Crossman Family    

CROSSMAN FAMILY.—One of the pioneer families of Mercer County was the Crossmans. Abner Crossman, a soldier of the War of 1812, settled in Shenango Township, Mercer Co., Penn., shortly after the close of the war. He was a native of Beaver County, and married Mary, daughter of Alexander McCall, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and a native of Washington County, Penn. But little is known of Abner Crossman by his descendants. He had two brothers and one sister: Robert Crossman, a Methodist minister of Zanesville, Ohio; James Crossman, who settled in Indiana, and Mrs. Robert McGill, of Lowell, Ohio. Abner Crossman, previous to his locating in Mercer County, was extensively engaged in the distillery business in Beaver County, Penn., but his works were destroyed by fire, and he then removed to this county, and settled where his son Robert C. now lives, in Shenango Township. He had seven children, three of whom are living: Murry Alexander, who married Jane, daughter of Samuel Bell, of Shenango Township; in 1867, and by this marriage have four children: Mary B. , Samuel A., Nannie E. and Addison W. Mr. Crossman is a carpenter by trade. In 1861 he enlisted in Company B, Tenth Pennsylvania Reserves, and was discharged the same year for disability. Robert C., who was born in 1831 upon the place where he now resides, learned the carpenter trade, and was subsequently a member of the firm of Harriott, Eaton & Crossman in the oil business at Mackey, Ohio. In 1861 he enlisted in Company B, Tenth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves, and participated in the following engagements: Drainsville, Mechanicsville, Gaines’ Mill, White Oak Swamp, Malvern Hill, Groveton, Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anna River, Tolopotomy and Bethseda Church. At Mechanicsville our subject received a wound in the head from a shell; at Fredericksburg he was wounded in the left leg, and at the Wilderness was sun-struck. At the battle of Fredericksburg he was appointed color bearer for his regiment. At the close of the war Mr. Crossman returned to Mercer County, and engaged with his old employers, the Crawford & Patterson Coal Co., as shipper, and remained with them two years. He then associated with himself his brother Cyrus, and engaged in the sawmill business and the manufacture of shingles. In 1870 he purchased the old homestead, and since that time has been engaged in farming. In 1859 he married Sarah, daughter of James and Jane (Wilson) Mayers, of Shenango Township, and by this marriage they have five children: Sarah F. (Mrs. Elwyn Hart, of Madison, D. T.). Arsena E., Ulysses G. (who resides in Dakota). Horatio A. and Cyrus E. Mr. Crossman is a member of the Alonzo McCall Post No. 456, G. A. R., of West Middlesex, and is connected with the United Presbyterian Church of that borough.

Cyrus, the fifth and youngest son of Abner Crossman, was born in 1843, in Shenango Township, and was educated in the public schools of the township. After leaving school he engaged with his brother Alexander to learn the carpenter’s trade. In 1862 he enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-second Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served until the close of the war. He followed the fortunes of his regiment, and participated with it in the following engagements: Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Weldon Railroad, Petersburg, Five Forks, South Side Railroad, and was present with his command at the surrender of Lee.

On his return to Mercer he engaged in the carpenter business and farming, and in the winter of 1866-67 he engaged in teaching school. He subsequently became connected with his brother in saw-mills and shingle business. In 1867 he was united in marriage to Miss Maria, daughter of Benjamin and Margaret (Mathews) Mayers, early settlers of Shenango Township, who settled on the land now occupied by our subject. Mr. Crossman is a member of Alonzo McCall Post, G. A. R., and also of the United Presbyterian Church of West Middlesex, Penn.

History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present : including its aboriginal history, its early settlement and development, a description of its historic and interesting localities, sketches of its boroughs, townships and villages, neighborhood and family histories, portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, statistics, etc. : also, a condensed history of Pennsylvania. Chicago, Ill.: Brown, Runk & Co., 1888, pages 851-852.  Read this book on line - Free Trial  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.