Amos Martin Slack

The Slack surname has nothing to do with a loose fit or idle status, originating in Yorkshire, England and referring to a valley or dell. Amos’ parents certainly weren’t “slack” in having children; there were two girls born before Amos and another boy and girl afterward.

Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Amos and his family were in the Spring Garden section of Philadelphia County by 1850 before settling in the Southwark area of the city’s First Ward. His first career choice was as a bricklayer but he promptly grew more involved in building row homes in the area of Morris Street around Passyunk Avenue. He may have been a foreman, a contractor, or the builder himself, or a combination of those.

Wedding bells rang in 1862 when Amelia Ardle became his bride. They welcomed Henry (aka Harry) in 1864 and Cornelius (named after his father) in 1869. That son didn’t survive, but a third, William, brought them joy in 1871.

As a young father and family man, Amos began his interest in building a stronger Southwark when he was elected to the school board. In that era each ward had its own board of education, and Amos served from 1866-1872. 

He found his niche in public service, so in 1972 he ran for and won a seat on the Common Council. It was the lower of the two branches of the city council to which he was elected for three additional one-year terms. He followed that in 1976 with a single two-year term in the other branch, the Select Council.

It was quite a decade as the city played host to the nation’s 100th birthday but it was one of family tragedies for the Slacks. Actually, the first death occurred during the Civil War when Amos’ brother, Corporal Cornelius Slack, was killed in action in 1864. His mother died in 1873, followed by his father in 1875 and his wife in 1878. 

Amelia and the family were vacationing in the Poconos with another family that summer. Some of them took a wagon ride to see the Delaware Water Gap, but it began to rain. As they opened their umbrellas, one hit a tree limb and it startled the horses and they broke away. Amelia was thrown under the wheels and was killed, while the others were injured. 

It had only been a few years since Amos purchased a plot for his parents here in Section 129, so that was where Amelia was buried. Although the grief was deeper this time, he and the boys learned to deal with it. Amos found Rebecca Campbell at their church, Scott Methodist Episcopal, and they married there on October 9, 1878. Like him, her first spouse had recently died, leaving her with a daughter, Mary, who became the boys’ step-sister. Rebecca gave birth to their son, Elwood, in 1880.

Amos left the home-building business for a civil service job in 1979 when he was appointed by the governor to the position of sealer of weights and measures in Philadelphia. But he wasn’t about to leave politics, soon becoming leader of the Republican Party in the First Ward. He held that position until asthma began reducing his activity level in 1896. A family-run political dynasty replaced him as three brothers named Vare ruled party politics at both the city and state level. Learn more about Philly’s history through that family’s story, which is found here.

In 1883 President Arthur appointed Amos to be a special agent with the Treasury Department. He returned to the business sector a year later as a representative of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. His obituary says it was his effort and influence that won that company the right to do business in Philadelphia. That’s significant because the city was the home of the largest corporation in the world at that time, the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Aside from his vocation, Amos served on the board of directors of the Philadelphia Incinerating Company and the Southwark Electric Lighting Company. He stepped aside from all of his activity in 1896, taking another city job as mercantile appraiser. His health continued to decline, especially after Rebecca died in late 1897. Sixteen months later a large group of politicians were among the crowd that gathered for his funeral and burial here.

His grave is an underground vault with a “ledger” gravestone as the cover. It lists four occupants, Amos, Rebecca, Henry, and Ellwood.