Memorials › John Cranston

John Cranston

26 Mar 1832 – 14 Nov 1906

Birth26 Mar 1832
Death14 Nov 1906
CemeteryGreenmount Cemetery
Quincy , Adams County , Illinois , USA
Added byR&C on 24 Mar 2019
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158610469

Gravesite details

Interment: 17 Nov 1906 Gov't marker- Army- Company L- 2nd Illinois Cavalry- Saddles Sergeant

Bio

AKA Jno. CRANSTON The following submitted by Jeannette : John, the eldest son of William and Rose Ann Cranston, was born in Ireland March 26, 1834. The three obituaries for John Cranston disagree concerning where he originally came from in Ireland. The first obituary, "Death Came to John Cranston" is shorter and not as accurate for it suggests that John arrived 54 years ago living in Partadown, Iowa before moving to Quincy. The 'Death Relieves John Cranston,' obituary says that he was "born in Partndown, Ireland," there is a place called Portadown, in County Armagh, Northern Ireland which may be what they were trying to say. The 'Funeral of the Late Comrade J Cranston,' states "County Down, north of Ireland" as his birthplace. These two places are about 50 miles apart in Northern Ireland. The 1850 U.S. census shows the father, William, as a shoemaker with the occupation of John and James, also, being that of a shoemaker. Johns's obituaries referred to them as "boot and shoe men" when they first arrived. This description might mean they were on the streets of New York shining shoes or they were working with their father possibly in a shoemaking shop. The family moved in 1852 to Clayton, Adams County, Illinois where in 1860 U.S. Census shows William continues as a shoemaker but his sons, John, age 25 and James, age 23 are farmers. Did they have to clear and prepare the land for their first crops or had they been able to buy farmland? Their life must have followed the seasons as they planted, raised and harvesting crops. As fall approached, the family would begin preparation for winter such as laying in a supply of wood or preparing the fields for the next seasons planting. He mustered out in Baton Rouge, La in Jan. 1865 after serving in the 2nd Illinois Cavalry. He found work as a traveling salesman for the Brown Brothers and John Wessell confectioners. He married Martha Cromwell, the daughter of the area's the pioneer preacher, Rev. Jesse Cromwell of the M. E. Church, on 17 March 1869. Initially, John and Martha were living in Clayton but by 1880 he was boarding with his family in Camp Point, Illinois. He was responsible for traveling over territory in Illinois for 20 years. John has left his traveling salesman job for the confectioners after 20 years and is free in December 1884. He agrees to step in and care for their father so that his sister, Anna may get married. Their father, William dies 11 January 1886. During this time John starts working for a baking company. Some years later he changes jobs to work for the Prudential Life Insurance Company where he worked for 12 years until no longer physically able to do the work. On the 1900 U.S. Census, John is still an insurance agent but now living in Quincy, Illinois. He and his wife have had six children four of whom are living. These four children are still at home: Jesse, a salesman, age 27, Willie, a plumber, age 24, Mary J. a stenographer, age 20 and Annie 18 years old. John's wife, Martha dies of pneumonia March 11, 1905, at their home in Quincy where they have been living for 20 years at the time of her death. The four children are still living at home with their parents. John dies on November 14, 1906, after suffering a nervous disorder for the last two years causing him to be unable to work. His daughters Annie and Jennie and son, Jesse, are still at home caring for him. Willie has moved to Kansas City and is still a plumber there. Both he and Martha are buried in the Woodland Cemetery in Quincy, Illinois.

Inscription

SADDLES SGT 2 IL CAV

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