Rachel Ireland Work

From "Work Family History", vol. I, by Von Gail Hamilton

When Rachel was about 8, the family moved to Squirrel Hill, Westmoreland County, and 4 years later to Indiana County, where she lived with her parents.

When quite a young girl, she and her brother, James, made trips on packhorses to Ligonier, Westmoreland County, for supplies for the family. In those early pioneer days, it was the custom to cultivate flax and manufacture it into cloth for the use of the family and later sale. It was not unusual for Rachel to go on horseback 7 miles beyond Indiana to the store of Archie Stewart to exhange linens of their own weaving for calico. It was considered of some importance in those days to have a calico dress.

She was a member of the Presbyterian Church.

She and Robert settled on a farm where they lived for their entire married life.

An interesting note appeared in Caldwell's "History of Indiana County" concerning a distillery begun by Robert Hamilton on the John Hamilton farm. The license fo rmaking this liquor was supplied by Alice (Work) Moore - tax 18 cents per gallon.