I have been looking into a connection between my St. Mary Parish Cross Family and The Lafourche Family.
I was born and raised in California. I was born in San Francisco where my parents met. I grew up not knowing my African America father Lawrence Nolan Scott nor his side of the family. He left when I was a baby after my mother relocated to Sacramento where she was from. I found my father on Social Security Death Record index on New Year's Eve of 2002/2003. He had died in August 1993.
I grew up being told by my mother that my father was from New Orleans, Louisiana and that his mother was a Creole with some French ancestry. She told me that he used French words in his every day language. He pretty grew up as a Creole. After getting my father's birth certificate, I learned that he was born on January 2, 1941 in New Orleans and that his parents' names were Lawrence Nolan Scott and Alice Gaines and that they were born in Louisiana. My mother had told me that my paternal grandfather was Clarence Nolan Scott, but she didn't remember my paternal grandmother's name. After connecting with my father's 16 year younger maternal half sister Carrie Priscilla Simmons and her descendants in 2014, I learned that my paternal grandmother was Mary Alice Gaines and that her parents were Lawrence Gaines and Priscilla Cross. After my paternal grandfather Lawrence died, my paternal grandmother Mary married Willie Simmons and they had Willie and Carrie. My paternal grandmother and her mother were born near Greenwood in St Mary Parish in Southern Louisiana. Her father was born in Napoleonville, Assumption Parish in Southern Louisiana. They were rural folks. After growing up being told that my paternal grandmother was a Creole with French ancestry, I was expecting to be told of a great grandparent with French name. Then I wondered that maybe there was no French ancestry and that it was from my paternal grandfather's side. At the time, I thought my paternal grandfather was the son of Joseph Scott and Anaise Ternoir from 1910 US Census that recorded them including a son named Lawrence who born around the same time as my paternal grandfather. In the 1910 US Census, Joseph was recorded was black but Anaise and the children were recorded as mulatto in the 1910 US Census. I eventually ruled out Joseph and Anaise as my paternal grandfather's parents after I got a grandson of Anaise's brother Leon Ternoir to test which revealed that he and I were not an AncestryDNA match. My mother told me that my father told her that his paternal grandmother had lived the rest of her life in Lake Charles which is located in Calcasieu and that she engaged in spiritual practices that included putting snakes on her house porch to ward off negative spirits. My mother told me that my father would gather up his hair after a haircut to avoid his hair being used against him. Therefore, I suspected my father's paternal grandmother had roots in New Orleans and even Haiti. I grew up being told that my paternal grandfather had roots in Jamaica. According to Aunt Carrie, My paternal grandmother's side of the family were very religious Christian Protestants included preachers and were very unlike my father's paternal grandmother. My father got his superstitious ways from his paternal side of the family and not his maternal side of the family.
According to 23andme, I am approximately half Sub-Saharan African and 47 1/2% European with the rest being Indigenous American/East Asian. I inherited around only 4% European from my father. The vast majority of my European comes from my mother who is around 86% European with 10% Sub-Saharan African with the rest being Indigenous American. Much of my paternal European is one long segment on Chromosome 5 and another on Chromosome 20. The vast majority of my paternal European DNA segment matches are people with Acadian ancestry that match me on Chromosomes 5, 15, and 20. One of them was a full Acadian woman that matched me on my paternal European segments on Chromosomes 5, 15, and 20. I got Aunt Carrie to do the AncestryDNA testing that confirmed that she and I were half aunt and half nephew. After I uploaded her DNA to GEDmatch, I saw that she was matching me in the same location on the chromosomes where I was matching Acadians. She matched my entire paternal European Chromosome 5 segment (the largest segment shared at 90 cM) and my entire paternal European Chromosome 15 segment. Therefore, my paternal Acadian ancestry was on my paternal grandmother's side. French ancestry on my paternal grandmother's side were confirmed.
From US Census Records, I learned that my great grandmother Priscilla's parents were James and Mary and that they were both born in Louisiana. All of their 10 children were born in Louisiana. I was told by Aunt Carrie that James Cross was a European American man. She told me that he looked like a European American in a a family portrait painting. He was recorded as black on Census records. His father was recorded as being born in Louisiana, and his mother was being recorded as being born in Virginia. Aunt Carrie told me a story of her that she saw the portrait painting of James for the first time as a child and asked my paternal grandmother Mary 'Who is this white man?" My paternal grandmother responded "That's Papi." She and her siblings were raised to speak both English and French. Aunt Carrie told me that she would listen to my paternal grandmother and her sister have conversations, and she couldn't understand what they were saying. I was told that was a bit of color variation in James and Mary's children. When going on store runs, the lighter skinned children would go inside the store while the dark-skinned children would stay outside the store. Some of James and Mary's descendants had lives passing for European Americans. They identified as Cajuns. My great grandmother Priscilla was one of the darker children, and her husband/my great grandfather Lawrence was a dark skinned African American.
I found the only Cross family in Louisiana with Acadian ancestry was the Lafourche Cross family. Benjamin Franklin Cross was an English American born and raised in Gates County, North Carolina. He set up Orange Grove Plantation in Lafourche Parish with slaves. He was married to Anastasia Bourgeois who was 3/4 Acadian. They had 12 children that included 6 sons and 6 daughters. One of the sons' names was James.
The following is from Louisiana Gumbeaux site owned by Lori Lyons who is a descendant of Benjamin and Anastasia's son William Wallace Cross. I commented on her site and told her about my being a descendant of Benjamin and Anastasia too back in 2015. Three years later, she shows up as an AncestryDNA match to Aunt Carrie! GedMatch shows that they share 2 segments on Chromosome 12.
My fourth great-grandfather was Elisha Cross, born 1758 in Gates County, North Carolina. He married Priscilla Bethea. Among their sons was Benjamin Cross (my great, great, great grandfather), born 1789 in Gates County, North Carolina.
Benjamin Cross came to Lafourche Parish, Louisiana in the early 1800s and began amassing property. He bought property from Pierre Benoit on 4 March, 1829, on the left bank of Bayou Lafourche, two miles from Thibodaux (20 arpents from to 1 1/2 arpents wide). The U.S. Government sold to Benjamin on 13 June, 1837, #188 original (C of B No. Q, page 63, Receivers Office So. East District, New Orleans). He also bought property from John Miller. The Thibodaux court house shows many acts of sale to Benjamin, which he formed into Orange Grove Plantation. It eventually encompassed 2,900 arpents, four miles from Thibodaux, 1 1/2 arpents front Bayou Lafourche, the rest in the rear. (I have not been able to pinpoint the exact location of Orange Grove because there were several plantations by that name.It may have been located on Highway 20, between Thibodaux and Chackbay, which would put it about three miles from Abby Plantation -- see below.)
There is an Orange Grove mentioned in an account of the Thibodaux Massacre of 1887, and a Judge Beattie. That name does not appear in our family tree. There also was an Orange Grove Plantation in Gibson. There still is an Orange Grove Apartment complex located in Thibodaux. There was another Orange Grove located near Lockport.
Benjamin married Anastasia Bourgeois (b. 1804) in 1823 in Lafourche Parish. Their children were Priscilla, William Wallace, Mary Eliza, Alice, Amanda Malvina, Benjamin F., Edward, James, John Whitman (or Whitmel), Josephine, Marie Louisa and Richard T. Cross. Benjamin died in 1855 and had himself buried on the Orange Grove property. Benjamin was, reportedly, not a nice man and treated his slaves horribly. After his death, his former slaves were so terrified of him, they refused to cut the grass around the tomb. When the property was sold, the tomb had to be dismantled with dynamite. His body was moved in 1870 to the Perkins tomb at St. John's Episcopal Cemetery in Thibodaux. The estate sold for $179,000, including the plantation slaves.
https://louisianagumbeaux.blogspot.com/p/cross.html
Benjamin and Anastasia's children were the following:
birth years from looking at 1850 US Census which shows Anastasia living with her children without Benjamin.
Benjamin Franklin born in 1823 living with wife Mary and their daughter Eudora
Richard Thomas born in 1825 living with wife Julie and mother-in-law
James P. born in 1826 living with sister Josephine and her husband Edward Murphy and child James in 1850
Mary Eliza born in 1830 living at home with mother Anastasia in 1850
Josephine born in 1831 living with husband and child in 1850
Amanda Malvina born in 1836 living at home with mother Anastasia in 1850
Priscilla born in 1838 living at home with mother Anastasia in 1850
William Wallace born in 1842 living at home with mother Anastasia in 1850
Edward born in 1833 living at home with mother Anastasia in 1850
Alice born in 1843 living at home with mother Anastasia in 1850
John Whitman born in 1847 living at home with mother Anastasia in 1850
Maria Louise born in 1847 living at home with mother Anastasia in 1850
James' birth year
There were two James Crosses around the same age as him living in Louisiana in 1870
1870 US Census - 1853, living in Ward 3, St. Mary Parish, post office: Franklin, occupation was field hand
1870 US Census - 1848, living in Ward 6, St. John The Baptist Parish, post office: Bonnet Carre, occupation was farm laborer with spouse Nancy
1880 US Census - abt 1851, married 1874 (marriage record shows that Mary's last name was Johnson)
1900 US Census - Aug 1849
1910 US Census - 1849
1920 US Census - 1842
1930 US Census - 1848
Considering that James was a slave with his mother Laura having been a slave, I cannot make a definitely conclusion when he was born including not even the year
Out of the six sons of Benjamin and Anastasia, Benjamin Jr (1823), Richard (1825), James (1826), and Edward (1833) were old enough to be James' father.
All four men died before 1870.
I find the names of 2nd Great Grandpa James and 2nd Great Grandma Mary's children to be very interesting in comparison to the Crosses of Lafourche Parish. They had 10 children.
birth years going by the 1880 and 1900 US Censuses:
Louise (b.1876) - Richard Cross’ wife was named Louise. Benjamin and Anastasia's daughter Maria's middle name is Louise. On her 1872 marriage record, M.L. Cross and her husband is listed as H.E. Smith. On US Find a Grave, her name is listed as Maria Louise Smith born 1847 and died in 1881. One of Aunt Carrie’s AncestryDNA matches is a descendant of Maria Louise (Cross) Smith.
Laura (b. 1877) - named after her paternal grandmother which I just found out about October 2021
blog post on that here https://diversegenes.blogspot.com/2021/10/mystery-of-my-paternal-2nd-great.html
Mary (b.1879) - named after her mother
Alice (b.1881) - Benjamin and Anastasia had a daughter named Alice
James Jr (b.1883) - named after his father
Joseph (b.1887) - Benjamin Jr’s daughter, Eudora had a son named Joseph who was born in 1866. It is also the name of Richard Cross' son born in 1861. Eudora and Richard named their sons after their sister, Josephine.
Eliza (b.1888) - Benjamin and Anastasia’s daughter Mary's middle name was Eliza. On her 1851 marriage record with Walter Bennett, her name is listed as Mary Eliza Cross. Benjamin and Anastasia might have given her the middle name because of Benjamin's father Elisha Cross. According to Death Record Index, Mary E. Cross Bennett died in 1861 at the age of 32.
Clarence (b. 1893) - have no clue
Priscilla (b.1895) - my great grandmother....Benjamin and Anastasia had a daughter named Priscilla who was named after Benjamin's mother Priscilla Bethea. Aunt Carrie and I have an AncestryDNA match that is a descendant of Priscilla (Cross) Gillis.
Dora (b.1897) - Benjamin Franklin Cross Jr had a daughter named Eudora. In 1850 Census Record, Benjamin Jr is with his wife Mary and Eudora who is 5 years old. In 1860 Census Record, Eudora's name is recorded as Endora. She married Charles C. Williams in 1861. She and Charles had a daughter named Dora born in 1868. In 1880 and 1900 Census shows her name recorded as Dora Williams. One of Aunt Carrie's AncestryDNA relative matches is a descendant of Eudora (Cross) Williams.
Edna (b.1899) - have no clue
Aunt Carrie has two AncestryDNA matches that are descendants of William Wallace Cross, and one of her matches is also my AncestryDNA match. One of Aunt Carrie's that I don't have is the aforementioned Lori Lyons.
Aunt Carrie and I have an AncestryDNA match that is a descendant of Priscilla (Cross) Gillis
Aunt Carrie has an AncestryDNA match that is a descendant of Benjamin Jr
Aunt Carrie has an AncestryDNA match that is a descendant of Maria Louise (Cross) Smith
Aunt Carrie has two AncestryDNA matches that are descendants of Sarah (Cross) Watson who was Benjamin Sr's sister, and one of her matches is mine. I have an AncestryDNA match that is a descendant of Sarah that Aunt Carrie doesn't have.
I have an AncestryDNA match that is a descendant of Nancy Cross who was Benjamin Sr's sister
Aunt Carrie has two AncestryDNA matches that are descendants of Cyprian Cross who was Benjamin Sr's paternal uncle
Aunt Carrie has two AncestryDNA matches that are descendants of Hardy Cross who was Benjamin Sr's paternal uncle
I have an AncestryDNA match that is a descendant of Jesse Bethea who was Benjamin Sr's maternal uncle
Aunt Carrie has five AncestryDNA matches that are descendants of John Bethea Jr who was Benjamin's Sr's maternal grand uncle
I have two AncestryDNA matches that are descendants of John Bethea Jr. who was Benjamin Sr's maternal grand uncle
My father's 2nd Cousin Linda told me that the names of James Cross’ Barrow younger maternal half siblings were Edmond Barrow, Charles Valentine Barrow, Wallace Barrow, and Melvina Barrow Green which led me to learn that their parents were Bonnie and Laura.
I thought Melvina was very familiar but couldn't put my finger on it. I have never really seen that name much.
Then it dawned on me.
Benjamin Franklin and Anastasia (Bourgeois) Cross's daughter Amanda's middle name was Malvina. On her son James Benedick Hall's 1860 birth record, her name is listed as Amanda Malvina Cross. There is a marriage record of her marrying James A. Hall in Lafourche Parish in 1858.
In regards to my 2nd great grand uncle Wallace, Wallace is the middle name of William Wallace Cross who was one of Benjamin and Anastasia (Bourgeois) Cross' sons. He was recorded as Wallace Cross in the 1850 Census.
Melvina's 1880 Census Record and Death Record show that she was born in Lafourche Parish. Charles' Social Security Record shows that he was born in Lafourche Parish. There is confirmation that my 3rd great grandmother Laura and her husband Bonnie Barrow were living in Lafourche Parish.
1850 Census Record of Anastasia Cross
1850 Slave Schedule of Benjamin Cross' slaves
1850 Slave Schedule of Ray Cross' slaves
1850 US Census Record of Benjamin Cross Jr
1850 US Census Record of Richard Cross recorded as RD Cross
1860 US Census Record of Benjamin Cross Jr
1860 Slave Schedule of Benjamin Cross Jr's slaves
1860 US Census Record of James P. Cross
1860 Slave Schedule of James P Cross' slaves
1850 US Census Record of Edward Cross
1860 Slave Schedule of Edward Cross' slaves
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