2) Willing to fight for their rights against hereditary power or coercive church leaders:
- their right to bear arms–your Scots-Irish ancestors were called “Long Hunters” and “Long Knives” by Indian allies and enemies alike.
- their right to distill and distribute whiskey–when the “Whiskey Rebellion” broke out in 1795 over attempts to tax the production of spirits, Washington County, Pennsylvania alone had over 570 distilleries!
- their right to plead and sue in court for redress of grievances–your Scots-Irish ancestors were “Sons of Liberty” and “Daughters of Liberty” in cities and towns across America on the eve of the American Revolution. They threw the tea overboard. They refused to buy or consume British products. They harassed British troops. And they were fiercely for breaking with the Mother Country–they helped win American Independence!
- their right to defend their freedom. They served with Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys and with Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox and his men. They were “Regulators” in North Carolina seeking close-to-home court access. They fought behind General George Washington: “They are but lads,” he said. “They will follow me into hell if I ask them to.” Your Scots-Irish ancestors served at the Alamo and at Gettysburg. They could be counted on to show up surrounded by their kinship to fight for their rights!
Include these records on your checklist of sources:
- court minutes and depositions–WPA transcripts for Tennessee and West Virginia include every-name indexes
- claims for weapons and supplies furnished to the war effort at every government level
- government investigations including testimony under oath
- newspaper clipping files at local historical societies
- military pension records—French and Indian Wars as well as later Indian wars, Revolutionary War, War of 1812
- newspaper ads, columns, and broadsides (casualty lists) published at all levels of society and in every jurisdiction
Your favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://arleneeakle.com
PS I would like to know the ethnic backgrounds of conservative America in elections and support for government programs. Do our Scots-Irish roots show through in today’s politics?