Crannel

by


Spelled variously, the Crannel family of early Albany was borne out of the marriage of Englishman Robert Crannel and his wife, Massachusetts native Molly/Mary Winslow (daughter of Plymouth governor Josiah Winslow). They are said to have married in New York in 1693. Because we have not uncovered actual evidence of an Albany life for these pioneers, we have not pursued them beyond the sources noted on this page.

Beginning with one of their sons, William Winslow Crannel, the family maintained a modest but consistent presence in the city throughout the eighteenth century. Many variants of the family name have been found. We have adopted "Crannel" as the most often encountered spelling in the community-based record. At this point, we do not know that the names "Crandall" or "Crennel" belong with the Crannels of early Albany.

A census of city households made by the British in 1756 identified the home of wigmaker Robt. Crannel. A son was a barber as well.

By the second half of the century, the family had spread out across the colony of New York. At this point, we are uncertain of any connection with the downriver Crannels.

During the era of the American Revolution, these Crannels served the cause in a number of capacities.

In 1790, the household of William Winslow Crannel was configured on the census for Watervliet.

In 1813, two Crannels were listed in the first city directory.

From the children of the first Robert Crannel, the family spread up and across New York. After the Revolution, the Crannels spread across the country. Albany native William Winslow Crannell (1835-1908), the fifth member of the family so named, practiced law in Albany and was a historical collector as well.


biography in-progress


notes

the people of colonial Albany Sources: Our work on the Crannel family is based on family and community-based resources. HMGF; We have not yet seen Crannells in America, Our Geneology and Ancestry to the Mayflower, by Wilbur H. Crannell, Jr. (published in 1999) [perhaps at 11 Laurel Drive, Delmar, N.Y. 12054. 518/439-3904]. PFS (beginning on p. 110) provides a basic family outline. One of a number of online genealogy tools. See also the family entry in the classic American Ancestry.

Follow this link to more information on the Crannel family on this website.

Crannels in the website index.




first opened: 6/30/12