Meredith T Crossland, Historical Report of Murder, Tuscaloosa County, 1868

Meredith T Crossland, Amnesty Oath, Tuscaloosa County, 1865

Meredith T Crossland, State Representative Appointment, Tuscaloosa County, 1868

Meredith T & Lucinda Crossland, Charter Members Dunn's Creek Church, Tuscaloosa County, 1834

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Meredith T Crossland, Historical Report of Murder, Tuscaloosa County, 1868¹

Contributed by: Annette Edgeworth-Smith

"The Crossland Murder"
Excerpts from 1971 issue of Tuscaloosa News

A county leader, M. T. Crossland, from the area now Echola, was elected state representative from Tuscaloosa County on the Republican Party ticket in 1868.  He was assassinated the same year, before taking office.

At the end of the Civil War, Mr. Crossland owned land and a home (built of logs, still standing) between Springer Town and Echola.  It is now known as the Wiley McGee place.  Probably the builder of the log house, Mr. Crossland was living there in 1868.

Many citizens of Echola have heard their parents or grandparents talk about the Crossland assassination.  They said Mr. Crossland was a sympathizer, after the war, of the Freed Negroes.  Although he owned slaves before the war, apparently he rallied to their cause in Reconstruction days.  He was born in Tennessee in 1805 and moved to Tuscaloosa County in the 1830's or 40's.

On Nov. 14, 1868, Mr. Crossland, elected earlier in the month, left his home (the now Wiley McGee place) on horseback with a companion, Simeon Brunson, state representative from Pickens County.  Only a few miles from his home, on the old upper Columbus Road (between Bethany and Echola) in the Sipsey River area, they were ambushed.  Mr. Crossland was killed.  They were enroute to Tuscaloosa to make connections for travel to Montgomery for state legislative meetings.

Although there were legislative investigations regarding the accident, no arrests or convictions were made.  He was burried at Dunn's Creek cemetery.  In addition to the usual marble marker at his grave, there is a mound, several feet high, of hand made brick, which covers the entire grave.

At least two children (daughters) survived Mr. Crossland.  One daughter married a Mr. Hardy, and Louisa Crossland married John Murphy Springer.  Jack (W. W.) springer, retired salesman, Tuscaloosa, is a grandson of Louisa and John Murphy Springer.

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Meredith T Crossland, Amnesty Oath, Tuscaloosa County, 1865²

Contributed by: Annette Edgeworth-Smith

Register of the Amnesty Oath taken 1865 by Citizens of the
County of Tuscaloosa, State of Alabama

• 1212   Will Sturdivant
• 1213   D J Nei__saw
• 1214   M E Sturdivant
• 1215   Thomas Za___
• 1216   M T Crossland
• 1217   Star__ Crawford
• 1218   ___ Brown
• 1219   Catharine McArth__

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Meredith T Crossland, State Representative Appointment, Tuscaloosa County, 1868³

Contributed by: Annette Edgeworth-Smith

House of Representatives, 1868,
Republican Nominations and Appointments

• William R. Chisholm
• Churchill Corprew
• Wesley cole
• George Cox
• M.T. Crossland
• James W. Daniel
• A.R. Davies
• J.W. Dereen
• Thomas Diggs

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Meredith T & Lucinda Crossland
Charter Members Dunn's Creek Church, Tuscaloosa County, 1834⁴

Contributed by: Annette Edgeworth-Smith

History of Dunn's Creek Church

There were a number of professed Christians of the Baptist connection living in the vicinity of Moses Denman's in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, who were impressed with the importance and expediency of constituting a church.  They obtained letters of demission from their several churches and appointed a meeting to be held on Friday before the 5th Lord's Day in August 1834.

They met at Moses Denman's home on August 30, 1834.  Meady Whity, Holland w. Middleton, and Jesse Thomas formed themselves into a Presbytery and constituted the following members into a baptist Church:

• Laban Pugh
• M.T. Crossland
• Wyley McGee
• William Pugh
• Hiram White
• Robert White
• Lucinda Crossland
• Nancy Denman
• Rhoda Pugh
• Rhoda Pugh (again)
• Rebecca Thomas
• Mouring (Mourning) Thomas
• Hepsey Fenly
• Tabitha White

Jesse Thomas was the first pastor and Hiram White was first deacon.
Brother Hendrix was "liberated to exercise his gift on April 8, 1837".
The Church resolved under date of October 1865, that thereafter no school should be taughter in the Church house.
Rev. R.J. Mayfield was ordained to the ministry by this ...

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¹Marvin L. Harper, President, Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society, Weekend History Notes, Tuscaloosa News, August 1, 1971
²Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Mortgage Book #1, 1850-1868, beginning page 66
³The Scalawag in Alabama Politics, 1865-1881
⁴History of Dunn's Creek Church, from A History of the Baptist Organizations of Ala

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