CROSS: Of Spencer since year 1870.
Elmer Elsworth Cross and his family first of the name here. Their ancestry:
Waid Cross was a son of a family of Crosses, colonists of Connecticut, having married in Connecticut and lived there for sometime, he with his family came to the Ohio about the year 1802, and settled as pioneers on the Little Muskingum River about two miles above Marietta, then a neighborhood center of several families all from New England.
Waid Cross and his wife reared only one son, his name, Lucius Cross; he grew up at the pioneer home there and married Miss Thirza Stanley, in the year 1822, sne a daughter of Timothy Stanley of Revolutionary fame.
Lucius and Thirza soon disposed of the farm on the Little Muskingurn and removed down the Ohio to Racine, acquired a large tract of forest lands lying about two miles back from the river, and on it began an ancestral home; cleared many acres and made them into fertile fields; a notable farm by the year 1832; in which year they built a ten-room frame
dwelling, at that time deemed the best home in Meigs County. There Lucius and Thirza, his wife, reared their familyfive sons and four daughters and completed their spans of life. The names of their children given in order of births are:
Abigail, born about 1823, married William Curtis.
Eliza, born about 1825, married William Carson.
Murial, born about 1827, married Wesley Hayman.
Lucius, Jr., born about 1830, married Elizabeth Reynolds.
Timothy, born about 1833, married Miss ______ Jones.
Waid, born about 1835, married Addie Miles.
Davis Barker, born about 1837, was thrice married: Miss _____ Carpenter; Miss _____ Becknell; Miss _____ Amanda Batey.
Edwin, M. D., born about 1839, located in Chicago.
Lydia, born about 1841, married Thornton Mallory.
All the above marriages were in Meigns County, Ohio.
Lucius Cross, Jr., son of Lucius and Thirza (Stanley), his wife, grew up there on the farm described, qnd in the year 1858 married Miss Elizabeth Reynolds in the village of Racine. He acquired a part of the home-farm and on it, on Bowmans Run, built the Cross water grist mill, with improvements and equipments for making fine bread stuffs deemed up to date really in advance of the times.
Lucius and Elizabeth there reared their family and finished their careers. Their children were five sons and two daughters whose names are:
Elmer Elsworth, Edwin Lucius, Alban Benton, Oscar Groo, Hayman Joy, Jessie Floy and Julia Bessie. Of these:
Elmer Elsworth Cross, son of Lucius, Jr., and Elizabeth (Reynolds) Cross, his wife, was born on the farm described, January 24, 1861. Educated in the schools there and Normal at Syracuse. Grew to manhood there, learned the millers trade, as well as quality of, and dealing in live stock.
"Striking out" for himself, he acquired the St. Dennis Flour Mill at Ravenswood and ran it for some years. In the meantime he united in marriage with Miss Emma M. Gould, at Ravenswood, October 19th, 1891. She was born at Mannington, West Virginia, December 10th, 1870, daughter of William H. Gould and his wife, at time of marriage of the daughter, residents of Ravenswood, West Virginia.
In the year 1911, Elmer E. Cross sold the St. Dennis Mill and purchased a stock farm of four hundred and twenty-five acres in Roane County, lying two and a half miles north of Spencer on the Spencer and Ravenswood turnpikenow State Road No. 14. Settled the family there and all are yet there.
To Elmer E. and Elizabeth M., his wife, were born and by them reared the following three sons and two daughters:
Chester, Zana Merle, Charles Gordon, Lucius Stanley and Madeline Elizabeth.
Source: History of Roane County, West Virginia, 1774-1927 William H. Bishop, Esq. p 491-493
Submitter: Sandy Spradling, November 28, 1999
