Episode 161: The Beadle Family Murders
In this week’s episode, Paul and Kate head to 1782 Connecticut where an entire family is found dead in their home. After crime scene reconstruction is mixed with some damning evidence, a grim tale starts to form.
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Sources:
Knowlton, Mary Pat. “The Beadle Family Murders — Today in History: December 11.” Connecticut History (blog). December 11, 2020. https://connecticuthistory.org/the-beadle-family-murders-today-in-history/
Marsh, John. “The Great Sin and Danger of Striving With God: A Sermon Preached at Wethersfield, December 13, 1782. At the Funeral of Mrs. Lydia Beadle, Wife of the Late William Beadle, and Their Four Children, Who Were All Murdered by His Own Hands on the Morning of the 11th Instant. Hudson & Goodwin, 1783. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections: Evans Early American Imprint Collection. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/N14220.0001.001
Mitchell, Stephen. “A Narrative of the Life of William Beadle, of Wethersfield, in the State of Connecticut. Containing I. The Particulars of the ‘Horrid Massacre’ of Himself and Family. II. Extracts from the Rev. Mr. Marsh’s Sermon at the Funeral of His Wife and Children.” Bavil Webster, 1783. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections: Evans Early American Imprint Collection. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/n14090.0001.001
“The Revolutionary Currency Crash Makes William Beadle A Mass Murderer.” New England Historical Society (blog). 2025. https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/revolutionary-currency-crash-made-william-beadle-mass-murderer/
Smart, James R. “The Story of the Murder of the Beadle Family by William Beadle.” Excerpt from A Life of William Beadle. Reprinted by the Wethersfield Historical Society (blog). https://www.wethersfieldhistory.org/articles/the-story-of-the-murder-of-the-beadle-family-by-william-beadle/
Thomas, David W. “The Anxious Atlantic: War, Murder, and a ‘Monster of a Man’ in Revolutionary New England.” PhD dissertation. Temple University, 2018. https://scholarshare.temple.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/12dbe9a9-43c6-457c-b1e3-de47e4da46ed/content
“Tragedy Deranged Wethersfield.” The Hartford Courant. September 13, 1925: P32.