Derby History Quiz

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General David Wooster

Though General David Wooster was not born in Derby, and never lived within today's Derby boundaries, his grandfather was one of Derby's original white settlers. David was born along the Shelton/Stratford border, and when he was about 10, he and his family moved to the Quakers Farm section of Oxford. At that time, Quaker Farms and Oxford were very much part of Derby. 

David graduated from Yale (and later married the daughter of the President of Yale) and soon entered military service while England was involved with its continental wars. He served under Aaron Burr at the Battle of Louisburg (1745) and went on to Europe where he was eventually given an appointment to the regular British army which ended with the peace treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle.

Skipping forward in his career, when the Revolutionary War broke out, he immediately sided with the colonial forces and served with Benedict Arnold at Fort Ticonderoga. He was also involved with General Montgomery in the American attacks in Canada before returning home to serve in the Connecticut militia. It was in that capacity that he was killed while defending Danbury from British troops. A commemorative monument was erected in his honor in Danbury, and that monument is depicted on the official seal of the City of Danbury.

Correct answers were received from: Jerry Kosturko, Jack O'Callaghan, Millie from Ansonia, Walt Mayhew, Ann Searles, Dominick Thomas, Jack Skelding, Eddie Calvert, Mary Lou Boroski,  Joan Driscoll, Eileen Krugel, Angelo DiRubba, and Michael J. Flora. And thanks to Randy Ritter for suggesting this quiz.

To see our other earlier quizzes and learn more about Derby's unique history, click here.