1789-12 Rebellion or Plot: 2 Black men in Forman's group

Identifier
NJS-EVE-01096
Source
Narrative of a Journey down the Ohio and Mississippi in 1789-90

Forman, Samuel S. Narrative of a Journey down the Ohio and Mississippi in 1789-90. Cincinnati: Robert Clarke and Co., 1888. Page 21.
Event Description
In December 1789, two Black men attempted acts of armed resistance against their captors in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. These two people were part of a large convoy of 60+ enslaved men, women, and children who were being transported from General David Forman's estate in Freehold, Monmouth County (in the area of present-day Manalapan), to Natchez, Mississippi. The resisters received assistance from free Black residents of Westmoreland County, who furnished them with swords and pistols. They did not succeed in stopping the convoy, and it appears their plans were thwarted.

For additional details about this journey and the people involved, see the related relocation event and the biographical profiles of the participants.

Information about this armed resistance event comes from Samuel S. Forman's memoir, titled Narrative of a Journey down the Ohio and Mississippi in 1789-90. The following is a transcript of the relevant passage from page 21:

"In Westmoreland county we had a little trouble with a drunken justice of the peace and some free blacks. These free blacks, as we learned from a faithful old colored woman, furnished the two ill-tempered blacks of our party with old swords and pistols, but nothing serious grew out of it."
Event Type
Rebellion or Plot
Date
December 1789
Date Certainty
Approximate
Location of Event
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Related Place
Manalapan
Natchez, Mississippi
Related Event
1789-11 Transportation: Forman's group of 60+ Black men, women, and children
Primary Participants

2 Black men in Forman's group
Role: Rebel
Age category: Adult
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- David Forman (1745-1797)
- Ezekiel Forman (1736-1795)
Additional Participants

David Forman (1745-1797)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02572
Role: Enslaver
Comment: principal enslaver of the people involved, but not present at the event

Ezekiel Forman (1736-1795)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02574
Role: Enslaver
Comment: second enslaver of the people involved, present at the event

Benajah Osmun (d. 1815)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02575
Role: Agent for Enslaver
Comment: overseer working for David Forman

Samuel S. Forman (1765-1862)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02573
Role: Agent for Enslaver
Comment: convoy leader, recorded the event
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
Resource class
Event