John (1) Croade, our earliest Croade Family antecedent, was born in England probably in ca 163x. His forebears and place of birth are unknown. However, in that his wife, Elizabeth Price, came from Bristol, Gloucestershire, one might assume that the Croade family came from that area. John (1) Croade died in 1670 at Salem, Ma.. He married on, 17 March 1659 at Salem, Ma., Elizabeth Price who was baptized 13 Jan.1652 at Salem and died 1683+ at Salem,Ma. She was the daughter of Walter and Elizabeth Gerrish Price who came to New England in 1640 from Bristol, England. Elizabeth Price Croade married second, on 26 Dec. 1672, as his third wife, John Ruck who was born in 1627 and died in 1697 at Salem, Ma. The noted Elizabeth Price had a sister Hannah Price, b1648 d1683, who married Hilliard Veren, b1649 d 1689, on 04 May 1670. Hannah Price Veren’s will dtd 04 Oct. 1683 bequests 50 L to John Croade, son of my sister “Ruck”, i.e., Elizabeth Price Croade Ruck.

There was a Richard Croade of Hingham,Ma. who married , on 29 April 1656, Frances Hersey who was the daughter of William and Elizabeth (–) Hersey. This family removed from Hingham, Ma. to Salem, Ma where their four children were born. The first born child of this marriage was named John. In that Richard Croade, born 1638, and our John(1) Croade were of the same time frame coupled with the unique name and the fact the first born of Richard was named John gives logic that they could be brothers. There are no records validating this relationship.

John (1) Croade was a successful merchant of Salem who was involved in cargo shipping, warehouses, and a grain mill; he was a close business associate of Walter Price which association extended on to their respective sons, i.e., Capt. John Price and John (2) Croade. We find in the will of Walter Price, dated 21 May 1674, many instructions and bequests relating to John (1) Croade and his wife Elizabeth Price Croade and their children. This close relationship with Walter Price gives credence to the potential of John (1) Croade being originally from Bristol, England. We find “Nov. 1670, Mr. John Croade dying intestate, and none appearing who would administer and Mrs. Elizabeth Croade, the widow, refusing, the Court appointed Henry Skerry, Marshall, Mr. John Price, and Hilliard Veren, Sr. to present an inventory of the estate to the next Salem Court. And “in June 1671 an account of John Croade, deceased was brought in which reflected, among many items, that there a considerable estate in just the debts owed to John (1) Croade from several persons.” John (1) Croade left an estate of L3,915 which, for that time period, was a very tidy sum.
References:PH7:192; PH13:171: PH17:V1:473-474;V3:484-485; PH49:146; PH171:V105:61; PH174:75; PH207: 257; PH222: V4: 310, 401;V5:366-367; FH50:249; NEHGR:V11:159:160.

John (2) Croade, the second child and first son of John (1) and Elizabeth Price Croade was born on 14 June 1663 at Salem, Ma. and died after 1717 in Salem, Ma.. He married, at Marshfield, Ma. on 01 Dec 1692, Deborah Thomas, the daughter of Capt. Nathaniel and Deborah Jacobs Thomas. Deborah Thomas was born 28 Sept. 1668 at Marshfield, Ma. There is some confusion as to her death date.”Thomas Families of Plymouth County, Ma.” by John Marshall Raymond, 1990, page 274 notes that Deborah Thomas (Croade) died on 14 June 1741 at Plymouth, Ma. We find, however, in the “Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire” - 1988 by Noyes, Libby, and Davis, page 171 that John (2) Croade married before 1707, as his second wife, Elizabeth (–). This would indicate that the first wife, Deborah Thomas Croade, was deceased prior to this second marriage, i.e., before 1707. This , of course, assumes no divorce or separation which were extremely rare in early New England. Finally, “New England Marriages Prior to 1700", 1985, by C. A. Torrey notes that John (2) Croade had a second wife, Elizabeth (–).

John (2) Croade had five children, by Deborah Thomas Croade, all of which were baptized in Salem,Ma. The Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire states that John (2) Croade had ten children of which the latter five were baptized in Berwick, Maine. The latter five were the children of his second wife, Eliazabeth (–).

John (2) Croade was an innkeeper in Salem, Ma.plus he was a close business associate of Capt. John Price. We find, from the Salem Quarterly Court Records, two items of interest. First, “John Croade, aged about twenty years, testified that being in the ketch, “James”-John Lambert, Master in 1682, trading in a place called Back river in Virginia, James Cox came and desired passage to New England; they arrived in Salem in the latter end of April 1683". Our John(2) Croade was an “active” merchant. The second item reflects “Mr. John Croade swore to this account, 25 Nov. 1684, that he was then living with Capt. John Price and making up the account, before N. Saltonstall. John (2) Croade moved from Salem, Ma. to Berwick, Maine sometime prior to 1707 at which time he and his second wife, Elizabeth (–), joined the church in Berwick. John (2) Croade , was a very successful merchant in Berwick, Maine, where he was carrying forth his father’s vocation as a “multi endeavor merchant”. John (2) also speculated in land in Casco Bay with some unfortunate financial results. John (2) Croade returned to Salem, Ma. with his family before 1717 where he acted as an attorney and was a selectman; he remained in Salem until his death. The actual death dates of John (2) Croade and his second wife, Elizabeth (–) Croade are unknown
References:PH7:192; PH13:171; PH17:V1:473-474;V3:485; PH88:86; PH174:75; PH176:240; PH207:257; PH222:V9:139-140, 392, 397; FH50:249; FH174:261; FH269:152; NEHGR:V6:348

Mary Croade, the fifth child and third daughter of John(2) and Deborah Thomas Croade was born 18 March 1700 in Salem, Ma. and died 28 June 1743 at Marshfield, Ma. She married, on15 January 1720 at Marshfield, Ma., Jedediah Bourne who was born on 29 October 1792 at Marshfield, Ma. and died 18 October 1765 at Marshfield, Ma. He was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Rowse Bourne.
References: PH16:Ma:N10; FH32:375; FH50:171; NEHGR:V4: 315; V6:351. .