Adam Crosswhite

Adam Crosswhite (1799–1878) was a former slave who fled slavery along the Underground Railroad and settled in Marshall, Michigan. In 1847, slavers from Kentucky came to Michigan to kidnap African Americans and return them to slavery in Kentucky. Citizens of the town surrounded the Crosswhites' house and prevented them from being abducted. The Crosswhites fled to Canada, and their former enslaver, Francis Giltner, filed a suit, Giltner vs. Gorham et al., against residents of Marshall. Giltner won the case and was compensated for the loss of the Crosswhite family. After the Civil War, Crosswhite returned to Marshall, where he lived the rest of his life.

Adam Crosswhite was born into slavery on October 17, 1799, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. His mother was an enslaved woman, and his father was his first enslaver. His father gave him to his paternal aunt, Miss Crosswhite when he was a boy. His aunt married Ned Stone, a slave dealer, who later sold him for $200 to a man with the Troutman surname. When he was 20, Crosswhite was traded to Francis Giltner of Carroll County, Kentucky. Two years later, he married a woman named Sarah. Crosswhite fathered seven children by 1844. When he learned that Giltner intended to sell his eldest child, Crosswhite made plans to runaway with Sarah and four children in August 1843.

They traveled by skiff to Madison, Indiana, where they were met by conductors on the Underground Railroad. Traveling further north to Newport, Indiana, they were taken in and hidden by Quakers for several days because slave catchers were closing in on them. A local man portrayed himself as a slave hunter and offered to guide the Kentuckians to the hiding place of the Crosswhite family. He led them into a dense swamp and made an excuse to leave them. The slave catchers were lost in the woods all night. The family split up, with Sarah and two of their younger children traveling together and Crosswhite pushing on to southern Michigan. They met up five weeks later and settled in Marshall, Michigan, where there was an African-American community of about 50 people, most of whom fled Kentucky to escape slavery. They met up with some friends from Kentucky, and Crosswhite was offered employment. He purchased a house on the edge of town on East Mansion Street. His children attended the district school. His fifth child was born free in Michigan.

Fearing that he and his family would be captured and returned to slavery, he arranged with his neighbors that he would signal that his family was in danger by firing a single shot from a gun.

Giltner hired Francis Troutman as his agent to locate the Crosswhites, who with the help of a spy from Kalamazoo, found them in Marshall on December 23, 1846. On January 26, 1847, Crosswhite had been notified that his family was in jeopardy. At 4:00 the following morning, he saw four heavily armed men from Kentucky heading toward his house, and he fired a single warning shot. One of the men was Francis Troutman, Giltner's grandson and another was David Giltner, Giltner's son. The other two men were John S. Lee and Franklin Ford. The Kentuckians were accompanied by Deputy Sheriff Harvey M. Dickson of Marshall, who was to escort the men to the Crosswhite residence to oversee enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. With proof of ownership, the Crosswhites were expected to be returned to Francis Giltner.

Having heard the shot, Moses Patterson rode his horse through town while ringing his bell and shouting the alarm to the town's residents that the Crosswhites were in danger. Woken up by the local auction-bell ringer, the people of Marshall headed for the Crosswhites' residence.

In the meantime, Sarah was behind a barricaded door, and their children had found hiding places in the house. Crosswhite stood in front of his house, attempting to stop the slave catchers. Troutman, who claimed to be Giltner's agent and attorney, stated that he was authorized to return the Crosswhites to their former slaveholder. He broke into the door of the Crosswhites' house. Troutman intended to take the Crosswhite family, except for the youngest child who was born free. Troutman stated that the first step was to meet before a local magistrate, Squire Sherman, where Troutman would offer proof that Francis Giltner enslaved the Crosswhites. Troutman remained at the house with Crosswhite's family while Crosswhite left for the village to retain an attorney. Troutman tried to convince Sarah to return with him to Kentucky. According to Sarah and Troutman, Troutman said, "Well if you and your husband want to stay, just let me take your children back". Sarah stated that she would rather die than give up her children.

During Crosswhite's absence, residents of Marshall began to arrive at his house, starting with Planter Morse, an African American, who threatened to fight to save the family from being abducted. When Crosswhite returned, Morse encouraged him to fight being abducted. More black people arrived, and they threatened the Kentuckians with bodily harm if they tried to take the Crosswhites from their home.