Mary Hart Cranston was born 1663 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island to Thomas Hart (1642-1670) and Freeborn Williams (1635-1710) and died 7 September 1710 Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island of unspecified causes. She married Samuel Cranston (1659-1727) 1679 in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island.
Marriage and Family
In 1684, at the age of 24, Samuel Cranston (1659-1727) (who will later be the longest serving colonial governor or Rhode Island, serving for 30 years) became a freeman from Newport, Rhode Island. Bicknell relates an interesting personal experience Cranston had as a young man. After he was married to Mary Hart, he went to sea and was captured by pirates and not heard from for many years. Thinking he was dead, his wife arranged to marry a Mr. Russell of Boston. Cranston managed to gain his freedom and made his way back to Newport, arriving the evening of his wife's wedding. He found his wife before the marriage ceremony, and the event was turned into a celebration for his return, with the groom-to-be surrendering his expected bride with good grace.
Cranston married first Mary Hart, the daughter of Thomas Hart and Freeborn Williams, and the granddaughter of Providence founder Roger Williams, with whom he had seven children. The year after Mary's death in 1710, Cranston married Judith (Parrott) Cranston, the widow of his younger brother Caleb.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Thomas Cranston (1682-1720) | |||
| John Cranston (1684-1743) | |||
| Samuel Cranston (1687-1721) | |||
| Elizabeth Cranston (1689-) | |||
| Frances Cranston (1694-1740) | |||
| Mary Cranston (1696-1720) | |||
| Hart Cranston (1699-1724) | |||
| James Cranston (1701-1732) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Mary Hart (1663-1710) | 1663 Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island | 7 September 1710 Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island | Samuel Cranston (1659-1727) |
| James Hart (1666-1693) | 1666 Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island | 20 July 1693 Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island | Mary Clarke (1670-1690) Frances Clarke (1673-1693) |
| John Hart (1668-) | |||
| Thomas Hart (1669-1728) | |||
References
- Samuel Cranston - Wikipedia