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