Luke Day Jr. (July 21, 1743 – June 1, 1801) was an American military officer, revolutionary, and farmer, most familiar for his leadership role in

Shays' Rebellion Shays Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades. The ...

, for which he was convicted of

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

and

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

, before being

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

ed by Governor

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the ...

. He was referred to as the "Master Spirit" of the insurrection, and was only passed over as overall leader in favor of

Daniel Shays Daniel Shays (August 1747 September 29, 1825) was an American soldier, revolutionary and farmer famous for allegedly leading Shays' Rebellion, a populist uprising against controversial debt collection and tax policies in Massachusetts in 1786� ...

due to the perception of overzealousness on his part, by his men. As a lieutenant, and then a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, he served for eight years and participated in many key battles of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, including the

Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular town ...

Quebec Expedition The Quebec Expedition, or the Walker Expedition to Quebec, was a British attempt to attack Quebec in 1711 in Queen Anne's War, the North American theatre of the War of Spanish Succession. It failed when seven transports and one storeship were ...

Battles of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

Cherry Valley massacre The Cherry Valley massacre was an attack by British and Iroquois forces on a fort and the town of Cherry Valley in central New York on November 11, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It has been described as one of the most horrific ...

Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Genocide) was a United States military campaign during the American Revolutionary War, lasting from June to October 1779 ...

and

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

. After the war, he joined the prestigious

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

, which included the likes of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

and

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

Early life

Luke Day Jr. was born in 1743, in what is now

West Springfield, Massachusetts West Springfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 28,835 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is also known as "West Si ...

, the oldest son of Luke Day, Sr. and Jerusha (Skinner) Day. He was christened 10 days later at the First Congregational Church. On August 20, 1762, he announced his intention of marriage to Lydia Kelsey, originally of Killingworth Township, Connecticut, then of

Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield metrop ...

, daughter of Stephen Kelsey, Jr. and Lydia (Noble) Kelsey, and they married soon after. The Days and Kelseys had ties going back at least to the founding of

Hartford, CT Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded County (United States), county government in 19 ...

, where Robert Day and William Kelsey were neighbors. Luke and Lydia had ten children, although only five, four sons and a daughter, survived to adulthood. Luke was referred to as a

Gentleman A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...

, and was well-educated. He was deeply religious and sought counsel from both his minister and the Bible itself for the grievances of the people. In particular, he was inspired by this Bible passage:

Family

The Days were one of the most prominent families in West Springfield, holding many positions in the local and state government. His father's cousin,

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Benjamin Day was called "the most prominent man on the west side of the river." In addition to a successful military career, Benjamin served many terms as a

representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

to the

General Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

, and was the first moderator and one of the original selectmen of West Springfield. Benjamin also raised ninety pounds for the purchase of arms to be used in the Revolutionary War. Another of his father's cousins, William Day, was a

sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficie ...

and a hero of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

for capturing a French

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

, and was the subject of a painting by

John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was probably born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish. Afte ...

. William was a member of the committee that approved the

Sheffield Declaration The Sheffield Declaration, also known as the Sheffield Resolves, was a Colonial American petition against British tyranny and manifesto for individual rights, drawn up as a series of resolves approved by the Town of Sheffield, Massachusetts, on ...

. This William Day is a potential candidate to be the Captain William Day who earned Revolutionary War fame as the first American sea captain to be recognized by a foreign government (France). Luke's cousin, Josiah, owned a

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

, which still stands today as the oldest known brick

saltbox A saltbox house is a gable-roofed residential structure that is typically two stories in the front and one in the rear. It is a traditional New England style of home, originally timber framed, which takes its name from its resemblance to a woode ...

-style house in the country, and serves as a family museum. Luke is known to have trained his men in the commons area in front of this house, and it may have even served as his headquarters. Luke's brother-in-law (and first cousin) was

Justin Morgan Justin Morgan (February 28, 1747 – March 22, 1798) was a U.S. horse breeder and composer. He was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and by 1788 had settled in Vermont. In addition to being a horse breeder and farmer, he was a teacher of ...

, who developed the

Morgan horse The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the foundation sire Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, Morgans served many roles in 19th-century American histo ...

breed and composed music, which survives today. Luke's brother, Thomas, also served in the Revolution as a lieutenant.

Revolutionary War

Day, then a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in Captain Enoch Chapin's company of

minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

, marched on

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on April 20, 1775, in response to the

Lexington Alarm The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within ...

of the previous day. He served in Danielson's Regiment for the remainder of 1775 during the

. On January 1, 1777 he was commissioned a captain in the

7th Massachusetts Regiment The 7th Massachusetts Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Continental Army. It was constituted on 16 September 1776, and was originally known as Alden's Regiment after its first colonel, Ichabod Alden. It was organized as seven companies ...

and served until his discharge on June 20, 1783. He was an original member of the Massachusetts

Aftermath

Shays' Rebellion

Later years

The Society of the Cincinnati, which he had joined to solidify his legacy, dismissed him as a member on July 13, 1787, due to his involvement in Shays' Rebellion. When Luke Sr. died in 1791, Luke Jr. was not named in his will. It is not known whether this was due to his participation in the rebellion, or other factors. He was brought to court several times for unpaid

mortgage A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any pu ...

debts. Luke was known to have suffered from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

in his later years, and lived out his life in relative poverty and obscurity.

Death

On June 1, 1801, shortly before his 58th birthday, Luke died at his home in West Springfield."Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795–1910," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FCMW-R4H : accessed March 7, 2014), Luke Day, June 1, 1801. Due to his infamy at the time as a leader of Shays' Rebellion, he was buried next to his mother in an

unmarked grave An unmarked grave is one that lacks a marker, headstone, or nameplate indicating that a body is buried there. However, in cultures that mark burial sites, the phrase unmarked grave has taken on a metaphorical meaning. Metaphorical meaning As a f ...

at Paucatuck Cemetery to prevent

desecration Desecration is the act of depriving something of its sacred character, or the disrespectful, contemptuous, or destructive treatment of that which is held to be sacred or holy by a group or individual. Detail Many consider acts of desecration to ...

, and only received a

headstone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, da ...

almost two centuries later, in 1987, from the Ramapogue Historical Society.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Luke American rebels American revolutionaries Agrarian politics People convicted of treason Prisoners sentenced to death by Massachusetts Recipients of American gubernatorial pardons Continental Army officers from Massachusetts People from West Springfield, Massachusetts 1743 births 1801 deaths