Cyrus W. Crosby

CROSBY, CYRUS WILLIAM, farmer; b. 13 January 1855 in Bonshaw, son of Andrew C. Crosby and Sarah McNeill; m. 16 November 1882 Grace McNeill, and they had three children, Ernest L, Ruth H., and Lawson E.; Baptist; d. 20 January 1936 in Souris. Crosby, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election held for 1st Queens in 1909. He was re-elected in the general election of 1919. He was defeated in the general elections of 1912 and 1915. Following the election, on 8 September 1919 he was appointed to Executive Council as Commissioner of Public Works. Having been appointed to this office, a by-election was held, and Crosby again won the election. He was defeated in the 1923 general election. While he was Commissioner, the province took advantage of the Federal Highways Act. Under the act, the federal government contributed 40 per cent of the cost of highway construction done by provincial governments. During Crosby's time in office, a significant number of roads were rebuilt and a large number of permanent bridges erected. He became known in political circles as "Good Roads Crosby." Crosby was educated at the Cavendish Grammar School. He was a farmer and lived in Bonshaw on land known locally as "Alps." He also owned a successful mill in the community. Deeply committed to the Baptist Church in Bonshaw, Crosby served as a deacon and as a clerk. He was a member of the group that worked to build a new church that was eventually completed in November 1893. In 1887 Crosby was a member of the Mutual Improvement Society in the Bonshaw area, whose objective was to raise money for a concert hall. A dairying company was formed in the Bonshaw area in 1898, with Crosby serving as one of the original directors. In 1904 a severe illness caused him to be inactive for a considerable period of time. He sold his farm in 1921, leaving Bonshaw for Charlottetown. The community held a farewell party and presented Crosby and his wife with a token of respect and friendship. It is likely that near the end of their lives, Crosby and his wife moved to the Souris area to live with their daughter, Ruth Matthew. Cyrus Crosby died 20 January 1936. Grace Crosby, the daughter of James McNeill of Cavendish, was born 9 September 1856 and died in 1934.