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NATHAN CROSBY. 



The Crosby family in Canisteo is of English descent. 

 His grandfather, Benjamin Crosby, emigrated from Eng- 

 land about the middle of the last century, arriving in New 

 York after a long period of suffering by being cast away, 

 one of the children having starved to death. The family 

 remained in the vicinity of New York until 1789, when 

 Mr. Crosby, in company with several others, explored the 

 Canisteo Valley and purchased the territory that now com- 

 prises the towns of Canisteo and Hornellsville, and thus 

 he became one of the original proprietors of this section 

 of Steuben County. In 1790 he settled with his family 

 where Hornellsville now is located, and there owned 

 several hundred acres of land. He raised a family of eight 

 children who reached maturity, among whom was Bichard 

 Crosby, who was a captain in General Washington's body- 

 guard, and was also ensign in the first military company 

 organized. 



Bichard Crosby was with his father when he first visited 

 the Canisteo Valley ; married for his first wife, Hannah, 

 daughter of Jeremiah and Anna Baker, and sister of Hon. 

 Jeremiah Baker, now living in Canisteo. 



Their children were Benjamin, Benjamin (2d), Hector, 

 Troylus, Mrs. Absalom Travis, Frederick, John, Mrs. 

 Charles Travis, and Samuel. 



The mother died in 1812, and about 1813 he married 

 Hannah, daughter of Nathan Thomas, of this county. 

 The children by this union are Nathan, Mrs. Elizabeth 

 Hallett, Ulysses, and Bobert. The father died about 1822 ; 

 the mother died in 1863, aged seventy -seven. 



Nathan Crosby was born in the town of Canisteo, March 

 26, 1815. He had limited opportunities for an education 

 from books, yet received such parental training as to lay 

 the foundation for a successful business life as a farmer. 

 His father owned a mile square of land in the valley, and 

 was thereby enabled to leave to each of his sons a small 

 farm, which however at the time that Mr. Crosby started 

 business for himself was of little value. In 1836 he 

 married Nancy, daughter of Elijah and Elizabeth (Moore) 

 Hallett, of Canisteo. She was born Nov. 19, 1820. 



Their children are Mary (died young), Mrs. Thomas J. 

 Sheffield, Hiram, George, deceased, leaving a wife and two 

 children, Byron and Lewis L. 



Hiram was a volunteer, in 1861, of the 86th New York 

 Volunteers, Colonel Bailey commanding ; served three years, 

 and was in the battles of second Bull Bun, Wilderness, 

 and all in which his regiment was engaged. 



Frank Hallett, a son-in-law (Mrs. Sheffield's first hus- 

 band), was in the same regiment, and met his death at 

 Spottsylvania Court-House, being wounded, taken prisoner, 

 and died as a prisoner of war. 



Mr. Crosby's life has been spent as a farmer and lumber- 

 man; in the latter business he has been engaged for as 

 many as thirty years of his life, mostly as pilot on the 

 Canisteo, Chemung, and Susquehanna Bivers. He has 

 been a member of the Free-will Baptist Church for over 

 forty years, having been deacon for the last thirty years of 

 this time. He is a Republican in politics, but was origin- 

 ally a member of the Democratic party. 



