The Crosswhite Family

Adam and Sarah Crosswhite were born in Kentucky.  Around 1843, Adam and Sarah took their four children and escaped from their master.  They traveled north and settled in Michigan. There, they made a new life for themselves.  In 1847, slave catchers came to Michigan and tried to take them back to Kentucky. The Crosswhite family was able to escape with the help of their friends and neighbours in Michigan, and came to Canada.  They had to leave behind all their possessions, which became the property of their former master. They lived in Chatham for a short time.  In 1851, they settled at Lot 9 on Concession 8 in Buxton.

Adam was a farmer, as well as a carpenter.  Adam and Sarah took almost 15 years to pay off their land and they got their deed from the Elgin Association in 1865.

Oldest son, John, was a shoemaker. He married, had four children, and remained in Chatham. The second son, Benjamin, stayed with his parents and helped his father work the land.  Benjamin married and had three daughters. Benjamin joined the Union army and fought in the Civil War to end slavery.

In 1866, many people got sick with small pox.  Two of Adam and Sarah’s grandchildren died from the disease and are buried in the Buxton cemetery. After the death of the children, the Crosswhite family sold their farms in 1867 and moved back to Michigan. The war was now over and they didn’t have to fear slave catchers anymore.  Their daughter Sarah and her husband came back to Canada for a few years, but eventually moved back to Michigan.

Sarah Crosswhite died in Marshall, Michigan around 1875.  Adam Crosswhite died in Marshall, Michigan, on January 23, 1878.