Herman Husband
Encyclopedia
Herman Husband also known as Harmon Husband, was a farmer, radical, pamphleteer, and preacher. He was born in Cecil County, Maryland
and raised as an Anglican. One of the many to be inspired to the Great Awakening
after hearing George Whitefield
preach, he became disenchanted with his original faith and became a "New Light" Presbyterian and then a Quaker.
Husband was twice elected the North Carolina
assembly, being expelled during his second term.
. He was jailed for speaking out and then set loose when an angry mob of armed backwoods farmers was coming to free him. The resisters organized and began calling themselves "Regulators" because they wanted to regulate the government, that is- to force it to obey the laws. Thus the movement is known as the Regulator Rebellion
. Mob action
was taken to prevent the worst abuses of the courts.
Husband always denied he was a Regulator, and indeed, as a pacifist he wouldn't take part in violence or threats of violence. But he was a spokesman and a symbol for the resistance. He had several tracts printed the best known being "Shew Yourselves to be Freemen" (1769),"An Impartial Relation of the First and Causes of the Recent Differences in Public Affairs" (1770), and "A Fan For Fanning And A Touchstone For Tryon" (1771). In 1770, Husband was expelled from the state legislature, ostensibly for libel but most likely due to his affiliation with the Regulators.
When the officers of Rowan County, North Carolina
agreed to decide the dispute between themselves and the Regulators through a committee of arbitration, Husband was selected to serve on the committee.
Husband accompanied the Regulators on the morning of the Battle of Alamance
(May 16, 1771) and sought to bring about an adjustment. Seeing this was impossible he mounted his horse and rode away, his Quaker principles dictating that he avoid participation in a fight.
A small powderhorn used by Husband's cousin, Harmon Cox, at the Battle of Alamance and later carried by Husband when he fled to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, was donated to the Alamance Battlefield North Carolina State Historical Site by a descendant, Nick Sheedy, in 2008.
After the "rebellion" was crushed at the Battle of Alamance, Husband fled to Maryland
under the name "Tuscape Death" and later called himself "Old Quaker". He only openly reclaimed his own name after the American Revolution
.
Husband continued his journeys both physical and metaphysical eventually settling in Somerset (Somerset County) in Western Pennsylvania
and becoming a millennial preacher as well as a political reformer. He called for progressive taxation, paper money, and, as a proponent of greater participation of common people in government as well as in religion, more democracy. In 1782 he released a pamphlet entitled "Proposals to Amend and Perfect the Policy of the Government of the United States of America" where he argued in favor of smaller legislative districts and legislatures for each county in order to maximize the influence of voters. For the first federal elections in 1788 Husband argued in favor of electing congressmen in districts instead of by the statewide method that was used.
" (1794) where he served as a delegate to the Parkinson's Ferry and Redstone
meetings attempting to moderate the violent resistance to the burdensome and hated excise tax on whiskey championed by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. He is also associated with the raising of a liberty pole
at Brunerstown (Somerset was previously known as Brunerstown) Square adorned with an ensign proclaiming "Liberty and No Excise".
When federal troops marched over the Allegheny Mountains
ostensibly to put down the revolt they found no rioters but a lack of provisions which led to theft from local farmers and the ignominious name of the "Watermelon Army". The federal forces rounded up suspects including Husband who was specifically sought after. The detainees were held in miserable conditions and then marched back east for trial. He was tried and condemned to death. Friends interceded to secure Husband's release.
uses Husband as a minor but significant character in her novel, The Fiery Cross (2001).
Author Inglis Fletcher uses Husband as a major character in her novel, The Wind in the Forest (1957).
Cecil County, Maryland
Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of the Delaware Valley. It was named for Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore , who was the first Proprietary Governor of the colony of Maryland from 1632 until his death in 1675. The county seat is Elkton. The newspaper...
and raised as an Anglican. One of the many to be inspired to the Great Awakening
First Great Awakening
The First Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, and especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of personal...
after hearing George Whitefield
George Whitefield
George Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican priest who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the British North American colonies. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally...
preach, he became disenchanted with his original faith and became a "New Light" Presbyterian and then a Quaker.
Husband was twice elected the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
assembly, being expelled during his second term.
Regulator Rebellion
In the 1760s he was involved in the resistance to the corrupt practices of predatory government officials- mainly the lawyers and judges. He was elected to the colony's assembly and spoke out against governmental abuses. His story is reminiscent of that of John WilkesJohn Wilkes
John Wilkes was an English radical, journalist and politician.He was first elected Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives...
. He was jailed for speaking out and then set loose when an angry mob of armed backwoods farmers was coming to free him. The resisters organized and began calling themselves "Regulators" because they wanted to regulate the government, that is- to force it to obey the laws. Thus the movement is known as the Regulator Rebellion
War of the Regulation
The War of the Regulation was a North Carolina uprising, lasting from approximately 1760 to 1771, in which citizens took up arms against corrupt colonial officials...
. Mob action
Mob Action
Mob Action is a clothing label based in Leipzig, Germany. The name is synonymous with riot, outlining the company's political appeal....
was taken to prevent the worst abuses of the courts.
Husband always denied he was a Regulator, and indeed, as a pacifist he wouldn't take part in violence or threats of violence. But he was a spokesman and a symbol for the resistance. He had several tracts printed the best known being "Shew Yourselves to be Freemen" (1769),"An Impartial Relation of the First and Causes of the Recent Differences in Public Affairs" (1770), and "A Fan For Fanning And A Touchstone For Tryon" (1771). In 1770, Husband was expelled from the state legislature, ostensibly for libel but most likely due to his affiliation with the Regulators.
When the officers of Rowan County, North Carolina
Rowan County, North Carolina
-Demographics and economics:As of the census of 2010, there were 138,428 people, 53,140 households, and 37,058 families residing in the county. The population density was 270.7 people per square mile . There were 60,211 housing units at an average density of 117.7 per square mile...
agreed to decide the dispute between themselves and the Regulators through a committee of arbitration, Husband was selected to serve on the committee.
Husband accompanied the Regulators on the morning of the Battle of Alamance
Battle of Alamance
The Battle of Alamance was the final battle of the War of the Regulation, a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over issues of taxation and local control. In the past, historians considered the battle to be the opening salvo of the American Revolution and locals agreed with this assessment...
(May 16, 1771) and sought to bring about an adjustment. Seeing this was impossible he mounted his horse and rode away, his Quaker principles dictating that he avoid participation in a fight.
A small powderhorn used by Husband's cousin, Harmon Cox, at the Battle of Alamance and later carried by Husband when he fled to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, was donated to the Alamance Battlefield North Carolina State Historical Site by a descendant, Nick Sheedy, in 2008.
After the "rebellion" was crushed at the Battle of Alamance, Husband fled to Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
under the name "Tuscape Death" and later called himself "Old Quaker". He only openly reclaimed his own name after the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
Husband continued his journeys both physical and metaphysical eventually settling in Somerset (Somerset County) in Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
and becoming a millennial preacher as well as a political reformer. He called for progressive taxation, paper money, and, as a proponent of greater participation of common people in government as well as in religion, more democracy. In 1782 he released a pamphlet entitled "Proposals to Amend and Perfect the Policy of the Government of the United States of America" where he argued in favor of smaller legislative districts and legislatures for each county in order to maximize the influence of voters. For the first federal elections in 1788 Husband argued in favor of electing congressmen in districts instead of by the statewide method that was used.
Whiskey Rebellion
His outspoken nature and reputation for radicalism drew him into the poorly named "Whiskey RebellionWhiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion, or Whiskey Insurrection, was a tax protest in the United States in the 1790s, during the presidency of George Washington. Farmers who sold their corn in the form of whiskey had to pay a new tax which they strongly resented...
" (1794) where he served as a delegate to the Parkinson's Ferry and Redstone
Brownsville, Pennsylvania
Brownsville is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, officially founded in 1785 located 35 miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River...
meetings attempting to moderate the violent resistance to the burdensome and hated excise tax on whiskey championed by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. He is also associated with the raising of a liberty pole
Liberty pole
A liberty pole is a tall wooden pole, often used as a type of flagstaff, planted in the ground, which may be surmounted by an ensign or a liberty cap. They are associated with the Atlantic Revolutions of the late 18th century.-American Revolution:...
at Brunerstown (Somerset was previously known as Brunerstown) Square adorned with an ensign proclaiming "Liberty and No Excise".
When federal troops marched over the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
ostensibly to put down the revolt they found no rioters but a lack of provisions which led to theft from local farmers and the ignominious name of the "Watermelon Army". The federal forces rounded up suspects including Husband who was specifically sought after. The detainees were held in miserable conditions and then marched back east for trial. He was tried and condemned to death. Friends interceded to secure Husband's release.
Death
At age 73 Herman Husband's constitution didn't fare well under these circumstances. He was held in Philadelphia for eight months before charges were dropped and died of illness on his way home in June, 1795.Herman Husband in Fiction
Author Diana GabaldonDiana Gabaldon
Diana J. Gabaldon is an American author of Mexican-American and English ancestry. Gabaldon is the author of the Outlander Series. Her books they contain elements of romantic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, adventure, and science fiction.-Early life and science career:Diana J. Gabaldon was...
uses Husband as a minor but significant character in her novel, The Fiery Cross (2001).
Author Inglis Fletcher uses Husband as a major character in her novel, The Wind in the Forest (1957).