Founders Cemetery, Marker #28
(1798 -1847)
Epitaph: Blessed are they that die in the Lord; “My groans and tears and forms of woe are turned to joy and praises now. I’ve thrown my sackcloth on the ground, and ease and gladness gird me round.”
Theophilus was born 7 January 1798, the son of Theophilus Crosby and Anna Brown.
Theophilus’ family came to Nova Scotia before 1762, his grandfather Lemuel and his grandmother Sarah Wing and family are listed in the census of that year, coming to the Barrington area from Yarmouth, Massachusetts Bay on Cape Cod. Lemeul died before 1770 and his family then moved to Yarmouth Township area and settled as described by George Brown:
“In the course of a few years after their arrival with their mother in Yarmouth, the three brothers, Theophilus, Lemuel, and James Crosby, settled upon that high ridge of land northerly from Session Hill and on the western side of Lake Hebron, now called Lakeside, and there probably they remained for the rest of their lives, cultivating productive farms and rearing three of the finest families in America.”
Many members of the family are buried in Hebron, Yarmouth and other areas, including here in our cemeteries.
Theophilus’s first wife, Catherine Welch, was the daughter of John Welch and Johannah (last name unknown). Very little is known about Catherine including her date of death and place of burial.
Theophilus and Catherine probably had four children. Theophilus married second, Margaret Goodwin, widow of Aaron Goodwin. They also had four children. Margaret remarried and had four more children, two of whom she outlived: Jesse Lee who was lost at sea and Ida May. They are named together on the same gravemarker in the same row as other members of the family.
Tragically, three of the children died before their father but in the same year. They are buried near him. Looking at the death dates reveals that something probably affected the family, although exactly what may never be known. First to die that year was his son Ansel, followed by Elizabeth and John W. Theophilus died on 25 July 1847. A second son, also named Ansel, was probably born the same month his father died. Another offspring of Theophilus buried here is Abigail K. Raymond (Crosby), who died in 1852, the wife of Abijah Raymond.
Theophilus is the grandfather of Johnny Crosby, who died at age 4 years 6 months and is also buried in Founders Cemetery.
Theophilus is a Mayflower descendant, being descended from Mayflower passenger, William Brewster.
More information about Theophilus, his parents, wives, and children may be found in the Old Stones Family Group Sheet Index.
Please leave a comment if you have additional information about Theophilus and his family, particularly about his wives and the cause of his death.
Ahnentafel[1] of Theophilus Crosby
a descendant of Mayflower passengers:
(only a guide; sources not given; all information should be verified)
1st Generation
1. Theophilus Crosby, b Yarmouth Township N.S. 7 Jan 1798; d 25 Jul 1847; bur Founders Cemetery, Beaver River, Yarmouth Co N.S.; descendant of Mayflower passengers: William & Mary Brewster; m 1) Catherine Welch; m 2) Margaret (Goodwin?) Goodwin.
2nd Generation
2. Theophilus Crosby, b 11 Oct 1755; d 14 Nov 1831; descendant of Mayflower passengers: William & Mary Brewster; m Yarmouth Township N.S. 6 Jun 1782 Anna Brown by Rev. Jonathan Scott.
3. Anna Brown, b Beverly, Essex Co Mass. 15 Oct 1763; d 11 Jun 1840.
3rd Generation
4. Lemuel Crosby, b 24 Sep 1726; d abt 1769; m 27 Apr 1747 Sarah Wing.
5. Sarah Wing, b 13 Jul 1730; d bef Jan 1785; descendant of Mayflower passengers: William & Mary Brewster.
6. Benjamin Brown, b 15 Mar 1738; d 18 Nov 1798; master and owner of the schooner “Hawk” which, on a voyage from Annapolis, was dragged from her anchorage in Yarmouth Sound and was wrecked on Hilton’s Head. All hands were lost, including Benjamin’s son-in-law, Josiah Porter; m 25 Jul 1760 Mary Haskell.
7. Mary Haskell.
4th Generation
8. Theophilus Crosby, b 31 Dec 1693; m 14 Feb 1722 Thankful Winslow.
9. Thankful Winslow.
10. John Wing, b 3 Apr 1702; m 1728 Mary Knowles.
11. Mary Knowles, descendant of Mayflower passengers: William & Mary Brewster.
12. Benjamin Brown, m 6 Dec 1733 Anna Cross.
13. Anna Cross.
14. William Haskell, m Mary —?—.
15. Mary —?—, d 24 May 1766.
5th Generation
16. Joseph Crosby, b 27 Jan 1669; d 30 May 1725; m 16 Feb 1692 (old style or new style?) Mehitable Miller.
17. Mehitable Miller.
18. Kenelm Winslow. b 1668; m Bethiah Hall.
19. Bethiah Hall.
20. Ananias Wing, d 20 Aug 1718; m Hannah —?—.
21. Hannah —?—, d 9 Dec 1730.
22. Richard Knowles, b Eastham, Plymouth Colony abt 25 Jul 1688; descendant of Mayflower passengers: William & Mary Brewster.
6th Generation
32. Thomas Crosby, link to Thomas, his wife Sarah, and ancestors.
36. Kenelm Winslow, b 1635; m 1667 Mercy Norden.
37. Mercy Norden.
38. Gersham Hall.
40. John Wing, d 1699; m Elizabeth —?—.
41. Elizabeth —?—, d 31 Jan 1692 (old style or new style?).
44. Samuel Knowles, b Plymouth, Plymouth Colony 17 Sep 1651; d Eastham, Barnstable Co, Mass. Bay 19 Jun 1737; bur Old Cemetery, Orleans, Barnstable Co; m Eastham Dec 1679 Mercy Freeman.
45. Mercy Freeman, b Eastham, Plymouth Colony Jul 1659; d bef 17 Apr 1745; descendant of Mayflower passengers: William & Mary Brewster.
7th Generation
72. Kenelm Winslow, b 1599; m Eleanor Newton.
73. Eleanor Newton.
74. Peter Norden.
80. John Wing, immigrated Boston Mass. Bay Colony 5 Jun 1632 with 3 adult sons & Deborah’s father; later settled in Sandwich, Plymouth Colony; m Deborah Batchelder.
81. Deborah Batchelder.
88. Richard Knowles, m Ruth Bower.
89. Ruth Bower.
90. John Freeman, b abt 1622; bapt Billingshurst, Sussex England 28 Jan 1626/27; d Eastham, Barnstable Co, Mass. Bay 28 Oct 1719; m Nawsett (now Eastham), Plymouth Colony 13 Feb 1649 (old style or new style?) Mercy Prence.
91. Mercy Prence, b Plymouth, Plymouth Colony bef 28 Sep 1631; d Eastham, Barnstable Co, Mass. Bay 28 Sep 1711; descendant of Mayflower passengers: William & Mary Brewster.
8th Generation
144. Edward Winslow, b 1560; m 1594 Magdalene Ollyver.
145. Magdalene Ollyver.
162. Stephen Batchelder, b abt 1561.
180. Edmund Freeman, link to Edmund and his wife Bennett.
182. Thomas Prence, link to Thomas, his wife Patience, and their ancestors.
9th Generation
288. Kenelm Winslow.
[1] An ahnentafel (ancestor table) is a family tree without a chart. #1 is the source person, #2 is that person’s father, whose father is #4. To follow the father’s direct paternal ancestry double the number each time to #8, 16, 32 etc. The mother of the source person is #3 (the wife is always one number higher than the husband) whose father is #6, whose father is #12, again doubling in the same way as the father’s generations. #7 will be the source person’s her maternal grandmother whose father will be #14, whose father will be #28 and so on. With the exception of the source person, even numbers are male and uneven numbers are female. Uneven numbers usually introduce a new surname into the family tree.
born abt Jan 1799 (d age 48 yrs 6 mos) <GRM>
died 25 July 1847 <GRM; GSB 18 d 28 July 1817 >
father: Theophilus Crosby (11 Oct 1755–14 Nov 1831) <GSB 370>
mother: Anna Brown (15 Oct 1763–14 June 1840), dau Benjamin Brown ( –18 Nov 1798) and Mary
(Haskell) Brown <GSB 369-370>
married 1st Baptist Church 1818 Catherine Welch <GRM; EW; PRF 87:99095; IGI, m 1815 or 1820>
born Yarmouth 1800 <PRF 87:99095>
father: John Welch (1775– ) <PRF 87:99077> mother: Johannah —?— (1785– ) <PRF 87:99116>
Children
• Josiah Crosby, b 1821 <IGI>. If this birth took place Josiah prob d young or possibly he is the same Josiah below (recorded as being 56 in 1881 census) who m Mary Ann Raymond.
• Mary Crosby, b 1822; m 21 Jan 1844 Daniel Corning <PRF 87:98677; GSB 547>, son Daniel Batchelder Corning <PRF 87:98555> and Abigail (Parry) Corning <PRF 87:99077>
• John W Crosby [F30], b abt July 1822; d 12 April 1847. The grave marker makes it look like John was the son of Margaret, the 2nd wife of Theophilus
• Josiah Crosby, b 1825 <PRF 87:98681; GSB 19>; m 1840 (if correct Josiah would have only been 15 years old) Mary Ann Raymond (1821– ), dau Jonathan Raymond and Elizabeth (Robbins) Raymond <PRF 87:98673; GSB 19>
• Abigail Crosby [F25], b abt 1829 m Abijah Raymond <GSB 19> married 2nd Margaret (Goodwin?) Goodwin [F27] <GRM> children:
• See Margaret (Goodwin?) Goodwin Crosby Corning
Epitaph: Blessed are they that die in the Lord; “My groans and tears and forms of woe are turned to joy and praises now. I’ve thrown my sackcloth on the ground, and ease and gladness give me round.