�In the summer of 1781 the Fortunes arrived in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Soon after their arrival, in an incident related in every account of Amos Fortune, they were "warned out" by Jaffrey town constable Joseph Thorndike. This incident is sometimes interpreted to mean that Jaffrey residents did not want a black family in town, an assumption that is entirely erroneous. The facts are quite different. Far from being discriminatory, the "warning out" was standard procedure.

New Hampshire towns were then, as now, required by law to support needy families. To spare the town taxpayers from having to support such people, the town selectmen directed constables to "warn out" new arrivals, telling them to depart the town forthwith and warning them that, if they stayed, the town would refuse to be held liable if they became destitute. One way or another, Amos Fortune did not heed Constable Thorndike's warning and became a hard working, respected citizen of Jaffrey.

After living on some town-owned land for eight years, Fortune bought his own land. On April 25, 1789 he bought 25 acres of land along the road to Sharon (now Amos Fortune Road) for �45. He dug his tanning pits here, and built a small house and a barn. Both the house and barn are still standing, and a sign marks them as the Fortune Homestead.

Amos Fortune was acknowledged as one of the finest tanners in the area, and indeed in New England. Former clients from Woburn and other towns in eastern Massachusetts sent their hides to Jaffrey.

Amos Fortune was one of the more prominent and prosperous citizens of the young town of Jaffrey. He was a full member of the church and attended the religious services every Sunday in the Meetinghouse led by Reverend Ainsworth. Church membership was very important in those days. Though most townspeople attended the services, only a handful were full church members because rules governing membership were very strict. Amos Fortune had become a member of the church in Woburn, and upon presenting the necessary documents he was accepted into the Jaffrey church.
By all accounts, and judging by the inventory of his estate, Amos Fortune was a particularly well-dressed man. He owned silver shoe buckles and several coats, including a fur coat for winter. After 1799 he may have gone to the Sunday church meeting wearing the blue coat and fur hat he took as collateral from Samuel George in Keene. He owned a silver watch which sold for a large sum at auction following his death. Amos Fortune was instrumental in founding Jaffrey's first library, and allegedly bound several of the Library's books.

On November 17, 1801, Amos Fortune died at age 91. He was buried behind the Meetinghouse in the Old Burying Ground. Less than a year after Amos Fortune's death, Violate also died and was buried next to him in the cemetery. Today visitors of all ages come to read the inscriptions, said to have been written by Reverend Ainsworth himself.