The family of Richard Falley 1740-1808

 I've written of Richard Falley, Jr. earlier, who participated in the French and Indian War, Fort Edward, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Shays' Rebellion, and whose work supported other battles.  There is a biography of him called "General Wasahington's Secret Armory by Robert R. Madison, so he is important not just to our family, but to the success the Patriots finally had in the Revolutionary War.  Today I am going to write about his family.

Richard was born to Richard and Anna Lamb Falley in 1740 in what is now Knox County, Maine, but was part of Massachusetts at the time.  He married Margaret Hitchcock, the daughter of Samuel and Ruth Stebbins Hitchcock, in 1761 in Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, when he was already something of a war hero, having been taken prisoner at Fort Edward as a youth and help captive in Quebec until he was ransomed.  Richard, having traveled more than many of his family in the service of his country, died in 1808 in Westfield.  Richard and Margaret had at least 10 children together, but details on some of them are quite sketchy.  

Their first known child was Louisa or Lovisa, born in 1762 and died in 1807.  She married Medad Fowler, the son of Ebenezer and Catherine Root Fowler.  (Catherine was a granddaughter of our ancestors John and Mary, the widow Ashley, Root.  Their children are Bethsina or Bethaina, Sophia, Margaret, Richard, Frederick, Harvey, Josiah, Catherine, and Louisa.  

Frederick was a very young son when he was a fifer in the Revolutionary War, at the battle of Bunker Hill.  He was born in 1765.  He may be the Frederick Falley who asked for compensation from the government after the war of 1812, for loss of a schooner and cargo, but was denied.  There is a Frederick Falley who died in 1828 at Castalia, Erie County, Ohio, but I am not sure this is the same man.  Census searches for him have turned up empty.  Perhaps he died young.

Margaret was born in either 1766 or 1776.  I accept the 1766 date but want to mention that others think it was 1776.  She married William Cleveland, the son of Reverend Aaron and Abiah Hyde Cleveland.  Margaret and William are the grandparents of Stephen Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States.  Margaret and William's children are Francis, William, Margaret, Susan, Richard, another Susan, Martha, Jacob, James, Ann, Andrew, and Phebe.  

Richard was born in 1768 and died in 1835 in Castalia, Erie County, Ohio.  He married Amanda Stanley, the daughter of Amos and Zerviah Gray Stanley.  Their children are Amos, Margaret, Zerviah, Amanda, Richard, Orilla (apparently there were two by this name, one having died young), Samuel, a twin to Samuel who did not survive, John, and Francis.  

Russell was born in 1770 and died in 1842 in Perrysburg, Wood County, Ohio.  He married Parmela or Pamela Chapman, the daughter of Benjamin and Abigail Riggs Chapman.  Their children are Clarissa, Eliza, Almira, and Susan.  

Then there is the matter of Daniel.  I have found him born in 1772 and died a little over a month later, in 1773.  Some also give a second Daniel, born about 1773 and died in 1857 in Granby, Oswego County, New York.  Again, I am not sure that he belongs to this family, but am mentioning him as a marker to be researched further, by someone, sometime.  

Ruth was born in 1775 and died in 1826 in New York City.  She married Samuel Allen, the son of Ephraim and Huldah Maynard Allen.  Their surviving children are Lewis, Anthony, and Richard, with a notation that several others died young.  I don't know how Ruth ended up in New York City, or even whether that location is accurate, as I'm not finding records to support that.  

Lewis was born in 1777.  The only other information I've found of him is that he died in Charleston, South Carolina in or before 1810.  I don't know how reliable that is, and I've not found a spouse for him.  He's still a mystery to me.

Samuel was born in 1780 and died in 1871 in Granville, Licking County, Ohio.  He married Ruth Root, the daughter of Martin and Ruth Noble Root, whose ancestry also goes back to John and Mary Root, through two different lines.  Their children are Lois, Clarissa, Richard, Charles, Samuel, Francis, Ruth, Edmund, Linus, and Eunice.  I will follow this family in my next post.  

The last known child was Alexander, who was born and died in 1783, having lived a little over 6 weeks.  Margaret was 42 at the time, and it appears that her child bearing years were over after this.  

I've mentioned many times how proud I am of the contributions our ancestor made to this country, but seldom have I found an ancestor whose life seemed as dedicated to service.  I'm sure some of these children have stories to tell, too, as well as the grandchildren.  They had an example right in front of them.

Allen line: The family of RIchard Falley 1711-1756

I'm not sure who Richard Falley's parents are, but they lived on Guernsey Island, or one of the other islands of Guernsey, where Richard was born, possibly the son of the Richard Falle who was born in 1672.  Our Richard was born in 1711-1712 and supposedly was kidnapped as a young boy and taken to either Massachusetts or Nova Scotia, where he was indentured to pay for his forced passage to America. (The Guernsey Islands were part of Normandy at one time and many of its people were of Norman/French descent, but the islands were apparently under English control when our ancestor was kidnapped.)

We know that he spent several years in Maine, working off his indentureship, and that he married Anna Lamb, the daughter of Richard Lamb (who was from Ireland and died on the way to America).  They married in St. George's River, Maine.  Richard and Anna had at least 8 children, some born in what is now Cushing, Maine, some in Concord, Massachusetts, and some in Ware River (now Ware), Massachusetts.  Richard and Anna both died in Westfield, Massachusetts, which is why some of the names of their children's in-laws, and their grandchildren, are familiar to us.

Their first known son was Richard, born in 1740 and died in 1808 in Westfield.  I have written about him earlier and there is actually a biography of him, because he first served in the Revolutionary War, and then manufactured rifles that were used to arm the soldiers, among other contributions he made.  He married Margaret Hitchcock, the daughter of Samuel and Ruth Stebbins Hitchcock.  Their children are Margaret, Lois, Clarissa, Richard, Charles, Samuel, Francis, Ruth, Edmund, Linus, Eunice and Charlotte, and I will follow this family in my next blog post.  

Rachel was born next, in February of 1742.  She married Daniel Hubbard, the son of Daniel and Naomi Root Hubbard.  (I have not identified Naomi further but she was likely some sort of shirt tail relation through the Root family of Springfield and Westfield, Massachusetts.)  Their children are Daniel, Anna, Naomi, Molly, another Daniel, Thomas, and possibly James.  Rachel died in 1828 in Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts.

Elizabeth was born in 1743 and died July 22, 1812 in Benson, Vermont.  She married William Ford, the son of Amos and Rebecca Churchill Ford.  Their children are Rebecca, Molly, William, John, Oliver, Betsey, Electa, and Charlotte.

Mary was born in 1744 and died in 1822 in Lewis, New York.  She married Zachariah Bush, the son of Zachariah and Mercy Lewis Bush.  Their children are Oliver, Enoch, Oliver again, Edward, Walter, Charles, Henry, and Polly.

After three daughters, another son, Samuel, was born in 1756.  He married Miriam Root, the daughter of Martin and Eunice Lamb Root.  (Martin and Eunice are also our ancestors. Eunice Lamb does not appear to be related to Anna Lamb Falley.)  Their children are an unnamed daughter who died at or shortly after birth, Anna, Samuel, Miriam, Theodosia, Rachel, and Rhoda.  Samuel died in 1812 in Lenox, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.  It is more than possible that Samuel served in some capacity in the Revolutionary War but I have not found documentation for that yet.  Perhaps he stayed home and worked in his father's factory.

Sarah was born in 1750 and died in 1801 in Westfield.  I have found no further mention of her and no documentation.  It has been stated that she did not marry.  

Frederick was born in 1752 and died the following year.

There may or may not have been a daughter Margaret, born in 1754.  I don't think she is the Margaret Falley who married a Cleveland and was the ancestor of Grover Cleveland, but many sites show this connection.  However, the Margaret Falley who was Grover Cleveland's grandmother was born in 1766, after both Richard and Anna Lamb had died.  Instead, she was the daughter of Richard and Margaret Hitchcock Falley, and a granddaughter of of Richard and Anna Lamb Falley.  If there was a Margaret Falley born in 1754, I have been unable to trace her.

Richard and Anna each came from difficult situations-one kidnapped and sold into indentureship, one orphaned at an early age-but over came their childhoods to raise a family that contributed much to our country.  Certainly they deserve our honor and respect.  It's sad that they died in their middle 40's and didn't get to know their many grandchildren!

The family of Benjamin Amos 1748-1814

 We're going to back up a little here, to the last of the Amos family that I plan to write about.  Benjamin Amos is the brother of Robert Amos, the subject of my post a couple of weeks ago.  Benjamin and Robert (and others) are the sons of James and Hannah Clarke Amos.  Robert's son Robert, the subject of last week's post, married Elizabeth Amos, who is the daughter of the Benjamin Amos I'm following today.  (Robert and Elizabeth are first cousins.) The usual facts of children of one family using the same first names is doubly complicated when the two are from the same family, and I cannot say for certain that I am assigning their children to the correct family.  There are, for instance, multiple uses of the names James, William, Benjamin, John, Joshua, Elizabeth, Ann, and so on throughout the families descending from the immigrant William and his wife Ann.  

Benjamin, as stated, is the son of James and Hannah Clarke Amos and was born in 1748 in Harford County, (then known as Baltimore County), Maryland.  He married Sarah Bussey, the daughter of Edward and Mary (widow Pendergrass, maiden name still uncertain but possibly Hayes) Bussey.  Benjamin died before November of 1814, in Harford County.  He is one who stayed at or near the homeplace his entire life, unless he is the Benjamin who is a soldier in the Revolutionary War.  He was the right age, but there were other Benjamins, also, who would have been cousins to this Benjamin.  We do know that Harford County saw skirmishes and was not far from many of the battles in Pennsylvania, so it is more than possible that our Benjamin was involved.

Benjamin and Sarah had three daughters who are relatively well researched, and two sons who are not.  I'm not sure that the sons are theirs, or that they lived to adulthood, if they are, but I will include whatever brief hints I've found in this post.

Elizabeth was their first born, in 1774.  She married Robert Amos, son of James and Hannah Clarke Amos. Their children are Martha (our ancestor), Sarah, Benjamin, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Ellen, James, Corbin, Anna, and Robert.

Mary is also reported to have been born in 1774, May 24, to be exact.  This is a bit confusing.  I don't have a marriage date for Benjamin and Sarah, other than "about 1772."  So was Elizabeth a twin to Mary, or are these christening dates, and was Elizabeth possibly born a little earlier than 1774?  I'm still looking for records.  At any rate, Mary married John Way, whose parents are still a mystery.  Their children are Sarah, William, John, Hannah, and Robert.  Mary died in 1853 in Harford County.

Ann was born in 1779 and died in 1849 in Harford County.  She married Abel Anderson, the son of Thomas and Hannah Davis Alderson.  Their children are Lucretia, John, Sarah, Benjamin, Jane, James, Abel, Thomas and Elizabeth.  

Now, for the boys.  Note that there is plenty of time between the births of Mary and Ann for a child or even children to have been born.  One son may be James.  If there was a James born to this couple, he may be the James who married Hannah Lee and had children Mary, David, William, Elias and Oliver.  This is a mighty big if" and "may" and needs to be proven or disproven.  

It has also been suggested that there was a son Joshua.  I have no idea when he was born or whether he survived infancy, if in fact this is a child to Benjamin and Sarah.  

We do know, then that Benjamin and Sarah had at least 24 grandchildren.  Although some of the grandchildren stayed in or near Harford County, others moved west as the country grew, as was also true of the grandchildren of Robert and Martha McComas Amos.  Our country, and our heritage, was growing into something William and Ann Mauldin Amos would not have recognized. 

The family of Robert Amos 1771-1826

 William, James, Robert, and now Robert Amos, again.  This is the fourth generation of men in the Amos/Amoss family.  Robert was born in 1771 in Harford County, Maryland, to Robert and Martha McComas Amos.  He died in Harford County in 1826, probably not far from where he was born, or possibly even the old home place.  It sounds like a dull life, but he grew into a young man during the Revolutionary War, and soldiers likely walked or marched near his home.  He was a member of the militia during the War of 1812, and likely went to Baltimore when the British were very close to capturing it.  So his life was interesting, even if somewhat localized.  He married Elizabeth Amos, his first cousin, in 1792.  She is the daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Bussey Amos, and I will write my next blog post about that family.

Robert and Elizabeth had 10 children together, most of them fairly well documented.  Some stayed in Harford County, some went a bit west to Greene and Allegheny counties in Pennsylvania, to West Virginia, to Ohio,  and some further west yet, to Illinos and Indiana.  

Martha is the first born, in 1792.  She married Peter Black, whose parentage is not established but may be Frederick or Owen Black, or possibly Ulrich Schwartz.  Their children are Frederick, Owen, Elizabeth, Oliver, Cyrus, Davis, Benjamin, Naomi, Peter, and James.  All of this family except Elizabeth moved to Noble County, Indiana, where Martha died in 1872.  

Sarah was born in 1794 and died in 1864 in Greene County, Pennsylvania.  She married Henry (also seen as Harry) Gilbert, probably the son of James and Mary Johnson Gilbert.  Their known children are Elizabeth, Corbin, and Joshua.  

Benjamin was born in 1796 and died in 1880.  He seems to have moved several times in his lifetime, leaving records in Washington, Monroe, and Licking County, Ohio, before settling for his remaining days in what is now Wood County, West Virginia.  He married Susannah Eaton, the daughter of David and Hannah Mantle Eaton.  Let's stop for a moment and bless Susannah's memory, for she is credited with being the mother of at least 14 children.  They are Elizabeth, Robert, Hannah, Corbin, Frederick, Benjamin, Susanna, Amanda, William, Mary, Nancy, John, Sarah, Martha, and possibly (this would make 15 children) James.  James wasn't born until 1875 and it's possible he was a grandson and not a son of the couple.  Benjamin was also in the Maryland militia, serving in the War of 1812.

Mary Ann was born in 1798 and died in 1864 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.  Her first husband was Benjamin Frazier, who died within two years of their marriage.  I've found nothing indicating that they had children together.  She next married John Miller, and they had at least three children-John, Elizabeth, and William.  They may have lived in Rockford, Illinois, where John died in 1840.  Mary didn't remarry after losing her second husband, but lived with son William until her death.  

Elizabeth was born in 1800 and died in 1890 in Baltimore, Maryland.  She married James Logue, who died in 1872 in Baltimore.  I can locate just one child for them, Martha.  I would certainly like to know more about her and her life.  Are we missing some family here?  Were there pregnancies and births we don't know about?

Ellen, sometimes seen as Eleanor, was born in 1806 and died December 4, 1883 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.  Sadly, her death is reported as a suicide caused by insanity.  She first married Elisha Mitchell, and they had a daughter, Eliza.  Elisha died soon after that, and Ellen married William Peters, who was an immigrant from Ireland, possibly the son of Peter Peters.  I have not found any indication that they had children, but he died a year after Ellen, and there is a nice memorial on his grave site in Rockford.  Did they have children who may have contributed to that stone?  I'm not sure Ellen's story is complete.  

James was born in 1808 and died in 1830 in Monroe, Guernsey County, Ohio, or possibly in Monroe County, Ohio.   That is all the information I have found about him.  There are a lot of men named James Amos in the 1830 census and it is possible that one of those men is this James, but I'm not able to state that any of them seem probable.

Corbin was born in 1810 and died in 1883 in Guernsey County, Ohio.  He may have been married twice.  It's confusing because both of the proposed names are Julianna or something close.  His first wife is believed to be Julianna or July McCatherine.  I'm not able to locate any likely families of that name, anywhere Corbin is thought to have lived.  He had at least one child with this wife, Sarah.  In 1864 he married Julia Ann Chalk.  Again, I am unable to find parents for her.  Their children are William and Quintella.  I'd like to know more about his life.

Anna was born in 1816 and died in 1893 in Uniontown, Fayette, Pennsylvania.  She married Thomas B Miller in Boone County, Illinois, but the family was soon in Pennsylvania.  Thomas is the son of John and Rebecca Beeson Miller.  Their children are Mary, Ellen, Eliza, Eva, Julia, Jennie, and possibly Thomas and Anna.  

And finally, there is Robert, who was born in 1818 and died in 1901 in Auglaize County, Ohio.  He married Elizabeth Dye, the daughter of James and Elizabeth (maiden name not known) Dye.  Their children are Amelia, Helen, Francis, Benjamin. Minerva, Elam, James, George, Elizabeth, Corbin, Martha, and Robert.  Some Civil War records show Robert Amos as fighting in the war, but I think this is more likely to be son Robert, although I can't rule this Robert out. He would have been about 44 when the war broke out, and may have volunteered.  

Surely some of the grandchildren of Robert and Elizabeth were in the Civil War.  Perhaps someday someone will be able to research these men more closely, but we can say that this family was a hard working family and mostly lived lengthy lives.  They, too, helped build America as it spread westward. 

The family of Robert Amos 1741-1818

There are a lot of men with the surname Amos or Amoss in Harford County, Maryland.  There may be more than one Robert Amos who lived during the time period noted above.  Consequently, I am not 100% sure that each of these occupations applies to our Robert, but it's possible.  He seems to have been a justice of the peace, and quite possibly a tax collector, and perhaps a sheriff.  In 1790, he held 9 slaves.  We accept as fact that he is the son of James and Hannah Clark/Clarke Amos, and that he was born in what was then Baltimore County, Maryland and died in Harford County, Maryland, which was a daughter county of Baltimore.   

Robert married Martha McComas, the daughter of Daniel and Martha Scott McComas.  Together they have at least 10 children, at least some of whom were Quakers.  Some fought in the War of 1812, and some were slaveholders, so I don't think they all stayed in the Quaker faith.  

Daniel is the first born, in 1768. (There may have been an earlier pregnancy, since this is almost three years after his parents married.)  He married Sarah Johnson, the daughter of John and Ann (maiden name not yet found) Johnson.  Their children are John, Robert, Ann, Martha, Daniel, Sarah, Margaret, and Elizabeth.  He died in 1854 in Harford County.

Robert was the next son, born in 1771.  He married Elizabeth Amos, the daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Bussey Amos.  (Some say Benjamin's wife was Sarah Lyon...I'm not yet convinced but want to leave this crumb in case I change my mind.)  Robert and Elizabeth's children are Martha, Sarah, Benjamin, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Ellen, Corbin, and Robert. Robert died in 1826 in Harford County, Maryland.  I'll follow this family in my next blog post.

James was born next, in 1773, and married Sarah Friend Swingley, the daughter of Jacob and Eleanor Prather Friend.  They had at least three children, James, Joshua, and Robert.  Samuel, Rachel, and Barbara appear to be Sarah's children from her first marriage.  James died in 1823 in Washington County, Maryland, having moved west from Harford County.

Aquilla was the next son, born in 1775. and here the trail, if this is the right person, ends.  I show a death date of 1832 for him, with no further details.  This line needs to be researched further.  I am not confident that this was the Aquilla who married Elizabeth Montgomery, but I'll dangle this out here as a possibility.

Martha (finally, a daughter!  How her parents must have rejoiced!) was born in 1778 and married Aquilla McComas, the son of Edward and Sarah Selby McComas.  I have not been able to connect Edward to Martha yet but I have a strong hunch there's a connection, somewhere! Martha and Aquilla had at least two children, Robert and Gabriel.  Martha died in 1858.

Joshua was born in 1780 and was a veteran of the War of 1812.  He married Catherine Hanway, who is a mystery person.  Their children are Martha, Mary, Sarah, Corbin, and Joshua.  Joshua died in 1860 in Harford County.  

Corbin was born in 1784 and died in Baltimore in 1866, having never married.  He was a War of 1812 veteran, and was a physician, having graduated from the University of Maryland College of Medicine in 1812.  He was the last of the siblings to die, and had 24 nephews and nieces, all living at the time of his death.  His estate was valued at $475,000, most of it in personal property rather than real estate.  Was he a collector of some sort?

Benjamin was born in 1786 and died in 1865 in Harford County.  His wife was Sarah Amos, the daughter of Zachariah and Susanna Mitchmer Amos.  Zachariah is a grandson of William Amos, the immigrant, so Benjamin married his second cousin.  Benjamin and Sarah had at least five children-Martha, Zachariah, Robert, Isaac, and James. He was an ensign in the War of 1812, and held slaves as late as 1850.

Gabriel was the next son, born in 1788.  He is another mystery.  I have seen 1818 given as his date of death, and I've found no hint of a marriage record.  Some of the men in this family married in their late twenties so it may well be that he never married.

Elizabeth was born in 1790 and died in 1869, so the information about Corbin being the last of the siblings may not be correct.  She married later in life, at the age of 38, to Ananias Divers, the son of Christopher and Sarah Arnell Divers.  Ananias had at least five children from his previous marriage, but it doesn't appear that Elizabeth had children of her own.  

The number of children I've reported here exceeds the number of nephews and nieces mentioned in Corbin's obituary.  It is possible that the obituary was wrong, and it's also possible that some of the children/grandchildren mentioned here are assigned to the wrong family.  The need for more research continues, but it is evident that the Amos family served their country, raised families, and helped build America in its early years. 

The family of James Amos 1721-1805

Much of the Amos family is well-documented.  Some is not.  Some "facts", in fact, seem to have little basis in reality, or are related to different persons of the same name, but in other generations or branches of the family.  I hope I have picked my way through this misinformation, and apologize profusely if I have made an error.  In that case, I will be happy if someone will correct me.

James Amos is the son of immigrant William and Ann probably Maulden Amos.  He was born in 1721 in Baltimore County, Maryland, and died in 1805 in Harford County, Maryland.  Harford County was carved from Baltimore County in 1774 so he actually lived his entire life at pretty much the same location.  We know he was a slaveholder because his father left him a slave in his will, but we don't know how many other slaves he held.  He married Hannah Clarke, the daughter of Robert and Selina (different spellings) Smith Clark.  Together they had at least seven children.  After Hannah died, James married Elizabeth Standiford.  No children are known from that marriage.

Robert was the first born son, in 1741.  He married Martha McComas, the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Hubbert (also seen as Hibbert) McComas.  Their children are Benjamin, David, James, Corbin and Martha.  I have also seen Joshua and Gabriel mentioned as being born before Benjamin, and Aquilla and Robert as born after Martha.  More research needs to be done to document these potential children.

Elizabeth is the only known daughter of James and Hannah.  She was born in 1743 and died in 1805.  Her husband is Edward Norris, the son of James and Hannah Scott Norris.  Their children are Hannah, John, William, Edward, Elizabeth, Susannah, Oliver, Mary, and Ann.  It is possible that Elizabeth had a second marriage, to a William Bull, but I'm not yet convinced of that.

William is one of the mystery sons of this family.  He was born in 1745 and died in 1816.  He married Elizabeth Hugo or Hugon,  whom I can't further identify.  The only child I've found for them is William. This line needs more research.

James was born in 1747 and died in 1811.  He married Catherine Risteau, the daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Raven Risteau.  Their children are Isaac, James, John, David, Abraham, Elizabeth, Susanna, Hannah, Catherine, Sarah, George, William and possibly Joshua.  

A side note here: Of the first four children, we are likely related in some fashion to three of the in-laws mentioned-McComas, Scott, and Raven.  All were early settlers, and we descend from families with each of those surnames in early Baltimore County.  

Benjamin is the next son, born in 1748 and died in or before 1815.  He married Sarah Bussey, the daughter of Edward and Mary (widow Pendergrast) Bussey.  I have seen one tree listing Mary as Mary Hayes, but there was no further information and at this time I can't say that is correct.  Their children are Elizabeth, Ann, James, and Mary.  I will follow this family in my next post.

Mordecai was born in 1753 and died in 1840.  He is a Revolutionary War veteran.  (It's likely that others of these men are also vets, but their are too many men of the same name to be sure.)  He married Martha Richardson, the daughter of William and Mary Davis Richardson.  Their children are Robert, Henry, and John.  

I am including Joshua as a son in this list, because it seems more likely than not that he is the son of James and Hannah.  I am not 100% sure of this, so if there is conflicting information on this Joshua, I'd be glad to consider it.  He was born in 1754 and died about 1800.  His wife's name may or may not be Sarah, and she may or may not be Sarah Bonfield, the daughter of John Bonfield.  Their know children are Joshua and William.

And then, there is the possibility of Ann.  That is all I could find, a name, without even a date of birth.  There are several females named Ann in this family, and it's quite possible that this is actually another Anna, such as the one belonging to Benjamin, above.  At this point, it is only a possibility.  

As far as I could determine, none of these people lived outside of Baltimore/Harford County as they all seem to have died there.  Some are Quakers and some may not be.  But they all stayed close together, and so all these cousins would have known each other, whether close in age or not.  An Amos family reunion would have been enormously fun and enormously confusing! 

 

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.