Benoni Danks

Benoni Danks (ca 1716 – 1776) was a soldier and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Cumberland County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1765 to 1770.

He was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, the son of Robert Danks and Rebecca Rust. In 1745, he married Mary Morris. He commanded a company of rangers in the Chignecto area that was active against the French and their native allies. It is alleged that his unit turned in the scalps of Acadians for bounties, claiming that they were from natives. The rangers carried out raids against French settlers on the Petitcodiac River and also participated in the siege of Quebec. In 1761, he was granted land in Cumberland County. He took part in the siege of Havana in 1762. Two years later, he was named a justice of the peace and militia commander for Cumberland County. In 1767, he was named collector of duties on alcohol, tea, coffee and playing cards. Sympathetic to the American Revolution, he was captured after taking part in a rebellion led by Jonathan Eddy and died at Windsor, Nova Scotia from an infected wound.

References

*cite encyclopedia
last = Blakely
first = Phyllis R
authorlink =
title = Benoni Danks
encyclopedia = Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
volume =
pages =
publisher =
location =
date = 1979
url = http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=1836
accessdate = 2008-10-03