Creers

THE CREERS OF ISLE OF MAN AND AUSTRALIA

The Creers, direct ascendants of the Dunbars through Rosa Ann Lee (who married High F Dunbar), lived at Braddon on the Isle of Man for over six generations. Margaret Creer married Thomas Lee and moved to Manchester.

The Creers have been thoroughly researched and traced back to the late 1500’s by John A Creer and Belinda Cohen. John and Belinda’s web sites (www.Ballacreer.com and belindacohen.tripod.com/creerfamilyhistory/ contains a wealth of information.

The earliest recorded Creer was Gilbert. He lived in the late 1500’s and married and had one child
also Gilbert born in 1600 in Isle of Man and died in 1687 in Braddan Isle of Man at age 87. Gilbert's five children were:

Thomas born in 1628 and died in 1684 at age 56.
William born in 1630
Paul born in 1632.
Katherine born in 1635
Bahee born in 1641, died in 1700 at age 59.
Thomas married Marriott (possibly Cowley) about 1658. They had two children:
John born on 5 Sep 1659
Ann born in 1661 and died in 1679 at age 18.

John married Katherine Kelley on 16 Jun 1688 in Braddan. Katherine was born in Eary Wean, probably on the Isle of Man. They had four children

Mariot born about 1690.
Christian born about 1690.
Gilbert born in 1693
William born in 1694.

Gilbert married Isobel Fail Isobel died in 1760.They had ten children
Thomas born 1733

Paul born in 1723.
Margaret born in 1725 and died sometime between 1725 to 1727 in
William born in 1726 and died in 1788 at age 62.
Margaret born in 1728.
Daniel born from 1730 to 1731 and died on 5 Nov 1761 at age 30.
Margaret born in 1735 and died in 1741 at age 6.
John born on 3 Aug 1735.John married Margaret possibly Hampton.
Phillip born in 1737 and died in 1794 at age 57.

Thomas married Mary Karalagh, daughter of William Karalagh and Isabel Curphey, on 15 Nov1758 in Braddan Isle of Man. Mary was also born in 1736 in Braddan and died in 1814 in Ballashlig farm – at age 78.Thomas and Mary had eight children all born at Braddan.

Edward born in 1759
William born in 1761
Benjamin born in 1764 in Braddan Isle of Man.
Bessy born in 1764
Margaret born in 1766, died in 1792 and was buried on 12 Mar 1792 in Braddan Isle of Man.Margaret married Thomas Cottier on 17 Oct 1789 .
Thomas born in 1769.
John born in 1771 died on 17 May 1804 at sea on the “Govenor Whitworth” at age 33, and was buried in Braddan Isle of Man.

Edward (1759) married Margaret Lewin on 8 Dec 1792 in Braddan Isle of Man. Margaret was born in 1768 in Douglas, Isle of Man
They had four children all born at Braddan. They were

Thomas born in 1794 in Isle of Man and was buried 2nd May 1865 in Ballashling, Bradden, Isle of Man. More about Thomas to follow.
Edward born in 1795 . See more about Edward and his family below.
Elizabeth born in 1797 in Braddan Isle of Man and died in 1857 at age 60.
William born in 1802 and died on 22 Nov 1821 in Braddan at age 19.

Thomas Crear (b. 1794 ) worked as a farmer in 1841 in Ballashling, Braddan and he married Ann Leece on 16 Nov 1822 in Braddan. Ann who was born in 1795 also in Braddan. They had the following children:.

Margaret born in 1823 in Ballashling, Bradden, Isle of Man. She married Thomas Medley Lee. Thomas was born in 1818 in Hull, Yorkshire, UK and died between 1868 -1871 in Lancashire at age 45. More about Margaret & Thomas below.
Anne born in 1825.Anne married William Smith on 4 Oct 1861 in Braddan Isle of Man.
Eliza born in 1826
Sarah Jane born in 1829.Sarah married a Mr Fairburn.
Frances (Fanny) Catherine born in 1831 and
died in 1854 at age 23, and was buried on 12 Jan 1854 in Bradden Isle of Man.
Sophia Mary Crear was born in 1834 in Ballashling, Bradden, Isle of Man. More about Sophia below.

Rebuilt in 1777, Old Kirk Braddan, in the header phooto, contains its original box pews, gallery and a "three-decker" pulpit, with a lectern, minister's pew and pulpit above. It now houses several Celtic and Norse crosses from the period 800-1265, which were found in the parish. The church is still used occasionally for worship. It is entered in the Protected Buildings Register, and maintained by the Friends of Old Kirk Braddan.
http://www.gumbley.net/

(MARY )SOPHIA CREAR

(Mary) Sophia Crear, sister to Margaret (who married Thomas Lee), married Robert Frew Lowry on 25 Jan 1860 in Braddan. They resided at Sandown Lane, Wavertree, Lancashire in 1867. Sophia later lived at 17 Westbourne Rd, Formby.
They had one child, Robert Ernest Victor Lowry who was born 19th February 1867 in Wavertree. Sophia next married a Mr Morris- possibly the widower of her sister Eleanor. It seems she was close to the Ferguson (nee Dunbar) family because she visited them just prior to their emigration to Australia as recorded by Vera Ferguson in her Autobiography.

“The only recollection I have of great Aunt Nell was when she called with Great, great Aunt Sophia Lowry who lived in the Isle of Man. They came to say goodbye before our departure for Australia and brought a gift of a lovely gold satin lined wicker work basket for my sister and a golliwog for me. I’m afraid I disgraced myself by bursting into tears and blurted out that I wanted a basket like Win’s and not a black doll and the outcome was that the doll departed with them and a few days later I received with ecstasy a rose coloured satin lined replica which went with me to boarding school & treasured until a few years later when my mother gave it away.

Great Aunt Sophia left a will leaving the proceeds of her estate in the Isle of Man, on her death to my mother and 6 other female relatives but ,owing to a somewhat ambiguous phrase in the will, the estate was not wound up until her son’s widow died in 1964 and I was notified just as I was leaving for England that my sister and I would share in what should have been our mothers portion. Thanks to that windfall I was able to have the roof repaired, the back veranda lined and improvements made to the bathroom."

Family stories also recount that Grace Ferguson travelled back to the UK on one or more occasions to try to settle the estate but it was still not resolved at the time of her death in 1954. She was still chasing the inheritance beyond the grave as there was a note at the end of her Estate Account drawn up by Elders that said:
"The deceased may be entitled to a share of the Estates of Mary Sophia Morris deceased the assets of which are situated on the Isle of Man. Advice as to this share will not be available until such time as application is made to the High Court Justice in the Isle of Man to ascertain person entitled to Estate and this will not be made until the death of the widow of a son of Mary Sophia Morris deceased. "
Beatrice Vernon (Grace's niece) also spoke to me about the will as she remembered Grace Ferguson trying to have the money released on the grounds that it would have been of great benefit to Beatrice’s mother, her sister Eleanor, who had been left in dire circumstances when her husband left her. But Sophia’s daughter-in-law would not concede.

EDWARD CREAR
Edward Crear, Great Aunt Sophie's cousin, married Sarah Dickinson, daughter of Joseph Dickinson and Mary Tyson, on 11 Jan 1826 in Kirk Braddan. Sarah was born in 1807 also in Braddan and died on 27 May 1850 in Braddan at age 43.
Children from this marriage were:

Joseph born in 1826. He emigrated in 1848 to Adelaide , South Australia.
Mary Ann Creer was born in 1829 in Braddan Isle of Man. She emigrated to Australia and married Archibald McLean in 1857 and died on 8 Oct 1859 in Pyrmont, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia at age 30, and was buried in Camperdown Cemetery, Sydney.
Edward born in 1832.He emigrated in 1848 to Adelaide , South Australia.
Henry born in 1834.• He emigrated in 1848 to Adelaide , South Australia Edward senior died at sea however his sons went on to have distinguished careers in Australia. (see insert)

Joseph Crear (b 1826) son of Edwards married Sarah Jane Cain, daughter of Thomas Cain and Jane Christian, on 14 Jul 1849 in Adelaide, South Australia. Sarah was born in 1828 on Isle Man and died on 10 Jan 1856 in Le Fevre Peninsula, South Australia at age 28. The had 2 children however their daughter Sarah died aged one.
Their son Thomas Edward Creer married Catherine Agnes Neill on 14 Jul 1892 in Semaphore, South Australia and worked as a Manager Adelaide Tug Company in Adelaide , South Australia. The following information about Thomas is taken from a website http://belindacohen.tripod.com/creerfamilyhistory/id17.html

(No mention of these Crears are mentioned in any family records so it seems that despite being Grace Dunbar’s second cousin once removed and both living in South Australia, they had no knowledge of each other.)

CAPTAIN THOMAS EDWARD CREER
Thomas Edward Creer was educated at St Peters College in Watsons Bay, Sydney,** where his father, Joseph Creer, was pilot. Thomas spent 4 years working for the Black Diamond line of sailing ships under Captain Henry Simpson.He was interested in becoming an engineer, but decided he was more interested in navigation, when he travelled to England.
After returning to Sydney as second officer, he completed his examinations to become chief officer, and moved to Adelaide, where he joined the barque Kalahome, belonging to Captain Simpson. He was then appointed master of the Floral Star, a barquette, in 1875, which was owned by Messrs. W.R Cave, Grierson & Wells, trading to New Zealand and interstate ports.

He then took command of the steamship Euro, and Emu, owned by the Euro Steamship Company. After trading in the gulf for about seven years, he joined the Spencer Gulf and Adelaide Steamship Company, trading in command of the Franklin, South Australian and Victorian. In 1883 he inaugurated the trade to Western Australia for the Adelaide Steamship Company.

In January 1890, Thomas Creer became Secretary and Manager of the Adelaide Steam Tug Company. The company had five tugs, seven launches and nineteen hulks and barges as lighters, continually in operation. Thomas Creer lived at the Mail Station, Semaphore, where numerous telephones were installed to facilitate ready communication with all parts of the port. He was married at the semaphore to Catherine, daughter of John Neill. They did not have any children.

This newspaper article gives a good description of Thomas Creers maritime career.

Captain Thomas Edward Creer

“We present our readers with a portrait of Captain Thomas E Creer, a shipmaster whose association with South Australia dates from his birth, having been born in Currie Street, Adelaide, on March 17, 1850. His father following the sea faring pursuit…. as the Port brought young Creer in touch with ships and sailors, and when the older Creer was appointed chief pilot the son nourished his imagination on the sea yarns of beach rangers. He finished his education at St.Peters College. In 1862 he was sent away for cruise in the barque Fanny Fuller under Captain and Mrs Blanch, two very kind people who exercised parental care over the youth. At the end of 1864 he returned to home port so tired of being at sea that his desire to be an engineer ended in him being started to work in the blacksmith’s shop of Messrs. Bennett & Son at the Port. That, however, only represented a brief interlude, and the father being appointed to the barque Kohinoor took the boy on his articles for a couple of years, when he was transferred as ordinary seaman to the Kadina, of which Captain Blanch was master, and when discharged in 1868 he was able seaman.
Later on he rejoined his father as second officer of the S.S. Platypus, where he served for a term with much credit, but the desire to extend his sphere of knowledge induced him to ship again as able seaman on the barque, Queen of Nations. Subsequently he served on board the s.s Medway, the s.s Sampson, the s.s. London, all hailing from London, and in 1870 joined the ship Centurion as third officer. Afterwards he was transferred to the ship Cairnsmore, and in 1872 joined the ship Rajah as second officer. The desire to return home after three years roving induced him to rejoin his old ship the Centurion, in which he returned to Sydney, where his father had definitely settled as master of the pilot steamer. Being promoted to be chief officer if the barque Kalahome, he had a couple of years varied experience in the intercolonial trade before being appointed to the Floral Star as Master.
He so far distinguished himself that on arrival of the S.S. Euro he was put in charge, and in 1881 transferred to the S.S. Emu. where he acquired knowledge of all the corners of the coastline, and continued sailing about without accidents for some considerable time. . In 1882 the Adelaide S.S. Company selected Captain Creer for the Franklin, and he there proved such a success that he remained for five years in her, when he changed to the South Australian. From 1887 to 1890 he navigated the Victorian, then one of the finest steamers in the inter-colonial trade. During the time he was master there were many changes in the constitution of the Company, but Captain Creer was always in request. In 1890 he was selected to fill the important post of Secretary and Manager to the Tug Company, in which position he displays considerable ability and tact.”

Captain Thomas Edward Creer was also mentioned in a publication by Ronald Parson “Steam Tugs in South Australia”.

“George Willmott retired from the twin role of Manager and Secretary in 1890 and was succeeded by Captain T.E.Creer. (in passing it may be of interest that shortly after his appointment to the position of manager of the Steam Tug Company, Captain Creer married a daughter of John Neill, the man who had arranged the final details of the recent amalgamation. Thomas was a well know Pt Adelaide shipping man and had been well connected with the Adelaide Steamship Company when is had absorbed the Gulf Company. He was also associated with numerous delivery voyages of ships from England to absorbed Australian colonies. He was also experienced inn salvage work.

Captain Creer's association with the Steam Tug Company was to span thirty six
years...a remarkable period of service directing the day to day affairs of a company!
.

Above. Captain Thomas Edward Creer.

In 1848, three of Edward's sons, Joseph (b 1826), Edward (b 1832)and Henry (b 1834) sailed to Australia to seek their fortune. Joseph and Henry followed in their fathers footsteps and became sea captains also, and Edward became a ships engineer.-

Captain Joseph Creer appeared to be the most prominent of the three brothers and a number of newspaper articles reported about him:- A description of the work of the Sydney Pilots Contemporary report of a shipwreck where Capt Joseph Creer tried to give assistance.Another Rescue at Sea His life and achievements are well described in these two obituaries All of Edward Creer's (d 1838) children ultimately settled and married in Australia. Joseph for example fathered 15 children and there are many descendants of this line still living in Australia today. The maritime tradition was carried on within the family. One
of Joseph's sons, Thomas Edward Creer, became later Manager of the Adelaide Tug Company for
example and several descendants served in the Royal Australian Navy. The most notable
subsequent nautical exploits of one of Edward Creer descendants were those of his great grandson
Henty Henty-Creer. He was a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War
II and was mentioned in dispatches for his involvement in the miniature submarine attack on the
German Battleship "Tirpitz" in a Norwegian fjord in 1943 and where he tragically lost his life. The
family of Lt Henty-Creer still disagree with the official RN version of his death and the fate of the
submarine X-5 that he commanded. This is covered in a Sydney Morning Herald report of 1974
and his sister Pamela Mellor (nee Henty-Creer) has co-authored a book
on the subject. Last updated 08/01/2009 © Copyright 2009 by John A Creer