by Gary L Maher
Copyright © Gary L Maher 1988
Joseph Cree, the earliest known member of the Cree family of Elizabeth, NJ, was born probably between 1765 and 1775 (possibly in New Jersey) and died September 16, 1798, of yellow fever, which he contracted in New York.
Joseph was a printer, and his obituary shows that he had worked for Sheppard Kollock, editor of the New Jersey Journal, for 15 years at the time of his death. He is buried in an unmarked grave in the graveyard of the First Presbyterian Church at Elizabeth.
Two records incorrectly indicate that this first Cree's given name was Jonathan.
The Sexton's records of the First Presbyterian Church list a Jonathan Cree, buried September 17, 1798. Since his obituary in the New Jersey Journal states that Joseph Cree died one day earlier, it is extremely unlikely that they are two different people. Further, since Joseph worked for Sheppard Kollock, it is unlikely that Kollock would make such a mistake in his obituary.
The other record that appears incorrect is the death record of Joseph's son Jonathan, which lists his father's name as Jonathan. More convincing is the appearance of the name Joseph Cree in two years of Elizabeth tax rateables and in the 1793 Essex County militia list.
Joseph's son Jonathan's 1880 Census entry indicates that Joseph was born in New Jersey, yet there are no records of any New Jersey Crees at the time of his birth. Although family tradition states that the family was Scottish, there is no obvious family in Scotland from which Joseph might have originated. Joseph's origin now seems most likely to have been New York City.
I had been searching for evidence connecting Joseph to the family of John Cree (c. 1722-1778) of New York City. Initially the only sign of a Joseph Cree in New York City in the 18th Century was the service of a man of that name in the New York Militia during the American Revolution (1779).
In 2006 however I discovered the attached broadside which shows that there was a Joseph Cree in New York City in 1774, that he was a young boy at the time and that he was employed by a printer. That printer was James Rivington, whose press was steadfastly loyal to the crown but who is now known to have been a spy for George Washington.
James Rivington ceased publication of his last newspaper on December 31, 1783, which is three months short of 15 years prior to the death of Joseph Cree. It appears that Joseph may have learned the printing trade as an apprentice to James Rivington and then, when Rivington was no longer publishing a newspaper, obtained a job with Shepard Kollock.
Also, Joseph Cree named a son James, but there is no known James in his family or that of his wife (Ann Crissey). Perhaps James Rivington is the source of that given name.
There are still many questions that need to be answered, and the Cree family of New York City remains rather obscure. But I feel this new evidence strongly connects my Joseph to that family. And, based on our DNA study, it also strongly connects the lines of David and John Cree of Pennsylvania to the John Cree family of New York City.
There are two pieces of circumstantial evidence which strongly suggest that Joseph's wife was Ann Crissey, daughter of William. First, Joseph's son William had a daughter Nancy whose middle name was Crissey. Significantly, Nancy is the French form of "Ann."
The second piece is a September 20, 1806 deed for land in Elizabeth from William Creesy [Crissey] to "Ann Cree, daughter of the said William Creesy." This could mean either that William Crissey had a daughter Ann who married a Cree, or that he married a Cree widow and was referring to an unmarried step-daughter.
This latter alternative is unlikely. As far as can be determined, there was only one Cree family in Elizabeth at that time -- that of Joseph. If William Crissey had married Joseph's widow, he probably would not have had a step-daughter old enough to own property in 1806, as Joseph's oldest known child was born no earlier than 1789.
Most probably, William Crissey's daughter Ann was the wife of Joseph Cree. From the birthdates of their children and Joseph's status in the Elizabethtown Tax Rateables, it can be assumed that they were married between 1783 and 1789.
There is reason to believe that Ann (Crissey) Cree married Daniel Willis after Joseph's death. The property that Ann received from her father in the 1806 deed mentioned above was later sold at a sheriff's sale to satisfy a judgment recovered by Matthias H. Williamson against William and Moses Crissey in January of 1807. Williamson brought his complaint in debt and as neither Crissey responded, the court ordered a default judgment on behalf of Williamson. By a writ of fieri facias de bonis et terris, the sheriff of Essex County was ordered to seize and sell any property owned by William and Moses Crissey to recover the amount of the judgment.
To the sheriff, William's conveyance of his property to Ann must have been obviously motivated by a desire to keep it from creditors and not a legitimate transfer; perhaps William was still living there. In any case, the sheriff seized the property despite the prior conveyance and sold it at public auction. The purchaser at the sheriff's sale on September 5, 1807 was Daniel Willis.
By that date, Daniel was probably married to his second wife, who was named Ann. Daniel's first wife, Polly (Perrine) Willis, died May 2, 1805, leaving Daniel with six young daughters. Buried next to Daniel is his second wife, Ann, who died August 13, 1824 in her 54th year. He married Ann within two or three years after Polly's death as his first child by Ann was born c. 1807. This was approximately nine years after Joseph Cree had died. The purchase of the Crissey property by Daniel Willis suggests that his wife Ann may have been Ann (Crissey) Cree. Though it is purely speculation, it is possible that Daniel purchased this property because his new wife's father was living on it.
Although it is far from being definitive evidence, the names of Daniel and Ann's two daughters should be mentioned, as they provide some small measure of support for this theory. The first daughter, Ann C. Willis, was probably named for her mother, as they shared first names. The middle initial "C" suggests that her mother's maiden name probably began with a "C". This couple's second daughter (Matilda) also had the middle initial "C". She could have been named for another member of her mother's family. Unfortunately, neither daughter's death record states her full middle name or her mother's maiden name, so this theory cannot be proven thusly.
Additionally, Joseph's son James had a daughter named Matilda. She could have been named for the same person as Matilda C. Willis, which would indicate a possible common ancestor. However, since her mother was Hannah B. Willis, a sister of Matilda C. Willis, she could as likely have been named for her aunt Matilda Willis.
If Daniel Willis' wife Ann was indeed Joseph Cree's widow, then Ann (Crissey) Cree was born c. 1771 and died August 14, 1824 of typhus. Further, if this theory proves true, it is interesting to note that one of Daniel's daughters by his first wife, Hannah, married James Cree, son of Joseph and Ann Cree. They may at the time of their marriage have been half siblings.
Joseph's obituary states that he left four children. The only trace of the fourth child may be the 1850 Census, which lists a Nancy Cree, aged 55, living in Elizabeth. The likely possibility that this was an erroneous entry for Jonathan's wife Mary is discussed below. If the entry is incorrect, then Joseph's fourth child probably died young. However, if the entry is correct, Nancy could have been either a daughter of Joseph or the wife of a yet undiscovered son. As there is no evidence of another son, and because a male Cree should have at least appeared in the 1830 and 1840 Censuses, it is more probable tha t she was Joseph's daughter.