George
William CROZIER -
Great-grandfather - was a native of Ireland or pure Irish parentage. His wife, Esther,
was Scottish His vocation in Ireland was a linen manufacturer. The place was not
far from Dublin, at or near Guilford. We had many pieces of linen in the family
such as tablecloths, napkins and ticks made of linen. We also had some pieces of
china and silver that had been in our grandmother's hope chest. Most of this was
destroyed when the old house was burned. A financial loss caused him to bring
his family to America very soon after his wife's death. One daughter, Effie
remained in Ireland. She was married. Her name was BLACK.
He brought with him George William, William John, Mary
Jane (grandmother), Brillina and Sarah. They settled in Philadelphia,
Penn. where the children finished their education. He re-married and had
some children. (Records of other family lines show George’s wife to be Jane
McKENNA / KINNA / KINLEY / KENNA –
possibly his second marriage.) I recall grandma speaking of two half-brothers - Benjamin
and Richard. Some time later he moved to Butler,
Penn. He is buried at Butler. After grandma was a widow we visited her
and brought grafts from her orchard. As I recall it now, it was a marvelous
collection. Varieties that made a succession of apples from the first harvest
until late fall and a splendid variety for winter. Six or eight trees that bore
such a wonderful winter apple. We never knew what it was until father
investigated and it was Gravinston. However, I never see any by that name that
equaled it in flavor. Besides there was Belleflower, Russets, Winesap,
Greenings, Thompson, Rambos, early and late, and several kinds of Pippin. The
same orchard with modern knowledge and care would be invaluable.
James
BLACK, a son of Aunt Effie came to
America, worked in the wool mill with Uncle John
(CROZIER). Died and is buried at the old
Tawawa Cemetery, a small stone marks the place.
William
John CROZIER son of George and Esther CROZIER
owned and operated a wool mill that was situated on the old Misquoto Creek. It
must have been operated by waterpower. Besides yardage he made some of the many
bedspreads that were the pride of the housewives at that time. They were mostly
blue and white - some red in them. Most of the wool for these spreads was raised
by the farmers. They sheared the sheep, then the women washed the wool, carded,
and spun it. The yarn was then sold to the wool mill. For some reason he gave up
the wool mill and moved to Texas, Ohio where he
operated a sawmill. He was married several times and had a large family. I
recall a few of them. Sarah was the wife of Wesley
WRIGHT and lived in Texas. There was a
Steve, Ross, and Bob, Louise, Lina and a
number of others.
Sarah
J. CROZIER daughter of George and Esther
CROZIER married a man by the name of SMITH.
She had three children. She lived in N.Y. Crossing on the ferry from N.Y.
to Brooklyn, George, a small boy was
terribly frightened by the braying of a donkey aboard and was taken from the
boat in convulsions. He became an epileptic. He secured a splendid education and
those who knew him said he was a very charming man. His handicap prevented him
from engaging in business. As he grew older he was a charge to his mother. Her
daughter Anna married Robert
WILEY, a son of Aunt Lena's (son of Bridlina
Jane CROZIER and Robert WILEY). They
had two children - Harry and Robert. They
lived in the west. Anna visited grandmother a
few times but the family was never close. Hettie
(SMITH), the other daughter, came to visit at grandmothers, met and fell
in love with the stepson, James SMITH. To
them was born two children - David and Eva.
For near thirty years Aunt Hettie was
confirmed to her bed, an invalid from a spine injury. At one time they lived in Piqua
and moved from there to Decatur, Indiana. Aunt
Hettie and Uncle Jim died at Decatur. Eva
was married and I have forgotten her name. David
studied law and was the prosecutor of Indiana.
He is now in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, a Judge.
Very recently I have corresponded with him. He had a family of six as I recall. Aunt
Sarah (CROZIER) joined Aunt Lena's (Brillina
CROZIER) family at Tower Hill, Ill and
I think she and George (George William CROZIER, Jr.)
passed away there.
Brillina CROZIER daughter of George and Esther CROZIER married Robert WILEY and was left with three sons - previously recorded (as) Robert WILEY.