The Fair Play Settlers of the West Branch Valley, 1769-1784: A Study of Frontier EthnographyWolf, George D.
History
The Fair Play Settlers of the West Branch Valley, 1769-1784: A Study of Frontier Ethnography
Wolf, George D.
Frontier and pioneer life -- Pennsylvania; Lycoming County (Pa.) -- History
[58] "Eleanor Coldren's Deposition," pp. 220-222. Mrs. Coldren refers to
a tavern, just west of Chatham's Run, in the spring of 1775. The first
church appeared in 1792.
[59] "Diary of the Unknown Traveler," _Now and Then_, X (1954), 307. The
diarist tells of a tavernkeeper who refused a man a pint of wine because
"he had had enough" (Thursday, July 24, 1794).
[60] Leyburn, _The Scotch-Irish_, pp. 148-150. Leyburn suggests, and the
Fair Play settlers demonstrate, that Ulster and America were similar
experiences. He says (p. 148) that the Scotch-Irish "lived on land in
both regions often forcibly taken from the natives. The confiscation
itself was declared legal by the authorities, and the actual settlement
was made in the conviction that the land was now rightfully theirs.
Might makes right--at least in the matter of life and land ownership."
[61] _Fithian: Journal_, the _Journal of William Colbert_, and "Mr.
Davy's Diary" all refer to the hospitality of the people of this
frontier. For example, Fithian speaks of his hosts as "sociable, kind";
while Colbert constantly mentions the "liberty" which he enjoyed in the
various homes which he visited.
[62] Leyburn, _The Scotch-Irish_, pp. 146-147. Leyburn suggests that
belief in the superiority of the Presbyterian church to any king
justifies revolt; if one may, others may, leading to anarchy. Thus
freedom of worship for a minority allied itself in America with liberty
of worship for all. The right of revolution, as it was acted upon in
America, was also implied.
[63] Loyalists in the West Branch Valley suffered the usual privations
as this excerpt from the "Diary of the Unknown Traveler," p. 310,
indicates: "_Thursday, July 24, 1794_.... Mr. Witteker and his family
are of the people called Quakers but was turned out of the society
during the time of war for paing the money called substitute [relief
from the draft]* money to the Congress agents. M[r]. W's case is really
hard. He suffered as above by his friends for aiding Congress and his
estate was conviscated [_sic_] by the state for being a loyalist."
[*Phrase bracketed in quotation.]
[64] Dunaway, _The Scotch-Irish of Colonial Pennsylvania_, pp. 197-198.
[65] _Ibid._, p. 198. An example of this attitude is found in this entry
in the "Diary of the Unknown Traveler," p. 310: "This afternoon 24 July
[1794] a person with two horses, one he rode, the other lead, called at
Wittekers for a pint of wine, but on account of him being intoxicated
before Mr. W. told him he had had enough & would not let him have any.
Where could we find so disinterested a tavernkeeper in England? In
England they never refuse as long as they pay, but here the man had the
money ready if they would let him have the wine."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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