London Gross
MSA SC 5496-51067
War of 1812 Refugee, Calvert County, Maryland
Biography:
London Gross was the son of Daniel and Betty Gross. London and his parents were the enslaved property of John Wood of Calvert County, Maryland. London was the middle child of Daniel and Betty and had two siblings Sampson and Gabe. In the summer of 1814, three armed men from the British fleet came to the home of John Wood, where London and his family were being hidden. The British soldiers entered the home demanded that Wood's slaves be turned over and swore that "if they were not delivered to them immediately they would blow the house to hell in a moment." London Gross and his family were taken aboard a barge which carried the family to the British fleet lying in the Patuxent River. The Gross family were taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia where they settled.
Following the war, slave owners from Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, and Louisiana submitted claims to the Department of State to recieve compensation for the loss of their property. Among the property that was lost or stolen were enslaved people, destroyed property, tobacco, livestock, and household items. John Wood filed a claim in 1828 to be compensated for the loss of London Gross. Maryland slave owners were awarded $280 per slave that they lost to the British during the War of 1812. John Wood received $1400 for the loss of his five slaves.
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