Family:James Best and Catherine Crusan (1)

James Best was born 1740-1750 in England or Ireland. His birth record has not been found. On July 6, 1773 James Best sailed from Gravesend, the port of London, England, on the Snow Sally and landed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 31, 1773. James Best was indentured to the ship's Captain Stephen Jones. When the ship arrived at Philadelphia, Captain Jones sold 60 indentured servants including James to whoever paid the asked price. For James Best the price was 15 British Pounds sterling. On September 18, 1773 James was sold to the famous clock maker and astronomer David Rittenhouse (1732-1796) of Philadelphia. The sale was recorded on page 742 of the Philadelphia Mayor's Court Indenture Book. James's term of indenture would expire on July 6, 1776.

According to family legend, James ran away from Philadelphia and eloped with a 17 year old girl Catherine Cruson. She was probably Catrina Kroesen, baptised August 15, 1756 daughter of Derick Kroesen (1723- ) and Elizabeth Van Nuys and lived in Somerset County, New Jersey. Catrina's second cousin, also named Catrina Kroesen and daughter of Elizabeth Vandegrift, lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and was NOT the wife of James Best. This Bucks County Catrina married John Sharrats in Maryland.

The first baby of James and Catherine/Catrina was Mary Best born Dec 11, 1774 and hence they probably eloped in the spring or summer of 1774. Their marriage record has not been found. Mary Best was born in Pennsylvania according to three of her children in the 1880 census. There is a 6-year gap between the births of the first and second children of James and Catherine, which is consistent with a family legend that James fought in the revolutionary war. However, none of the James Bests on the American side or on the British side could be our James Best. James and Catherine were reunited in early 1779. James appears on the 1779 tax records for Fermanagh Township, then a wilderness area in Cumberland County, PA, now in Juniata County. The earliest church in Fermanagh Township was the Cedar Spring church, but no records survive from the 1780s. Tax records for 1781-1787 show James Best paying taxes on 50 acres and owning one cow. James disappeared from the tax records after 1794 which is consistent with family legend that he moved his family to what is now Ohio. No record has been found of their stay in Ohio.

They returned to Pennsylvania about 1797 and settled in Donegal Township (in the part now called Cook township) in Westmoreland County, PA before the 1798 federal census. This census shows James Best as a farmer on 143 acres of land owned by Joseph McLean about 3 miles north-west of Stahlstown, PA.

The Bests were Presbyterians and attended the Old Donegal Presbyterian Church at Pleasant Grove on route 711 about 3 miles north of Stahlstown, PA on the road between Ligonier and Donegal.

James Best's wife is noted in the 1800 and 1810 census for Pennsylvania, but James did not mention his wife in his will signed in 1829. Three of their grandchildren were named Catherine Cruson Best.

James Best died about April 1831 and his 1829 will was probated May 3, 1831 in the Greensburg, PA courthouse.

Reference: "The Best Family of Westmoreland County, PA" by Robert M. Best