Westminster Massacre: Difference between revisions
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The '''Westminster massacre''' was an incident that occurred on March 13, 1775, in the town of in [[Westminster (town), Vermont|Westminster, Vermont]], then part of the [[New Hampshire Grants]], whose control was disputed between its residents and the [[Province of New York]].<ref name="VG">{{cite web|title=The Massacre at Westminster, Vermont|url=http://www.vermontgenealogy.com/history/massacre_at_westminster_vermont.htm|website=Vermont Genealogy|publisher=Vermont Genealogy|accessdate=21 March 2018|ref=VG}}</ref> It resulted in the killings of two men, William French and Daniel Houghton. |
The '''Westminster massacre''' was an incident that occurred on March 13, 1775, in the town of in [[Westminster (town), Vermont|Westminster, Vermont]], then part of the [[New Hampshire Grants]], whose control was disputed between its residents and the [[Province of New York]].<ref name="VG">{{cite web|title=The Massacre at Westminster, Vermont|url=http://www.vermontgenealogy.com/history/massacre_at_westminster_vermont.htm|website=Vermont Genealogy|publisher=Vermont Genealogy|accessdate=21 March 2018|ref=VG}}</ref> It resulted in the killings of two men, William French and Daniel Houghton by a sheriff’s posse. |
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The massacre occurred after settlers took over the Westminster courthouse to protest the evictions of several Vermonters from their homes by officials from New York. The settlers, many of whom were armed, were ordered numerous times by a local sheriff to disperse, a order they ignored. By nightfall the number of settlers occupying the courthouse had swelled to well over 500. The sheriff's men began firing into the courthouse in an attempt to scare the crowd. In response the settlers returned fire, and more intense fighting soon broke out. By the end of the night, two of settlers had been killed, and many on both sides were wounded. The Westminster Massacre is regarded as an important event in the history of [[Vermont]] and one of the key events that helped spark the [[American Revolution]].<ref name="RD">{{cite web|title=OLD BENNINGTON|url=http://www.revolutionaryday.com/usroute7/bennington/default.htm|website=Revolutionary Say|accessdate=21 March 2018|ref=RD}}</ref> |
The massacre occurred after settlers took over the Westminster courthouse to protest the evictions of several Vermonters from their homes by officials from New York. The settlers, many of whom were armed, were ordered numerous times by a local sheriff to disperse, a order they ignored. By nightfall the number of settlers occupying the courthouse had swelled to well over 500. The sheriff's men began firing into the courthouse in an attempt to scare the crowd. In response the settlers returned fire, and more intense fighting soon broke out. By the end of the night, two of settlers had been killed, and many on both sides were wounded. The Westminster Massacre is regarded as an important event in the history of [[Vermont]] and one of the key events that helped spark the [[American Revolution]].<ref name="RD">{{cite web|title=OLD BENNINGTON|url=http://www.revolutionaryday.com/usroute7/bennington/default.htm|website=Revolutionary Say|accessdate=21 March 2018|ref=RD}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 14:08, 12 October 2018
The Westminster massacre was an incident that occurred on March 13, 1775, in the town of in Westminster, Vermont, then part of the New Hampshire Grants, whose control was disputed between its residents and the Province of New York.[1] It resulted in the killings of two men, William French and Daniel Houghton by a sheriff’s posse.
The massacre occurred after settlers took over the Westminster courthouse to protest the evictions of several Vermonters from their homes by officials from New York. The settlers, many of whom were armed, were ordered numerous times by a local sheriff to disperse, a order they ignored. By nightfall the number of settlers occupying the courthouse had swelled to well over 500. The sheriff's men began firing into the courthouse in an attempt to scare the crowd. In response the settlers returned fire, and more intense fighting soon broke out. By the end of the night, two of settlers had been killed, and many on both sides were wounded. The Westminster Massacre is regarded as an important event in the history of Vermont and one of the key events that helped spark the American Revolution.[2]
Background
Tensions in the New Hampshire Grants had existed since the 1760s between the majority of its residents, lower class farmers from New Hampshire, and "Yorkers", a wealthy minority of landowners from England and New York. The New Hampshire Grants were claimed by both the Province of New Hampshire and New York. Surveyors employed by the Yorkers were often attacked and beaten by angry farmers, who formed the radical Green Mountain Boys, an Anti-Yorker militia led by Ethan Allen and Remember Baker. The Green Mountain Boys began destroying the homes of Yorkers who settled in the New Hampshire Grants. Many of these Yorkers had taken the land from impoverished farmers. Yorkers were almost always Loyalists, while farmers sided with the colonialists. In response to the attacks on Yorkers, officials from New York began arresting and evicting poor settlers across the New Hampshire Grants.
See also
References
- ^ "The Massacre at Westminster, Vermont". Vermont Genealogy. Vermont Genealogy. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "OLD BENNINGTON". Revolutionary Say. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
Further reading
- Westminster. by Rev. F. J. Fairbanks
- The New England Historical and Genealogical Register
External links
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