Draft:Cooley Massacre

The Cooley Massacre was an American event that took place in what is now known as Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The massacre refers to an attack on white individuals by 15-20 (estimated) Seminole Indians on January 6, 1836 during the Second Seminole War, which lasted from 1835 to 1842.

Those attacked were the family members of William Cooley, although Cooley himself was not at the site during the attack and spared. The Indians attacked Cooley's farm, located on the New River Settlement in what is now Fort Lauderdale, killing his wife, three children, and the children's tutor Joseph Flinton.

The attack started with an axe focused on Joseph Flinton, who was trying to protect the children, scalping him. Mrs. Cooley was gunned down trying to flee with her baby but the bullet passed through her murdering them both. Cooley’s 9-year-old son was clubbed to death, and his 11-year-old daughter was also gunned down.

The event caused all of the 60-70 settlers of the New River Settlement to vacate the property and move south to the Florida Keys. The land was not settled again until 50 years later. Three years following the massacre Maj. William Lauderdale reclaimed the New River Settlement and pushed the Indians toward the Everglades, building a new fort on the river. The original settlers never returned to the area of the massacre.