Here is an email and picture from member Mike Hackworth, published with his gracious permission. Mike is a descendant of William and Rebecca's son, David, who was their youngest son. This David Miller was born in 1794 after his family had moved to Fayette County [formed from Westmoreland County in 1783], Pennsylvania. The excerpt about the Whiskey Rebellion is certainly interesting. Research has proven that the David Bradford listed below is Rebecca's cousin, however there is no known connection to any of the Miller's listed in the article, including the William Miller (yet!), but it is still very interesting. Thanks, Mike, for this great information!
"Researching the Miller's from 1790's and before in and around Westmoreland Pennsylvania has proven quite elusive at best. I have come across a tidbit from the Whiskey Rebellion which fits my genealogy, but still leaves me with no paper documentation. I wanted to share just a few genealogy "puzzle pieces" I have come to know from Missouri.
Through Missouri land/tax records, birth, death, and marriage certificates, I can document my GGGgrandfather David Miller b. 9Oct1794 PA d. 26 Jan1873 Greene County Missouri, buried in Hazelwood Cemetery, Springfield Missouri. Family letters and genealogy supplied to Rev. George Labaw in 1900 document David's 2nd wife Susanna Warne, who is buried beside him. Rev. Geo. Labaw wrote a 1903 genealogy book on Susanna's Warne family, and documents her family very well back to mid 1600's New Jersey and Great Britain. Some of the family information Rev. Labaw gives credit to by name in his book, is through correspondence with David and Susanna Warne Miller's daughter's Oriella and Serena.
I have a single photo copy letter written from Charles Miller 1928 Oklahoma, explaining his genealogy research in which he says the parents of David Miller b. 1974 are "William Miller of Cecil County Maryland, married to a very young Rebecca Bradford of Fayette Pennsylvania". This letter does not say any more of William Miller, but does say Rebecca's father [brother?] as David Bradford from Washington County Pennsylvania, no dates are given. Charles Miller says some of his 1928 information came from "Aunt Money Miller".
An undated 1950's? letter from Elwyn Campbell, Springfield Missouri, stating his mother's nickname was Munnie, pronounced money. The Elwyn Campbell letter describes the trip of his grandfather David and Susanna from Donora PA to Springfield Missouri in 1870, by train to Rolla Missouri, then by wagon into Springfield, as told to him by his mother Serena Miller Campbell. Elwyn Campbell, and Serena Miller Campbell are buried in the Miller Family Plot in Hazelwood Cemetery along with David and Susanna Miller, as well as many other Miller family members from Westmoreland PA.
"Quite possibly, other Miller researchers have "other tidbits" which could help put puzzle pieces together in hopes we could find the paper documentation we all are searching for.
Whiskey Rebellion Excerpts only supplies names in close proximity of date and location:
"The Whiskey Rebellion Begins
Despite the President's plea and Congressional modification of the excise law, [3] violent opposition to the whiskey tax continued to grow over the next two years. This was especially true in the four counties of southwestern Pennsylvania —Allegheny, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland—the location of up to one-fourth of the Nation's stills. In the summer of 1794, U.S. Marshal David Lennon arrived in the area to serve writs ordering those who had refused to pay the whiskey tax to appear in Federal court in Philadelphia. In Washington County, Federal revenue officer John Neville acted as Lennox 's guide. On July 15th, the two men served a writ on William Miller, but, after leaving the paper with the angry frontiersman, they were met by an armed group of his neighbors. A shot was heard as Lennox and Neville rode off, but neither man was injured.
Matters came to a head on July 16th when a group of angry farmers, including members of the extended Miller family, marched on Neville's house in the belief that Marshal Lennox was there. Confronted by these armed men, Neville shot and killed Oliver Miller. A shootout ensued, and Neville's slaves joined the fight by firing on the mob from their quarters. The protesters fled, but returned to Neville's house on July 17th with a force of 500 local militiamen. The tax collector, however, had slipped away earlier with the aid of a small squad of Federal soldiers from Fort Pitt who had come to guard his property. A shootout with the soldiers left rebel leader James McFarlane dead, but the greatly outnumbered Federals later surrendered. The rebels then burnt the Neville's house and barn to the ground. Several days later, David Bradford, deputy county attorney for Washington County, took command of the rebels in the county.
Visiting Whiskey Rebellion-Related Sites Today
Historical markers throughout southwestern Pennsylvania identify sites, homes and other buildings associated with the Whiskey Rebellion. A searchable list of historical markers can be found on the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Web site at http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/.
For example, historical markers note important meeting sites of whiskey rebels at Braddock's Field, as well as Bonnet Tavern and Mingo Creek Church, both of which still stand today. Markers also note the location of aMiller family farmstead and the home of rebel leader David Bradford, both of which are now museums and open to the public."
