Main Characters

Aaron Doan

Aaron Doan was born ca. 1756 to Joseph Doan, Sr., and Esther Dillon Doan in Plumstead. He was a brother to outlaws Mahlon, Moses, Joseph, Jr., and Levy and first cousin to Abraham Doan, and was listed as an attainted traitor in 1778. Aaron was involved in some of the Gang's most famous robberies, including the Bucks County Treasury robbery and the robbery of Job Barton, John Keith, and others. 

In 1783 he was convicted of outlawry, and he was arrested in Maryland in 1784 and imprisoned in Philadelphia for a number of years. While imprisoned, he petitioned Benjamin Franklin, the President of the Supreme Executive Council for a pardon. His petition was successful, and in 1787, he fled to Canada. Aaron Doan married Rhoda Cook and had several children. He died in 1844 in Humberstone, Canada.

Moses Doan

Moses Doan was born around 1750 to Joseph Doan, Sr., and Esther Dillon Doan. He was a brother to outlaws Mahlon, Aaron, Joseph, Jr., and Levy and first cousin to Abraham Doan. Moses appeared on the 1775 non-associator list, but finally took the oath of allegiance to the new Revolutionary government in 1778 after his name was included on an "attainted traitors" list. His horse and saddle were seized by George Wall, when he continued to oppose the Revolution. During the war, Moses assisted British prisoners of war, guiding them to New York. He participated in the Bucks County Treasury robbery and the robberies of James Snodgrass, John Keith, Ralph Williamson, and Nicholas Groover. He also stole Joseph Sackett’s horse. He had a son with Rachel Tomlinson in 1781. He was attainted of outlawry but ultimately died in a shoot-out at Halsey’s Cabin in August 1783. He was buried on the Plumstead property of his grandfather, Israel Doan, Sr.

Mahlon Doan

Mahlon Doan was born ca. 1758 to Joseph Doan, Sr., and Esther Dillon Doan. He was a brother to outlaws Moses, Aaron, Joseph, Jr., and Levy and first cousin to Abraham Doan. Mahlon appeared on the non-associator list in 1775. He also appeared on George Wall’s 1778 list of people who had crossed into British-occupied Philadelphia. He participated in the Treasury Robbery and the robberies of William Darroch, Robert Darroch, John Shaw, Robert Gibson, Joseph Grier, and Robert Robinson. He was also attainted of outlawry in 1783. 

Mahlon was captured in September 1783 in Bedford County, and by November he disappears from the historical record. Some believe he escaped from prison and drowned himself, but family lore insists that he escaped and fled to England aboard a Loyalist ship.

Abraham Doan

Abraham Doan was born around 1760 to Israel Doan, Jr., and Rachel Vickers. He was first cousin to the brother outlaws. Abraham participated in the robberies of James Snodgrass, Nicholas Hole, Phillip Smith, and others. He was present at the Halsey's Cabin shootout in 1783 but escaped with Levy Doan. Abraham was attainted of outlawry in 1783, andin 1784 he was captured in western Pennsylvania before making his escape. He was captured again in Chester County in 1788 with his cousin Levy. They were both hanged in Philadelphia on September 24, 1788.

Levy Doan

Levy Doan was born ca. 1763 to Joseph Doan, Sr., and Esther Dillon Doan. He was brother to outlaws Moses, Aaron, Joseph, Jr., and Mahlon and first cousin to Abraham Doan. Levy participated in several robberies including the robberies of James Snodgrass and Phillip Smith. He escaped the Newtown prison in 1782. Levy was present at the Halsey's Cabin shootout in 1783 but escaped with Abraham Doan and was attainted of outlawry the same year. He was then captured in Chester County in 1788 with his cousin Abraham. They were both hanged in Philadelphia on September 24, 1788.

Joseph Doan, Jr.

Joseph Doan, Jr., was born ca. 1752 to Joseph Doan, Sr., and Esther Dillon Doan. He was a brother to Moses, Mahlon, Aaron, and Levy and cousin to Abraham Doan. Joseph married his first cousin Mary Doan around 1780. He was shot through the face when fleeing a robbery in 1783, and then captured and was sentenced to be hanged. He escaped the Newtown prison before his execution and fled to Canada. 

In 1810, Joseph wrote a Loyalist petition on behalf of his father, Joseph, Sr. He was also imprisoned in New York during the War of 1812. Joseph, Jr., returned to Bucks County in 1823 to collect a bequest, but he died in Canada in 1844.

Hannah Tomlinson

Hannah married Richard Tomlinson around 1760. Her husband, Richard Tomlinson, was a brother to John Tomlinson, who was hanged in 1782, and Joseph Tomlinson, Jr., who participated in the Bird in the Hand raid. In 1780, Hannah petitioned from New York on behalf of herself and her husband. In this petition, she states that they helped over one hundred British prisoners to escape.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was an American writer, scientist, printer, and diplomat. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Among his many political positions, Franklin served as President of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council.  In 1787, Aaron Doan petitioned Franklin for a pardon while imprisoned in Philadelphia, which was eventually granted by the Council. In 1788, several female members of the extended Doan family signed a petition, addressed to Benjamin Franklin, requesting a stay of execution for Abraham and Levy Doan. However, Franklin instead signed their death warrant.

Augustine Willett

Augustine Willett (1751-1824) was a tavern owner from Lower Bucks County who rose to prominence during the Revolution as a militia officer. Early in the war he raised a company of troops at his own expense and served under Benedict Arnold during the expedition to Quebec in 1775. Later, he participated in the battles of White Plains, Monmouth, Brandywine, and Germantown, and crossed the Delaware River with Washington to attack the Hessians at Trenton.

Although he was an ardent “Patriot,” Willett’s own wife was a member of the Hicks family, who remained Loyalists. His brother and first cousin were also Loyalists who joined the British in opposing the Revolution. Divided families and entanglements such as these were common in Bucks County during the period.

Walter Willett, Augustine’s cousin, can be tied to the Doan Gang. His name appears as a sympathetic witness on several petitions in which members of the Tomlinson Family – known accomplices of the Doans – sought to prove their loyalty to the British Crown. He also served as an officer in the Bucks County Light Dragoons, a Loyalist unit. To add to these complexities, Augustine’s half-sister, Sarah Thornton, was married to Samuel Doan, first cousin to the outlaws. Augustine, however, would eventually sign a 1788 petition asking that members of the Gang be hanged for their crimes.

William McCalla

William McCalla (1732-1815) operated a Bucks County inn during the Revolutionary era. Built around 1760, though no longer standing, McCalla’s Plough Tavern was located in today’s Gardenville, in Plumstead Township, near the intersection of Durham Road and Point Pleasant Pike. The tavern served as a foraging station and an occasional picket post for American Continental Army troops. McCalla himself was captain of the Plumstead Militia and the “Commissioner of Purchases for the County of Bucks,” meaning that he was charged with procuring supplies to meet the needs of the Continental Army. 

William McCalla’s roles as an innkeeper and militia officer intersect with the Doan story on several occasions. In 1781, he served as an interviewer at the confession of one of the Gang members. McCalla’s horse was even stolen by the outlaws in 1783.  In the same year, and in another robbery, the Doans threatened to execute him. Unsurprisingly, he signed a 1788 petition calling for captured members of the Gang to be hanged.