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Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Re: Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 2:29AM GMT
Classification: Query
As to that, Blacks tended to fly under the radar, so to speak. It is clear they were reluctant to give information to census enumerators, for example; and even when they did it was often misleading.

In theory, from 1832, Blacks were free citizens with the same rights as anyone else. Even so, the actuality and practice was often very different. Still, as far as marriage, birth and death records, they would have been obliged to submit information as much as anyone else. Marriages were usually in churches, and recorded both in those churches, and later (by the clergyman) in the county registers. That no marriage was found in the York County Marriage Register could mean, for example, that he was married in Saint John County; another county, another province (Nova Scotia springs to mind) or even in the US which was not that far away.

If he was married in New Brunswick, there is likely a record. If he had children in New Brunswick, they were likely baptized there. There are very likely records; but where to look?

Thomas

Re: Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 3:03AM GMT
Classification: Query
Thomas,
This is incredible! I need time to absorb this and deconstruct each piece.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the time you must have taken to research and put this together for me. THANK YOU!

This really has my mind going. Could my GILBERT have been the same GILBERT in Case 12? His family name, prior to escaping slavery, was Kelly. Those 2 women could easily have been his sisters. I know that at least one of them did escape and was seen in Plymouth, NH in the 1850 timeframe, but we lose track of her after that.

From the way the narrative reads, as written by my GrGrGrandfather (Amos's brother), Amos first went to Halifax, then St John, then Fredericton. So it makes sense that we may not find Amos in NB right away on his arrival into Canada.

I did locate the marriage and death certificates of one of his daughters, Laura Amanda, and it does show us that she was born in St John.

Amos' wife's maiden name was Campbell.

Here is what I found today:

Amos Gilbert

Amos Married Jessie Campbell (date, location unknown), her parents were John and Sarah Cambbell of St John. Jessie was born in St John.

Daughters: Laura Amanda Gilbert & Melvina?? Gilbert (hard to read) https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=...

Laura Married John William McAuliffe, Furniture Varnisher, Married in: Halifax County, July 4, 1873 – Age listed as 20

Laura and John had at least one child before John died.

Later:
Laura Married William B. Thomas May 11, 1882 in Halifax her age is listed as 24 (she must have been at least 29 if Amos died in 1853).

Laura is listed as Laura Gilbert on this marriage cert – so she returned to her maiden name before marrying William Thomas.

See here: https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=...

Laura Died March 29, 1929
See Death Cert Here: https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=...

Sister: Melvina Gilbert?? (hard to read the handwriting)

Amos Died – per Oliver’s Narrative – 1853, Fredericton, NB of Cholera

Jessie then married Preacher + ”Health Doctor” Nelson Hugo Reed, Dec 13, 1872

Nelson Hugo Reed was British, per his death cert

Nelson Hugo Reed was a resident of Bear River, NS and was born in Bear River

Nelson Hugo Reed died 1928 in Shelburne, Shelburne County at age 88 and is Buried at Pine Grove Cemetery on Sept 13, 1928

Nelson Hugo Reed lived in Shelburne for 45 years prior to his death – he is listed as a widower on his death cert

I cannot locate Melvina - other than seeing her name listed as a witness on Laura's marriage record.

However, Oliver (my GrGrGrandfather) wrote that one daughetr was in Halifax and the other was in Troy, NY....so finding Melvina may take some work.




Re: Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 4:12AM GMT
Classification: Query
JESSIE (JESSEY) CAMPBELL (d/o John and Sarah Campbell) b. ca. 1833, m. 1st AMOS GILBERT; m. 2nd by license Adventist Church, Halifax, Halifax Co., NS 13DEC1872 the Rev. NELSON HUGO REED (b. Bear River, Digby Co., NS 14JAN1840 (ca. 1840-1, 16JAN1841 in 1901), d. Shelburne, NS 11SEP1928 age 88 years, 8 months and 29 days), s/o William and Esther Ann (Rice) Reed.
Nelson H. Reed was a widower (age 41, 2nd Adventist, fisher) in Pubnico. Yarmouth Co., NS in 1881 living with John and Susan David? This suggests that Jessie died between 1873 and 1880. When he died, Nelson was a 'health doctor'. His mother's family is found at:
http://www.go.ednet.ns.ca/~neil/henry/d6.htm
Nelson apparently remarried as, in Shelburne, NS in 1901, he is, again, a widower, but with several children b. 1876-1889. The child, Charles Reed b. 10JUL1876, may have been Jessie's. In 1891, Nelson's wife is Mary E. (b. ca. 1852), and Charles was b. ca. 1879. Another child is Nettie (b. ca. 1876.) There are also 'Ester' (ca. 1887) and Cora (ca. 1890.) Apparently there was a wife between Jessie, as Charles Graham Reed, in his 2nd marriage in 1928, gives his mother as Jane Daggett. Nelson H. 'Read' (a widower) m. Jane Gardner (a widow) 4APR1878.
This suggests that Jessie d. between 1873 and 1878. Possibly Nettie Reed was her daughter, and she died giving birth to her.
Children:
1st
1. LAURA A. GILBERT b. ca. 1853-4, m. by license, Christian Adventist Church, Halifax, Halifax Co., NS by the Rev. John G. Hook 6JUL1873 JOHN WILLIAM McAULIFFE (b. Halifax, Halifax Co., NS ca. 1846-7), s/o John and Johanna McAuliffe.
John was a furniture maker. A witness to their marriage was Melvina Gilbert, presumably her sister. When their daughter, Laura, was born they lived on Lockman St., Halifax, and John was a cabinet maker.
A John McAuliffe d. Halifax, Halifax Co., NS 6FEB1927 age 80 years, but is given as single. This is particularly unlikely to be John as Laura 'McCauliff' (age 27) is a widow in the City of Halifax in 1881, with a daughter, May, b. ca. 1874. (1879 in a late registration of birth.) Laura is Baptist.
Children:
11. LAURA MAY McAULIFFE b. Halifax, Halifax Co., NS 11MAY1879, m. _____ DAVIS
2. MELVINA GILBERT
2nd?
3. NETTIE REED b. ca. 1876

Thomas

Re: Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 4:24AM GMT
Classification: Query
WOW!

I'd shave months or years off of my research if I could find that this quickly! Thank you, Thomas!

Are you finding this in records in your posession or is this online?

Just incredible!

Re: Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 4:28AM GMT
Classification: Query
P.S.

This is making me wonder if the "fur dealer" was actually a "FURniture dealer".

If one daughter was in Halifax married to a FUR dealer and the other was in NY married to a book keeper, then Laura's husband must have been the "FUR"(niture) dealer.

:)

Re: Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 4:48AM GMT
Classification: Query
Right now I work exclusively on-line. It's just that sometimes a little hint can mean a lot. You said you found a widowed Gilbert, so I looked in the same place and found her as well, and then just checked a couple of census databases, Googled Nelson, stuff like that. I suspect that some of the family may have gone to Boston; but cannot trace them. One thing I did not follow up on:

When Laura May applied for a registration of birth in 1929, her married name was Davids or Dains? and she lived at 379A Warren Street, Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Thomas

Re: Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 4:49AM GMT
Classification: Query
Very good! I can see the transposition, but it would be neat to know how it came about.

Thomas

Re: Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 5:04AM GMT
Classification: Query
I particularly like the death record giving her as 'African'. A bit racist, but in a twisted way, useful. Sort of confirms everything.

There was, and is, a strong, Black community in and near Halifax. This may be one reason they went there.

I looked for John Campbell in 1851, but there are just too many Campbell's, and much of the 1851 census for Saint John County is missing.

One of the reasons I responded to your query is that I am trying to put together a preliminary study of Black Genealogy in New Brunswick. this leads me to Nova Scotia, and I am trying to ignore it (too much is too much) and failing. I was curious about Amos, particularly as the Fredericton area is where I started. I was sort of hoping to find he was connected with the families there. I suppose, when I get the chance, I should include this stuff in case anybody finds something.

If I get the chance, I might be able to follow up on the Kelly side of things. Probably nothing there, but you never know.

Thomas

Re: Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 5:42AM GMT
Classification: Query
I agree about the "African" confirmation. That gave me a great sense of closure - knowing that this was "my" Amos. I wonder if Jessie was a black woman.

Might there be a passenger list for the steamer "St John" coming in with the Kelly ladies? Would love to know their first names to see if they match any of Amos' sisters.

Poor Reuben/Amos - risked his life to escape slavery in Maryland as a "hired out" water at the Barnum Hotel in Baltimore, MD - escaped via the railroad cars...got caught, put in jail...escapaed again.... lived through his time in hiding on the Underground Railroad....only to make it to Canada and die within a couple of years.


Re: Amos Gilbert - Fugitive Slave from Maryland - Married and Died in St John

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 6:34PM GMT
Classification: Query
Yes, but he died free. One gentleman in Willow Grove complained about how poor his land was, and how little he could grow on it. A neighbour asked why he didn't just move and find work elsewhere. "Because it's MY land!", he responded. It was that kind of stubbornness that allowed them to survive.

I doubt if there would be a passenger list. If it was a regular run, they may not even have made a list. At best, if you have a couple of ladies in the 1850 census, but not there in 1860, you have a clue as to what happened to them. You didn't need passports, ID and I doubt if there was much, if anything, on the customs side of things.

On the other hand, I start asking myself things like, "Who is Lizzie Kelley b. Nova Scotia ca. 1860, parents b. NS, a servant to Hayward P. and Sarah B. Hall in Boston on 1880?" Especially as Lizzie was 'B' for 'Black'. Was she related to George Kelley (b. NS ca. 1853) who had a wife and child in Saugus, near Boston in 1880? That's what I mean about avoiding Nova Scotia. It is hard enough just focusing on New Brunswick.

Thomas
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