William Crolius (1753-1830)

Genealogy

 * Sex: Male
 * Christened: 12, Reformed Dutch Church, New York, New York
 * Died: 21, at age 76, probably in Brooklyn
 * Buried: unknown

Pedigree
William Crolius was the son of Johannes Crolius and Maria Clarkson. His paternal grandparents were Johan Willem Crolius and Veronica Corcelius.

Siblings

 * probably John (b. abt. 1751)
 * Maria (c. 7 May 1758)
 * Veronica (c. 21 Oct 1764)
 * George Clarkson (c. 28 Oct 1770)
 * Clarkson (c. 30 Oct 1774)

Spouses

 * Mary (Polly) Dobbs, m. 28. She was the daughter of Captain William Henry Dobbs and Catharina Van Seysen.

Offspring

 * 1) unknown, born early 1777
 * 2) Elizabeth Clarkson (b. 9 Jan 1786)
 * 3) William Dobbs (b. 20 Aug 1792)
 * 4) William Dobbs (b. 19 May 1798)

Biography
William Crolius was born in 1753, among the eldest of a 20+ year span of children of John Crolius and Maria Clarkson. The family lived in Reade Street in New York City, 100 feet west of Centre Street, and operated a pottery established by William's grandfather (possibly the first pottery in New York).

William Crolius married Mary Dobbs, daughter of Captain William Dobbs, in 1775, shortly before the Revolutionary War. William served during the War, including battles at Harlem Heights and White Plains, as assistant harbor master under his father-in-law, and in charge of provisions. He spent much of the war obtaining and delivering provisions for the Army, traveling all around the New York countryside, sometimes at great cost to his health. During one winter, his feet were injured from frost, a lifelong injury. His superiors at one point asked him to desist to save his health, but his dedication to supplying garrisons that were in dire need inspired him to persevere. (His war service is extensively documented in engaging detail in personal narrative statements by both himself and his wife found in pension application records.)

After the war, he returned to the pottery business, possibly setting up shop in Newark. He and his wife had at least two children. He lived to age 76, leaving a widow and at least one surviving son when he died in 1830.

Disambiguation
No other William Crolius is known to be nearly contemporary with this one. There are a couple of known William Crolius born a few decades after this one (one in 1774 of unknown parents who married Lavinia Munson, and one in 1782 in New Jersey son of John Crolius and Jane Morgan and who married Anna Montayne), and there is a Johan Willem Crolius (aka William) born circa 1700 and said to have emigrated from Germany who is the common ancestor of all the Crolius living in New York at the time of the Revolution.

Contributors
TomChatt