Amos, Jr. was the oldest of four children, all born free, to Amos, Sr. and Bathsheba Hull of Northampton, Massachusetts. His father died in 1761, the same year that his sister, Margaret was born.
Bathsheba had remarried, but was forced to sell the family's home and her second husband had been "warned out" of Northampton and was in prison in nearby Springfield. In New England towns, people who couldn't support themselves were warned out- ordered to leave, so that the town would not have to support them. Fourteen-year-old Amos, Jr. went to nearby Hadley, 13-year-old Asaph was placed by the town's Overseers of the Poor in an apprenticeship in Connecticut, Agrippa, age nine, was sent to be fostered by the Binney family- friends of the Hulls in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and Margaret, age 7, stayed in Northampton, but it is unknown whether she was allowed to live with her mother.
Amos joined the military in 1775. In Massachusetts Soldiers & Sailors of the American Revolution (Vol. 8, pg. 477) he is described as “negro”, standing 5 feet, 9 inches tall, with a black complexion and "wool" hair. In 1781 he reported that he was 30 years old and living in Hadley, Massachusetts.
While in Capt. Joshua Benson’s company, Amos was issued clothing. A 1777 report shows that he received no coat, 1 vest, 1 pair of breeches, 1 pair of hose (long socks), 2 pairs of shoes, 2 shirts, 1 hat, 2 hunting shirts, no overalls (long pants that covered the shoe tops), no mittens, and 1 blanket, all valued at $37.30. He was to receive $10.30 per day and was reported to have deserted.
Military Service
| Entry | Source | Vol Name | Date | entry id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Hull, Ames Hadley | Minority Military Service - Massachusetts 1775-1783 | 1775-1783 | 1775 | 1536 |