Goodall Genealogy

The story of Stephen Crockett, born 15 Sep 1867 in Westminster London,
to parents George Crockett (1838-1869) and Sarah Saich (1841-1880) is quite interesting.
From humble beginnings, orphaned at a young age, he emigrated to the USA aged just 19,
within a few years he had become ordained as a well-known Baptist minister. He married
twice and had a total of 6 children, and his family spread round the world.
He died quite young, at the age of 52 in 1919.

Here is what we know. His parents were George Crockett, who came from Cowley, West London,
and Sarah Saich, who came from Takeley in Essex. They married 5 Dec 1863 at Bethnal Green,
in the East End of London. They had 3 children:

1. Sarah Crockett, b 25 Sep 1864 at 5 Weaver St, Bethnal Green, baptised 30 Oct 1864
   at St Matthias, Bethnal Green.
2. George Crockett, b 26 Dec 1865 at 5 Weaver St, Bethnal Green, baptised 11 Mar 1866
   at All Saints, Mile End Rd, Stepney.
3. Stephen Crockett, b 26 Sep 1867 according to his baptism record, or 5 Sep 1867
   according to his Last Will and Testament, or 15 Sep 1867 according to his gravestone.
   We will need to buy his birth registation record from the UK authorities to get a
   definitive answer to this. He was baptised 22 Jan 1874 at St Mathew, Westminster..

On 8 Jan 1869, his father George Crockett died, aged just 30. On 27 Jun 1869, his mother
married again, this time at Lambeth, London, to William Levett, who came from Horndon on
the Hill, Essex. The 3 children from the first marriage were dispersed to various natural
and acquired grandparents.

1. Sarah Crockett b1864 lived with her mother Sarah's father James Saich and his second wife
   (so step-grandmother) Elizabeth Burls in Takeley, Essex
2. George Crockett b1865 lived with his father George's mother Eliza Crockett and her husband George Gregory in Cowley.
3. Stephen Crockett b1867 lived with his stepfather William's parents William Levett and
   Rachel Chittock at Horndon on the Hill, Essex.

Although the 3 children did not go to live with their mother and her new husband,
they were certainly in touch, as Stephen Crockett and his half sister Rosetta Levett,
were both baptised at the same time together at St Mathew, Westminster, on 22 Jan 1874.

William Levett and Sarah Saich had 3 children before William died in 1876, aged just 35:

1. Rosetta Levett, b 15 Jun 1870 at Westminster, baptised 22 Jan 1874 at St Mathew, Westminster
2. Elizabeth Levett, b 30 Aug 1872 at 25 Medway St, Westminster, baptised 17 Oct 1872 at
   St Mathew, Westminster
3. Alice Lousia Levett, b 18 Aug 1876 at 44 Stratton Ground, Westminster, baptised
   12 Oct 1876 at St Stephen, Westminster.

In early 1880, Sarah Saich died, thus leaving her 6 children completely orphaned.

In 1881, Rosetta was living with her father's parents William Levett and Rachel at
Horndon on the Hill.
In 1881, George Crockett was still living in Cowley with grandmother Eliza Crockett (Gregory).

I presume that the 2 younger children went into orphanages, while it is not clear what happened
to the two eder children from the first marriage.

In 1883, aged just 16, apparently Stephen decided to become a Baptist Minister. There is no
trace of this in UK records, but in his obituary published in a New York newspaper in 1919,
it states that he started on this path aged just 16.

The next trace we have in the UK of Stephen Crockett is in 1886, when, aged just 19 in May 1886,
he is admitted to Saint Saviour's workhouse in London. He is discharged at the end of August.
Workhouses were normally for poor or destitute people, although it looks like Stephen was
admitted on medical grounds.

At the end of the year, he emigrates to the USA, travelling through Amsterdam, Holland and
arriving in New York on 27 Dec 1886. He was just 19 years old.

He finds religion, and trains to become a Baptist Minister at the Theological Seminary in
Louisville, Kentucky. The first sight we have of him is 2 years later on 19 Nov 1888, when,
after training with someone called Spurgeon, he conducted a service at the YMCA in Louisville,
Kentucky. There is another mention of him 31 Dec 1888, again conducting
a service at the YMCA in Louisville. On 18 Mar 1889, the Courier Journal in Louisville mentions
that the Rev Stephen Crockett will go as a missionary to Africa (this is mentioned several times
in the next few years, but as far as I can tell, he never goes). On 5 Aug 1889, the Courier
Journal says "Rev Stephen Crockett of London, England, preached at Franklin St Baptist church
yesterday".

Before the end of 1889, Stephen Crockett becomes the pastor at the Goshen Baptist Chruch in
Fairmount, Illinois. On 25 Feb 1890, he returns to Louisville, Kentucky, to marry Miss Mary
Carter of Louisville. The local paper, the Courier Journal, reports the event, and mentions
that the ceremony was held at the Franklin Baptist Church, and the reception hosted by Mr and
Mrs B.M.Sherrill. This is interesting, as Stephen and Mary call their first child Sherrill.
It also says that Stephen was born and raised in London, arriving 3 years ago, and entering
directly into the study for the ministry.

He had two children with Mary Carter:
Sherrill Catlett Crockett b 8 Mar 1891 at Fairmont, Illinois
Norton Stephen Crockett b 25 Dec 1892 at Rockton, Illinois
This data comes from passport applications made by Sherrill and Norton in 1920 and 1923.
At the tme, both were living in London, England. Sherrill was a civilian employee of the
United States Army in England between 1914-1920, while Norton served with the British Army
in England from 1915-1920 and then worked for the United States Shipping Board in London.

Coming back to Stephen Crockett, he applied for naturalisation as a US Citizen, which was
granted on 18 Apr 1892.

By 1895 he has moved to Madison, Florida where he was pastor of the Madison Baptist Church.
His wife Mary is also mentioned in various newspaper articles as being involved with the
Women's Missionary Union.

On 21 Jul 1902, his wife May died after an illness and an operation at Thomasville, Georgia.
See the newspaper report in The New Enterprise, Madison, Florida on Thur 24 Jul 1902.
From her gravestone, we can see Mary Carter b 2 Aug 1867 (Louisville, Kentucky)
d 21 Jul 1902 (Thomasville, Georgia).

Stephen Crockett then married again, 1 Jan 1903 in Gadsden, Florida to Mary Anna Shepard,
she was from Quincy, Florida and was born 29 Sep 1881. They had 4 further children, Stephen R b1904,
Anna V b1906, Virgil b1909, and Wilma G, all born in Florida.

When Stephen's half-sister Alice Louisa Levett emigrated to the USA 4 Apr 1904, on her
emigration forms she said she was travelling to her half-brother Stephen Crockett in
Madison, Illinois. His address was given as Baptist Church, Park Place, Madison, Illinois.
So this shows that Stephen was in touch with his half-sister. She stayed with Stepen and
family from May-Sep 1904, before travelling onwards to Vancouver.

During this period, Stephen Crockett travelled many times between the USA and England,
we have records of his returns to the USA as follows:

• Liverpool to Quebec 28 Aug 1902;
• Liverpool to New York 29 Jul 1903
• Londonderry to Quebec 2 Sep 1904
• Glasgow to New York 9 Aug 1906
• Southampton to New York 18 Oct 1907
• Liverpool to New York 2 Jul 1910. Ellis Island records say that he was English (not true
  then, as he was already a naturalised American), married, and resident in Jacksonville,
  Florida, arriving on 10 July 1910 aged 42.

In the 1910 US Census, Stephen Crockett is aged 42 from England, a preacher, living in
Panama, Duval, Florida with wife Mary Anna Crockett b1882 in Florida. It also says that
Stephen has had 5 children, while his wife has had 3. This is true, as he had 2 children
in his first marriage. It also says that he emigrated to USA in 1886.

The Last Will and Testament of the Rev Stephen Crockett, of Bayonne, New Jersey, was written
3 Jan 1919. He requests that his remains be carried to Madison, Florida. His states his
birthday to be 5 Sep 1867 (slightly different from his baptism record, which says 26 Sep 1867,
while on his gravestone it says he was born 15 September 1867! I suspect the date was 15 Sept,
and the date given on his Will was a slight misprint).

• His wife Mary Anna is to have the property in Havana, Florida.
• Son Stephen R to have his watch.
• Daughter Anna his desk.
• Son Virgil his typewriter.
• Bible from UK to William G.

Stephen Crockett died 16 Dec 1919, in Gadsden, Florida, USA, aged 52. Probate was requested
by Mary Anna Crockett 25 Sep 1920 in Duval County, Florida.

From the photo of his grave, he was born 15 Sep 1867, and died 16 Dec 1919

Of interst also are 2 passport applications made by his son Norton S Crockett in 1920 and 1923.
These show that Norton lived in the UK from 1914 to at least 1923. Also his son Sherrill lived
in the UK from 1914 to at least 1920. There does not seem to have been continuous contact between
Stephen and his two sons from his first marriage. Neither are mentioned in their father's will.

To conclude, Stephen Crockett had a difficult upbringing, with his father, step-father and
mother all dying before he was 13 years old. Aged just 19, he emigrated to the USA and
imemdiately stated training as a Baptist Minister. He was ordained quite quickly, there are
records of him preaching in 1888 and 1889, and by the time he was 22, he had his own church in
Fairmount, Illinois. He married in 1890 and had 2 children, Sherrill Crockett and Norton S.
Crockett. His wife died in 1902 and he re-married in 1903, and had a further 4 children.
During the period 1900-1910 he tavelled nearly every year to Britain, and most likely convinced
his half-sister Alice Louisa Levett to emigrate to the USA in 1904. Stephen Crockett died in
1919, aged just 52.