Bet Gross
MSA SC 5496-51064
War of 1812 Refugee, Calvert County, Maryland
Biography:
Betty "Bet" Gross was an enslaved woman who belonged to John Wood of Calvert County, Maryland. Bet was the wife of Daniel Gross who was also enslaved at the home of John Wood. Bet and Daniel had three young children Sampson, London, and Gabe. In the summer of 1814, three armed men from the British fleet came to the home of John Wood, where Bet and her family were being hidden. The British soldiersdemanded 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." Bet and her family were carried away from Wood's home and were taken on board a barge which carried them to the British fleet lying in the Patuxent River. At the time of the escape Bet was about 20 years of age.
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. Maryland claims were for
enslaved people, destroyed property, tobacco, livestock, and household
items. John
Wood filed a claim in 1828 to be compensated for the loss of his
slaves. Maryland slave owners were paid $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. Betty Gross and her family settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Return to Bet Gross' Introductory Page
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