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Intro
Amos Fortune, Free Man is the fictionalized story of a real-life African prince who was sold into slavery. In the early spring of 1725, white hunters surround and overwhelm the village of the At-mun-shi people during their planting rituals. Among their victims is the chief’s son, At-mun (later renamed Amos). The hunters take their captives to the coast, where At-mun and the others board ships for the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. As he leaves, At-mun promises himself to never forget where he came from or his disabled sister, Ath-mun, whom he was forced to leave behind.
After two months at sea and another few weeks hopping from port to port up the coast of the North American colonies, the slave ship arrives at Boston Harbor, where a Quaker weaver named Caleb Copeland buys At-mun on impulse. At-mun, renamed “Amos,” grows into adulthood in the Copeland home alongside children Roxanna and Roger. He converts to Christianity, Celia Copeland teaches him to read and write, and Caleb teaches him the weaver’s trade. Eventually, Amos becomes a trusted member of the family, although he never forgets his past and frequently goes to the harbor and slave auctions in search of his sister.
When Caleb Copeland dies before granting Amos his freedom, Amos joins the rest of the household goods at auction to pay off the family’s debts. His new enslaver, Ichabod Richardson, brings him to the town of Woburn, where he teaches Amos the business of turning animal hides into leather. Although he draws up manumission papers for Amos, Richardson also dies before granting Amos his legal freedom. When Mrs. Richardson finally releases her family’s claim on Amos, he is 60 years old.
Amos continues to work in the tanning business in Woburn for several years, during which time he purchases the freedom of his first two wives, Lily and Lydia, each of whom die within a year of their marriages. A journey to Keene, New Hampshire brings Amos through Jaffrey, where he decides to settle after receiving a sign from God. He moves there in 1781, at the age of 71, with his third wife, Violet, and adoptive daughter Celyndia.
Amos quickly builds a reputable tannery business in Jaffrey, where he ultimately becomes a well-respected and integral part of the community. At the age of 80, he purchases a plot of land for himself and his family and spends the final years of his life here. Just before he dies, Amos leaves a sizeable bequest to the church and the school of Jaffrey. When he passes away at the age of 91, the village shows its respect for him by burying him beneath a handsome tombstone in the local cemetery.
