Major Joseph Croshaw (1610-1667) was a substantial planter living near Williamsburg in the US Colony and Dominion of Virginia.
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Crowshaw was born in probably 1610-1612, the son of Captain Raleigh Croshaw. He became a substantial planter and lived just a few miles from present-day Williamsburg, Virginia. On December 10, 1651, he patented land which became the plantation known as Poplar Neck:
1000 a. in York Co., upon the side of York River, commonly known by the name of Poplar Neck, abutting n. w. upon the mouth of St. Andrew's Creek" (later called Carter's Creek) "n. e. upon York River, s. e. upon a small creek called Croshaw's Desire dividing this land & the land now in possession of Richd. Croshaw into the woods, w. s. w. & by s. and s. w. along the Indian Field upon the land of Jas. Harris, w. by n. upon the land of Samuel Snead, n. w. by w. upon a line of marked trees leading along to St. Andrew's Creek.[1]
Poplar Neck subsequently came to Col. John West through West's marriage to Joseph Croshaw's daughter Unity.
Croshaw married five times and had six children:[2]
1. Unknown
2. Widow Finch
3. Mrs. Anne Hodges (d.1663), widow of Augustine Hodges
4. Mrs. Margaret Tucker (d.1664), widow of Daniel Tucker
5. Mrs. Mary Bromfield (d. bef. 28 May 1673), widow of Thomas Bromfeild
Croshaw died by April 10, 1677, when his will was recorded in York County, Virginia. The inventory of his estate included two pewter candlesticks, forty-two pewter dishes, four porringers, thirty-six spoons, one bedpan, and one still. It also listed a silver sack-cup; twenty-four silver spoons; and a silver tankard of the largest size, valued at four pounds sterling (equal in purchasing power to about 330 pounds[3] or $530 in modern currency).[4]
The inventory of 1668 also listed the Croshaw estate as having 1000 bricks manufactured either by their own servants or by transient laborers.[5]