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Submitted
by Sylvia Underwood
I
also have another line from Richard Phillips two youngest sisters:
Hannah Phillips (1654-1732) & Ebenezer White.
Abigail Phillips (1658/59-1724) & John Blanchard.
Hannah's
grandson, Ezekial White married Abigail's granddaughter, Abigail
Blanchard.
They produced my ancestor, Ebenezer White. Ebenezer's daughter,
Sarah
White married Horace Packard, descendant of Mary (Packard) Phillips'
youngest
brother, Nathaniel Packard.
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1. Lydia Moulton1 Phillips, daughter of Elijah Phillips Jr and Fanny Rude, was born in Buckland, Franklin, MA 21 Dec 1820. Lydia died 2 Apr 1862 in Buckland, Franklin, MA, at 41 years of age following the birth of her son, Edgar. She is buried in a small cemetery in Buckland.
She married Joshua Cranson on MA/VT border by Jed Sparks, JP, 1 May 1844. Joshua was born in Ashfield, Franklin, MA 28 Nov 1825. Joshua was the son of Forest Cranson and Lucy Warren. Joshua died 13 Apr 1913 Northampton, Hampshire, MA, at 87 years of age.
The following biographical material comes from “My Heritage", 1952 written by Ethel Cranson Smith, granddaughter of Lydia Phillips & Joshua Cranson. Ethel was born in 1889 and was a school teacher.
"On
May 1, 1844, Josh Cranson, a tall, strong, good-looking boy of 19, and
Liddy Phillips, a serious, dark-eyed girl of 21, rode quietly up to the
popular Half-Way House between Vermont and Massachusetts where Jed Sparks,
Justice of the Peace, said the words that made them man and wife."
Syl’s
note: Ethel says her grandmother Lydia was born 2 Dec 1823, and this agrees
with the 1850 Census. I wonder if Liddy shaved 3 years off her age
for her young bridegroom?
“Lydia was the daughter of Elijah Phillips who was born in 1783 and died on Sep 20, 1847. Her mother was Fanny Rude, who lived from 1787 to May 6, 1862. Elijah owned a blacksmith shop in Buckland Upper City, having moved from Ashfield. Here they raised a family of ten children. When Grandfather Elijah was 64 years old he was stricken with a severe nasal hemorrhage. Whey Lydia went to see him, he looked up and said jokingly, ‘Bleedin’ to death, Lyd.’ Sure enough, in a few days he was gone. Grandma Phillips was a dear old lady but the children didn’t like to have her stay for meals, because, whatever the youngsters had, she always wanted ‘just a taste on’t’. She died about a month after the death of her daughter, Lydia.”
Upper
City Cemetery
From
History of Buckland, by Fannie Shaw Kendrick
“A small burying ground in the Upper City is located on an old road to Apple Valley. By a deed in the possession of Halbert dodge, who also has the plan and record of burials, it is evident that in 1841 thirty square rods of land were purchased from Asa Davis, for the sum of ten dollars. This was deeded to those who held the lots, i.e.: L. Wight, Elijah Phillips, Alel Parker, Merritt Smith, Alvah Ruddock, Seth Leonard, Silas Dodge, Forrest Cranson, and John Tobey. It is the smallest cemetery in town, there being fifty interments there…”
Ethel continues: “Josh & Liddy started keeping house up on the old Brackett Lot, in Buckland Upper City. Here their first child, Euretta, was born. They had begun to wonder if they should adopt a child but, Grandpa said with a smile, ‘We soon decided that it wouldn’t be necessary’. Their first home was on a thickly wooded mountain…The road up the mountain was so steep and so stony, that only pioneers could have enjoyed such a place. It can be understood, then, why Grandfather Joshua, then barely twenty, took down the house and moved it onto the bank of the Clesson’s River, where he set it up and, by digging a channel from the river to the cellar, obtained water power for a Turning shop for making broom handles…:
“Both Grandfather and Grandmother sang in the village choir, in the church which is now called the ‘Mary Lyon Church’. Merely getting to church was quite a feat. They lived several miles from the village and there were two routes. The lower road was much farther, but a better one to travel; the other was by going over Orcutt Hill. This hill was just like a roof – you went nearly straight up and then dropped right down a pitch equally dangerous. My father (Harlan Cranson) said that when one resident reached the top, the kingbolt, which held the body of the vehicle to the front wheels, broke. The horse, plus the front wheels continued to Buckland Village, but the driver and the wagon with the hind wheels returned to Upper City.”
“Christmas was not generally celebrated with tree and family gathering – the traces of Puritanism were still felt; but Thanksgiving was the big day of the year. Grandpa would go to the foot of the stairs and call to the youngsters, ‘Thankstagibbin’s comin’ on.’ After the feast, there was a race around the chimney by the children and test of skill or strength for the men. Then is was time for stories and singing.
“Just outside the stoop, near the big flat rock, was the cistern, hand-carved out of a log, and the water was brought under the ground, in hand-carved troughs from the bubbling spring in the steep hill near the house. It came with such force that one had to be very skillful in order to catch a dipperful to drink. This was a pretty cold place to wash every morning in the winter time, but they all did it.”
“Downstairs there was the parlor, the parlor bedroom, Mother’s room, pantry and kitchen. Abruptly the kitchen floor sloped so the the west that they had to saw off the legs of one side of the table several inches. As their family increased, the older children slept upstairs in the open attic, boys on one side, and girls on the other. One brick in the chimney upstairs showed marks where the girls had polished their brass rings to see whose would shine the most.
“When my father (Harlan) was nine years old, his youngest brother, Edgar was born. He knew that his mother was very sick, but just how bad things were he didn’t realize, until he went to the barn and heard his father praying that his wife might be spared; but it wasn’t to be…Grandpa’s despair was so great that he spent much time at her grave, just over the hill; and as his brother Joel saw him there one day, he declared, “Josh’s life is over”. In many ways he was right. He lost his initiative, his ambition, and his endurance. All that superb strength and pride seemed to have left him. Finally, at the well-intentioned urging of Uncle Gustin Phillips, he married Adeline Smith of South Deerfield. She was a fine, Christian young woman, but she was frail, and had never been used to hard work. She little knew what demands would be made of the mother of a big, ready-made family. Grandpa spent much time fox or coon hunting. He would tramp the hills for hours and when he came back he was just all petered out. Then he would sit down, stare at the floor and rock. He was restless for the remainder of his life and began to move. He lived for a while in South Deerfield, Northampton, and Williamsburg, but always returned to Buckland a little worse off than before, for the buildings were running down all the time. The open attic was never finished off, and soon snow and rain sifted through…Finally they went to live with Albion (son by 2nd marriage) in Florence, where Grandpa soon died. At the funeral, when Aunt Vesta was grieving at his coffin, my father (Harlan) said, “He’s with Mother now, Vet,” and she replied, “So his is, so he is.” He was taken for burial to Buckland Upper City. Grandma (Adeline) went to live with her favorite child, Eugene …She was buried in Florence.”
Lydia Moulton Phillips & Joshua Cranson had the following children:
Euretta Cranson married Oscar Damon; they are buried in Williamsburg. Their daughter, Inez graduated from Smith College and went on to follow a musical career.
Milford Cranson went to the Civil War where he suffered an infected right arm and had to have it amputated. He married Marietta Monton of South Deerfield and lived across the road from the “Old Place” until his death. He is buried in South Deerfield. They had a son, Julius.
Rosina Cranson (Auntie Ine) married James Baldwin of South Deerfield. She outlived him by many years and is buried in South Deerfield. They had 3 children: Irwin, Nettie, & Bessie.
Alice Cranson succumbed to diptheria soon after the death of her mother, and is buried beside her.
Harlan Cranson (Ethel’s father) married Abigail Frances Sweet and they had George, Effie, Louis, Pearl, Ethel & Susan.
Alvin Cranson (Syl’s ancestor) married Julia Warner in Deerfield, and they lived in Conway. They are buried at Brookside Cemetery in South Deerfield with their children who died young. Only their son, William Joshua Cranson survived to marry and have children.
Vesta Cranson married Winfield Scott Davis and she is buried in Chicopee Falls. They had Lena, Clare, Walter, & Lula. When Vesta was 3 years old and her mother died, she was sent to Illinois to live with her mother’s sister, Calista Phillips, wife of Merick Smith. She stayed there five years until her father brought her back.
Darwin Delno Cranson (little Dellie) died of diphtheria at the same time Alice had it. He was buried in Buckland Upper City Cemetery.
Edgar Cranson was cared for by his Grama Cranson after the death of his mother. He became very ill with a mysterious fever when a small boy. The muscles of one leg contracted so that the knee was always bent. After Gram’s death, he went to live with Uncle Joel and Aunt Isa in Greenfield, and is buried there with Uncle Joel.
Note: by Joshua Cranson’s 2nd marriage to Adeline, he was the father of Eugene, Albion, and Inzetta
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