SHAYS' REBELLION

Their hardships were not ended when the din of warfare was used. They were sufferers, not only on the tented fields, but also after their return home. ~ D. Donovan, J.A. Woodward

financial woes after the war

According to Thomas Ladenburg in his article "Paper Money and Shays Rebellion, "the root causes of Shay's Rebellion were myriad: money, taxes, debts, poverty, languishing trade and agrarian discontent." A sorry state of affairs indeed. But the money woes had begun even before the war ended. In 1780, Continental Congress' answer to depleted coffers was to issue "paper money with nothing to back it up." Paying the soldiers with worthless money, in the end, led to disaster. Merchants refused to accept payment with the newly minted paper money and demanded gold or silver instead.

When the Revolution ended, the newly formed United States was in a "demoralized condition." The money required to keep the army going for seven long years left a swath of "indebted towns, failing businesses and a general lack of confidence in the government."

Two political parties emerged at the close of the war, the Federalist party led by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson's Republican party. Congressional sessions turned into idealogical battles over the best method of governance which failed to take into account the suffering of the common people. Taxes were raised to offset the cost of the war. Men who returned to their farms after the war had received little compensation for their efforts. With citizens struggling to make ends meet, the government's reaction to the citizens woes was to arrest debtors and foreclose on their farms.

Cousin Jonas Kidder's story

Jonas Kidder (2C7X) was born in 1743 in Hudson, New Hampshire. He was the son of two of our first cousins, Joseph Kidder (1C8X) and Hannah Proctor (1C8X), who were both born in Chelmsford. In 1766, when he was 23, Jonas moved to the town of Lyndeborough, NH where he met and married Huldah Putnam. The couple had five children, two of them born in the war years. When Huldah died in 1778, Jonas waited a respectable year, then married Alice Taylor in 1779. Jonas and Alice had four children born between 1780 and 1786.

When the war began, Jonas had done his part, serving first at Fort Ticonderoga in 1776 and again in 1780 as a captain at West Point. He was stationed at West Point during those turbulent months when Benedict Arnold turned traitor and switched his allegiance to the British.

In 1781, with the war winding down, Cousin Jonas was back at home serving as a selectman in the town of Lindeborough. The war had taken its toll and the citizens of that town, like so many others, were struggling financially. Jonas, with nine children to feed, felt that he it was time he was paid for his service to his country. He, along with three other captains who had also served in the war, traveled to the town of Exeter to speak with the New Hampshire Council about wages that were owed to them and to other men like them.

When they were denied any sort of compensation by the Council, the four captains wrote the following petition pleading for some sort of relief:

. . .they (the captains) have received Warrants upon the Treasurer for their respective wages, and for the wages of the men under their Command. . .They have presented some of the warrants to the Treasurer for payment, and he informs them that there is no money in that Treasury. . .they (the captains) are not possessed of money enough to pay for their expences in the said Town of Exeter, or to bear their expences to their several homes. That they. . . have depended upon receiving their wages to pay their taxes. . .that they were obliged to advance considerable sums of money in order to defray their expences in traveling to and from Camp; that they were employed in the service of said State at a time of the year when 'twas most inconvenient for them to leave their several homes. Your Petitioners wish not to be troublesome to your Honors -- they wish 'twas in their power to pay their expences in said Town of Exeter, bear their expences home, and pay their taxes after their return, but they are sorry to say that 'tis not.

In their History of Lindeborough, D. Donovan and J.A. Woodward wrote that this petition addressed the difficulties faced by so many Americans at the close of the war:

[The} petition. . .indicates the deplorable poverty of [the] state treasury at that time. . .It was powerless to relieve the distresses of the men who had rendered heroic service on many hard fought fields, by paying them their overdue wages. Their hardships were not ended when the din of warfare was used. They were sufferers, not only on the tented fields, but also after their return home.

Jonas' petition, like his entreaty to the Council, was ignored. When the petition was written, he was 38 years old. It was a full 50 years after the war ended before the United States government set about compensating veterans of the Revolutionary War. The 1832 Pension Act, which provided a yearly sum for soldiers who had served six months or more, was a case of too little, too late. By then, most Revolutionary War veterans were either dead or elderly men in their 70s and 80s.

Jonas applied for his pension when he was 80. Five years later, in 1737, he died at the home of his daughter in Hudson, NH, the town of his birth.

the trouble begins

Many men weren't willing to passively wait fifty years for the government to act. In 1782, a year after Jonas' petition had been rejected, the idea of a revolt began to circulate around the states. Four years later, the anger of the citizenry erupted. Public grievances were drafted in June of 1786. On September 5, 1786, a mob prevented the session of the court at Worcester from taking place. In September of 1786 three companies of insurgents marched into Concord and forcibly stopped the court then in session. Later that same month, Daniel Shays led hundreds of men to Springfield, MA, forcing the Supreme Court there to close.

For the most part, the government had little sympathy for the grievances of the common folk. A majority of the members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, however, felt something should be done. The Tender Bill, a measure to relieve the debt of struggling veterans and other citizens, was introduced and passed in the House. Members of the Massachusetts Senate, however, did not support the bill.

Our cousin Tristram Dalton (2C8X), a member of the Senate at the time, was clearly not on the side of the common folk. He was one in the Senate, along with Samuel Adams, who urged "the Governor to energetic measures" to quell the rebellion. Former rebel Patriot himself, Samuel Adams, went so far as to call for the execution of the rebellious farmers. And a letter Tristram wrote in November of 1786 clearly reveals his, and the Senate's, inclination to oppose the Tender Bill:

. . .the House will be in a heat on Monday on the occasion the cloven foot appears; several members discover themselves possessed of the true principles of the insurgents, and I am very sorry to say the majority, from their sentiments or from timidity or some other cause, differ widely from the Senate, who are as firm as the friends of their country can wish them. The coming week will be a serious week; the welfare, if not the existence of this government, depends on the doings of the General Court. May God grant them wisdom and firmness. The good, the worthy old patriot, Mr. Adams, says that he is afraid we have forsaken God, and that He has forsaken us.

In that same letter, Tristram revealed an altogether different prejudice: "Our conduct, I have often told you, resembles that of the Jews and every day confirms me in this opinion."

Another of our relatives who opposed the rioters was our cousin William Greenleaf (4C7X) who had taken the sheriff of Suffolk County position from his brother Stephen (4C7X) when the revolution started. From the Massachusetts Spy's obituary on William, we get this account of his activities:

During the exciting times of the Shay Insurrection Col. William Greenleaf was sheriff of the county. On Wednesday, the 22d of November, 1786, he had, from the courthouse steps in Worcester, read the riot act and harangued the crowd, an armed mob, there congregated to prevent the sitting of the Court of General Sessions. One of the orators of the insurgents, in reply, took the occasion to state that among many grievances which they found too oppressive for human endurance, and from which they were resolved to have speedy relief, were the sheriff himself and his exhorbitant fees. Colonel Greenleaf coolly rejoined : If you deem my fees for execution oppressive, gentlemen, you need not wait longer for redress; I will hang you all for nothing, with the greatest pleasure.

Woburn and Billerica called to action

Shays' army totaled about 1,600 men who "roamed the Western sections of Massachusetts, closing courts, intimidating judges" and causing general mayhem. By early September of 1786, local militia companies were getting ready for action. According to The History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts by Hurd D. Hamilton, troops from the 2nd regiment of Middlesex County "were instructed to hold themselves in readiness for immediate service." It wasn't until October, however that the regiment got marching orders.

Our cousin Josiah Richardson (3C7X) was captain of the Woburn faction of the 2nd regiment. Josiah was born in 1747 to our cousins Reuben (2C8X) and Esther Wyman Richardson (3C8X). On October 28, Josiah received the following message from Joseph Bryant, colonel of the regiment:

Sir: The General Court having called upon his Excellency the Governor, to take the necessary measures to maintain the honor of his commonwealth. . . you are hereby ordered immediately to call upon your Company and put them in readiness to march, and you are hereby ordered to assemble and march your company to Mr. Noah Wyman's (4C7X), inn holder in Woburn, sign "Black Horse". . .with arms, ammunition and provisions according to law, and each man will bring a blanket, and there remain until further orders

I am Sir, with respect, your Huml. Servt.,

Joseph Bryant, Col.

Stoneham, Oct. 23, 1787. To Capt. Josiah Richardson Woburn

Note: We wrote about the Black Horse Tavern in our "Around Woburn" post. During the Revolutionary war, the tavern was owned by our cousin Noah Wyman but it was originally built by our cousin William Richardson (3C8X).

On the 31st of October, Cousin Josiah's company set out for Cambridge. Later, Josiah received a note from the clerk of Stoneham with a list of his men who "will draw pay for Marching to Cambridge, with Capt. Josiah Richardson, ye 31 of October, 1786." Of the 30 men that marched that day, thirteen were Richardsons and two were Wymans.

Another of our relatives called to acton was Major Jonathan Stickney (3C7X) of Billerica. According to the Salem Mercury newspapaper, Governor Bowdoin of Massachusetts ordered the Billerica Artillery under Jonathan's command out on 3 Nov 1786 "in a snow-storm, the whole distance from Billerica to Cambridge, to guard the Supereme Judicial Court."

These forays by various town militias, which would continue until February of 1787, were "a demonstration on the part of the militia of Middlexex county, under the instructions of the Government, to overawe the insurgents."

the arsenal attack

In January of 1787 Shays led an attack on the arsenal in Springfield in order to increase their own cache of arms. As 1,200 men armed with guns, clubs and pitchforks approached, the forewarned government had troops waiting. Two rebels were killed in the melee and twenty were wounded. The rest of the insurgents fled.

The day after the arsenal attack, orders came for the Woburn militia to once again ready themselves to march.

On January 25, 1787, Sergeant Jesse Richardson. Jr., (5C6X) was required, without a moment's delay, to warn his squad, by order of Josiah Richardson, captain, being "all the trainband on the southerly side of the road from Andrew Evans, by Mr. Samuel Tidd's (3C7X) out to Bartholomew Richardson's (4C7X), inn holder, to appear to-morrow morning at six o'clock at Mr. Noah Wyman's (4C7X), inn holder, in said town, fully armed, equipped, provisioned and provided with ammunition.

Note: Everyone, except one, mentioned in the preceding paragraph is related to us. The only one not related, Andrew Evans, was married to our cousin Mary Richardson (2C8X).

The rebellion, however, was quickly running out of gas. Fearful of retaliation after the attack on the arsenal, Daniel Shays and most of his cronies hightailed it out of Massachusetts. The militamen who had expected to do six weeks duty discovered their service wouldn't be necessary. On February 7, Cousin Josiah sent out this message:

On February 7, 1787, the following orders were issued: Stoneham, February 7, 1787— Regimental Orders,— His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief (George Washington), having received information from General Lincoln of the total dispersion of the rebels and the flight of their leaders out of this commonwealth, has countermanded his orders for marching the detachment. . .Major-General Brooks had only to add his congratulations to the 3d Division on the complete success of the measures of Government, and his warmest thanks for their spirited conduct through the course of the insurrection. Colonel Bryant returns his warmest thanks to both officers and men for their spirited conduct through the whole contest.

I am, with respect and esteem, your humble sev't.

Evening, 7 o'clock.

Capt. Josiah Richardson, Woburn.

So the insurrection was over. Ethan Allen made a brief attempt to rekindle it from Vermont, but his effort failed. Some good did come from the rebellion, however. By summer, newly elected governor John Hancock pardoned many who had participated in the fiasco. Then, the new legislature placed a moratorium on debts and cut taxes. Still, it would be 45 years before the Pension Act of 1832 finally offered compensation to soldiers for their service in the revolution.

Townsend in the insurrection

The bulk of our relatives who joined with Shay in his rebellion came from the community of Townsend, MA. The town kept a record of the "insurgents" who supported the uprising. According to the History of the Town of Townsend by Ithamar Sawtelle, there were 84 men on the list, about a quarter of the "in their minority." Sawtelle notes that "[m]any of these persons were the best men of the town, misguided though they were. . ."

Our grandfather, Azariah Proctor Sherwin (4GGF) and his brother Solomon (4U) were among these "misguided" men. Grandpa Azariah was only 17 when he threw his hat in the ring with Daniel Shays and Solomon, 19.

Other relatives from Townsend who supported Shays:

Jesse Baldwin (5C6X)

Joseph Baldwn, Jr. (3C6X)

Phineas Baldwin (3C6X)

Thomas Greenleaf (5C6X)

Simeon Haseltine (5C7X)

Abijah Hildreth (4C6X)

Zachary Hildreth (3C7X)

Josiah Richardson (4C7X)

Simeon Richardson (3C7X)

I can't place Aaron Proctor who is on the list with any family. He was probably related to our grandfather Azariah Proctor Sherwin whose mother was Susannah Proctor (5GGM).

our relatives who helped quell the rebellion

Two of our uncles, Daniel (5U) and Azariah Proctor (5U), were part of General Benjamin Lincoln's army and its "memorable expedition thrugh the counties of Worcester and Berkshire to supress the insurrection in 1786." Our couisn Josiah Fletcher (5C6X) was also part of this group.

Note: The Proctor brothers, Daniel and Azariah lived in Townsend and were uncles of our grandfather, Azariah Proctor Sherwin.

Cousin Simeon Adams (3C8X) was born in Newbury but moved to Maine after his part in staving off the rebellion. In Maine, he "created an excellent farm with good buildings and much fruit; was a consistent Christian and an uncompromising friend of Temperance. He was a lover of music and performed on the violincello."

Cousin John Adams (4C7X) was a farmer in Andover at the time of the rebellion. Only 20, he was a Brigade Major in the state militia when he was called into action.

During the course of the rebellion, it appears that men were still able to buy their way out of service. Our cousin Leonard Richardson (4C7X) hired John Holden to take his place. Cousin Jeduthan Richardson (5C6X) was in his 50s at the time and understandably hired his son Jeduthan, Jr., 25, in his place. Even Captain Josiah Richardson of Woburn, who did his part in quelling the rebellion, hired twenty-five year old Silas Wyman (6C5X) to fill in for a time.

Twenty-five years after the disruption of Shays Rebellion and 50 years after the war ended, men who had participated in the revolt and those who had helped to quell it would have an opportunity to apply for compensation from the government for their military service.

Some of our relatives who applied for a pension

Roger Toothaker

Roger Toothaker (4C9X) was a great-great grandson of the Roger Toothaker (8U) who died in jail after being accused of witchcraft. Roger had responded to the alarm of April 19 and afterwards, like many militiamen, had sporadic service of two or three months at a time. He applied for his pension in 1720 when he was 76. In his pension statment, Roger said that he was was a farmer who was no longer able to work. He and his wife Mary did not own any property and their personal belongings consisted only "of an old chest of drawers." The couple were being supported by their son James (5C8X).  Roger was granted his pension. He died twelve years later at age 88.

Stephen Greenleaf

Our cousin Stephen Greenleaf (6C5X) was born in Brattleboro, VT in 1759.  Stephen's first application for a pension was denied. He tried again in 1838 when he was 80. The application begins:

I, Stephen Greenleaf, of Brattleboro...now in the eightieth Year of my age. . .lived in said State (Massachusetts) about 12 years. . .and removed from thence to said Brattleboro in the year 1771...In the course of the year 1777, my Father, with myself, were 4 time alternately draughted to serve as soldiers in the conflict with Burgoyne--my Father being very infirm I performed the service for us both.

Stephen goes on to give an account of his service which we recounted in our post "Our Family at Saratoga." His companies showed up late for Ticonderoga and Bennington. He was at Saratoga and witnessed Burgoyne's surrender but did not participate in the battles. He goes on to say:

In my report of service. . .it will be seen that there are no dates of time when I began or ended service in the Campaign. The truth is, I cannot ascertain them from memory. . .but in the absence of my own recollection, rely on the better memory of Salathiel Harris, my present voucher, who was my quantum fellow soldier in the army. . .

I would further state, that of about twenty persons belonging to Brattleboro, who served as soldiers in the Campaign of 1777, only 2 (Harris and Bemis) applied for pensions, which they obtained and that but two of said 20 persons are now living , to wit, said Harris and your Petioner, who will feel doubly grateful if, since Nature has placed him on her list of Invalids, his Country would Balance the Account, and place him on Her list of Pensioners.

In the interrogation process after the application was filed, Stephen was asked, "Why did you not apply for a pension when Harris and Bemis applied?"  Stephen replied "The reason is Obvious. Few, very few of the Militia soldiers could obtain Pensions as few could prove when they were draughted. It was by a later Law, that more especially favored the Militia soldiers (as opposed to Continental Army) in obtaining Pension, of which Law I availed myself. . ."

Stephen's second application, sadly, was also denied, clearly demonstrating the plight of men who had served in the militia. Favoritism was obviously shown to men from the Continental Army.

Noah Moulton Littlefield

Our cousin Noah Littlefield (3C9X) of Wells, ME had an extensive career in the Continental Army. He marched on the Alarm of April 19, 1775 and that year was captain of a company in Wells that provided defense of the seacoast. He served at the siege of Boston and in 1776 was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. He was at Ticonderoga at the time of the British takeover and part of the American Retreat.  Noah served at Van Schaick's Island just prior to his involvement in the Saratoga Battles. He then joined Washington at Valley Forge and continued on with the commander in chief to West Point in 1779. In 1780 he reported retired as a supernumerary officer which means, in essence, he was forced to retire.

We wrote about Noah's sad plight in our "Revolutionary Stories" post. In 1818, he was living with his son who was unable to provide his father with support. In his application to the government for some sort of relief, Noah stated that he had "no real or personal estate whatever. . ." The words "No Value" are written at the end of the report, which possibly means poor Noah was not granted any government help.

John Parrish

Most of what we know about our grandfather John Parish (5GGF) comes from his pension application which was filed in 1832. We will have Grandpa John's story, including his full application, in a future post.  John served in the New York Militia from August through November, 1777 and was present at the surrender of Burgoyne. He had further service of a few months in both of the years 1778 and 1779.

On 23 Jan 1833, John was granted a pension of $10.83 semi-annually and he received $32.49 in an arrears payment.

Peter Hilgert

Our uncle, Peter Hilgert (5U) was born in Pennsylvania in 1745.  Peter's sister was our grandmother Maria Catarina Hilgert Mohney (5GGM). We'll have more about the Hilgerts and the Mohneys in a future post.

Uncle Peter applied for his pension in 1832. He stated that he had served for several terms of duty in the Pennsylvania Troops beginning in December 1777. He saw further duty in 1778 and 1779.  Peter's application was approved but he died just two short years later in 1834 at age 80. After her husband's death, Elizabeth Hilgert filed for compensation based on Peter's service. Peter's brother George (5U), testified on her behalf. In his statement George said that "he remembered his brother telling stories that he drove a wagon to haul the wounded and dead from the field of battle after the battle was over."