Samuel Forwood ( – October 27, 1892) was an American politician and plantation owner who served in the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

, representing Clarke County in 1839 and again in 1876.

Early life

Samuel Forwood was born in

Harford County, Maryland Harford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland, Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Wa ...

, to John Forwood, who served as a member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

Career

In the fall of 1830, Forwood moved to

Clarke County, Alabama Clarke County is a County (United States), county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 23,087. The county seat is Grove Hill, Alabama, Grove Hill. T ...

. In the early 1830s, he founded the plantation Gosport Retreat in

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...

. The name "Gosport" is said to be a contraction of "God's Port." He served as postmaster of Gosport when the post office was established in 1834. Forwood later purchased the estate of Governor

John Murphy John Murphy may refer to: Arts and entertainment *John Francis Murphy (1853–1921), American landscape painter * John Murphy (fiddler) (1875–1955), Irish fiddle player *John Cullen Murphy (1919–2004), American illustrator * John Murphy (play ...

in Gosport. Forwood was a slaveholder and owned a plantation throughout the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. After the war, his plantation encompassed approximately . Forwood represented Clarke County as a member of the

in 1839 and again in 1876. He also participated in the Alabama constitutional conventions of 1865 and 1875. He also served as chairman of the Lee Monument Association of Alabama.

Personal life

Forwood married Rachael Cooper Stump of

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

in 1828. They had one son, W. Stump Forwood. His first wife died in 1830. After relocating to Alabama, he married Martha J. Morriss in 1834. Together, they had ten children. His son, W. Stump Forwood, worked as a physician and founded the Harford Medical Society in Harford County, Maryland. Forwood resided in

Gosport, Alabama Gosport is an unincorporated community in Clarke County, Alabama, United States. Gosport is also close to the unincorporated town of Whatley, the two are usually confused with one another, and sometimes thought as the same place. The telephone ...

. He was a member of the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

. Forwood died on October 27, 1892, aged 94, at his plantation in Clarke County.

References

External links

Alabama Historical Quarterly: An Autobiographical Sketch of Samuel Forwood
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forwood, Samuel Year of birth uncertain 1790s births 1892 deaths Politicians from Harford County, Maryland People from Clarke County, Alabama Members of the Alabama House of Representatives Alabama postmasters Methodists from Alabama American slave owners 19th-century members of the Alabama Legislature