William Cramp, of German descent, was born in [[Kensington, Philadelphia]] in 1807. In 1855, his sons Charles Henry (born 1828)<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Cramp, Charles Henry |volume=7 |page=363}}</ref> and William C., became partners with their father. In 1872, his other sons Samuel H., Jacob C. and Theodore were taken into the firm. The company was incorporated under the name "The William Cramp and Sons' Iron Shipbuilding and Engineering Company."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83610269/obituary/|title=William Cramp, the Ship-Builder. |work=Bedford County Press and Everett Press|place=Everett, Pennsylvania |date=15 Jul 1870 |page=1 |access-date=2021-08-17}}</ref>
The pilot boat [[Thomas Howard (pilot boat)|''Thomas Howard'']] was built by the Cramp shipyard in 1870 for the [[Pilots' Association For The Bay & River Delaware|Delaware Bay & River pilots]]. She was one of the [[Philadelphia]] port's fastest pilot boats.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83594771/launch/ |title=Launch. |work=The Evening Telegraph |place=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |date=26 Apr 1870 |page=8 |access-date=2021-08-16}}</ref>
