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Our Family
Genealogy Pages
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 1698 - 1747 (48 years)
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| Name |
Daniel CRESSEY |
| Title |
Lieutenant |
| Born |
11 Jul 1698 |
Royal Side, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts  [1] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Died |
01 Apr 1747 |
Fort Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Canada [2, 3] |
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| Person ID |
I559 |
Sturgis |
| Last Modified |
9 May 2005 |
| Father |
John CRESSEY, b. Aug 1659, Royal Side, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts , d. 22 Jul 1735, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts (Age ~ 75 years) |
| Mother |
Sarah GAINES, b. 23 Nov 1665, Ipswitch, Essex County, Massachusetts , d. 04 Apr 1751, Royal Side, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts (Age 85 years) |
| Married |
Y [2] |
| Family ID |
F71 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Sarah INGERSOLL, b. Bef 30 Aug 1702, Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts , d. Abt 1750, Hampton, Windham County, Connecticut (Age > 47 years) |
| Married |
20 Oct 1720 |
Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts [1, 4] |
| Children |
| | 1. John CRESSEY, b. 31 Jul 1721, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts , d. 1785 (Age 63 years) |
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| Last Modified |
14 Oct 2018 |
| Family ID |
F69 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Notes |
- Lieutenant Daniel Cressey was b. at ``Royal Side,'' Salem, now Beverly, Mass., July 11, 1698, m. 1720 Sarah Ingleson of Beverly. He was a shoemaker by trade and probably a tanner of leather. The records say he was a ``cordwainer.'' He lived on the 13-acre lot with a house and barn thereon, which his father (Dea. John2) bought of John Green in 1695. In 1737 Daniel moved to Andover and sold out. About 1740 he bought land and buildings in Methuen and later a part of this town was set off where he lived as Salem, N.H., and he served as selectman. He united with the First Church in Boston in 1716 when 17, and in 1740 asked for a letter to unite at Methuen. He was a soldier in the war between France and England, New England forces, called ``Rogers' Rangers,'' and served as Lieutenant in this the third colonial war. He was at the seige and surrender of the French at Louisburg, Cape Breton Islands, in 1745. About the close of the war in 1748 he was shot and murdered for his money by an English officer from England, Lieutenant James Hadley. He changed his name and fled to England. The widow was left with 9 living children. She moved to Hampton, Connecticut, where 3 of their daughters married 3 brothers by the name of Ashley. She d. there at the home of one of her daughters. He was about 50. [2]
- Sergeant Daniel CRESSEY Yeoman was born on 11 Jul 1698 in Royal Side of Cape Ann (now Beverly), Essex, MA.(1945) (1946) He became a member First Church of Boston in 1716 in Beverly, Essex, MA.(1947) He resided 13 acre lot with a house and barn purchased by his father before 1737 in Beverly, Essex, MA.(1948) He moved in 1737 to Andover, Essex, MA.(1949) He moved in 1740 to Methuen, Essex, MA.(1950) He purchased land and buildings there. He became a member First Church of Boston in 1740 in Methuen, Essex, MA.(1951) He resided after 1741 in Salem, Rockingham, NH.(1952) In that year, the part of Methuen, MA where Daniel resided was incorporated as Salem, Rockingham, NH when New Hampshire was formed as a separate Colony. He served as an Among 4000 New Englanders to attack French Fort Louisbourg on Cape Breton. Killed in accident between 1745 and 1747 in King George's War (1744-1748).(1953) (1954)(1955) (1956) Daniel served with the group of mainly Massachusetts soldiers who attacked the French Fort Louisbourg in 1745 on Cape Breton Island where the French surrendered. This was part of what was called the King George's War 1744-1748). Cressey (481) says that he was in Roger's Rangers, but that is not possible since that group was created in a later French and Indian War. Cressey (481) says Daniel was a lieutenant, but that is also incorrect. He was a Sergeant, according to Louisbourg Court Martial Records (532). He is also absent from a compiled list of approximately 700 officers who served in the champaign complied by Charles Hudson (549).
The following is a short history of Louisbourg from various historical sources:
Ben Franklin called Louisbourg a "hard nut to crack" but in 1745 a ragtag army of New Englanders captured France's most imposing North American stronghold. Founded in 1713 for its cod fishery, Louisbourg enjoyed three peaceful decades as a French colonial seaport. Between 1660 to 1760, men of New England fought repeatedly to keep Nova Scotia in English hands with little help from England, which was at war with France in Europe. The New Englanders feared that France would attack. For years, the French used Indians to attack the isolated inhabitants of New York and Maine, and the British did little. An attack on Louisbourg was considered an act of self-preservation. It was also considered unlikely to succeed. Louisbourg was Frances stronghold in North America. It was called "impenetrable."
In 1744 the French captured and destroyed a British fort at Canso, Nova Scotia, and carried the prisoners to the French fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. Go. William Shirley of Massachusetts, fearing French invasion, appealed to the other colonies for aid. A force of about 4000 militiamen was raised and placed under the command of Sir William Pepperell, a Maine merchant.
In April 1745, the colonial troops sailed in British ships from Boston sailed to Louisbourg and attacked. The ragtag army of New Englanders, supported by a British naval squadron, captured Louisbourg after a 46-day siege. Commanded by General William Pepperell, they included about 5000 inexperienced men from Massachusetts (4000), CT (500), NH (300), and RI (300). The minimum force required to properly defend a Fortress of Louisbourg's size was 3,500 men. Louisbourg held out for seven weeks with a defending force of only 1500 men. While no fortress can withstand an invasion indefinitely, many were still surprised when on June 15, after seven weeks of attack, a ragtag bunch of colonials successfully captured the supposedly impregnable fortress at Louisbourg by force. Yet England returned Cape Breton to France three years later.
Most of the inhabitants were sent to France and Louisbourg was garrisoned by New England and then English troops until 1749. At the end of the war in 1748, Louisbourg was returned to the French by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, in return for British control of Madras, India.
He died on 1 Apr 1747 in Louisbourg, Cape Breton, Canada.(1957) (1953)(1958) The death of Daniel Cressey is a very interesting story. While some call it an accident, others call it murder. According to Ernest Cressey, author of "Story of Your Ancestors: CRESSEY, 286 Years in America" (1935) Lieutenant Daniel Cressey of Massachusetts was part of Roger's Rangers and among the soldiers who, in 1745, attacked and defeated the French at Fort Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. "About the close of the war in 1748 [presumably in Louisbourg], he was shot and murdered for his money by an English officer from England, Leut. James Hadley. He changed his name and fled to England." I have learned that much of Cressey's account is incorrect. Not only had Roger's Ranger's not yet formed at this time, but the actual Louisbourg Court Martial Records tell a different story. The record was hand transcribed for me by staff of the New Hampshire Historical Society (who do not know how they came to possess the document). According to the record, a Lieutenant SAMUEL Hadley shot dead SERGEANT Daniel Cressey [emphasis added] of Colonel Shirley's Regiment in a duck hunting accident on 1 Apr 1747. Hadley was court martialed, but the court, after hearing witnesses, ruled the death an accident and Hadley was acquitted.
But the story does not end there. Over 80 years later, a grandson of Daniel, Benjamin Cressey, wrote his opinion of what happened. He believed that Hadley shot and murdered Cressey for the considerable money that Cressey had saved to buy a farm, was falsely acquitted and fled to England. Benjamin is mistaken in his belief that Daniel was an officer and that the trail of Lt. Hadley took place in Boston - the court martial was in Louisbourg. I am inclined to believe that Daniel was a Sergeant rather than an officer, but was it an accident or murder? It would be interesting to confirm how quickly Lieutenant Hadley left for England. He was a cordwainer (shoemaker) and probably a leather tanner as well in Beverly, Essex, MA.(1959) Parents: Deacon John CRESSEY and Sarah GAINES.
He married to Sarah INGERSOL on 20 Oct 1720. (1960)(1961) Children were: John CRESSEY, Ruth CRESSEY , Mary CRESSEY, Ruth CRESSEY , Sarah CRESSEY, Private Daniel CRESSEY, Joseph CRESSEY, Elizabeth CRESSEY, Richard CRESSEY, Ebenezer CRESSEY, Anna CRESSEY.
http://www.familyorigins.com/users/b/l/o/Peter-E-Blood/FAMO5-0001/d15.htm#P2255 [3]
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| Sources |
- [S46] NEHGS Register, v.31, p.197.
- [S77] Cressey Family Ancestry, Cressey, Ernest W., (Electronic, 1935).
- [S143] Peter Blood website.
- [S141] Beverly Vital Records.
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