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Crosby Family
CROSBY. The Crosby family has been creditably represented in Armstrong
county, the late Judge Samuel M. Crosby, of the borough of Leechburg, William
Crosby, a farmer of Parks township, and Ebenezer B. Crosby, a resident of
Manor township, being brothers, sons of Samuel Crosby. James Crosby, the
grandfather, was born in Scotland and came from that country to America when a
young man, settling in western Pennsylvania, where he died. He was a weaver by
trade.Samuel Crosby, son of James, was born Oct. 13, 1801, near Tyrone, Pa., and
followed farming in Parks (then Allegheny) township, Armstrong county. He
bought four hundred acres of land, most of which he cleared himself. Selling
two farms from this tract, he retained ownership of 160 acres and there spent
the rest of his life, dying Jan. 1, 1884. He is buried in the Crosby lot in
the Leechburg cemetery. His wife, Jane (Gourley), daughter of George Gourley,
was born Dec. 8, 1808, and died June 11, 1867; she is buried in the same lot.
They had a large family; James died in Allegheny township Oct. 25, 1838, aged
ten years, eleven months, twenty-four days; George C. died in that township
Feb. 2, 1853, aged twenty-three years, six months, fifteen days; John R. died
in Allegheny township June 10, 1856, aged twenty-five years, six months,
twenty-one days (all three are buried in the Crosby lot in the Leechburg
cemetery); Samuel M. is mentioned below; William is mentioned below; Levi
Graves, always known as Graves S., is mentioned below; Ebenezer B. is living
in Manor township; Maria married Abraham Warner; Sarah married Findley Hill
and (second) Anderson Gourley; Mary Jane died May 10, 1853 aged four years,
seven months, three days, and is buried in the family lot; Martha is the widow
of Dr. Joseph Smith and is living at Apollo, Pennsylvania.SAMUEL M. CROSBY, son of Samuel, was born May 6, 1833, on the family
homestead in Allegheny (now Parks) township, and there began his education in
the public schools. Later he was a pupil at the Leechburg Academy, after which
he engaged in teaching school, which profession he followed for nine terms, in
Armstrong county. After the war he made a trip West and South, remaining some
time, and later engaged in the mercantile business at North Apollo for a
number of years. Having always been ambitious to study law he sold out and
began reading with his brother, Graves S. Crosby, who practiced at Parker and
Kittanning, and also read law with Wilson Jenks, at Clarion, Pa., being
admitted to the bar in Clarion county, in the year 1873. He only practiced
there a short time, however, before he was admitted to the Armstrong county
bar, and from that time until 1888 he engaged in practice in his native
county. He was admitted to the Supreme court of Pennsylvania in 1887. In 1888
he went out to Omaha, Nebr., where he was admitted to the bar and entered upon
practice, and he was also admitted to practice in Utah. He continued to follow
his profession at Omaha for a period of fifteen years, during which he was
very successful. Coming back to his home county upon the death of his wife, he
ever afterward remained there, making his home on Grant street, in the borough
of Leechburg, where he led a retired life until his death, March 11, 1914. He
was probably best know as Judge Crosby, having served six years as municipal
judge in Omaha, Nebr. He was a man whose high integrity and honorable
character commanded the respect of all who knew him. His life was interesting
and eventful, and he was a useful member of the profession of his choice.In December, 1880, Judge Crosby married Jennie Beggs, of Parker, who was
born Dec. 5, 1857, and died April 25, 1903, in Omaha, Nebr. She is buried in
the Crosby family lot in the Leechburg cemetery. Until their removal West they
lived in Leechburg, where he built a fine residence. Mr. and Mrs. Crosby
reared one child, Glennie Bowers Crosby, daughter of Lewis Bowers, who died at
Leechburg when his daughter was but three years old.Fraternally Judge Crosby was a Mason, first holding membership in the Blue
Lodge at Parkers Landing and later transferring to Leechburg Lodge, No. 577,
F. & M., with which he was connected until his death. In politics he was a
Republican. During the Civil war he entered the 78th Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry, Colonel Sirwell, was elected lieutenant of Company I, and served
with the Army of the Cumberland.WILLIAM CROSBY, son of Samuel and Jane (Gourley), was born Aug. 26, 1835,
in Allegheny (now Parks) township, Armstrong county. He attended the common
schools and Leechburg Academy, and during his young manhood taught school for
seven winters in his native township. He has since devoted all his time to
farming, in 1881 buying a part of the old Jacob Hill farm, in Parks township,
from his father-in-law. He has a tract of 104 acres, and he and his wife have
worked together to improve this place according to the most approved
standards, they having erected all the buildings, planted all the trees, and
made all the numerous changes which have transformed it into a valuable
property. Mr. Crosby follows general agriculture in his operations. He is
progressive in his work and ideas, and has been very prominent in the work of
the Grange in his section. He was the second man in the State of Pennsylvania
to hand in his name for the National Grange. He organized the Laurel Point
Grange and was its master for many years. The hall in which its meetings are
held is on his property, Mr. Crosby charging nothing for the site as long as
it is used for Grange purposes. With the exception of two years during which
he served as master, Mr. W. F. Hill has been secretary of this Grange since
its organization, Feb. 8, 1890. Mrs. Crosby, who is well known in the
community as “Aunt Eliza,” was one of the charter members and has
always taken an active part in the work. Mr. James G. McSparran, of Lancaster,
Pa., has delivered a number of lectures in this section, some of them in the
Laurel Point Grange hall, and he has made his headquarters with Mr. Crosby
when here. There are few more respected citizens than Mr. Crosby in this
section. He has done much for the general welfare, and has shown by his own
success that he is practical and efficient in all he undertakes. He has a good
gas well in operation on his farm, providing gas for all domestic purposes in
his home. The farm is underlaid with coal which also enhances its value.On Nov. 24, 1859, Mr. Crosby married Eliza A. Hill, daughter of Jacob and
Hannah (Ulam) Hill. They have no children, Mr. and Mrs. Crosby are members of
the Presbyterian Church at Leechburg, and he affiliates with Leechburg Lodge,
No. 577, F. & A. M. In politics Mr. Crosby is a Republican, and he has
been somewhat active in his locality, serving as school director.GRAVES S. CROSBY, brother of Samuel M. and William Crosby, was born Jan.
29, 1843. He studied law, and became one of the foremost attorneys at the
Armstrong county bar. After being admitted to practice he opened an office at
Parkers Landing, during the time of the oil excitement there. During his spare
time while there he wrote his book, “Platonic Love,” published in
1875, which met with considerable success. Later he located at Kittanning,
where he continued in practice until his death, which occurred at Leechburg,
at the comparatively early age of forty-three, May 6, 1886. He is buried in
the Crosby family lot in the Leechburg cemetery. During the Civil war he
served in the 139th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment.Source: Pages 555-556, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed October 1998 by Connie Mateer for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)Armstrong County Genealogy Project Notice:
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