USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 40
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The use of signs to designate the oc- cupation or trade was of ancient origin. Even today we often see a boot hanging in front of a shoemaker's store. Inns es- pecially made use of different species of birds, fowls, and animals, on their signs, thus giving the hostelry a name. After the general adoption of surnames, many of these were retained as a patronymic, one of these being Crane, taken from the sign-name of the bird. The first mention of it is found in 1272, when it was writ- ten de Crance.
(I) Henry Crane, the ancestor of the
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family herein recorded, was born about 1621 in England, and died March 21, 1709. He was among the early Dorchester set- tlers, where he bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, and a house, September 1, 1654. He served as select- man of the town of Milton, 1679-80-81 ; was one of the first trustees. Henry Crane became a large landowner and was a man of considerable education. He married (first) Tabitha Kinsley, daugh- ter of Elder Stephen Kinsley, who died in 1681.
(II) Ebenezer Crane, son of Henry and Tabitha (Kinsley) Crane, was born in England, August 6, 1665. He enlisted in the company which went with Sir Wil- liam Phipps' expedition to Quebec, in August, 1690, under command of Colonel John Withington. He was one of the twenty-nine men to return out of seventy- five sent. He married, November 13, 1689, Mary Tolman, born November 26, 1671, daughter of Thomas, Jr., and Eliza- beth (Johnson) Tolman, granddaughter of Thomas Tolman, Sr., who came from England in 1635, a first settler of Dor- chester.
(III) Thomas Crane, tenth child of Ebenezer and Mary (Tolman) Crane, was born May 12, 1710, in Braintree ; married, January 13, 1732, Deborah Owen, daugh- ter of Nathaniel and Deborah (Parmen- ter) Owen. They were admitted to the Braintree church in 1732.
(IV) Joseph Crane, son of Thomas and Deborah (Owen) Crane, was born Sep- tember II, 1737, and died in 1810. He was a cordwainer by trade, and lived at Braintree. He served in the Revolution- ary War, in Captain Silas Weld's com- pany, Colonel William Heath's regiment. He married, December 20, 1757, Mary Savil, daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Blanchard) Savil, born November 24, 1739, died August 1, 1809.
(V) Thomas (2) Crane, sixth son of Jo- seph and Mary (Savil) Crane, was born in May, 1770, in Braintree, and died Sep- tember 25, 1818. He removed to George's Island, Boston harbor, where he lived until 1810. In the latter year he pur- chased a house on Quincy Point, near his boyhood home, and where there is a stream which is still known as Crane's Brook. He was a successful and well- to-do man. He married, November 6, 1796, Sarah Baxter, daughter of Daniel and Prudence (Spear) Baxter, born in 1771, at Braintree, died August 19, 1824. (VI) Thomas (3) Crane, son of Thomas (2) and Sarah (Baxter) Crane, was born on George's Island, October 18, 1803, and died in New York City, April I, 1875. He grew to manhood in the clear, invigorating air of his native home. He was only fifteen years of age when his father died, and he early went to work. Desiring to be occupied out-of-doors, he learned the trade of stonecutter, and in 1829 removed to New York City. There, in association with others, he purchased a stone yard. Mr. Crane furnished the granite for the New York Customs House; St. John's freight depot ; and the Forty-second street district reservoir. He was a member of the Universalist church, and when he was a young man in Quincy, was accustomed to walk nine miles to and from church. He was an in- timate friend of Horace Greeley, and was one of the founders of Tufts College at Medford, Massachusetts, of which he was a trustee. After his death his widow and sons presented "The Crane Memorial Hall," one of Richardson's fine designs, to the town of Quincy, beloved by Mr. Crane for his childhood associations there.
Mr. Crane married (second) in Boston, November 23, 1836, Clarissa Lawrence Starkey, born in Troy, New Hampshire, March 3, 1813, a descendant of John
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Starkey, who was early in Boston. They were the parents of four sons.
(VII) Albert Crane, third son of Thomas (3) and Clarissa L. (Starkey) Crane. was born December 30, 1842, in New York City, and died at his beautiful home in Stamford, Connecticut, Septem- ber 21, 1918.
The early education of Mr. Crane was obtained in the schools of his native city and he prepared for entrance to Tufts College, Medford, from which he was graduated in the class of 1863. Mr. Crane had previously decided to take up the profession of law for his career and with that aim in view entered Columbia Law School, graduating three years later, and was admitted to practice at the New York bar the same year, 1866. The love of fine arts and literature was inborn in Mr. Crane, and in a few years the sordid- ness of the city conceived in him a desire to live in the atmosphere of country life. Accordingly, he gave up his practice and retired to the peacefulness of his country home, "Rock Acre." He was fortunately blessed in that he was able to gratify his tastes and desires. He had traveled ex- tensively, and at least two score times Mr. Crane had voyaged across the At- lantic ; his journeyings were over the en- tire European continent, as well as into other countries. Mr. Crane seemed to have an especial fondness for England, as one writer has said, "an ancestral inheri- tance perhaps." He spent one entire season in London, maintaining a home there, and was presented at Court. While there he also became a member of the Thatched House Club, on St. James street. Many of his English and Amer- ican friends were entertained at his Eng- lish home.
Mr. Crane's love of music was equally as great as his love of travel and the arts. He was a life member of the New York
Oratorio Society, and was a director of the New York Symphony Society. Among his warm, personal friends in the world of music was Theodore Thomas. In 1876, when the first performance of Wagner's music-drama, "The Niebelun- genlied," took place at Bayreuth, Mr. Crane made a special trip there, and also, in 1882, was at the first hearing of "Par- sifal."
Many institutions were recipients of Mr. Crane's benefactions. The Crane Theological School of Tufts College was endowed by him with a gift of one hun- · dred thousand dollars. This was to com- memorate his father's adherence to the Universalist faith. The Stamford Hospi- tal stands on a site which was purchased by a fund donated by Mr. Crane.
By virtue of his descent from Major Simon Willard, of Concord, Massachu- setts, and John Starkey, of Boston, Mr. Crane was a life member of the Society of Colonial Wars. As a great-grandson of Sergeant Joseph Crane, he was a mem- ber of the Sons of the American Revolu- tion; was a member of the New York Historic Genealogical Society ; the Stam- ford Historical Society ; Stamford Hospi- tal Corporation; New York Historical Society ; the Blue Anchor Society ; Amer- ican Geographical Society ; and the Union Club of New York. For seven years, from 1863 to 1870, Mr. Crane was a mem- ber of the New York National Guard.
On January 24, 1884, Mr. Crane married (first) Ellen Mansfield Davies, daughter of Colonel J. Mansfield and Martha M. (Brooks) Davies, of Fishkill-on-the-Hud- son, and she died January 5, 1893. He married (second) February 10, 1902, Fanny Starkey, daughter of George Ly- man and Elizabeth Neal (Ames) Starkey, of Boston. George Lyman Starkey was a descendant of John Starkey, the immi- grant. He married, July 9, 1843, Eliza-
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beth Neal Ames, who was born August 3, 1815, in South Tamworth, New Hamp- shire, and died in Boston, Massachusetts, September 4, 1891, a daughter of John and Sarah (Glidden) Ames. The former was a native of Dublin, New Hampshire, and the latter of Parsonfield, Maine. Mrs. Fanny (Starkey) Crane, their daughter, survives her husband, and now resides at the Crane home, "Rock Acre," in Stam- ford. She is a member of Mt. Vernon Church, Boston, Massachusetts, and is one of the executors of Mr. Crane's will.
POST, Robert Woodbridge, Head of Great Paper Business.
The manufacturing world has claimed many men of broad business calibre and efficiency. One who has achieved well deserved success in this line is Robert Woodbridge Post, paper manufacturer of Westport, Connecticut. Mr. Post is a true son of Connecticut, and his family has been prominent in that State for many generations.
(I) The immigrant ancestor, Stephen Post, was a first settler of the beautiful Capital city. He was born in Chelmsford, England, and crossed the Atlantic in 1663, accompanied by his wife and four chil- dren, in the ship "Griffin," landing in Boston, Massachusetts. Stephen Post became associated with a band of Puri- tans and settled with them in Hartford, Connecticut, as above stated, under the Rev. Thomas Hooker. His name appears on the Founder's Monument in the burial ground of Hooker's church. Soon after coming to Hartford, Mr. Post removed to Saybrook, and settled in a section called Oyster River, some two miles from the fort where he died, August 16, 1659. His wife, Eleanor, survived him more than eleven years, and died November 13, 1670.
(II) Abraham Post, son of Stephen and Eleanor Post, was born in Hartford, Con- necticut, 1640-41. He was made a free- man, May II, 1665. He died in Saybrook, about 1713-15. He was appointed to the office of ensign of the Saybrook Train Band, in 1667, and appointed lieutenant in 1680. Lieutenant Post married, in 1663, Mary Chulker, and she died March 21, 1683.
(III) Gurdon Post, son of Abraham and Mary (Chulker) Post, was born May 29, 1676. He married and had a son, Jedediah, of whom further.
(IV) Jedediah Post, son of Gurdon Post, lived all his life in Hebron, Connec- ticut. He married and had a son, David, of whom further.
(V) David Post, son of Jedediah Post, was born in Hebron, Connecticut, Novem- ber 25, 1752, and died October 5, 1840. He removed to Gilead ; he was a farmer and shipped beef and pork South. On May 20, 1784, he married Martha Warner, daughter of Dr. A. I. Warner, of Bolton, Connecticut, and she died August 14, 1846.
(VI) Elijah Post, son of David and Martha (Warner) Post, was born July 31, 1792, and died April 20, 1869, in Gil- ead, Connecticut. The whole of what is now Gilead street was once owned by the Post family. Elijah Post married Anna Bissell, born April 30, 1795, in He- bron, Connecticut.
(VII) Bissell Elijah Post, son of Elijah and Anna (Bissell) Post, was born No- vember 13, 1817, and died in Andover, about 1909. He grew to manhood in Gilead, and learned the tanner's trade, which he followed many years. About 1855 he removed to Andover and bought a farm and mill there. In this mill he did sawing and wood-turning; he sawed oak timber, which was used largely by the New Bedford whalers. Until the late
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seventies he continued in this business and by that time the timber in his im- mediate section had been nearly all logged off. After this time Mr. Post gave his entire attention to the cultivation of his farm. He was an active and interested citizen in his community, and in politics was a War Democrat. Several times Mr. Post was honored with public office; he served as selectman and also was repre- sentative to the Legislature in 1876. Mr. Post married, April 28, 1841, Eliza Kel- logg, born December 1, 1819, daughter of Elisha and Emily (Stratton) Kellogg (see Kellogg V). Mr. and Mrs. Post were the parents of six children : I. Thaddeus Welles, served in the Civil War, and was eleven months in Andersonville Prison; he was exchanged and wrote home from Annapolis, dying the same day. 2. John Henry, enlisted at the age of fourteen in the Civil War, and served throughout the war. 3. Edward K., resides in Andover, Connecticut. 4. George D., now living in New Haven, Connecticut (1921). 5. Robert Woodbridge, of whom further. 6. Anna E., married James H. Marsh, of Andover ; she was a school teacher there for fifty years.
(VIII) Robert Woodbridge Post, son of Bissell Elijah and Eliza (Kellogg) Post, was born in Andover, November 19, 1861. He was educated in the public schools there and the high school in Wil- limantic. Subsequently he served with Case Brothers, of Manchester, paper man- ufacturers, an eight-year apprenticeship, and thoroughly learned the business. During the latter years he was superinten- dent of several of their mills. Mr. Post resigned from their employ to go with the Brookside Paper Company, of Manches- ter, of which he became a stockholder. In 1890 he was one of the four incorporators of his present business, the Westport Paper Company, of which he is now
president and treasurer. They built a mill which was burned August 11, 1900, and immediately another mill was erected. The business of manufacturing binder's board and other specialties has grown rapidly, and the plant from a small be- ginning has grown until today it repre- sents eight acres of ground on which are located a large brick and cement factory, housing the general office and pulp ma- chinery rooms and the manufacturing de- partment. They have a dock with 600 feet of water front. When the new build- ing was erected it was equipped with the most up-to-date and modern machinery, and it is one of the largest factories of its kind in the country. One of their big specialties has been gun wads and heavy box board. The products are largely used in Connecticut, and goes to large manu- facturing consumers.
Mr. Post is well known among the man- ufacturers of Connecticut ; he makes his home in Westport and takes much inter- est in local affairs. For the past ten years he has been a director of the Wethers- field State's Prison. A few years ago Mr. Post built a beautiful residence on the Post Road, on an eminence fifty feet above the road, which makes it a promi nent landmark, the site commanding a fine view of Long Island Sound. The architecture is of the school of the Span- ish renaissance. The walls are of solid concrete, while the roof is of red Spanish tile. Fraternally Mr. Post is a member of Temple Lodge, Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons, of Westport ; Washington Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Nor- walk; Clinton Commandery, Knights Templar; Lafayette Consistory; and Pyramid Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport.
Mr. Post married, August 20, 1884, Lisetta Hale, daughter of Dwight Hale, of Manchester. They attend the Congre-
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gational church, of Westport, and aid in its good works.
(The Kellogg Line).
(I) Samuel Kellogg, the ancestor of the Kellogg family, was born in Braintree, England, after 1630. The first record found of him in New England is that of his marriage, November 24, 1664, to Mrs. Sarah (Day) Gunn, daughter of Robert and Editha (Stebbins) Day.
(II) Samuel (2) Kellogg, son of Sam- uel (1) and Sarah (Day-Gunn) Kellogg, was born April 11, 1669, in Hadley, Mas- sachusetts, and died August 24, 1708, in Colchester, Connecticut. He married Hannah Dickinson, born January 18, 1666, daughter of Nathaniel Dickinson, of Had- ley. Samuel Kellogg was taken prisoner by the Indians in Hadley when a lad of eight years and was taken by them to Canada, later being found and taken home by his relatives. In 1701 he removed to Colchester, Connecticut.
(III) Deacon Joseph Kellogg, son of Samuel (2) and Hannah (Dickinson) Kel- logg, was born June 18, 1696, in Hatfield, and died about 1765 in Hebron, Connec- ticut. He went to Colchester with his father's family, and on February 28, 1722, sold his rights in the homestead to his brother for a few pounds and removed to Hebron. He lived in that part now called Marlboro until his death. He was a dea- con in the church for many years. He married, October 23, 1717, Abigail Miller, of Colchester.
(IV) Samuel (3) Kellogg, son of Dea- ·con Joseph and Abigail (Miller) Kellogg, was born in Hebron, Connecticut, about 1740, and died about 1780. He married, May 31,1759, Hannah Strong, daughter of Ezro and Abigail Strong, of Colches- ter.
(V) Elisha Kellogg, son of Samuel (3) and Hannah (Strong) Kellogg, was born November 9, 1763, and died April 16,
1846. He married, February 7, 1781, Em- ily Stratton, born April 24, 1761, died April 17, 1854, daughter of William and Ruth (Goodrich) Stratton, of Chatham. They lived on a farm near South Glaston- bury, Connecticut.
(VI) Eliza Kellogg, daughter of Elisha and Emily (Stratton) Kellogg, became the wife of Bissell Elijah Post (see Post VII).
SKENE, Rev. John Dolby,
Clergyman.
The church as a field of labor offers opportunities for the gratifying of intel- lectual honors and the most sincere spirit- ual activities, but among the men who truly adorn the cloth, an occasional cler- gyman stands out eminent among his fellow laborers for the deep strength and dynamic force of a well-rounded, highly developed character. In the veins of the Rev. John Dolby Skene, of Stamford, Connecticut, flows the blood of Scotch ancestors who for centuries followed their King or their leader to the death, if need be, and even turned from the men for whom they would have given their lives to follow an ideal. When such spirit and devotion, together with brilliant mental- ity and broad culture, are consecrated to the Church of Christ, the meaning and dignity of the Christian religion is made clear and significant to the world.
The surname of Skene, according to one authority, is derived from Loch Skene, being a combination of the Gaelic, sgean, meaning cleanliness, brightness, and the old Norse, skina, to shine. Be- cause of the clear, shimmering surface of its waters this beautiful Loch was named Skene, which name was adopted by the first family which bore it because of their residence in its vicinity. Another his- torian says: "In Aberdeenshire the an- cient family of Skene always held the
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rank of free barons and took their name from the Castle of Skene, in the Earldom of Mar, which was in their possession from the thirteenth century until 1827, when by the death of the last Skene of that ilk the estates passed to his nephew, the Earl of Fife." Tradition asserts that the Skenes descended from the Robert- sons, of Struan, and that the first of them was so called from having killed an enor- mous wolf that endangered the life of Malcolm III. in the royal forest of Stocket with his skene (or dagger) only. Hence the family and clan arms are :
Arms-Gules, three sgians, or daggers, pale- wise, in fess, argent, hilted and pommelled, or, on the points of which as many wolves' heads of the third.
Crest-A dexter arm from the shoulder, issuing out of a cloud, and holding forth a triumphal crown or garland of leaves proper.
Supporters-On the dexter a Highlander in his proper garb, holding in his right hand a sgian, and on the sinister a Highlander in a more simple habit, his target on the left arm, and his dorlach, by his side, all proper.
Motto-Virtutis regia merces.
The history of the ancient Scottish family of Skene is most interesting. In the "View of the 'Diocese of Aberdeen,' it is stated that there had then been twen- ty-eight Lairds of Skene in direct suc- cession." The name appears in court records in 1488 and 1494. In the thir- teenth century, John de Skene joined the following of Donald Bain, the Usurper, but later proved his loyalty to King Alex- ander when he was restored to royal favor. John de Skene, his great-grandson, during the reign of Alexander III., was chosen one of the arbiters between Bruce and Beloil, both contestants for the crown. A grandson, Robert de Skene, was a close friend of Bruce, fought at Bannockburn, and was given a charter by his leader in 1318. Later on in history we find Alex- ander Skene, fighting for King James
during the celebrated battles of Flodden ; still later James Skene, his direct descend- ant, leading the charges at the battle of Pinkie, where he fell in 1757. Under the Duke of Marlborough, Major George Skene distinguished himself in the wars of Queen Anne, and in 1720 purchased the estate in Forfarshire. Two other mem- bers of this family were soldiers and died in battle, one in Spain, and one in the battle of Preston, in 1745.
This warlike history by no means stamps the family as a war-making race. The times were troublous and they found their duty leading them forth to battle, and the world well knows that a Scot will do his duty without counting the cost. When conditions became more set- tled and there was opportunity for more peaceful pursuits, the family which had given such magnificent warriors to the service of their leaders also gave to the world brilliant lights in the various pro- fessions. A branch of the old family of Skene designated as of Curriehill, in the Parish of Colinton, were said by the "Old Statistical account" to be in some way connected with the royal family. John Skene, of Curriehill, came prominently forward as an advocate in the reign of James VI. In 1575, with Sir James Bal- four, John Skene was appointed by Re- gent Morton a committee to study and make a comprehensive digest of the laws of Scotland. It was a Skene who did the actual work of the commission, and he was publicly commended for the thor- oughness and excellence of his work and also pensioned. In 1588 he accompanied Sir James Melville of Malhill, on a mis- sion to the Court of Denmark to conclude a marriage with the Princess Anne. In 1594 he was appointed lord clerk regis- ter. Three years before that he was one of the eight lords commissioners ap- pointed to look after the King's Ex-
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chequer, "properties and casualties." He is reputed to have been a very scholarly man. According to a short biography by Sir James Melville, he was able to make addresses in Latin. John Skene is best known for his compilation of the old laws and constitutions of Scotland, printed in Edinburgh in 1609, and covering the period from Malcolm II. to King James I. The title of the work is "Regiam Ma- jestatem."
In 1590 Gilbert Skene was a professor of medicine in King's College, Aberdeen, and was later physician to the King, which honored position he resigned in 1594. He was afterwards knighted. James Skene was a long and faithful friend of Sir Walter Scott, co-worker and co-part- ner with him, and responsible for many of the most interesting scenes in the works of Scott. Andrew Skene succeeded Lord Cockburn as solicitor-general of Scotland. Alex Skene, of that ilk, appears in 1633 in the "Book of the Annualren- taris" for Aberdeenshire together with Alex Skene, of Drumbreck, Gilbert Skene, of Dyce, and James Skene, of Ramoir.
William Skene, in the early part of the nineteenth century, resided in Aberdeen, Scotland, and enjoyed with the sincere satisfaction of a man of peace the less turbulent times. With his wife, Eliza- beth, he was highly respected and much beloved in the community.
John Skene was born in the old home in Scotland, and made a lifelong study of horticulture. He became an authority on the subject and was consulted by owners of large estates regarding the laying out of their gardens and the propagation and culture of fine and curious plant life. He married Anna Dolby, of Lincolnshire, England, and their children were: Wil- liam, a clergyman of the Episcopal church, who died in 1871; Mary, wife of George W. Wilbur, president of the Wil-
bur Shirt and Collar Company of Troy, New York; George, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church; Anna, who died in Troy, in 1883; John Dolby, of further mention ; Charles, an inventor and expert mechanic, long manager of an iron foundry in Chicago.
Rev. John Dolby Skene was born Oc- tober 16, 1849, in Lincolnshire, England. His parents came to this country when he was a small child and he received his education here, beginning in the public schools of Troy, New York. His prepara- tion for college was made under private tutors, and his theological studies were directed by Rev. Dr. J. I. Tucker, then rector of the Church of Holy Cross, Troy, and Rev. Dr. Nichols, of St. Mark's Church, Hoosic Falls, New York. His whole course of preparation was marked by brilliant scholarship and the most de- vout sense of religious responsibility.
Mr. Skene was ordained deacon in St. Mark's Church in Hoosic Falls, at the Feast of the Epiphany in 1877, and on St. Peter's day, 1878, was advanced to the priesthood. He acted as assistant to Dr. Nichols until May, 1881, and was then sent to Gouverneur, New York, by the Bishop of Albany. He had charge of that parish for a year and a half. The Bishop then sent him to Ilion, New York where he remained three years, going on at the end of that period to Asbury Park, New Jersey, where he remained until 1889. Next he went to St. Paul's Church, Brooklyn, New York, and this pastorate he held until December 1, 1894. He then went to Danbury, Connecticut, where he remained until 1902. From 1903 to 1904, Rev. Mr. Skene was without a parish, and spent the year in California. In May, 1904, he was transferred to St. Andrew's Church, Stamford, Connecticut. During his pastorate there the parish has grown to such an extent that it has been neces-
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