Sunday, January 17, 2016

Part 1~ Amos Baxter Jr. Born into Slavery and Freedom Bought

This blog is a growing account of the activity of a mulatto man, born into a life of servitude as a slave, Amos Baxter Jr. b. abt. 1806 was born to the parents Rev. John Amos Baxter (a free mulatto) and Phoebe Bowman, he had two older siblings Edward  Baxter and Becky [Pawley].
It's important to know that children inherited the mother's status, ones ancestry set free people apart from slaves. Amos Sr. may have been free at the time he purchases his wife and children, but because Phoebe is a slave, her children were viewed as Chattel. 

Young Amos was born during the, The antebellum southern years, his father was connected with a unique society of free Afro-American elites. Amos' parents had a part in the second Great Awakening movement that spurred Abolitionism, among some slaveholding church members in the Charleston area.

One of the events of American history that directly effected the southern states was the banning of the slave trade. Importing of African slaves is outlawed in 1808. This is right about the birth of Amos Baxter Jr.
Only 14 years prior in 1794 cotton gin inventor, Eli Whitney changes the demand of cotton and a huge demand for slave labor in the south. This family did not come directly from Africa; however, it no doubt, would have greatly affected them.

The Plantation he was born on was imaginably a beautiful place to have had seen, with broadleaf trees and large conifers shade trees  everywhere, white cotton fields or coastal long rice ponds. Perhaps the Plantation house had big pillars or a beautiful pizzas'. But even with so much beauty surrounding him, not having his father nearby him, and knowing that his mother and siblings were living in unwanted slavery, along with the other slaves that he had grown to love and admire, were not enjoying the taste of freedom, but living a life under constant bondage, that would no doubt be on the forefront of his mind. He would have to eventually decide early on, whether he was going to have a strong constitution or have a weak will, in the harsh world he was born in.

*South Carolina rice field 

Amos Jr. ,his mother and siblings very likely lived on one of these six South Carolinian plantations owned by Esther Lynch Bowman. *In alphabetical order:

Bellivere Plantation~Fort Motte-Calhoun County
Congaree River near where the road crosses the river.
 Primary crop: cotton. 

Duck Point Plantation~Near Santee river, North.
Primary crop: rice.
Lynch Field Plantation~North of the Santee River, Georgetown County.


Marsh/Pine Grove Plantation~Georgetown, county. Near Estherville road. The property is westward of the intra-coastal area. Primary crop: rice.

Peachtree Plantation~South of the Santee River, Charleston County. Primary crop, rice.

Small Farm~ In Christ Church Parish, in Mount Pleasant.

At a later time, on another blog page, I will go into detail about each of these Plantations and the few slaves I have gotten to know, through research.

*This is a photo of a slave outbuilding/quarters on Duck Point Plantation.


*This is a photo of Marsh Plantation also known as Pine Grove 
Quite possibly the country residence of E. L. Bowman. She had stated in her Will that she resided part of the year at The Marsh Plantation. 



~IF MY BODY IS ENSLAVED, STILL MY MIND IS FREE~
Sophocles


Amos was literate and had a lovely signature, for a man of color for that era of time. While many enslaved persons were illiterate, he was not. The possibility is that Ms. Esther L. Bowman a very wealthy spinster, had some of her slaves educated. In her Will, that she had penned on August 13th, 1817 she stated that "Young Molsey have one years schooling and was to be taught writing and arithmetic". Another likelihood  and a very good one is that he attended the private colored school for children started in 1803, headed by Free Person of Color, Thomas S. Bonneau. His father was a close acquaintance of Mr. Bonneau. 

Amos Baxter, his mother Phoebe and two siblings Edward and Rebecca were purchased on October 28th 1817, by his father a free person of color, Rev. John Amos Baxter Sr. (SEE BELOW) This would most certainly have been one of the most exiting days of their lives! Freedom for his beloved family.

Ms. Esther Lynch Bowman, the women he purchased his family from, was born in 1748. In Prince George's Parish, on the beautiful  Hopseewee Plantation in South Carolina.


Hopseewee Plantation 

Esther never married.
She was the sister of the signer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Lynch Jr.

Her parents were Thomas Lynch Sr., A wealthy Santee River Rice Planter, a Continental Congressman, and he had also served on as SC. Legislature in 1776. Thomas Sr. never sighed the Declaration of Independence, he became ill while in Philadelphia, the signers had left a space for him to sign when able;however, he died soon after while returning home. Esther's mother was Elizabeth Allston Lynch born 1706, she was from a very prominent family also, she had lived on Brookgreen Plantation, Elizabeth, Esther's mother died two years after her last child was born, 1754. 


Amos' father would have worked very diligently, and have had some very prominent friends to have had purchased three slaves, for $1,200. Sr. Baxter was a free colored elite, this no doubt was helpful in his purchasing his loved ones.
Amos's father was well known in the Charleston community and surrounding areas, his father was one of the founders of the Brown fellowship society. He was secretary.  
He was known by the Plantation owners as a fine dedicated and dutiful man. " Intelligence and piety", "Favorably known in the country places, on Goose creek, Cooper river, Wando, St. Paul's Parish, St. James, St. Johns and Wadmalaw Islands, and even as far as Pon-Pon rivers" William Capers *

Amos Jr. must have lived an amazing life, full of great accomplishments, racial difficulties, and yet surrounded in support from the white community. All of this would have been intertwined with a great need to prove himself worthy to his family, colleagues, and communities leaders.
 Being a Free person of color was not an easy thing to become. There were many laws pertaining to the freeman.
Transportation request, Rules in Marriage,
Owning Land/Property and many more. I'm putting together many documents that pertain to these laws and the people of color in the Charleston. (In another blog post)
Amos would have had a great deal of personal responsibility and
would have a desperate need to be successful and to be admired within the community.



*In John's Island
Near the coast, of Pon Pon river, known now as Edisto river.


In this document.....




......Mary * Bowman personally appears before a lawyer on July, 13th 1840. She states that she was the relative of Esther L. Bowman, that she witnessed the bill of sale of the departed. "very often saw her write, and is perfectly familiar with her hand writing and signature" Mary Bowman.
Clearly a hand written note was presented and needed to be verified. Recorded by G.W. Egleston NP** ~Ex office. 
Recorded 7/13/1840, sworn in M. H. Bowman  




I'm currently tweaking a few other blog pages.
Researched names: Baxter, Bowman Lynch, Castle, Bennett, Reeder and Taylor I also hope to give much more detail in each blog. Just crunched with time.



Credits:
*PON PON PHOTO ~ CHARLES FRASER
*CARITER OF BAXTER SR. LIFE OF WILLIAM CAPERS
*Hopseewee Plantation ~DSDI STAFF
*PLANTAION INFO~ SKYWAY
*DUCK POINT PLANTATION~ PIC FROM SKYWAY
*MARSH PLANTAION~ SKYWAY
*RICE FEILD APUS HISTORY

5 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. Have you had a chance to post any additional information on any of the researched names? I am very interested in learning more about how each of the families migrated if they did move to other places and family traits if any are identifiable. Thanks.

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    1. I have a substantial amount on this family,however, my intentions are to write a historical nonfiction book ("Serving America") on Charleston family's black,white, free & slave, after my youngest is attending school full time. In the meantime I'm in the gathering process. I do enjoy sharing,but I've been selective.

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    2. Nealand O' Reeder (part 2) is my latest blog post.

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  3. Who is the father of Rev. John Amos Baxter Sr. father? Where did he derive the Baxter surname?

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