Where & when did the Crann's land on the Rock?
The earliest information we've been able to uncover indicates that the first Crann's arrived
in the early 1800's to the Placentia Bay area of southeastern Newfoundland. As most of the newcomers
to the Island, the early Crann's were primarily fishermen. A small group of islands called Flat
Islands on the west side of the bay just off Red Harbour and Jean de Baie appears to be the first
settlement for Crann's.
John & Elizabeth Crann seem to be the couple to start the Crann family roots on the Island by
having the first recorded child in 1814. His name was Henry William. It's difficult to confirm if
John & Elizabeth moved directly to Flat Islands or started to raise their family at Jean de Baie
before moving to Flat Islands (it's possible that women went to the a more established location to
deliver their babies). It's registered in the Methodist (United) Church archives John & Elizabeth
had 3 children @ Jean de Baie and at least 5 additional children at Flat Islands.
The youngest child of John & Elizabeth was Samuel, born in 1837. He was one of the Crann’s that
started the migration along the west side of Placentia Bay, up to Sound Island, Spenser’s Cove and
North Harbour.
During the mid 1800's other Crann’s moved to Harbour Buffett. It’s located on Long Island on the
east side of Placentia Bay and was considered a hub for merchant activities. Harbour Buffett became
an area where many of the Crann branches got their roots. During that late 1800's the Crann
families grew and spread out to other parts of Placentia Bay to Famish Cove (Fair Haven), Trinny
Cove, Arnolds Cove, Chance Cove and others.
Although conclusive evidence has not been found in part due to Church records being destroyed in a
fire, it appears likely that the branches from Flat Islands to Harbour Buffett and beyond are
directly connected. Over time we hope to source other data to confirm this.
Today you will find Crann's across Newfoundland and all across Canada!
Where did the Crann's originate from?
Crann's appear to have originated in the United Kingdom. Census information obtained via the net
indicated Crann's back to the 1600's in England, Scotland & Ireland. We have been in contact
with people in the UK & the USA researching Crannroots so stay tuned we will update this page
as information becomes available.
The maps below will help you place Placentia Bay relative to the province and the older map was
created in approximately 1900.
