David Farnsworth
David Farnsworth | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 5, 1760 Executed |
| Motive | Colonial loyalist who served in British war effort |
| Conviction(s) | Espionage Forgery |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
David Farnsworth was a
American Revolution
Farnsworth initially joined up with Patriot forces in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the age of 15 in 1775, serving as a drummer and participating in the Battle of Bunker Hill.[2]
The use of counterfeit money has been used as a strategy in warfare for centuries.[3] The idea is to flood the enemy's economy with fake money, thus devaluing the real money and causing an economic collapse, rendering the enemy unable to fund their side of the war. During the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress decided to create a new Continental currency to fund the war. Among the people enlisted to print this new currency was Paul Revere.[4]
To counter this, the British enlisted teams of counterfeiters to travel throughout the American Colonies, placing their counterfeits into circulation in the hopes that it would devalue the Continental currency. These counterfeiters were known as "shovers," presumably for their ability to "shove" the fake money into everyday use.[5]
David Farnsworth and his partner John Blair were among the best-known of these counterfeiters, having been caught with over $10,000 in fake Continental dollars in their possession.[6]
On October 8, 1778, in a court-martial held in
In popular culture
In fiction, Farnsworth appeared in the
References
- ^ Counterfeiting In America: The History of an American Way to Wealth, By Lynn Glaser. pp. 41–44.
- ^ Saunderson, Rev. Henry H. History of Charlestown, NH - Fort No. 4, 1876, page 358
- ^ "Counterfeit Notes of War".
- ^ "Revolutionary War, Paul Revere history Project".
- ^ Stealing Lincoln's Body, By Thomas J. Craughwell. p. 35.
- ^ Counterfeiting In Colonial America, By Kenneth Scott. p. 258.
- ^ General Orders, 23 October 1778. Founders Online National Archives https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-17-02-0549. Accessed May 20, 2016.
- ^ "Recap / Futurama S 6 E 23 All The Presidents Heads". TV Tropes. Retrieved 12 August 2022.