Holbrook line: The family of William Amos 1690-1759

 For this series of posts, I'll be writing about the Amos (Amoss) family of Harford County, Maryland.  William, the son of John and Mary Singer Eme/Eams/Amos, was born in England about 1690 and died in about 1759. His will was dated September 24, 1757 so it could have been a bit earlier than the 1759 date.  I've not found documentation for the actual date of death.  He married Ann Mauldin,the daughter of Frances and Elizabeth (either Mackall or McGill or Gill) Mauldin in January of 1713 in Joppa, Maryland. Some trees give his wife as Ann McComas, but the dates don't seem to work for that (my opinion; others disagree). I'd sure like to get this question settled!

We don't know much about the early circumstances of William, or whether he arrived in Maryland with money, but he soon started acquiring land (by 1715), and owned more than 1000 acres at the time of his death.  Do you see where this is leading?  Yes, William was a slaveholder.  In his will, he leaves 6 named "negro" men, women and boys to his children.  From what I've read, it is likely that these were "house slaves" rather than "field slaves".  6 people would not have been able to maintain a 1000 acre estate, unless William also had leased others, or indentured servants also.  Field slaves were considered personal property, leased slaves or servants were held by others, and indentured servants were still bound by the terms of their indentureship, so would not have been included in the will.  The Amos families are not the only ones in our families who held slaves, sadly, but we must face what was with what grace we can muster.  

William and Ann had seven or possibly eight children.  There were other Amos families in the area, probably related, and some of the same names are used over and over, so it is possible that one or more of these children are assigned to the wrong parents, although I am reasonably sure of the first six, anyway.  Some of the wives are not traced, but perhaps as I mention them, it will inspire someone to do a little more digging on those families.

Thomas was the first born son, in November of 1713. He lived his entire life in Harford County, which of course was Baltimore County until 1774.  Thomas died in 1763.  His wife was Elizabeth Day, the daughter of Nicholas and Elizabeth Cox Day.  Their children are Thomas, Elizabeth, Nicholas, William, Mordecai, Bethia, Hannah, Christiana, and Harriott.  

Elizabeth, their only known daughter, was born in October of 1715.  It appears that she died in 1727, although some have her married to either a John or a Joseph England.  It looks to me, barring further information, that these supposed marriages are not our Elizabeth.

William was born in March of 1718 and died in 1814. He first married Hannah McComas, the daughter of William and Hannah (possibly Dever or Dover) McComas.  Their children are Ann, Hannah, Mauldin, William, Elizabeth, Martha, Eleanor, Priscilla, Mary, and James.  After Hannah's death, he married Martha Wylie, the daughter of Luke Wiley.  Their children are Luke, Nancy, and Benjamin.  William is an interesting person.  He was an Anglican (sometimes referred to as a pastor but I'm not sure about that), an served in the militia until he apparently had a change of heart and became a Quaker, probably even a Quaker leader.  

James was born in 1721 and died sometime between 1797 (date of will) and 1805, which may be when the will was probated.  He first married Hannah Clark, the daughter of Robert and Selina Smith Clark.  Their children are Robert, Elizabeth, William, James, Benjamin, Mordecai and Joshua.  I have also seen David and Mary listed as their children but I am less sure about those two names.  I'll be following this line in my next post.  His second marriage was to Elizabeth Carlisle Standiford, the daughter of William and Anne Croxton Standiford.  She had eleven children from her first marriage, some of whom were likely on their own by the time she married James in 1778.  James and Elizabeth had no children together.

Benjamin was born in 1724 and married Sarah Lyon, the daughter of Samuel and Sarah Harrisson Lyon.  Their children are Benjamin, John, Elijah, Ann, Susanna, Elizabeth and Zachariah.  Benjamin died before May 29, 1775.

Joshua was born October 25, 1725 and died in 1779.  He married Martha Bradford, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Lightbody Bradford.  His son William was born before the wedding, but is listed as being the child of Joshua and Martha.  Their children born after the marriage are Elizabeth, Mordecai, George, Frederick, Martha, Cassandra, and John.  Joshua served in the Revolutionary War.

Mordecai was born February 7, 1727 and died October 10, 1788.  He married Mary Scott, the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Whitaker Scott.  Their children are Mordecai, James, Aquilla, Thomas, and William.  We have another line to this Scott couple; perhaps I will be able to write about them some day.

There may or may not have been a final son, John, born in 1729.  He is not mentioned in his father's will, nor in any documents that I have found, and various trees give a death date of 1732 or 1733.

While not ignoring the blot of slaveholding in this family, we can be proud of them.  They were apparently of some degree of wealth and education, and several served their country as they were needed.  They lived different lives than our New England ancestors, and their accomplishments are to be commended.