Ancestors

Thankful Crosby

Thankful Crosby was born at Harwich, on Cape Cod, on 7 February 1714. She was the eldest child of William Crosby, a Harwich yeoman, and Mercy Hinckley, who had married in 1711. The town clerk entered her birth as 7 February 1713/14, in the old style. A Bible record kept by her son James gives 14 February 1714. Her brothers and sisters were Tully, Mehitable, William, Nathan, Seth and Huldah.

On 30 December 1732 Scotto Clark entered his intention to marry her, "thay both belonging to harwich." The Rev. Nathaniel Stone married them at Harwich on 22 March 1733. Her husband was a master mariner and whaling captain. Her mother died two years after the wedding.

Over twenty-four years she bore fourteen children, eleven sons and three daughters. She named her third son Tully, after her own brother. Nine of the sons became whalemen.

Four of her sons died at sea. William, Joshua and Fessenden were lost at sea. Tully was killed by a sperm whale near George's Bank in 1766, in a boat his father commanded. Her son Barnabas moved to Westminster, Vermont, in 1797.

Her husband died in August 1795. Thankful died on 19 December 1802, in the eighty-ninth year of her age, as her gravestone says. She is buried beside him in the Old Burying Ground at Brewster, the old North Parish of Harwich. Her slate stone, carved with an urn and a willow, reads: "In memory of Mrs Thankfull Clark widow of the late Mr Scotto Clark who died Dec 19th 1802 in the 89th year of her age."

If Thankful Crosby is in your family, start your own tree.

Cite: Heirology, "Thankful Crosby (1714-1802)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/thankful-crosby-1714-1802-605432.