Tale of the two West Crosses

Two West Crosses lived in South Kingstown, Rhode Island during the time of the American Revolution, according to the 1790 Rhode Island Census. 

One West Cross heads a family of four. The other heads a family of six. They’re both listed as free "negroes."

Eleanor Shelton, my mother, found them after she discovered then-toddler Abraham Cross in the 1777 Military Census – the census taken to determine who was eligible to serve in the Continental Army.  The question is, which West Cross is his father? And who’s the other guy.

“It is believable that they were father and son. If so, the elder West Cross, Sr. was born in 1750 … with his West cross, Jr. born in 1770. Scrutiny of census records and a comparison between West Cross, Sr. and West Cross, Jr. and Abraham Cross suggest Abraham and West Cross, Jr. are brothers and sons of West Cross, Sr.”

Slave or Free?

While she believes both West Crosses were freemen, she reports another theory by   historian Christian M. McBurney. In his book, A History of Kingstown, RI, 1700-1900, Heart of Rural South County, McBurney writes that one of the West Crosses was formerly a slave who was freed around 1783. 

 “There was one independent household of four free Black persons headed by a free Black Man, West Cross,” he wrote. Eleanor, however, argues “no evidence, to date, substantiates West Cross as a slave.”

Whether he was born free or later freed, we’re among those few African-American families who can trace free Black ancestors to their origins in New England before and during the American Revolution. That’s a big deal. 

You can read more in Eleanor’s upcoming book that chronicles the history and genealogy of the New England Crosses and Southern Marrows.

Sources:

• Cross-Marrow Family History, Eleanor Shelton
• Military Census of 1777
• Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States, Washington County, South Kingstown Town, Rhode Island, 1790, Bureau of the Census Library Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 1908
• A History of Kingston, R.I., 1700-1900, Heart of Rural South County, by Christian M. McBurney, Kingston, R.I.:  Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, 2004, pg. 82. 

The Crosses: who begat whom?

From West Cross to Samuel G. Cross 

Think of this thumbnail compilation of our ancestors as a jigsaw puzzle that’s missing a few pieces.  It’s a work in progress.

Note the asterisks after West Cross, Sr. and Abraham Cross’ names. That’s because we believe the evidence my mother, Eleanor, found thus far doesn’t decisively prove that both these men are our direct ancestors. However, the documentation is strong enough for her to decide that they probably are. I agree.

In upcoming posts, I’ll explain what we know about these two men, why the evidence isn’t conclusive and what we need to know before we can comfortably claim them as our ancestors. I’ll also add missing pieces to these sketches as we find them.       

West Cross, Sr., 1750 – 1830*

Birthplace: South Kingstown, Rhode Island

Place of Death: Unknown

Ethnicity/Status: Free African American/Native American

Spouse: Unknown

Children: West, Jr., 1770, Abraham, 1773, four other children**. 

Original Sources: 1777 Military Census, American Genealogical-Biographical index (AGBQ), 1790 Rhode Island Census.

Abraham, 1773 – 1874*

Birthplace: South Kingstown, Rhode Island

Place of Death: Griswold, Connecticut

Ethnicity/Status: Free African American/Native American

Married: Date and place currently unknown

Spouse: Elizabeth Primus Peters

Children: Nancy**, John**, Amos, 1809, Olive, 1811, Isaac, 1813, Nelson, 1817, Joseph Orin, 1830.

Original Sources: Black Roots in Southeastern Connecticut, 1650-1900 (Barbara W. Brown and James M. Rose, 1980, 2001), pg. 98, U.S. Census, Griswold, CT 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870.

Amos Cross, 1809 - 1868

Birthplace: Griswold, Connecticut

Place of Death: Harford, Connecticut

Ethnicity/Status: Free African American/Native American

Married: September 6,1832, Griswold, Connecticut

Spouse: Eliza Gilbert, 1811 - 1881, born in Middletown, Connecticut, died in Hartford, Connecticut

Children: Joseph, 1841, Samuel, 1842, William “Prince Henry”, 1847, Louisa, 1849, Bertha, 1856, Amelia**.

Original Sources: 1832 Marriage Certificate  
Cross References:  Black Roots in Southeastern Connecticut, 1650-1900 (Barbara W. Brown and James M. Rose, 1980, 2001), pg. 98; U.S. Census, Griswold, CT Census, Griswold, CT 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870.

Samuel G. Cross, 1841 - Unknown 

Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut 
Place of Death: St. James Goose Creek (Berkley), South Carolina* 
Ethnicity/Status: Free African American/Native American 
Married: October 6, 1867, Granville, North Carolina 
Spouse:  Rebecca Marrow, July 2, 1847 – January 1, 1950, Townsville, North Carolina
Children: Lucy, 1862, Anderson, 1866, Edith “Edie”, 1872, James Weldon, 1873
Original Sources: US IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918, American Civil War Soldiers Database, U.S. Census 1860, 1880*, 1900*.

Note: The 1880 U.S. Census reports a Samuel G. Cross in Goose Creek, SC where he is married to Elizabeth Cross with a daughter, Ella – possibly a second family. However, there are date and age inconsistencies.

(*Inconclusive)

(**Details currently unknown)

Researched by Eleanor D. Bullock Shelton.

--SDSC

We're back

Sharon Shelton Corpening

           

            My momentum slowed after I published my first post in August. Sorry about that.

New small business projects opened up for all of us and have diverted our time and energy. Meantime, Chelsea, my daughter, graduated from college. And, before we could come up for air, we were hit with the holidays.

            Those aren’t the only reasons I put this project on hold. Truth is, I ran into research roadblocks.

Following years of careful sleuthing, my mother revisited some of her conclusions and, to her credit, raised necessary questions that we can’t readily answer. We realized we need a little more documentation. But, we ran into a few bumps we couldn’t get around without hiring researchers in Rhode Island and Connecticut or taking to the road ourselves. We can’t take either option at the moment. So, I stepped back to reassess. 

 After months away from this project, I’ve returned with fresh eyes. I believe we have important stories to tell. So, I’ll take one step at a time and trust that God – in His infinite Wisdom – will bring us the answers to who we are, who our people are and where we come from.