DOCSLIB.ORG

About the Best Kindof Settlers Inotherwise Serene Southwestern

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
About the Best Kindof Settlers Inotherwise Serene Southwestern Inthe late eighteenth century, deep divisions about the best kindof Bradford's legacy is not spierre of the occasion." The Pitts- government and who DAVIDwellknown today, but during burgh Gazette later claimed that a the Whiskey Insurrection in 1794, "nod" from Bradford could have wouldlead itseparated President George Washington want- meant the destruction ofone's prop- ed Bradford arrested "byHook, or erty. And when he finally fled down settlers inotherwise by Crook."' Pittsburgh author and the Ohio River, militiaofficers mis- serene southwestern attorney HughHenry Brackenridge, takenly thought that they were ex- describing one event of the "rebel- pected to killhim rather than allow Pennsylvania. lion," called Bradford "the Robe- him to escape. 2 Bradford's part in James P. McClure, whose dissertation at the University ofMichigan dealt with Western Pennsylvania history of the late eighteenth century, is senior associate editor withthe Salmon P. Chase Papers, a documentary publication project at the Department of History, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, California. Above: 'On the Monongahela,' by William Wall,1860, (original in oil). 72 'Let Us Be Independent* the Whiskey Insurrection was so had Bradford as itsprimary focus. As range of strongly held opinions notorious, according to Bracken- a result, what his case tells us about about them. 11 ridge, that he became identified with the region in 1794 has been ne- The population increase in the a Philistine deity of the Old Testa- glected. years preceding the Whiskey Insur- ment: when the people ofWashing- David Bradford was born in rection brought tensions over the ton County learned that Bradford Maryland about 1760 and probably breaking off of new counties, in- had finally advised submission to moved to Washington County, cluding part of Allegheny, from the government's terms, "The pop- Pennsylvania, about 1781, the year Washington County. 12 Another at- ular language, withrespect to him, itwas created from part ofWestmo- tempt to reduce the county's size, was, that 'Dagon was fallen.'" 3 reland County. The following year instigated by residents ofthe south- The Whiskey Insurrection was a he— became deputy attorney general— ernportion ofthe county, began by series ofincidents that originated in the state's district attorney for 1792. One of the discontented opposition to a federal excise tax on Washington County, a position southerners decried "the Aristocrat- distilled spirits. Itlost its momen- which he still held in 1794. 5 He ical nest of Washington" with its tum even before thousands ofmili- builtan imposing stone house inthe "juridical &legal grandees." 13 In tiamen marched intoWestern Penn- town of Washington and owned a February 1794, a satirical piece in sylvania inthe fall of1794 to ensure gristmill and sawmill. In 1792 he the Pittsburgh Gazette mocked the compliance with the law.4 David was elected to the Pennsylvania town of Washington as a self-styled Bradford didnotinstigate the excise House ofRepresentatives, where he "Athens of the western world," crisis, but he didmuch to give itthe served asingle term without seeking whose residents looked down on appearance of an insurrection. Itis re-election. 6 One of his contempo- the ignorant "boobies" ofthe coun- unlikely that there wouldhave been raries stated that Bradford favored ty's southern reaches. 14 Washing- —amilitiamuster at Braddock's Field efforts to create a new state in the ton town's "grandees" also feltpres- the largest gathering— ofthe Whis- region in the 1780s but was a "zeal- sures from John Canon's town of key Insurrection without him. ous" supporter ofthe federal consti- Canonsburg to the north. In the He came the closest of any public tution at the time ofits ratification. 7 early 1790s, Canonsburg competed figure to advocating a course of In attempting to explain the with Washington as the county's revolutionary action. He was the Whiskey Insurrection, Judge Alex- center of activity.15 , only leader toresist openly the gov- ander Addison stated that the "nat- In the 1780s a group of Wash- ernment's original plan for the re- uraluntamedness oftemper" offron- ington County residents, including gion's submission to law. tier settlements "was increased by David Bradford, attempted to cre- Many residents of Washington the peculiar circumstances of this ate a structure to contend withsome County and the neighboring region country." 8 By "this country," Add- of their frustration. At the January in the years before 1794 were dis- ison meant Western Pennsylvania, 1787 term of the county's courts, contented, frustrated, and uncer- and the "peculiar circumstances" "the magistrates, sheriff,prothono- tain. Those tensions fed the resis- included a boundary controversy and tary, attornies, and a number of tance to the tax on the product of conflicting claims that began in1774 reputable inhabitants" agreed to the region's many stills. Bradford, between Pennsylvania and Virginia. form an association against the pur- for his part, was one ofa number of The two states reached agreement chase or use ofany liquors imported would-be chieftans ina competitive on the issue in 1780, but it was the into the region from east of the political environment. There is lim- middle of the decade before the Allegheny Mountains. 16 Bradford ited information about him, so we boundaries were formally marked. represented the town of Washing- cannot know for certain ifhe acted Washington County's early years ton when acounty committee, call- solely from personal ambition, or were marked by tension over land ing itself "a general Patriotic Con- because he meant to represent oth- titles,disputes over the allocation of vention," met to promote this ob- ers frustrated by the political situa- county offices, and resistance to tax ject. The "convention" expanded tion. For whichever reason, the collection and militia enrollments. the list of concerns. Its delegates Whiskey Insurrection presented him There was agitation for the creation complained about several issues, withan opportunity to gainground of a new state in the region.9 The including an "exceeding burden- politicallyand he took advantage of effects ofthese conflicts were feltfor some" tax collection system, the it.His actions relate more to local years. 10 Warfare with Native Amer- allocation of the county's election power, ambition, and the society icans continued in the 1780s and districts, and a potential "abridge- and politics of Western Pennsylva- early 1790s. Theregion's white pop- ment of our common rights" nia in the 1790s than to the excise ulation swelled after the Revolu- through restrictions on navigation tax. He did not create the Whiskey tion, and opportunities for land- of the Mississippi River. Although Insurrection, but itis important to ownership declined. Cash was scarce only 11 official delegates attended account for his role init.And while and commercial prospects uncer- the meeting, representing fewer than much has been written about the tain. Troubled by all these issues, halfof the county's townships, they insurrection, nohistorical study has Western Pennsylvanians displayed a claimed the power to review bills 73 Pittsburgh History, Summer 1991 it confidence in the integrity and wisdom ofany set ofmen living."23 Within this setting David Brad- ford was a striver working tomake a place for himself. Early inhis career inWashington County, he was clerk for a special commission investigat- ing a dispute involving James Marshel, John Canon, and Dorsey Pentecost, prominent contenders for county leadership in the 1780s. 24 Heplayed anactive role inthe Wash- ington County "convention" of 1787. He sat for a term in the assembly. InFebruary 1789 he was one of the founding members, and also one of two "Counsellors," of the "Washington Society for the Relief of Free Negroes and others, unlawfully held inBondage." 25 He was secretary to the trustees of the Washington Academy. In1793 the governor appointed him a commis- sioner to oversee the sale in Wash- ington oflots inthe town ofBeaver, recently laid out on the Ohio Riv- er. 26 And inMarch of 1794, at the under consideration by the state ofPennsylvania to settlement, con- first meeting of "the Democratic legislature, and "infuture our deci- tinuing conflicts with Indians, offi- Society of Pennsylvania, in Wash- sion thereon shall be considered as cial salaries, and the new require - ington County," he was elected the instructions to our representa- ments for county judges. 20 West- group's vice president. This group tives." 17 moreland County politician Willi- was the county's version ofthe Dem- Bradford was one of two dele- am Findley observed that in some ocratic-Republican societies which gates appointed "toprepare an in- quarters "every discription of op- had begun to form inopposition tc strument of association," but the pression that theyhave heard named the policies of the Washington Ad- group did not sustain itself. 18 The is brought into the account." 21 ministration.27 convention illustrates theissues that Six years before the Whiskey In- Yet despite his energy, Bradford concerned the inhabitants of the surrection, "AWashington County was frustrated in his attempts to western counties. Itwasperhaps the Farmer," writing in a Pittsburgh distinguish himself in Washington first attempt to create a standing newspaper, predicted the approach County. His position as deputy at- association in the region based on ofa political crisis: "The period will torney general carried far less polit- township representation. In 1793 shortly arrive, when on our prudent ical weight than judgeships or the and early 1794 there were roughly exertions willdepend the well being offices of prothonotary, clerk of similar meetings in Washington, of these fractured counties; a time courts, sheriff, or recorder ofdeeds Fayette, and Westmoreland coun- which must give birth to petty op- and register of wills. He did not ties. Delegates at those gatherings pressions, or rise in a growth of parlay any of his offices into a sus- complained of an increase in state happiness under an envied democ- tained climb to a position ofsignif- legislators'pay, and ofa new system racy." 22 In 1793 William Littellof icant power.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • THE CORRESPONDENCE of ISAAC CRAIG DURING the WHISKEY REBELLION Edited by Kenneth A
    "SUCH DISORDERS CAN ONLY BE CURED BY COPIOUS BLEEDINGS": THE CORRESPONDENCE OF ISAAC CRAIG DURING THE WHISKEY REBELLION Edited by Kenneth A. White of the surprisingly underutilized sources on the early history Oneof Pittsburgh is the Craig Papers. Acase inpoint is Isaac Craig's correspondence during the Whiskey Rebellion. Although some of his letters from that period have been published, 1 most have not. This omission is particularly curious, because only a few eyewitness ac- counts of the insurrection exist and most ofthose were written from an Antifederalist viewpoint. These letters have a value beyond the narration of events, how- ever. One of the questions debated by historians is why the federal government resorted to force to put down the insurrection. Many have blamed Alexander Hamilton for the action, attributing it to his per- sonal approach to problems or to his desire to strengthen the central government. 2 These critics tend to overlook one fact : government officials make decisions based not only on their personal philosophy but also on the facts available to them. As a federal officer on the scene, Craig provided Washington and his cabinet with their informa- Kenneth White received his B.A. and M.A.degrees from Duquesne Uni- versity. While working on his master's degree he completed internships with the Adams Papers and the Institute of Early American History and Culture. Mr. White is presently working as a fieldarchivist for the Pennsylvania His- torical and Museum Commission's County Records Survey and Planning Study.— Editor 1 Portions of this correspondence have been published. For example, all or parts of six of these letters appeared in Harold C.
    [Show full text]
  • The Trial of David Bradford by William Cameron © 2019 Page | 1 (A
    The Trial of David Bradford by William Cameron © 2019 P a g e | 1 (A courtroom. The actor portraying Daniel REDICK, in plain contemporary dress, addresses the audience.) REDICK David Bradford got away. The Whiskey Rebellion’s notorious leader escaped and never faced trial for his allegedly treasonous actions during the Insurrection of 1794. According to the tale that everyone tells but no one believes, David Bradford was enjoying the comforts of his palatial home, perhaps enjoying a whiskey, when word came that a cavalry unit with orders to arrest him was just outside the gate. Our intrepid protagonist leapt from a rear second-story window onto his faithful steed who, by some miracle, was not only saddled up and ready to go, but knew just where to stand. David then rode off into the autumn night, the cavalry hot on his trail but clearly no match for his superior horsemanship. (The actor begins to don his costume—suitable for a prominent attorney in 1795 America.) It’s nonsense, of course. In truth, Bradford left town in a most unhurried fashion and traveled in relative comfort on a coal barge down the Ohio River. I’m sure it was a most pleasant voyage. (Beat, as the actor dons his wig, continues to prepare.) I like to believe David Bradford made up that first story himself. It does allow him a mythical status that, perhaps, he deserves. Of course, he could’ve secured that status in another way, and that is what brings us here this evening. Let’s imagine, shall we, that, oh…say, when David Bradford leapt from that rear window, his horse wasn’t quite so accommodating, and the poor man ended up on his seditious backside in the rose bushes.
    [Show full text]
  • Benjamin Franklin
    Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin FRS FRSA FRSE (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705][Note 1] – April 17, 1790) was a British American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the Benjamin Franklin United States. Franklin was a leading writer, printer, political philosopher, politician, FRS, FRSA, FRSE Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions.[1] He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department,[2] and the University of Pennsylvania.[3] Franklin earned the title of "The First American" for his early and indefatigable campaigning for colonial unity, initially as an author and spokesman in London for several colonies. As the first United States ambassador to France, he exemplified the emerging American nation.[4] Franklin was foundational in defining the American ethos as a marriage of the practical values of thrift, hard work, education, community spirit, self- governing institutions, and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious, with the scientific and tolerant values of the Enlightenment. In the words of historian Henry Steele Commager, "In a Franklin could be merged the virtues of Puritanism without its Benjamin Franklin by Joseph defects, the illumination
    [Show full text]
  • Martin's Bench and Bar of Philadelphia
    MARTIN'S BENCH AND BAR OF PHILADELPHIA Together with other Lists of persons appointed to Administer the Laws in the City and County of Philadelphia, and the Province and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania BY , JOHN HILL MARTIN OF THE PHILADELPHIA BAR OF C PHILADELPHIA KKKS WELSH & CO., PUBLISHERS No. 19 South Ninth Street 1883 Entered according to the Act of Congress, On the 12th day of March, in the year 1883, BY JOHN HILL MARTIN, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. W. H. PILE, PRINTER, No. 422 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. Stack Annex 5 PREFACE. IT has been no part of my intention in compiling these lists entitled "The Bench and Bar of Philadelphia," to give a history of the organization of the Courts, but merely names of Judges, with dates of their commissions; Lawyers and dates of their ad- mission, and lists of other persons connected with the administra- tion of the Laws in this City and County, and in the Province and Commonwealth. Some necessary information and notes have been added to a few of the lists. And in addition it may not be out of place here to state that Courts of Justice, in what is now the Com- monwealth of Pennsylvania, were first established by the Swedes, in 1642, at New Gottenburg, nowTinicum, by Governor John Printz, who was instructed to decide all controversies according to the laws, customs and usages of Sweden. What Courts he established and what the modes of procedure therein, can only be conjectur- ed by what subsequently occurred, and by the record of Upland Court.
    [Show full text]
  • 12/05/2005 Case Announcements #2, 2005-Ohio-6408.]
    CASE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS December 5, 2005 [Cite as 12/05/2005 Case Announcements #2, 2005-Ohio-6408.] MISCELLANEOUS ORDERS On December 2, 2005, the Supreme Court issued orders suspending 13,800 attorneys for noncompliance with Gov.Bar R. VI, which requires attorneys to file a Certificate of Registration and pay applicable fees on or before September 1, 2005. The text of the entry imposing the suspension is reproduced below. This is followed by a list of the attorneys who were suspended. The list includes, by county, each attorney’s Attorney Registration Number. Because an attorney suspended pursuant to Gov.Bar R. VI can be reinstated upon application, an attorney whose name appears below may have been reinstated prior to publication of this notice. Please contact the Attorney Registration Section at 614/387-9320 to determine the current status of an attorney whose name appears below. In re Attorney Registration Suspension : ORDER OF [Attorney Name] : SUSPENSION Respondent. : : [Registration Number] : Gov.Bar R. VI(1)(A) requires all attorneys admitted to the practice of law in Ohio to file a Certificate of Registration for the 2005/2007 attorney registration biennium on or before September 1, 2005. Section 6(A) establishes that an attorney who fails to file the Certificate of Registration on or before September 1, 2005, but pays within ninety days of the deadline, shall be assessed a late fee. Section 6(B) provides that an attorney who fails to file a Certificate of Registration and pay the fees either timely or within the late registration period shall be notified of noncompliance and that if the attorney fails to file evidence of compliance with Gov.Bar R.
    [Show full text]
  • The Whiskey Rebellion, Popular Rights and the Meaning of the First Amendment
    Index The Whiskey Rebellion, Popular Rights and the Meaning of the First Amendment Thomas Gaddis House 1769 Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/pa1916/ If These Monuments Could Talk Setting the Stage: What is a Monument? 1. The Excise Tax 2. The Spark 3. The Rebellion 4. The Reaction 5. Winners and Losers? What is a Monument? Albert Gallatin Surveying Statue Friendship Hill National Historic Site https://www.nps.gov/fr hi/learn/education/cla ssrooms/field-trip-self- guided.htm Monument Definition 1 : something that serves as a memorial; especially : a building, pillar, stone, or statue honoring a person or event 2 : a work, saying, or deed that lasts or that is worth preserving <the book is a monument of scholarship> 3 : a boundary marker (as a stone) 4 : a place of historic interest or natural beauty set aside and maintained by the government as public property Miriam-Webster Student Dictionary http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi- bin/student?book=Student&va=monument A Folk Song: Copper Kettle Written by Albert Frank Beddoe Sung by Joan Baez 1962 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl MQXjy46J8 A Print or Painting J. Howard Iams, Artist-Historian ◆ Tarring and Feathering ● Outraged farmers considered tarring and feathering a form of protest ● First recorded incident: September 6, 1791 ○ Near Mingo Creek ○ Robert Johnson, Deputy Tax Collector for Allegheny and Washington Counties A Print or Painting J. Howard Iams, Artist-Historian ◆ Tarring and Feathering ◆ Black Horse Tavern ◆ Miller House ◆ Colonel Presley Neville House ◆ The David Bradford House (r) ◆ The Burning Cabin ◆ The Terrible Night Gravestone Inscription: Here lies the body of Captain James McFarlane of Washington, PA.
    [Show full text]
  • BUILDER, RELIGIONIST, POLITICIAN Samuel Eckerberger Duff
    HISTORICAL SOCIETY NOTES AND DOCUMENTS HEZEKIAHNIXON: BUILDER, RELIGIONIST, POLITICIAN Samuel Eckerberger Duff 1981, the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania received a Inxerox copy of a thirty-page typewritten biography of Hezekiah Nixon. It was a gift of Charles H. Nixon, whose father, Judge Clarence B. Nixon, found it among old Nixon and Duff family ma- terials. Samuel E. Duff, who was born in Allegheny City on Novem- ber 1, 1867, was the son of Colonel Levi Bird Duff, who five years previously had married Harriet Howard Nixon,daughter of Hezekiah Nixon. After his graduation from the Western University of Pennsyl- vania, Duff worked for several western railroads before returning to Allegheny City to work for the Riter-Conley Manufacturing Com- pany. Around 1908, he set up his ownoffice inPittsburgh as a consult- ing engineer. 1 Duff died on November 22, 1942. The Nixonbiography is reprinted here exactly as itappears inthe Society's collection, retaining the author's spelling and punctuation. Ellipses indicate deletions, while annotation has been supplied where Duff is mistaken about historical fact or where clarification and amplification are needed. Inever saw my maternal grandfather Hezekiah Nixon, because he died nine years before Iwas born. Mygrandmother Rosanna [sic] Frew Nixon, in whose household Ilived from the time Iwas three until Iwas thirteen years old, told me that Hezekiah Nixon was a few inches over six feet tall, of slender, spare and bony figure, erect and vigorous until weakened, bent and blinded by the torturing rheumatism which caused his death at fifty-six years of age. After his death an oil portrait of my grandfather was made under my grandmother's direc- tion from a daguerreotype taken when he was about forty-five years old.Ihave often seen thisportrait, now inthe possession of mybrother, 1 George Thornton Fleming, History of Pittsburgh and Environs, 6 vols.
    [Show full text]
  • Divided Frontier: the George Rogers Clark Expedition and Multi- Cultural Interaction
    DIVIDED FRONTIER: THE GEORGE ROGERS CLARK EXPEDITION AND MULTI- CULTURAL INTERACTION by KENNETH B. TITUS B.S., Kansas State University, 2006 A THESIS submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF ARTS Department of History College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 2009 Approved by: Major Professor Louise Breen Abstract The land west of the Alleghany Mountains and along the Ohio River and Great Lakes was an area of hotly contested land and sovereignty claims during the colonial period, complete with shifting loyalties and highly factionalized alliances. Warfare and diplomacy in the western territories often hinged on the actions of just one man or a small group of people, with consequences that could cause the collapse of entire empires. The long-standing battle for land and power throughout the Ohio Valley has been called the Long War because once conflict began between the French, British, and Indians in 1754, no one power was truly able to claim the land and its people until the British were forced out of their Great Lakes forts in 1815. George Rogers Clark uniquely united these groups for a short moment in history, a feat made all the more impressive when we consider how long the region remained contested ground between empires. These factions united only once prior the era of American control. During the expedition of George Rogers Clark in 1778, backcountry settlers, French habitants, Indian chiefs, and Spanish officials all united during a small window of time to overthrow British control of the Illinois Country. Clark moved freely from the top political circles of Virginia to the remote frontier outposts of the Illinois Country.
    [Show full text]
  • March 1993 O What a "Landmark" May Be a Revisiting Oid St
    PITTSBURGH HISTORY & LANDMARKS FOTJNDATION ONE STATION SQUARE, SUITE45O PITTSBURGH, PA I52I9-II7O Address Correction Requested Published for the members of the Pittsburgh History & l¿ndmarks Foundation No. 128 March 1993 o What a "Landmark" May Be a Revisiting OId St. Luke's a Pittsburgh Architecture: Civilized Engineering Airy Engineering Getting Acquainted with Hornbostel Lartdmarks' Pre servation Fund As we usere going ta press with this isstq Sta.nlq Landmarks'loan will allow NLC to prepare its meeting. Neighborhood revitalization, community preservation goals include: I-owe antwunced. his resignatian as dírecør of 1992 year-end annual report, establish and reorganize development, and historic its executive committee, prepare incorporation and 501 Fund,, as During the First 100 Days: I-øndmarks' Preseruatian øprelimínnry ø (c) (3) documentation, adopt an annual operating runningfor Pítæburgh Cíty CowrcíL. Th.ese reports, budget, and continue to work with its partners such as . Proposing legislation to restore the Historic Rehabili- writænþr publicøtian hcrq describe recen initin- Allegheny General Hospital, Northside Civic Develop- tation Tax Credit. ment Council, Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment ¡ Directing the Council on Environmental Quality to tíaes wíth th.e, Prese¡vati.on Fund. Alæ Kønuth, usha Group, Northside businesses, and others. study subsidies that support suburban sprawl. hasbeen seruíng as an assßta,nr ø Stnnlq, uill hclp NLC executive director Nancy Schaefer expressed r Establishing a structure within each federal agency to us in thß trarcítiana.l periad,. gratitude and stated, "NLC was able to convene the facilitate the delivery of services to neighborhood annual retreat which allowed over 100 people to attend groups. and identify issues and problems affecting the North- o Protecting the discretionary fund within the Health Manchester's Section I Housing Development side.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Manuscripts
    William Reese Company AMERICANA • RARE BOOKS • LITERATURE AMERICAN ART • PHOTOGRAPHY ______________________________ 409 TEMPLE STREET NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06511 (203) 789-8081 FAX (203) 865-7653 [email protected] Economic Manuscripts Costs of Repairing Albany’s Blockhouse in 1709, Including Rum for the Workers 1. Abeel, Johannes: [MANUSCRIPT DOCUMENT, SIGNED BY JOHANNES ABEEL, DETAILING EXPENSES FOR REPAIRS ON THE “OLD BLOCK- HOUSE”]. Albany. 1709. [1]p. Folio. Old fold lines, light soiling and wear. Good. Manuscript document detailing the expenses associated with the repair of the old blockhouse in Albany, signed by Albany official Johannes Abeel. Abeel (1667- 1711) was an Albany native and merchant who held various local offices, including mayor of Albany from 1709 to 1710 – likely the capacity in which he signed off on the present account. Work began and was mostly performed in mid-November, finally finishing in late January. Of the fifteen line items listed, eight are for “1 quart rum” for the laborers (each costing one shilling and three pence), four are for nails, and the other three list the labor of two individual men – Jacob and Cornelius Boogert. Total cost was £9/3/3. $500. A Decade’s Worth of Ships’ Accounts 2. Alexander, Albion D.: [MANUSCRIPT ACCOUNT BOOK BELONG- ING TO CAPTAIN ALBION D. ALEXANDER OF MAINE]. [Maine and elsewhere]. 1849-1860. [25]pp. Folio. Contemporary stiff paper wrappers, lettered on cover. Light soiling to covers; minor soiling internally, but generally quite bright and clean. Very good. An account book kept by Albion D. Alexander (b.1822), a ship captain from Maine, detailing accounts for several ships over a ten year period.
    [Show full text]
  • Guarding the Republican Interest: the Western Pennsylvania Democratic Societies and the Excise Tax Jeffrey A
    Guarding the Republican Interest: The Western Pennsylvania Democratic Societies and the Excise Tax Jeffrey A. Davis Bloomsburg University In 1793 Democratic societies emerged and spread quickly throughout the new nation. These dubs numbered as many as forty-two and ranged in location from Massachusetts to Georgia. The societies saw themselves as watch- dogs of republican virtue, ready to inform the public of any indiscretions that might threaten liberty by either state or federal government. The Pennsylvania Democratic-Republican societies-despite differences in levels of activity, or- ganizational structure, and community interests-used issues such as the Proc- lamation of Neutrality, the Jay Mission, and most especially the excise tax, to define and to draw distinctions between themselves and the Washington ad- ministration. Rather than producing uniform and rigid ideological organiza- tions, the unity that was forged around principles and ideals both allowed, and sometimes required, club leaders to respond pragmatically to local and regional needs and interests. The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 was a case in point. Historians have previously underestimated and misunderstood the role of the western Democratic Societies in the rebellion. The-records of local soci- ety meetings demonstrate that the membership of the societies in the west stressed both ideological and pragmatic reasons for repeal of the excise tax. Both eastern and western societies advocated changing the law through peace- ful constitutional means. Members of the societies in the west were certainly concerned with local autonomy. However, their methods-such as resolu- tions, remonstrances and electioneering-as well as the language they spoke went well beyond the local.
    [Show full text]
  • The Library of Virginia Quarterly Report of Archival Accessions
    The Library of Virginia Quarterly Report of Archival Accessions October 1, 2009 – December 31, 2009 BIBLE RECORDS Davis Family. 4 leaves. [Mathews County, Virginia?], 1821–1852. Bible of Joseph Davis and Martha Davis. Gift of Katherine Hendrick, Mathews. (44481) Davis Family. 4 leaves Mathews County, Virginia, 1898–1998. Bible of Mamie Eunice Lilly Davis (1875–1934) and Vernon E. Davis (1868–1917). Other surnames mentioned: Hendrick, Lilly, Miller, and Taylor. Gift of Katherine Hendrick, Mathews. (44480) Davis Family. 3 leaves. Mathews County, Virginia, no dates. Bible of Amanda Davis, later given as a gift to son Vernon E. Davis (1868–1917). Bible printed in 1856. Gift of Katherine Hendrick, Mathews. (44482) Miller Family. 7 leaves. Mathews County, Virginia, 1793–1910. Bible of Booker Miller (1793–1835) and Margaret Emerson Miller (b. 1796). Other surnames mentioned: Blake, Diggs, Elliott, Emerson, Foster, Howlett, and Hunley. Gift of Katherine Hendrick, Mathews. (44483) Miscellaneous Bible Records Collection No. 78 (MBRC 78). 1 volume (191 leaves). Accomack and Northampton Counties, Virginia, 1643–2003. Includes Bible records for the following families: Bowdoin, Carmine, Colonna, Crocket, Custis, Davis, Doughty, Downes, Finney-Mapp, Guy, Hitchens, Jones, Moore, Nottingham, Satchell, Savage, Smith, Thomas, Ward, and West. Also included are a list, compiled in 2007, of some of the people buried at Salem Churchyard in Northampton County; notes from loose papers stored at the clerk’s office in Eastville; abstracts of booklets kept by Ella Winder Kerr (1850–1923) in the latter part of the 19th century regarding life at the Kerr’s Northampton County home, “Cessford”; songs and poems; notes and photographs related to the Downing family of Northampton County; and a history of the “Homedale” or “Luke’s Point” property in Northampton County.
    [Show full text]