Rev. John Corbly Remembered
On Saturday, June 24th, the 87th reunion of the John Corbly Descendants Association was held at the John Corbly Baptist Church in Garard’s Fort. The association was formed to honor the contributions of Reverend John Corbly, a prominent early settler in western Pennsylvania. He served during the Revolutionary War, played a part in the Whisky Rebellion, and established over 30 churches in multiple states.
John Corbly was born February 23, 1733. In 1747, at the age of 14, he left his home in Ireland and immigrated to Philadelphia. After his apprenticeship to a Quaker family he moved to Virginia. He eventually returned to Pennsylvania in 1771, where he founded the Goshen Baptist Church (now John Corbly Memorial Baptist Church).
John Corbly married three times and had a total of seventeen children. His first marriage was to Abigail Bull in 1752. He then married Elizabeth Tyler in 1773.
During the Revolutionary War, John Corbly served as a soldier, chaplain, militiaman, draftsmen, judge, and Indian fighter. He traveled with the George Rogers Clark expedition to the Falls of the Ohio and platted the city Louisville.
The infamous Corbly Family massacre occurred on the Sunday morning of May 10, 1782, as the Corbly family traveled to preach and worship. Rev. Corbly followed his family while contemplating the upcoming sermon. In a letter to Reverend William Rogers, Rev. Corbly wrote:
… all of a sudden, I was greatly alarmed with the frightful shrieks of my dear wife before me. I immediately ran with all the speed I could, vainly hunting a club as I ran, till I got within forty rods of them; my poor wife seeing me, cried to me to make my escape; an Indian ran up to shoot me. Seeing the odds too great against me, I fled, and by doing so outran him.
The Indians, spying the party from “Indian Point,” descended the hill, crossed Whitely Creek and massacred the family, killing Mrs. Corbly, 2 daughters, and a son. Two other daughters, Elizabeth and Delilah, were scalped but survived.
The Excise Whiskey Tax of 1791, which levied a tax against on domestic and imported alcohol, was strongly protested by the farmers of Pennsylvania, who relied on whiskey as part of their barter system. Corbly was outspoken about the Whiskey Act and in November 1794, was arrested when the federal government swept into to the area with a force of almost 13,000 troops to end the Whiskey Rebellion.
Corbly was exonerated in April 1976 and returned home to the newly minted Greene County and his third wife, Nancy Ann Lynn, where the brick house of the John Corbly farm built in 1796 still stands. Rev. John Corbly died on June 9, 1803 at his home in Garard’s Fort.
Each year, the Corbly association holds a reunion that includes a church service, speakers, memorial service, and luncheon. Over seventy were in attendance, representing fourteen states and one foreign country (Sussex, England). A church service led by Pastor Gary Whipkey opened the reunion and attendees introduced themselves and their Corbly lineage afterwards.
President Miller presented an overview of Corbly’s life highlighting 3 critical years and this year’s event focused on the Whisky Rebellion. To give descendants an overview of the Whiskey Rebellion, re-enactors, Clay Kilgore, Director of the Washington County Historical Society, and Brian Cunning portrayed the conflict between the rebels and Federal militia.
A brief memorial service was held for descendants who had passed away since the last reunion and photos were taken of descendants from each of the Corbly’s wives. Following the luncheon in the church social hall, some descendants visited the Garard’s Fort cemetery. The graves of Corbly, two wives and eleven children, as well as memorials for the Corbly massacre and highlights of Corbly’s life are on the cemetery grounds. FMI, visit www.johncorblydescendants.org.
Published in August 2018 GreeneScene Magazine.
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