Arthur Herbert Cranstoun Family Tree
Arthur Herbert Artie Cranstoun was born on November 24, 1894, the second son of Langford Selly Cranstoun and Evelina "Effie" Gibbons Harper. One could write an entire book on the exploits of my grandfathers brother Arthur Herbert Cranstoun. Arthur Married Hyacinth Neville Marguerite "Cynthia" Palmer in 1929 and had children. Arthur also had children outside of the marriage. Wife - Hyacinth Neville Marguerite Palmer Hyacinth Neville Marguerite Cynthia Palmer was born February 1929 in Basseterre, St. Kitts and married Arthur Herbert "Artie" Cranstoun on 5 Feb 1929 at St. Marys Chapel, Dieppe Bay, St. Kitts, British West Indies. She was the daughter of Neville Edwin Palmer and Sarah Louise Bernadine Parmenter/Pamenter. Children of Hyacinth Hyacinth Neville Marguerite Cynthia Palmer and Arthur Herbert "Artie" Cranstoun had two children: Langford Arthur Edwin Cranstoun (19161996)
Hyacinth Neville Cynthia Cranstoun (19182002) Arthur Herbert "Artie" Cranstoun had the following children as well: Melvina "Mel" Roberts from Bethesda, Antigua had Lyda Roberts-Cranston 1929-1972Artie had yet another child with Melvina Mel Roberts named Lyda Roberts-Cranston born in 1929 and passing away on January 1, 1972. Melvina Roberts was cousin to Eva Martin. In the words of Frank Sinatra, 1929 was a very good year for Artie. In June 2015 I came across some people from Bethesda on Facebook and uncovered a book by Joy Lawrence called Bethesda and Christian Hill our History & Culture which I bought and read and I am glad I did. How do I explain this? In the book it mentions that my cousin Handel Cranstoun represented Antigua in an international track and field meet in Jamaica and his brother Archie was the best footballer, so I contacted Archie and he knew of the book and told me Handel and Joy were close friends. I had to chuckle, as here we went again, more information I uncovered and now I was getting the whole story, from the horses mouth, so-to-speak. As it turns out the story takes a rather interesting twist as we learn Joy Lawrence is also a part of the family! Archie and Handels father, Arthur, was a school teacher in Bethesda along with his sister Lyda. Now, the main teacher and the person who sparked my interest to buy the book was a woman named Vida Martin. The name Martin in Bethesda rang a bell for me because Melvina Mel Roberts and Eva Martin were cousins. Vida Martin adopted Lyda Roberts-Cranston and moved to Grays Hill. (more alarm bells). Archie told me there was a man named Roberts who would stop him every time he saw him and ask about his father Arthur. The reason for the second alarm bell was because Lydas grandmother Evelina Effie Cranstoun lived her final days at Grays Hill. So I wondered if she might have gotten to know her last grandchild, or if Lyda ever knew who she was. I called William McIntosh and told him this story and asked what he thought and he said he didnt think Effie would have made any effort to get to know her as she was kind of stand offish. From my travels around Antigua with Russel Kelsick and Handel Cranston my betting is she did know who she was as the population was smaller then and everyone Ive met who lives in Antigua seems to know everyone, in one way or another. So I was to learn from Eric Henry, an older gentleman who lives in Bethesda, that he lived on one side of the Bethesda Methodist Church and the Cranstouns lived on the other side and when the fish came in his mother or Handels mother would come out and announce to one another that the fish were in. Then he told me when he went to the USA to become a lawyer, Handel and his wife lived in his house. Eric Henry was a policeman and he told me he asked Arthu
Lyda Roberts-Cranstons brother was a man named Walter Lawrence. The father of Joy Lawrence, the author of Bethesda and Christian Hill Our History & Culture, was Owen Lawrence who had two brothers named John and Richard. It turns out Joys uncle John Lawrence was the father of Walter Lawrence! Walter Lawrence and his wife Josephie owned a general grocery store in Bethesda. They were famous for selling dutty gal, a sugar cake made of grated coconut, spice and brown sugar simmered to the desired consistency then place on a wooden counter to dry. They sold for one cent each. Village children in the 50s relished finding a one cent piece, which they would clean and shine to ensure the shopkeeper would accept it for a piece of sugar cake. - From the book Bethesda and Christian Hill Our History & Culture by Joy Lawrence. Vida Martin, respected and beloved Bethesda school teacher and adoptive mother of Lyda Roberts-Cranstoun. The unaswered question is her relationship to Eva Martin of Bethesda who was the mother of Arthur Herbert Esedora Cranstoun. From Joy Lawrences book I discovered a list showing Eva Martin was on an Estate Gang at Blakes along with Evie Quildan which raises the question of what was her relationship to Francis Quildan mother of Hermita Quildan. It seems the more I learn the more questions I have. Francis Quildan from Bethesda, Antigua had Tamar Elenor "Hermita" Quildan 1932-2017
Tamar Elenor "Hermita" Quildan born in 1932, married a man named Franker. She doesnt know much about her fathers family as they were not mentioned much in the home when she was young. She remembers when she was a child three women, she believed they were his sisters, coming with papers to adopt her. Her grandmother refused. Hermita saw a picture of her father once when she was very young, from correspndence with her daughter Mystie Cato. Hermita's mother was Francis Quildan from Bethesda Village and she died on February 16, 1973 at General Hospital Port of Spain, Trinidad. I spoke with Hermita in Trinidad and was told she knew some of Arthur's other children, Arthur Hubert Esedora Cranstoun, Lucille, Millicent and Lydia. She attended school with Arthur Hubert Esedora Cranstoun and still communicates with him today in Tobago.
Arthur Hubert Esedora Cranstoun married Monica Annabelle Thompson 1 August 1945 in the Parish of St George, St Kitts, British West Indies and the had the following children: Althea Cranston 1949- Eunice Annabelle Cranston 1950- Archie William Stanely Cranstoun - 1951- Handel Bertrum Cranston - 1954- Amanda Hester Cranston All of Arthur's children are married with their own families. Some have the "u" and some don't in the lastname. Arthur Hubert Esedora Cranstoun also had the following children: Mary "Maisie" Gabriel had Jackie CranstounMargaret "Nan" Brade from Montserrat Island, British West Indies had Phillip Brade Edith Potter from Potters Village, Antigua had Joe Cranston Arthur Hubert Esedora Cranstoun married Cynthia Gloria Joefield in 1973 in Togbago and they adopted a daughter
Edith Ambrose from Cochranes had Millicent Mildred
Ambrose 1924-2011 Artie had another child with Edith Ambrose who was a servant at the Thomas Estate owned by the Cranstoun family her name was Millicent Mildred Ambrose born August 7, 1924 and died May 21, 2011. Millicent married Clarkston Milton Ralph and they had a daughter Eileen Mavis Ralph born March 5, 1942. Mavis married Francis Alexander Henry and they had three children Ralph Iton Carl Henry (RICH) born 1971, Dr. Lori-Ann Alicia Suzzette Henry (LASH) born 1972, she is a doctor in Jamaica and Rafig Alex Shridath Henry (RASH) born 1976. I recounted a story told to me by Myrna Kelsick to Cynthia Gail Martineau about Mavis Ralph when we first started talking and this is the story. Myrna, daughter of Florence Ethel Florrie Cranstoun-Bethel, was in church one day and this lady approached her telling her that she had a wonderful Hymn Book and could she have it. Myrna said, No and the lady said, They dont make them any more can I have it rebound for you. Myrna said, Yes and a few weeks later the Hymn Book was returned. The lady looked at Myrna and said, You have no idea who I am, do you? Myrna replied, No I do not. The lady told her, her grandfather was Arthur Herbert Cranstoun, and thats how Myrna found out about Mavis Ralph. I met Mavis and her husband Frank on my visit to Antigua in January 2013 and we had a wonderful chat about the family and I learned a lot of information. At the time I found it very interesting that, for lack of a better word, the illegitimate children of Artie all seemed to know each other but the legitimate family knew nothing of them. Mary Ann "Ethel" Charles had from Diamond Estate had Maude Lucille Hyacinth Charles 1929-1970
Ethel Charles was a servant at Diamond Estate where Artie was the Manager and she was from Pares Village, Antigua. They had Gails mother Maude Lucilla Charles, born August 29, 1929, at Parham, Antigua. Lucilla married John Martin Martineau and they had the following children. Curletta, Koriet Margaret, Cynthia Heather Gail, and Sheryl Agnes and a son named Dwight Kay. In 1970 Lucilla and her daughter Sheryl died in the M. V. Christina boating disaster on a trip between St. Kitts and Nevis. When everyone was in the water Lucilla grabbed her daughter and another girl and swam to safety. Unfortunately, the girl who lived was not her daughter and Lucilla died shortly thereafter. Before the accident she married Ivan Benjamin Connor who already had a son Perry Connor. Perry lives in St. Thomas, and Curletta lives in Antigua and is married to Hollis Henry and they have two daughters, Rox-Ann and Ann Marie. Arthur Herbert Artie Cranstoun was the second son of Langford Selly Cranstoun and Evelina Gibbons Harper.
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