD), and Margaret, who married Philip BLAZER. Mary and Matilda married James and Henry WHITCRAFT, respectively, who are believed to be sons of the above-mentioned James WHITCRAFT. James and Mary farmed in Millwood Twp., while Henry and Matilda lived in Summerfield, Marion Twp., Monroe (now Noble) Co., OH. Sarah married James WILSON (presumed to be one of the nine or more living in Guernsey Co. at the time, and possibly also the brother of William Cummins' wife Ellen WILSON). Wesley married Rebecca BORTON, daughter of Reuben BORTON (son of the pennyroyal baron Benjamin BORTON), and they relocated to Poweshiek Co., Iowa, in 1864. George Washington married Rebecca's sister Margaret, and was the inheritor of his father's land when Thomas died on 1869 November 20 (his will can be found here).

Margaret, the eldest daughter of John CRANSTON, Sr., married an Englishman named Joseph M. MORRELL. He arrived in Guernsey Co. in 1818, and apparently purchased land in the SW 1/4 of Section 6, directly north of the Cranstons.The MORRELLs had eight children: George, Thomas R., James W., Archibald M., three additional sons, and one daughter. In 1841 Joseph and Margaret moved south to Washington Co., and James W. took over their farm. Archibald M. was a farmer and teacher, and for many years engaged in the dry goods and grocery business in Fairview; he married Sarah J. ATHERTON.

John, Jr. married Amelia (Permelia) CRAIG. John and Amelia had five children: Elizabeth, John III, Mary, Sarah Jane, and Hetty. Elizabeth and Hetty died in their youth. Mary married a tanner and merchant named Daniel AULT. Sarah Jane married Abraham H. ATHERTON, another merchant in Fairview (and possibly a first cousin of the above Sarah J. ATHERTON). John III married Ann Elizabeth ATHERTON, probably the sister of Sarah J. When his father died, John, Jr. inherited one quarter of his land, specifically the S 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of Section 5, consisting of 80 acres. John III eventually inherited this land, also, and was still farming it in 1870, along with an additional 41.5 acres in the NW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 5.

Nancy, the youngest daughter of John, Sr., apparently never married. She stayed at home with her parents until they had both passed on, and afterward lived with her brother Archibald.

When John, Sr. died, Archibald inherited one quarter of his land, specifically the N 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of Section 5, consisting of 81 acres. He subsequently obtained the N 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 11, consisting of 82 acres (either from his brother James or his brother William), and by 1870 had another 50 acres in the E 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 12. Archibald married Phebe DILLON, the daughter of William DILLON and Martha BORTON (daughter of Benjamin BORTON). They had nine children: Mary Jane, John M., Delilah, Joseph F., William Dillon, Margaret, Cateria, Benjamin C., and Terressa. John M. died in infancy, while Delilah and Terressa died as youths. Mary Jane married David BORTON, brother of Rebecca and Margaret. Joseph F., William Dillon, and Benjamin C. all served in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Afterward, Joseph F. appears to have relocated to Illinois. Benjamin C. married Susanna MORTON and became a lawyer practicing in Belmont Co. William Dillon married Armintha Jane AULT, and apparently inherited his father's land. It is unknown what happened to Margaret and Cateria.

William married Phebe MARSH, the daughter of Jesse MARSH and Rachel BORTON (another daughter of Benjamin BORTON). They had four children: Jesse, John M., Enoch, and Archibald. The will of John CRANSTON, Sr. gave his remaining 82 acres of land (1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 11) to William; however, control remained with his wife Mary, until her death in 1847. In 1852, however, William and his family relocated to Grant Co., Indiana, apparently to be close to Phebe's family.

There are now few CRANSTON descendants remaining in Guernsey Co., but those that are still there continue to tend the cemetery at Fletcher's Methodist Church, high on a hilltop overlooking the original CRANSTON lands.

Changes:

2001 MAY 14: First published.

2001 MAY 15: The name of Jesse MARSH's wife should have been Rachel BORTON, not Rebecca. Birth and death dates for these two were added. Also, William Dillon CRANSTON's death year was 1914, not 1814.

2001 MAY 17: Added birth and death dates for William DILLON and Martha BORTON DILLON.

2001 JUN 3: Added descendancy chart; removed index from this document (still available here); removed most of the marriage dates from the main text; added information about the spouses of John CRANSTON's grandchildren, and their parents.

2001 JUL 2: The name of Wesley CRANSTON's wife in the text should be Rebecca BORTON, not Rachel.

2001 JUL 28: Added links to John and Thomas CRANSTON's wills.

2002 FEB 19: Added "Col. John" to DELONG; changed Ann "Nancy" CUMMINS' last name to COMMONS, changed her father from William to Elijah, and added mention of her inheritance from her grandfather William.

2002 AUG 13: Added photo of Thomas and Nancy CRANSTON.