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Off With His Head

~ michaelhvs ~ 1 Comment

History is filled with injustices and wrongs committed. And position or power often does not protect against them. In the 17th century, my 11th great grand-uncle, Thomas Wentworth, rose to a level of prominence very quickly. He was knighted at the age of 18 and elected to the House of Commons. He sat on a number of Parliaments where he became a supporter of Charles I. This put him in conflict with many of his peers who were actively working to strengthen to power of Parliament and restrict the influence of the king.

Under the leadership of John Pym, laws were passed to take away the king’s right to dissolve Parliament; made it illegal for the king to impose his own taxes; and gave Parliament members control over the king’s ministers. Wentworth sided with the royals in those disputes and was appointed Earl of Strafford in return for his loyalty. But it came at a cost.

Wentworth was arrested and sent to the Tower of London, charged with treason. His widely attended trial opened on March 22, 1641. For seventeen days he successfully defended himself against thirteen accusers, arguing the charges brought against him and for a time it appeared his impeachment would fail. But Pym and his other enemies decided to propose a bill of attainder, which allowed a person or persons to be declared guilty and be punished without the need for a trial.

The king, under pressure from his wife (who did not like Wentworth) and others reluctantly gave consent to the attainder. Wentworth was beheaded on May 12, 1641.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And be sure to watch our TEDxEustis talk at https://youtu.be/uYlTTHp_CO8.

The Death Ballad of Abner Vance

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment

As reported in The Logan Banner, Nov 23, 1979

“One of the most legendary characters in Logan County history was Abner Vance. [A distant relative of my niece’s husband.] He was also a Revolutionary War veteran from North Carolina, an Indian scout, and a surveyor. As a Baptist minister, Abner spent many years traveling the countryside spreading the Baptist faith. He loved to write and sing the early mountain ballads and hymns.

According to the legend, Abner Vance had a daughter named Betty. Betty eloped with one Daniel Horton. Horton was a Virginia doctor and he took Betty off to Baltimore, had his way with her for two weeks, then brought her back to her father’s house and dumped her unceremoniously in the front yard, saying something to the effect of “Here’s your heifer back.”

In a fit of rage, Abner Vance pulled down his shotgun and killed Lewis Horton, Daniel’s brother, though he may have been aiming at Daniel, as he tried to cross the Clinch River.

Abner stayed in this area [Logan Co., VA] until friends convinced him that if he went back to Russell County, he would get a fair trial. But the trial ended in a hung jury, and was moved to Washington County. In the second trial, Abner was found guilty and sentenced to hang. Tradition says that while in jail awaiting his execution, Abner wrote the famous Death Ballad of Abner Vance, which he sung standing on the scaffold minutes before he was hung. A newspaper account of the hanging says that Abner addressed the spectators, about 4,000, for an hour and a half, with considerable ability.

Ironically, he did receive a pardon from the Governor of Virginia, but the pardon arrived after the hanging.”

Click below to hear the song:

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

Not Worth the Paper It’s Written On

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment

Counterfeiting is nothing new. During the Revolutionary War, one of England’s strategies was to flood the colonies with phony money in an attempt to weaken their fledgling economy and their attempts for independence. It was the first known use of counterfeiting as a wartime tactic.

After the war, but prior to 1865 and the passage of the National Banking Act, it was commonplace for individual states to print and circulate their own currency in the form of banknotes. With so many different forms of paper money in circulation, it is easy to see why counterfeiting became a problem for financial institutions. If enough bad paper was being passed, that currency would be devalued and the banks could fail. Many of them did. That is why the penalty for convicted counterfeiters was set high.

My 4th great-granduncle, William R. Alcorn, succumbed to the temptation of “easy money” and faced the consequences of being caught. He stood trial in Kentucky in 1804 (his partner-in-crime, Christopher Irving, was out on bail and did not report to court). A jury found him guilty of passing counterfeit money and he was sentenced to five years of hard labor in the Frankfort Penitentiary.

Furthermore, Willlam’s possessions (400 acres of land, 20 head of cattle, his rifle and his household furniture) were legally transferred to his brother George to sell in order to settle William’s indebtedness. Based on two letters written by the warden of Frankfort Prison, during his incarceration William conducted himself with propriety and industry. He was released after serving his time and eventually moved to Illinois with his family.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.