history.[22]

A further observation which can be made concerning leadership relates to
the question of national origin. Although the Fair Play territory has
often been referred to as "Scotch-Irish country," the German Antes
brothers performed the outstanding leadership roles on this frontier.
Also, the specific geographic location of our regional leaders provides
a final note of interest. All three of them, Henry and Frederick Antes,
and Robert Fleming, actually resided outside the limits of the Fair Play
territory. They were on the geographic fringe but at the leadership
core. Their close proximity to the Fair Play territory, separated from
it only by the Susquehanna River, in addition to their contacts with and
positions in established government, gave these men an obvious political
eminence. The forts located in both places and the Anteses' gristmill
gave both the Flemings and the Anteses opportunity for leadership.

Local leaders generally lived within the Fair Play territory, had
average property holdings, and served on either the Fair Play tribunal
or the township Committee of Safety. There are, of course, exceptions to
each of these generalizations. The fort operators, Samuel Horn, William
Reed, and John Fleming, resided on the Provincial or State side of the
Susquehanna River. Furthermore, John Fleming was the largest property
owner in the area with some 1,640 acres.[23] And one man, James
Crawford, held the highly respected county office of sheriff.[24]

Three of the local leaders, John Fleming, Alexander Hamilton, and James
Crawford, stand out from the rest, although for different reasons. John
Fleming undoubtedly would have become a major leader had he lived
longer--he died in 1777. His extensive property made his home the usual
stop for itinerant pastors and other travelers in the valley, as
Fithian's _Journal_ attests.[25] It also made him a figure of central
significance in economic affairs. Alexander Hamilton was probably "the"
local leader. A member of the Committee of Safety and presumably a Fair
Play man, he was also the captain of Horn's Fort.[26] He is also the
reputed author of the Pine Creek declaration. James Crawford was more
noted for military exploits than for civic duties. Prior to his military
service, Crawford had represented Northumberland County in the
Constitutional Convention of 1776, which framed the State constitution
and, later, commissioned him as a major in the Twelfth Pennsylvani