Herman Husband
| Herman Husband | |
|---|---|
| Born | Oct. 3, 1724 Cecil County, Maryland, Province of Maryland, (British Royal Colony), British North America, British Empire |
| Died | June 19, 1795 (aged 71) Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania |
| Cause of death | pneumonia |
| Resting place | Husband Cemetery, Somerset, Somerset County, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Harmon Husband |
| Occupation | farmer, regulator, pamphleteer, author, preacher |
| Movement | North Carolina Regulators, Whiskey Rebellion |
| Spouse(s) | Emey Ward, Emey Allen, Mary Cox, Mary Pugh |
| Children | Mary Husband Schafer, Herman Husband, Isaac Tuscape Husband, Amy Husband, David Husband, Phoebe Husband, Susan Husband, John Husband |
| Parent(s) | William Husband and Mary Kinkey |
| Relatives | John Husbands (brother), William Husband (brother), Hannah Husband Stumpf (sister) |
Herman Husband (1724–1795), also known as Harmon Husband, was a farmer, radical, pamphleteer, author, and preacher. He is best known as a leader of The Regulators, an populist rebellion in the Carolinas in the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War. 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.
Moving to Loves Creek in what is now Siler City, North Carolina and later to Sandy Creek in what is now Randolph County in the 1750s, Husband established himself as a farmer and religious leader. He was later asked to leave the Quaker Meeting and he did so but continued to follow many of their tenets including strict pacifism. Philosophically he was drawn to the wisdom of Ben Franklin. Husband and Franklin kept up a correspondence through John Willcox, a merchant of Cross Creek, now Fayetteville, North Carolina, who went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania twice annually to purchase goods. John Willcox was the son of Thomas Willcox whose paper mill in Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, manufactured paper used by Benjamin Franklin for his publications. Husband was thus in receipt of political pamphlets of a patriotic nature which he reprinted and circulated among his fellow citizens.
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 Wilkes. 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.
...
Wikipedia