Notes
Ref#190:
This same will gives to his second son, Noah, the original home (the
Frost House) together with the remainder of his land, both below and over
the Mountain. Noah Crane was born April 18th, 1719. He married Mary
Baldwin. His name appears as an officer and active supporter of the
church. Near the close of his life the residents of Bloomfield and
vicinity were planning for the organization of a third church in which he
took a lively interest, and his name appears as a liberal contributor for
the new church building, which still stands with some enlargement, the
First Presbyterian Church of Bloomfield. He died June 8th, 1800, and the
stone that marks his grave, with that of his wife Mary, may be seen in
the Bloomfield Cemetery. His children were Samuel, born 1747; Esther,
Joseph (my grandfather), born 1751; Elizabeth, born 1753; Caleb,
Nathaniel, Mary, Nehemiah, Stephen and Mehetabel. His will, dated
February 17, 1795, bequeaths to his oldest son, Samuel, the tract of land
on which he lived at Horse Neck (now Caldwell). Many of his descendants
are now living in that vicinity. Mr. Henry D. Crane, late Treasurer of
the Montclair Savings Bank, was his great-grandson. To his daughter,
Mehetabel he willed L70 York currency. She married Gen. William Gold who
lived in Caldwell and was a representative in the New Jersey Legislature.
His family monument stands just back of the Caldwell Presbyterian Church.
All the land below the Mountain on both sides of Valley Road from Union
Street north to near Hillside Avenue, and also from Van Vleck Street
north to about Chestnut Street, he gave to his two sons, Joseph and
Nathaniel. The homestead (Frost House) was the inheritance of Nathaniel,
who was born October 26th, 1757. He married Hannah Crane, and occupied
several positions of trust. His commission as Captain of a Company of
Light Infantry of the Militia of Essex County, date August 20th, 1803,
and signed by Richard Howell, Governor of the State, and also his
commission as Coroner of Essex County, dated October 23rd, 1817, signed
by Governor John Williamson, may be seen hanging in our public library.
He was interested in the education of your men and to this end he was a
liberal contributor to the building of the Academy at Bloomfield, now the
German Theological School. He also left a fund for the education of your
men for the ministry still held in trust by the Newark Presbytery, the
annual income of which is disbursed by the Presbytery in accordance with
the will of the donor. He was as much interested as his ancestry in the
church. The original bell of the old church at Bloomfield was his gift,
and for many years its strong and sweet sound called the people living as
far west as the top of our Mountain, and those living at the extreme
north of Bloomfield, to public worship. He made provision for his old
colored servant, James Howe, who was a survivor of the former slaves of
the family and was known as Uncle Jim. He gave him a good tract of land
on the north side of Clairmont Avenue running west from North Mountain
Avenue, where he lived many years. A part of the house he occupied is
still standing. As children, we used to enjoy visiting the old man who
had become blind, and listening to his stories of our ancestry. Major
Nathaniel Crane had no children and made the West Bloomfield Presbyterian
Church the residuary legatee of his estate, which amounted to about ten
thousand dollars. This fund the will requires to be held in trust by the
church and the annual income to be used in support of the gospel in this
church. He died April 18th, 1833. In recognition of his gift to the
church, The Society erected a suitable monument over his and his wife's
graves in the Rosedale Cemetery.
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