The Whisky Rebellion of 1794

According to court records, two of my 5th great-grandfathers, Conrad Haverstock and John Wisegarver, were directly involved in the Whisky Rebellion of 1794.  I'll try to summarize as best as I understand it.

Following the war, the brand new United States of America was considerably in debt.  In 1791, one of the taxes imposed to offset the debt was a tax on spirits. It was considered to be a luxury tax since alcohol was not a necessity of life.  It was also intended to limit its use as the effects of alcohol in loss of productivity and incidents of domestic violence was being more and more recognized.  For the farmers west of the Allegheny Mountains it wasn't that simple.

A primary crop for them was rye.  There was limited demand for it on their side of the mountains, but they could trade it on the other side of the mountains for salt, sugar, and other necessities their families needed. Transporting rye across a mountain range was time consuming and expensive.  The most rye they could transport in one trip was 4 bales, and often the value of the grain couldn't offset the cost of the trip.  If they used the grain to make whisky, however, they could transport the equivalent of 24 bales of rye in a single trip, making it exponentially more profitable.  To those farmers, whisky was not a luxury but a primary commodity they needed to trade in order to provide basic necessities for their families.  The tax was not really that high, but to the farmers who felt unfairly targeted it was all about the principle of the thing.

So why were John and Conrad so incensed?  Obviously, we can't be sure, but we have at least two very compelling clues.  First, we know from tax records that John's dad, George, and Conrad's dad, Tobias, were both distillers. The fair trade of whisky had been an important way their dads provided for their families.  Second, John's dad, George, and Conrad himself both put their lives on the line in defending their new government against the oppression of Great Britain. Being over burdened with unfair taxes was exactly what they fought to get away from, and the very government they defended was now guilty of the same.

The task assigned the tax collector proved to be a very dangerous job.  Not only would the farmers refuse to pay, they would retaliate against him any way they could.  Tar and feathering was not uncommon. Several major altercations occurred in Pittsburgh and other areas of Western Pennsylvania, escalating the conflict even more.  One thing the farmers would do in protest was to raise "liberty poles", showing the government and government sympathizers they weren't going to stand  for this continued injustice.

Hoisted onto these liberty poles were flags with inscriptions such as, "Death to Traitors", "Liberty and No Excise", "Equal Taxation and No Excise", and "No Asylum for Traitors and Cowards".

Many angry farmers of Bedford County, John and Conrad included, gathered at the Jean Bonnet Tavern in late 1794 and there erected a liberty pole in protest of the excise tax.  Being in violation of the law, they were ordered to appear at the Bedford County Court of general quarterly sessions, January term, 1795, "to answer to such bills of indictments as shall be then and there preferred against them for Riot and other Treasonable proceedings in assisting and setting up a seditious Pole in opposition to the laws of the United States".  The men were ordered to pay fines ranging from £30 to £300 each.

Conrad was ordered to pay one of the stiffest fines.  In a post on ancestry.com, one of his other descendants speculates that he must have been the one to actually raise the pole while others were there to riot and raise their voices in protest.  He did, after all, serve in the same militia division during the war as the Bonnet brothers, so he could have also been one of the primary instigators of the entire protest.  This proves to be a compelling scenario, but who really knows.

The Jean Bonnet Tavern is still open for business in Bedford County.  We enjoyed a great lunch there.  (The onion rings were exceptional.)  Though you walk up vinyl composite steps onto decking of the same material, you can't help but be awed by the original stone facade and the large, historic fireplaces and features inside.  It was . . . how do I put it . . . wa-a-a-ay cool to sit there and imagine two, count 'em, two of my 5th great-grandfathers meeting in that very same tavern 221 years earlier plotting and planning their protest against the injustices perpetrated against them.  I greatly admire their tenacity and activism.

Jean Bonnet Tavern

We didn't make it to the lower level, but the restaurant/tavern is on the mail level and guest rooms
are located on the upper level.

To replicate authenticity a few farm animals and a small garden were located near the parking lot.

A small gift shop was added behind the tavern.

Placemat

I wanted Brent to capture an image of me next to the historical marker erected in remembrance of
the Whisky Rebellion.  Oh well.

So how did it all end?  President George Washington wouldn't stand for it any longer.  He called out 13,000 troops to march to Western Pennsylvania and take on the traitorous farmers.  He preceded the troops as a voice of warning to all those who dared come up against them. The farmers knew they were outnumbered and outsmarted, and consequentially were resigned to pay the tax they so strongly opposed.  That particular tax law was ultimately repealed in 1801.

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All original content, images, commentary, etc. copyright © by Joy Denison 2015-2016.  All rights reserved. All writings, poems, speeches, essays, images, scans, likenesses, etc. by Adam Ickes (b 1845) as well as personal histories, images, and all other content by all persons referenced and discussed within the pages and posts in this blog may not be copied, shared, or reproduced in any way without expressed permission by the owner unless included here from other referenced sources or are historical records already considered to be in the public domain.