A summary of the 1798 Direct or Glass Tax returns for Tredyffrin is given in the section on 18th Century Buildings.  References describing the tax are given below.

References

The following 2 resources give detailed information on the 1798 Tax: A Discovery: 1798 Federal Direct Tax Records for Connecticut. and Understanding the 1798 Direct Tax: Some Resources. (Bryn Mawr College)

The tax engendered Fries Rebellion in Bucks and Northampton Counties led by John Fries. See Fries Rebellion, by W. W. H. Davis, Doylestown, 1899 (available through Google Books and as a reprint). Also see Fries's Rebellion: the enduring struggle for the American Revolution, by Paul Douglas Newman, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004.

A section of Elizabeth Drinker’s diary entry of 4th April 1799 reads: "this morning the Six Troops of Horse, of this City [Philadelphia], marched out towards the seat of insurrection in Northampton county, under the command of B. Genl. Macpherson - Poor fellows, they went, many of them, by our door, I could not help feeling for the mothers who are left in distress for their Sons, ’tho ’tis to be hoped there will be no fighting.";