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.