Gaspee Virtual
Archives |
| Amos
Sylvester (c1745-1827) The Gaspee Days Committee at www.gaspee.COM is a civic-minded nonprofit organization that operates many community events in and around Pawtuxet Village, including the famous Gaspee Days Parade each June. These events are all designed to commemorate the 1772 burning of the hated British revenue schooner, HMS Gaspee, by Rhode Island patriots as America's 'First Blow for Freedom' TM. Our historical research center, the Gaspee Virtual Archives at www.gaspee.ORG , has presented these research notes as an attempt to gather further information on one who has been suspected of being associated with the the burning of the Gaspee. Please e-mail your comments or further questions to webmaster@gaspee.org. |
| Evidence implicating Amos
Sylvester:
Providence Patriot & Columbian Phenix of May 19, 1827 obiturary: SYLVESTER, Amos, aged 82
years,
at Scituate; was one of those who captured the Gaspee, in Narragansett
Bay, in 1772.; he died suddenly while returning to his house from the
field for refreshmnet, March 24, 1827
SYLVESTER, Amos, at Scituate, aged 82 years. He claimed he was one of those who destroyed the Revenue Cutter Gaspee, in Narragansett Bay, in June, 1772.; March 24, 1827 Amos Sylvester was "an honest,
temperate, and industrious citizen
through life."
Amos Sylvester would've been 27 years old when he took part in the raid on the Gaspee. |
| Biographical and
Genealogical
notes From the NEHGS website there are many returns on an Amos Sylvester, but these mostly relate to one with different dates and who was living in Scituate, MA, not Scituate, RI, now called North Scituate, RI. This may create some genealogical confusion. Since the obituary was printed in Providence papers we assume that we're talking here of North Scituate, RI. We do get him living in Providence at the 1782 census under a misspelt Amos Silvestor: 1-3-0-0-1-0-0-0-6. This indicates that he had at three sons under 16 and no current wife. We also get a Freelove Sylvester, daughter of Amos of Scitiuate, having married in 1803 a John Luther in Johnston, RI; (Johnston being an adjoining town to North Scituate). Nothing is found in HeritageQuest in their RevWar pension files. A search of the Gaspee Virtual Archives reveals no incidences of "Sylvester": From a deep Googling of the name we get references to many Amos Sylvesters in Scituate, MA, and in ME, PA, and MN. We also get one born in 1790 in Providence who later married a Merendy Stowe, then a Sally Humes. Nothing specifically turns up on our Amos Sylvester, however. The RI Historical Cemeteries Database curiously gives nothing on any spelling variation of Amos Sylvester or even Sylvester Amos, even though we know when and where he died. Nothing else is returned in a search of LDS, Whipple, Ancestry.com, RIHistSoc and the NEHGS sites. . |
| The Gaspee Days Committee recognizes Amos Sylvester as a Gaspee burner, and therefore, a true American patriot. |
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