Brick Walls, William Cross

William Cross served two tours of duty in the Revolutionary War, first as a drummer boy and second as a private.  His service was in the militia of Col. Isaac Shelby.  Col. Shelby's militia was formed in what was then western North Carolina and which is now upper East Tennessee, in Sullivan County near Bristol.  William Cross moved from Sullivan County to Knox County in 1817 and then to Anderson County in 1818.  He lived thereafter in Anderson County until his death in 1844.  The preceding information concerning the broad outline of William's life may be found in his Revolutionary War pension application.

William Cross is not my brick wall per se.  Rather, my brick wall is my third great grandfather Alfred Carter Cross.  My research indicates that Alfred Carter Cross was the son of William Cross the Revolutionary War drummer boy.  I believe that the evidence to support this claim is very strong.  But despite its strength, the evidence to support this claim is indirect, circumstantial, and very complicated.  So far as I know, the evidence has not been accepted by the D.A.R. Also, the claim is disputed by descendants of Brittain Cross.  They believe that Brittain was the son of William Cross.

The two claims are not mutually exclusive.  It's theoretically possible that William Cross was the father of both Alfred Carter Cross and Brittain Cross.  But my research indicates otherwise.  Namely, my research indicates that William Cross was the father of Alfred Carter Cross and quite a few other individuals, and that William was not the father of Brittain.

When I first started researching Alfred Carter Cross to try to figure out who his parents were, I discovered the following Cross family members in Anderson County as they had already been researched by other Cross family historians.  There were two Cross families, mine and the "other" one.  Alfred Carter Cross and Jesse C. Cross appeared to have been brothers, and appeared to have been brick walls because their father was not known.  Brittain Cross and his three sons John, William, and Alfred were wealthy and were major public figures in early Anderson County history.  And Brittain was supposed to have been the son of William Cross the Revolutionary War drummer boy.

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                              Conventional Wisdom

    my Cross family                          the "other" Cross family
    
unknown Cross                             William Cross, 1762-1844
    Jesse C. Cross, 1804-1870                 Brittain Cross, 1776-1825
    Alfred Carter Cross, 1808-1885                John Cross, 1803-1851
                                                  William Cross, 1807-1904
                                                  Alfred Cross, 1813-1899

---

I believe the following is the correct Cross family history in Anderson County.

---

                 Probably More Correct than the Conventional Wisdom

    my Cross family                          the "other" Cross family                    

William Cross, 1762-1844                  unknown Cross
    Jesse Cross, 1804-                        Brittain Cross, 1776-1825
    Alfred Carter Cross, 1808-1885                John Cross, 1803-1851
                                                  William Cross, 1807-1904
                                                  Alfred Cross, 1813-1899

This is an aside that is not germane to the main thesis of this page.  Namely, this aside is not germane as to exactly who William Cross's descendants were.  But, there is a question as to whether William Cross was one of the Overmountain Men who fought and won at the Battle of Kings Mountain.

The Battle of Kings Mountain is often not given sufficient recognition in history books.  In my opinion, it was the second most important battle of the Revolutionary War, being exceeded in importance only by the final victory at Yorktown.  Therefore, descendants of Revolutionary War soldiers often want to know whether their ancestor fought at Kings Mountain or not.

Although there are books which list William Cross as a participant in the Battle of Kings Mountain, I do not believe he was.  It is the case that William served both of his tours of duty in the militia of Col. Isaac Shelby, and it is the case that Col. Shelby's militia participated in the Battle of Kings Mountain.  But neither of William's two tours of duty correspond to the date of the Battle of Kings Mountain, and William's application for a Revolutionary War pension did not mention the Battle of Kings Mountain.  For these reasons, I do not believe he fought in the battle.  It seems likely that authors who have included William as a participant in the Battle of Kings Mountain have simply taken muster roles from Col. Shelby's militia and listed everybody on those roles as having been at Kings Mountain.

William Cross was born either in 1761 or 1762, and it seems extremely likely that he died in 1844.  Therefore, it might seem possible that he could be found in all the Federal censuses from 1790 through 1840. However, he was living in what is now East Tennessee by at least 1776 and he died in Anderson County in 1844.

No census records are extant for East Tennessee prior to 1830.  Some of the early East Tennessee census records were burned by the British in the War of 1812, and the 1820 census records must have been destroyed in some other way.  Therefore, the only extant Federal censuses in which William appeared were the 1830 and 1840 censuses for Anderson County, Tennessee.

                              1830

p.171a, line 26, Anderson County, Tennessee, 1830
William Cross  000033001-00121  11 people total

 00-04 0  0  1826-1830
 05-09 0  0  1821-1825
 10-14 0  1  1816-1820  Amanda Melvina Cross
 15-19 0  2  1811-1815  Nancy Cross, Mary (Polly) Cross
 20-29 3  1  1801-1810  Jesse C. Cross, Alfred Carter Cross, Elizabeth Cross
 30-39 3     1791-1800
 40-49 0     1781-1790
 50-59 0     1771-1780
 60-69 1     1761-1770  William Cross

The only individual in an 1830 census entry that can be identified for certain is the head of household, who in this case was William Cross himself.  The remaining individuals are identified as best guesses based on additional information that is known about the family.  It is possible to identify all of the females with some degree of confidence, but it is possible to identify only two of the six males with any degree of confidence.  The other males might have been sons or sons-in-law or other relatives, or they might have simply been unrelated farm laborers who were living in the household.

                              1840

p.14, line 25, 1840, Anderson County, Tennessee
Wm. Cross  0000000001-00103, 5 people total, 1 engaged in agriculture

   00-04   0    0  1836-1840
   05-09   0    0  1831-1835
   10-14   0    1  1826-1830  Emilia Jane Cross
   15-19   0    0  1821-1825
   20-29   0    3  1811-1820  Elizabeth Cross, Mary (Polly) Cross, Amanda Melvina Cross
   30-39   0       1801-1810
   40-49   0       1791-1800
   50-59   0       1781-1790
   60-69   0       1771-1780
   70-79   1       1761-1770  William Cross

The only individual in an 1840 census entry that can be identified for certain is the head of household, who in this case was William Cross himself.  The remaining individuals are identified as best guesses based on additional information that is known about the family.  None of the males who were living in the household in 1830 were still living in the household in 1840 other than William.

In addition to the standard census data, the 1840 census included a special enumeration of Revolutionary War pensioners.  The enumeration of pensioners was included on the facing page of the regular census page.  The 1840 census enumerated the pensioner Wm. Cross age 80, suggesting a birthdate of about 1760.  However, the main census page listed his age as 70-79, and we know from his pension application that he was born either in 1761 or 1762.

There were four females enumerated in the both the 1830 and 1840 censuses.

• I believe that Elizabeth Cross, Mary Cross, and Amanda Melvina Cross were enumerated in William's household in both 1830 and 1840.
• I believe that Nancy Cross was enumerated in William's household in 1830 but not in 1840.  She married Addison A. Leath about 1836, and therefore she was enumerated in Addison's household in 1840.
• I believe that Emilia Jane Cross was not enumerated in 1830 because she was probably born just after the 1830 census enumeration, and that she was the daughter of Mary Cross.

                              1830

p.172a, line 2, Anderson County, Tennessee, 1830
Elijah Cross  000001-100001  3 people total

   00-04     0  1    1826-1830 John T. Cross
   05-09     0  0    1821-1825
   10-14     0  0    1816-1820
   15-19     0  0    1811-1815
   20-29     0  0    1801-1810
   30-39     1  1    1791-1800 Elijah Cross, Polly Winters

p.189a, line 9, Anderson County, Tennessee, 1830
Jas. Cross  321001-000001  8 people total

   00-04     3  0    1826-1830
   05-09     2  0    1821-1825
   10-14     1  0    1816-1820
   15-19     0  0    1811-1815
   20-29     0  0    1801-1810
   30-39     1  1    1791-1800  James Cross, his wife

• Elijah Cross age 30-39 was living one house away from William Cross, suggesting a close family relationship.  Elijah is known from other records to be discussed later to have been a son of William.
• Based on the people living near to him, James Cross age 30-39 could have been living at the time of the 1830 census on land owned in Civil District 9 by William (see discussion below of the Civil Districts in Anderson County).  James is a very shadowy figure for whom there are scant records.  It is known from a court case in 1887-1888 that William had an heir named James Cross.  However, it is not known if that heir named James Cross was a son or a grandson.  The best guess is that the James Cross in this census entry was the son of William.

                              1840

p.8a, line 14, Anderson County, Tennessee, 1840
Eligah Cross  2110001-010001

 00-04  2 0  1836-1840 Franklin M. Cross, Pemberton G. Cross
 05-09  1 1  1831-1835 Jacob B. Cross, Mary C. Cross
 10-14  1 0  1826-1830 John T. Cross
 15-19  0 0  1821-1825
 20-29  0 0  1811-1820
 30-39  0 1  1801-1810 Mary Winters
 40-49  1    1791-1800 Elijah Cross

p.11, line 28, 1840, Anderson County, Tennessee
Alfred Cross  00001-00001

 00-04  0  0  1836-1840
 05-09  0  0  1831-1835
 10-14  0  0  1826-1830
 15-19  0  0  1821-1825
 20-29  1  1  1811-1820  Alfred Carter Cross, Zipporah Peters

p.11, line 31, 1840, Anderson County, Tennessee
Add. Leath  10001-10001  1 engaged in agriculture

 00-04  1  1  1836-1840  William F. Leath, Mary Ann Leath
 05-09  0  0  1831-1835
 10-14  0  0  1826-1830
 15-19  0  0  1821-1825
 20-29  1  1  1811-1820  Adison Leath, Nancy Ann Cross

p.14, line 26, 1840, Anderson County, Tennessee
Jesse Cross  011001-0000010001

  00-04  0  0  1836-1840
  05-09  1  0  1831-1835  William R. Cross
  10-14  1  0  1826-1830  John E. Cross
  15-19  0  0  1821-1825
  20-29  0  0  1811-1820
  30-39  1  1  1801-1810  Jesse C. Cross, Amelia (Milly) England
  40-49     0  1791-1800
  50-59     0  1781-1790
  60-69     0  1771-1780
  70-79     1  1761-1770  Vesta Zipporah Choate

• Elijah Cross age 40-49 was the same Elijah Cross son of William who was age 30-39 in the 1830 census.  Elijah moved to Morgan County between 1840 and 1850.
• Alfred Carter Cross age 20-29 was the son of William Cross.  There is not sufficient data in the census to make this determination, but there is other evidence that Alfred was the son of William.  Of more importance to interpreting the census data is that there were two men named Alfred Cross in Anderson County.  It is possible to determine that this Alfred Cross was Alfred Carter Cross because he was living next his wife's father Thomas Peters.
• Nancy Ann Cross age 20-29 was the daughter of William Cross.  There is not sufficient data in the census to make this determination, but there is other evidence that Nancy was the daughter of William.
• Jesse C. Cross age 30-39 was the son of William Cross.  There is not sufficient data in the census to make this determination, but there is other evidence that Jesse was the son of William.

                              1830

p.169a, line 11, Anderson County, Tennessee, 1830
Mary Cross  00121-01000001, 18 people total
                            1 male slave     10-23
                            3 male slaves    24-35
                            3 female slaves  00-09
                            4 female slaves  10-23
                            1 female slave   24-35

   00-04     0  0    1826-1830
   05-09     0  1    1821-1825 Syntha Cross
   10-14     1  0    1816-1820 Alfred Cross
   15-19     2  0    1811-1815 William Cross, unknown
   20-29     1  0    1801-1810 John Cross
   30-39        0    1791-1800
   40-49        0    1781-1790
   50-59        1    1771-1780 Mary Parks

• Mary Parks age 50-59 was the widow of Brittain Cross at the time of the 1830 census.  She was not living close enough to William Cross to suggest that the families were closely related.  None of her children were yet of an age to be heads of their own households.  The relative wealth of of the family was exemplified by the large number of slaves that they owned.  Also, the 1830 census shows Mary's daughter Syntha.  Most Brittain Cross researchers do not list Syntha as a member of the family, but there are Anderson County court records that list her as a minor heir of Brittain Cross with her brother Alfred designated as her guardian.  There is one unidentified male enumerated with the family.  It seems more likely that he was an overseer of some sort than that he was an unknown son of Mary and Brittain.

                              1840

p.6a, line 23, 1840, Anderson County, Tennessee
John Cross  210101-010001

 00-04   2  0  1836-1840  William Cross, Alfred Cross
 05-09   1  1  1831-1835  Brittain W. Cross, Mary Jane Cross
 10-14   0  0  1826-1830
 15-19   1  0  1821-1825
 20-29   0  0  1811-1820
 30-39   1  1  1801-1810  John Cross, Mary Ann Shinlever

p.11, line 23, 1840, Anderson County, Tennessee
William Cross  00001-10001

    00-04   0    1  1836-1840  Mary R. Cross
    05-09   0    0  1831-1835
    10-14   0    0  1826-1830
    15-19   0    0  1821-1825
    20-29   1    1  1811-1820  William Cross, Jane Black

p.27a, line 3, Anderson County, Tennessee, 1840
Alfred Cross  1001-0001

         male  female

  00-04    1      0    1836-1840  John Allen (Allen) Cross
  05-09    0      0    1831-1835
  10-14    0      0    1826-1830
  15-19    1      1    1821-1825  Alfred Cross, Elizabeth Black

• John Cross age 30-39 was the eldest son of Brittain Cross.  I refer to him as "John the merchant.
• William Cross age 20-29 was the second son of Brittain Cross.  I refer to him as "William the lawyer".  Because he was a lawyer, his name appears in many court records.  Great care must be taken to distinguish records for William the lawyer from William the Revolutionary War drummer boy.
• Alfred Cross age 15-19 was the youngest son of Brittain Cross.  I refer to him as "Alfred the sheriff".  He was a lawyer and he also served as the sheriff of Anderson County.  Of great importance to interpreting the census data is that there were two men named Alfred Cross in Anderson County.  It is possible to determine that this Alfred Cross was the son of Brittain because of where he was living, and by making note of his age, the age of his wife, and the age of his child.

William Cross owned five parcels of land in Anderson County.  One of the parcels was in Civil District 9, and the other four parcels were in Civil District 8.  It was not uncommon for the same person to own multiple parcels of land, not all of which were in the same Civil District.

Civil District 9 was in the southwest corner of Anderson County, and it contained the Scarbrough and the New Hope communities.  It was bounded to the north by the crest of Pine Ridge and by Blacks Ferry Road, to the east by the Clinch River, to the south by the Clinch River, and to the west by the county line with Roane County.

Civil District 8 was north of District 9.  The crest of Pine Ridge and Blacks Ferry Road therefore formed the northern boundary of District 9 and the southern boundary of District 8.  District 8 contained the Robertsville community and extended almost as far north as Oliver Springs.  It was bounded to the north by Poplar Creek and the Brushy Fork of Poplar Creek, to the east by a straight surveyors line to the Clinch River and thence down the river to the intersection with District 9 at Blacks Ferry, to the south by Pine Ridge and Blacks Ferry Road, and to the west by the county line with Roane County.

• The line from A to B follows the Brushy Fork of Poplar Creek downstream to Poplar Creek itself, and then on downstream to the Roane County line.  The placement of point A is a bit of a guess.  If the placement is wrong, it probably needs to move slightly to the northeast.
• The line from B to C to G follows the Roane County line to the Clinch River.
• The line from G to E to F follows the river.  The placement of point F is a bit of a guess.  I placed point F just below the Cross Cemetery, which I believe was on the property of the "other" William Cross.  The original description of the District boundaries said that point F was below William Cross and that the line kept William Cross in District 6.  So I believe that the placement of point F is pretty accurate.
• The line from C to D follows the crest of Pine Ridge, and I believe is quite accurate.  The line from D to E is a guess.  The line is my attempt to follow the path of the old Blacks Ferry Road, and I haven't yet found a map that shows the old road.  Point E was the location of Blacks Ferry itself, and the placement of point E is accurate.
• My William Cross's 174 acres in District 8 was at point D, on the District 8 side of the line dividing District 8 from District 9.  I do not know where William's 35 acre parcel was in District 9.  To put the location of William's land in District 8 in a modern context, the intersection of Scarbrough Road and Illinois Avenue is almost certainly on what was his land.  As another modern day point of reference, the front entrance to the Y-12 plant is in what was District 9 and is just south of what was William's land in District 8.

William Cross owned five parcels of land in Anderson County.  One of the parcels was in Civil District 9, and the other four parcels were in Civil District 8.  It was not uncommon for the same person to own multiple parcels of land, not all of which were in the same Civil District.

The parcel in District 9 was 35 acres.  I have found no deed or land grant by which William obtained this parcel.  The parcels in District 8 were from a 20 acre land grand, a second 20 acre land grant, a 20 acre deed, and a 114 acre deed.  The total was 174 acres as described in the section about deeds above.

It is difficult to know for certain, but I believe that William lived in District 8 in 1840.  Which is to say, the people in the 1840 census who appeared to be living near him were people who lived in District 8.  For example, William was enumerated very near to Jesse Cross in the 1840 census, and tax records indicate that Jesse was living in District 8 in 1840.  The situation in 1830 is much less clear, and William might well have been living in District 9 at that time.  Further research will be required to clarify the situation in 1830.

Normally, tax records provide a clue as to where a person actually lived in cases where they owned parcels of land in more than one Civil District.  In addition to paying taxes on their land, free white males age 21-50 were required to pay a poll tax (essentially, a head tax) in the Civil District in which they resided.  However, by the time the Civil District system in Tennessee was established in 1837, William was more than 50 years old.  Therefore there are no extant tax records in which William was required to pay a poll tax by Civil District.

Tax records for Elijah Cross, Jesse C. Cross, and Alfred Carter Cross is included for completeness.  There is strong evidence that these three men were sons of William.  However, these pre-1944 tax records taken by themselves do not constitute sufficient evidence to prove that the three men were sons of William.  Tax records for the sons of Brittain Cross are not listed at this time.

Elijah Cross was living in District 9 in 1837 and 1838.  I believe he subsequently moved to Morgan County.

Jesse Cross lived in District 8 for the entire period between 1837 and 1842.  He purchased land in District 8 in his own right that was not inherited from William.

Alfred Carter Cross lived in District 8 in 1837 and 1838.  He lived in District 9 from 1839 through 1842.  He did not own any land in his own right during this period.  However, he later did pay taxes on the 35 acres in District 9.  It seems extremely likely that Alfred lived on his father's land in District 9 after he moved to District 9 and before his father died.  Also, Alfred's move from District 8 to District 9 corresponded roughly to the time of his marriage to Zipporah Peters on 2 May 1840, and Zipporah's family lived in District 9.

• Many researchers report that Addison A. Leath married Nancy Ann Cross, daughter of William Cross the Revolutionary War drummer boy.  I do not know what evidence the other researchers might have available.  It seems to me that the evidence is as follows.
  
  
  • Addison A. Leath was one of the people listed as having participated in the proving of William Cross's will.
  • The 1850 census for Anderson County lists Addison A. Leath and his wife Nancy Ann.  The ages of the children suggest that Addison and Nancy were married about 1836, and Anderson County did not establish an official marriage book in its modern form until 1837.  Therefore, the marriage is not recorded at the courthouse, and there is no way to confirm from the marriage book that Nancy's surname was Cross.
  • The 1860 census for Anderson County lists A. A. Leath and his wife Nancy.
  • The will of Willis Leath will was signed on 8 Aug 1865.  It included the following provision that proves that Willis was Addison's father and that Addison died before the date of the will.

    I give and bequeath to Nancy Leath Widow of my Deceased son Addison A. Leath the undivided interest in the tract of land heretofore owned by William Cross deceased and on which A.A. Leath lived on at his death.

  • Willis Leath paid taxes on his interest in the Cross land from 1860 through 1865.  The Anderson County tax book does not cite Willis's interest in "the William Cross land", but it does explicitly cite Willis's interest in "the Cross land".  Willis probably continued paying the taxes until his own death in 1867, but I have not yet found the tax books for 1866 and 1867.
  • The amount of Willis's interest in the Cross land was recorded variously as 15 acres or 15¾ acres.  There is other evidence that William Cross had 11 heirs, and that his land was divided into 11 equal and undivided shares (see below).  One share of the 174 acres therefore would have been about 15.82 acres.  It seems likely that Willis was paying taxes on exactly one share, and that the tax assessor rounded the 15.82 acres variously as either 15 acres or as 15¾ acres.  Or we could work the problem in the opposite direction and assume that Willis Leath was paying taxes on one of several equal shares of William Cross's land.  Dividing 174 acres by 15¾ acres yields 11.04 shares which is readily rounded to 11 equal shares.
  • It seems likely that Addison A. Leath died in 1860 shortly after the census enumeration, and that Willis assumed the responsibility of paying the taxes in behalf of his widowed daughter-in-law Nancy Ann Cross.
  • The 1880 census entry for Nancy Leath in Ballard County, Kentucky states that she was born in Tennessee and that her father was born in Maryland.  This is consistent with her father having been William Cross.

    my Cross family, after the will was proved                                   

William Cross, 1762-1844                 
    Elizabeth Cross, 1805 - 1861/1869, never married                       
    Nancy Ann Cross, 16 Nov 1812 - 25 May 1900, married Addison A. Leath

Elizabeth's birthdate of about 1805 is estimated from the 1850 census (age 45) and the 1860 census (age 50).  The 1850 census would normally be considered to be more credible.  However, the 1830 census lists one female born between 1801 and 1810 whereas the 1840 census lists no females born between 1801 and 1810 and three females born between 1811 and 1820.  So perhaps the 1860 census was more correct and perhaps she really was born closer to 1810 than to 1805.  Elizabeth date of death is estimated from the fact that she appeared in the 1860 census but not in the 1870 census or any later census.  The last year in which Elizabeth's name appeared in a tax list was 1859.  Thereafter, taxes were simply paid by "Cross heirs".  So the tax lists do not provide any additional information about her date of death.  I have not found any tombstone, family bible, will, or settlement for Elizabeth.

Nancy's dates are taken from her tombstone.  The birthdate from her tombstone is fairly consistent with her census records, age 38 in 1850, age 46 in 1860, age 56 in 1870, and age 65 in 1880.

Anderson County Deed Book M-1 p.147
Mary Cross legatee of William Cross and also Jessee Cross.

This indenture made and Entered into this 24th day of February
1847 Between Mary Cross of the county of Anderson and State of
Tennessee of the One Part and Jesse Cross of the same county and
state of the other Part, Both Legatees of the real Estate of
William Cross Dc'ed the said Mary Cross Witnesseth that for and
in consideration of twenty dollars to her in hand paid the
Receipt Whereof is hereby acknowledged Hath Bargained and Sell
and Convey unto the said Jesse Cross his heirs and Assigns all
her Rite Title Claim Interest claim and demand in and to a
certain tract or parcel of undivided land supposed to be ten
acres and forty five Pols it being the Real Estate of William
Cross deceased lying & Being in the county of Anderson and state
of Tennessee in district No 8th Beginning for the same Of two
white oaks and Chestnut Running three South 5 w 70 poles to two
White Oaks on the North East line of a fifteen hundred acre
Survey granted by the state of North Carolina to Stokely Donelson
line thence North the line of said Survey 50 e 310 poles to Two
Hickerys thence north 45 W 90 poles to Post Oak & pine thence
South 40 W To Thomas Jones corner on a post Oak thence with
Thomas Jones line to the Beginning. also one other Tract
containing Twenty acres Equal Share supposed to be one acre &
three fourths Beginning on a poplar between Reuben Goldson spring
Running North 25 west 44 Pols to two Beeches on a line of fifteen
hundred acre Survey thence with line of said survey North 50 East
74 poles to two post Oaks on Said line thence South 115 East 44
poles to a stake on a hill thence South 50 West 74 poles to the
Beginning.  Also, one other Tract of land being and lying in the
county of Anderson civil district No 8th beginning on two post
Oaks on Michael Childress old line and Stephan Rileys corner
thence with the same North 50 East 126 poles to two Hickerys
Rileys Corner to another Survey thence South 40 East 26 poles to
a hickery and two Black Oaks on the side of the pine Ridge thence
With the same and Natural Bondery (sic) South 50 West 126 poles to a
stake thence North 40 West 26 poles to the Beginning.  Also One
other Tract containing 20 Acres my undivided Share Supposed to be
one and three quarter acres be the same more or less Beginning on
Michael Childress line thence North 50 East 60 poles to two
hickeys on Said line South 40 East 53 1/2 poles to stake South 50
West 60 poles to a Stake North 40 West 53 1/2 poles to the
Beginning to have and and (sic) to hold the same to the same
Jesse Cross his heirs and assigns for ever I do further covenant
and bind my Self my heirs and any Representatives to warrant and
for Ever defend the Title to the Said above described land also
Every part there of to the Said Jesse Cross his heirs and assigns
against the Lawful Claims of all persons Whatsover this 24th day
of February 1847 Executed and delivered in the presents of us.
J.G. Whitson                               her
William Cross                         Mary  x  Cross
                                          mark

State of Tennessee ) Personally appeared before me
Anderson County    ) John Key clerk of the county
Court for the county of Anderson aforesaid Mary the within named
Bargainer with whom I am personally acquainted who Acknowledged
that she Executed the Within deed of conveyance for the purchases
therein contained Given under my hand at office this 24th day of
February 1847.

This deed is extremely important in deciphering the William Cross family.  First of all, it explicitly identifies two of William's heirs - Jesse Cross and Mary Cross.  It's pretty straightforward to identify Jesse as one of William's sons.  But Mary is not so straightforward.  Just like Elizabeth, Mary could have been a daughter who never married, Mary could have been William's much younger second wife, or Mary could have been William's widowed daughter-in-law.  As with Elizabeth, I have chosen to list Mary as William's daughter with the understanding that her relationship to William cannot be proven precisely.  And indeed, Mary is known to have had children, so perhaps it is more likely that she was William's second and younger wife or that she was a widowed daughter-in-law than would be the case for Elizabeth.

Another reason this deed is important is that it allows us to determine that William had 11 heirs, just as we can determine from the Willis Leath tax records discussed above.  Which is to say, this deed lists four parcels of property in District 8 of Anderson County.  The metes and bounds descriptions of the four parcels in this deed correspond exactly to the metes and bounds descriptions in William's two 20 acre land grants, his 20 acre deed, and his 114 acre deed.  So there can be no doubt that Mary was selling to Jesse her undivided share of William's land.  For each 20 acre parcel, Mary was selling 1¾ acres.  For the 114 acre parcel, Mary was selling 10 acres and 45 poles.  45 poles is 0.28125 acres, so Mary was selling 10.28125 acres of the 114 acre parcel.  20 divided by 1¾ is about 11.4, and 114 divided by 10.28125 is about 11.0.  So taking rounding into account, Mary was selling 1/11 of the undivided land, and there must have been 11 heirs.  This is the same figure that may be calculated by looking at Willis Leath's tax records.

With the information from this deed, we may now list William's family as follows.

William Cross, 1762-1844
    Jesse Cross, about 1804 - 1861/1869
    Elizabeth Cross, about 1805 - 1866/1869, never married                       
    Nancy Ann Cross, 16 Nov 1812 - 25 May 1900, married Addison A. Leath
    Mary J. (Polly) Cross, about 1813 - 1881/1887, never married

Jesse's birth date of 1804 is estimated from the 1850 census (age 46) and the 1860 census (age 52).  He apparently was enumerated as age 20-29 in the 1830 census entry for his father William, and as age 30-39 in the 1840 census entry for his father William.  The fact that Jesse paid a poll in 1837 confirms that he was born by at least 1806.  Jesse's date of death is estimated from the fact that he did pay taxes all the way through 1865, and that he didn't appear on the 1870 census.  His wife did appear on the 1870.  She was apparently a widow in 1870, but widows were not identified explicitly in the census until the 1880 census.  No will or settlement has been found for Jesse, but if additional tax records could be found they might further clarify Jesse's date of death.

Mary's birth date of 1813 is estimated from the 1850 census (age 37) the 1860 census (age 47), the 1870 census (age 51), and the 1880 census (age 60).  She got "younger" as she got older, and her 1850 and 1860 census entries seem much more credible than do her 1870 and 1880 census entries.  There is evidence to be described later that suggests that Mary was the mother of three children - Emilia Jane (Jane) Cross, John H. Cross, and Safrona C. (Froney) Cross.  If the evidence suggesting these were Mary's children is correct and if Mary was a daughter of William who never married, then the children were born out of wedlock.  But perhaps Mary was William's second and much younger wife, or perhaps she was a widowed daughter-in-law.  Mary's date of death is estimated from the fact that she appeared in the 1880 census and that it was her heirs rather than herself who participated in an 1888 law suit over William's land.