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The following was addressed, "To the good People of the Town of Deerfield.

"AT a meeting of the several officers commanding companies in the county of Hampshire, in the present movement of the people, for the regulating of matters of public concernment, viz. It is voted and agreed, that it is highly necessary that the several companies and regiments in the said county be properly organized and officered; Voted, a committee of seventeen, be raised to see that the aforesaid vote be put in effect: Voted, Capt. Fisk, of South Brimfield, & Capt. Colton of Longmeadow, for the fifth regiment; Capt. Day, of West Springfield, and Capt Sacket, of Westfield, for the second regiment; Capt. Juel, of Chesterfield, Capt Brown of Whately, and Mr. Samuel Morse, of Worthington, for the third regiment; Capt. Shays, of Pelham, Capt. Joseph Hinds, of Greenwich, and Capt. Billings, of Amherst, for the fourth regiment; Capt. Foot, of Greenfield, Capt. Densmore, of Conway, Capt. Clarke of Colrain, and Capt. Hill, of Charlemont, for the fifth regiment; Capt. Grover, of Montague, and Capt. Powers, of Shutesbury, for the sixth regiment. Be the aforesaid committee, the county aforesaid being assembled, voted and chose Capt. Powers chairman; then that each member of the committee be impowered and directed to write to the several towns in their respective regiments, in the name and behalf of this committee, requesting them to meet and organize their companies as soon as may be, and that being done, the members of committees for the several regiments, to call together their officers of the several companies for the purpose of organizing the regiments agreeable to martial order.
"Done in Committee, at Pelham, 9th
December, 1786.
"JOHN POWERS, Chairman."

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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On December 9, 1786, officers of Regulator companies in Hampshire County met to organize companies and regiments "in the present movement of the people" to counteract any action by the pro-government militias. A committee of 17 men, including Captain Daniel Shays, was appointed to oversee the plan. Addressed to "the good people of the town of Deerfield," this letter asks that officers call their companies together and get them organized. Deerfield did not support the Regulation, however, and it is probable that this letter was sent to the Hampshire Gazette to promote anti-Regulator sentiment. William Butler began publication of the Hampshire Gazette on September 6, 1786, in Northampton, Massachusetts. The mission of the newspaper was to inform the public about the issues pertaining to the ongoing conflicts. Butler was decidedly on the government side of the issues.

 

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"To the good people of the Town of Deerfield" address published in the Hampshire Gazette

publisher   Hampshire Gazette
author   John Powers
date   Jan 3, 1787
location   Northampton, Massachusetts
height   7.0"
stock   2.5"
process/materials   printed paper, ink
item type   Periodicals/Newspaper
accession #   #L04.074


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See Also...

Letter from Daniel Shays printed in the Hampshire Gazette

"To the good People of the Town of Deerfield" article in the Hampshire Gazette

Hampshire Gazette newspaper article on Shays' Rebellion


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