The William Henry Crane Manuscript Collection

1818 December 01

Born in Elizabeth, N.J.

1843

Entered Princeton Theological Seminary

1844

Left the Seminary for health reasons and accepted an assistant teaching position at Wilkes Barre Academy, Pa.

1848 October

Ordained as an evangelist by the Presbytery of Florida

1848

Served as Pastor in Marianna, Fla.

1849-1850

Served as Pastor in Madison and Oakland, Fla.

1851

Served as Pastor in Mineral Spring and Bainbridge, Ga.

1852

Served as Pastor at Euchee Valley Church, Fla.

1853

Served as Principle of Phila Academy in Gadsden County, Fla.

1854

Served as Pastor at Damascus Church

1854-1855

Served as Principle of Bainbridge Academy, Ga.

1855-1858

Served as a Pastor and teacher in Iamonia, Fla.

1859-1860

Served as missionary for the Presbytery of Fla.

1861-1865

Again served as Principle of Phila Academy, Fla.

1866-1868

Served as Principle of Quincy Academy, Fla.

1869-1870

Served as Superintendent of Gadsden County Schools, Fla.

1870-1877

Served as a missionary to Quincy, Fla.

1878-1893

Served as pastor in Quincy, Smyrna, Eureka, and Iamonia, Fla.

1894

Died in Quincy, Fla.

The following is taken from the article “Memorial of Rev. W. H. Crane”, which appeared in Southern Presbyterian on November 21, 1895.

Reverend William Henry Crane was born in Elizabeth, N.J., on December 1, 1818. He entered the Presbyterian Church in his youth and felt called of God to the ministry. After several years of tutelage, he entered the College of New Jersey in 1840, but left shortly thereafter due to respiratory problems. When his health improved, he came to the Seminary at Princeton in order to finish his studies, but he left again after little more than a year, because of respiratory issues.

On the advice of his physician and others, he moved south to the milder climate of Florida and entered into ministerial service there. He was ordained to service as an evangelist by the Presbytery of Florida on April 7, 1848. He married Julia Atwater in 1849, and was called to the church in Madison, Fla. that same year.

As his health improved, he served many weaker churches throughout the state of Florida, including Mineral Spring and Bainbridge (1851), Euchee Valley (1852), Damascus (1854), Iamonia(1855-58), Quincy (1877-93), Smyrna, Eureka, and Iamonia (1878-93). Crane also served many schools as a Principle including Phila Academy (1853, 1861-65), Bainbridge Academy (1854-55), and Quincy Academy (1866-68). He died in Quincy on November 30, 1894, at the age of 76.