{"id":93295,"date":"2023-07-28T08:52:40","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T12:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=93295"},"modified":"2025-01-15T10:38:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T15:38:26","slug":"mayflower-descendants-whos-who-part-35-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/mayflower-descendants-whos-who-part-35-part-1.html","title":{"rendered":"Mayflower Descendants: Who\u2019s Who, Part 35 (part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry continues her series on Mayflower descendants, focusing on Katie Crocker and her family line. Melissa is a genealogist who has a blog, AnceStory Archives<\/a>, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today I continue with my series \u201cMayflower Descendants: Who\u2019s Who,\u201d focusing on the descendants of Mayflower<\/em> passengers Stephen Hopkins<\/a>, Henry Samson, Elizabeth Tilley, Francis Cook, Esther\/Hester Mahieu, John Howland<\/a>, and Edward Winslow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Over the past few months, I have been researching the familial lines for my client Katie Crocker, daughter of James and Debra Sue (Pemberton) Crocker of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Katie\u2019s Mayflower<\/em> connection comes through her paternal line. GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a> were a huge help with the probe into Katie\u2019s lineage.<\/p>\n

Katie has a double Hopkins line via Constance Hopkins (who married Nicholas Snow) and Damaris Hopkins (who married Francis Cook). Also, Katie has a double Howland line through Crocker cousins\u2019 intermarriage (see genealogy<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Crocker surname is well known in Cape Cod and most of Katie\u2019s family have resided there for generations.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Lauchlan MacLean Crocker Sr. aka \u201cLocky.\u201d Courtesy of Katie Crocker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I found an obituary for Katie\u2019s great-grandfather Lauchlan MacLean Crocker Sr. (1893-1947), son of Zenas Crocker and Annie Jean McLean, born at Marstons Mills, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Boston Traveler (Boston, Massachusetts), 16 January 1947, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His obituary reported:<\/p>\n

Sheriff Lauchlan M. Crocker of Barnstable County, whose long and colorful public career won him national prominence, died at Cape Cod Hospital today after a short illness. He was 53 years of age.<\/p>\n

He was elected sheriff in 1932 and first gained prominence when he figured in the Peggy McMath kidnap trial in 1933 as presiding court officer. He has held the office continuously ever since.<\/p>\n

\u2026He was instrumental in establishing the Barnstable county house of correction and in building a new jail in 1934, which has been called one of the best of its size in the country. In addition to his duties as sheriff he served as master of the house of correction and jail master of the county.<\/p>\n

\u2026Previous to his election as sheriff he held many town and county offices, and was highway surveyor of the town of Barnstable for many years. He was born in Marstons Mills, Cape Cod.<\/p>\n

Known as \u201cLocky\u201d to Cape Cod residents and visitors, Sheriff Crocker was a veteran of World War I. He was as well versed in agriculture as in matters concerning the county jail. Under his supervision inmates of the county house of correction each year grew enough produce to supply the county sanitarium, Hyannis State Teachers College, the Barnstable county health camp, the Barnstable high and village schools, and the jail itself.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lauchlan married Wilhelmina Mary Sherman, daughter of James Horace Sherman and Dora C. Heise. The Marston Mills Historical Society<\/a> photograph collection is featured on the Digital Commonwealth website and has several Crocker family photos.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Lauchlan Crocker\u2019s home located on Prince Avenue, Barnstable, Massachusetts, built in 1830 by the Crocker family. Courtesy of Digital Commonwealth, Marston Mills Historical Society photograph collection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of his four sons, Captain Sherman (Neil) Crocker<\/a>, was shot down over Germany in 1945.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Air Force Captain Sherman Crocker (1920-1945), the son of Sheriff Lauchlan Crocker, killed on 13 February 1945 when his P-47 fighter bomber was shot down near the Rhine River in Germany. Courtesy of Digital Commonwealth, Marston Mills Historical Society photograph collection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Besides Sherman Crocker, Sheriff Crocker was father to three more sons: Laughlan MacLean Crocker Jr. (married Jean Lawton Sheraton); James Hawley Crocker (married Agnes Mary Shields); and Merle MacDonald \u201cCol. Buzz\u201d Crocker, Katie\u2019s grandfather (married Jean Hazelton, a descendant of Stephen Hopkins).<\/p>\n

Sheriff Crocker also had two daughters: Doris Crocker Easter<\/a> (married Charles Metivier Easter); and Anne Wilma Crocker (married 1st<\/sup> Wayne Dee Hayes and 2nd<\/sup> Dale B. Weaver).<\/p>\n

One interesting find about Katie\u2019s great-great-great grandfather Zenas Crocker (1831-1898) was a stint in California when he followed the great Gold Rush<\/a>. According to sources, he left for the gold fields in 1852 and stayed for seven years.<\/p>\n

I found this 1856 advertisement in the Sacramento Daily Union<\/em>. Zenas Crocker & Co. was offering a $100 reward for two stolen horses and the thief.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Sacramento Daily Union (Sacramento, California), 6 December 1856, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After Zenas returned from California he became involved in the cranberry business.<\/p>\n

Zenas was born to Zenas Crocker and Rebecca Holly Sampson\/Samson, a descendant of Mayflower<\/em> passengers Henry Samson, Francis Cook, Stephen Hopkins, John Howland, and Elizabeth Tilley.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Zenas Crocker (1796-1877), son of Zenas Crocker and Hannah Bourne, and his wife (also his cousin) Rebecca Holly Samson (1799-1887), daughter of Crocker Samson and Rebecca Hawley. Courtesy of Katie Crocker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After his time looking for gold in California, Zenas married Susan Augusta Jones, daughter of Nathaniel Jones and Abigail Fish and a descendant of Mayflower<\/em> passengers John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley.<\/p>\n

The couple\u2019s marriage announcement was published in the Daily Evening Standard<\/em> on 24 July 1861.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Daily Evening Standard (New Bedford, Massachusetts), 24 July 1861, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zenas and Susan\u2019s son, also named Zenas, died in 1963 at age 99. According to the obit published in the Boston American<\/em>, before he passed away Zenas was \u201chonored by Barnstable\u2019s selectmen by bestowal of a cane signifying he was the town\u2019s oldest resident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Boston Record American (Boston, Massachusetts), 20 February 1963, page 22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zenas Crocker was the father of Sheriff Lauchlan and the following: Susie M. Crocker (married Willard Edson Nickerson); Neil Lowell Crocker (married Hazel Wilds); and Zenas Crocker (married Merle Byron MacDonald).<\/p>\n

To be continued\u2026<\/p>\n

Explore over 330 years of newspapers and historical records in GenealogyBank. Discover your family story! Start a 7-Day Free Trial<\/a><\/p>\n

Note on the header image:<\/em><\/strong> \u201cMayflower in Plymouth Harbor,\u201d by William Halsall, 1882. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry continues her series on Mayflower descendants, focusing on Katie Crocker and her family line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":93323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12557],"tags":[10694,12,58507,18761,58509],"class_list":["post-93295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genealogy-stories","tag-crocker","tag-genealogy","tag-katie-crocker","tag-mayflower-and-pilgrims","tag-zenas-crocker"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/illustration-0720-2016-mayflower.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93295"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93327,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93295\/revisions\/93327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}