Our Famous Cousin, David Bradford of the Whiskey Rebellion - Part Three

Home of David Bradford in the town of Washington,
Washington County, PA
http://www.whiskeyrebellion.info/bradford3/bhouse.htm 

Let's look a little more closely at one event briefly mentioned in the last post. Reminder: The "Bradford" in the following except is David Bradford, leader of the Whiskey Rebellion and our Rebecca's cousin (their father's, Samuel and James Bradford, being brothers).  


We learned that in 1794 there were a "series of meetings at Bradford's home to consider the problem of the easterners knowing what was happening almost before it happened. As a result of these meetings, the mail from Pittsburg to Philadelphia was robbed on July 26th and taken to the Blackhorse Tavern in Canonsburg to be examined."

Who attended these meetings? Why were they so desperate as to be willing to rob the US Mail? And what of the mysterious Blackhorse Tavern? Did it really exist?

From the Monongahela Valley History, Section 5, we read:

"The rebels next move was the most disastrous. They conspired to rob the
mail because they wanted to find out what the dispatches going from
Pittsburgh to Harrisburg and Philadelphia said about them. The plot was
devised at the Canonsburg Tavern of Henry Westbay, called the Black Horse
Tavern, and was carried out by William Bradford, cousin of David Bradford,
and William Mitchell, hired by David Hamilton.


"They waylaid the mail carrier about 22 miles east of Pittsburgh near the
present Route 51, took only the letters they were interested in, tied the
carrier so that they would have time to get away. The mail was taken to
Benjamin Parkison/Parkinson and then to Col. Canon and David Bradford in
Canonsburg. Although there was to be a meeting at Parkinson's Ferry in 17
days, Bradford became so incensed by the content of the letters that the
militia was commmanded to meet at the Mingo Church and proceed to Braddocks
Field to march on Pittsburgh." (For more information on the outcome, see previous post).

We see 3 names in that paragraph of interest to us genealogically speaking. First, as mentioned already, is Rebecca's cousin, David, but who is David's cousin that is mentioned, a William Bradford? He is none other than Rebecca's own brother, who was a 15-year-old teenager at this time.

They had all grown up together as children in Cecil County, Maryland. As adults, several of the families eventually headed west and settled very near to each other in Fayette County and adjoining Washington County, in southwestern Pennsylvania, living only about 45 miles apart. Rebecca and her husband, William Miller, along with her mother and siblings, lived in the Dunbar/Connellsville area of Fayette County, and David, several other siblings and his parents settled near the town of Washington in Washington County, PA. Canonsburg was only a few miles north of Washington. William must have been close to his older cousin David, who in turn must have trusted the young William to help carry out the robbery of the U.S. mail!

In fact, both of there faces are immortalized on 500 hand-made Whiskey Rebellion Commemorative plates! (see below)

Whiskey Rebellion Commemorative Plaque

Concerning Benjamin Parkinson, on November 14, 1794, his distillery was seized (History of Washington County, Crumrine,  p. 883) for non-payment of taxes. Not surprisingly, Ben took an active part in the Rebellion, because acquainted with it's leader, David Bradford and his young cousin William, and in later years, William would marry Ben's daughter, Margaret Parkinson on November 18, 1800.

And finally, the Black Horse Tavern was indeed the stuff of legend, as the rebels met there to make their plans within its walls of secrecy. Some sources identify the tavern as the birthplace of the Whiskey Rebellion. According to the newspaper, the Beaver County Times, in a May 27, 1976 article that included comments from  local historian, James "Doc" Herron, it is also where the stolen mail was read: "In a backroom of the inn, in the dead of night, Bradford and six others opened and were infuriated by five critical letters addressed by Pittsburghers" (see source #1 below).  Was David's young cousin and our Rebecca's brother, William Bradford, one of "the six?" 

I believe he was. From a previous post we read “William Bradford, a relative of the writer, had procured the pouch near Greensburg and brought it to Canonsburg for inspection. What a tale this old "Black-horse" [Tavern] could unfold if to its crumbling walls speech were possible. After my graduation at Washington College in 1850 I taught a select school in Aberdeen , Ohio , opposite Maysville , Ky. , and boarded for a time in the family of Benjamin Bradford; a son of this same William Bradford and one of the wealthy and most highly respected citizens of the town. His father, this notorious William Bradford, was a large landowner in Braden County, Ohio, and was esteemed quite rich for those times, lived in Kentucky, and loaned his money in Ohio . I occasionally saw him, an old man "leaning upon the top of his staff." At that time I had learned but little of the Whiskey Insurrection, knew nothing of the history of the Black Horse tavern, the interception of the mail, and was not aware that I was in the company of one of the men who dared to "holdup" Uncle Sam's mail coach, carry off the pouch to Canonsburg and rifle the bag. Had I known these things he would immediately have become an object of greater interest to me that he was. As old Dungee of Canonsburg seemed to be afraid even in his old age to confess that he had ever been a slave, so I suppose that William Bradford would have hesitated to make any free utterance as to what he knew of the "Black Horse" tavern, and his illegal handling of the mail. Away with the old "Black Horse" then to make room for a modern structure which shall never be the haunt of men who neither fear God nor regard men. D. G. Bradford.” (see Post entitled "Rebecca's Brother, William Bradford, And His Involvement in The Whiskey Rebellion").

The Black Horse Tavern, Canonsburg, PA

It is most interesting to note that our ancestors took such a prominent role in a little known, but very influential part of American history. "Although the Whiskey Rebellion did mark the supremacy of the federal government, it also made the citizens of the states wary of this power. The question of states rights versus the powers of the federal government was not to be fully resolved until after the Civil War" (see source #2 below).  I'm not sure this question has altogether been settled even to this day! 

Your comments are most welcome!



Source #1:  http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=19760527&id=dV0vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FdsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2591,5860390

Source #2:  http://www.essortment.com/causes-effects-whiskey-rebellion-20880.html

Our Famous Cousin, David Bradford of the Whiskey Rebellion - Part Two

George Washington reviews the troops near Fort Cumberland, Maryland, before their
march to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion

As a follow-up to the last post introducing Rebecca's cousin, the famous (or infamous!) David Bradford, here is a little more detailed history about the Whiskey Rebellion. To put this in perspective as far as our ancestors are concerned, by this time William, Rebecca and their family were already living in Fayette County in southwestern Pennsylvania for some 12 years. Rebecca's paternal uncle, James Bradford, and his family (including David) had also left Cecil County, Maryland and moved to next-door Washington County near Canonsburg. These relatives lived only about 40 miles from each other. David grew up to become a highly educated and influential citizen and played one of the major roles in the Whiskey Rebellion. No doubt these two cousins and their families stayed in contact. In fact, in our next post we will review the part Rebecca's brother played in this affair!  For now, here is more information about how David Bradford, our cousin from just a few generations back, was involved:

From http://www.whiskeyrebellion.info/rebell.htm we read:

“On July 18 or 19th at a meeting at Mingo Creek Meeting house, David Bradford, a successful attorney, businessman and Deputy Attorney General assumed leadership of the rebels (some claim he did so because he was blackmailed and "forced" to take an active role). Shortly there after occurred series of meetings at Bradford's home to consider the problem of the easterners knowing what was happening almost before it happened. As a result of these meetings, the mail from Pittsburg to Philadelphia was robbed on July 26th and taken to the Blackhorse Tavern in Canonsburg to be examined.

“Because of the knowledge gained from the mail, Bradford and his group sent a letter to the local militias requesting a gathering on Aug 1, 1794 on Braddock's field to begin a possible four day military excursion. Five to seven thousand troops gathered at Braddock's field, eight miles from Pittsburg, on the first. Brackenridge convinced leaders to warn Pittsburg to banish all obnoxious characters within eight days or face destruction The farmers and militia marched through Pittsburg in protest with no problems or damage done. The lack of problems during the march was influenced by the 379 residents of Pittsburg supplied the "invading army" with food and whiskey. The "army", as many of the easterners termed it, crossed the Monongahela and torched Kirkpatrick's barn near Mt. Washington as they were leaving the city.

“By August 7, 1794, George Washington began mobilizing 12,950 troops from eastern Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey under Gen. Harry Lee, the Governor of Virginia and father of Robert E. Lee.

“Amnesty was offered to those involved in the various acts of defiance by a presidential commission on August 21, 1794. The required number of signatures was not obtained, in part, because that many felt that by signing they would be admitting guilt. The terms required that the leaders openly declare their submission to the laws in general, and the excise law in particular. A member of the President's commission, by the name of General William Irvine, sent a note to Washington after examining the facts in western Pennsylvania in which he stated "I do not mean now either to condemn of justify the proceedings here, but I may safely venture to say, that people on the west of the mountains labor under hardships, if not grievances that are not known, or at least not understood, in other parts of the United States, in more instances than the excise; but in this particular it can be demonstrated that they labor under particular hardships, for instance, carrying a man to Philadelphia or York to be tried for crimes, real or supposed, or on litigations respecting property, perhaps under the value or forty shillings: THIS IS INTOLERABLE."

“At the urging of Hamilton, George Washington determined that troops would be needed to put down the, so called, insurrection. The troops, largely from New Jersey, arrived in Carlisle Pennsylvaniain late September 1794. Washington and his troops arrived in Bedford, Pennsylvania on October 19th. By early and mid November the "Watermelon Army" began rounding up suspects in western Pennsylvania. These people, suspects and witnesses together, many of the barefoot and lacking winter clothing, were then marched to Philadelphia to stand trial. David Bradford, one of the leaders of the insurrection, escaped and fled to a location near what is today called St. Francisville, LA (about one hundred miles from New Orleans) where he built [his] second home and moved his family. Most of the army began the trek home on November 19th with the suspects and their guards following six days later. It is often rumored that the remaining troops spent the winter on the campus of Washington Academy, now known as Washington and Jefferson College. The school closed down during this short time, in part, because a number of the students and the trustees of the college were known sympathizers with the rebels.

“Secretary of State Edmund Randolph asked by President Washington to defend himself in relation to a letter from the French Minister to the French Government which analyzed the causes of the Whiskey Rebellion. The dispatch apparently implied that Randolph was the source of the information. Because the letter refereed to the repressive means that the U.S. Government was using to put down the rebellion and the referral to Washington as a puppet of Alexander Hamilton, George Washington was noticeable upset. Randolph was offended by the accusations and immediately resigned from his position (the letter may have been fairly truthful). These factors were reasons enough for the people of Western Pennsylvania to be unhappy with the new United States government.

“Because of their unwillingness to submit to the federalist principles of a strong central government, we may thank the independent people west of the mountains for our present day democratic society. Thomas Jefferson resigned his post of Secretary of State in 1793, in part, in protest because George Washington was agreeing too much with Hamilton and the Federalists. He [Jefferson] may have been a fellow member of the Virginia House of Burgess with David Bradford of Washington and it is thought that this insurrection may have been strongly influenced by Jefferson and his friends.”

Our Famous Cousin, David Bradford of the Whiskey Rebellion - Part One

We haven't talked about Rebecca's cousin, the infamous David Bradford, leader of the Whiskey Rebellion in quite awhile.  David and Rebecca were cousins through their fathers, Samuel Bradford [Rebecca's father], and James Bradford [David's father]. Here are excerpts from Wikipedia about David and the Rebellion.

David Bradford (1762–1808) was a successful lawyer and deputy attorney-general for Washington County, Pennsylvania in the late 18th century. He was infamous for his association with the Whiskey Rebellion, and his fictionalized escape to the Spanish-owned territory of West Florida (modern-day Louisiana) with soldiers at his tail. He was later pardoned by President John Adams for his actions. Today, his family's home in Washington, Pennsylvania is a national landmark and museum.

Throughout the early 18th century, what is now Washington County was claimed by both Virginia and Pennsylvania. It wasn't until March 28, 1781 the drawing of the Mason-Dixon Line officially gave this land to Pennsylvania. Washington County was erected out of Westmoreland County at that time, and Washington, the county seat, was laid out by David Hoge later that same year. The following year, 1782, David Bradford, who was born in Maryland about 1760, came to town. Court records indicate that in April 1782 he was the sixth attorney to be admitted to the Washington County Bar Association. A brilliant young lawyer, he quickly established a very successful practice, and by 1783 he had been appointed deputy attorney-general for Washington County.

David Bradford had important family connections in town. One of his sisters, Agnes, had married John McDowell, a prominent local attorney; another sister, Jane, had married Col. James Allison, a lawyer who had settled in the Chartiers Valley in 1774. Both McDowell and Allison were elders in the Rev. John McMillan's Chartiers Church, and they also were among the first trustees of both Canonsburg and Washington Academies. David Bradford joined his brothers-in-law as a trustee of Washington College (now Washington & Jefferson College), and was appointed a member of the building committee. He was instrumental in building McMillan Hall at Washington College, which is one of the oldest surviving educational buildings in the nation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[1]

Bradford also became active in political affairs, and by 1791 he was becoming more and more absorbed in the escalating protest over a whiskey tax which had been levied by the federal government that year, and the general treatment of Western Pennsylvanians by the East. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bradford_(lawyer))

Here is a very brief summary about the Whiskey Rebellion:
The Whiskey Rebellion, or Whiskey Insurrection, was a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791, during thepresidency of George Washington. Farmers who used their leftover grain and corn in the form of whiskey as a medium of exchange were forced to pay a new tax. The tax was a part of treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton's program to increase central government power, in particular to fund his policy of assuming the war debt of those states which had failed to pay. The farmers who resisted, many war veterans, contended that they were fighting for the principles of theAmerican Revolution, in particular against taxation without local representation, while the Federal government maintained the taxes were the legal expression of the taxation powers of Congress.

Throughout counties in Western Pennsylvania, protesters used violence and intimidation to prevent federal officials from collecting the tax. Resistance came to a climax in July 1794, when a U.S. marshal arrived in western Pennsylvania to serve writs to distillers who had not paid the excise. The alarm was raised, and more than 500 armed men attacked the fortified home of tax inspector General John Neville. Washington responded by sending peace commissioners to western Pennsylvania to negotiate with the rebels, while at the same time calling on governors to send a militia force to enforce the tax. With 13,000 militia provided by the governors of Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, Washington rode at the head of an army to suppress the insurgency. The rebels all went home before the arrival of the army, and there was no confrontation. About 20 men were arrested, but all were later acquitted or pardoned.

The Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated that the new national government had the willingness and ability to suppress violent resistance to its laws. The whiskey excise remained difficult to collect, however. The events contributed to the formation of political parties in the United States, a process already underway. The whiskey tax was repealed after Thomas Jefferson'sRepublican Party, which opposed Hamilton's Federalist Party, came to power in 1801. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion)

We'll spend at least a couple more blogs on the fascinating part of our American history and this fascinating ancestor. Till then, wouldn't it be fantastic if we could all meet up here someday (see below!). Check out the link:
http://www.whiskeyrebellionfestival.com/Whiskey_Rebellion_Festival/history.html

Rebecca's Brother, William Bradford, And His Involvement in The Whiskey Rebelion

The Whiskey Rebellion Flag

(picture courtesy of http://franceshunter.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/meriwether-lewis-in-the-whiskey-rebellion/)

This post continues the story of Rebecca Bradford Miller’s brother, our great, great uncle, William Bradford. In the last post we learned that Rebecca and her brothers lost their father, Samuel Bradford, probably very soon after their move (in about 1783) from Cecil County, Maryland, to Fayette County, southwestern Pennsylvania.

Of this time, family researcher, Shirley Ramsey writes: “It appears that the father of William died when the son was but a child, and the little fellow was placed in a family of strangers, somewhere in Virginia, with whom he lived until he grew to the years of manhood. In 1819 he left Virginia, came to Adams County [Ohio] and settled in West Union where he stayed for a year, then moved to Sprigg Township and settled in Fox's survey, No. 401, on the Ohio River where he lived and died."

This post will examine the period of “lost time” on which the preceding paragraph is notably silent – that is, from when William as a child was “placed in a family of strangers” until the time that he, as a fully grown, married man, moved to Adams County, Ohio.

I submit that it was to his Uncle James Bradford’s family, just over the county line in Washington Co, PA (an area that historically was considered part of Virginia¹) that young William was sent. What of the “strangers” remark? Though relatives, possibly these people were like strangers to the young William. While the families probably lived near each other in Cecil County, Maryland, William’s uncle and family had moved west earlier, and this youngster probably had not seen his relatives for a long time. Thus, they would have been as “strangers” to William. His uncle James had become fairly well-to-do and William’s mother, Sarah Bradford, having just lost her husband, probably felt it wise to send her young son to live with her better-situated brother-in-law in the next county.

Here, William would have grown up with his cousins, including the “older and wiser” David, and William’s association with this particular cousin changed his world.

For this cousin, David Bradford, grew up to become the infamous instigator of the little known, but very important incident in American history known as the Whiskey Rebellion.

For more information about the Whiskey Rebellion, the reader is encouraged to search online for the many accounts of this historical event², as well as to review posts from this blog (just put “Whiskey Rebellion” in the blog search box).

To summarize, in 1789 the Federal Government imposed a tax on whiskey, a commodity of great importance to farmers of southwest Pennsylvania who converted their huge crops of grain into whiskey to make it easier and far more economical to ship east). They were understandably angered by the imposition of this new tax.

David Bradford (who, again, was cousin to our Rebecca and her brothers, including William Bradford, the subject of this post) was, in fact, the ringleader of this rebellion. And he brought his younger cousin William right into the middle of the fray!

David and other insurgents were certain that President George Washington was going to send troops to quell the rebellion. In order to discover more details of the government’s plans, David concocted a plan to steal the US mail. From the September 13, 2009, post we read:

At the Black Horse Tavern in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, David Bradford, his cousin, William, and others meet to discuss the rebellion. A plot to steal the mail is devised, and it is decided that William and John Mitchell will do the deed. On July 26, 1794, they intercept the mail near Greensburg, about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh. William and John tie up the carrier and grab the mailbag, but only snatch letters that look pertinent to the rebellion. They race away, taking the mail to Benjamin Parkinson [William’s future father-in-law], and then to David Bradford. They meet at the Black Horse and the dispatches are opened. They find several letters denouncing their actions. David Bradford is incensed and decides that it is time to take action.

Word reaches the President and within days Washington orders a militia 13,000 strong to quell the rebellion. However, by the time they arrive, the rebellion has collapsed. Many are arrested, but David Bradford flees to Spanish-held western Florida (present-day Louisiana).

William was not so lucky. The government sought to make an example of the rebellious settlers and illustrate the newly created government's power to enforce its laws. Many were arrested and our great, great Uncle William Bradford and his accomplice in the mail theft were eventually indicted^3. The original document is very difficult to read, and it must be remembered that this is written in the legal language of the era:

In the Circuit Court of the United States of America in and for the Pennsylvania District of the Middle Circuit

The grand Inquest of the United States of America for the Pennsylvania District upon their respective oaths and affirmations do present that John Mitchell and William Bradford late of the County of Washington in the District of Pennsylvania Yeoman - on the twenty sixth day of July in the year of our lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety four in the county of Allegheny - in the district aforesaid with force and arms in and repose one Thomas Gould in the peace of God and the said United States of America. Then and there being which said Thomas Gould was then and there carrier of the mail of the United States of America from the town of Pittsburg to the city of Philadelphia in the District aforesaid feloneously did make an assault and [him] the said Thomas Gould in danger of his life then and there feloneously did put and the said mail of the United States of America from the person and against the will of the said Thomas Gould so being carrier of the same then and there feloniously and violently did steal take and carry away against the form of the act of the Congress of the said United States of America in such case made and providence and also against the constitution peace and Dignity of the said United States of America.

Witness
Thomas Gould
John Baldwin
Arther Gardner
John Cannon Esq
James Carr
D. Caldwell

Luckily, President Washington eventually pardoned these two rebels who had been convicted of treason. The whiskey tax was repealed in 1802.

So what of William? As mentioned above, thought he was indicted, he was eventually pardoned. He married the daughter of one of the rebels, and after a few years moved north to join his brother, the “other” David Bradford, of Adams County, Ohio, and then on to nearby Maysville, Kentucky (see previous three posts) where he led a seemingly happy, successful, and comparatively uneventful life.

This, then, is the story of the “lost time” in the life of William Bradford.

It is difficult to pass judgment on these men, including our relatives. After all, it was less than two decades earlier that these same men or their fathers fought a revolution over, in part, unfair taxation. Thus the Whiskey Tax must have seemed eerily similar to the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Revenue Act, and finally the Tea Act of 1773 which inspired the Boston Tea Party, catalyst to the American Revolution. It may be that their methods were not well thought out, but their passion on this issue is certainly understandable.

Perhaps it is easier to interpret history through the eyes of one closer to the event. Here is an account written by a nephew of William:

“William Bradford, a relative of the writer, had procured the pouch near Greensburg and brought it to Canonsburg for inspection. What a tale this old "Black-horse" [Tavern] could unfold if to its crumbling walls speech were possible. After my graduation at Washington College in 1850 I taught a select school in Aberdeen , Ohio , opposite Maysville , Ky. , and boarded for a time in the family of Benjamin Bradford; a son of this same William Bradford and one of the wealthy and most highly respected citizens of the town. His father, this notorious William Bradford, was a large landowner in Braden County, Ohio, and was esteemed quite rich for those times, lived in Kentucky, and loaned his money in Ohio . I occasionally saw him, an old man "leaning upon the top of his staff." At that time I had learned but little of the Whiskey Insurrection, knew nothing of the history of the Black Horse tavern, the interception of the mail, and was not aware that I was in the company of one of the men who dared to "holdup" Uncle Sam's mail coach, carry off the pouch to Canonsburg and rifle the bag. Had I known these things he would immediately have become an object of greater interest to me that he was. As old Dungee of Canonsburg seemed to be afraid even in his old age to confess that he had ever been a slave, so I suppose that William Bradford would have hesitated to make any free utterance as to what he knew of the "Black Horse" tavern, and his illegal handling of the mail. Away with the old "Black Horse" then to make room for a modern structure which shall never be the haunt of men who neither fear God nor regard men. D. G. Bradford.”

I can understand how William and our other ancestors of this period would have wanted this incident “swept under the rug,” but from my 21^st century perspective, I actually feel a bit of guilty pride in these proud and committed men who thought they were doing their best to preserve the new and hard-fought American way of life out on the frontier. And while their methods were rough⁴ and yes, even illegal in the stealing of the U.S. mail, certainly they were not the first or last to apply harsh methods to what they felt was a justifiable end.

I, for one, am proud to claim these people as my ancestors, and will leave judgment to history and the only true Judge of all.

* * * * * * * * * *

Postscript: During my early years of family research on the Bradford’s, there was never any mention of our connection to the Whiskey Rebellion. There was an obscure reference to us being “related to Attorney General Bradford.” Years later, when I learned that our Rebecca Bradford was cousin to David Bradford of Whiskey rebellion fame, the attorney general issue was borne out by the facts: According to Wikipedia, prior to the Whiskey rebellion, David was “the sixth attorney to be admitted to the Washington County Bar Association. A brilliant young lawyer, he quickly established a very successful practice, and by 1783 he had been appointed deputy attorney-general for Washington County [PA]”(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bradford).

David Bradford Home, Washington County, Pennsylvania

(picture courtesy of http://www.bradfordhouse.org/

1: Throughout the early 18th century, what is now Washington County [Pennsylvania] was claimed by both Virginia and Pennsylvania. It wasn't until March 28, 1781, that the drawing of the Mason-Dixon Line officially gave this land to Pennsylvania. (http://en.wikipedia.org)

2: One such site of interest is: http://www.bradfordhouse.org/history.html

3. The original document of indictment which is held at the National Archives is available to read online at: http://www.archives.gov/midatlantic/exhibits/franklin/images/revenue.pdf

4: “Over the next three years the excise act was somewhat modified but the tax was still considered unfair by the whiskey boys who conducted a tug-of-war against the government regarding the disposition of their profits. Unfortunate tax collectors, mostly locally based federal employees, were harassed and threatened. Between 1791 and 1793, a handful of excise men were roughed up and intimidated, but this was quite restrained behavior for the wild frontier of a young country which, on the issue of unfair taxation, had less than two decades earlier wrenched independence for itself by violent revolution.” (http://www.essortment.com/whiskey-rebellion-1794-21032.html)

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."

The Bradford Cousins and the Whiskey Rebellion - Part 3

It is 1794. At the Black Horse Tavern in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, David Bradford, his cousin, William, and others meet to discuss the rebellion. A plot to steal the mail is devised, and it is decided that William and John Mitchell will do the deed.

On July 26, 1794, they intercept the mail near Greensburg, about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh. William and John tie up the carrier and grab the mailbag but only snatch letters that look pertinent to the rebellion. They race away, taking the mail to Benjamin Parkinson, and then to David Bradford. They meet at the Black Horse and the dispatches are opened. They find several letters denouncing their actions. David Bradford is incensed and decides that it is time to take action.

Word reaches the President and within days Washington orders a militia 13,000 strong to to quell the rebellion. However, by the time they arrive, the rebellion has collapsed. Many are arrested, but David Bradford flees to Spanish-held western Florida (present-day Louisiana), living there for the rest of his life, with only one brief visit back to his home in Pennsylvania. Eventually all are pardoned, including William Bradford, and an interesting period in American history comes to a close.

How did the rest of the family feel about all this? In particular, what about William and Rebecca? Did they support the rebellion? Was Rebecca proud of her brother and cousin? Or was she ashamed of the whole affair?

Long ago a descendant, Rev. D. G. Bradford, wrote: "...the historic Black Horse tavern, the scene of many an orgie [sic], the seclusion of many a culprit, and the place of planning 'ways that are dark and tricks that are vain' is to be razed to the foundation. When I last saw it three years ago, it had even a repulsive appearance, as if clad in sackcloth and ashes for what had transpired beneath its then dilapidated covering. Within its wall in Whiskey Insurrection days the intercepted mailed was opened and searched not for sordid gold, but to learn what report it carried to the government at Philadelphia concerning those engaged in the insurrection. William Bradford, a relative of the writer, had procured the pouch near Greensburg and brought it to Canonsburg for inspection. What a tale this old 'Black Horse' could unfold if to its crumbling walls speech were possible.

"[I] boarded for a time in the family of Benjamin Bradford, a son of this same William Bradford, and one of the wealthy and most highly respected citizens of the town. His father, the notorious William Bradford, was a large landowner in Braden County, Ohio, was esteemed quite rich for those times, lived in Kentucky, and loaned his money in Ohio. I occasionally saw him, an old man 'leaning upon the top of his staff.' At that time I had learned but little of the Whiskey Insurrection, knew nothing of the history of the Black Horse tavern, the interception of the mail, and was not aware that I was in the company of one of the men who dared to 'hold up' Uncle Sam's mail coach, carry off the pouch to Canonsburg, and rifle the bag. Had I known these things he would immediately have become an object of greater interest to me than he was...I suppose that William Bradford would have hesitated to make any free utterance as to what he knew of the Black Horse tavern, and his illegal handling of the mail. Away with the old "Black Horse" then to make room for a modern structure which shall never be the haunt of men who neither fear God nor regard men."

The Rev. Bradford's reaction was a mix of fascination and reproach. We will probably never know which William and Rebecca felt, but perhaps there is a clue in this: In my branch of the family (I descend through William and Rebecca's son, Samuel Miller), no word of our ancestors' participation in the Rebellion was ever passed down. It wasn't until my brother, Bill, and I began doing genealogy that this connection was discovered. I have to admit that "distance lends romance," and I tend toward the fascination reaction. I am enthralled with all my ancestors, and realize that they were just like us--their lives were filled with bad and good, failures, triumphs and adventures. And so they become more real to me, and even more beloved.

The Bradford Cousins and the Whiskey Rebellion - Part 2

David Bradford (left), successful attorney, businessman and Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania, became the infamous leader of the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania in 1794. He was also the cousin of our Rebecca Bradford Miller!

David Bradford took lead of the rebellion in 1794 and held a series of strategic planning meetings at his home in Washington County, Pennsylvania (about 50 miles west of where Rebecca and William Miller were living in neighboring Fayette County). A bold, defiant plan took hold among the insurrectionists - they would steal the U.S. mail in order to discover which local leaders opposed the rebels. To them, this was an issue of unfair taxation without representation, not the perpetration of a federal crime. It seemed that the end justified the means.

Two men would actually snatch the mail, and one of them was none other than our Rebecca's brother, William Bradford! What were the circumstances that led to this event? Let's go back in time.

As children, Rebecca, her younger brother William (b. 1770), sister Jane, and another brother David (not the David above who was their cousin), grew up in Cecil County, Maryland. It is said that their cousin, the infamous David, also grew up in Maryland, and it is assumed that this was in or near Cecil County, so the cousins no doubt would have known each other. Rebecca's Uncle James Bradford had moved to western Pennsylvania in the early 1780's, some of his adult children having already located there. His son, David Bradford, was admitted to the Washington County bar when he was 22 years old in 1782. Just one year later, this brilliant young laywer was apppointed Deputy Attorney General of the State of Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, his aunt and uncle, Samuel and Sarah Bradford, had remained behind in Maryland. Their daughter Rebecca had grown and married William Miller in 1778. About four years later, William and Rebecca also moved out west to Fayette County, which adjoins Washington County, Pennsylvania, again only about 50 miles from their cousin David. At some point, Rebecca's brother William Bradford also moved to Washington County near his cousin David. William and David were obviously close in proximity, in familial ties, and apparently in friendship, and it was to William that David Bradford looked for help in carrying out the plan to rob the U.S. mail. Five years later, William would marry Margaret Parkinson, believed to be the daughter of Benjamin Parkinson, another one of the rebels. But at this time, as far as is known, William was 24 and unmarried.

The dark plan conceived, it was now just a matter of carrying it out. In the next post we will examine the deed itself.

(picture courtesy of www.bradfordhouse.org)

The Bradford Cousins and the Whiskey Rebellion - Part 1

A little known episode in American history, the Whiskey Rebellion, which took place in western Pennsylvania in the 1790's, is known as the Federal government's first real test of power, but it also revealed the mood of a frontier people who just a few years earlier had fought a war to free their young nation from what they considered harsh and unfair taxation by mother England. Also, many of these farmers were of Scots-Irish origin, and curtailing the production of their whiskey was not destined to be a popular notion.

According to Wiki: "The Whiskey Insurrection was a popular uprising that had its beginnings in the 1791, and culminated in an insurrection in 1794 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Monongahela Valley. During George Washington's presidency, the government decided to tax whiskey in order to pay off the national debt. This infuriated the citizenry and lead to the Whiskey Rebellion... The tax on whiskey was bitterly and fiercely opposed..on the frontier from the day it was passed. Western farmers considered it to be both unfair and discriminatory, since they had traditionally converted their excess grain into liquor. Since the nature of the tax affected those who produced the whiskey, but not the people who bought the whiskey, it directly affected many farmers. Many protest meetings were held, and a situation arose...From Pennsylvania to Georgia, the eastern counties engaged in a campaign of harassment of the federal tax collectors. 'Whiskey Boys' also made violent protests in Maryland, Virginia and North and South Carolina."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhiskeyRebellion)

Thus it was not only western Pennsylvania that was in the grips of dissent. However, by the summer of 1794 when tensions reached a fever pitch and civil protests turned into armed rebellion, it was in western Pennsylvania that the first shots were fired at the William Miller* homestead 10 miles south of Pittsburgh. General Neville had ordered a group of insurrectionists to stand back, then fired into the group, a bullet mortally wounding William's son, Oliver Miller. The locals considered this murder. "As word of the rebellion spread across the frontier, a whole series of loosely organized resistance measures were taken, including robbing the mail, stopping court proceedings, and the threat of assault on Pittsburgh. One group, disguised as women, assaulted a tax collector, cropped his hair, coated him with tar and feathers, and stole his horse." (ibid).

In the next post, we will examine the role of Rebecca Bradford Miller's brother and cousin in this intriguing, and even disturbing, story from American history.

[*research is continuing into whether or not this William Miller was a relative of our William Miller. This William's father, Oliver Miller Sr., is said to have immigrated to America from County Antrim in Northern Ireland in 1742, settling in Cecil County, Maryland]