Henry (Ross) Stewart (abt. 1830 - 1912)

Born about 1830 in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Harriet Ann (Parker) Stewart — married about 1852 in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States

Descendants

Died 19 Jul 1912 at about age 82 in Sennett, Cayuga, New York, United States

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Biography

William (Ross) Stewart is a part of US Black heritage.

Henry Ross was born around 1830, probably in Dorchester County, Maryland in the United States of America. He was the son of Ben Ross and Harriet Greene. Henry, his mother, and his siblings were enslaved by Edward Brodess at the time of his birth, while his father was enslaved by Brodess's step-father Anthony Thompson.^[1]

Henry was married to Harriet Ann Parker, a local free black woman. sometime in the early 1850's. Their first two children, William and John, were born in Maryland while Henry was still enslaved.^[2]

Henry's sister Harriet Tubman helped him and his brothers Robert and Ben to escape slavery on 25 Dec 1854, right before Eliza Brodess planned to sell them. The brothers took new names to begin their free lives - Henry became William Henry Stewart, Robert became John Stewart and Ben became James Stewart. They eventually made their way to St. Catharines in Ontario, Canada. In early 1855, Harriet Tubman helped William's wife and children move there to be with him.^[2] They lived in St. Catharines and the surrounding township, Grantham, until at least the 1880's. They had the following children:^[3][4][5]

• William Stewart (born ~1853)
• John Stewart (born ~1857)
• Caroline Stewart (born ~1858)
• Julia Stewart (born ~1864)
• Mary Stewart (born 1860 or 1866)
• Amanda E Stewart (born ~1868)
• Martha M Stewart (born ~1872)
• Allice Stewart (born ~1876)
• Gertrude Stewart (born ~1879)

By 1900, William had moved to Fleming, right outside of Auburn, in New York in the USA where he lived with his sister Harriet Tubman.^[6][7][8] He died on 19 Jul 1912 in Sennett, New York^[9] and his gravestone is next to his sister's in Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn.^[10]

Slave Owners

• Edward Brodess^[1]
• Elizabeth Ann (Keene) Brodess (abt.1802-abt.1858)^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Kate Clifford Larson, Harriet Tubman Underground National Monument Historic Resource Study (National Park Service, Department of the Interior, 2019), pages 13-15, https://www.oah.org/site/assets/files/10217/hatu_hrs_-_final.pdf : accessed 8 Nov 2022.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Larson 2019, pages 224-228, https://www.oah.org/site/assets/files/10217/hatu_hrs_-_final.pdf : accessed 8 Nov 2022.
3. ↑ "Canada Census, 1861," St. Catharines, Lincoln, Canada West (Ontario), Canada; page 72, line 25, William Stuart; Library and Archives Canada, Microfilm C-1049, Image #4391560_00184, https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1861/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=1660052.
4. ↑ "Canada Census, 1871," Township of Grantham, Lincoln, Ontario, Canada; page 7-8, family 28, lines 17-20 (page 7) & 1-4 (page 8), William H Stewart household; Library and Archives Canada, Microfilm C-9921, Image #4396332_00287, https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1871/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=1706302; see also: image of page 8.
5. ↑ "Canada Census, 1881,"' Grantham, District 145 Lincoln, Ontario, Canada; page 28-29, family 130, lines 16-25 (page 28) & 1-2 (page 29), Wm H Steward household; "Canada Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVFX-PSD : accessed 9 Nov 2022), citing Library and Archives Canada.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1900", ED 27, Fleming, Cayuga County, New York, USA; sheet 14A, family family 275, lines 16-20, William Stewart in Harriet T Davis household; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS6X-QCS
7. ↑ "New York State Census, 1905," AD 2, ED 1, Fleming, Cayuga County, New York, USA; page 2, lines 11-17, William H Stewart in Harriet T Davis household; Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7364 #242457.
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," ED 39, Fleming, Cayuga County, New York, USA; sheet 9A, family 215, lines 43-47, William H Stewart household; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M5M3-4KR
9. ↑ "Harriet Tubman's Brother," William Henry Stewart death notice, The Auburn Citizen [New York], 19 Jul 1912, page 5, column 2; image available at Old Fulton New York Postcards (https://fultonhistory.com/ "Newspaper Auburn NY Citizen 1912 (3847)" : accessed 9 Nov 2022), requires free subscription.
10. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46859058/william-henry-stewart: accessed 9 November 2022), memorial page for William Henry Ross Stewart Sr. (1830–19 Jul 1912), Find A Grave: Memorial #46859058, citing Fort Hill Cemetery, Auburn, Cayuga County, New York, USA; Maintained by Dee Tijerina (contributor 47127234).