Robert John Cross (October 1, 1803 - February 15, 1873) was an American pioneer. He was the first permanent settler of the town of

Roscoe, Illinois Roscoe is a village in Winnebago County, Illinois, along the Rock River. It is in a suburban area of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 10,785, up from 6,244 at the 2000 ce ...

, the County Treasurer of

Winnebago County, Illinois Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 285,350 making it the seventh most populous county in Illinois behind Cook County and its five surrounding collar countie ...

, and a member of the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...

Personal life

Cross was born in

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a City (New York), city in Orange County, New York, United States. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area. ...

, the third child of Rev. John Cross and Margaret Hanna Cross. In 1825 he moved to

Tecumseh, Michigan Tecumseh ( ) is a city in Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan, near the River Raisin. Tecumseh is about southwest of Detroit, south of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ann Arbor, and north of Toledo, Ohio. The main stree ...

where he built and resided in a log cabin. In 1830 Cross moved to

Coldwater, Michigan Coldwater is a city in and county seat of Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city had a population of 13,822 at the 2020 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Coldwater Township, but the two are administered autonomously. H ...

. In 1832 he was a private in the Michigan militia where he was mustered to defend Chicago during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...

, but the brigade, commanded by General Joseph W. Brown, was mustered out before reaching Chicago. In 1835 Cross moved to Illinois and purchased the first claim made in the town or Roscoe for the purpose of permanent settlement and cultivation, making him the first town settler. His primary occupation was farmer, but he also filled several positions in local government.

Political career

1831: Appointed a member of overseers of highways by highway commissioners in Coldwater, Michigan 1832: Commissioner of highway in Coldwater, Michigan 1832: Justice of the Peace for Coldwater, Michigan, for which he was paid $5 1836: Judge of election for Winnebago County election, for the first election ever held in Winnebago country, for which he was paid $1 1836: Justice of the Peace in Winnebago County 1836: Judge of election for precinct for presidential election 1836–1839: County treasurer for Winnebago County, for which he was paid $2/day or $30, plus 2% commission or $9.28 1841: Vice President of the newly formed Winnebago County Agricultural Society 1845: Member of the state legislature 1846: Elected by the Whigs as Representative to the General Assembly 1847: Delegate from Winnebago Country for the Illinois constitutional convention to revise the constitution of the state, where he was also appointed a member of the committee on the bill of rights 1860: Town of Roscoe Supervisor 1869: Delegate for a second time for the Illinois constitutional convention that formed the present Illinois state constitution 1872–1873: Elected by the Republicans as Representative to the General Assembly; Cross died while holding this appointment Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in Winnebago County, Illinois, for several years, occupying that position at the time of his death Township School Fund Trustee for Roscoe, Illinois, for over thirty consecutive years

Legacy

The Robert J Cross Memorial Park was dedicated in Roscoe, Illinois in 2018. The park was named for Cross in honor of his contributions to settlement of the Roscoe area and his role in the local, county and state government. In 2018, the Roscoe Township purchased the property that contains the Robert J Cross home, and designated the development as Founder's Park. Restoration of the home, which was built between 1831 and 1845, began in 2019 by the Roscoe Township Historical Society. The Society is raising private funds to complete the restoration of the homestead exterior.

References

American pioneers {{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Robert 1803 births 1873 deaths People from Roscoe, Illinois 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly People from Tecumseh, Michigan People from Newburgh, New York People from Coldwater, Michigan American justices of the peace Winnebago County, Illinois Whig Party (United States) politicians Members of Illinois constitutional conventions