My Contribution: I worked quietly to help African Americans by opening my home in Harrisburg as an underground railroad station. I was the grand marshal of an annual parade on August 1 honoring the end of slavery in Haiti.
My Legacy: I served with the 5th Regiment in the Massachusetts Colored Cavalry from 1864-1865 during the Civil War. The Amos name is remembered both in my work and in the work of my wife, Annie E. Amos, who championed and spoke for equal rights for African Americans and women.
About Me: My “home was an underground railroad station” and I “was often beaten and at one time incarcerated for acts under the fugitive slave law.” – John P. Scott, The Pittsburgh Courier, Annie E. Amos’ Obituary, April 1, 1911.
Full Name: Aquilla H. Amos
Birth Date: 1823 (Harrisburg Telegraph, Obituary)
Death Date: January 1, 1874 (Harrisburg Telegraph, Obituary)
Place of Birth: Pennsylvania (1850 Federal Census, House Divided Bio) or South Carolina (1860 Federal Census).
Sex: Male
Race: “Mulatto” (1850-1860 Federal Censuses)
Places of Residence: South Alley and Spruce Street
Connection to the Old Eighth Ward: I lived in the Old Eighth Ward on South Alley, a block away from Wesley Union A.M.E. Zion Church.
Family Members: Wife: Anne Eliza Williams Amos. Children: Maria L. Amos, Thomas E. Amos, Sarah A. Amos, George Amos (son – died), John W. Amos (son – died), Aquila W. Amos (son – died).
Education: Unknown
Occupations: Barber (1850 Federal Census). Domestic Servant (1860 Federal Census). Served in the 5th Regiment of Massachusetts from 1864-1865 (Ancestry Civil War Record).
Church Membership: Wesley Union A.M.E. Zion Church.
Activism: My home was an underground railroad stop (Annie E. Amos Obituary). Grand marshall of August 1 parade.
Connections: Anne Eliza Williams Amos (wife).
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