B. 29 Oct 1671 in Billerica, Massachusetts
M. 4 Aug 1691 in Billerica, Massachusetts
Husband: Joseph Crosby
D. before 1727 in Billerica, Massachusetts
When people reach a certain age, their elderly parents often become their responsibility, and bitter disagreements among siblings sometimes make the job messy. This was even true in colonial New England, as the record of a case involving Sarah French Crosby reveals.
Sarah was born into the French family of Billerica, Massachusetts on October 29, 1671. She was the second child of the couple William French and Mary Lothrop, but each of them had children from previous marriages. Sarah’s father was in his late sixties when she was born, and her half siblings from him were all adults by that time. Her mother’s two surviving children from her earlier marriage were still underaged, though, so she grew up their presence; half-brother Isaac Stearns would figure into the later court dispute.
In 1681, Sarah’s father died, and she inherited some land from him, which she brought into her marriage ten years later. On August 4, 1691, Sarah married Joseph Crosby, the son of a Billerica tavern keeper. Their first child was born about a year later; Sarah and Joseph went on to have a total of 12 children, of which all but the youngest were known to have lived to adulthood. All evidence showed that Sarah’s family wasn’t well-off. Joseph worked as a farmer and part-time tailor, but seemed to have sold off some of their property to pay their debts. A deed from 1714 shows that they got £80 in return for some of their Billerica land (it’s to be noted that Sarah was named alongside her husband in the transaction).
The issue over Sarah’s mother came up in 1722. By now she had been widowed a third time, and was unable to support herself. The surviving children were Sarah, her two full-blooded sisters, and older half-brother Isaac. When their mother needed help, only Isaac stepped forward, but he felt it was unfair that the girls offered nothing. So Isaac and their mother brought the grievance to court. Officially, the husbands of the sisters were being sued, and it was Joseph Crosby, not Sarah, who appeared as the litigant. The issue dragged out in the courts for at least a year, and no resolution is given in the archived files.
Sarah and her husband, along with sisters Mary and Hannah and their husbands, were a united front. Their argument was that Isaac had been given property by their mother, while the women received nothing, so he should foot the bill to take care of their mother. The petition filed by Joseph and Hannah’s husband Nathaniel implied that Isaac had all of their “mother’s movables” in his possession, basically accusing him of taking advantage of the old woman. But Isaac’s stance was that whatever extra property he had gotten was inheritance from his father’s estate, which the sisters had no claim on.
Sarah passed away by 1727. Ironically, her feeble, old mother outlived her and was alive as late as 1735. Joseph also survived Sarah, and died at an unknown date before December 23, 1737.
Children:
1. Joseph Crosby — B. 3 Sep 1692, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. about 1744, Worcester, Massachusetts; M. Hannah Maynard (1694-?), 21 Apr 1714, Marlborough, Massachusetts
2. Sarah Crosby — B. 12 Jun 1694, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. before 31 Dec 1760, (probably) Andover, Massachusetts; M. (1) Thomas Hunt (1689-1709), 22 Jul 1709, Providence, Rhode Island; (2) Ephraim Abbott (1682-1748), 6 Jan 1716, Andover, Massachusetts; (3) John Dane (1692-1763), 1 Aug 1749, Andover, Massachusetts
3. Rachel Crosby — B. 18 Apr 1695, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. (1) Samuel Stearns (1693-1730), 1719, Billerica, Massachusetts; (2) Thomas Wyman (1687-1760)
4. William Crosby — B. 13 Feb 1698, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 1 Jan 1754, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Hannah Ross (1702-1756)
5. Mary Crosby — B. 12 Jan 1699, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 1738, Dedham, Massachusetts; M. Eleazer Ellis (1692-1745)
6. Thomas Crosby — B. 12 Oct 1701, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 7 Dec 1745, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Hannah Parker (1692-1729), 27 Jun 1724, Billerica, Massachusetts
7. David Crosby — B. 27 Mar 1703, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Sarah Foster (~1709-~1751)
8. Prudence Crosby — B. 11 May 1705, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Jeremiah Fisher (1701-~1766), 20 Jan 1725, Needham, Massachusetts
9. Hannah Crosby — B. 9 Mar 1707, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. (1) John Peploe (~1707-?); (2) Samuel Watts
10. Deborah Crosby — B. 23 Jul 1709, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Peter Russell (1700-1759), 21 Mar 1727, Andover, Massachusetts
11. Robert Crosby — B. 20 Jul 1711, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 10 Sep 1743, Townsend, Massachusetts; M. Mehitable Chandler (1709-1768)
12. Pelletiah Crosby — B. 5 Nov 1713, Billerica, Massachusetts
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