Frank S., Brockett

• 1820, Mar. 4: Born, son of Col. Francis Crocker and Anna Woodworth, of Cambridge, N.Y. Both of Revolutionary War ancestry. Col. Crocker a Mayflower descendent.
• 1834: Gen. Crocker began his military career by organizing a company of schoolboys, of which he was elected Captain - so well drilled and disciplined the company were the pride of the village.
• 1837: Taught school at Ashgrove, suburb of Cambridge.
• 1840: Commissioned First Lieutenant of artillery, attached to 14th Regiment of N.Y. State Militia by Gov. Seward. During the next twenty years rose through the successive grades of Captain, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, and General in the State Militia, thus forming State-wide acquaintance among military men and officials.
• 1843: Was married on June 13 to Harriette Sipperly of Melrose, N.Y. They had three sons, John S., Jr., Irving M., and Willis F. Crocker.
• 1846: Was admitted to the New York State Bar, having studied law in the office of Judge Howe of Cambridge and Albany Law School.
• 1855: Joined the "Know Nothings" and appoint Deputy for the first assembly district of Washington County.
• 1855: Elected member of the New York State Assembly.
• 1860: Organized Cambridge Valley Lodge #481, F&AM (chartered June 12) and was elected J.W. of the Lodge. (When living in Washington, D.C. after close of Civil War, advanced to the 33rd and highest Degree in Masonry and was a brother Lodge member of President James A. Garfield.)
• 1861: Governor Morgan authorized him to raise and drill a Regiment of Volunteer Infantry. Quickly mustered 1030 outstanding men, mostly from Washington, Warren, Essex, and Rensselaer Counties. This Regiment was numbered the 93rd N.Y.V. and were christened "Morgan Rifles" in honor of Governor Morgan.
• 1862, Jan. 30: Col. Crocker and his Regimental officers were commissioned and shortly thereafter left for Washington and became attached to the Army of the Potomac under General Geo. B. McClellan, and during 1862-1863 served as Headquarters Guard of this Army, under McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, and Meade, participating in the Peninsular Campaign, Antietem, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg.
• 1864: Expiration, in January, of enlistment; furloughed, and re-enlisted as a Veteran Regiment, the first of this class of the Army of the Potomac, and then took the field and fought under Gen. Grant up to the time of Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
• 1864: At the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5, the 93rd N.Y.V. were cited by General Birney for outstanding gallantry, and Colonel Crocker was made a Brigadier General in the field on the death of General Hayes. In this battle, General Crocker had four horses killed under him and himself was severely wounded.
• 1865, May 23: The remnants of this renowned Regiment participated in the Grand Review on Pennsylvania Avenue at Washington, D.C.
• 1865 - 1869 : Was a practicing lawyer in Washington.
• 1869: Was appointed by President U.S. Grant Warden of the United States Jail at Washington, which he held until his death in 1890. During his tenure of office, he officiated at the hanging of Charles J. Guiteau, the assassinator of President James A. Garfield. Also during this period he was very active in politics in the city, being President of the Board of Aldermen and Acting Mayor. He had very active participation in the filling in of the Canal and levelling of Washington's streets, directed by the hard-bitten and resolute "Boss" Shepard.
• 1890: Died.

From the guide to the Brockett collection, 1773-1890., (Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library)