HistoricHampshire.org: https://historichampshire.org/nrm/CrostonMem.htm
Gustavus Croston’s Pension: www.fold3.com/document/13009241/croston-gustavus-page-2-us-revolutionary-war-pensions-1800-1900
Bull wrote in early 2016 “went to HobKirk Hill Battle Field, Camden, S.C. Gustavus was in General Greene’s 1st. or 2nd Virginia battalion. They lost the battle, and the British burnt Camden to the ground in 1781. \-This is where Gustavus was captured in the June siege of 1781.
A month later Bull wrote, “We went to five battlefields last week on our bucket list. Kings Mountain, Cowpens, Musgrove Mills, Eutaw Springs, & Ninety-Six, S.C. [Gustavus] was captured during the siege. All of the Park Rangers I talked to think he was taken to Charleston, S.C., and put on a prison ship and released after Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown to Washington, Oct. 1781.”
June 2022, Jim Williams and Lesley wrote: It appears Gustavus was jailed in Md. sometime after his war service. The article states that two of his friends (accomplices) broke him out of jail. If memory serves me right, this took place in or near [Charles] County, Maryland.
Lesley responded, “I visited Newport… I went up the road to Port Tobacco.
Port Tobacco had a big fire at the courthouse. Lots of records were lost around Revolutionary times.
But they had told me an old jail used to be there, and I wondered if that could be the site.
June 2022, Steve Bailes posted: Jim Williams shared this article about Gustavus. The chapter about Gustavus starts on page 64. https://kb.osu.edu/…/Finley_thesis.pdf;jsessionid…
If you wanted to dig deeper, you might check here: http://www.mixedracestudies.org/?tag=alexandra-finley. I believed Gustavus was born in North River Mills. I stumbled upon the thesis. Finley states , Gustavus “appeared mysteriously “ in North River Mills in 1787.
[This is 6 years after the battle of Ninety Six. Probably when he received 100 acres of land in North River Mills for his service.]
June 2023 Mark Croston is with Lori Croston in Ninety Six, SC. posted
242 years ago on this very day, my 5th great-grandfather Gustavus Croston was fighting for the Patriots in the Revolutionary War at the Siege of Ninety Six. He had been part of the war for 3 years at this point, but on this very day in 1781, he volunteered as part of 50 men (now known as the Forlorn Hope) to rush the loyalist star fort in hopes of taking control of it before more British troops arrived. Out of the 50 men, 30 lost their lives, while my grandfather and 19 other men were taken prisoner.
It wasn’t until October of 1781, when the war was over, that he was released.
I had the honor to make the trip down to Ninety Six, South Carolina, to walk the same fields and see the same fort and trenches where he fought so many years ago. I’ve always loved history, but this was very surreal for me. My family has been here since 1715, and I’m very proud to be part of it.
Here are a few of the pictures that I took while there. The painting was done to honor the Forlorn Hope and their sacrifice. First, they tried to take control of an earth mound fort. At the time of the battle, it had 14-foot-high mound walls with sandbags on top and sharpened logs sticking out of the sides of it. The path in between the trees is the old Indian trading road that went through town back then and was the same road he would have come down for the battle. Also have a picture of where the old jail was in town before it was burnt down, where he would have been kept after being taken prisoner.
Click the link for the photos: www.facebook.com/mark.croston.33/posts/pfbid02166jB6qhwMJfANPHmEhzhew1cCZHTJVQDcvqmvhGGXDTt6tzjwGf5bk3mRLm7VAel
April 2024, Denise Shay, 5X great-grandchild, shared this document:
Nov. 2025, Steve Bailes posted:
Many folks will remember Bull (Larry) Croston. His daughter, Lesley, told us he died last Thursday. Many will remember this big, friendly guy showing up at the North River Mills festivals for many years, driving from Ohio, and usually gifting us with those delicious Bear Claw pastries. Larry did so much to educate us about his ever-so-great-grandfather, Gustavus Croston, who lived and is buried in North River Mills. We knew Gustavus was a Revolutionary War soldier who campaigned with Washington at Valley Forge and walked to Richmond to collect his pension after the war. Larry found so much additional information about Gustavus’s participation in the southern campaigns and his capture and imprisonment.
Our prayers go out to Lesley Croston and her mom, Patti Croston, and the many others who loved Larry. He will be missed.
Larry’s Obituary: https://www.gabauerfamilyfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/larry-bull-croston
Another Croston descendant, Denise Shay, posted the image of the mug.
In Nov. 2013, Cynthia Engram, a descendant of Gustavus Croston North River Mills’s revolutionary soldier, said she maintains a genealogical website on which she is going to try and bring more of the Croston family to this year’s event. I thought it was interesting that a DNA test indicated she is related to Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. Another family member was a Tuskeegee Airman ( [then] almost 90 years old).
In Jan. 2019 Jim Williams. He wrote: “My 5th G Grandfather was Gustavus Croston.
In March 2026 Carolyn Croston wrote: My 4 x great grandfather. I visited this gravesite many years ago.
Other descendants
Gary Croston 5th great grandchild
Lucy Schmucker
Gary Croston 5th great grandchild
Beth Niggemyer 4th great grandchild
Related families: Kennedy, Male/Mayle, Dalton. Newman and Norris
Is this in Gustavus’ line? Lesley wrote: “Carmel Indians, in our family, the oral history is on my great grandmother’s side of the Norris family, stories of Pretty Hair and Sam Norris. Denise has some stories on her mother’s side with ties to Nemacolin”
In May 2023, Lesley Croston shared this one: The Pleasant Dale writer mentions Croston Ford. South Branch Intelligencer, May 12, 1882
“July 1885 picnic at Ice Mountain/ North River Mills. Wagon accident Croston Hill. And merchant news. South Branch Intelligencer, Romney, WV, July 17, 1885.”
I’m guessing it was only 8 years later that the little Hawkins girl was killed on the other side of North River Mills in a similar accident.
Who would know about Mr. Moreland’s store– and the “large residence nearby”? Glenn Moreland, you gave me a store ledger. Would this have been from that store?
Sloan Miller told Pati Muse Scott there was a store near her house. I should check when Cowgill built her house.
Denise Shary wrote: “There are docs at the Allegheny historical society from a New York city lawyer interested in how the Hampshire County sheriff ended up with Gustavus land grants. It implies dishonest swindles.
Lesley wrote: When he traced Gustavus’s roots back to Chestnut Ridge, the Males/Mayles also go back to Hampshire County. They researched it at the Romney Courthouse on the Henry Louis Gates Jr. show. Finley, the author of the article above, appeared on Henry Lewis Gates tv show.
Steve Bailes wrote: George Deaver sold land to Croston, then boarded with Croston. There were at least 2 George Deavers, but I’m guessing Gustavus boarded with the War of 1812 veteran who drowned himself in what is now called George’s pond. There was a news article about this.
Mark Croston shared the next 4 entries :
- Gustavus is listed in an article of 900 free colored people who fought in the war. (http://www.freeafricanamericans.com/revolution.htm). If you search his name, there’s a paragraph that appears about him. He was listed on three of the county censuses as either a person of color or a freed colored person. Even my grandfather, Donnie Croston, was listed as Mullato on his birth certificate. It wasn’t until my father, Tim Croston, that we were listed as white.
Free African Americans in the Revolutionary War
2. Gustavus is the first Croston listed as Mullato. His father, Kroeson, born in Virginia in 1720, was the first Croston to be born in the colonies. He married Dauphin, so I’m guessing she was either colored or dark-complected.
3. The Crostons arrived here sometime between 1715 and 1720 from Croston, England.
4. The pdf file was Gustavus application for his Pension. Page 3 is fascinating as he had to list out his processions and things he had sold. https://revwarapps.org/s39379.pdf
Mark visited the site of the Battle of Ninety Six. He wrote: “An artist painted the siege of Ninety Six where Gustavus was taken prisoner in 1781. Fifty volunteers agreed to rush the fort to break down the barriers so the rest of the troops could make entry. General Greene called the group of soldiers the “Forlorn Hope” ( which meant a slim chance of success). Out of the 50 men who rushed the fort, 30 of them were killed and the other 20 were taken prisoner, which is where it was believed Gustavus was taken captive during that siege. The original painting is huge and is on display at the information center at the Nat. Park Service Battle of Ninety Six.
