Surname Saturday - Crane

Welcome to the Historical Society of West Caldwell's first blog post!

This will be an on-going series as we delve into the surnames that had and in many cases continue to be prominent in West Caldwell and the surrounding areas.

The first surname to be examined will be Crane in honor of Zenas Crane, the man who built the Homestead that is headquarters of the Historical Society of West Caldwell.

Zenas C. Crane (1804-1883), after whom the Historical Society of West Caldwell’s headquarters is named, was born 22 October 1804 at the Crane family home in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. He was the fifth child of Caleb L. Crane and Lydia Personett. Zenas married Mary Harrison on 16 October 1833 in Livingston, Essex County, New Jersey and the young couple settled in the family homestead near the Crane family sawmill. Then in 1848, the homestead burned to the ground, prompting Zenas to replace the farmhouse and ultimately completing the new family homestead in 1854. During his lifetime, Zenas was quite an entrepreneur involved in farming, the tobacco industry, tanning and shoe manufacturing, the Crane sawmill, and management of the Caldwell Hotel. Zenas and Mary would have nine children, though only six survived past infancy. Zenas Crane passed away on 10 July 1883 and is buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey.

Zenas Crane Ahnentafel

Generation 1

1. Zenas C. CRANE was born 22 Oct 1804 in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey and died 10 Jul 1883 in Essex County, New Jersey. He was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. He was the son of (2) Caleb L. CRANE and (3) Lydia PERSONETT. He married Mary HARRISON 16 Oct 1833 in Livingston, Essex County, New Jersey, the daughter of Rufus Freeman HARRISON and Phoebe Odgen WILLIAMS. She was born 29 Sep 1813 in New Jersey, and died 26 Apr 1889.

Generation 2

1. Caleb L. CRANE was born 28 Aug 1769 in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey, and died 10 Jan 1844 in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. He was buried in the First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell’s Old Burying Ground. He was the son of (4) Samuel CRANE and (5) Mary BALDWIN.

2. Lydia PERSONETT was born 3 Oct 1767 in Orange, Essex County, New Jersey and died 10 May 1863 in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. She was buried in the First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell’s Old Burying Ground. He was the daughter of (6) George PERSONETT and (7) Mary CONDIT. Children of Lydia PERSONETT and Caleb L. CRANE are:

3. Maria CRANE

4. Samuel Gibson CRANE

5. Elizabeth Baldwin CRANE

6. Moses Personette CRANE

7. 1. Zenas C. CRANE

8. Lydia Personette CRANE

Generation 3

1. Samuel CRANE was born 29 Oct 1747 in Cranetown, Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey and died 28 Feb 1811 in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. He was buried in the First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell’s Old Burying Ground. He was the son of 8. Noah CRANE and 9. Mary BALDWIN.

2. Mary BALDWIN was born 3 Oct 1747 in West Bloomfield, Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey and died 26 Jan 1817 in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. She was buried in the First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell’s Old Burying Ground. She was the daughter of John BALDWIN IV and Elizabeth THOMPSON. Children of Mary Baldwin and Samuel Crane are:

3. Cyrus H. CRANE

4. 2. Caleb L. CRANE

5. Zenas CRANE

6. Cyrus CRANE

7. Dorcas Maria CRANE

8. H. CRANE

9. Elizabeth CRANE

10. Mary B. CRANE

11. Nathaniel Samuel CRANE

12. Duryea CRANE

Interested in learning more about the Cranes? Visit our RootsWeb site to find out more and learn about other Essex County families.

#SurnameSaturday #Crane #Genealogy #Localhistory #ZenasCrane