Adam Crosswhite (1799–1878) was a former slave who fled slavery along the Underground Railroad and settled in Marshall, Michigan.

His aunt married Ned Stone, a slave dealer, who later sold him for $200 to a man with the Troutman surname.

[1] When he learned that Giltner intended to sell his eldest child,[2] Crosswhite made plans to runaway with Sarah and four children in August 1843.

[1] A local man portrayed himself as a slave hunter and offered to guide the Kentuckians to the hiding place of the Crosswhite family.

[1] The family split up, with Sarah and two of their younger children traveling together and Crosswhite pushing on to southern Michigan.

They met up five weeks later and settled in Marshall, Michigan,[1][6] where there was an African American community of about 50 people, most of whom fled Kentucky to escape slavery.

[6][9] Giltner hired Francis Troutman as his agent to locate the Crosswhites,[3][8] who with the help of a spy from Kalamazoo,[2] found them in Marshall on December 23, 1846.

At 4:00 the following morning, he saw four heavily armed men from Kentucky heading toward his house, and he fired a single warning shot.

[8] The Kentuckians were accompanied by Deputy Sheriff Harvey M. Dickson of Marshall, who was to escort the men to the Crosswhite residence to oversee enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.

[11] During Crosswhite's absence, residents of Marshall began to arrive at his house, starting with the African American Planter Morse, who threatened to fight to save the family from being abducted.

[5][15] Later in the morning, Charles T. Gorman, a successful banker in Marshall, and several other leading citizens arrived to support and help resolve the dispute.

[12] Urged on, Crosswhite decided to have the sheriff arrest Troutman and the other Kentuckians for breaking into his house and causing a disturbance.

[16] Local attorney John Van Arman represented the Crosswhites, giving a "scathing arraignment of the defendants" for breaking down the door, brandishing weapons, and attempting to separate the youngest child from its family.

[18] Aided by Marshall residents, the Crosswhites were hidden and transported through the night to Jackson, where they boarded a train early in the morning.

[2][19] Crosswhite and his family lived in Chatham, Ontario[11] and then in North Buxton, which was the final destination for many former enslaved people where they would be free.