MARK OF MYER MYERS, NEW YORK, CIRCA 1765

The crest is that of Crookshank

Scottish-born George Crookshank (1732-97) married New Jersey native Catharine Norris, circa 1763. She was the daughter of William Norris and Mary Burrows, both members of prominent Monmouth County families. Crookshank and his wife settled in New York. They were members of the First Presbyterian Church of New York, and the baptisms of several of their children are recorded from 1766 to 1774.

A sea captain by trade, Crookshank is associated with the Drake, a 70-ton merchant vessel that ran between Philadelphia, Boston and Europe. Little documentation relates to Crookshank's maritime activities, but his name is recorded in a petition against the obligatory construction of brick dwellings in 1774 and in a 1776 listing where he is recorded as an unlicensed liquor seller on New Dock Street, in New York.

Crookshank's presence in New York coincides with Myer Myers's most prolific period, and this salver corresponds stylistically to other Myers salvers and waiters of the pre-Revolutionary period.

The year of the outbreak of Revolution must have been particularly difficult for Crookshank. His wife Catharine died in 1776, leaving him with several small children. She is buried in the old Presbyterian Churchyard in Middletown, New Jersey. In that same year, Crookshank's "batteau" or boat was commandeered by General Green for "public use," a claim for which Crookshank unsuccessfully sought compensation as late as 1796. By 1779, Crookshank is recorded in New Jersey, as a signatory to the Articles of Retaliation.

As a loyalist, Crookshank and his extended family moved following the British defeat to St. John, New Brunswick. A number of his children became prominent members of that community and two sons were partners in Crookshank and Walker, West India Merchants. However, familial and business ties remained to the United States, and when George Crookshank died in St. John in 1797, his death was recorded in the New York Gazette.

George Crookshank's son, The Hon. George Crookshank, was baptized in New York City in 1773, traveled with his family to St. John, and moved to the town of York (Toronto) in 1796. As one of that city's first settlers, he received a Crown grant of 1200 acres, including a 330-acre estate that is presently the western portion of the city of Toronto. Crookshank grew rich from his numerous real estate holdings and also served in a number of governmental positions.

In 1821 he married Sarah Susannah Lambert of Wilton, Connecticut. His American ties were further strengthened, following efforts to resolve his in-laws financial difficulties, when he became owner of several properties in Connecticut and New York City.

As a member of Upper Canada's elite, Crookshank and his wife lived on a very grand scale. Following the death of Crookshank's wife, his sister-in-law assisted in the rearing of his children, and her letters, An American Lady in Old Toronto: The Letters of Julia Lambert 1821-1854, shed great light on Toronto society.

Crookshank's only surviving child, Catherine, born in Wilton, Connecticut, inherited all of her father's property. In 1858, she married Stephen Heward, of another prominent Toronto family. The Myer Myers salver remained within the Heward family until 2003.


Adelberg, Michael S., Roster of the People of Revolutionary Monmouth County, 1997; Calendar of Historical Manuscripts relating to the War of the Revolution, in the office of the Secretary of State, Albany, 1868; Crookshank file, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society; Digested Summary and Alphabetical List of Private Claims which have been presented to the House of Representatives from the First to the Thirty-First Congress, 1853; Dictionary of Canadian Biography; "Records of the First and Second Presbyterian Churches", vol. 7, 9-11, New York Genealogical and Biographical Records; Stillwell, John, Historical and Genealogical Miscellany: Early Settlers of New Jersey and their Descendants, 1970