Eventually this page will contain information about the family of Samuel Crowley, of Bulltown and Crowleytown fame.
For starters:
Samuel Crowley III (1811-1887) was married three times, first to Parmelia Sooy, daughter
of Noah and Sarah H. (Weeks) Sooy. They had:
Samuel Crowley III then married Abby Ann Wilson...I don't know if there were any children from this marriage yet.
His third wife was Hannah Weeks. From that marriage, there were the following children:
Samuel married a fourth time, to Catherine Taylor. There were no children I know of from this marriage.
(thanks to Paula for the above info...she sent it to me months ago and I've just now gotten around to posting it.)
A visitor to this site was kind enough to provide the following bit of genealogy with regards to a Crowley family, whether it is the same one or not we can not be sure just yet.
John Crowley
John Crowley was Sheriff of London and prominent iron monger in the seventeenth century. Six to eight of his children may
have come to America. I have read of a Crowley Iron forge which was active in New Jersey during the American Revolution.
Some of John Crowley's progeny went to what is now South Central Virginia. For example, a Samuel Croley (~1742-1774)
was the first American killed in the American Revolution. He died at Point Pleasant, now West Virginia, approximately
October 10, 1774. The Virginia Colonial Militia was camped at the river awaiting the regular army before crossing the river as
a combined force. Meanwhile, as Colonial frontiersmen awaited the regular Army, Shawnee, allied with British, crossed
river away from Virginia Militia, intending to surprise outnumbered Virginians from behind, at dawn, and destroy them
against the river. Samuel Cro(w)ley and his brother, both with experience as long hunters, had joined the militia as Scouts.
When sent out in the night to reconnoiter, Cro(w)ley brothers encountered Shawnees forming for attack.
One brother (perhaps it was James) rushed back to warn the militia; Samuel stayed to cover his brother and
to delay, if possible, the impending attack. Virginia Militia was warned in time to turn their defenses away from the river
toward the impended attack. As consequence, Shawnee did not storm into rear of sleeping Virginia Militia, but rather rushed
against concentrated fire of Virginia sharpshooters firing from protected positions. Despite their superior numbers,
Shawnee were decisively defeated, which led to Virginia's uncontested claim to her western county. What was
Virginia's western county encompassed what is now Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. So if surprise attack of
British- allied Shawnee had succeeded, Chicago would likely be part of Canada. Granted, New Englanders mark the
war as beginning in 1776, but in 1906 US Senate ruled Pt. Pleasant as first battle of Revolution. Moreover, Virginia
militia at Point Pleasant were granted Revolutionary War pensions. The popular history problem may simply reflect that
New England literati wrote poems ("listen my children and you shall hear ...."), while Virginia literati wrote prose
("When in the course of human events ...."; and "in order to form a more perfect union ...") Sorry to ramble, but
our Samuel Crowley of Washington Township may be "cousin" and possible namesake of the noted revolutionary war
hero--especially given iron works history of Batsto. I would not suspect this Samuel Crowley as a descendant of
Pt. Pleasant hero. Samuel Croley's children generally went west with their uncle Benjamin to become early settlers in
Tennessee and Kentucky, then Arkansas and Missouri, then some on to Oregon in 1830. But, I am not sure of all of the
fatherless kids. One could have joined the New Jersey branch of the family. After Point Pleasant, Samuel's widow had some
difficult years. Then, ten years after death of her husband, she bore only the only child of Alexander Martin, first
American governor of North Carolina. (Alexander Martin's North Carolina plantation, Danbury, was just across state line
from Cro(w)ley lands in Virginia. In any event, our Samuel may be related to the London Sheriff and iron monger who sent
so many of his sons to America.. It seems clear that some of John Crowley's sons settled in places as diverse as
Halifax, New Jersey and Virginia. However some researchers seem to confuse different people with the same name.
For example several researchers credit Jeremiah with a living 120 years from birth near London, England to death in Ohio,
buried in a special iron casket. The iron casket was found with the Crowley family crest and gules indicating the 7th son
(Jeremiah), I am not sure that the same Jeremiah immigrated from England, fathered heroes of the American Revolution
(Samuel, Benjamin, James, et al), served with Andrew Jackson at New Orleans and then died on the banks of the Ohio
about 1820. Greenberry seems a rather unique given name. Some controversy exists as to whether the fourth son of
"Pt. Pleasant" Samuel Cro(w)ley was named Little Berry or Greenberry. If his name was Little Berry--
and there were subsequent Little Berry's in Kentucky, and perhaps Arkansas--it seems to me that there must have been a
prior Greenberry. Or Little Berry could have been a nickname. There are several subsequent
Greenberrys, in Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas, but I know nothing else about how the name
Greenberry came into the Cro(w)ley family.
Below is a bit of history regarding John's son, Jeremiah Crowley, who may or may not be related to that prolific family of Washington Township and the surrounding area.
Jeremiah Crowley
Many versions of Jeremiah Crowley's story in America
seem to manifest the confusion of distinguishing related people with
the same name. (Some versions credit him with living to the age of
130.) Still, it might be of note if the distinctive iron
coffin of a Jeremiah Crowley was made in New Jersey rather than
England, as generally presumed.
In the Ohio River floods of 1927, near Henderson Kentucky, the river
banks were washed back for 200 feet, uncovering a hermetically
sealed iron coffin. The coffin bore the Crowley family crest with
rose gules indicating the 7th son, Jeremiah. Apparently accounts of
the coffin were published in the
In the mid 18th century, Virginia Crowleys were long hunters, exploring present day Kentucky and Tennessee. According to family lore, similar in several branches of the family, a family patriarch was buried in a family iron coffin in 1814, on the banks of the Ohio, beneath a chestnut tree, after being killed by Indians.
Crowley Ironworks
This is supposed to have been one of the largest iron works in Europe at one point.
This link points to a brief
description of "The Law Book of the Crowley Ironworks". A prior
version of the book was published in 1957 by Durham, Andrews. I mention this only because of
the prevalence of Crowleys in an area of South Jersey known for it's iron furnaces.
This "law book" was created by Sir Ambrose Crowley and
his son John. I believe it was John's son, Jeremiah who became a
Puritan and renounced the family Coat of Arms. Although one of
Jeremiah's sons reclaimed the family Coat of Arms, and served as
Sheriff of London, 5 to 8 other sons came to America.
(All of the preceding information courtesy of John Croley)