Daniel Shays was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 soldier, revolutionary, and farmer famous for leading the Shays' Rebellion

Shays' Rebellion

Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War....

.
Daniel Shays was born in 1747 in Hopkinton, Massachusetts

Hopkinton, Massachusetts

Hopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, just under 30 miles west and south of Boston. The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day in April, and as the home of computer storage firm EMC Corporation.For geographic and demographic...

, the son of two Irish immigrants, Patrick and Margaret (Dempsey) Shays. Daniel was the second of six siblings. He spent his early children years as a landless farm laborer. In 1772, he married Abigail Gilbert, with whom he settled in Brookfield, Massachusetts

Brookfield, Massachusetts

Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,390 at the 2010 census.-History:Brookfield was first settled in 1660 and was officially incorporated in 1718...

.
Shays joined the local militia during the American Revolution, rising to the rank of captain in the 5th Massachusetts Regiment

5th Massachusetts Regiment

The 5th Massachusetts Regiment also known as the 27th Continental Regiment was raised on April 23, 1775 under Colonel Mansfield outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Bunker Hill, New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton...

 by 1777.