Holbrook line: Robert Amos 1741-1818

Have I mentioned lately how much I love the process of researching for these blog posts?  When I decided to see what could be found about Robert Amos, my initial Google search turned up only a Find a Grave site, which was better than nothing.  It had the basic information I already had.  I was surprised that the family sites I searched had very little about the man, but I kept searching.  Eventually, I found census information for him for 1790,1800, and 1810 on Ancestry.  I found his will and his inventory on Family Search.  I found him mentioned more than once in a history of Harford County.  And I found him on the DAR website.  I also found a mystery (not the answer, just the questions) about his religion, and possibly his wife's.  It's been a fun beginning to knowing a bit about this man.

So, here's what I think I now know:  Robert Amos was born May 31, 1741 at St George's Parish, Baltimore, Maryland.  He was the son of James and Hannah Clarke Amos, one of at least seven children, but appears to be the oldest of the children.  He was probably named for Robert Clarke, his maternal grandfather.  The church where he was christened was probably the St George's (Church of England) near Perryman, Maryland, rather than the one in Baltimore City.  This area in what later became Harford County was part of Baltimore County at the time, and this is near the locations that had Amos families for generations before and after our Robert. 

We know little of Robert's youth, other than that he was part of a large family, and lived on a farm or plantation.  He married Martha McComas, daughter of Daniel and Martha Scott McComas, on December 12, 1765, again in "Baltimore County".  He was apparently not in the first tier of leaders in what became Harford County, but he took the oath of fidelity to the patriot cause in 1778, and was justice of the peace in 1780.  He was also the sheriff of Harford County in 1785 and a member of the State House of Delegates in 1792.  He was, therefore, a respected member of his community and one who took his responsibilities seriously. 

George Washington was at Havre de Grace in Harford County on his way to his New York inauguration, and it's fascinating to think that Robert may have taken his wife and family to see or even to honor him.  But we don't know, other than the oath of fidelity, what his contribution, if any, to the war effort actually was.  As he was possibly of the Anglican religion (possibly, I said), he may have not been a fan of the Revolution, at least not at the beginning.  Also it appears that Martha may have had strong Quaker leanings, and that may have influenced his decision to stay home, if that's indeed what he did. 

Martha Amos's name is found in several Quaker meeting records at Gunpowder Meeting house as she asked to be relieved of the job of overseer in 1773, and asked for transfer to Baltimore Meeting in 1801.  But was this our Martha Amos?  I am not sure...If Robert was Anglican, then Martha would have been dismissed for marrying outside the faith.  And if this is our Martha, how did she justify her husband's slave holding, and her own after he died?  Quakers in Philadelphia in 1776 forbade slave holding by their members, and Harford County wasn't all that far from Philadelphia.  The idea, if not the enforcement, would have been the topic of much discussion there. 

I haven't pinpointed exactly where Robert's land was, nor how much land he owned.  It must have been sufficient to support their twelve children, and the slaves he held.  The cemetery he is buried in is near Jarrettsville, Md, not far from the Pennsylvania border.  That's the best clue I have at the moment, so this is a subject that still needs research. 

We can follow Robert Amos (sometimes spelled Amoss) through the US census of 1790, 1800, and 1910.  In 17902, there were 5 males under the age of 16, 4 16 and over, and 7 females of all ages in his household.  There were also 9 slaves.  In 1800, his location is listed as "District 4, Harford County, Md" and there were two males aged 10-15, two 16-25, one 26-44, and one over 45.  There was also 1 female aged 10-15, one 16-25, one 26-44, and 2 females over the age of 45.  Martha and who else, one wonders?  Interestingly, "all other free persons" totaled 4 and the number of slaves was just 2.  I'm not sure how to interpret that information.  Were the "all other free persons" servants?  In the 1810 census, he was listed at Havre de Grace, Harford County.  By now there is one male 16-25, 3 26-44, one male over 45, and one female 45 and over.  There are also 10 slaves.  Martha's census in 1820 shows a total of 5 males, one over 45, and two females.  This year, the slaves are sort of listed, too.  There is no mention of names, but we do know there were two males above the age of 14, two females under fourteen, i female 26 thru 44, and one female 45 and over. 

Robert died March 10, 1818 in Harford County.  We have his will and his inventory to help us understand a little bit of his life at that time period.  Some of his sons received very little in the will, because of what he had already given them.  Several parcels of land were given to other sons, but there is no mention of the acreage included in each.  One is identified as being at Otter Island, at the head of the Bush River, which may be close to the Amos home.  The slaves are given to various children.  Wife Martha is to receive the dwelling house and its lands, in lieu of dower.  Special provision is made for daughter Elizabeth, as she is given a room and the room above it to live in, plus rights to the garden, for life.  My speculation is that there is some reason Robert didn't expect her to marry, either a physical or a mental condition of some type. 

And now, we come to the inventory, which is where I first found mention of slaves.  It took my breath away.  At first I was thinking "oh, tobacco" but the inventory doesn't include anything that makes me think tobacco was the main crop, or even a crop, on the Amos farm.  The value of the slaves was about $1550 of the $3720 total value of the estate, excluding real property.  Their were several horses, various cattle, and swine listed, as well as quite a few grain crops, and flax.  There were the usual tools and farm equipment, and a shoemaker's bench and equipment, as well as old books and 9 silver spoons.  It sounds like a farm that was mostly self sufficient, not too different from a farm elsewhere in the country, except-those slaves. 

In order to help anyone who might wonder if "their" slaves were here, I'll list the names of those mentioned in the inventory:  Ned, or possibly Namer Ned, was a 50 year old male; Sam was about 45 years old; Rose was a woman, aged 45; Joseph was 29 and valued the most highly, at $500; Phillis was 26; Milkey was 9, and Ann was four years old.  It is easy to think that Rose was Sam's wife, Joseph or Phillis was their child, and that Milkey and Ann were the children of Joseph and Phillis. That may not be the way it was at all, of course, but it is some comfort to think that this was a three generational family-until, sadly,l they were split up at Robert's death.

Robert has told us some of his story.  I'd like to know more.  What religion, if any, did he actually practice?  Where exactly was his land? Why did he think slaves were necessary?  What did he think about the American Revolution, and did the war change his thinking in any way?  There is always more to learn and think about with these ancestors of ours.

The line of descent is:

Robert Amos-Martha McComas
Robert Amos-Elizabeth Amos (yes, cousins)
Martha Amos-Peter Black
Elizabeth Black-Isaac Hetrick
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants