Zachariah Jackson Cross (1835 - 1894)

Born 28 Jan 1835 in Tennessee

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Emma (Lowe) Cross — married 17 Feb 1871 in Dade County, Georgia

Descendants

Died 22 Sep 1894 at age 59 in Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas, United States

Biography

This profile is part of the Cross Name Study.

Zachariah Jackson Cross, the fifth son of Alford and Mary Cross was born on Tuesday, January 20, 1835 in Hamilton County, Tennessee. The family moved to Alabama when Zach was just 8 months old and then later moved back to Tennessee. As he grew up in a subscription school he knew of and admired a ten year old blond girl named Penelope, that went by the name "Penny." It seems that on school days that he wasted so much of his time on her, the children began to tease him calling him "Penny" and that was later to be shortened to "Penn." Penn's family later moved to Dade County, Georgia. There Penn met and married Henrietta Jeanne. Out of this union were born twin boys: Joel Cicero and William. Zach Cross and his new wife began their life together in Dade County, Georgia. Penn did not fight in the Civil War, but served by breaking wild mules to sell to the army and on one occasion, he was thrown from a mule breaking both his legs one in two places and when they tried to mend the leg it was not set correctly and it caused him so much trouble that he walked with a cane the remainder of his life. He also had to pay someone to replace him in the war effort for the south. He was forced to wear a built-up shoe the remainder of his life. Penn and Janey were living with Alford Flemming Cross at the time of the birth of their twin boys. Penn asked his father to name the boys. Alford had a son and a grandson already named for him so he choose the names of his father, Joel, and his grandfather, William, for the twins. The red-headed boys, Joel and William Cross were born on Monday, July 20, 1863 in Dade County, Georgia. However, the jubilation over the births was short lived for nine days after the twins were born, Janey died. Penn left, to raise two infant boys by himself, turned to his parents and other members of his family for assistance. In 1870 Zach Cross still lived in Dade County, Georgia with his boys. During this time widowers with young children did not stay single too long. The boys needed a female to raise them and a wife could cook and clean for the family. At the conclusion of the Civil War, Penn re-met a young widow, Emma Elizabeth Lowe Wilkinson. They had been childhood sweethearts, but the relationship had been cut short when her family moved to Alabama. At the ages of 36 and 29, Z.J. and Lizzie were married on Friday, February 17, 1871 in Cherokee County, Alabama. Lizzie had one two-year old son named James Benjamin Wilkinson that she brought into the marriage. Out of their union eight more children were born all in Tarrant County, Texas: Charles Eason, Snowden Marshall, Robert Walter, Clarence Jackson, George Thomas, Mary Caroline, Harriet Elizabeth, and Clara Mattie. After his second marriage, in 1869 Penn sold his farm (which had two Indian mounds) near Wildwood, Dade County, Georgia to a man named Townsend. Some of the former residents of Dade County, Georgia that lived in Grapevine, Tarrant County, Texas gave glowing reports on life in Texas and told the others that this was a fine place to live. In 1871 Z.J. Cross got “Texas Fever” and came to Texas from Dade County, Georgia. A nephew, Snowden Marshall Leftwich, a son of Mary Cross Leftwich and Louis Leftwich, came with him. They joined a wagon train with 2 teams of mules and came to Tarrant County, Texas in a covered wagon. The trip west took 52 days. Z.J. was offered land in the Oak Cliff area in trade for his best span of mules, but refused for he did not like the sticky mud and ticks and chiggers there. He bought a farm in Tarrant County, near Grapevine, Texas up in the timber sandy land, 4 miles from Grapevine where all his remaining children were born. Penn is listed in the Texas State Gazetteer, Vol. II 1884-1885, as a planter and a farmer, with his post office address as Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas. Penn liked Texas, but his health began to fail, so in 1883 he sold the farm and went out West to California to see if he could regain his health in a different climate. Penn gave it one year and when his health did not improve he and the Cross family moved back to Texas. This time however, they settled in the Palo Pinto County on the Tidwell place in the Village Bend Community on the Brazos River.29 On Saturday, September 22, 1894 Penn at age 59 died with diabetes while at the Tidwell place in Village Bend, Palo Pinto County, Texas. At the time of his death the Brazos River was on a rampage from heavy rains. The family was unable to ford the Brazos to reach New Hope Cemetery, so it was decided that Penn would be buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas.

Sources

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17802482/zachariah-jackson-cross : accessed 22 November 2021), memorial page for Zachariah Jackson “Penn” Cross (20 Jan 1835–22 Sep 1894), Find a Grave Memorial ID 17802482, citing Elmwood Cemetery, Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by Sherry Goolsby, Genealogical Research (contributor 47340731) .
• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFJ6-8BF : 20 February 2021), Lach J Cross, Precinct 3, Tarrant, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 94, sheet 129B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,328.
• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDF-Z7Z : 23 December 2020), Zachariah Cross in household of Alfred Cross, Red Bank, Hamilton, Tennessee, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• 1860 Census: "1860 United States Federal Census"
  Year: 1860; Census Place: Wellington, Morgan, Georgia; Page: 940
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7667 #11482891 (accessed 22 November 2021)
  Zachariah M Cross (23), Farm Laborer, in Wellington, Morgan, Georgia. Born in Georgia.
• 1870 Census: "1870 United States Federal Census"
  Year: 1870; Census Place: Militia District 974, Dade, Georgia; Roll: M593_146; Page: 491B
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7163 #877923 (accessed 22 November 2021)
  Zecheriah J Cross, Farmer, in Militia District 974, Dade, Georgia. Born in Tennessee.
• 1900 Census: "1900 United States Federal Census"
  Year: 1900; Census Place: Justice Precinct 4, Palo Pinto, Texas; Page: 18; Enumeration District: 0122; FHL microfilm: 1241663
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7602 #70931519 (accessed 22 November 2021)
  Lizzie E Cross (58), widowed mother in household of Snowden Cross (26) in Justice Precinct 4, Palo Pinto, Texas. Born in Georgia, USA.
• Oath Book: "Georgia, U.S., Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869"
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1857 #1183536 (accessed 22 November 2021)
  Name: Zachariah J Cross; Registry Date: 1 Aug 1867; Location: Dade; Record Type: Oath Book; Election District: 44.