Moses Craft, youngest child of the immigrants Lieut. Griffin Craft and his 1st wife Alice, b. of record Apr. 28, 1641 at Roxbury, Mass. However, according to the Roxbury records each of his older siblings were born two years apart whereas Moses was born four years after his brother Samuel.
Based on Moses' gravestone at Wethersfield, Conn., the memorialist believes the year of his birth is misstated in the Roxbury record; that he was more likely b. Apr. 28, 1639 versus 1641. In that era the family bible was more important than a town record of a family's purported vital record. Coupled with the use of the term Ætatis when describing a person's age at death, it would be difficult to assume that Moses' age on his gravestone (Ætatis 80, i.e., then 79 years old) is an error by two years. In addition, his gravestone uses the original spelling of the family surname in England - Croft - changed to Craft in America.
[To be continued]
The children of Moses Craft & Rebecca Gardner, the first four b. of record at Roxbury, Mass., are:
• i. Rebecca Craft, b. Apr. 22, 1668; d. in infantcy & bur. at Roxbury Sept. 20, 1669.
• ii. Moses Craft, b. Aug. 8, 1669; d. an infant May 3, 1672.
• iii. Rebecca Craft, b. Mar. 2, 1670/1, d. at Wethersfield, Conn. Mar. 14, 1711/2, Æ 42; m. May 12, 1686 at Wethersfield as his 1st wife, Sgt. Samuel Wright, s. of Ens. Samuel Wright & Mary Butler, b. Jan. 6, 1670/1 at Wethersfield where he d. Oct. 12, 1734, Æ 75.
• iv. Moses Craft, Jr., b. Feb. 2, 1672/3 (bapt. Apr. 13, 1673); purportedly d. unmarried Mar. 4, 1711/2, Æ 40.
• v. Abigail Craft, b. circa 1675 prob. at Deerfield, Mass.; m. Dec. 2, 1691 at Wethersfield, Conn., Jonathan Goodrich, eldest surviving son of the immigrant John Goodrich, Jr. & his wife Elizabeth, b. Oct. 23, 1657 at Wethersfield, Conn. He was living July 15, 1742.
Based on Moses' gravestone at Wethersfield, Conn., the memorialist believes the year of his birth is misstated in the Roxbury record; that he was more likely b. Apr. 28, 1639 versus 1641. In that era the family bible was more important than a town record of a family's purported vital record. Coupled with the use of the term Ætatis when describing a person's age at death, it would be difficult to assume that Moses' age on his gravestone (Ætatis 80, i.e., then 79 years old) is an error by two years. In addition, his gravestone uses the original spelling of the family surname in England - Croft - changed to Craft in America.
[To be continued]
The children of Moses Craft & Rebecca Gardner, the first four b. of record at Roxbury, Mass., are:
• i. Rebecca Craft, b. Apr. 22, 1668; d. in infantcy & bur. at Roxbury Sept. 20, 1669.
• ii. Moses Craft, b. Aug. 8, 1669; d. an infant May 3, 1672.
• iii. Rebecca Craft, b. Mar. 2, 1670/1, d. at Wethersfield, Conn. Mar. 14, 1711/2, Æ 42; m. May 12, 1686 at Wethersfield as his 1st wife, Sgt. Samuel Wright, s. of Ens. Samuel Wright & Mary Butler, b. Jan. 6, 1670/1 at Wethersfield where he d. Oct. 12, 1734, Æ 75.
• iv. Moses Craft, Jr., b. Feb. 2, 1672/3 (bapt. Apr. 13, 1673); purportedly d. unmarried Mar. 4, 1711/2, Æ 40.
• v. Abigail Craft, b. circa 1675 prob. at Deerfield, Mass.; m. Dec. 2, 1691 at Wethersfield, Conn., Jonathan Goodrich, eldest surviving son of the immigrant John Goodrich, Jr. & his wife Elizabeth, b. Oct. 23, 1657 at Wethersfield, Conn. He was living July 15, 1742.
Moses Craft, youngest child of the immigrants Lieut. Griffin Craft and his 1st wife Alice, b. of record Apr. 28, 1641 at Roxbury, Mass. However, according to the Roxbury records each of his older siblings were born two years apart whereas Moses was born four years after his brother Samuel.
Based on Moses' gravestone at Wethersfield, Conn., the memorialist believes the year of his birth is misstated in the Roxbury record; that he was more likely b. Apr. 28, 1639 versus 1641. In that era the family bible was more important than a town record of a family's purported vital record. Coupled with the use of the term Ætatis when describing a person's age at death, it would be difficult to assume that Moses' age on his gravestone (Ætatis 80, i.e., then 79 years old) is an error by two years. In addition, his gravestone uses the original spelling of the family surname in England - Croft - changed to Craft in America.
[To be continued]
The children of Moses Craft & Rebecca Gardner, the first four b. of record at Roxbury, Mass., are:
• i. Rebecca Craft, b. Apr. 22, 1668; d. in infantcy & bur. at Roxbury Sept. 20, 1669.
• ii. Moses Craft, b. Aug. 8, 1669; d. an infant May 3, 1672.
• iii. Rebecca Craft, b. Mar. 2, 1670/1, d. at Wethersfield, Conn. Mar. 14, 1711/2, Æ 42; m. May 12, 1686 at Wethersfield as his 1st wife, Sgt. Samuel Wright, s. of Ens. Samuel Wright & Mary Butler, b. Jan. 6, 1670/1 at Wethersfield where he d. Oct. 12, 1734, Æ 75.
• iv. Moses Craft, Jr., b. Feb. 2, 1672/3 (bapt. Apr. 13, 1673); purportedly d. unmarried Mar. 4, 1711/2, Æ 40.
• v. Abigail Craft, b. circa 1675 prob. at Deerfield, Mass.; m. Dec. 2, 1691 at Wethersfield, Conn., Jonathan Goodrich, eldest surviving son of the immigrant John Goodrich, Jr. & his wife Elizabeth, b. Oct. 23, 1657 at Wethersfield, Conn. He was living July 15, 1742.
Based on Moses' gravestone at Wethersfield, Conn., the memorialist believes the year of his birth is misstated in the Roxbury record; that he was more likely b. Apr. 28, 1639 versus 1641. In that era the family bible was more important than a town record of a family's purported vital record. Coupled with the use of the term Ætatis when describing a person's age at death, it would be difficult to assume that Moses' age on his gravestone (Ætatis 80, i.e., then 79 years old) is an error by two years. In addition, his gravestone uses the original spelling of the family surname in England - Croft - changed to Craft in America.
[To be continued]
The children of Moses Craft & Rebecca Gardner, the first four b. of record at Roxbury, Mass., are:
• i. Rebecca Craft, b. Apr. 22, 1668; d. in infantcy & bur. at Roxbury Sept. 20, 1669.
• ii. Moses Craft, b. Aug. 8, 1669; d. an infant May 3, 1672.
• iii. Rebecca Craft, b. Mar. 2, 1670/1, d. at Wethersfield, Conn. Mar. 14, 1711/2, Æ 42; m. May 12, 1686 at Wethersfield as his 1st wife, Sgt. Samuel Wright, s. of Ens. Samuel Wright & Mary Butler, b. Jan. 6, 1670/1 at Wethersfield where he d. Oct. 12, 1734, Æ 75.
• iv. Moses Craft, Jr., b. Feb. 2, 1672/3 (bapt. Apr. 13, 1673); purportedly d. unmarried Mar. 4, 1711/2, Æ 40.
• v. Abigail Craft, b. circa 1675 prob. at Deerfield, Mass.; m. Dec. 2, 1691 at Wethersfield, Conn., Jonathan Goodrich, eldest surviving son of the immigrant John Goodrich, Jr. & his wife Elizabeth, b. Oct. 23, 1657 at Wethersfield, Conn. He was living July 15, 1742.
Inscription
Here
Lieth the
Body of Mr
Moses Croft
Who Departed
This Life December
the 30 1718 in
the 80th Year
of His Age.
Gravesite Details
On the face of the inscription, on the day Moses died he was 79 years old, and "Ætatis suæ" (i.e., Æ, "Aged," in the XX year of his Age) 80, indicating he was born AFTER Dec. 30, 1638 and BEFORE Dec. 29, 1639.
