1789-12 Rebellion or plot: 2 Black men in Forman's group
- Title
- 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, by Samuel S. Forman
- 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
- Resistance: Rebellion or plot
- Date
- December 1789
- Date Certainty
- Approximate
- Location of Event
- Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
- Participant Details
-
DETAILS FOR 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)
==========
DETAILS FOR OTHER PARTICIPANTS:
David Forman (1745-1797)
Role: Enslaver
Comment: principal enslaver of the people involved, but not present at the event
Ezekiel Forman (1736-1795)
Role: Enslaver
Comment: second enslaver of the people involved, present at the event
Benajah Osmun (d. 1815)
Role: Agent for Enslaver
Comment: overseer working for David Forman
Samuel S. Forman (1765-1862)
Role: Agent for Enslaver
Comment: convoy leader, recorded the event - Record Contributor
- Jesse Bayker
Part of 1789-12 Rebellion or plot: 2 Black men in Forman's group
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