Footprints of Fayette

William Rabb – Part 1 By Kathy Carter

Rabb Mill Stones – Courtesy of Fayette Museum & Archives
Rabb Mill Stones – Courtesy of Fayette Museum & Archives

A Historical Column From The Fayette County Historical Commission

William Rabb was born in 1770 in Fayette County, German Township, Pennsylvania. His father owned and operated a grist and saw mill, a whiskey distillery and a mercantile business. In time, the Rabbs became one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the area.

William and Mary Smalley married around 1789 and the couple had f…