John Grew (1752-1800) was born in Leicester, England. He married Mary Coltman (1756–1834), also of that town, in 1777. John worked as a brass founder until 1794, when he moved his family to Boston, Massachusetts. He and Mary had several children: John Grew (1780–1821); Henry Grew (1781–1862); Mary Grew (1778–1817); Anna Grew (1786–1835); Elizabeth Grew (1798–1822); and Charles Grew (1784–1803). John Grew (1752–1800) died after a brief illness while visiting England. His daughter, Mary, wed Benjamin Greene in 1803; their daughter Ann Terry (Greene) Phillips (1813–1886) would later wed the abolitionist and orator, Wendell Phillips (1811–1884).

Henry Grew held a post as a pastor in Hartford, Connecticut from 1807 to 1811, where he married Susan Pitman in 1802; their marriage ended with her death in 1804 and produced a daughter, Susan. A marriage with Kate Merrow produced the noted abolitionist Mary Grew (1813–1896). After Kate's death, Henry then married Elizabeth Parkman Sturgis, with whom he had four children: Henry Sturgis Grew (1834–1910); Charles Grew (1836–1849); Edward Grew; and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Perkins Grew. Henry married Jane Wigglesworth after Elizabeth Parkman Sturgis Grew's death; he died in Providence, Rhode Island in 1862.

Henry Sturgis Grew attended the Boston Latin School and after graduation joined the shipping company Russell & Co., based in China and owned and operated by his maternal uncle, Russell Sturgis. He returned to Boston in 1863 to marry Jane "Jennie" Norton (Wigglesworth) Grew (1836–1920). They resided in China until 1865, at which time they returned to Boston. The couple had four surviving children: Edward; Elizabeth; Jane Norton; and Henrietta. Henrietta married Stephen Van Renneslaer Crosby; Jane Norton married John Pierpont Morgan, Jr.; and Elizabeth married Boylston Adams Beal.

William Bedloe Crosby (1786-1865) was born in New York City. When he was orphaned at the age of two, he was adopted by his maternal great uncle Henry Rutgers. William married Harriet Clarkson and the family remained in New York, where William was a merchant. Their marriage produced four children, among them Clarkson Floyd Crosby (1817–1858) who married Angelica Schulyer. John Schulyer Crosby (1839–1914), their son, served in the United States military as a Colonel, as well as Consul in Florence, Italy from 1876–1882 and as the Governor of Montana Territory from 1883–1884. He was the father of Stephen Van Renneslaer Crosby.

Franklin Delano Williams (d. 1865), an acquaintance of Henry Sturgis Grew, owned the shipping company Williams & Co., based in China. He was married to Mary (Nelson) Williams; their children included Mary "Dollie" Williams and Franklin "Frankie" Williams. The family lived in Greenfield, Massachusetts while Franklin worked abroad. After closing Williams & Co., Franklin served as the United States Vice-Consul in Hong Kong until his death.