Joseph Croshaw

Major Joseph Croshaw (c. 1610-12–1667) was a planter living near Williamsburg in the Colony of Virginia. He was the son of Captain Raleigh Croshaw. He became a planter and lived a few miles from present-day Williamsburg, Virginia. On December 10, 1651, he patented land which became the plantation known as Poplar Neck:

1000 a. in York Co., upon the side of York River, commonly known by the name of Poplar Neck, abutting n. w. upon the mouth of St. Andrew's Creek" (later called Carter's Creek) "n. e. upon York River, s. e. upon a small creek called Croshaw's Desire dividing this land & the land now in possession of Richd. Croshaw into the woods, w. s. w. & by s. and s. w. along the Indian Field upon the land of Jas. Harris, w. by n. upon the land of Samuel Snead, n. w. by w. upon a line of marked trees leading along to St. Andrew's Creek.[1]

Poplar Neck subsequently came to be owned by Colonel John West through West's marriage to Croshaw's daughter Unity.

Family: Joseph Croshaw married five times, the last four all being widows, and had eight children

Source:[2]

1. The name of his first wife (m c1631) English wife's name was not recorded in Early VA History and is unknown. See: William & Mary Historical journal.

Joseph Croshaw is often, but erroneously, connected to Elizabeth Yeardley, daughter of Governor Sir George Yeardley and Temperance Flowerdew. None of the scholarly books on either the Yeardley or the Croshaw families make this claim. There is in fact strong evidence that disproves that assertion: a) Soon after both of her parents died, she was sent to England, along with her two young brothers, to reside with their designated uncle and guardian, per George Yeardley's will, his brother Ralph Yeardley. b) She was born c1618, per her age in the 1624 Census/Muster of the Colony. So she would have been only 13 years old when Joseph Croshaw started having children with his first unknown wife in 1631.

Croshaw's children by his first wife (all dates estimated / presumed, none supported by any sources) were:

• Mary Croshaw (c1631-1687), married 1. Henry White; 2. Thomas Taylor.
• Unnamed Daughter, (c1633-before Nov 1664) married Robert Blackwell (c1620-before Nov 1664) [3][4]
• Rachel Croshaw (c1635-1670), married 1. Ralph Graves (grandson of Captain Thomas Graves); and 2. Richard Barnes.
• Betty Croshaw (c1636-1637), died young
• Unity Croshaw (c1636-1707), married Colonel John West.
• Benjamin Croshaw (c1640-1645), died young.
• Joseph Croshaw (c1642-1650), died young.

A Richard Croshaw, previously believed to be his son, has since been disproved, as there are no supporting sources for him, and he had been confused and conflated with Joseph Croshaw's brother Richard Croshaw due to an erroneously transcribed York County court record.

2. Widow Finch. She was probably one of the three Finch women named as headrights by his brother Richard Croshaw in his 27 February 1649 Virginia Patent. They were Mary Finch, Elizabeth Finch, and another Mary Finch. Their respective relationships to the Richard, William and John Finch men who were also headrights in that same patent, is unknown.

3. Mrs. Anne Hodges (d.1663), widow of Augustine Hodges

4. Mrs. Margaret Tucker (d.1664), widow of Daniel Tucker

5. Mrs. Mary Ballard (d. bef. 28 May 1673), widow of Thomas Bromfield. Survived Joseph Croshaw, and married 3rd, after April 1667, Clement Marsh

• Joseph Croshaw (1667-1682)

Joseph Croshaw died on April 10, 1667, the same day his will was written and recorded[5] in York County, Virginia. The inventory of his estate was substantial and included numerous household objects made of both pewter and silver. One large silver tankard was valued at four pounds sterling (equivalent to about £330 in 2017).[6][7] The inventory of 1668 also listed the Croshaw estate as having 1000 bricks manufactured either by their own servants or by transient laborers.[8]

References

1. Land Patent Bk 2, p.352, transcribed in Nugent, Cavaliers and Pioneers, p.222
2. Dorman, John Frederick, Adventurers of Purse and Person, 4th ed., v.1, p.770)
3. Dorman, John Frederick, Adventurers of Purse and Person, 4th ed., v.1, p. 771-772: Daughter Croshaw and Robert Blackwell: "5. (DAUGHTER) CROSHAW (Joseph, Raleigh) married Robert Blackwell who died before 19 Nov. 1664 when Joseph Croshaw made a deed of gift of 700 acres, being the upper part of his 1350 acre patent of 27 Feb. 1649/50, to his grandsons Robert Blackwell and James Blackwell, sons of Robert, deceased."
4. Not included in "Adventures", but in the original source image of the Deed of Gift (The Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants Patent Book 6 page 213), describes the land as "... lying and being in New Kent County ...", and provides other location and boundary lines.
5. Genealogies of Virginia Families from the William and Mary College Quarterly. Vol. II. Cobb-Hay p.799
6. "The National Archives - Currency converter: 1270–2017".
7. Bruce, Philip Alexander, Economic History of Virginia, Chapter XII
8. Records of York County, Croshaw, vol. 1664-1672

Sources

• "Crowshaw", by Martha Woodroof Hiden; William and Mary Qtrly (2), XXI, pp265 70.
• The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles, by John Smith, 1624, Vol III, pp 78 81, Vol IV, pp. 151 154.
• "The Complete Works of Captain John Smith", edited by Philip L. Barbour; Vol II, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC, 1986.