RHODE ISLAND

H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

COLLE CT ION S

Vol . ! V I I I January, 1925 NO . 1

The steam - boat Massachu setts wh ich ran between Prov idence and New York .

Richa rd W . Comstock, Jr . Memor ia l Collection S ee page 20

Issued Quarterly

CONTENTS

P A G E

Point P leasant, Bristol , W i l l iamVassal l’

s ConfiscatedEstate, by Howard W . Preston

Early American Shoe Buckles, by Hara ld W . Ostby

Ninigret’

s Nava l Campa igns, by Leicester Bradner

Notes

Indian Imp lements found in R hode I sland , byH . M. Chapin .

ILLUSTRATIONS

SteamboatMassachusetts cover

Point Pleasant

Ind ian Implements

RHODE ISLAND

H ISTOR ICAL SOC IETY

COLLECTIONS

Vol . ! V I I I January, 1925 NO . 1

HOWAR D W . PRESTON ,Pres ident E DWARD K. ALD R I CH , Jr. Trea su rer

G EOR GE T . S PI C ER ,S ecreta ry HOWAR D M. CHAP I N , L i bra r ian

The So c i ety assumes no respons ib i l i ty fo r the statements or theO p in ions of contr i bu tors .

Point Pleasant

Wi l l iam Vassa l l’

s Conf iscated Estate

BY HOWARD PRESTO N

Few Br i s tol houses evoke as many interes t ing memor ies as

the Old broad . gambrel—roo fed home at Po int Pleasant on Poppasquash Neck . Not onl y its secluded pos i t ion ac ross the harborf rom the busy town Of many na t iona l i t ies , but even the a tmos

phere Of neglec t tha t sur round s i t renders it more voca l of thepast . The shades Of the by

- gone f requenters Of th i s pleasantspot seem present to the sympa thet i c spi r i t .Trad i t ion has a scr i bed the bu i ld ing of the house to Na thanie l

Byfield , one Of the four merchant specu la tors Of Bos ton . who

a f ter K ing Ph i l i p ’

s W’

ar bought of the Colony of Plymouth ,

King Phi l i p ’

s count ry,Mount H ope and Poppasquash Neck .

Byfield was a prac t i ca l p romoter , he removed his res idence f romBos ton and set t led on the t rac t O f land he proposed to deve lop .

bu i ld ing a house in the new town. new B ri s tol (not des t ined ,

despi te the hopes Of i t, to become the commerc ia l r i va l o f Br i s

RHOD E I S L AN D H I S T O R I C A L S O C I ETY

PO lN'

I‘ P LEA S AN T 3

ml , England ), and another on Poppasquash Neck . H e wa s a

cons tant Office holder . represent ing the town in the Plymou thColony Genera l Cou rt . serv ing a s Ch ie f J us t i ce Of the Court OfCommon Pleas in the County of Br i s tol . and a l so a s Judge o f

Admi ra l ty for Massachuset ts . New H ampsh i re and Connect i cu t .H e mu s t have been a pers i stent ha ter . for angered by GovernorJoseph Dud ley he voyaged to England . s t rove , but in va in,

to

Obta in the governor'

s reca l l . In his Old age he retu rned to Boston to d ie and be la id to res t in the \Vestminster Abbey of New

England . the Grana ry Bu r ia l Ground in Boston . Later the

esta te passed to Judge Na thanie l H ubba rd .

There are those who seem to speak w i th author i ty when theyaver tha t the house bu i l t by Byfield s tood fa rther north nea r thehead of the neck . and a f ter pass ing through a per iod o f degenc ra t ion was demol i shed many yea rs ago .

Certa in i t is tha t Ma rga ret H ubba rd ,daughter O f Na thaniel .

was . accord ing to the records Of S t . M i chael’

s Church . Br i sto l .ma r r ied Apr i l 2 1 , 1760 . to W

'

i l l iam Va ssa l l . Of Bos ton. as his

second w i fe . In 1762 . Mr . Vassa l l bought the r ights O f RebeccaH ubba rd relect Of Na than ie l H ubba rd in the es ta te on Poppasqua sh Neck . and a l so pa rcel s f rom the other H ubba rd he i rs .

H ence forth the place is known as the Vassa l l Fa rm .

The V assal ls were a wel l known Massachuset ts fami ly ,own

ing not only p roperty in New England . but l uc ra t i ve es ta tes on

the i s land Of Jama i ca . John Vassa l l , the el der brother ofl iam . bu i l t and occup ied the d i gni fi ed mans ion in Cambr idge .

la ter famous a s the headqua rters Of Genera l \Vzishington duringthe s iege Of Boston. and the home o f Ja red Spa rk s . but bet ters t i l l as the home o f the poet Long fe l low .

Once . ah . once wi th in these wa l l s .

One whom memory oft reca l l s .

The Fa t her o f his Count ry dwe l t .

Vas sa l l wa s a man o f educa t ion H a rva rd and

refinement . H e made the fa rm a gent leman'

s count ry esta te .

wi th ga rdens and appu rtenances .L i ke o thers o f h is order he

wa s fa i t h fu l to the i r t rad i t ions o f loya l ty . H e was appo inted a

RH ODE I S LAND H I S T OR I C A L SOC I ETY

PO I N T P LEA S AN T

Mandamu s Counc i l lor in 1 774 . and though never sworn. vet

the fac t of his appointment p roc la imed his loya l ty to the k ing,

and seemed to Show his d i s loya l ty to the l i bert ies Of Amer i ca .

On a v i s i t to h is fa rm ,i t is. sa i d , he wa s mobbed by the towns

fol k Of Br i s tol and his ca rr iage pel ted w i th s tones . H e took theh int and rema ined in Bos ton . In Ma rch , 1 776, when the Br i t i sha rmy evacua ted Bos ton,

he accompanied them to H a l i fax,

whence he sa i led to England ,wh ich hence for th became his

home . H e was inc luded in the act Of bani shment enac ted in 1778by Massachuset ts . Fortuna tel y he was not ru ined by the war a s

so many Of his pa r ty were,as his Jama i ca esta tes rema ined to

support h im . H e d ied in 1800 at Ba t tersea Ri se,England .

The absentee land lords were the fi rs t to lose cont rol Of t hei rp roperty. The Genera l A ssembly of Rhode I s land at the De

cember Sess ion . 1 776 ,ordered the Sher i ff Of Br i s tol County to

take possess ion Of the rea l es tates be longing to W i l l iam Vassa l l ,I saac Roya l l and Thomas Pa lmer , suspec ted Of be ing enemies tothe Uni ted S ta tes . whi le the S her i ff Of Prov idence County wasordered “

to take possess ion Of two horses belonging to sa i dVassa l l now in Prov idence . I t was a lso ordered tha t thecommand ing Officer in the Countv Of Br i s tol is d i rec ted to cut

as much wood Off sa i d estates a s sha l l be wanted for the u se Of

the t roops s ta t ioned in the towns Of B r i s tol and Wa r ren,keep ing

an account o f the quant i ty and mak ing a s l i t t le wa ste as pos

s i b le (R . I . Col . R ec . V I I I ,The next yea r

,June,

1 777, the A ssembly appo inted a com

mittee to inqu i re a f ter and make an inventory of the persona l

es ta te of \Vill iam Vassa l l and commence ac t ions for the rent s

du e for the rea l esta tes o f \\7ill iam Vassa l l and Thomas Pa lmer

(R . I . Col . R ec . V I I I Thomas Pa lmer la ter through his

a t torneys c la imed tha t he had removed f rom Massachuset tsBay to Pa rama r i bo in Sur inam ,

- and had“on a l l occa ss ions by

a uni form conduc t tes t ified his f r iend sh i p to the Uni ted

S tates . Appa rent l y his es ta te was released .

The rece i pt O f £946,085 . 3d for one y ea r ’s rent f rom Shea r

j ashub Bou rne for the fa rm la tel y belong ing to Vassa l lis reported in July

,1799 ( R . I . Col . R ec . IX ,

6 RH ODE I S LAN D H I S T OR I C A L S O C I ETY

Informa t ion was fi led by “fa l ter Channing at the ses s ion Of

the Super ior Cour t Of Jud i ca tu re hel d at Prov idence,Novem

ber ,1779 . aga ins t \Villiam Vassa l l

,who. wa s c i ted to appea r

be fore the Supe r ior Cou rt Of TivertO-n in Ju ly,1780 ; and the

P roz idcn-cc Gaz ette O f December 18,1779 . gave not i ce Of th i s ;

descr i b ing the prope rty as“a certa in fa rm or t rac t Of land s i tu

a ted in sa id B r i s tol conta in ing by est ima t ion about two hund redand fourteen ac res ,

be the same mo re or less . w i th a dwel l inghou s e and ot her bu i ld ings t hereon s tand ing bounded as fol low s :by nort her ly on land Of Thomas Green, eas ter ly on sa l t wa ter

,

souther ly on land belong ing to the Chu rch of England S choolin sa i d B r i s tol

,wes ter ly on the sa l t wa ter together w i th a l l the

r ights . etc .

Meanwh i le . prepa ra t ion for the recept ion Of Rochambeau ’

s

s i ck sold iers was neces sa ry . and the Genera l A ssembly in June ,

1780,ordered “

the bu i ld ings on the f a rm in Br i s tol la tel ybelong ing to W i l l iam Va ssa l l . E sq . to be immed ia tely put inproper repa i r to rece i ve the s i ck sol d iers and such add i t iona lbu i l d ings to be erected on the sa i d fa rm and on the school fa rmad jo ining as sha l l be suffic ient ” (R . 1 . Col . R ec. IX

,

The next month,July . the Vassa l l Fa rm is aga in be fore the

A ssembly .

“\Vhereas the Officers Of H is Mos t Chr i s t ian Ma

j estys hospi ta l have reques ted th i s A s sembly to appropr ia te a

su i table piece Of land on the S ta tes fa rm at Poppasqua sh for

the bur ia l Of such as may d ie at the sa i d hosp i ta l—I t is therefore voted and resol ved that the pr inc i pa l d i rec tor of sa i d hospi ta l be . . perm i t ted to choose . . for the purpose a foresa i dsuch a pa r t Of the sa i d fa rm a s may be convenient ; and tha t thedeputy quarternraster be . . d i rec ted to enc lose the same w i th ina pa le—fence .

I t is f u rther voted and resol ved tha t whenever the sa i d fa rmsha l l be sol d t h i s S ta te w i l l make reserva t ion Of the sa i d bu r ia lground ” (R . I . COl . R ec . IX

,164 Appa rent ly no such

reserva t ion was made when the fa rm was sold , and a l l t race Of i thas vani shed .

Pos s i b ly the es tate was not long used by the F rench t roops .

for in the P rov idence Gaz ette O f Oc tober 1 1,1 780 ,

i t is adver

P O I N T PLEA S A N T 7

tised wi th the other confisca ted es ta te as the S ta te fa rm in

Br i s tol la te W’ i l l iam Va ssa l ls conta in ing 2 20 a c res ” to be soldat publ i c vendue to the h ighes t b i dder .

John Brown, o f Prov idence . merchant . pu rchased the es ta tefor £329 3 . 6s , 3d . H is deed ,

November 20 . 178 1 ( Br i s tol LandEv idence Book 4 p . f rom the Genera l T reasurer conveysa l l the bu i l d ings thereon s tand ing except the Ba rracks erec tedthere by the S ta te .

”

One Of t hese ba r racks conveyed across theha rbor on the ice to the town o f Br i s tol s t i l l s tand s in a mut i la tedcond i t ion at 32 1 H i gh S t reet .M r . Brown was the purchaser Of severa l Of the confi sca ted

es ta tes . H e bought the fa rm Of Joseph”

Wanton, Jr . . on Pru

dence I s land (Tiver ton Land Ev idence Book 7 ,p . the

fa rm Of George Roome in North K ings town ( Nor th K ings townLand Ev i dence Book 1 5 A . p . where the conv i v ia l bache lorpa r t ies desc r i bed by -

’

ilkins Upd i ke were held , and a l so the

mans ion O f George Roome . form er ly the res i dence Of H enryCol l ins at the Point ( nowWa sh ington S t reet ), Newport (New)OI

‘

t Land Ev idence Book IV . p .

A t the t ime of the F rench occupancy , the Vas sa l l fa rm wa s

leased to Nat han iel Fa les J r for £ 1 53 , who c la imed a rebateupon account of the damages he sus ta ined by reason Of a num

ber o f ba r racks being erec ted upon the sa i d fa rm and improveda s hospi ta l s for H is Mos t Chr i s t ian Ma j es tys a rmy and F leet

( R . 1 . Col . R ec . IV,342 ) and the A ssembly granted h im £58 ;

10 5 to be deducted f rom the rent (R . 1 . Col . R ec . IX,

In 180 1 , M r . Brown ’

s daughter Sa l ly ma r r ied Char les F rede r i ck H erreshoff , a Pruss ian importer set t led in New YorkC i ty . Not long a f ter the couple removed to Prov idence . and

M r . H erreshoff devoted h imsel f to the improvement of Po intP leasant , a s the Old Vas sa l l Es ta te on Poppasqu ash wa s now

ca l led . The hou se was remodel led .ga rdens were la id ou t and

plant s were impor ted ,but the death Of M r . Brown in 1803

changed the s i tua t ion . By h is wi l l September 13 ,1802 . proba ted

1803 ( Prov idence W i l l Book 9 ,p . be dev i sed to his daugh

ter Sa rah H erreshoff a fa rm or t rac t Of land in Br i s tol ca l ledPoint P leasant conta ining two hund red and twenty one ac res

8 RH OD E I S L A N D H I S T OR I CA L S O C I ETY

wit h a l l the bu i ld ing and appurtenances on whic h she now

dwel l s .

Through the ac t ion of his son—in—law and pa r tner,John F ran

cis,John Brown became the owner Of over ac res Of

wi ld Ad i rondack land , whi ch be d i v ided into e i ght townsh ips .

These h ad at the t ime Of his dea th p roved unremunera t i ve, andi t was to render th i s t ract produc t i ve t ha t Cha r les H erreshoff

ma de his home in the Ad i rondack w i lderness , where he d ied in18 19 . Point P leasant was later the home of his son

,Char les

F reder i ck H erreshoff and here were born his sons John B .

H erreshoff and Na thaniel G . H erreshoff,famou s for the rac ing

yachts they des i gned and bu i l t .

Ear ly American Shoe Buck les

BY H ARA LD W . OSTBY

H ow many Of u s . wh i le rummaging a round in old a t t i cs,

ant i que shops or museums , have g i ven much thought to the Old

pa i r Of shoe buck les whi ch we may have not i ced . we couldhave ha rd ly suspected the impor tance Of such buck les in the

every day cos tume of ea r ly t imes , or could we have rea l i zedwha t pa r t they played in the j ewel ry indus t ry Of t h i s sec t ion Of

the count ry .

Were we to glance back to the t ime tha t ou r count ry was.

set t led,the cos tume Of the coloni st s would be somewha t of a

shock to u s . Ou r impress ion Of the Puri tan fa thers is probablyone Of severe s impl i c i ty in d ress and mode of l i v ing . How l i t t ledo we rea l i ze t ha t , a l though o f necess i ty they l i ved very s imply

,

t he i r d ress reflec ted not onl y the t imes butthe pa r t Of Englandf rom whi ch they emigra ted .

A s tudy Of the Engl i sh cos tume Of the Seventeent h and

E i ghteent h Centu ry shows tha t i t was a per iod Of grea t extravagance and r i chness . The vani ty o f the F rench and Engl i shrulers o f the t imes was reflected in the i r ext reme d ress . In

Amer i ca , j u s t a s in England , people pa i d c lose a t tent ion to the i ra t t i re— its r i chnes s

,its elegance ,

its mod ishness . They a lso»

E A RLY AM ER I C A N S H O E BU CKLES 9

wat ched c losely the a t t i re Of the i r neighbors , not Only f rom a

d i s t inc t l ik ing for d ress , bu t f rom a rega rd Of soc ia l d is t inct ion.

D ress was a badge of rank , soc ia l s tand ing , d igni ty and c lassd i s t inc t ion,

and was j us t a s zea lous l y gua rded in Amer i ca—the

Land of L i ber ty—as in England . Every season the set t lers

eager ly sought to lea rn the changes Of fash ion in England f romincoming sh i ps and t ravelers .

Ou r forebea rs did not change the s ty le Of thei r d ress by emi

gration. They may have worn heav ier c loth ing in New Eng

land, more fu rs and s t ronger shoes , but h i s tory does not tel l

tha t t hey adopted s impler or less cos t ly c lot h ing . I t is very probable tha t r i chness Oi d ress was more mani fes t in Bos ton thanin other pa r ts . There the men were ma inl y of the profess iona land midd le c lass , and were unl i ke the ear ly Coloni s ts Of the

South .

H ow can we bet ter v i sua l i ze the d ress Of the day than to

desc r i be one Of the cos tumes . I t cons i s ted of a fa l l ing band ,shor t green doublet w i th w ide arm pi ts s lashed towa rds the

shou lders and z i g - z ag tu rned up ruff les , long green breeches t iedbelow the knee,

ye l low r ibbed s tock ings , grea t shoe buck les and

a shor t red c loak .

I t was qu i te na tu ra l under these cond i t ions tha t men’

s shoesrece i ved cons i derable at tent ion . They were at th i s t ime made

wi th short , squa re toes , heavy soles and usua l ly high red

heel s . Those Of the women were very sof t and th in,and as a

rule Of s i lks and sa t ins . In fac t,they were SO so f t and t h in

tha t ou r Colonia l lad ies when compel led to wa l k wore a heavy ,wooden - soled c lout to protec t t hei r feet and s l i ppers .

The ext reme long toe wa s the ea r ly fash ion in men’

s shoes .

Thi s s ty le reached such an ext reme tha t i t became necessa ry to

hang the toe Of the shoe up w i t h a cha in caught at the knee .

Such shoes were fa s tened over the ins tep w i t h shor t laces deco

ra ted by la rge,h igh ly colored shoe roses .

I t was na tu ra l tha t the s ty le shou ld sw ing to the otherext reme

,when blunt toes came into vogue . Thi s s ty le requ i red

a d i fferent ornament to overcome the ugl iness O f the toe, and i twas at th i s t ime tha t the meta l shoe buckle was int roduced , being

I O RH ODE I S LA N D H I S T O R I C A L S O C I ETY

at fi rs t very sma l l , but qu i ck ly becoming la rge and very orna te .

Shoe buck les were worn to such an extent in England tha t i t isrecorded about t h i rty thousand workmen were employed in

B i rm ingham a lone in the manu facture of them . A grea t manyfine pa t terns were imported f rom F rance . Buck les were wornin F rance unt i l the t ime Of the Revol u t ion,

when l uxur ies wereg i ven up and prec iou s meta l s of a l l k inds confi sca ted by the

S ta te . They cont inued to be worn in England unt i l the c lose Of

the E i ghteenth Centu ry,when thei r u se dec l ined and gradua l l y

d i sappea red . They were ,however

,worn at Cour t for many

years . I t is na tu ra l to expec t tha t the Coloni sts cont inued th i ss ty le as long as thei r Engl i sh rela t i ves , a l though they had

adopted a much larger and less orna te shape . SO grea t a pani cwa s c rea ted by the buck le going out of fash ion t ha t the manufactu rers pet i t ioned the Pr ince of W’

a les to u se his influence toprevent buck les be ing g i ven up . H e went so far a s to inaugu

ra te a new s ty le ,bu t th i s d id no goo

-d .

I t is cu r ious to note tha t the Shoe s t r ing ( cons i dered effem

inate at tha t t ime) took the place Of the buck le . W i th the adopt ion Of the shoe s t r ing , the he i ght Of the shoe was gradua l l yinc reased

,and i t wa s then tha t long t rou sers reach ing to the

ins tep came into fa sh ion .

In England as wel l as Amer i ca very l i t t le has ever been wr i tten On the u se and manu facture Of shoe buck les . and yet the

-

y

played an i mportant pa r t in the cos tume as an a rt i c le of adornment . A s tudy Of ea r l y port ra i ts shows them to be a pa rt ofevery cos tume ,

and the many d i fferent s ty les denote the thoughtg i ven to t he i r cho i ce .

“Cover the Buckle” was a favor i te dance

s tep o f the t ime . and the infant m ind wa s taught the re f ra in“One . Two,

Buck le My Shoe .

”

The manu fac tu r ing of shoe buck les was probably much mored i fficul t for these ea r ly c ra f t smen than the des i gning . Whattool s or mach ines they had were opera ted by hand . and the mel ting o f meta l s very d i fficu l t . The la rge outs i de d imens ions . the

t h i ckness in the midd le Of the buck le . and the extreme cu rves Ofthe p iece

‘

made hand work imposs i b le . TO cu t the cent re wouldmean a wa s te Of ma ter ia l

,wh ich would add too much to the

EAR LY A M ER I C A N S HOE BUCKLES I I

cos t . I t seems ev ident tha t th i s problem was sol ved by the

j eweler buy ing a cas t ing f rom the foundry . In th is way th i ckness and cu rve cou ld be Obta ined in one Opera t ion, and therewould be no necess i ty of cu tt ing ou t the center . The j ewelerthen smoothed the rough cast ing Off wi th a fi le,

mak ing i t readyto apply the prec ious meta l to the top . Thi s was accompl i shedbv bea t ing ou t very t h in wha tever meta l was to be used

,and

a t tach ing i t to the b lank . H e used a piece Of tin to bra ze thesetwo pa rts together

,and the p rocess was ca l led “pla t ing .

”The

d i fficul ty w i t h th i s form Of pla t ing is tha t when the tin does notrun evenly the meta l s pa r t in d i fferent p laces , and to overcometh i s a new process wa s invented ca l led c lose pla t ing .

” I t onlyd i ffered f rom the fi rs t in tha t no solder wa s used . and the two

meta l s were rea l ly mel ted together . When the b lank reachedth i s s tage ,

i t was only necessa ry to put a pa t tern on the prec iou smeta l . whi ch was appl ied by wha t is termed a chas ing tool . Thi sis s imply a ha rdened p iece Of s teel , on one end of wh ich a sc rol lpa t tern is cu t . By turning the tool in d i fferent d i rec t ionsbetween each blow Of a hammer on the other end , the des i redpa t tern can be Obta ined . Thi s tool is very s imple for the averageworkman

,and is used in place Of a regular engrav ing tool , wh ich

cuts the pa t tern ra ther than emboss ing i t . The shoe buck le of

the t imes was usua l ly a la rge,na r row . rec tangula r meta l band ,

the center be ing Open,in which was swung the a t tachment for

hold ing i t to the Shoe . In order to cover th i s and the short shoe

lace , a piece Of leathe r wa s inser ted in the open space ,and hel d

in pla ce w i th another meta l finger . These two sets Of fingers

were u sua l ly made of s teel and r i veted in place by a post wh i chcros sed in the midd le o f the na r row pa rt Of the buck le .

Shoe buck les d i ffered f rom bel t . knee or ga r ter buck les in

tha t they are la rger and cu rved to fi t over the ins tep . Bel t and

ga r ter buck les in mos t instances were the same pa t tern. exceptthe ga rter buckle was much sma l ler w i th very l i t t le cu rve . I ta l so had a d i fferent a rrangement Of a t tachment .

The meta l s u sed in mak ing buck les were genera l ly gold . s i l ver ,p inchbeck , pewter , s teel and brass . Mos t of the spec imens ind ica te tha t i t was the cu stom to make the back Of an infer ior and

1 2 RH ODE I S L A ND H I ST O R I C A L S OC I ETY

s t i ffer meta l , apply ing the prec ious meta l to t h i s . For th is purpose . brass and p inchbeck were used the mos t . B rass is an

a l loy Of one pa r t z inc and th ree par ts of copper . Pinchbeck , ameta l sa i d to be invented by Chr i s topher Pinchbeck in 1670 ,

was an a l loy Of one pa rt z inc to ten Of copper . The appea rance

Of th i s meta l was so much l ike gol d tha t i t appea led to all who,

e i ther t hrough lack Of means or because they were thr i f ty ,

thought gol d too expens i ve a meta l to u se for th i s a r t i c le Of

adornment . In those days when a j ou rney Of even a few mi lesled over roads in fes ted by th ieves , ca re fu l fol k prefer red not to

tempt them by wea r ing expens i ve ornaments . Thi s meta l wa su sed as an im i ta t ion of gol d unt i l wel l into the N ineteent h Centu ry

,when the process of e lec t ro pla t ing made i t ea s ier and

cheaper to depos i t a wash Of gol d on any meta l .

B rass and pinchbeck d i ffer f rom each other s l ight ly in color ,brass being l i gh ter . I f unacqua inted w i th the respect i ve appea rance Of t hese meta l s , brass may be d i s t ingu i shed by hav ing a

meta l l i c smel l,espec ia l l y when wa rmed a l i t t le . I t is cu r ious to

note tha t p inchbeck wa s at fi rs t u sed in al l forms of j ewe l ry ,but SO a roused the ind igna t ion Of the j ewelers Of prec ious meta lstha t lega l proceed ings were inst i tu ted , wh ich resul ted therea f terin the a l loy being onl y a l lowed for such th ings a s sho-e buck lesand but tons .

Des i gns for buck les “were Obta ined by emboss ing ,p ierc ing,

va ry ing the outer edge by set t ing s tones and a l so by r i vet ing tothe top sma l l

,h ighl y pol i shed p ieces Of s i l ver or s teel

,whi ch

reflec ted a rt i fic ia l l i gh t and im i ta ted prec ious s tones .

I t m igh t be of interes t to exp-la in how such a buck le is made

in these days . H and work be ing SO expens i ve and mach ineryand me l t ing processes so much more h ighly deve loped , the preciou s meta l is fi rs t p la ted to a th i ck ingot , which is then rol leddown to the requ i red th i ckness between power fu l rol l s . I t iscu t into shor t pieces and the two ends t h inned out by the u se Of

wha t a re ca l led revers ible rol l s . Th i s leaves the center the

requ i red th i ckness . I t is then p laced over a s teel cut ter pla teset in a power fu l p ress and a cu tt ing plunger is forced down on

i t . whi ch cuts ou t the la rge center p iece . I t is a f terwards bent

EARLY A M ER I C A N S H O E BUCKLE S 1 3

into shape and s t ruck into a die, which has a pat tern on i t . by a

blow f rom a very heavy hammer set in a d rop . Holes for ther i vets are d r i l led or punched and the a t tachment for apply ing i tto the shoe r i veted on, which completes the manu fac tu r ing Of

the buck le wit h the except ion Of pol i sh ing . In these day s , themak ing of shoe buck les would not requ i re wha t we term a

j eweler . I t is a mach ine Opera t ion,and does not requ i re sk i l led

labor .

The la rges t col lect ion Of ea r ly buck les ever made is owned inEngland by S . P . Fane

,and the col lec t ion cons i s ts Of about four

hund red examples . M r . Fane s ta tes. tha t he has never found a

buck le conta ining the maker ’s ma rk . Thi s might be accountedfor by the fact tha t the a rt i c le cannot be ha l l - marked

,because i t

would not s tand the prec iou s meta l tes t . and the maker wouldpre fer to wi thhol d his ma rk for such a rt i c les as he is able tohave ha l l - ma rked .

H i s tory o f the ea r ly days Of ou r count ry shows tha t everytown had its sma l l j eweler . who made such a rt i c les as wedd ingr ings and sold such j ewel ry as was i mported f rom Europe .

Trad i t ion says tha t dur ing the yea rs Of ou r Revol u t ion a Frenchsol d ier , sa i d to be a deser ter f rom La fayet te ’

s A rmy, set t led in

the town o f North A t t leboro and set up his forge . mak ing shoebuck les and meta l bu t tons . have no authent i c record Of

the i r be ing made in th i s c i ty unt i l 1788 ,when Cyr i l Dodge ,

a

j eweler Of Prov i dence,ca r r i ed on bu s iness two doors north o f

the Bapt i s t Meet ing H ouse on North Ma in S t reet I t isrecorded t ha t be manu fac tu red shoe buckles and was success f u lin accumula t ing property . H e bu i l t the D r . Whea ton house and

the Obad iah Brown house . and i t was j ok ingly sa i d tha t he pa idfor them in s i l ver buckles . The rea l p ioneer . however . seem s to

have been Nehemiah Dodge . In 1794 ,he began bus iness on

North Ma in S t reet , a few doors south Of the h i s to r i c F i rs t Baptist Chu rch . H e was the fi rs t manu fac tu rer in t h i s count ry to

u se gold pla te, and records Show tha t when he d ied in 1826 hele f t the la rge es ta te of

I t is somet imes thought tha t one of the rea sons why th isindu s t ry loca ted in Prov idence was on account o f the develop

I 4 RHOD E I S L A N D H I S T OR I CA L S O C I ETY

ment in the meta l indus t ry resu l t ing f rom the es tabl i shment Ofthe Shop of Joseph Jenk s in Pawtucket . H e took ou t the fi rstmach inery pa tent in Amer i ca in 1650 ,

and i t is probably tha t theproblem of produc ing mach ines for mak ing bel t buck les wa sworked out by men t ra ined in t h i s shop . I t is a lso poss i b le f romthe fac t tha t ou r c i ty was an impor tant ma r i t ime por t Of thet imes tha t a grea t many buck les were i mpor ted f rom Eu rope .

Then aga in,there were many Engl ish and F rench sol d iers

qua rtered in th i s loca l itv and th rough them there mus t havebeen an Oppor tuni ty for get t ing new des i gns . The loot Of pr i vateers landed here mus t have conta ined some very interes t ing

examples Of buckles .

We have cause to be thank fu l tha t we are spa red the s t ruggles with a shoe buck le . We may swea r innocent ly at a col la rbut ton or a d ress sh i rt neck t ie ,

bu t the Old Pur i tans ev i dent lyswore round l y at the i r shoe buck les . H ere is a quota t ion f roman Old Engl i sh record :A mas ter one day overhea rd a workercu rs ing the man who was to wea r the buck les on wh i ch he waswork ing .

“Why !” inqu i red the as toni shed mas ter . The worker

repl ied ,Becau se I know when he wea rs them he wi l l cu rse the

maker,and I thought I would be fi rs t .

Ninigret’

s Naval Campa igns against the

Montauks .

By LE I CESTER BRADNER .

The mos t s i gnifi cant fac tor in the cond i t ion Of Ind ian pol it i cs found by the Engl i sh on thei r a r r i va l in New England wasthe long s tand ing enmi ty between the Pequot—Mohegan com

b ina t ion Of Connect i cu t and the Na rraganset t—N iant i c groupOf Rhode I s land . Some t ime be fore 1620 the Pequots mus thave c rossed the Sound and invaded Long I s land ,

for in the

ea r l ies t not i ces of the Montauk Ind ians we find t hem subj ect

* ( NOTE—A s the publ i shed A cts of the Commiss ioners of the

United Colonies a re arranged ch ronolog i ca l ly, i t has not been though tnecessary to g ive page re ferences . )

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I O R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

these r igh ts, former ly exerc i sed by the“

Pequots, was t ha t of

col lect ing t r i bu te f rom the Montauks , Connec t i cu t was v io

lently averse to hav ing anyone impa i r t hei r ab i l i ty to pay. Thi sac t ion is s i gnifi cant and in the fol lowing account Of Ninigret

’

s

relat ions wi th the Montauks i t mus t be remembered tha t thes t ruggle was a lwavs a t h ree cornered one

, wi th Connec t i cu t a sthe th i rd pa r ty a lways t ry ing to protec t her interes t in the t r i bu te by inc i t ing the Commi ss ioners Of the Uni ted Colonies to act

aga ins t the incor r i g i ble N iant i c ch ie f .

Fol lowing t h i s ra i d of Janemo’

s there do not seem to havebeen any f u r ther hos t i l i t ies unt i l 1653 . In the A cts of the Com

i i z is s iorzers of the United Colonies for September Of th i s yea rwe find i t s ta ted tha t “upon informa t ion rece i ved by let ters fi rs tf rom Capt . Mason

,a f terwa rd s f rom M r . H a ines

, Governor OfConnec t i cu t

,of an hos t i le assaul t made by the Na r raganset t

Ind ians upon some Of the Long I s land Ind ians , who are

-

t r i buta r ies and f r iend l y to the Engl ish colonies

,in the ni ght ; in

whi ch i t is affi rmed tha t two sachems and about t h i r ty otherInd ians are s la in and d i vers women taken capt i ves ; the Commi s s ioners thought fi t to send messengers ” to demand an expla

na t ion f rom the Na r raganset t Ch ief ta ins . Richa rd \Va i te and

John Ba r rel l were sent on th i s embassy and,a f ter th r i l l ing ex

periences in the N iant i c count ry,where the i r l i ves were repea t

ed lv th reatened,returned wi th the fol lowing answer f rom N ini

gret : “Why do the Engl i sh s l i gh t me and respec t the LongI s landers and Mohegans , see ing a l l a round me a re my f r iendsand do love me ! Why do they inqu i re the ground s of my waraga ins t the Long I s landers ! D i d they not hea r tha t the LongI s landers murdered me a man ! I s i t so s t range to them ! H avethev not hea rd i t aga in and aga in !” (R oger W

'

i l l iam s,who had

Spoken wi th Ninigret’

s ch ie f men,confi rmed th i s explana t ion

Of the cause Of the war . S ee Pot ter,pp . 50 The man here

ment ioned by N ini g ret wa s put to dea th at H a rt ford for hav inga t tempted to take the l i fe '

Of VVyandanch ,the Long I s land sa

chem . H e con fessed , accord ing to the Commi s s ioners,be fore

his execut ion tha t he was sent'

by N inig ret in d i sgui se and

NINI G R E T’

S N AV A L C A M PA I GN S I 7

entered W’

yandanch’

s serv i ce . H e had t r ied to shoot h im and

had mi ssed .

Ninigret’

s answer wa s not cons i dered sa t i s fac tory by the

Commi ss ioners and they dec la red war aga ins t h im ,vot ing a

levv of 2 50 men . S imon B rads t ree t,represent ing Massachu

set ts , d i s sented f rom th i s dec i s ion,say ing he saw no reason for

the colonies to inter fere in Ind ian qua r rels ,“the grounds where

O f they cannot wel l unde rs tand .

" Massachuset ts,wh ich had no

t r i bu te f rom the Montauks at s take,re fused to ra i se her quota

( 166 men) and the campa i gn was never undertaken.

The re ference to fema le capt i ves in the reports Of th i s cam

pa ign make i t p robable tha t the account Of the captu re of YVyandanch

'

s daughter g i ven by A lexander Ga rd iner in an account Ofh is ancestor Lyon Ga rd iner of Ea s thampton . L . I .

, (wr i tten1842 . publ i shed in Col l . Jl/I asS . H is t 5 0 0

,X

,1 73 - 185 ; see p .

182 ) is to be re ferred to th i s yea r In the mids t Of the revel ryOf her br ida l ni ght ,

”

says Ga rd iner . the daughter of V\ yandanchwas sei zed by the Na r raganset ts and ca r r ied Off wi th manyothers into capt i v i ty . The t r i be had been surpr i sed on th i s fest i ve occa s ion and the br idegroom fel l among the wa rr iors tha twere s la in . Ga rd iner

,a f ter many effor ts . succeeded . in redeem

ing t h i s gi r l long be fore the termina t ion Of the wa r ; and W'

yandanch presented h im w i th the reg ion of count ry on Long I s landwh ich now bea rs the name Of Smi thtown .

‘

In the fol lowing yea r ( i . e 1654) i t was aga in reported to

the Commi ss ioners tha t N ini g ret was a t tack ing the Montauk sand tha t be had h i red Pequots and upland Ind ians to hel p h im .

Jona than G i l bert . hav ing been sent to interv iew N ini g ret ,retu rned wi th the f ol lowing answer . The Long I s landers hads la in a sachem

'

s son and s i x ty men wh i le v i s i t ing Block I s land .

Thi s wa s the son of Ninigret'

s brother and con

sequent ly one of the most important persons in the t r i be ( S ee

let ter in Pot ter,50—5 1 . where the number o f men is

g i ven as th i r ty ).

“There fore he wi l l not make peace wit h the

Long I s landers bu t doth des i re the Engl i sh would let h im a lone ;add ing

,i f you r Governor

’

s son were s la in and severa l other men

would vou ask counsel o f anv ot her na t ion how and when to

I 8 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

r i ght you rsel ves !” A s to the Pequots , he adm i t ted hav ing h i redthem and sa i d “ I f any of t hem be s la in in his serv i ce

,he is to

pay a cer ta in sum of peage to his f r iend s , some more, some

less f’

ThiS '

answer be ing deemed, as u sua l

,unsa t i s fac tory

,Ma j .

S imon W i l la rd was sent w i th 3 10 men to demand repa ra t ionand t r i bute f rom N ini gret . Maj . W i l la rd went to Ninigret

’

s

ord ina ry place o f res i dence,but found tha t he had ret i red 1 5

mi les back into the count ry to a swamp . A f ter some delay an

interv iew was secu red in wh ich N ini g ret re f used to make peacew i th the Long I s landers and to pay the expenses o f W i l la rd ’

s

exped i t ion,but agreed to g i ve up any Pequot s in h is command .

Thi s,however

,we find in a record of the fol lowing yea r

,he

d id not ca r ry ou t and the Commi ss ioners censu red Ma j . VVil

la rd for not hav ing put more fea r into Ninigret’

s hea rt wh i le thea rmy was there and

“his mouth a s in the dus t . They a lso Com

pla ined t ha t N ini g ret had aga in in tha t yea r invaded the LongI s land Ind ians and Shed some blood . Adv i ce now be ing rece i vedf rom Long I s land tha t the Ind ians there were so sad ly reduceda s to be unable to protec t t hem se l ves , a vesse l under the com

mand of M r . John Young was appointed to pa t rol the waters of

the Sound . N ini gret wa s to be wa rned to keep the peace and i fhe d id not,

“

you sha l l improve your bes t endeavors to d i stu rbhis passage to and prevent his land ing upon Long I s land ,

bytak ing . s ink ing , and des t roy ing so many of his canoes employed

in t ha t serv i ce as sha l l come wi th in you r power .

” Ev i dent lyth i s blockade was success f u l , for we hea r of no more a t tacksunt i l a br ie f sk i rm i sh on Gul l I s land in 1660 .

The resul t of these wa rs was tha t W'

yandanch , when in Plymouth in 1656 . acknowledged tha t his t r i bute was fou r yea rsin a r rea rs . The payment of these sum s was excu sed in V iewof his present t roub les . The ques t ion of the Montauk t r i buteis not very c lea r . In 1658 the Commi ss ioners letknow tha t they expec ted t r i bute for the la st two yea rs ; in 1659forty fa thoms were rece i ved f rom them . NO payment f rom the

Montauk s appea rs in 1660 ( poss i b l y due to Ninigret’

s ra i d on

them in t ha t yea r ) nor were any rece i ved therea f ter . On the

N INIGR E T’

S NAV A L CA M PA I GN S 1 9

o ther hand,N ini gret seem s to have been ext ract ing t r ibute

f rom them . In a s ta tement in 1669 in answer to a charge of

consp i r ing aga ins t the Engl i sh,made by the Rhode I s land Coun

c i l , he sa i d tha t “th i s report had been ra i sed aga ins t h im by a

Long I s land Ind ian : that he had former ly taken capt i ve thei rsachem ’

s daughter and obl iged them to pay h im tr i bute . The

sachem and his daughter were now dead and there had beensome d ifficu ltv about pay ing the t r i bute

,but they had la tely pa i d

i t . ” ( Pot ter , p . By combining these two sources we mavhaza rd a guess—it can be no more than a guess—tha t the s i t uat ion deve loped as fol lows : f rom 1653 to 1658 N ini gret forcedthe Montauks to pay t r i bute to h im ; in 1659 . the yea r of W

'

yandanch

’

s dea th . the adv i sers of the la t ter’

s young son dec ided to

pay i t to Connec t i cu t ; in 1660 . a f ter N ini gret had murdered s ix

Montauks on Gul l I s land , the t r i bute rever ted to h im .

The fina l outcome of the N iant i c—Montauk feud was . as we

lea rn f rom Hedge’

s H is tory of E as thampton ( pp . 16 tha t“a f ter the t r i be had been a lmos t extermina ted they came aboutthe yea r 1660 f rom Montauk and res ided upon the pas tu rage at

the south end Of the town s t reet . ” The same vol ume ( p . 206)record s a deed of W

'

ionkombone . son of VVyandanch ,conta ining

a ra ther pa thet i c re ference to the“sore d i s t ress and ca lami t ies

be fa l len u s by reason of the c ruel oppos i t ion and v iolence of

ou r mos t dead ly enemy,Ninicra ft, sachem of Narhigansett.

whose c ruel ty ha th p roceeded so far as to take away the l i ves

O f many of ou r dea r f r iends and relat ions,so tha t we were

forced to fly f rom the sa i d Montau qu it for shel ter to ou r be

loved f r iends and neighbors of E asthat on .

i

A ltogether .

between the ru le Of the Pequots . the Connec t icut tax col lector .and the feroc i ty Of N ini gret

,the lot of the Montauk s was ha rd .

2 0 RH ODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

Notes

Mrs . Richa rd W'

. Coms tock, Jr .

,has presented to the Soc iety ,

as a memor ia l to her husband, the Rhode I s land sh i p models

and sh i p p i c tu res tha t he had col lec ted . One of t hem is the

pa int ing of the s teamboa t Massachuset ts in a s torm,which is

reproduced on the cover of th i s i ssue of the“Col lec t ions .

The“Massachuset ts

,

” whi ch was bu i l t in New York underthe d i rec t ion of Capta in W i l l iam Coms tock

,grand fa ther“ of

Ri cha rd W . Coms tock, Jr .

,sa i led f rom New York on Sa tu rday ,

Apr i l 2,1836,

and made her fi rs t t r i p to Prov idence in th i rteenhou rs and t h i r ty—two minutes . The fol lowing i tem appea red inthe R ep ubl ican H era ld :

S TEA M BOAT M ASSA CH U SETTS—Thi s splend id boa ta r r i ved at the Ra i l Road Depot in th i s c i ty , on Sundaymorning las t

,in les s than fourteen hou rs f rom New

York . Wh i le ly ing at the Depot , she a t t rac ted c rowdsof admi r ing v i s i tors

,who came to v iew th i s magnifi cen t

vessel . \Ve haza rd noth ing in say ing tha t in point ofbeauty

,accommoda t ions and sa fety

, she is exceeded byno s teamboa t in the wor l d

,nor is i t bel ieved tha t she

wi l l p rove in fer ior to many in point of speed . She is

commanded by the veteran Capta in “7

. Com stock , who

is too wel l known to need ou r pra i se .

The Massachu set ts is bu i l t of l i ve oak and ceda r,

and mea sures 7 1 3 tons , 202 feet on deck , 29 feet beam12 feet hol d ,

is propel led by two low pressure engines ,each of 145 horse power , wi th two heavy copper boi lers . The cab in is 1 70 feet in length . conta ining 142

berths .

”

The col lec t ion wi l l be known as the Richa rd W’

. Comstock ,

Jr .,Memor ia l Col lect ion , and wi l l grea t ly s t rengthen the ma r i

t ime sec t ion o f ou r mu seum. which has been rema rkabl y weakcons ider ing the s ta te ’

s former ma r i t ime glor ies .

N OT E S 2 1

Mrs . Rhea Lou i se Knitt le , of A shland ,Oh io,

Mrs . Susan MD . Smi th . of Prov idence ,

and M r . Thoma s C . G reene, of Potowomut, have been e lec ted to membersh i p in the Soc iety .

M r . Benj amin Wh i tman has placed in the Soc iety ’s museum“

the flag of the F i rs t Nort h Prov i dence Company of the SecondProv i dence County Regiment . Th i s flag was pa inted in 1834

,

and was ca r r ied dur ing the Dor r W’

ar .

The Oc tober Bul let in of the Newpor t H i stor i ca l Soc iety con

ta ins an i l lu s t ra ted a rt i c le on Green End Fort .

M r . Freder i ck S . S i b ley presented to the Soc iety a pa i r of

ea r ly s i l ver p la ted buckles .

Add i t iona l informa t ion in rega rd to the Engl i sh ancest ry of

W i l l iam A lmy , of Por tsmouth , R . I ., appea rs in the New E ng

land H is torical and Genea logica l R egis ter for Oc tober , 1924 .

Old Time New E ngland for October , 1924 conta ins an i l l us“

trated a rt i c le on Newport graves tones .

The November 10 ,1924,

i ssue of M otor Boa t comments on a

recent a rt i c le tha t appea red in ou r“Col lect ions” as fol lows '

“Those interes ted in the B lock I s land boa t w i l l find a mine o f

va l uable in forma t ion in a monograph on the subj ec t . wri tten byPau l C . N i cholson for the Rhode I s land H i s tor i ca l Soc iety .

The Motor Boat t hen d i scusses at some length the cause of the

d i sappea rance of these pecul ia r boa ts .

M r . George L . M iner del i vered an interes t ing lectu re on ea r lyNew England sh i ps at the Oc tober meet ing of the Soc iety .

M r . John R . H ess generous l y cont r i buted severa l of the

photographs used to i l l us t ra te the a rt i c le on Ind ian implements .

The manusc r i pt Const i tut iona l H i story o f Rhode I s land ,wh i ch was wri t ten by the la te S idney S . Rider . has been g i vento the Soc iety by M r . F . Angel l . H on . Jes se H . Metca l f ,M r . S tephen O . Metca l f

,Col . Samuel M . N i chol son and M r .

Z acha r iah Cha fee .

2 2 RH O DE I S L A N D H I ST OR I C A L S OC I ETY

Ind ian Imp lements Found in Rhode I s land

(Concluded)

Mos t of the wood,bone and horn implements and utens i l s as

wel l as the ga rments and canoes have long s ince d i sappeared , asmight be expec ted f rom the per i shable cha racter of the ma ter i

Horn arrow heads , found at

Burr 's H i l l,Warren

,R . I . About

B b d f d Wactua l s i z e .

Ol'

I C arrow ea S 0 11 11 1 11 arren 0

I n the .M u s eum of the A mer i canR . I . The one at r igh t 13 cons idered an

I nd ia n,H ey , Founda tion,

New

awl by some and an unfini shed arrow York

head by others . One - ha l f actua l S i z e .

F rom. the S ocie ty’

s M u s e um.

a ls . A few bone implement s such as a r row—head s , awl s . needles

and fish - hook s,and a horn spoon and some horn a

‘

r row - heads .

have been found . Further excava t ions would doubt less lead to

the d i scovery of more spec imens o f th i s sor t . The Ind ians are

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2 4 RH OD E I S L A N D H I ST OR I C A L S OC I ETY

conta in ch i pped f ragments , s tone i mplements and p ieces of

broken soaps tone pot tery .

One example of the basket ry work of the Nar raganset tInd ians is preserved at the Soc iety ’

s museum . M is s F iel d ’ss ta tement in rega rd to i t is as fol low s : “Thi s l i t t le basket wasgi ven by a squaw , a nat i ve of the fores t , to D inah Fenner , w i fe

Deer—sk in pa int - bag inches long), deer - sk in pa int brush , bonespoon

,bone need le and bone awl . From Burr ’s H i l l , Warren

,R . I .

I n the Mu s eum of the Amer ican I ndianH e r e Fou ndation, New York

o f Ma j or Thoma s Fenner , who fought in Chu rchs Wa rs,then

l i v ing in a ga r r i son in Prov idence now C rans ton,R . I

“The squaw went into the ga r r ison,

Mrs . Fenner gave hersome mi lk to d r ink ,

she went ou t by the s i de of a r i ver,pu l led

the inner ba rk f rom the VVickup1 t ree , sat down under the t ree,

d rew the shred s ou t of her blanket , mingled them wi th the ba rk

1 Basswood or l inden tree .

I N D I A N I M PL E M EN T S FOUND I N RH ODE I S LA ND 2 5

wrought th i s l i t t le basket , took i t to the ga r r i son, and presentedi t to Mrs . Fenner . Mrs . Fenner gave i t to her daughter , F reelove

,w i fe of Samue l VVestcoat. Mrs . VVestcoat gave i t to her“

granddaughter, Wa i t F ie l d , w i fe of W’ i l l iam F iel d at F iel d ’s

Po int . Mrs . F iel d gave i t to her daughter , Sarah . Sa rah le f t i tw i th her s i s ter , E leanor , who now presents i t to the H is tor i ca lSoc iety Of Rhode I s land .

F iel d’

s Point , September , 1842 .

A sect ion of a wampum bel t,and some ha i r art i ficial ly colored red and

wound with copper beads , found in an Ind ian grave,Westerly,

R . I .Abou t one - fourth actua l S i z e . From the S ocie ty

’

s M u seum.

Pro fessor rWil loughby has made a ca re f u l examina t ion of th i s.

basket and has d i scovered that the hor i zonta l woof is made of

corn husk .

The wampum or wampum - peage of the Ind ians cons i s ted of

st r ings of pu rple (O f ten ca l led“black” ) and wh i te beads made

o f shel l , and was used as money bot h by the Ind ians and the

ea r ly Eu ropean coloni s ts . \Vill iam B .

”

Weedenl and other stu

dents of the subj ec t s ta te tha t the Ind ians had very l i t t le wampum be fore the coming of the E uropeans . Roger W’ i l l iams in1643

,wrote “Be fore ever they had awle blades f rom Europe,

they made sh i f t to bore th i s thei r shel l money wi th stones .

”Mos t

of the wampum tha t has been found is supposed to have been

1 Johns Hopk ins Univers ity S tud ies , Second Ser ies v i i i . - ix .

RH ODE I S L A N D H IS TOR I C A L S O C I ETY

made wi th meta l awl s obta ined f rom Eu rope . The wampummade wi th a meta l awl has a hole o f uni form s i ze the ent i relength of the bead and so can eas i ly be d i s t ingu i shed f rom the

wampum made wi th a s tone awl whi ch has a hole s l ight l y tapering f rom each end of the bead . la rger at the ends and sma l lernea r the center .

The whi te money . ca l led wampum . was , to quote il l iams

Fragment of pottery dug up at Arnolda ,

Charlestown,R . 1 . Actua l s i z e .

From the S ociety’

s Il l u s emnC lay p i pe found in Wash ingtonCounty,

R . I .,by Mr . W i l lard

Kent and g iven by him to the

Soc iety. Abou t one - ha l f actuals i z e .

From the S ociety’

s M u s eum.

aga in, made of the stem or s tock Of the periwincle whi ch theyca l led Meteauhock,

when the shel l is broken off .

”The black

money wa s ca l led suckauhock and wa s wort h tw ice the va l ueof the wh i te . Thi s bla ck money was made f rom the pu rplepa r t of the quohaug shel l , whi ch wa s ca l led by the Ind ians“sequnnock

”or

“

poquahock”

and by the Engl i sh hens .

”

These money beads , now u sua l l y a ll ca l led wampum ,were

genera l ly about a qua rter of an inch or more long,an e i ghth of

I N D I A N I M PLEM ENT S FOU ND IN RHODE I S LAN D 2 7

an inch in d iameter and p ierced lengthw i se by a sma l l hole so

t ha t they could be s t rung . The outs ide of these beads wassmooth and pol i shed . O f course thev va ry grea t ly in s i ze and

workmansh i p . The black beads a re rea l ly a da rk purple . The

Pottery ornamented w ith the so - ca l led f rog des i gn,found at Wakefield .

R . I . The restored pot stands ten inches h igh .

I n the .M u s e um of the Ame r ica n I nd ia n,

H eye Fou nda ti on . New York

beads Of the poorer sort pa ssed at a d i scount and counter fe i tbeads were a lso made . W i l l iams s ta tes tha t ;

“counter fei t shel l s .

were u sed for th i s counter fe i t money . and somet imes the blackshel l bead s were “counter fe i ted by a s tone and other ma ter ia l s .

La rger beads were a l so made ou t o f shel l . Shel l s were u sed

2 8 RHOD E I S LAN D H I S T O R I C AL S OC I ETY

for va r ious pu rposes as occas ion offered . A so- ca l led hoe isexh i b i ted in the museum . Roger Wi l l iams s ta tes tha t the

Ind ians u sed hoes of shel l and wood l .

The Na r raganset t Ind ians made pot tery and accord ing to

Roger W i l l iams th i s work was done by the women‘

z. F ragments

of b roken pottery are found in Rhode I s land and many of thesef ragments show the c rude Ind ian ornamenta t ion. Burnt and

B rass bang le, probably of Ind ianworkmansh i p , f rom grave of

Pr incess N ini gret . Actua l s i z e .

From the Mu s eum .

Ornament made of copper beadsand a copper r ing . Found in

Ind ian grave at Charlestown,

R . 1 . Actua l s i z e .

From the S ociety’

s M u seum

Meta l p i pe made of pewter or some a l loy,found in Warwi ck

,R

.I

.

Actua l s i z e .

I n the t s eum,Ile inor ia l H a l l

,P eace D a le, R . I .

I R . I . H . S . Col l . V ol . 1 . Chap . xv i . and xx iv .

2The women make a l l the i r earthen vesse ls . R . I . H . S . Col l . Vol . 1 ,Chap . xxv .

I N D I AN I M PLEM EN T S FOU ND IN RH ODE I S LAN D 2 9

Copper arrow - heads found at QuonsetPo int

,R . 1 . Actua l s i z e .

I n the col lection of S id ney R . Tu rner

Cone—shaped copper arrow- head found in In

d ian grave at Pawtuxet , R . I . Actua l s i z e.

I n the H u ds on Col lection, Phen ix ,R . I .

Copper arrow—heads found at T iverton, and copper fish - hooks wa shed out

of an Ind ian grave at Bu l lock '

s Po int . R . 1 . Actual s i z e .

I n the IVI us e '

u ni of the Amer ica n I nd ia n,

H eye Fou nda tion, New York

3 0 RH OD E I S LAND H I S T OR I C A L SOC I E TY

B ras s ha ir ornament , found in the Ind ian graves at Charlestown,

R.

I.

Actua l S i z e .

From the S ociety’

s IWus enm

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3 2 RHODE I S LAN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

broken shel l wa s of ten mixed in w i th the c lay . Some of the

pot tery and an occas iona l c lay p i pe show I roquoian cha racteristics . Such obj ec ts may have been Obta ined bv t rade

,as the

greeni sh soaps tone p ipes were, or the Na r raganset t pot ters mayhave been influenced by I roquoian t rade obj ects . The p iece of

pot tery ornamented w i t h the f rog des i gn,wh ich was unearthed

in South K ings town some yea rs ago in per fec t cond i t ion and

subsequent ly broken,had perhaps been Obta ined by t rade .

The Ind ians obta ined meta l,pewter

,brass and Copper , f rom

the Eu ropeans and wrought var ious obj ec ts ou t of i t . Such isp roba bly the or ig in of the brass bangle, somet imes ca l led a

b rooch , wh ich hung f rom the wr i s t of the Ind ian Pr incess . probably W’

eunqu esh ,whose body wa s exhumed at Cha r les town,

R . I . The cu r ious brass ha i r ornament a lso found in a Char lestown grave may have been of loca l manu fac tu re . They al somade a r row—heads and fish—hook s of brass or copper .

The Na r raganset t Ind ians, soon a f ter the a rr i va l of the

Europeans took up the work of cas t ing meta l s .-W i l l iams in

1643 wrote “ they have an excel lent art to cas t ou r pewter andb rass into very neat and a r t ifi c ia l p i pes .

” Such a meta l p i pemade Of some pewter or lead a l loy was found at Wa rw i ck and

is now preserved at Peace Da le . A s tone mould for mak ingmeta l ornaments is now in the Mu seum of the Amer i canInd ian .

I t is not poss i b le in an a rt i c le of t h i s length to desc r i be and

i l l us t ra te every va r iant form of Ind ian implement found in

Rhode I s land ,but merely to record cha ra cter i s t i c examples of

the pr inc i pa l type form s found in th is loca l i ty and to show a few

unusua l spec imens .

Many Ind ian graves have been Opened in Rhode I s land , someintent iona l l y and some unintent iona l l y . and manv obj ec ts , some

purel y Ind ian and some t rade obj ec ts of E u ror

pean or ig in. have

been found in these excava t ions . Those of Ind ian workmansh i phave been desc r i bed in these pages , but the t rade obj ects not

b e ing i l l us t ra t i ve Of Ind ian indu s t r ia l development have been

l e f t for another paper .

HODE SLAND

I STOR I CAL OC I ETY

OLLE CT IONS

Vol . ! V I I I Apri l , 1925 NO. 2

PROVIDENCE G RENADIER ’

S CAP BR ITI SH SoLDIER’

s CAP

Revolu tionary Headgear

From the Society’

s Museum

Issued Quarterly

CONTENTS

P A G E

R evolutionary Headgear cover

Roger Wi l l iams House, by Norman M. I sham

Notes

Treasu rer’

s Report

L ist of Members

Inscribed Rocks of Narragansett Bay, by Edmund

B. Delabarre

R HODE ISLAND

H ISTOR ICA L SOC IETY

COLLECTIONS

Vol . ! V I I I Apri l , 1925 No. 2

HOWARD W'

. PRESTON ,Pres ident EDWARD K. ALD R I CH

, Jr . Trea su rerG EORGE T . S PI C ER , S ecreta ry HOW AR D M . CHAPI N

,L i bra r ian

The So c iety assumes no respons ib i l i ty fo r the statements or the

op i n ions of contribu tors .

Th e House of Roger Wi l l iams

Bv NORM A N M . I SH A M

[In 1906 the founda t ions of Roger W i l l iam s ’ hou se nea rNort h Ma in S t reet

,Prov idence

,were excava ted under the direc

t ion of M r . I sham and Mr . Wes ton . The photographs showingthe resul ts of his inves t i ga t ions are publ i shed for the fi rs t t ime

in th i s i ssue of the Col lections . The report made by M r . I shamat tha t t ime in rega rd to these excava t ions fol lows ]M r . \Ves ton and I met M r . A . L . A lmy

,the a rch i tec t , one of

the present owners , on September 18th ,on the lot. M r . A lmv

showed u s the present a rrangement and po inted ou t the

place where when he wa s a boy he saw M r . Randa l l d ig , as

wel l as the place where ,in d igg ing the dra in,

the workmen

encountered the wa l l aga in . M r . “feston and I , as a sub- com

mittee cha rged wi th the plac ing of the tablet , thought we ought

*For evidence ident i fy ing the locat ion, see R eport of Committee on

Jll ar lezng s tomea l S ttes in Rhode I s land , 19 14 , p . 32 .

RHODE I S LAND H IS TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

TH E HOU SE OF ROGER W I LL I A M S

36 RHODE I S L AN D H I ST O R I C A L S OC I ETY

to c heck M r . Randa l l ’s d i scover ies , i f we could . M r . A lmyagreed to a l low any amount Of d igg ing and , accord ingly , a manwho was ob ta ined f rom M r . Adams

,the mason

,was put to work

on September 19th . We began about n ine feet back f rom the

bank and t renched wes twa rd . We soon s t ruck the wa l l , and

cont inu ing , unea r thed a la rge fiat stone . Turning north and

sout h we la id ba re a sec t ion of wa l l over three feet long and

s i x teen inches th i ck,s tand ing e igh t or ten inches above the flat

s tone a l l uded to . More fl a t s tone-

S appea red , and t races Of wa l lon the north were v is i b le .

The work had to be done very ca ref u l ly ,much Of i t ( on hands

and knees ) w i th a t rowe l and b ru sh . We dug at the nort h inthe l ine Of the wa l l bu t found noth ing

,though we went down in

the sand whi ch under l ies the S i te to a point f rom wh ich the

sound ing rod would reach ha rd pan. The wa l l had never ex

tended in th i s d i rect ion . A sea rch on the south was equal l yf ru i t less , a s the d ra in excava t ion had ev ident ly des t royed the

wa l l at th is po int . Not h ing was to be looked for on the wes t,for

the bank wa ll Wi th the excava t ion for the ya rd had cu t Off

everyth ing .

C lay appea red in some Of the j oints of the wal l on the ins i de .

The outs i de seemed to be la i d d ry . C lay a l so appea red in the

j o ints between the flat s tones wes t of the wa l l , and a heap Of c laywas found ly ing upon t hese s tones . I t looked very much as i f i thad been pu t there

,and appea red a lso under one of the s tones as

i f u sed for mor ta r between i t and the one below .

When the ru ins were c lea red,S eptember 20th , we had them

photographed f rom severa l d i fferent points Of v iewfi Measu rements were taken Of t hem

, and they were loca ted f rom the bankwa l l and f rom the l ines Of

‘

H owland s t reet , and f rom Nor thMa in s t reet . The grade of H owland s t reet was a l so taken wi tha leve l and the he i gh t of the flat s tone of the ru in wa s takenabove a point on the cu rb at North Ma in s t reet .These f ragments , j us t desc r ibed ,

are, in ou r Op inion,the

rema ins of the fi replace and the ch imney of Roge r W i l l iams ’

hou se . The flat s tones a r ranged a s they are,the f ragment of

wa l l where the back Of the ch imney should be, wi th a l l the char

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RHODE I S LA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

TH E HOU SE OF ROGER W I L L IA M S

acteristics O f such a ch imney back , hea t c racks and a l l,the t race

of a j amb , fa int though i t be , on the north,a l l point to t h i s

conc lus ion .

the hou se wa s bu rnt or otherw i se destroved , we be l ievethe former , the ch imney s tood for some yea rs

,a s one nea r the

s ta te fa rm wa l l is s t i l l s tand ing , as the King ch imney is s t i l l,and

as a ch imney or more in va r iou s pa rts Of the s ta te are Stand ing .

3ye and bye i t fel l , and a s the upper pa rts went fi rs t the debr i sgradua l l y covered the lower pa rts and protect ed them . A f termany y ea rs . wit h the ground unoccup ied

,as we have t r ied to

show th i s was , there wo'

u ld be only a green mound . covered wi thweed or gras s . t roublesome to spade or plough

,and hence le f t

a lone . Sent iment too mav have had some effec t even among ou r

fore fa thers . knows ! A t any ra te ,t here can be shown to

anyone who des i res proo f Of t h i s s ta tement , the remnants of certam Old s ta cks which have gone tha t way to des t ruc t ion and are

in the cond i t ion desc r i bed .

In conc lus ion, can we tel l anyth ing f rom ou r find a s to the

form and s i ze Of Roger house ! The find s implys t rengthens the c la im made in E arly R . 1 . H ous es

,tha t the

anc ient hou ses of the town were l i ke the Roger Mowry house ,

one room ,s tory - and - a—ha l f a ffa i rs , wi th a stone ch imney at the

end tu rned towa rd the h i l l . The fire room , lower room or ha l l,

wa s 1 5 or 16 feet by 17 ,and about 6% feet h igh . The roo f wa s

ve ry s teep . The founda t ion. as in th i s ca se , was very sha l low ,

and i f t here was a cel la r under the house i t wa s s imply a holewith s lop ing s i des , a place to keep pota toes f rom f reez mg, or

wha t they had in place Of pota toes , and wa s reached e i ther on the

outs ide f rom the lower ground of the s loping h i l l s ide , or f romwi th in by a t rap door , mos t l i kel y the la t ter , on account o f

prowl ing ani ma l s .

40 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

Notes

Professor Cha r les W i l son B rown of B rown Un i vers i ty gavea very interes t ing ta l k at ou r Annua l Meet ing upon “

The C cologi c Sou rces Of the Implements of ou r Loca l Ind ians .

”

The fol lowing persons have been admi t ted to membersh ip inthe Soc iety

M r . E . H a r r i s H owa rd , J r .

M r . \Vil fred I . DuphineyMrs . Mab le K . RogersM i ss L i l ian B . M inerMrs . A . B . B radshawMrs . S tephen E . H opk insM i ss Emi ly J . AnthonyM r . W i l bu r D . BrownMrs . A l i ce C . G leesonM r . Edwa rd L . ComanM i ss Eve l yn M . PurdyMrs . E l l swort h L . Kel leyM r . W i l l iam P . Com s tockM r . E l lery A . H a l lMrs . W i l l iam H . Mansfie l d

A ntique s for December , 1924, conta ins an i l l us t ra ted a r t i c leon John Ca r l i le, cab inet—maker , of Prov i dence,

by L . EarleRowe . The port ra i t Of Ca r l i le , which is owned by the Soc iety , isreproduced in th i s a rt i c le .

A Brief A ccount of the Wil liam l l/ ithington Plat of B os tonNeele

,wh ich was prepa red by W

’

i l l iam Dav i s M i l ler , and publ ished by the Soc iety of Colonia l Wa rs , is a va l uable contribu

t ion to ea r ly South County h i s tory . On th i s pla t,wh ich was

made in 1675 , the Bonnet is des i gna ted as“S cot ts Bonnet ,

”

doubt less as M r . M i l ler expla ins,

“because of its imagined l ikeness to a G lenga r ry .

Sou th Cou ntx S tud i es of some E 1ghtee11 th Ce11 tu 1 v pe1 so1 1s ,

p la ces and eo11d 1tio1 1s 1 11 that [70 1 t10 11 of R hode I s land ca lled

Na 1 1 aga 1 1sett, by Es ther Bernon Ca rpenter w i th an int roduct ionby Ca rol ine H a za rd ,

has been recent ly p r inted for subsc r i bers .

The th i rd vol ume of The 4 111e1 ica 11 Colonies o’u 1 i 11 9 the E ighteenth Ce 11t11 1 v by P ro f . H erber t L . Osgood

,conta ins a chapter

on Colonia l Rhode I s land desc r i b ing the bounda ry d i sputes and

the success i ve banks Of b i l l s Of c red i t .

NOTES 4 1

The A 1~”

11 1 1 ica 11 S tates d z1 1 1ng and afte1 the . R eerolntion,1 775

1 789,by A l lan Nev ins , conta ins many i tems rela t ing to the his

tory of Rhode I s land dur ing th i s per iod .

A nchors of Trad ition,a pres entment of some l ittle 11 11 0 1 1 111

facts and persons in a sma ll corner of Colonia l New E ngland

ca l led Narragans ett to which are added certa in cereav ings offancy from the thread of l ife upon the 10 0 1 11 of time, by Ca rol ineH aza rd ,

ga thers and preserves in an a t t ract i ve form the author ’ss tud ies . ba l lad s , and s tor ies re la t ing to the Sout h County . Amore deta i led t reatment of some Of the subj ects would be

wel comed .

The Town P ropr ietors of the New E ngland Colonies , byR . H . Akagi (D . Appleton CO . ) is a wel come add i t ion to the

h i s tory of New England . The author has not confined hisresea rches to pr inted sources bu t has used many manusc r i p trecords . The p ropr ietors of Prov i dence are inc identa l l y men

tioned .

A deta i led account Of places of h i stor i ca l interes t in Eas tGreenwIch by Emi ly Ger t rude A rnold appea rs in program of the

S ixth A nnu a l S tate Cont e ntion. of the A 1 11erica 11 Legion, 1924 .

Judge “fa l ter E . V incent has presented to the Soc iety a num

ber Of Rhode I s land pamphlets and a ba ss d rum whi ch was u sedin the Dor r W’

ar and in 186 1 .

The obj ect s o f interes t tha t were found among the ru ins of theJ i reh Bul l ga r r i son hou se on Tower H i l l , wh ich was bu rned inKing Ph i l i p ’s War , have been tu rned over to the Soc iety

’

s Mu

seum . A genera l account Of these excava t ions wi l l be found inr “Col lec t ions for Janua ry

,19 18 .

M r . Daniel Berkeley Upd ike has presented to the Soc ietysome of the manu sc r i p t account book s of Danie l Upd ike o f

Nor th K ingstown.

The Ti t le Gua rantee Company has i s sued an h i stor i ca l ca lendar i l l us t ra ted w i t h port ra i t s Of persons connec ted wi th the

ear ly h i story o f th i s loca l i ty . Un fort una tel y , owing to the fac tt ha t no authent i c port ra i ts of t hese worth ies a re extant . thoset ha t appea r in the ca lenda r of necess i ty are merely idea l i st i c .

Col . H . Anthony Dyer ha s presented to the Soc iety the s i l ve rth imble ma rked Es ther W

'

ill itt whi ch was found in excava t ionsat the house In Eas t Prov idence . I t belonged to E s therV Vill itt. daughter of Thomas IVil l itt fi rs t Engl i sh Mayor of

New York ,and dates f rom the per iod preced ing Ix ing Phi l i p

’

s

War .

42, RHODE I S L A N D H I ST O R I C A L S O C I ETY

Report of the Treasurer

GENERAL ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR 1924 .

EDWARD K . ALDR ICH , JR .

,Treas urer, in account wi th the R H ODE I SLAND

H I STOR ICAL SOCIETY. For current account,v iz . :

CA SH ON H AND January l , 1924

In N at ’ l Bank of Commerce (Check ing Ac count) $4 12 95

Nat ’ l Bank o f Commerce ( S pec ia l A ccount NO. 1 ) 161

Nat ’ l Bank Of Commerce ( S pecia l Ac count NO. 3 ) 16 13

N at’ l Bank O f Commerce ( Investment A ccount) 58 40'

Bonds , The Government of the Dominion Of Can

ada ( S pec ia l Account NO. 3 )Check and Money

f rom Annua l D uesB ind ing AccountBooksExpense Account ( Re f unds)Frankl in Lyceum Memor ia l Fund

( Interest)Grounds and B u i ld ingInvestmentsNewspa per A ccountPubl i cat ionsRenta l o f Rooms

S pec ia l Account No. 1 .

S pec ia l Ac count No. 3

S upphes

S tate Appropr iat ionsD iv idends and Interest

09

14

TREASURER’ S REPORT

A shesB ind ingBooksE lectr i c L i ght ingExh ib it ions and Lectures .

ExpensesFuelGas

Grounds and Bu i ld ingInvestmentsJ ani tor ia l Serv i cesPubl i cat ionsSa lar iesS pec ia l Account No . 1

Spec ia l Account NO. 3

S upphes

TelephoneW

'

aterNewspaper A ccount

CA SH ON H AND Dec'ember 3 1 , 1924

In Nat ’ l Bank Of Commerce (Check ing A ccount)Nat ’ l Bank of Commerce ( S pec ia l Account NO . 1 )Nat ’ l B ank of Commerce ( S pec ia l A ccount NO. 3 )Na t ’ l Bank o f Commerce ( Investment Account) .

Bonds , The Government of the Domin ion of Can

ada, 5

’

s , 1952

Money and Checks not“

depos i ted ( S pec . Acct . No. 1 ,

Check ing Acct .,

41

38 17

43

13

0 1

14

44 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

REPORT OF THE TREA SURER

EDWARD K . ALDR ICH, JR .

,Treasurer, in account with the R H ODE I SLAND

H I STOR ICAL SOCIETY.

JA NU ARY 1 , 1925.

LIAB IL ITIE S .

Grounds and Bu i ld ing 00

Permanent Endowment Fund :Samuel M . Noyes

Henry J . S teereJames H . BugbeeCharles H . SmithCharles W . ParsonsW i l l iam H . PotterE sek A . J i l lson .

John W i lson SmithW i l l iam G . We ldCharles

'

C. H o-sk insCharles H . Atwood

Publ i cat ion FundRobert P . B rownI ra B . Peck . .

W i l l iam Gamme l lA lbert J . JonesW i l l iam E ly

J u l ia Bu l lockCharles H . Smi th

L i fe Membersh i p FundFrankl in Lyceum M emor ia l FundSpe ci a l Account NO . 1 ( Nat iona l Bank of Commerce)S pec ia l A ccount NO. 3 ( Nat iona l Bank Of Commerce)Spec ia l A ccount No. 3 ( In Bonds of Government o f Dominion

Of Canada)S pec ia l Account NO. 1 ( c heck not depos i ted )

Apparent Surp lus

2 1

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46 RHODE I S L AN D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

List of Active Members of the Rhode I sland

H istorical Society

Janua ry 1 , 192 5

Mr . B enj amin B . Adams

H on. Josh ua M . Addeman

M r . Freder i ck W . A ldredMr . Charles T . A ldr i c hMr . Edward K . A ldr i ch , Jr .H on. R i chard S . A ldr ichMr . Franc i s 0 . A l lenMr . Freder i ck W . A l lenMr . P h i l i p A l lenMrs . Freder i ck Al l ienM i ss Anna L . AndrewsMr . Wa l ter F . Ange l ]Mr . A lbert L . AnthonyM iss Emi ly J . AnthonyMr . Edward E . A rnoldMrs . Howard C. ArnoldMr . J ames H . Arth urM r . A lbert B abcockMrs . A lbert B abcockM r s . Nathanie l T . B a conMr . A lbert A . B akerMrs . Charles K . B akerMr.Harvey A . BakerM i ss M ary H . B a l c hMr . Luther C. B a ldw inMrs . Wa l ter S . B a l lM r . Freder i ck D . B a l louMr . H enry A . B arkerHarry Lee B arnes , M .D .

Mrs . Ne l ly A . B arnesM r . Arthu r C. BarrowsHon . Ch es ter W . B arrowsMr . Franc i s E . B a tesW . L incoln B a tes , M .D .

Mrs . D an ie l B eckw i t hMr . Hora ce G . B e l c herM r . Hora t io E . B e l lowsG . A lder B lumer

,M .D .

Mrs . Theodore P . BogertM r . Clov i s H . BowenMr . Henry BowenMrs . Charles B rad leyMrs . A . B . B rads-haw

M i ss E l i z abeth H . B raytonM i ss I da F . B r idgh amMrs . Annie M . B r i ggsMr . Herbert 0 . B r i ghamM i ss E va S t . C. B r i g h tman

Mrs . Clarence -A . B rouwerMr . Clarence I rv ing B rownMr . Cyru s P . B rownMr . Frank Ha i l B rownMrs . Frank Ha i l B rownCol . H . M a rt in B rownMr . John N i c hola s B rownMr . W i lbur D . B rownMr . Charles W . B ub ierM r . Edward C. B u ckl inMr . Harr i s H . B u ckl inM i ss J ane W . B u ckl inM i ss Cla ra B u ffumMr . Freder i ck H . B u ff umMr . Henry B ukerH on. Roswel l B . B u r cha rdMr . George Rothwe l l B u rgessMr . Sydney R . B u r le i g hM r . Edw in A . B ur l ingame

Mr . A l f red T . But lerMr . John H . Cady

Mr . Ch ar les A . Ca lderFrank T . Ca lef , M .D .

M r . Herbert C. Ca le fM r . Wa l ter R . Ca l lenderM r . Freder i ck D . CarrMrs . George W . CarrM r . Edward Ca rr ington

L I ST OF M EM BERS

Mrs . Edward Carr ing tonMr . W i l l iam Carrol lM i ss Anna H . Cha ceMrs . Henry R . Cha ceMr . M a l colm G . Cha ceMr . Art h ur D . Champ l inMr . George A l len Chand lerCharles V . Cha p in

,M .D .

Mrs . Char les V . Cha p inMr . Howard M . Cha p inMrs . Howard M . Cha p inMr . W i l l iam P . Cha p inD r . J u l ian A . Cha seM r . A lbert W . Clafl in

Mr . Arth ur W . Clafl in

Mr . Harry C. ClarkMrs . Henry G . ClarkPro f . Theodore Col l i erMrs . Clarkson A . Col l ins , J r .George L . Col l ins , M .

D.

Mr . Edward L . Coman

Mr . Andrew B . Coms tockMr . Wa l ter J . Coms tockMrs . W . A . H . Coms tockMr . W i l l iam P . ComstockM r . Samu e l M . ConantMrs . Wa sh ing ton E . ConnorM r . Charles D . CookMr . Ernest S . Cra i gProf . Verner W . CraneMr . Frank H . CranstonMr . H arrv Parsons CrossMr . Harold R . C

'urt i sMrs . Henry I . Cu shman

M urray S . Danforth , M .D .

Mrs . M urray 5 . DanforthMr . W i l l iam C. DartM r . J e ffrey Dav i sM i ss M ary E l l iot t Dav i sMr . Charles J . Davol

Frank L . Day,M .D .

Pro f . Edmund B . D elabarreMr . George C. Demp seyMr . E dward D enhamM i ss A l i ce S . D ex ter

47

Mr . Henry C. D exterM i ss Lou i se D iman

Mr . M i chae l F . DooleyHon. W i l l iam W . Doug lasMrs . Lou i s W . DownesMr . Robert T . DownsMr . Charles L . D rownMr . Charles D . D unlopMr . W i l f red I . DuphineyCol . H . Anthony DyerM r . W i l l iam A l lan DyerM r . Charles G . Eas tonMr . Freder i ck W . Eas tonMr . Cyru s T . EddyM i s s I sabe l EddyMr . W i l l iam Holden EddyMr . J . Urban E dg renM i ss Ed i th Edward sMr

.Wa l ter Ange l l Edwards

Mr . J ames E lgarM r . W i l l iam E ly

Mr . Frank W . EmersonM r . Ra lp h C. E s tesMr

.W i l l i am Wood E s tes

Pre s . W' i l l iam H . P . Faunce

Mr . Henry A . Fifie ld

Mr.Au gu s tu s H . F i ske

Mrs . Charles Fletch erM r

. Du tee W i l cox Fl intM r . E l l iot Fl intHon. W i l l iam S . FlynnMr . Charles S . Fos terM r . Theodore W . Fos terM r . W i l l iam E . FosterM r . John R . Freeman

Hon . Josep h W . Freeman

Mr.Freder ick H . Fu l ler

M r . R . Cl inton Fu l lerM ayor Josep h H . Ga inerM r

.W i l l iam Gamme l l

M r . W i l l iam Gamme l l , Jr .Mr

.W i l l iam A . Gamwe l l

Prof . Henry B . GardnerM r . Pres ton H . GardnerHon. Rathbone Gardner

48 RHOD E I S L A N D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

Mrs . A l i ce C. GleesonMr . Robert H . I . Godda rdMr . Harry Ha le GossH on . Theodore Franc i s GreenMr . Art h u r D . GreeneMr . Edward Aborn GreeneMr . T homa s C. GreeneMr . W i l l iam C . GreeneMr . W i l l iam B . GreenoughMr . E . Tudor GrossCol . Haro ld J . Gros sM i s s Georg iana Gu i ldMr . E l lery A . Ha l lM i ss Anne t te M . H am

Mr . L ivingston H am

Mr . G i lbert A . Harr ing tonMr . S tep hen C. Harr i sMr . W i l l i am A . Ha thawayM i ss Carol ine Ha z a rdMr . Rowland Ha z ardMr . Thoma s G . Ha z ard , J r .

Mrs . Frank Hea lyMr . Charle s F . Heartman

Mr s . W . E . Heath coteMr . Art h u r H eniu s

Mr . John HenshawMr . W i l l iam L . HodgmanMr . John S . HolbrookM r . George J . HoldenMrs . S tephen E . Hopk insMr . Char les A . HortonMr . W a l ter E . HortonMr . E . Harr i s Howard , J r .M r . M . A . Dewo l fe HoweM r . John Lu t her HowlandMr . Hora t io A . H untMrs . D uncan H unterM r . George H urleyMr . R i chard A . H urleyMr . James Ha z en HydeMr . Norman M . I shamMr . B enj amin A . J a cksonMr . B enj amin M . J acksonMrs . Dona ld E . J a cksonMr . Arth u r J ames

Mr . George A . J ephersonMrs . Edward L . JohnsonGeorge F . Johnson

,M .D .

Mr . Edward C. J oyceMr . Franc i s B . KeeneyMrs . E l lsworth L . Kel leyHon. Cha rles D . Kimba l lMrs . Char les D . Kimba l lEugene P . King

,M .D .

Col . H . Irv ing KingMr . V i c tor H . KingM i ss Ame l ia S . Kn i g h tM r . Robert L . Kn i g h tMrs . Robert L . Kn i gh tM r . Ru sse l l W . Kn i g h tMrs . Webs ter Kn i‘gh tMrs . R h ea L . Kn i t t leProf . Harry L . Koopman

M r . John Krawcz uk

M i ss Gladys R . LaneR ev . A lbert C. Lar.nedH on. George R . LawtonHon. Thoma s Z . Lee

Charle s H . Leonard,M .D .

M i s s Gra ce F . LeonardM i s s Anna L . Le s tradeM r . George H . Lew i sMr . Josep h W . Lew i sMr . Ferd inand A . L incolnMrs . Cha rles Warren L i p p i t tM r . Charles W arren L i p p i t t , Jr .

Mr . Gorton T . L i p p i t tH on. Henry F . L i p p i t tM r . Arth u r B . L i sleMr . Charles W . Littlefield

Hon. Na than W . Littlefie ld

R ev . Augu s tu s M . LordMr . R i chard E . LymanM r . W i l l iam A . McA u s lan

Mr . Franc i s 1 . McCanna

Mr . H ugh F . MacCol l

Mr . Art h u r M . McCr il lis

Mr . T . F . I McDonnel l

Mrs . T . F . I . McDonnel l

Mr . Charles B . Mackinney

L I ST OF MEM BERS

Mr . Herbert E . M a ineMrs . W i l l iam H . M ansfieldMr . Charles C. M ars ha l lMrs . John F. M arve lMr . Flet c her S . M a son

Mr . Harold M a son

Mr . John H . M a son

Mrs . W i l l iam B . M a son

Mrs . George S . M a t hews

Mr . Frank W . M a t tesonMrs . F . E . M axwe l lM r . Lewi s H . M eaderM r . Harold T . M err iman

Mr . I saa c B . M err iman

Mrs . 1 . Harr i s M etca l fH on. J es se H . M et ca l fM rs . J esse H . M etca l fMrs . S tep hen 0 . M et ca l fMr . W i l l iam Dav i s M i l lerM r . George L . M inerM i ss L i l ian B . M inerM r . G . A . Mor iarty, J r .Mrs . B ent ley W . M orseMr . Edward S . M ou l tonMrs . Edward S . Mou l tonW i ll iam M . M uncy , M .D .

Wa l ter L . M unro,M .D .

Prof . W i l fred H . M unroHon . Add i son P . M unroeMr . Wa l ter M . Mu rdie

Mr . John F . M u rp hyMr . George H . Newha l lM r . Lou i s C. Newman

M i ss E l i z a T . NewtonMr . Pau l C. N i c holsonCol . Samu e l M . N i c hol sonMr . George C. N i g h t inga leMr . George C . N i g h t inga leM i ss M ary Ol cot tMrs . Frank F . OlneyMr . Er l ing C. Os tbyMr . Hara ld W . OstbyMr . Raymond E . OstbyMr . Ha rry C. OwenMr . M iner H . Paddock

49

Mr . G . R i c hmond ParsonsH . G . Partr idge ,

M .DM i ss E l i z abet h A . PeckM r . Freder i ck S . PeckMrs . Freder i ck S . Pe ckMrs . Leander R . PeckMr . S tep hen I . PeckCharles F .

- Peckham,M .D .

Mr . Augu stu s R . Pe irceMr . George E . Pe irceMrs . George E . Pe irceMr . T homas A . Pe i rceMr . Charles M . PerryRt . R ev . J ames Dewol f Perry.

Mr . M arsden J . PerryJohn M . Pe ters , M .D .

Mr . Charles H . P h i lbr i ckM rs . G i lbert A . P h i l l i p sMr . Byron A . P ierceHerman C . P i t ts , M .D .

Prof . W i l l iam C. PolandLewi s B . Porter, M .D .

Mr . B . Thomas PotterMrs . D ex ter B . Pot terMrs . T homa s I . Ha re Powe lM r . Howard W . PrestonMrs . Howard W . PrestonM i ss Eve lyn M . PurdyMr . Pa tr i ck H . Qu innMrs . Gu s tav RadekeMr . Wa l ter E . RangerMrs . Henry G . Rap sHon. E lmer J . Ra thbunMrs . Irv ing E . RaymondMr . Charles C. Rem ing tonR hode I s land S ta te Col legeHon . Herbert A . R i ceMr . Henry I saa c R i c hmondMr . Lou i s E . Rob insonMr . Robert Rodman

R ev . Arth u r RogersMrs . Mabe l K . RogersMr . Henry W . S a cket tM i s s Irene T . Seabu ryMr . Henry M . Sess ions

50 RHOD E I S L AN D H I ST OR I C A L SOC I ETY

M r . Henry D . S h arp eMrs . Freder i ck E . S hawMrs . Arth ur N . S he ldonPro f . S t . George L . S iou ssat

Mrs . Ch a r les S i s sonMr . W i l l iam A . S ladeMr . Henry L . S laderM r . Charles M orr i s Smi th , J r .M rs . Edwin C

'

. Smi thMr . George A . Sm i thHon. Na t han ie l W . Smi thMr . Norman B . Smi thR . Morton Sm i th , M .D .

Mrs . S u san M . D . Smi thMr . W a l ter B . SmithMr . Sylvester M . SnowMr . Robert L . S pencerGeorge T . Sp i cer , M .D .

M r . Henry S . S pragueMr . Cha rles R . S tarkMrs . J ames G . S ta tonH on. Char les F . S tearnsMrs . Ch arles J . S teedman

Mr . Thoma s E . S teereM i ss M a ud Lyman S tevensMr . Edward Cl inton S tinessMr . Henry Y . S t i tesMr . Edward A . S tockwe l lM r . Charles T . S tra i gh tM r . H . Ne lson S tree tM r . John F . S treetM r . Ru sh S turgesH on. A rth u r P . S umnerM r . Frank H . SwanGardner T . Swarts

,M .D .

Hon. John W . Sweeney

M r . Robert W . Ta f tM r . Roya l C. Ta f tMrs . J . P . Thornd ikeMr . W i l l iam H . ThornleyM i ss M ary Lou i se T i l l inghas tMr . W i l l iam R . T i l l inghastM r . Freder i ck E . Tr i p pMr . W i l l iam J . Tu l lyMr . D . B erkeley Upd ikeMr . W i l l i am A . V ia l lH on. Wa l ter B . V incentM rs . Arth u r M. Wa lkerM r . A . T ing ley Wa l lMrs . Lew i s A . Wa terman

H on. Ra lp h C. Wa trou sCol . Byron S . Wa t sonMr . John J . Wa tson

, J r .

Mrs . W i l l iam B . V Veeden

Mr . Freder i ck Lew i s We i sMr . R i c hard We l l ingMr . John H . W e l lsMr . Thoma s H . Wes t

, J r .Mr . W i l l is H . W h i teMr s . Gera ld W h i tman

Mr . V i c tor W i lbou rMr . Frank J . W i lderMrs . E l i z abe th K . W i lk insonW . Fred \V il l iams

,M .D .

M i ss Amey L . W i l lsonMr . W i l l iam A . W ingM rs . George P . W ins h i pHon. John Carter B rown Woods

Mr . Lawrence C. Wrot hMr . W i l l iam P . YoungMrs . W i l l iam P . Young

T H E I NS C R I B ED ROCKS OF N A RRA G A NS ETT B AY 5 1

The Inscribed Rocks of Narragansett Bay

BY E DMUN D B . DELABA RR E

VI I . D I G HTON R OCK ; M I S C E L L AN EOU S I N SCR I B EDR OCK S AND S TON E S

On the shores of Na r raganset t Bay i tsel f , bes i des the BannerS tone desc r i bed on page n inety - S i x Of the twel f t h vol ume 0 1:

these Col lect ions and the rocks a l ready dea l t w i th in th i s ser iesOf pape rs , there has been reported but one other insc r i bed rock ,wh i ch was probably former ly s i tuated at Ga rdner ’s Po int onMa t tapo iset t Neck in Swansea ,

but wh i ch has long S ince disappea red . V

V

e are indebted to D r . Webb for the s ingle extantaccount of i t . H e fi rs t a l l uded to its ex i s tence in his let ter toRa fn on September 22 ,

1830 . But when he sought to d i scoveri t somewha t la ter , he fa i led in the a t tempt , and short ly sent toRa fn a fu l l account of the c i rcums tances , in his let ter Of October3 1

,H e had fi rs t lea rned of i t about 1820 f rom a M r .

Ga rdner Of D i ghton, who,then e ighty yea rs Old and l i v ing nea r

D i ghton Rock,

“ recol lec ted per fec t ly wel l Of see ing , when a boy,

a S im i la r rock on his fa ther ’s fa rm in Swansea . On August5,183 5

,D r . Webb v i s i ted Swansea in company w i th John R .

Ba rt let t . “We t raced the shore a long for some d i s tance, butunsuccess fu l ly . M r . Ga rdner , aet. 70

, who owns the la s t farmon the Point

,and is brother to the one a l ready spoken Of , had an

ind i s t inc t recol lect ion Of ha v ing seen a rock on the Eas t s i de Ofthe Point , about one - fourth of a mi le f rom its ext rem i ty , whichhad ma rks on i t

,

‘bu t none,’

a s he Observed ,‘tha t wou ld be read

th i s he th inks was broken up 20 vea rs ago or more . We sea rchedfor i t , but in va in.

”

A l though not d i rect l y on the Bay i tse l f , yet ly ing w i th in itsba s in or near enough to be long to the same cu l tura l reg ion,

and

thus to come w i th in the legi t ima te range of our inqu i r ies , are

1 S ee Antiqu itates Americanae, 1837, p . 400 .

PETROGLYPHS OF NARRA GANSETT BAY—PLATE XXIX

Copyright, 1 9 2 0 , by E . B . Delab

Digh ton Rock, photograp hed by flash l igh t, Ju ly 1 7 , 1 920

One s ide Of Hammond Table t ; perhaps fraud u lent

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

54 RH OD E I S L AN D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

h i s tory Of the rock , I have presented in deta i l elsewhere, 1 butwhi c h can be only b r iefly out l ined here . I bel ieve tha t i t is h ighlyp robable, a l though not whol l y certa in,

tha t the fi rs t insc r i p t ionplaced upon the rock was a s fol low s : 15 1 1 . M i gue l Cortereal .V . Dei h i c Dux Ind . that a t rad i t ion Of the Ind ians , re la tedby two independent author i t ies , re fers to Co'rterea l

’

s a r r i va lhere ; tha t another da te,

1 592 ,is fa i r ly leg ib le, perhaps fol lowed

by a name tha t I am not yet su re of , bu t tha t may be Thach or

Thacher ! tha t the next wr i t ing was made abou t 1640 by menf rom Taunton,

when they fi rs t began cu t t ing hay f rom the

nei ghbor ing sa l t meadows , and tha t i t gave d i rec t ions for finding,

at“167 ya rds” f rom the rock

,an

“ Inj un Tra i l to Spr ing inSwomp ; t ha t i t was very l i kel y onl y la ter

,be tween 1640 and

1675,insp i red by the wh i te men’

s. example, t ha t Ind ians d rewpi c tu res and des i gns Of the i r Own, probabl y w i t h l i t t le or no sig

nificance ; and tha t the Ind ian des i gns inc l ude th ree sepa ra tehuman figures , two other human figures wi th hands j oined

,a

number Of t r iangu la r dev i ces , seve ra l ! ’

s , a turt le,two deer ,

and a grea t number of less regula r or less legi ble l ines , ser i bbl ings , cha ra cters , or p i c tu res .

A heads tone to an Ind ian grave in D i ghton,now in the

Museum Of the Old Colony H i s tor i ca l Soc iety in Taunton,f u r

ni shes a proo f tha t Ind ians , under wh i te influence, lea rned to

ca rve insc r i p t ions on stone, or else tha t a whi te man d i d i t forthem in i deograph i c symbol s t ha t wou ld be intel l i g i b le to themwi th a l i t t le explana t ion . In its upper l ine is an Ind ian’

s headbetween the G reek let ters Ch i and Ups i lon

,which are supposed

to stand for Chr i s tou H u io-

s—son of Chr i s t The whole l inethere fore reads : “H ere l ies a Chr i s t ian Ind ian . Next below is

an a r row point ing towa rd a rectangle enc los ing an X ; and'

this

1 Publ i cat ions of the Colon ia l Soc iety of Massachusetts,volumes

§( V

7

1 1 1, X IX , XX ; and Old T ime New Eng land

, October, 1923 , x iv,

1 2 .

2T hat is , By the wi l l o f God , leader of the Ind ians here . Th i s Corterea l was wrecked in N ewfound land in 1502 , and never heard f rom aga in.

The V . is ev ident ly an abbrev iat ion of Voluntate, and the Ind . of Indorum.

3 I f th i s surmi se shou ld ha ppen to be correct , he wou ld probably havebeen one o f the Eng l i sh fi shermen who at that t ime were resort ing toN ewfound land and beyond in cons iderable numbers .

T HE I N SCR I BED ROCK S OF NARRAGA N SETT BAY 55

ra ther c lea r ly means : The a im of his l i fe was towa rd the Banner of the C ross .

” Below th i s is an Ind ian p ipe,undoubted l y

meaning in th i s context :“May he res t in peace . Then fol lowsa G reek let ter Del ta

,poss i b ly the ini t ia l of Samuel Danfor th

,

mini ster at Taunton,who converted many Ind ians to the Chr i s

t ian fa i th . F ina l l y , the figu res 68 are c lea r , and were probablypart Of the complete da te 1687, 1688 or 1689 , the ea r l ies t yea rsof Dan fort h ’s mini s t ry . Th i s interp retat ion was gi ven me bythe la te James E . Seaver , sec reta ry Of the Old Colony H i s tor i ca lSoc iety . I t is not known who fi rs t sugges ted i t , but i t is so Obv i

ou s tha t i t is a lmos t sure l y cor rec t .A n elabora tel y insc r i bed s tone,

ca l led the H ammond Tabletby t hose who know of i t , mea sur ing about s ix and one - ha l finches by n ine and one - ha l f inches , is c la imed by a res ident ofTaunton to have been found by h im in 19 17 bur ied a few inchesdeep in the so i l on the bank of the Three M i le River at W’

es tv i l le, two mi les f rom the cent re of Taunton . I t has been desc r i bed by Ra l ph Davol in the Bos ton S un-day Pos t for June 26,

192 1 . I t is c rowded on bot h s i des wi th p i ctographs sk i l fu l l yexecu ted in the Ind ian manner , or in ev i dent l y des i gned im i tat ion of i t . Except for a much la rger

’

numbe r of them in th i sca se ,

they closelv dupl ica te the p i ctu red symbols on another tablet found fi f ty yea rs ago in Bucks County , Pennsylvania .

1 On

one s ide of each s tone is depi c ted a scene Of comba t betweenInd ians a i ded by the H eavenly Powers , nea r the i r w igwams on

the edge of a fores t,and the grea t ha i ry Amer i can mammot h .

On the other s i de a re numerous des i gns tha t undoubted l y sym

bol iz e scenes in the h i s tory of the migra t ions of the LenniLenape

,or De lawa re Ind ians , a s tha t is rela ted in t hei r h i stor i ca l

song,the Wa l um Ol um . A rchaeologi s ts have never been wi l l ing

to a cknowledge the authent i c i ty of the engrav ings on the ea r l iertablet as genu ine Ind ian records Of anc ient da te or fa i t h fu l lycopied by Ind ians f rom an anc ient or ig ina l . In case Of th i slater tablet . we mu s t accept as author i ta t i ve the op in ion o f C . C .

1 H . C . Mercer , The Lenape S tone , or ,The Ind ian and the Mam

moth . Pu tnam'

s,1885 .

PETROGLYPHS OF NARRAGANSETT BAY—P PLA ’

I‘

E XXX

Hammond Tablet, mammoth face

T HE I N SCR I BED ROCK S OF NARRAGA N SETT BAY D7

W'

i l loughby,d i rec tor o f the Peabody Museum of H a rva rd Uni

vers i ty , who has examined it and who wr i tes to me about i t asfol lows :“The sur fa ce of the tablet does not seem to be very Old .

The shape of the tablet i tsel f is d i fferent f rom any example of

preh i s tor i c art t ha t I have seen . I t resembles the spread sk in of

an anima l . A few of the des i gns on the tablet , notably the t h reefigu res Of b i rds and quad ruped s at the top Of the S i de not showing the mammot hs , bea r a very c lose resemblance to Ind ianpi c tographs . Most Of the other des i gns , however , have l i tt le incommon wi th Old Ind ian work . The upper mammoth is d rawnin perspec t i ve , a met hod of del inea t ion unknown to Ind iansunfami l ia r w i th d rawings of Eu ropeans . A compa r i son of th i sp i ctu re wi th the s im i la r scene upon the so- ca l led Lenape s toneshows conc lus i vel y e i t her t ha t one Of the p i ctu res was copiedf rom the other or tha t both were made by the same man .

1 1 am

inc l ined to the la tter opinion,tha t both are the work of a c lever

maker of f raudulent ‘

ant iqu i t ies .

’

In the col lect ion of wh ichthe tablet forms a pa r t ,

“ there are th i rty or more Obj ec ts whichI am su re are f raudulent . The owner c la ims tha t mos t of themwere found by h im in Taunton and v i c ini t y . I f so

,t hey mus t

have been ‘planted ’

for his. benefi t . The tab let undoubted lybelongs wi th th i s group . I doubt i f these f raudulent spec imensa re of very recent or ig in . They may have been made severa l

yea rs ago, and i t is pos s i ble tha t the ‘Lenape ’

s tone formedor ig ina l l y a pa rt of the same lot.

” Even i f f raudulent,th i s tab

let is Of suffic ient interes t to deserve a permanent record . The

photograph Of Pla te XX IX shows the genera l appea rance of

one s i de of i t , but i t is not poss i b le to see in i t very c lea r ly thedes i gns engraved upon the stone . In Pla tes XXX and XXX I ,however , are presented d rawings of the two s ides , made by fi rs ttak ing rubb ings d i rect f rom the s tone, and then ma rk ing on

these a ll l ines t ha t seemed to be a rt i fic ia l a f ter ca re fu l compa r ison Of the rubb ings wit h the s tone .

These d rawings port raythe engrav ings on the tablet accu ra tel y for the mos t pa r t ,

1Mr .

.

\V i l loughby mi ght have added another poss ib i l ity : that bothwere cop ied , by one man or by d i fferent men,

from a th ird or ig ina l .

PETROGLYPHS OF NARRAGANSETT BAY PLATE XXXI

Hammond Tablet, h i s tor i ca l face

TH E I N SCR I BED ROCK S OF NARRAGA N SETT BAY 59

a l t hough a few of them were d rawn so fa int ly tha t one cannotbe ent i rel y cer ta inabout t hem .

A sma l l s tone, abou t ten inches in its long d iameter , found at

\Ves t W’ rentham,completes ou r l i s t of genu ine and a l leged

insc r i pt ions wi th in the Na r raganset t Bas in . I t has been fu l lydesc r i bed by Pro fessor H a r r i s H . W i l der .

1 H is reproduct ionsof its inc i s ions conv ince one tha t i f they were intended to con

vey a defini te meaning , the symbol i c dev i ces employed were not

of a cha rac ter tha t could have been widel y understood ,but were

p robably ind i v i dua l, or ,

at mos t,loca l and tempora ry . They

look l i ke haphaza rd and meaningless sc r i bbl ings . Pro fessor\Vilder does not quest ion the i r Ind ian or i g in, and hes i ta t inglysugges ts tha t they may have had some r i tua l i s t i c u se .

F rom a l i tt le outs i de ou r range,perhaps ,

but s t i l l f rom somewhere in Rhode I s land

,came a s tone whose two s i des are p i c

tu red in Pla te XXX I I . I t was former ly in the Jenks MuseumOf B rown Uni vers i ty , wh ich was c losed some twenty—five or

th i r ty yea rs ago . I ts former contents were recent l y red istri

buted,and th i s s tone is now in possess ion Of the Rhode I s land

H i s tor i ca l Soc iety . I t is Of some s la ty ma ter ia l,measur ing about

s ix by three and one - ha l f inches,wi th a th i ckness taper ing regu

larly f rom nea r ly an inch down to a rough i r regu la r bl unt edgeof about one - fou rth inch . The insc r i bed figures are very unl i kethe sha l low ,

i r regu la r, peeked ones of known Ind ian or ig in. in

th i s region . On one s i de is a sh ie l d - l i ke figu re whose inc i s ionsare smooth

,Of ha l f - round sect ion

,a lmos t uni formly three mi l l i

meters deep ; a l so a very sha l low des i gn,resembl ing the A ce Of

Spades . On the other S i de is another very regu la r ly and exact lyformed figure of s im i la r uni form i ty and smoothnes s , fou r m i l l imeters deep ; and two shal lower c i rc les , ev ident ly d rawn wi th a

compa ss . These fea tu res make i t doubt fu l tha t i t can have beenthe work of Ind ians , but i f i t Was , i t seem s to me tha t i t mus thave been verv la te and the resul t o f sk i l l der i ved f rom wh i temen ’

s teach ings . Noth ing wha tever is known abou t the s tone,

except wha t is revea led by its label , whi ch mi s takenl y ca ll s it "an

1 A Petrog lyph f rom Eastern Ma ssachusetts ; in Amer i can Anthropolog ist, 19 1 1 , x i i i . 65- 67.

60 RHOD E I S L A N D H I S TOR I C A L S OC I E TY

PETROGLYPHS OF NARRAGANSETT BAY—PLATE XXXII

Ins cr ibed Tablet found at Or ient Long Isl and

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62 RHOD E I S L AN D H IS TOR I C A L S OC I ETY

t i ve l i s t Of mi s taken repor ts tha t were enumerated in ou r fourthpaper . The P rov idence S unday J ourna l for October 2 1 , 192 3

( sec t ion 1 , p . 8,col . tel ls of a head—and - shou lder out l ine of

a man,hewn into a bou lder on the Old W i l l iam S locum Farm in

South Kings town,long bel ieved by ne i ghbors to be a rel i c of

the“S tone Age,

” but ac tua l l y ca rved by a very sma l l boy fi f tyyea rs ago. A cor respondent w rote to me tha t he had hea rd of

an insc r i bed rock in M i dd leboro,on the Taunton River . Th i s

rumor may wel l ha ve been founded upon the fol lowing s ta tement by H enry E . Chase : “ In Ind ian bu ry ing ground in A ssawamset Neck , in Lakev i l le,

nea r M i dd leboro’

,is a graves tone

wi th a pecu l ia r insc r i pt ion of two let ters or cha racters .

” 1 In

his fou rth manusc r i pt I t inera ry , on page 2 54,under da te of

September 30 ,1 788

,S t i les has the fol lowing note :“Rock 1 72 m

NW f romA cushne t—VVriting—nea r Moses VVa shbu rn—KPh i l i p .

” Wha t the connec t ion wa s between King Ph i l ip'

and

t h i s Wr i t ing Rock he does not s ta te . M r . Lou is W . Ti lden of

New Bed ford has k ind ly inves t i ga ted th is re ference for me . H e

loca ted the Moses VVashbu rn fa rm and ta l ked w i t h M r . Sk i ff ,its present occupant . H e wr i tes : “M r . Sk i ff is about 86 yea rsold

,bu t has a very good memory . H e knows o f no rocks wi th

insc r i pt ions abou t t here , bu t does recol lec t a huge boul der ca l led‘Dev i l ’s Rock ,

’ wh ich bore a so- ca l led impress ion of a humanfoot and a groove a s i f a cha in had been d ragged ac ross i t . Thi srock wa s demol i shed back in the fort ies to supply s tone for theNew Bed ford C i ty H a l l . We loca ted its pos i t ion abou t tenminutes ’ wa l k f rom the hou se

,and found a few f ragments le f t .

I t wa s o f a ha rd grani te forma t ion,wi th a ve in of so f t , s la ty

s tone running th rough i t . I th ink th i s f reak of na tu re was veryl i ke l y wha t you r memorandum re fe rred to, as i t was loca l l y we l lknown.

” We may be very sure t ha t S t i les would never ha veca l led th i s a Wr i t ing Rock i f he had seen i t . But his memo

1 Notes on the Wampanoag Ind ians ; in Smithsonian Report for 1883 ,p . 893 . Mr . Chester E . Weston, of M iddleboro, th inks that th i s stone hasbeen stolen,

“for a few years ago when I looked for i t I cou ld not find i t . ”

I have mysel f searc hed recent ly in the bury ing ground re ferred to by Mr .

Chase, and find no s tone there now answer ing to his descr i pt ion ; nor can Ifind anyone who reca l ls what the two strange characters looked l ike.

T H E I N SCR I BED ROCK S OF N ARRAGA N SETT BAY

randum, Of cou rse, was written before he had gone there to

examine i t , and was probably based upon a d is tor ted rumor .

In th i s same l i s t of mi staken rumors or f raudu lent report s wecan now defini tel y inc lude famed “Northman’

s

ten Rock atWes t Newbu rv . The fac t s concerning i t were d iscovered recent ly by George F ranc i s Dow, ed i tor of Old TimeNew E ngland , who inves t i ga ted i t in company w i th A . P . Morseand M r . Jenkins , of the Peabody M useum at Sa lem . Theyfound the loca l ant i qua r ian, W

'

i l l iam Mer r i l l , an el der ly man ,

who was fami l ia r w i th the s tory and who took t hem to the ledge .

M r . Dow wr i tes to me : To ou r grea t d i sappointment , we foundtha t the supposed ma rk ings were only na tu ra l c racks in the

rocks . There i sn ’ t a s i gn of an a rt ific ia l ma rk ing on the sur face .

M r . Merr i l l tol d u s tha t an e l der ly man, a Mr . Fol lansbee ,had

tol d h im tha t at the t ime when M r . Pool,the or ig ina tor of the

report of the insc r i pt ion,v i s i ted th i s ledge ,

he accompanied h im ,

and he sa i d to M r . Merr i l l tha t Pool at the t ime was muchintox i ca ted . H e reca l led tha t Pool showed h im a sketch .Of the

rock , but noth ing wa s sa i d at the t ime of the appea rance or

d i scovery of an insc r i pt ion . S o the legend may be cons i deredas d i sposed of .

”

VI I I . ADDENDA TO EARL I ER PA PERS .

S ince th i s ser ies was begun,1 have cont inued inqu i r ies and

Observa t ions concerning a ll of the rocks of which I have a l readywr i t ten . Three of them ca l l for a few supplementa ry rema rk s .

I . The Mount H ope R och—A f ter f urt her study Of the rockand photograph , I am more s t rongly conv inced than be fore tha tthe cha racters are in the Cherokee syl laba ry . My added confi

dence is du e la rgely to the fac t tha t I th ink I can read a lmos tsurel y now one Of the cha ra cters t ha t I prev ious l y regarded as

doubtfu l . I have found other indubi table examples , a s wi l lappea r la ter , in which ma rks ca rved on rock cont inue to be legi ble unde r favorable cond i t ions of l ight ing a f ter the sur facebea r ing them has sca led away . In th i s case, the cha rac ter tha tI numbered 5 , resembl ing OI j oined bv a hor i zonta l ma rk , in a

64 R HOD E I S L A ND H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

pos i t ion where ex fol ia t ion has occu rred , is st rongly confi rmedby ca re fu l examina t ion. Add ing i t to the other unques t ionab leCherokee resemblances leaves very l i t t le t ha t could be con

sidered dub ious , and makes the Cherokee - \Vampanoag read inga lmos t completel y certa in .

Tha t the insc r i pt ion wa s not du e to the Nort hmen is sure .

Wha tever may be t hought about the poss ibi l i ty tha t they evercame so far south a s th i s , i t is cer ta in tha t t hey le f t no other

endur ing record s in New England ; the known runi c insc r i pt ionsby them el sewhere are in defini te and recogni zab le cha racter s ;the cha rac ters on th i s rock are not runes ; the boa t dep ic ted isnot a Norse boa t . Tha t abor ig ina l Ind ians of Colonia l t imes or

ea r l ier d id not make the ma rk s seems to be equa l l y c lea r . In the

fi rs t place , a ll of the pet roglyphs tha t we can sure l y a t t r i bute tothem were made on rocks subj ec t to submergence at h igh wa ter ;whi le t h i s one wa s probably high up on the bank when fi rs tseen

,and onl y la ter s l i d down to its present pos i t ion . Aga in, a

boa t of th i s type is not a l i kel y obj ect for them to have p i c tured .

F ina l ly and conc lus i vel y,the characters are a l phabet i c or syl

lab ie,u t ter ly unl i ke those on any other rocks of the region

,and

equa l l y unl i ke any wh ich the loca l Ind ians are known to haveevol ved . The other Na r raganset t rocks resemble one another

,

and resemble rock s el sewhere of“known Ind ian workmansh i p in

the genera l cha rac te r of the i r marks and p ic tograph s , wh i le th i sone ev i dent l y does not belong to the same group , is un i queamong known insc r i bed rocks in the nat u re of the cha rac tersused , and mus t have had another or ig in .

On the other hand , the v iew of i t wh i ch I developed five yea rsago is not merel y plau s i b le ,

bu t h ighly probable . A s we haveseen,

the insc r i pt ion mus t have been in ex i s tence as ea r ly a s,

183 5,bu t need not necessa r i l y have ex i s ted ea r l ier . There is but

the s l ightes t poss i b i l i ty Of doubt tha t i t is in Cherokee cha racters , and as such has a defin i te and appropr ia te meaning . Fin

a l l y , an account of the c i rcums tances of its or i g in can be gi venwh i ch is not ent i re ly certa in,

but whi ch is exceed ingly plaus i b lein every deta i l . Thomas C . M i tchel l was a ha l f - blooded Ind ian,

born in 1795, whose mother was Pataps ico, ana t i ve Cherokee,

TH E I N SCR I BED ROC K S OF NARRAGA N SETT BAY 65

and whose fa ther was an Engl i shman. A t an ea r ly age he

became a sea - fa r ing man . I t is not known whether or not he

ever r ‘

etu rned home for a t ime and lea rned the Cherokee mannerOf wri t ing

,but th i s is a not remote poss i b i l i ty . H e wa s l i v ing

in Cha r les town and North Ab ington in the years between 1828and 183 5 . \Vhen the pa rty of Penobscots

,who encamped in

Cambr idge in the winter of 183 3 - 1834,v i s i ted as t hey

probab ly d id,he may wel l have gone wi th them ,

for he wouldna tu ra l ly have been interes ted in Ind ians who came to his v i c inity ; or he may have gone independent ly at about the same t ime,which I rega rd as less probable . H e had ma rr ied into a fami lyt ha t was proud of its descent f rom Massa so i t , and tha t had grea treverence for King Ph i l i p ; and he h imsel f

,as his daughter

Cha r lot te , or \Vootonekanu ske, informs me, thought tha t K ingPh i l i p was a grea t man .

”H is. know ledge of Cherokee, and h is

v i s i t to Wa r ren and B r i s tol , are ma t ters of conj ectu re, i t is t rue .

But they are not at a ll improbable ,for , in the fi rs t p lace ,

the

above - ment ioned known fac ts make h im an exceed ingly l i kelyperson to have ca rved the insc r i pt ion ; and ,

moreover , he seemsto have had a rest less and wander ing spi r i t , ind i ca ted by the

fac t tha t,

“

as his daughter expressed i t , he u sed to s tay at homesomet imes for two or three yea rs at a t ime, and then go Off on a

sa i l ing t r i p aga in . Unless,then

,some pos i t i ve ev idence in favor

of another v iew develops,1 am conv inced tha t i t is so h igh ly

probable a s to amount nea r ly to cer ta inty , tha t the insc r i pt ion on

the Mount H ope Rock was wr i tten in Cherokee symbol s and

W’

ampanoag words by Thomas C . M i tchel l , in“

or about 1834 ,

and that in t rans la t ion it read s : “Grea t Metacomet , Ch ie f

Sachem .

1TO the b ibl iography Of th i s rock, the fol lowing t i tles may be added

Cady, Annie C . A H i story of New Eng land in Words of One

Syl lable,1888, p . 13 f . I l lu strated by a copy of M i l ler ’s drawing .

—Unimportant ; suggests Norse or i g in.

Dubuque,Hugo ’

A . Fa l l R iver Ind ian Reservat ion,1907

,p . 35.

Wampanoags were its authors .

Fa les , Ernest . H i s tory of the Norsemen'

s V i s i ts to Rhode I s land and

Ma s s . in the Tenth Century, by Professor E . Fa les , 1888, Chap . IV . I l lustration a fter M i l ler .

—Th is is an i gnorant and i l l iterate pamph let o f 14

66 R HODE I S LAN D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

PETROGLYPHS OF NARRAGANSETT BAY - PLATE XXXIII

One of the Inscr ibed Rocks at Portsmou th , R . I .Photograp hed by George H . Chase in 1883

TH E I N SCR I BED ROCK S OF NARRAGA N SETT BAY 67

2 . The Portsmou th R oeks .

—Through the courtesy of D r . Will iam S . Sherman of Newport , I have come into pos sess ion of a

photograph of one of these rocks , and reproduce i t in Pla teXXX I I I . I t was taken in 1883 by George H . Chase of Port smouth , who wri tes me tha t the rock was of grey s late and measu red a bout e i ght fee t in length and fou r feet in width

,wi th a

he i ght of two feet at the upper and e i ght inches at the lowerend . Thi s was undoubted l y the rock ca l led A by D r . S t i les , andi t mus t have been photographed w i th the camera loo-k ing abou twester ly . The rocks seen beyond i t are the group Of t hree pi ctu red by S t i les d i rect ly to the west of A ,

in the d rawing shownin ou r Pla te X ; and the other rock , at the ext reme le f t of thephotograph

,is seen in the same pla te a l i t t le to the south of A .

The z i gzags seen by both S t i les and W’

ebb c lea r ly ma rked uponth i s rock ( Plates VI , no . 3 ; VI I I , X I ) are ea s i l y seen in the

photograph , but the other ma rk ings tha t they d rew are Obscu reand uncerta in .

Kenda l l,in 1807 and 1809 , publ i shed l i sts of known scu l p

tu red rocks “col lec ted f rom the MS S of Pres ident S t i les and

other sources,

”and re fer red to t hese at Portsmout h as fol lows :

“In Na r raganset t Bay, on Rhode I s land nea r Newpor t , on the

lands of M r . Job A lmy .

” M i s interp reta t ions Of th i s s ta tementhave gi ven r i se to many of the mi staken reports of insc r i bedrocks in or nea r Newport .

6 . Mark R ock. I have d i scovered a few f u rther p i c tographson th i s ledge

,and have taken new photographs of some of its

insc r i pt ions .

pages, by a sel f - styled pro fessor of B r i stol , R . 1 . H e de fends the

theory of Norse or ig in, and c la ims that the inscr i pt ion reads : “Rock of

sa fety, and a l l the power of man cannot take the rock f rom the p lace of

its s i tuat ion. H ow he obta ins th i s read ing is not ind i cated .

Fenner, Henry M . H i story of Fa l l R iver , 1906, p . 1 .

—Poss iblyNorse , but quest ion probably wi l l never be sat is factor i ly answered .

R ider , S idney S . ( a ) Book Notes , 1888, v . 136.

—Sarcast i c rev iewof Fa les ’ pamph let .

( b) Book Notes , 1890, v i i . 23 . Mrs . Cady'

s book is an utterabominat ion.

( c ) Book Notes , 1892 , i x . 254f .

- ~T h i s rock and Dighton Rock are

not ev idence of Norse v i s its .

Mark Rock glyph s 12 ( u pper left) and z (rema ining three)Photograp hed by E . B . Delabarre, May 3 0, 192 3

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RHOD E I S L AN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

ges tu re of contempt vulga r l y known a s thumbing the nose .

I f,as we conj ec tu red

,M iantono-mi and his companions le f t

t he i r s i gna tu res here abou t 1640,t hey may conce i vab ly a lso have

d rawn th i s p ic ture to express the i r op inion of the wh i tes to

whom they had sol d the adjoining lands ; a l though some others i gni ficance may equa l l y wel l have been intended . The ent i rescene dep i cted , inc lud ing the pecu l ia r quad r i latera l des i gn of

F igure 6. Probable appearance of human figures on Mark Rock .

l ines and c i rc les below ,cannot now be recons t ructed , and inter

pretation mus t rema in doubt fu l .I have never seen c lea rer proo f than t hese photographs g ive

of the fact tha t ex fol ia t ion of a rock - su r face does not mecessarily des t roy the leg ib i l i ty of ma rks p rev ious l y insc r i bed uponi t . In a l l t hree of the sca led a reas of if

,some of the ma rks

rema in nea r ly a s v i s i ble as in many cases where no sca l ing hasoccu rred ; and much the same th ing is t rue of f2 and of the

Mount Hope insc r i p t ion .

S ince there is cons i derable d i fficu l ty in see ing the p i c tu rescorrec t l y in the photographs wi thout prolonged and mic roscop i c

TH E I N SCR I BED ROCK S OF N ARRAGA N SETT BAY 7 1

s tudy , I present in F i gu re 6 the appea rance of a ll of the human

figures on Ma rk Rock , a s I see them . They are not drawn in

correc t propor t ion,because the photographs necessa r i ly d i s tor t

them perspec t i vely ; and I am doubt fu l about many of the l ines .

There seem to have been some other human figures in d, butthere they are pa rt i cu lar ly ha rd to make out

IX . S UMMARY A NDCON CLU S ION S .

Na r raganset t Bay was once the cent re Of cons i derable act i v i ty

in rock—ca rv ing . The d i s t r i but ion abou t the Bay and v ic i

nity Of the va r ious rocks and s tones tha t we have d i scussed isind i ca ted in the outl ine map of Pla te XXXV . They might bec la ss i fied ,

wi th re ference to the i r d i fferent or ig ins and cha rac ter ,as fol low s .

A . D i ghton Rock,on A ssonet Neck , the ea r l ies t one to

rece i ve insc r i pt ions , conta ining record s made fi rs t p robably by16th and 1 7th Centu ry whi tes , and la te-

r by Colonia l Ind ians .

B . Other rocks , ledges and s tones , w ith records by Colonia lInd ians (Ma rk Rock , T iverton, Portsmouth ; probably a l soSwansea ,

Fogland Fer ry , Wes t VVrentham,Long I s land , the

Wa r ren Bannerstone,and ,

in pa rt at leas t , the A rnol d’

s PointCup S tone).

C . Rocks w i th unintent iona l Ind ian ma rk ings , resul t ing f romthe i r opera t ions of gr ind ing tools and gra in ( Purga tory ; poss ibly King

’

s Rocks ).

D . Later insc r i p t ions , probably genu ine, but doubt fu l whether by Ind ians or wh i tes (D i ghton heads tone ,

Deni son tablet :

poss i b l y A rnold ’

s Po int Cup S tone in pa r t ).

E . Ea r ly 18th Centu ry insc r ip t ions by a whi te man (Newport ).

F . Late Ind ian,19th Centu ry (Mount H ope).

‘

G . Cases of mi s taken rumor or del i bera te f raud (Tauntontablet ; others not ind i ca ted on the map : Sachues t , Tiverton,

Swansea,South K ings town

,Exeter ).

The grea t ma j or i ty Of the insc r i pt ions were made by the aborigina l Ind ians , mos t o f them su rel y in Colonia l t imes , a l t hough

PETROGLYPHS OF NARRA GANSETT BAY—PLATE XXXV

r e s

G u e s s w u r i i xx»

l’

l T l.

Map show ing approximate locat ions of Inscr ibed Rocks and Stonesof the Narragansett Bas in

TH E I N SCR I BED ROCKS OF NARRAGA N SETT BAY 73

i t is poss i b le t ha t a few beginnings had been made ea r l ier, du r

ing the per iod o f explora t ion and ea r ly fi sherv . I f we incl udethe A rnold ’

s Po int Rock as o f pa rt l y Ind ian workmansh i p , thenthere were four important loca l i t ies , and probably five or s ix

ot hers of less consequence , at which Colonia l Ind ians engagedin rock - ca rv ing act i v i t ies . There is good reason to bel ieve tha tth i s region about Na r raganset t Bay was the i r only notewor thycent re Of th i s prac t i ce in New England . Ear ly reports and la terrumors of the ex i s tence of insc r i pt ions on rocks , we have seen,

are a lways very much in need of ca re f u l inves t iga t ion. S t i lesObserved and cop ied wha t he bel ieved was an anc ient Phoenician insc r i p t ion at S ca t i cook in Connec t i cut , 1 but no one ha s

confi rmed his d i scovery . H e a l so hea rd Of insc r i pt ions at Nan

tasket: and at Deer I s land in Ma ine .

3 Kenda l l saw a numberof sca t tered s imple d rawings of heads , human and anima l , on

rocks at Bel lows Fa l l s in Vermont . and another ins i gni ficantgroup Of five ,

b i rds and wol f,at We s t R i ver nea r B ra t t leboro .

4

I have seen photographs of'

these in the G i l ber t Museum at

Amhers t Col lege,and am inc l ined to th ink them authent i c . H e

a l so saw severa l human figures ca rved on the t runk Of a p ine t reeat in Vermont

,wh ic h were known to have been

l S ee T . H . Vt’ebb in Antiqu itates Amer icanae,p . 359 f ; and Publ i ca

t ions o f Colon ia l S oc . o f Ma ss , x ix . 94f .

2Manuscr i pt I t inerary, i i . , 352 , J une 7 , 1768 : At Nantasket at Sou thS ide o f South H i l l is a S tone charged wi th Characters . Mr . Lor ing o f

Sudbury A et 86 tel ls me he wel l remembers i t .

3Manu scr i pt I t inerary, i i . 384 . On a map o f i s lands in the mouth o f

Penobscot R iver,near the southeast corner of the southward proj ection o f

Deer I s land , he marked the “p lace Of a Rock near the shore Ten feet h igh8: S ix or 8 feet wide near perpend on wh i c h are F i gure O f Man Boy Bow

Arrow a fowl . J u st about 25 mi les f rom Cape Ros ier at Mouth of

Penobscot R iver ." W i th th i s fina l quotat ion f rom S t i les , a l l o f his manuscr i pt re ferences to inscr ibed rocks , so far a s I have d iscovered them wi ththe k ind ly ass i stance o f Pro fessor Frankl in B . Dex ter , have now beenpubl i shed , e ither in th i s ser ies or in my papers on D i ghton Rock , or in

earl ier sources there re ferred to .

4Travels , i i . 205 - 2 15 ; i i i . 2 19 - 22 1 .

74 R HODE I S LAND H I ST OR I CA L SOC I ETY

executed by an Ind ian party tha t ra ided Deerfield in

There are“P i c tu re Rock s ” abou t Mach ias Bay in Ma ine

,which

have been desc r i bed-

and i l l us t ra ted by Ma l lery,

2and rega rded

by h im a s the work of the Abnak i Ind ians . Rutland, W

‘

es t Newbu ry and Monhegan, the mos t ce lebra ted rumored ins tancesel sewhere

,exh ib i t onl y the work of na tu re . Repor ts of inscrip

t ions at severa l p laces a long the coa st ( 1 find H ampton,New

Hampsh i re,and Dama r iscove , Ma ine

,ment ioned in my notes)

have never rece i ved cor robora t ion by a compe tent author i ty,and

may probably be rega rded as un founded . Those at Hampton, of

whic h I have seen a d raw ing on a leaflet in possess ion of the

Old Colony Hi s tor i ca l Soc iety , seem to be merel y na tu ra l c racksand wea t her ma rk s ; and the others may very l i kel y be a ccountedfor as the work of boys for sport , inasmuch as James Phinne-

y

Baxter says tha t he know s o f instances Of a l leged Norse wri tings on the M a ine coas t wh i ch had t ha t or i g in .

3 I have seen in

New England museums a very few sma l l s tone-

s and implement sinc i sed w i th decora t i ve des i gns . A s i de f rom these sma l ler Spec imens , there fore, and f rom the few unimportant rock - p i ctures inVermont and t hose at the far ext remi ty of Ma ine

,Na r raganset t

Bay seem s to have been an i sola ted cent re of such work ,w ith

noth ing of l i ke cha ra cter occu rr ing nea rer than Pennsylvan iaand Oh io on the one s i de, and Nova Scot ia on the ot her .

Thi s fac t g i ves ra ther s t rong suppor t to a conc lus ion at whi ch

we have a r r i ved f rom a s tudy of the rocks them sel ves , namely ,t ha t the mak ing of rock - insc r i p t ions d id not a r i se in New E ng

land f rom a spontaneou s impu l se and na t i ve prac t i ce of the

abor ig ina l inhab i tants , bu t was im i ta t i ve ,and du e to the example

of Europeans . No one of ou r rea sons is ent i rel y conc lus i ve,bu t

t hey a ll seem to point in the same d i rect ion . These reasons are

th ree : the one j u s t g i ven,tha t nowhere el se in New England ,

except nea r Nova Scot ia , was there any apprec iable ca rv ing on

s tone ; tha t the tes t imony Of ea r ly observers a sserts tha t the

1 Travel s,i i i . 207 .

Bureau of Amer . Ethnology,Tenth Annua l Report , p . 81 .

8Old Colony H ist . S oc . Col lect ions , No. 4,1889

,p . 17 .

THE I N SCR I BED ROCK S OF NARRAGA N SETT BAY 75

New England Ind ians,unl i ke some o f the Delawa re s tock f romwh ich they der i ved , had no h i s tor i ca l sense , no interes t in the i rances tors , and no record s o f any sor t :and tha t the ev idence of

the rocks seem s to show tha t the insc r i pt ions were made a f terthe a rr i va l o f wh i te men . In rega rd to the second point , the i rlack of h i s tor ica l interes t and the consequent probabil itv tha tt hey made no h i s tor i ca l record s , a l l good author i t i es seem to

agree . H enry E . Cha se , for example , in the paper a l ready c i ted .

rema rk s upon the fac t that among these Ind ians we find not a

t race o f anv a t tempt , be fore the i r contact wi t h the wh i tes , to

convey to la ter genera t ions an idea,e i ther h i stor i ca l or other

w i se , in a form l ikely to la s t ; and J . A . Goodwin,in h is P il

grim R ep ubl ic, savs o f the New England Ind ians tha t thev hadno rel i c s and memor ia l s , no t rad i t ions and legenda ry Songs

,and

tha t even the intel l i gent Massaso i t knew noth ing o f h is immed i

ate p redecessors .

1 Ou r ev idence f rom the rock s is the fol lowing : the ear ly wh i te records on D i ghton Rock ,

f rom 15 1 1 to

1640 , occupy a prominent pos i t ion and do not seem to have beenhampered by the prev iou s p resence o f Ind ian wr it ings ; some of

the Ind ian p i ctographs (Tiver ton , Ma rk Rock ) may pos s i b lyhave represented Colon ia l sold iers , and others mav plau s i b ly berega rded as Ind ian s i gna tu res of Colonia l t imes ; the MountH ope insc r i pt ion was a lmos t sure ly made as la te as 1834 . The

onlv ins tances of rea l p i c tu re wri t ing whose da te is defini telyknown—those of the D i gh ton heads tone and o f the t ree at

VVeathersfield—wereexecu ted not far f rom 1700 ; and th i s is onereason whv the onl y other ins tances tha t have been reported , the

1 Godwin, p . 129 .

—I f the Ind ians o f New England,before the coming

Of Europeans , had known anyth ing at a l l abou t the pos s ib i l i ty o f communication and of mak ing record s by means Of p i cture - wr i t ings , one

wou ld natura l ly expect to find some ment ion o f the fact in the wr it ings o f

the exp lorers and coloni sts who fi rst came in Contact with them andstud ied the i r cu stoms . I do not reca l l a s ing le suggest ion of the sort . Onthe contrary , Edward W ins low ( Good News from New Eng land , 162 3 )says that instead of records and ch roni c les ,

” they merely make a roundho le in the ground near the p lace o f any remarkable event , as an a id to

memory and verba l narrat ion ; and Roger W i l l iams (Key,1643 ) a sserts

that they have no Bookes no r Letters , and conce ive thei r Fathers neverhad , and that , “hav ing no letters , the i r pa int ing"—on garments , bod iesand faces~ comes the neerest.

”

76 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

bannerstone and the Long I s land tablet , may be rega rded as

mos t l i kel y to have been a l so of relat i vel y la te da te .

The worn cond i t ion of the insc r ip t ions,w ith the consequent

d i fficu l ty in dec i pher ing them , the i r appea rance Of grea t age ,.the

mi s taken be l ie f tha t the rock su r faces wea r away rapid ly and

tha t the l ines d rawn upon t hem become d i st inct ly less legi b lewi th in the per iod of a l i fet ime, cannot be used as a c r i ter ion of

ant i qu i ty,grea t or l i t t le . In my ea r l ier papers and in th is ser ies I

have f requent ly shown ev idence tha t the insc r i p t ions are todayas eas i l y and accura tel y d i scerni b le as they were when the fi rs tdesc r i pt ion Of the appea rance of any of t hem was g iven

,two

hund red yea rs ago . In fact,ou r recent fla sh l ight photographs

revea l more today than d i rec t Observa t ion of the rocks has everdone

,f rom the very fi rs t . A group of ma rks resembl ing “ I

H’OV VOO

”was seen on one s i de of D i ghton Rock by S t i les in

1767 , and t here is reason to bel ieve tha t i t was made not morethan forty years be fore ; yet i t looked as fa int and uncerta inthen as d id the ea r l ier ca rv ings . The same is t rue today

'

of a

grea t many of the nineteenth centu ry ini t ia l s to be Seen on a lmos ta l l of the rocks . The S locum Fa rm carv ing ,

made fi f ty yea rsago,

looks indeterm inably anc ient . When Sha l low l ines , such as

are mos t of t hose of the insc r i p t ions , a re fi rs t made upon theserocks , they at fi rs t stand out c lea r and certa in, of a l igh ter coloring than the na tu ra l rock—su r face . But i t does not take manyyea rs of wea ther ing , va ry ing w i th exposure to s torm and ice and

wi th the length of the i r da i ly cover ing by the t i de, be fore t he i rcolor merges into t ha t of the rock and the i r out l ines becomeblu r red . Therea f ter they look very old ,

and cannot w i th cer

ta inty be d i s t ingu i shed f rom na tu ra l st r iae,c racks and p i tt ings ;

and many Of the sha l lowes t o f them , sa t i s fac tor i l y v i s i b le whenfi rs t made ,

d i sappea r a l together . These rock - sur faces do not

wea r rap i d ly . The f requent ly expressed Op inion tha t they do isa na tu ra l bu t m i s taken psychologi ca l impress ion,

and the wornappea rance Of the i r ca rv ings is compa t i b le wi th any ac tua l age,

remote or recent .One fac t of interes t concerning the rocks tha t have been in

sc r i bed in th i s region is tha t they are al l submerged at h igh t i de,

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78 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

connec ted meaning tha t can be plaus i b ly ass i gned to the wholecol lec t ion of glyph s upon any one rock ,

—except for that at

Mount H ope and some of the sma l ler s tones ,—it rema ins onl y toexamine the ind i v idua l des igns to determ ine whether or not theycons t i tu te impor tant records . The answer to t h i s ques t ion seem sto be unmi s takable .

“We have repeated ly seen reason to bel ievetha t some o f the ma rk ings a re indeed mere “ i d le sc rawl s , ch i ldish and haphaza rd sc r i bb l ings , the outcome mere l y of an impu lseto be doing someth ing , and perhaps to a t t ract a t tent ion f rom id lecompanions . These eas i ly merge into ornamenta l and p i c tor ia ldes igns , w i thout symbol ic s ignificance ,

made for S im i la r reasonsand l i kel y to

'

arou se a la rger degree of i mmed ia te admi ra t ion ;and some o f the des i gns upon ou r rocks are Of t h is cha rac ter .

The next na tu ra l s tep is an easy one : the del inea t ing of formstha t may have been .

“mnemoni c , or have had some s i gni ficanceother than decora t i ve or p i c tor ia l to those who made them ,

butone tha t could not poss ibl y be more than guessed at by anyoneel se to whom they were not expla ined . There are doubt less ins tances Of i t here

,the mos t p robable Of whi ch seem to be the

des i gns composed. of t r iangles on D i gh ton Rock and the glyphsin pos i t ion i on Ma rk Rock . Of p i c tu res represent ing defini teand recogni zable obj ec ts

,bu t w i thou t probable further S ignifi

cance, t here a re a few : human beings , deer , tu rt le . O f probab le

,or at leas t pos s i b le

, s i gna tu res of ind i v i dua l s there are a

few. Unt i l we come to the sma l ler s tones of probably la ter da teand to the Mount H ope rock , th i s is a l l tha t the Ind ian inscript ions of th i s region conta in

,so far as we can be sure and so far

as is at a l l probable . There is not a s ingle readable instance of

a col lec t ion O f pi ctograph i c or i deograph i c dev ices tha t wouldhave been at a ll l i kely to possess a genera l ly accepted and inter

pretable symbol i c charac ter . The conc lus ion seems to be j us t ified tha t in New England

,at leas t . the Ind ian carv ings on rocks

were t ru ly some Of them meaningless sc rawl s , ornamenta l de

s i gns , and p i c tu res . and t ha t none Of t hem possessed any f ur thermean ing tha t was i mpor tant or d i scoverab le by anyone exceptthe maker of them . The i r execut ion was a pas t ime of . i d le and

soc ia l le i sure, was suggested by S im i la r, though purposef u l ,

TH E INSCR I BED ROC KS OF NARRAGA N SETT BAY 79

ac t i v i t ies o f wh i te men, and was due to no h igher psychologica limpulses than the urge to be do ing someth ing interes t ing and the

des i re for a t t rac t ing a t tent ion. Some Of the sma l l s tones , suchas those f rom and Long I s land ,

seem to contain t ru lysymbol i c w r i t ings ; bu t , i f the above conc lus ions are j us t ified ,

th i sfac t would s t rengthen ou r a l ready formed susp ic ion tha t a ll suchare o f la ter da te . A lgonk in Ind ians made p i c tograph i c w r i t ingsel sewhere ; but , so far as we have present ev idence , th i s pra ct i sed i d not a r i se in New England unt i l a f ter Eu ropean infl uenceshad been fel t , and then onl y to a sma l l extent .Summing up the whole ma t ter br iefly

,i t looks to me very

p robable t ha t the fi rs t rock - records were made by M iguelCorterea l in 1 5 1 1 and by one or two other wh i te men up to 1640 ;tha t Ind ians fol lowed

,a f ter some or a l l of these were made , wi th

numerous ca rvings on rock and s tone in th i s region,but ra re ly

el sewhere in New England ; tha t the i r des i gns were t r i v ia l ser i bbl ings and p i ctu res , wi th l i t t le or no meaning a t tached to t hem ,

unt i l , perhaps towa rd the end of the seventeenth centu ry , a fewsma l l s tones onl y began to be insc r i bed wi th t ruly symbol i c ( p ictographic or ideograph i c ) wr i t ings and tha t one la s t example Of

a record by an Ind ian,in a wel l - known convent iona l system of

wr i t ing , was made as la te a s 1834 . I submi t t hese conc lus ions ,however , wi th due reserva t ion, rea l i z ing tha t thev cannot be su s

ceptible Of absol u te proo f . The rocks themsel ves are too worn,

the ma rk ings on them f requent ly too Obscure , the known histori ca l fact s too meagre and the other per t inent ones too undiscov

erable,to perm i t f u l l cert i tude . Nevertheless , I enterta in the

hope t ha t I - have succeeded in present ing in each ca se the opinion

tha t is most plau s i b le in the l i ght o f present informa t ion,and the

ent i re ser ies of conc l us ions taken together has the mer i t of

form ing a cons i s tent and unified p i c tu re o f pet roglyph i c activ

i t ies in New England .

80 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

Land ing of the French troop s at Newport in 1780 from an engrav ingp ubl i shed in the H z

'

stor z'

schg enea log ischer Ca lender oder

f ahrbuch for 1784, Le i p z i g .

In the Shep ley Libra ry

HOD E SLAND

I STOR I CAL OC I ETY

OLLE CT ION S

Vol . XVI I I Ju ly, 1925 NO . 3

ROGER WILLIAMS, COMPASSthe Society

’

s M useum

Issued Quarterly

CONTENTS

P A G E

R oger Wi l l iams’

Compass cover

Rhode Is land Pottery , by Charles D . Cook

J ireh Bu l l Excavations

V iew Of Newport in 1740

Letter fromSou th Kingstown 1 776

Notes

Portra itof N inigret

Dr. Joseph Torrey , by Wi l l iam Davis Mi l ler

The Memoranda o f Wil l iam Green, by Henry S

Fraser

RHODE I SLAND

H I STORICAL SOC IETY

COLLECTIONS

Vol . XVI I I Ju l y , 1925 NO. 3

HOWAR D W . PR ESTON ,Pres ident EDWARD K . ALD R I CH

, Jr. Trea su rerGEORGE T . SP I C ER ,

Secreta ry HOWAR D M . CHAP I N,L i bra r i an

The So c i ety assumes no respons ib i l i ty for the statements or th e

op i n ions of contr ibu tors .

Early Rhode Is land Pottery

BY C H A R L ES D . C OOK *

The la te Mrs . A l i ce Morse Ea r le,in an a rt i c le publ i shed in

1892 ,tel ls u s tha t “A t the commencement of the Revol u t ionary

War , a man named Upton came f ro-m Nantucket to Eas t G reenwich

,R . I .

,and there manu fac tu red ea rt henwa re . The pot tery

when made was baked in a k i ln wh ich s tood at the corner of

King and Ma r l boro S t reet s . H e made pans , bowl s , pla tes , cups

and saucers Of common red c lay,a l i t t le finer than tha t now

u sed in the manu fac tu re of flower pots . A S l i t t le porcela in was

imported f rom Eu rope dur ing the war, people used w i l l inglyand even eager ly the coa rse pla tes and d rank the i r

“L i bertytea

” f rom the coa rse cups and saucers . The c lay came f rom

Gould’

s Mount,now owned by M r . H enry \Vaterman of Quid

*The fol lowing note on Rhode I s land potters is an extract f rom a

paper on Early New Eng land Pottery wh i ch was read by Mr . Cookbefore the Hand i cra f t Club, Apr i l 7 , 1925 .

82 RHOD E I S L AN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

neset . A f ter the war was ended , pot ter Upton went back to hissa fety assu red home on Nantucket , and the G reenw ich pot terywas c losed .

”

In an endeavor to check up and ver i f y Mrs . Ea r le’

s accountof pot ter Upton

,I found tha t she had taken the s tory f rom Dr .

D . H . G reene ’

s H is tory of E as t Greenwich . A sea rch of the

pr inted h i s tor i ca l ma ter ia l rela t ing to Nantucket fa i led to dis

c lose any re ference to a pot ter named Upton. The Eas t Greenw ich Town Records

,to wh i ch I next tu rned my a t tent ion,

proved more f ru i t f u l . H ere I found tha t on December 9 , 1 77 1 ,Thomas A l d r i ch sol d to I saac Upton and Samue l Upton a lot

of land in Eas t G reenw ich bounded souther ly on King S t reetand wester l y on Ma r lborough S t reet . Severa l yea rs la ter , tha tis

,in 1783 , I saac Upton, at th i s t ime a res i dent of Berk ley ,

Mass ,deeded to Samue l Upton of Ea s t Greenwich for 2 50

S pani sh m i l led dol lars a l l his sha re in the dwe l l ing hou se and

pot ter ’s Shop in Eas t Greenwich,the same land tha t had been

deeded to them in 177 1 . Both I saac and Samuel were ca l ledpotters” in t h i s deed . The Eas t Greenwi ch Counc i l RecordsShow tha t they were bot h l iv ing in Eas t G reenwich in 1777 .

H av ing thus determ ined the g i ven names of these Uptonpot ters , I tu rned to the Upton Genea logy , and found tha t t heywere b rothers

,I saac hav ing been born abou t 1745 and Samuel

abou t 1747 , at Bed ford , Mass . The i r fa ther wa s Edwa rd Upton,

a gla z ie r by t rade, who came f rom Danvers , Mass

,where

the fami ly had been set t led for many yea rs . Thi s Danvers con

nection gi ves u s an interest ing c lue . I t was doubt less due to

the ir f r iends and rela t i ves at Danvers,t ha t the Upton boys took

up the t rade Of pot ters , whi ch they undoubted ly lea rned f romthe famous Danvers pot ters . They both ma r r ied Yarmou thgi r ls and perhaps l i ved for a wh i le on Cape Cod . Trad i t ion mayhave confused Cape Cod and Nantucket . Samuel is sa i d to havefol lowed the sea when not engaged in pottery work . I havesevera l p ieces of pot tery tha t came f rom Eas t Greenwich and

whi ch seem to fi t the desc r i pt ion of the Uptons ’ work .

The Uptons were not the ea r l ies t Rhode I s land pot ters , forJoseph W i lson was work ing at Prov i de-nee as ea rl y as 1767 .

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84 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

down . I t is poss i b le tha t in a l l there may have been th ree housesin th i s sma l l c lea r ing . Un fortuna tel y i t was found necessa ry toca r ry on much of the excava t ion work dur ing the ab sence of

M r . I sham and his assoc ia te,M r . Thomas G . H aza rd

, Jr .

,and

i t is there fore impos s i ble now to determ ine in wh ich of the ru inssome of the Obj ec ts were d i scovered , as the laborers were not

ca re fu l in repor t ing the exac t loca t ions of the i r finds . M rI sham records as far a s poss i b le the locat ion in which the obj ec tswere found .

Some Of the obj ec ts are undoubted ly f rom the house tha t wa sburned in 1675, others are certa inly of a la ter per iod and f romthe hou se that Bu l l bu i l t a f ter the war . Some of the obj ec tsmay be s t i l l la ter

,as the ru ins of the houses may have been occa

s ional ly used as dumps for re f use .

The ob j ec ts i l lu s t ra ted in p la te one are numbered . Number 1is a beau t i fu l s i l ver bodk in or tape—need le in per fec t “cond i t ion,

wi th one end made into the shape of a minia tu re c i rcu la r spoon,

ca l led an ear—s poon and used fe r c lean ing the ea rs . The need leis five inches long , has a round eye and a l so a s l i t - eye ha l f aninch long

,ev i dent ly for tape or r i bbon,

and is engraved . The

ini t ia l s M B appea r cu t into the S i l ver,and the presumpt ion is

tha t they s tand for Ma ry Bul l, one t ime owner Of the need le .

There were two Ma ry Bul l s , J ireh’

s daughter , who was born in1663 , and who was ma rr ied be fore 1687 to James Coggesha l l ,and her s i s ter—in—law,

Ma ry Coggesha l l Bu l l , who was ma r r iedto J ireh

’

s son Ephra im in 1692 and d ied in 1699 . I t probab lybelonged to Ma ry Bul l Coggesha l l between 1678 and 1687

,and

so wou ld da te f rom the second hou se, a l thou gh i t was foundnea r the fi rs t one . I t shows no s i gns of hav ing been in a fire

,

and was probably lost .

I t has been sugges ted tha t i t may have been of Du tch or i gin,

bu t tha t poss i b ly i t m igh t have been made at Newpor t . There isappa rent ly no good reason for not cons i der ing i t of Engl i shmanu facture .

Numbers 2 and 3 are bone hand les,the former hav ing some

s l igh t ornamenta t ion carved near the top . Three of these hand les , a ll ca re f u l l y shaped and smoothed

,were found

,and t races

OBJ EC T S E ! C AVAT ED AT THE J I R EH BU L L HOU S E 85

o f rus ty i ron can be Seen ins i de , showing tha t they were u sed ashand les for some sor t Of kni f e or tool . Numbe rs 19 and 20 are

the rema ins of deer ant lers ,and were p robably the hand les o f a

ca rv ing set. Three of these were a l so found . There were a

number O f teeth and tusks of sma l l anima ls , but these had doubtless merelv been cas t a s i de .

A consu lerable quantitv of leaded glass wa s found , some inits or ig ina l lead ca lmes or set t ing ( see Nos . 4 , 1 1 and I thad . f rom its long soj ourn in the ear th , acqu i red tha t beau t i fu li r idescence . wh i ch makes “ fav r i le glas s" sel l at a h igh pr i ce .

Many broken pieces of the lead ca lmes were found and somechunk s o f mel ted lead .

Mos t of the f ragments of glass and

lead are t hought to have come f rom the burned hou se . The

panes were ev ident l y d iamond Shaped and s im i la r to those o f

the Fenner ga r r i son house at Prov idence . The glas s panes are

very th in .

The bent bowl Of a brass or Copper lad le was found . Th iswas pierced w i th th ree holes , ev ident ly u sed for a t tach ing the

hand le . One complete spoon (No . eleven bowl s (Nos . 5

1 3 and and nine hand les (Nos . 6,8 and 9 ) were found .

Mos t of the Spoons were so covered w i t h a depos i t of green

cor rode,tha t they seemed at fi rs t glance to be copper or brass .

I t was soon d i scovered tha t they were pla ted wi th a sh iny meta l ,and they proved to be t inned—brass .

A more deta i led chemica l examinat ion of one of the spoonhand les ,

made for M r . Cha r les D . Cook , proved t ha t the b ra ssor copper a l loy , of wh i ch the spoons were composed , conta ineda quant i ty of s i l ver . Two of the Spoon hand les (No . 6) are of

the so - ca l led trifid or ha re ’

s foot pa t tern, a name der i ved f romthe supposed resemblance of the end O f the hand le to the

rodent’

s paw. The maker’

s ma rks appea r on one of these ha re'

s

foot hand les . A spoon Of th i s type was found in the PrincessN ini g ret grave of abou t 1690 . Fou r o f the spoon hand les are

s im i la r to Numbers 8 and 9 , and hand les of th i s type were foundin the Pr incess N ini gre t grave ; in the Ti verton Ind ian grave ,

in

an Ind ian grave wes t of and at the s i te of the Grea tSwamp fight .

OBJ ECT S E xcAVATE D AT THE J I R EH BU LL HOU S E 87

The spoon,in per fec t cond i t ion (Nos . 7 and is ma rked

wi th the dev i ce Of th ree spoons counterplaced between the ini

tials T . S . in a c i rc le,a ma rk tha t appea rs on an apos t le spoon

found in the Tiverton Ind ian grave . The other spoon bowl s,

some Of whi ch are round and some ova l , are a l l ma rked , one

wi th a c rown above the let ters D . Z .,severa l w i th a c rown above

a rampant l ion between the let ters T . C .,one wi th a hea r t

p ierced by an a rrow,and the ot hers wi th two spoons between

the let ters G . C ., a hea rt p ierced wi th an a r row between the let

ters M . M .,the let ters R . P . in a c i rc le , and a sh ie l d w i th a

swo rd be tween the let ters I . C . One spoon bowl has two holesin i t , ev ident ly for a ttach ing the hand le , which perhap s had beenb roken off .

Two co ins were found , one a p ine—t ree S i xpence of 1652 , the

five hav ing been d r i ven ou t o f t rue (NO . and anotherco in

,pierced and worn beyond recogni t ion (No . The meta l

bu t ton (NO . 18 ) may be f rom the la ter per iod,as a l so two brass

or copper obj ec ts,the u se of whi ch has not been determ ined .

Two lead bot t le - tops were fou nd wi th threads on the ins ide core .

A grea t many f ragments of c lay pi pes were found in a l l pa rtsof the excava t ions . Many of these bea r the maker

’

s ini t ia l s , L .

E . , \V . E . , and R . T .,the la t ter p resumably the ma rk of Richa rd

Tyler , a ce leb ra ted p i pe maker in the v icni i tv of Ba th , England ,

in the ea rl y seventeenth cent u ry .

-1 The‘ ma rks are a l l on the

whi te c lay pi pes,the f ragments o f a red c lay pi pe bea r ing no

let ters . I t is thought tha t th i s red c lay p i pe may have been of

colonia l workmansh i p ,for i t is much th i cker than the wh i te

ones and of the red c lay appa rent ly of the sor t u sed in Amer i ca .

A s tone cel t ( pla te 7 ) or grooveles s axe , perhaps u sed by one

o f the Ind ians tha t a ttacked the house in 1675 , was found in theru ins .

Va r iou s f ragment s o f broken glass bot t les , both round and

shou ldered,were found and the s tems o f two goble t s or wine

1 R . T i ppet is sa id to have invar iably marked the p ipe bowl wi th hissurname spel l ed out in ful l .

88 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

OBJ ECT S E ! C AVA T ED AT THE J I R E H BU L L H OU S E 89

gla sses , poss i b ly f rom the fi rs t house . Bot h bot t les and glassesshow pont i l ma rks .

A grea t quant i ty of pot tery was found red,wh i te blue s tone

wa re ornamented w i th deep blue and wh i te , a few p ieces wi tha lmos t a De l f t b lue color ing

,a few da rk red , brown and whi te ,

and a l so yel low and red gra ined f ragments,the la t ter perhaps

f rom an Engl ish c ider mug . The snout of a teapot gla z edins i de has kept its shape, though broken and much the worse forwea r . Some ceramic experts cons i der tha t a l l Of the pot teryfound da tes f rom a per iod la ter than the burned house , probably ,

indeed , la ter than 1700 ,but there is very l itt le rea l knowledge at

present in rega rd to the pot tery u sed in the ea r ly colonia l per iod .

I f th i s pottery wa s made in Amer i ca ,i t certa inly was made la ter

t han 1700,but pottery of th i s type was made in England in the

1 7th centu ry,and a l l or mos t Of the pieces unea rthed may have

been imported . Indeed,i t seems probable tha t the ea r ly coloni s t s

i mported much of the i r ea rthenwa re . The r i ch ly colored and

ex tens i vel y ornamented blue and whi te f ragment s were probably pa r t Of a p iece of table- wa re

,perhaps a suga r bowl , doubt

less Of European manu factu re . There seem s to be at present noway of tel l ing whether a f ragment of ea r ly pot tery is of Engl i shor of Amer i can manu fac tu re

,and no way of determining its

date Of manu factu re except w i th in very w ide l i m i ts . The sameuncerta inty a l so exi s ts in rega rd to the glass . A lead we i gh t

( pla te 2 ) was found and a la rge qu antitv o f i ron utens i l s .

A p iece o f plas ter , ha rd for its per iod , was a l so recovered ,

but f rom which hou se is not certa in, and a l so a broken whetstone of uncerta in age .

One o f the mos t interest ing p ieces o f the i ron - work is a

so - ca l led cock s - head h inge . Th i s is the only example o f th i sstyle o f h inge a s yet found in Rhode I s land , a l though i t is one

of the Oldes t types o f h inges ,go ing back into the C las s i ca l da y s

o f Roman ant iqu i ty . Two pa i r or more of H h inges were found ,

the hand le probably of a wa rming pan , a p i ece o f an and i ron , a

d r i pping pan,pa r t of a t ramel , a shove l or two , a hoe and a

t rowel .A piece of a gun ba r rel and lock and gun fl int were found ,

9 0 RHOD E I S L AN D H I STOR I C AL SOC I ETY

wh i c h were perhaps u sed in the fight . The lock is of pa r t i cu la rinte res t

,as i t is one of the ea r l ies t of the fl int- locks

,hav ing been

made over f rom a whee l—lock . The lock may da te f rom the la te16 th centu ry

, and its t rans forma t ion to a fl int - lock probab lyoccu rred nea r the midd le of the 17t h centu ry

,and may wel l

have been the work of a co lonia l b lacksmi th .

Many interes t ing tool s were found , a hammer for s tone or

b r i ck work,a wedge

,a plane i ron, a pod auger

,a gouge

,and a

ch i sel .A st i r rup,

some b i ts,buck les and horse shoes

,perhaps da te

f rom the t ime of the rebu i l t house . The shoes are rema rkablysma l l and may have been for mules

, or the t rad i t iona l A rabs t ra in in the famou s Na r raganset t Pa ce rs may have produced a

sma l l footed horse . The na i l holes appea r a t the outer edge of

one of the shoes wh ich may or ig ina l l y have been la rger,and one

o f the b roken shoes has a sha rpened cork for wa l k ing on s l i ppery ice . A lock w i th the key rus ted into i t , found nea r the doorof the la ter house , was another t reasu red find .

The sma l ler i ron utens i ls cons i s ted of skewers for mea t . sev

era l pa i rs Of sc i ssors . kn i fe blades , h inges , a tu rn- buck le f rom a

window,bevel led mor e on one s ide than the other

,a latch bar,

some heavy sp ikes , and a grea t quant i ty of na i ls , some of wh ichwere ev ident ly floor na i l s , for they have a flat top,

made so tha ti t would l ie pa ra l lel w i t h and s ink into the wood of the floor .

I t is unders tood tha t pract i ca l j okers have recent l y bu r iedskul ls , bones and bot t les conta ining messages , in the ru ins in thehope of dece i v ing futu re excava tors .

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9 2 R H OD E I S LAN D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

V I EW OF N EWPOR T I N 1 740“

9 3

a sc r i bed the date ,and some ant iqua r ians bel ieve tha t Newe l l ’s

engrav ing is not an accu ra te copy of the pa int ing and that Ham

met t ’s da te is cor rec t , anyth ing to the cont rary in the engrav inghav ing been the resul t o f Newell

'

s'

imagination . I t is verydoubt ful , indeed , tha t Newel l or any engraver in 1864

,would

have had an accu ra te enough knowledge Of ma r ine h i s tory to

change the Revol ut iona ry vessel s of a pa int ing into» proper vessel s for 1 740 . The or ig ina l pa int ing ,

former ly at the RedwoodL i b ra ry

,has long s ince d isappea red .

A Letter from South Kingstown, 17761

( ED IT ED BY W I LL I AM D AV I S M I LL ER)

S o Kings ton . 7 Jan . 1 776 .

Dea r Adam

I glad ly embrace Oppty Champl in to inform

you tha t are in H ea l th,and t ha t your S i s ter

was del i vered on Sunday morn’

g las t Of a l i t t le a very,very

l i t t le G i r l . 3

We have a prov inc ia l A rmy of abou t 1000 men pos ted on

Rhode I s land 160 on Cononicu t who are tak ing the H ay

1 Th i s letter, unfortunately in a mu t i lated cond i t ion, is f rom the

papers of the late J udge E l i sha R . P-otter,of Kingston,

R . I . A t the t imei t wa s wr i tten the B r i t i sh were occup ied in Carry ing on a programme ofdevastat ion in Narragansett Bay and its ne i ghbor ing shores . In fact , inDecember, 1775, less than a month be fore th i s letter was wr itten,

they hadlanded upon Canonicu t I s land and had sacked and destroyed the sett lement that is now J amestown. I t was natura l , therefore , in such a t imeo f a larums and excurs ions , tha t the nerves of the Coloni s ts were tuned to

a h i gh p i tch,mak ing an ep i sode such as J udge Helme re lates exp l i cable .

2The son o f J udge Helme .

3Adam Helme’

s s i ster wa s Esther, the wi fe of Franc i s Carpenter , sonof Joseph Carpenter . The

“very,very l itt le G irl was probably the ir fi fth

ch i ld , Mary , and the date of whose b i rth wou ld , there fore be p laced a s

D ecember th i rty - first, 1775 . H is tory of the Na rragansett Chu rch ,Vol . I ,

p. 12 .

9 4 RH ODE I S LAND H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

S tock of f rom the las t ment ioned I s land . On Thu rsday ni ght“

las t the Gua rd on B Ta i l 5 saw 7 some say 3 of t hei rown Men coming over the Beach toward t hem who they tookfor VVa l lace

’

s ma r ines" inc reased the numbers81 the i r Imagina t ion fi ll

'

d the I s land w i th A rmed Enemies w i thou t wa i t ing to in form themsel ves or fi r ing a Gun they qu i tedthei r S ta t ion cross

’

d the Bay 81 A larm

’

d the Naraganset S hore .

The Consterna t ion was beyond desc r i pt ion . The \Yomin ha l fnaked qu i t the i r H ouses wi th the i r ch i ld ren in the i r a rms . The

Men f rom the ad j acent Pa r ts col lec ted in Numbers a rmed somew i th Guns some wi t h C l ub -s. some wi th Dogs to oppose the

Enemy when adv i ce came f rom Canonicut th at a l l was qu ietthere . Fou r of the Fug i t i ves a rmed at a ll Points were met by a

s ingle unarmed man who tol d them they were his Pr i soners 81t hey su rrendered w i th ou t oppos i t ion 8: were then lead to H ead

Qua rters where I hea r the i r Puni shment is to be tarr ’

d feath

ered .

The week be fore las t GenI Lee7 came to Newpor t put theTown in grea t Cons terna t ion se i zed ColO JOS Wanton M r .

B i s set M r . Bou rs Mr .

-

Letchmere M r . N i chols M r . Bea l s f romwhom he extor ted Oa ths 9 some in h igh others inmore qua l ified Terms

4 January fourth , 1776.

5 Beaver Ta i l,the southern point o f Canonicu t I s land .

6Capta in S i r James Wa l lace , Of the B r i t i sh Fr i gate R os e, who for

severa l years terror i z ed and deva stated the i s lands and shores of Narragansett Bay. I t is the same Wa l la ce to whom Capta in Abraham Wh i pp lesent his defiant rep ly,

A lways catc‘h a man before you hang him.

”

7Genera l Charles Lee wa s one o f the fou r Ma j or—Genera l s appo intedby the Cont inenta l Congress in J une,

1775 . B ecau se of the attack on the

i s land o f Canonicut, ment ioned in Note 1 , Lee was ordered to the i s land of

Rhode I s land to take charge of the s i tuation. H e arr ived in N ewport,

December 3 1,1775.

8Joseph Wanton,N i cholas Letchmere and R i chard B ea l re f u sed to

S i gn the oath and were taken a s pr i soners to Prov idence . Letchmere and

Bea l were Cu stoms Officers , and a l l the men ment ioned were prominentTor ies . P rov idence Gaz ette, January 6, 1776.

9A copy of the oath s i gned by Bours is printed in A rnold’

s H is toryof Rhode I s land , V ol . I I , p . 365

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96 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

Notes

There is a long account of “l i l l iam B lacks tone,the ea r ly

set t ler of Rhode I s land ,in vol ume 1 1 , number 2 , Of the Contri

bu tions of the Lore-el l H is torical S ociety, Janua ry , 192 5 .

The New E ngland H is torica l and Genea logi ca l R egis ter for

Janua ry , 192 5 , conta ins an account Of the ances t ry of GovernorJohn C rans ton of Rhode I s land

,and a l so add i t iona l ma ter ia l on

the Engl i sh ances t ry of the Coggesha l l Fami ly .

Antiqu es for Ma rch,192 5

,conta ins an i l l u s t ra ted b iograph i ca l

sketch of W’

i l l iam H aml in,Rhode I s land ’

s ea r l ies t engraver,together w i th a c heck l i s t of his engrav ings , by M i ss G ladys R .

Lane , a l so an i l l ust ra ted a rt i c le on b lock - f ront f u rni t u re,as.

cribed to Go dda rd of Newpor t , and an i l l us t ra ted account ofthe exh i b i t ion of fire—sacks hel d at the Rhod e I s land H is tor i ca lSoc iety .

The fol lowing persons have been elec ted to membersh i pthe Soc iety :

Mrs . T . Shaw Sa feMrs . E . Bruce M er r imanMrs . E ver itte S . Cha ffeeM r . A r thu r H . A rmingtonMrs . Cha r les A . Ca lderM r . H erbert J .

M r . A l f red S . B rownel ll\ l r . I vory Littlefield

H on. W i l l iam S . F lynn presented to the Soc iety an or i g ina lmanu sc r ipt Rhode I s land Revol u t iona ry muster rol l da ted 1780 .

M r . Cha r les D . Cook has recent l y pu rchased a powder hornbea r ing a

' map Of Prov idence .

M r . John R . H ess has g iven to the Soc iety a col lec t ion Of

photograph i c nega t i ves of places of interes t .

M r . A lber t B . Coul tersM r . John B . BranchM r . Ra lph M . G reenlawMrs . George H . FowlerM r . H erber t \V . RiceM r . S . Fos ter H untM r . J . J . Bodel lMr . Dav i d P . Mou l ton

NOTES 9 7

A very important col lect ion o f new spapers,con

ta ining ove r fi f ty vol umes , wa s g i ven to the Soc iety by M r .

George A . Smi th and M r . H enry E . The col lec t ioninc ludes a fi le o f the Pa triot f rom 1843 to 1904

,and vol umes of

the Da ily R eporter,the Va l ley R ep ubl ican and the Woon-socle et

S entinel ,

M r . Paul E . Bu rhoe , B rown’

26 , recent l y found the f ragment of an Ind ian soaps tone pla t form pi pe between R ed Br idgeand the River Road

,and p resented th i s interest ing spec imen to

the Soc iety .

The P rov idence Gaz ette for October 8 ,18 19 ,

conta ins an

i tem wh i ch shows that at t ha t t ime the norther ly pa r t o f Sout hMa in S t reet was ca l led “

H i gh H olb-orn.

”

The Soc iety has obta ined the photosta t of a deed in the handwr i t ing Of Roger W i l l iams dated Ma rch 24

,By th i s

document Ph i l i p Tabor Of Prov i dence deeded S i x ac res of

land ly ing sc i tuate 81 be ing in t ha t t ract of land commonl y ca l ledthe Neck , wh i ch sa i d S i x ac res of land was sol d unto me by M r .

John Sayles o f Prov i dence and is scituated on the South s i dewi th the land of the W iddow Man

, on the North w i th a h ighway 81 on the wes t and the east w i th highways” to Na thanielWa terman,

Sen ior . The deed was w i tnessed by Roger W i l l iamsand ev ident ly re fers to the or ig ina l home lot of W i l l iam Burrows . Thi s document proves tha t Ph i l i p Tabor was l i v ing threeyears la ter than any re ference to h im tha t is g iven in Aus t in

'

s

Genealogica l Dictionary.

Mrs . Comstock has added to the Richa rd \V . Coms tock , Jr . ,

Memor ia l Col lec t ion a sextant made in Newport in 1776 byW i l l iam G . H agger .

There was an unusua l l y la rge a t tendance at the Sunday a f ternoon ta l ks th i s spring , the average being abou t one hund red persons

,wh ich is a la rger number than the lec tu re room can seat .

These lectu res were i l l us tra ted w i t h s tereopt i con s l i des and

were as fol lows

9 8 RHODE I S L AN D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

Ma rch l st. M r . Homer Ea ton Keyes , of Boston : Some Unfami l ia r A spec ts of Colonia l C ra f tsmansh i p .

M a rch 1 5th . M r . Norman M . I sham of Prov idence : The

Amer i can of the M et ropol i tan Mu seum .

Apr i l 5 th . M r . C la rkson A . Col l ins, Jr .

,of New York : S h ips ,

Sh i p Models and Sa i lors .

”

M r . Col l ins was able to Show only ha l f the number Of hiss l i des in

'

the a l lot ted t ime,and wi l l Show the rema ining S l i des at

a lectu re next fa l l .

A t the Apr i l meet ing , Mrs . A l i ce Col l ins G leeson gave a ta l kent i t led “

The Teach ing of Rhode I s land H i s tory to S choolCh i l d ren,

”and expla ined the work she is doing in connect ion

wi th lec tu r ing to the c lasses of ch i ld ren who v i s i t the Soc iety'

s

museum fou r or five a f ternoons each week .

Civ il l /Var Tokens and Tradesmen’

s Gards is the t itle of a

vol ume by George H etrich and Ju l i us Gu ttag recent ly i s sued at

New York . I t l i sts some 2 2 3 tokens i ssued at Prov idence for

u se as money du r ing the shor tage Of cu rrency in the C i v i l \Var .

The Prov i dence tokens cons i s t of combina t ions of some 20

des i gns ; many of whi ch a re i l l us t ra ted in the book .

M r . H enry I . Richmond has presented to the Soc iety a Cop-

y

of the manusc r i p t pla t showing the or ig ina l lay—ou t of the landin L i t t le Compton .

The Soc iety o f Colonia l Dames in Rhode I s land has publ ished an h is tor i ca l map of Rhode I s land , wh ich is d i s t r i bu tedby the Rhode I s land H i s tor i ca l Soc iety to the ch i ld ren who v i s i tthe Soc iety a s par t of the i r school work .

M i s s L i l ian B . M iner’s Our S tate R hode I s land,an i l l us t ra ted

h i s tory for u se in the sc hool s , was publ i shed in Apr i l .

Burril l z i i-l le , R . T. , and the Ca thol ic Gltu rch,an h is tor i ca l

sket ch bv R ev:T . E . Ryan, has j u St’

been i ssued by the author .

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I OO RHODE I S L AN D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

The N inigret Portrait

A ccord ing to t rad i t ion,the sachem N ini g ret on one occas ion

saved the l i fe of Governor John W inth rop, Junior , and on

account of this S i gna l serv i ce and other k indnesses , the Govc ruor , in gra t i tude, had Ninigret

’

s por t ra i t pa inted . Thi s port ra i t was handed down in the New York branch of the fami lyand is at present owned by Mrs . Rober t W inthrop .

I t is ment ioned by Savage in his 182 5 ed i t ion of Winth rop ’sH i s tory ” and is d i scus sed by Rider in “Book Notes” XX IX ,

p . 30 - 3 1 . A ccord ing to t rad i t ion,the por t ra i t was pa inted at

Boston in 1647,bu t R i der seeks to es tabl i sh 1637 as

'

the da te .

An engrav ing based on th i s por t ra i t is pr inted in D rake ’

s“H is

tory of Bos ton”and repr inted by R ider . Anot her engrav ing

based on t h i s port ra i t appea rs as f ront i sp iece of Denison’

s

Wester ly and I ts W i tnesses .

”The engrav ings d i ffer f rom the

pa int ing not i ceab ly in rega rd to the neck lace,the kni fe and the

background .

I t would be interes t ing to know to whom to asc r i be the pa inting of th i s very ea r l y Amer i can port ra i t .

D R . TOR R EY AND H I S R EC ORD B OOK OF MA RR I A GES 1 0 1

F i rs t Page of Dr . Torrey ’s Record of Marria g es

I OZ RHOD E I S L AN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

Dr . Joseph Torrey and h is Record Book of

Marriages

BYW I LL I AM DAV I S M I LLER .

The fi rs t au thent i ca ted record rega rd ing the l i fe of JosephTor rey Of Tower H i l l in Sout h K ings town,

doctor of d iv ini tyand of med i c ine, is t ha t of his ma r r iage in the yea r 1730 . Infor

mat ion concerning h im pr ior to tha t da te is d i fficu l t to Obta inand is la rgel y a mat ter of specu la t ion. There was , however,born in the Town of Weymou th

,in the then County of Suffol k,

in Massachusett s , on Oc tober 19 ,a Joseph Torrey , son of

Joseph and E l i zabeth Symmes ) Torrey of tha t town .

I t has been genera l l y a ccepted tha t t h i s. Jos eph Torrey te

corded in the Weymou th Records was the Dr . Joseph Tor reylater of Tower H i l l

,and there are severa l fac ts t ha t would

reasonably pe rm i t i t to be assumed as correc t . D r . Tor rey’

s

grave s tone is insc r i bed “d ied the 2 5th Novr 1 79 1 in the 85th

yea r of his age and the 61 S t of his M in i st ry .

” 2 H e would , therefore

,have been born in e i t her the years 1706 or 1707, but prob

ably the la t ter , a s a f ter Oc tober 19 , 179 1 , he wou ld indeed be in

his ei ghty - fi fth yea r . There have a lso been pers istent rumors ,usua l l y s ta ted as fac ts , tha t D r . Torrey was a gradua te of Har

va rd Col lege in 1728, at the age of twenty - one .

3 Thi s is sub

stantiated by the w i l l of Joseph T'

orrey of Weymouth , ment ionedin the preced ing pa ragraph

,wh ich s ta tes ;

“to my son Jos eph his

1Weymou th V i ta l Records , N . E . H i stor i c and Genea log i ca l Reg ister,Vol . I , p . 3 1 1 .

2Through an unfortunate m i spr int in M i s s Caro-l ine Ha z ard ’

s

Anchors of Trad i t ion, the date of Dr . Torrey’

s dea th is g iven a s 1807, at

the ag e of 83 ( p . Under the da te of S ep tember 2 1 , 1788, E z raS t i le s , in h is d iary ,

notes th a t I re tu rned to the Ferry by R ev ( 1 D r .

Torreys , a e . 8 1

3Qu inquennia l Cata logue of the Offi cers and Graduates of HarvardUnivers i ty, Cambr idge, 19 15, p . 129 .

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1 0 4 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

daughter of Capta in Jeremiah W i l l son and his fi rs t w i fe Ann

(Manoxon).

8 Dr . Mac-S parran,

soon to be Torrey ’s lega lopponent in the M inis t ry land d ispute, per formed the ceremony .

There were seven ch i l d ren born by th is union,one Of whom ,

Ol i ver, d ied at early age .

9

On December 4 , 173 1 fou r gent lemen of Kings town ad

dressed the author i t ies of the Congrega t iona l Church , in Bos ton,

w i th the reques t tha t Dr . Torrey be set t led among them to

preach , t here hav ing been no one in tha t loca l i ty s ince the depa r tu re of Samuel N i les in Th is was granted , and inApr i l of the fol lowing year the au thor i t ies were aga in pet i t ioned ,th i s t ime wi th the reques t tha t Torrey be orda ined .

A s a resu l t , a church was formed and on May 17,1732 ,

Tor rey was orda ined , 1 1 the firs t Congrega t iona l m inis ter by ord ina t ion in South K ings town, by the R ev . Samue l N i les , R ev . John

Webb , R ev . Tho-mas Pr ince and the R ev . James Sear ing .

W i t h in a short per iod a f ter his ord ina t ion D r . Torrey wasinvol ved in l i t iga t ion

,for and in beha l f Of h is Church , for the

posses s ion of the t rac t of land set as i de by the or i g ina l Pet ta

quamscut Pu rchasers , in 1668,and des ignated by them , wi t h

intent iona l ambigu i ty as“For the M inist ry . D r . Mac

8Genea log ica l D i ct ionary of Rhode I s land , J . 0 . Aust in,p . 230 .

9The ch i ldren were : E l i z abeth,born Ju ly 19 , 173 1 , marr ied Edward

Adams of Ki l l ing ly, Conn. ; Joseph , born February 4 , marr iedDecember, 1757, Hannah F i sk, d ied February ( S ee not ice inP rov idence Gaz ette

,March 3 1 , l ived in Ki l l ing ly ; Ol iver, born

February 14, d ied young ; Ann,

born May 13,1737, marr ied

Thomas Hawk ins , May 25, 1758 ; Samuel Holden, born 1738, marr iedAnn Gou ld , d ied 1786 ; M ary

,marr ied W

’

m.

-V . Pol lock of South Kingstown ; and Lucy,

marr ied an Osgood of Boston.

1 0There had been four Congregat iona l preachers settled in SouthKingstown pr ior to D r . Torrey :Woodward , Danforth , Flynt and N i les .

( Early H i story of N arragansett , E . R . Potter, p .

1 1H istory of the Narragansett Church , Vol . I , p . 374 .

1 2The Purchasers , be ing members of both the Churc h of Eng land and

of the Congregationa l Church , and fear ing the resu l t of definite ass ignment of the land to e i ther Church , cho se th i s means of Compromise .

( Early H i story of Narragansett , pp . 123 - 130, and H i story of the Narragansett Church , V ol . I , pp . 76 The land conta ined abou t 300 acresand was s i tuated to the east o f , and near to Wordens Pond in Sou th

D R . TOR R EY AND H I S REC ORD BOOK OF MA R R IA G ES 1 0 5

Spa r ren1 3 c la imed th is land for the Church Of England and for

twenty yea rs ,f rom 1732 unt i l 1752 ,

when D r . Tor rey emergedv i ctor ious , the lega l confl i c t was waged by the representa t i ves ofthe two churches .

D r . Tor rey ’

s fi rs t w i fe d ied in 174 1 and on May 2 4,1750 he

mar r ied , at S toneham ,Mass ,

E l i zabeth F i sk , the daughter of

the R ev . John F i sk of Ki l l ingly,Connec t i cu t ,“ Who was the fi rs t

orda ined pa stor Of the Congrega t iona l Church in Putnam . E l i za ~

be th F i sk would appea r to have been the S i s ter of Hannah,who

la ter ma r r ied Joseph Tor rey,j unior . Bv his second w i fe ,

D r .

Tor rey had e i gh t ch i ld ren,

1 5two of whom d ied in in fancy and

whose names are unknown .

D r . Tor rey ’

s meet ing house s tood on an ac re of land , g ivenby Judge Samuel Sewel l and his w i fe H annah in 1707

,wh ich

was s i tua ted on the easter ly s i de of the Pos t Road on TowerH i l l and south of the road wh i ch leads to the Pettaquamscut, orNa r row , River . Tor rey l i ved on the south s i de of the roadlead ing wes twa rd f rom the Pos t Road , a short d is tance to the

south of the Chu rc h lot.

1 6 Upd ike savs tha t “The Church

ga thered by Dr . Tor rey was neve r large , bu t yet wa s respectablein numbers dw ind l ing , however , in the la t ter pa r t of his l i fe .

” 1 7

Kingstown. The tract appears on severa l p lats Of the Purchase , one of

wh i c h has been publ i shed in the firs t vo lume of R hode I s land Land Ev ideuces , R . 1 . H i stor i ca l Soc iety, Prov idence, 192 1 . Th is land was eventu

a l ly so ld and the proceeds now form a f und in the treasury of the Churc hin Kingston.

1 3Dr . James MacS parran was a mini ster of the Church o f Eng landand res ident in South Kingstown. An exce l lent account of his l i fe appearsas an Introduct ion to his

“D iary ed i ted by the Rev . D aniel Goodwin,

Boston, 1899 .

1 4E l i z abeth F i sk wa s born abou t 172 1 and d ied J u l y 16,1780 . ( The

Torrey Fami l ies and the i r Ch i ldren in Amer i ca,Vol . I , p . S t i les ’

D iary,V ol . I , p . 165 and note . D r . F i sk is el sewhere ment ioned as hav ing

large estates in Ki l l ing ly. D r . Torrey owned a house and fi f ty acres inthat Town at the t ime of his death ( Jo

’

seph Torrey'

s wi l l ) S t i les statesthat D r . F i sk d ied May 14, 1773

“aet 90 81 supra , emer itu s .

1 5Ch i ldren were : John F i sk, born 1750 ; Ol iver, W i l l iam, Ab iga i l ,Sarah and E l i z abeth .

1 6 In his w i l l ( Sou th Kingstown Probate Record s , Book VI , pp . 246

7 D r . Torrey g ives the bounds of my Mans ion House Land .

1 7H i story of the Narragansett Church , V ol . I , p . 124.

1 0 6 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

E z ra S t i les wr i tes in his d ia ry tha t at the age of 8 1 yea rs , D rTor rey wa s unable to preach—“

No M eetg hel d at his meetg

houseD r . Torrey d ied November 2 5, 179 1 1 9 in his e ighty - fi fth year

and a f ter over s i x ty - one yea rs serv i ce to the communi t y as

mini s ter to its phys i ca l 2 0 and sp i r i tua l wel l be ing . H is grave ,

wi th the graves of his wives on e i ther s i de,l ies in the sma l l

overgrown bit of ground where many of his pa r i sh ioners are

bur ied and where his meet ing house s tood .

There was recent ly found among the pa pers col lected by thela te Hon . E l i sha R . Pot ter of Kingston,

a sma l l “home made”

copy book wh i ch , upon examina t ion,proved to be the records of

the names etc of the persons joyned together in Ma r r iage byJoseph Tor rey . The records

,cover ing a per iod of for ty—seven

yea rs , 1736 - 1 783,are in the Doctor ’s own hand ,

wh ich l oses itss t rength , bu t not its c la r i ty , as the pages are fi l led . These recordsare publ i shed liere

,for wha t is be l ieved to be the fi rs t t ime

, and

in the hope tha t t hey w i l l be of genea log i ca l va l ue and interes t .

A Record of the Names 81C of the persons joyned together inMa r r iage by Joseph Tor re

‘y Pastor of the Chts : of Chr i s t inSouth K ings town.

Anno Dom i : 1736 the persons fol lowingW i l l iam Enos 81 Sa rah Lad :both of th i s Town were Law ful ly

joyned together in Ma rr iage c r 17th 1736

Ol i ver H as z ard of th i s Town 81 E l i sabeth Raymond of New

London :were Lawfu l l y joyned together in Ma r r iage . Decr 9 th

1736

1 8L i terary D iary of E z ra S t i les , Vol . I I I , p . 330 .

1 9Not ices of his death appeared in the P rov id ence Gaz ette,Decem

ber 24,179 1 , and the U . S . Chroni cle, December 179 1 . A lso the S t i les'

D iary, V ol . 1 1 1 , p . 437. The date is g iven as inscr ibed on his gravestone.

2 0 I t is interest ing to no te that D r . Torrey was voted Two Poundsby the Assembly in 1751 (Act and Resolves , November, 1751 ) for servi ces rendered in connect ion wi th the Case of the murderer Thomas Carter . Th i s was probably for med i ca l attent ion, as Dr . MacS parran actedwi th z ea lou s ab i l ity as Carter ’s S p i r i tua l “adv i sor . ( H i story of the Narragansett Church and a l so MacS parran

'

s D iary, p . XXVI . )

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I o8 RHOD E I S LAND H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

Joshua Ti ff t 81 Sa rah P inda r ( Ind ians ) both Of th i s Townwere Law ful ly joyned together in Marr iage Augus t 2 d 1739M r . Samuel N i les JunIr Of Bra int ree in the Prov ince of the

Ma ssachu set ts Bay 81 M i ss Sa rah N i les ( the Daughter Of M r .

Na th1 81 Mrs Ma ry N i les of Sou th Kings town) were Law ful ly

Joyned together In Ma r r iage Decr 20 1 739W i l l iam Ca l lahan Res i d ing in t h i s Town 81 Ma ry Nor ton of

James Town were Law fu l ly Joyned together in Ma r r iage Feb

17th 1739 .

Jonas Bel ton Of Groton in the Colony of Connecticu tt 81

Tabi tha N i les ( the Daughtlr of M r Na th1 81 Mary N i les) were

Law fu l ly joyned together in Ma r r iage Apr i l 3d 1740James Rose Res i d ing in th i s Town 81 Sarah Bel l ington of th i s

Town were Law fu l l y Joyned together in Ma rr iage Apr i l 20th

1740

Joseph H amand Junrof th i s Town 81 E l i sabet h ( the Daughter

of John 81 Mercy ) Pa ine of James Town were Law ful ly joynedtogether in Ma rr iage Ju ly l 0

th 1740 .

Joseph H ol loway and Ka t her ine H annah both of th is Townwere Law ful ly joyned together in Ma r r iage Ma rch 1 l th 1740M i chael A rms t rong and Lyd ia Mot t both of North K ings town

were Law ful ly joyned together in M a r r iage Ma rch 12 th

S imeon Pa lmer and Sa rah N i les (Daughter Of Ebenezer 81Ab iga i l N i les) both of th i s Town were Lawf u l ly joyned toget herin Ma r r iage Ma rch 2 5I s rael Peircy and Dorothy W i l k inson both of th is Town were

Law fu l ly Joyned together in Ma r r iage May 2 3d 1742

John Gardner Of th is Town 81 Mercy W i l k inson Of Cha r lestown were Law fu l ly Joyned together in Ma r r iage June 24

th 1742

Na than Ga rdner 81 Ka ther ine ( the Daughter of Mr Nathl 81

Ma ry) N i les Both Of t h is Town were Law fu l ly Joyned togetherin Ma r r iage Oct“ 2 1 . 1742

John Pot ter ( son of I chabod ) and E l i zabeth H annah both of

th i s Town were Law ful ly Joyned together in Marr iage Feb . 20 .

1742 .

James H a s z ard 81 Sa rah Cummock ( Ind ians) both of t h i sTown were Law ful ly Joyned together in Marr iage May 1

S t 1743 .

DR . TORR EY AN D H I S R ECORD BOOK OF MA RR I A G ES 1 0 9

W i l l iam Caswel l 81 the W i dow Susannah H agga r Both of th i sTown were Law ful ly Joyned together in Marr iage S ep

tr 4 . 1743

Jonathan Johnson 81 Pat ience H asz ard ( Ind ians ) both of t h isTown were Lawful ly Joyned toget her in Ma r r iage Oc tr 20th

1743 .

John Grenman 81 theW i dow H annah Smi th bot h Of th i s Townwere Law ful ly Joyned toget her in Ma r r iage Novr 24 . 1743 .

Nathan J ackwise 81 the W i dow Jemima Parr bot h of th i sTown were Law ful ly Joyned together in Ma r r iage D c c lr 8th 1743 .

La tham C lark 81 Lucy Mum ford both of th i s Town wereLaw fu l ly Joyned together in Ma r r iage Jany 19 th 1743 .

John Bent 81 Ma ry B i l l ington both of th is Town were Lawf u l ly Joyned toget her in Ma rr iage Febr 2 1743 .

Thomas Ga rdner ( S o-n of W i l l iam Gardner) of th i s Town 81Mary H i gg inbotham of North K ingstown were Law ful ly Joynedtogether in Ma r r iage Ap ri l 1 2 . 1744 .

Jacob Ha s z ard 81 Ruth A l len ( Ind ians) both of th i s Townwere Law ful ly Joyned together in Ma r r iage May 20

th 1744 .

Cha r les Campbel l 81 Ma ry Sweet Both of t h i s Town wereLawfu l ly joyned together in Ma r r iage Novr 14 . 1744 .

Capt S i las N i les and Mr s H annah Mum ford bot h of th is Townwere Law ful ly Joyned toget her in Ma rr iage Decr 9 . 1744 .

Joseph Au st in 81 Ma ry Lee Bot h of Nort h K ings ton wereLawf u l ly Joyned together in Ma r r iage Declr 22 1744 .

Samuel W i l lson and Hannah ( the Daughter of Immanuel 81Hannah ) Case bot h of th i s Town we re Law fu l ly joyned togetherin Ma rriage Decr 30 . 1744 .

Pr imus a Mu la t to man 81 W i dow H anna h Toby an Ind ianWoman both of th is Town were Law ful ly Joyned together inMa r r iage March 3 d 1744 .

Rowse Helme And M ercy Thomas both of North K ingstonwere Law fu l ly Marr ied Ma rch 24 . 1744 .

W i l l iam Ti sda le Res i d ing in this Town 81 Lucy Hamand of

North K ings ton were Law ful ly Joyned together in MarriageMay 2 3 1745 .

Bened i c t H elme 81 Sa rah H elme both of th is Town were Lawf u l ly Joyned toget her in Mar r iage Novr 2 . 1746 .

1 1 0 R HOD E I S L A N D H I S TOR I C A L S OC I ETY

Joseph Hol laway 81 ab iga i l N i les bot h of t h is Town wereLaw fu l ly Joyned together in Ma rr iage Nov r 30 . 1 746 .

Joseph B i l l ington 81 Ab iga i l B raman both Of th is Town wereLaw ful ly Joyned together in Marr iage Decr 2 1 . 1746 .

James H as z ard a Mu llatto Man 81 Sarah S am an Ind ian\Moman both of t h i s Town were Law ful ly j oyned together inMarr iage March 2 2 . 1746 .

Ol i ver Tenant and Barba ry Fowler both of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Joyned toget her in Ma rr iage Apr i l 3 . 1747 .

James Fry Res i d ing in th i s Town 81 the W i dow Mary R eynolds of t h i s Town were Law fu l ly j oyned together in Marr iageMay 1747 .

Paul N i les 81 Lucannah Keen both of t h i s Town were Lawf u l ly j oyned toget her in Ma r r iage Jany 3 . 1747 .

James Buckm inster 81 Penelope N i les both of th is Town wereLaw ful ly joyned together inMa rr iage Jany 7 . 1747

John Pot ter Esqr and Mrs E l i zabeth H asz ard (Daughter of

S tephen H as z ard E sqlrand Ma ry H as z ard ) both o f th is Town

were Law fu l ly Joyned together in Ma r r iage Oc tr 19 . 1749 .

W i l l iam Cons table 81 the W i dow Rebecca Rogers were Lawf u l ly joyned together in Ma r r iage Aug . 12 . 1750 .

John Duglass 81 Lyd ia Tr i pp both of th is Town were Lawf u l ly j oyned together in Marr iage S eptr 9 . 1750 .

E l i sha Lewi s Res i d ing in th i s Town Sa rah B raman Of

th i s ( sic) we ( s ic) Law ful ly Joyned toget her in Marr iage Novr

19 .

Na than Gorham Res i d ing in th i s Town 81 Susannah Kel l y ofth is Town were Law fu l ly j oyned together in Ma r r iage May

Ephra i m D rake Res i d ing w i th in Town 81 Rhoda Oa t ley of

th i s Town were Law fu l ly j oyned together in Ma r r iage Novr

1 . 1750 .

Rynser Quackenbush Ann Arnol d both res i d ing in t h isTown we re Law ful ly j oyned together in Marr iage June 2 3 .

175 1 .

H olloway 81 E l i sabe th Potter both of t h i s Town Townwere Law ful ly j oyned together in Marr iage Novr 2 . 175 1

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1 1 2 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC I ETY

The Memoranda of Wi l l iam Green

By H ENRY S . FRASER

(Continued)

Dur ing the command o f V i ce - Admi ra l A rbuthnot in Nor thAmer i ca

,but wh i l s t he wa s ac tua l l y w i t h the fleet in Ga rd iner

’

s

Bay at the eas t end Of Long I s land , a le tter was rece i ved f romGenera l Wa sh ington, the da te of whic h I cannot d i s t inc t lyrecol lec t at th i s present w r i t ing ,

1add ressed to the command ing

Offi cer of H is Ma j esty ’

s squad ron at New York , and compla in ingin c i v i l and modera te term s of the t rea tment of ou r Amer i cannava l p r i soners , accord ing to the repor ts which had been madeto h im . Capta in Dawson,

2of the R enown3 of 50 guns , happened

to be in the tempora ry command of the por t,and as I happened

acc i denta l l y to be there at the t ime,he sent to ask my adv i ce as to

wha t shou ld be done , and i f any answer at a l l wa s necessa ry tobe gi ven to the let ter . I thought i t a fforded a favorable Oppor

tunity of cor rec t ing the mi stakes and fa l sehoods whi ch had beenin c i rcu la t ion upon the subj ec t , and I there fore recommended toCapta in Dawson to appoint a respec table commi t tee to cons i s t of

persons d i s interes ted as to the points and mat ters in quest ion,

and respectable for rank and character , to go into a f u l l inves t i

gation of the subj ec t and to prepa re a fu l l and ample report ,tak ing the letter Of Genera l Wa sh ington a s the bas i s of the i rproceed ings .

The ind i v i dua l s thu s selec ted were Ruper t George,Esqu i re,

a capta in in the navy,

4a ma jor in the Br i t i sh a rmy

,and two

1The letter was dated Jan. 25,178 1 . I t is pr inted in W . C. Ford

, ed . ,

The Writings of George Washing ton,IX

,1 19 - 120 .

2Capta in George Dawson was a ct ing capta in of the R enow n underS ir R i chard Howe, and capta in of the f r i gate I ris under Arbuthnot . He

was present at the act ion off the Chesapeake, March 16, 178 1 . H e wasd i smi ssed f rom the serv i ce in 1783 for mi sconduc t in the Med i terranean.

Clowes , I I I , 406, 492 n. S chomberg, V , 348 .

3Capta in Dawson was attached at th is time to the I r is .

’

S ee his letterto Wash ington dated on that sh i p , Feb. 2 , 178 1 . Wash ington Papers,L ibrary o f Congress .

4Rupert George was commander of the Avenger . The R oya l Gaz ette,

( N . Feb. 10, 178 1 .

T H E MEMORA NDA OF W I LL I AM GREE N 1 1 3

Amer i can capta ins Of merchant vessel s , who were actua l l y at

tha t t ime pr i soners Of war confined on boa rd the J ersey,or one

of the other pr i son sh i ps .

1 I do not now recol lec t the ma j or ’sname

,but he was an Officer Of d i s t ingu i shed mer i t

,and Capta in

George ,though an officer eminent [for ] ga l lant ry , was equa l ly

known and respec ted for the humane and amiable t ra i ts in h ischa rac ter . H e was , a fter the peace, L ieutenant Governor of

Nova S cot ia and a Commi ss ioner of the Na vy at H a l i fax .

2 The

Amer i can capta ins were hones t men o f pla in good sense and

per fect ly competent f rom the i r own knowledge and exper ienceto communi ca te and es tabl i sh the fac ts in i ssue wi th t ruth and

j us t i ce .

The most ser iou s a t tent ion was bes towed upon the subj ect,wh ich occup ied these gent lemen some days

,when they made

the i r repor t to Capta in Dawson o f the resul t Of thei r labors ,which showed and proved fu l ly tha t the compla ints and c lamorswhich had been cu rrent ly c i rcu la ted as to the t reatment of thesepr i soners e i ther in the J ers ey or e l sewhere were fa l se and

unfounded . Thi s repor t was a ttes ted by a ll the gent lemen to

1 Th i s is a l l qu ite fi ct i t iou s . There was no B r i t i sh ma jor and no

Amer i can on the committee . The commi ttee wa s composed as fol lows :Capta in George Dawson

,Commander of the I r is ; Capta in Rupert George ,

Commander of the Aveng er ; Capta in James Ba ttersby,o f the 2 9th

Reg iment of Foo-t ; and Ens ign De Chambau lt, of the 24th Reg iment ofFoot . The R ova l Gaz ette, ( N . Feb. 10

,178 1 .

2 S i r Rupert George,Bart . wa s born at S t . S tephen'

s Green ,Dubl in

,

Jan. 16, 1749 ; marr ied at Ha l i fax , Nova S cot ia ,June 30

,1782 ,

Margaret,

daughter of Thomas Cochren, of the P rov ince o f Ha l i fax . H e was promoted to the rank of capta in,

Nov . 29,178 1

,and in 1795 bec‘ame one of

the Commi ss ioners Of Transport . On Sept . 18 ,1809 , he wa s created a

baronet , and d ied at W il lesdenhou se,M idd lesex

, J an. 25,1823 . Green

may have conf u sed his later l i fe with that of his son,S i r Rupert Denn is

George, who was sworn in as prov inc ia l secretary of Nova S cot ia ,J une

13,18 14 . The father wa s never l ieutenant governor . John M arsha l l ,

R oya l Nava l B iog raphy , I I , 70—7 1 ; The Gentleman’

s llf agaz ine, 1823 , P t .I,p . 47 1 ; S chomberg , V ,

2 13, 354. For S i r Rupert D . George, see T . C.

Ha l iburton,A n H is torica l and S tatis tica l A ccount of Nova S cotia ,

I,294.

3Green probably had in mind the fact that s ix Amer i can offi cers , whowere pr i soners at the t ime ,

a ttested the report . whi ch was sent to

Wash ington. S ee R eport of an E nqu iry made this Day [Feb 2, 178 1 ]

on board H is Maj es ty’

s P r ison S hip the J ersey under the Command ofLieutenant S porne of the R oya l Navy respecting the trea tment and u sage

of the Nava l P r isoners in a l l cases . W'ash ington Papers , L ibrary o f

Congress .

1 1 4 RH OD E I S LAND H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

whom the examina t ion had been commi tted,and pr inted and

publ i shed in the New York newspapers ,1of whic h copies were

sent to Genera l W'

ash ington in reply to his remons t rance upon

the subj ec t , and wh ich set the ma t ter at res t,unt i l some years

a f ter the peace,when i t was raked up aga in f rom the mi re of

ob l i v ion to serve the pu rposes of a ha l f - c ra zy democ racy in the

c i ty of New York .

2 The repor t is pr inted in one of the ed i t ionsof Genera l VVa shington

’

s let ters .

3

But i f t hese compla int s had been founded in t ru th and fac t ,a s they were not

, Congress had i t in the i r own power to apply aremedy by send ing in suppl ies to make good the supposed deficiency in the King

’

s a l lowance of p rov i s ions to men ac t ing underthei r author i ty

,whose a l legiance they c la imed

,and who ca l led

for the i r p rotect ion,though in va in . Wha tever had been sent

in might have been fa i th fu l ly appl ied by Commi s sa r ies in charge,

bu t though the subj ec t wa s c lamorou s l y and loud ly ta l ked of in

tha t body,i t wa s t ru ly vow et praeterea nihil nor coul d i t wel l

be ot herw i se,as they were rea l l y des t i tu te of the resources

necessa ry for the supply of the Colonia l t roops under the i mmed ia te command of Genera l VVashingto-n wi th food and c loth ing ,who were serv ing under t he i r own eyes .

1 Th i s report with a ffidav i ts was pr inted in three insta l lments in TheR oya l Gaz ette, ( N . Feb . 10, 14,

17,178 1 . I t a l so appeared in The

New- York Gaz ette and the Weekly Mer cury,Feb . 12

,178 1 .

2 Shortly a f ter the pea ce, the nat ives o f Long I s land not i ced a quant ityof bones exposed on the shore near where the J ersey had been moored .

They were the rema ins of those who had d ied on the pr i son sh ips . A

movement was soon under way for a fi tt ing bur ia l,and in 1793 , the owner

of the property,John Jackson

,proposed tha t the interment take place

under the d irect ion of the Tammany Soc iety,or C-olumbian Order, of

wh i c h organi z at ion he was a Sachem. A f ter cons iderable delay the ceremonies too-k p la ce in 1808

,and to the sound of cannon and a f ter a

sensationa l parade,the pa tr iots were la id at rest . H . R . S t i les , A H is tory

of the City of B rooklyn,I,3 62 - 376.

3 Th i s report wi th severa l ac company ing affidav its may be found inf u l l in Epistles Domestic

, Confidentia l , and Ofi cia-l, from General Wash

ing ton,pp . 155 - 17 1 . N . Y.

,1796. A compar i son of th i s pr inted report

wi th the manu scr i pt copy sent by Dawson to Wa sh ington revea ls severa lunimportant errors in transcr ibing , the most important be ing the date of

the cover ing letter,wh i ch is pr inted as Feb. 4,

178 1 , a nd so appeared inthe New York newspapers o f the time . but wh i ch was actua l ly Feb . 2 ,

1781 . Wash ington Papers , L ibrary of Congress .

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1 1 6 R HODE I S LAN D H IS T OR I CA L S O C I ETY

in the i r [possess ion ] and we had between two and th reethousand ; and they expected we were to be sa t i sfied by the i r

g i v ing c red i t , as they were pleased to term i t , for the numbers

we should set f ree, w i thou t any other than a verba l equ iva lent ,the sol i d i ty and punc tua l i ty of wh ich we might conclu s i vely and

fa i r ly infer f rom the fa te of the Sa ratoga Convent ion. I t mayread i ly be bel ieved tha t the i r proposa l wa s deemed inadm is s i b le .

1

Noth ing fu rther wa s done or a t tempted to be done in rela t ion tothose pr i soners dur ing the command of V i ce - Admi ra l A rbuthnotin North Ameri ca .

1 m rri 2c v n w 1 1 i n . e wo e rMy a age g'

i e 1ne e co 1 1 ect o s Th t lde

brothers of my beloved w i fe,Suetoni u s3 and Pa t r i ck ,

”l were botho f h igh rank in the C i v i l Serv i ce of the Eas t Ind ia Company inB enga l

,and were both d i st ingu i shed for prob i ty and ta lent s .

Both had fin ished the i r educa t ion at the fi rs t academies in

England t hrough the generous f r iendsh i p and at the expense o f

Ja cob W i l k inson,Esqu i re

,a merchant of great eminence in

London and a D i rector of the Eas t Ind ia Company ,5 who hadzeen .

the ea r ly and cons tant f r iend of the i r d eceased fa ther .

They int roduced to me by let ters some of the i r f r iend s cominghome for the i r hea l ths , f rom an intercourse wi th whom I lea rnedt ha t the por t of Ca l cu t ta ,

the met ropol i s of the commerce and

1 Sk inner ’s proposa l was rej ected by S proat 0 11 beha l f of Rear—Admi ra lD i gby . S proat to SkInner, J une 9 , 1782 . W'

ash ington Papers,L ibrary of

Congres s .

2 Via’

e s upra , V ol . XVI I , pp . 137 - 138 .

Suetoni u s Grant Heat ly,senior j udge of the Cou rt o f Appea ls in the

Dacca d i str i ct, d ied at Ch i ttagong , Benga l , J une 4, 1794 . The E u ropean

Magaz ine and London R ev iew,27 : 2 13 - 2 14.

4 Patr i ck Heat ly ( 1753—1834) served both in the mi l i tary and c iv i lserv i ce of the East Ind ia Company . H e returned to Eng land in m idd lel i fe and later d ied there , J u ly 22 , 1834 . The A s ia tic J ourna l and [MonthlyR eg is ter for Br itish and Foreign I nd ia ,

China,and A ustra las ia

,11 . s . ,

P t .I I

,p . 308.

5 Ja cob W i lk inson was e lected a D i rector of the East Ind ia CompanyApr i l 10 and 1 1 , 1782 . H is term of office was four years , but he does notseem to have held i t for the t ime spec i fied , his name only appear ing in the

l i st of D i rectors for 1782 and 1783 . H e d ied at his house in Bed ford - row,

J une 24,1799 . Kent

’

s D irectory for the Yea r 1 782,p . 19 1 ; The New

Complete Gu ide to a l l P ersons who have any Trade or Concern with the

City of London,p . 325 . Obituarv not i ce in The Times .

J une 27,1799 .

TH E MEMORA NDA OF W I LL IAM GREEN 1 1 7

power of Br i t i sh Ind ia,was open to the t rade of a ll neut ra l

na t ions and tha t a very extens i ve bu s iness was very profi tablycar r ied on by Br i t i sh subj ec ts to tha t por t under the Dani sh ,Dutch Imper ia l , and other flags , and a c tua l ly encou raged by the

Company ’

s government , whi ch d rew f rom i t a cons i derable

revenue by the impos i t ion of heavy dut ies , a l though such trade

was ac tua l l y p roh i b i ted to Bri t i sh subj ects by act of pa r l iamentin favor of tha t Company , 1 wh ic h t hus appea red to have wa i ved

its exc lus i ve pr iv i leges .

I was in theory a merchant and had read w i th at tent ion a lmos tevery work rela t i ve to Ind ia whi ch had been publ i shed ,

f romthe a ccount of the voyage o f Commodore Anson2 to the famou swork of the Abbé Rayna l . 3 I knew tha t la rge fortunes had beenmade by the t rade f rom A capulco to Ind ia , and tha t the beaut i fu lfabr i cs f rom the la t ter were in grea t demand and sol d at enormous profi ts in the Spani sh Colonies in exchange for the gl i tter ing t rea sures of Peru and Mex i co . I wa s a l so appr i sed tha tthe inhab itants of the B ri t i sh , F rench and S pani sh Wes t Ind ie-

s

were suppl ied at th i rd and fourth hand w i t h the l i ke a rt i c les ,enhanced by heavy dut i es and cha rges by c i rcu i tou s routes f romEurope . I t was there fore reasonable to infer t ha t i f a d i rectsupply f rom Benga l could be brought to any f ree por t in the

Wes t Ind ies,whence they m ight be c i rcula ted ,

tha t a la rge for

tune might c rown and rewa rd the enterpr i se .

The choi ce of a flag to cover the sh i p and ca rgo, ( for the

assumpt ion of a na t iona l flag and forei gn nomina l owners is so

ca l led ), was not without many d i fficu l ties . These cover ing flags

1The monopoly of the B r i t i sh trade to and from Ind ia in the handso f the Ea st Ind ia Comp-any dated f rom the y ear 1600

,when Queen

E l i z abeth incorpora ted the Eng l i sh Ea s t Ind ia Company,and proh ib ited

B r i t i sh subj ects f rom trad ing in the Eas t Ind ies wi thou t the l i cense of

the Company,under pena lty of confi scat ion of sh i p and cargo . Further

pr iv i leges o f the same sort were granted the Companv bv James I . R .

Grant A S ketch of the H is tory of the E as -t Ind ia Company f rom its

F irs t Formation to the Pass -

ing of the R eg u la ting A ct of 1 773 p . 9 .

An account o f George Anson'

s voyage around the world is perhapsmost a ccess ible in W . V . Anson

,The Life of Admira l Lord Anson

,

pp . 23—61 .

“V il l e s u l’ra , V o l . XVI I . l’ 126 note 1 '

1 1 8 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

and papers cou ld not be obta ined bu t a t a heavy expense and

certa in other s t i pu la t ions subvers i ve of my Obj ec t,such as in

case Of the adopt ion Of the flag of Denma rk ,tha t the retu rn

ca rgo shou ld be i mported d i rec t to the c i ty O f Copenhagen ; i ft ha t of Sweden, to S tockholm ; Of the Imper ia l flag,

to OstendOf F rance , to Port L

’

Orient - to none of which had I any inel ina t ion to b r ing back the ava i l s Of my enterp r i se . I tu rned mya ttent ion,

t here fore,to the flag Of Amer i ca , or the Uni ted S ta tes .

H av ing by means Of an agent pu rcha sed a beau t i f u l r i ver - bu i lt.sh i p

,wh i c h had been so l d f rom the King ’

s serv i ce a t the con

e l us ion of the peace, of the bu rthen of a bou t 700 tons1 and

mount ing 26 guns,I le f t her wi th f unds to pay for her and in

Februa ry,

emba rked on a B r i t ish pa cket , Capta inD

’

Avergne, at Fa lmouth for New York ,in order to procu re

s uch documents f rom the Pres i dent a s would na t iona l i ze mysh i p , the H ydra ,

and her ca rgo a s Amer i can property dur ing herintended voyage,3 and to Obta in a na tu ra l i za t ion by law for

myse l f a s a c i t i zen of the Uni ted S tates:L both Of wh i ch Obj ec ts

1The burden by reg i ster wa s 300 tons . S ee art i c les of agreements igned at Newport between Chr i stopher Champ l in of Newport

,R . I .

, and

W i l l iam Green o f London, May 1,1784 . Commerce of R hode I s land ,

1 726 - 1 800 ,I I

,202 - 204. Col lect ions Of the Ma ssachu setts H i stor i cal

Society, 7th Ser ies , V ol . X .

T h i s date is confirmed in a letter,John Powel l to Chr i stopher

Champl in ,May 3 , 1784 . I bid .

,p . 204 .

3A copy of the sea letter g iven to Green a s supercargo of the H ydra

may be read in the Comme rce of R hode I s land , I I , 2 17—2 18 . I t statesthat the sh i p be longs to c i t i z ens of the Un ited S tates O-f Amer i ca . Th i swas perhaps techni ca l ly true, as Green had made over his sh i p to Chr i stopher Champ l in as owner

,in order that i t might sa i l under the Amer ican

flag . S ee art i c les of agreement,I bid .

,pp . 202—204.

4The sea letter . ment ioned in the preced ing note . a l so dec lared thatW i l l iam Green was a c it i z en of the Uni ted S tates ; bu t th i s was a mi stakewh ich Champ l in and Green only too wi l l ing ly a l lowed Congress to make .

I t was not unt i l May,1786

,that an act was passed in the Rhode I s land

Genera l Assembly for na tura l i z ing W i l l iam Green,

“a nat ive of Great

B r i ta in,and a subj ect of H is B r i tanni c Ma j esty . R ecords of the S tate

of R hode I s land and P rov idence P lantations in New E ng land , X ,197 .

S ee a lso Chr i stopher Champ l in to the Commi ttee of the S tates appointedto sit in the recess of Congress , J u ly,

1784 . Commerce of R hode I s land ,

I I,2 18 - 2 19 .

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1 2 0 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

newly es tabl i shed flag 1 Of a power vet cons idered to be hos t i le,

though a peace had termina ted a s tate of actua l wa r, bu t w i thou tca lm ing or t ranqu i l l i z ing the angry feel ings wh ic h i t had exc i ted ,of a power , too,

wh ich had cont rac ted t rea t ies of a l l iance w i ththe bi t teres t enemy of the B ri t i sh name and na t ion

,whic h were

s t i l l b ind ing and in fu l l force and opera t ion for its ru in. I t waswel l known tha t the source of my proper ty was in my publ i cserv i ce, and to t rans fer that property and my a l legiance to sucha r i va l power coul d not be done or even a t tempted w i thouta t t rac t ing to me the severes t remark s and animadvers ions and

depr i v ing me,in ca se Of any ca lami ty or mi s for tune

,Of every

cla i m to ind i v i dua l or genera l sympa thy in the dea r and glor ious

count ry in whi ch I had the happ iness to be born and bred , and

to whi ch I was then,as I s t i l l am and ever sha l l be, devoted ly

a t tached .

And such a f r iend m ight have d i rec ted my a t tent ion to otherpoints not less deserv ing of deep and very ser ious reflect ion . I twa s by th i s t ime suffic ient ly notor ious tha t the Revol u t ioni s ts ,in the b i t ter excess Of pol i t i ca l ma l i gni ty and the t r i umphantresul t O-f t he i r a l l iance and a id f rom F rance in thei r contes t w i thGrea t B r i ta in, and notw i th s tand ing tha t the t rea ty of pea ce, i fi t did not in express terms s t i pula te for an amnes ty for the

persons and fortunes of the loya l i st s in the Colonies who ha dtaken a rm s in her cau se . or were known to be a t tached to thei ranc ient count ry ,

i t certa inlv i mpl ied as much f rom the R evolu

1 I t is very interest ing to note that Champ l in instructed Green to be

extremely part i cu lar in descr ib ing the recept ion you meet wi th , f rom the

severa l powers , whether nat ive or fore i gn, in Ind ia ,that I may regu larly

lay the same be fore the Honorable Congress o-f the Uni ted S tates , thatthey may be made acqua inted wi th the respect pa id to the i r pa ss, and to

the Amer i can flag . At a later date,when Green and Champ l in were not

0 11 such good terms . i t appeared that Green had sh i f ted h is Colors in Ind ia ,

and had taken the flag of France . In the progress of my voyage and its

event ,” wrote Green,

“so very f ar f rom that flag be ing u sef u l to any

purpose Of mine , that in Ind ia I was Constra ined to rel inqu i sh i t ent i rely :

and at the instance o f my f r iends , and by the exert ion o f the i r interest inthat country I wa s permitted a s a spec ia l favor and even then at a heavyexpense to a ssume the French . S ee Champ l in'

s Instruct ions to Green.

Commerce of R hode I s land , I I , 225 . A l so , Green to Champ l in . M arch 14,1788

5

. I bid .

,p . 3 58 . C f . the same to the same , March 10 . 1788 . I bid .

,

p . 3 4 .

TH E MEMORANDA OF W'I LL IAM GREEN I 2 I

tionary government ,—s t i l l tha t government e i ther could not or

would not gi ve them protec t ion. and tha t in fea r of the i r l i ves,f rom the f u r iou s enmi ty of the i r mobs , the i r proper t ies hav ingbeen genera l l y confi sca ted and sol d or made away w i th by theRevol u t ioni s ts dur ing the war , they ha d been obl iged ,

when NewYork was evacua ted by the Br i t i sh a rmy under S i r GuyCa r leton

,to congrega te in masses and seek shel ter f rom the i r

foes in Nova S cot ia or New Brunswick,and there 0 11 new land s

and in new es tabl i shments to beg in the wor l d aga in . Such be ingac tua l ly the ca se . wha t m igh t or rather mus t any ind i v idua lexpec t . c i rcumsta nced a s I had been in those t imes f rom the fi rs tcommencement Of the t roubles t i l l nea r the per iod Of peace , buta ha rves t of envy and ha t red , 11 1 isrepresentations as to my con

duc t and mot i ves,inj u r iou s wi th lega l impuni ty ; wha t f rom

j u r ies rega rd less , as was too O f ten unhapp i ly the case , of the

sac red Obl iga t ions of j us t i ce and f renz ied to a degree wi th pa rtypol i c ies The t ruth is I rea l i zed subsequent ly so much of a l l

th i s a s to make me b i tter ly repent my ever hav ing set my foot in

the revol u t ioni zed Colonies . The hope , however , fla t ter ing buti l l us i ve . o f doubl ing a fortune . to sh ine a s young ambi t ion is tooapt to des i re in the c lass of Engl i sh gent ry , for even a f ter thes uccess f u l term ina t ion Of my enterp r i se I s t i l l intended and

hoped to make England my home ,

—bu t a l l these top ics were.sugges ted . i f at a l l , verv f eebly to my thoughts or ent i rely overlooked in t ha t love of l uc re which had i r res i s t i b ly se i zed on and

overpowered a mind na tu ra l ly thought ful and sober .

Voyages to Benga l were u sua l ly commenced f rom Englandtowa rds the end of Janua ry or Februa ry or ea r ly in Ma rch

,so

as to a r r i ve on the coa s t or bay at the Opening of the southwes tmonsoon in June ; 1 a t leas t such was the t ime o f sa i l ing selecteda s the mos t favorable for the Eas t Ind ian capta ins . My a r range

ment s were made accord ingly, and hav ing been in England a

shor t s tay a f ter my retu rn th i ther in September 2 tu rned my

1The monsoon in the Ind ian Ocean blows f rom the southwest f romthe latter part of May to the midd le of September .

2 S ee p . 1 19 , note 3 . I f G reen l e f t Amer i ca in June . he su re lv mu sthave landed in Eng land be fore September .

1 2 2 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

f und s into rea dy money . A f ter gi v ing p roper ins t ruct ions to

the agent to be employed in the equ i pment Of the sh i p,the choi ce

Of officers and the inves tment of such an outwa rd ca rgo a s

would be mos t l i kely to sel l to advantage,in the selection of the

a rt i c les for which I had the adv i ce and ass i stance o f somegent lemen wel l acqua inted w i t h the ma rket

,I resol ved dur ing

the progress of the bu s ines s to avoi d a ll inter roga tor ies and

inqu i r ies by tak ing up my res idence in F rance, and not to j oin

the sh i p or emba rk unt i l she shou ld a r r i ve in the Downs and be

ready for her fina l depa r tu re for Ind ia . I res i ded there t i l l themidd le of Feb rua ry , pa rt Of tha t per iod in Pa r i s and pa r t

at Bou logne—su r—Mer,f rom whi ch las t p lace I c ros sed over to

Dover , where,hav ing passed accounts wi th the c lerk Of my

commerc ia l agent sent down by h im for tha t purpose,and I mu st

confess wi th a s l igh t and hur r ied inspect ion and l i t t le exami

na t ion,I emba rked On the sh i p Hydra ,

of wh i ch and her ca rgo

I wa s the sole and ent i re owner , wi th my beloved w i fe and onlych i ld Ma ry then about 18 month s old ,

and on the 2 2nd of Feb

ruary wei ghed anchor f rom the Downs , and wi th a fa i r w ind

sa i led for Benga l,a l though the sh i p wa s c lea red ou t at the

Cus tomhou se Of the por t of London for Made i ra and Rhode

I s land , for no c lea rance could have been there obta ined for any

sh i p as bound to Benga l , except under a l i cense f rom the EastInd ia Company .

3

we had a favorable pa ssage to Made i ra,where we took in

some wine4 and re f reshments and then proceeded on ou r voyage ;pass ing

-

the Cap-e of Good Hope in s ix week s , in three more

th rough the Mozamb ique Channel , we anchored Off Johanna ,

one Of the CO-moro I s lands , whi ch has been so o f ten v i s i ted and

desc r i bed tha t I sha l l say l i t t le of i t here . I t is inhab i ted by a

1A s l i p Of the pen : 1785 is meant .2 Born in London,

Sept . 9,1783 . Fami ly papers in possess ion of Mr .

Grant D . Green,Syracu se, N . Y .

"Cf . Green to Champ l in,Dec . 26, 1784 . Commerce of R hode I s land,

I I,236.

4Green p lanned to rece ive at M ade ira abou t seventy p i pes of wineSame letter a s above .

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11 2 4 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

Empi re in the Ea s t , resembl ing as many G rec ian temples and

surrounded to the edge of the r i ver w i th the mos t beaut i f u lshrubber ies . I had preceded by a few hours , in a l i ght and fa s tgo ing boa t to p repa re for her recept ion

,my sh i p the H ydra ,

concerning wh i ch on account Of the novel ty Of my s i t ua t ion and

adventu re I may eas i ly be bel ieved to have had much anx iety .

I d i d not ca r ry ou t wi th me a s ingle let ter of int roduct ion or

recommenda t ion,but hav ing some months be fore I le f t England

wri tten tomy b rothers—in—law to expec t !me

,and to sol i c i t the i r

a id ,the i r agent , M r . Anthony Lambert

,i mmed ia tely wa i ted on

me at the hote l where I had pu t up and ca r r ied me to his house .

There wi th h im and at another more roomy and elegant one, to

which he soon a f ter removed,I made my home wi th

‘

my fami lydu r ing my s tay in Ca l cu t ta

, sha r ing equa l ly w i th h im the expenseOf his es tabl i shment .The government Of B r i t i sh Ind ia at tha t t ime be ing ves ted inS i r John McPherson,

Ba rt ., as Senior P res i dent Of the Supreme

Counc i l,

1the next morning I pa id my respec ts to h im , and was

rece i ved w it h a pol i te and f r iend ly a t tent ion and assu rances tha tevery fac i l i ty tha t the government could g i ve woul d be a ffordedme and my sh i p and ca rgo . I wa s i mmed ia tely admi t ted to ent ryat the Cu stomhou se upon the same dut ies 0 11 i mpor ts as were

pa i d by other forei gn t raders .

Be ing the fi rs t sh i p tha t had reached Ca l cu t ta tha t spr ing,and

the repos i tor ies O f the t raders ca l led “Eu rope S hops ” be ingexhaus ted by the consumpt ion Of the prev ious yea r , the grea tes tpa r t O f my ca rgo was in grea t demand and immed ia tely sol d at

70 per cent . advance,my fortuna tel y ear ly a r r i va l hav ing ant i c i

pa ted the sa les and exc i ted resentments tha t d i d not fa i l toopera te to my d i sadvantage wi th many , but wh i ch I d i d not deem

1 S i r John MacPherso-n ( 1745 - 182 1 ) was born at S leat in the I s le of

Skye . H e first sa i led to Ind ia in 1767 . From 1779 to 1782 he was a

member O f the Hou se of Commons in Eng land . H is return to Ind ia wasattended wi th promot ion. In February, 1785. as senior member of the

counc i l , he became governor—genera l when W’

arren Hast ings res i gned ,and

he in turn res i gned to Lord Cornwa l l i s a year later . 0 11 J une 10, 1786,he was created a baronet , H is later l i fe was spent in Eng land where hecu t an important figure . D . N . B .

TH E MEMORA NDA OF \V I LLI AM GREEN I Z S.

i t adv i sable to not i ce . and whi ch rea l l y were ne i ther surpr i s ingnor unreasonable . None o f the i r regula r sh i ps a r r i ved t i l l nea ra month a f ter me , and my ca rgo had a fforded a suffic ient supplyto the ma rket for som e t ime . I th ink I clea red abou t fi f teenthousand pound s s ter l ing , and as I could have sold my sh i p for

I should have in t ha t ca se nea r ly doub led the amountof the sum wh ich was engaged in tha t voyage .

1 I t would havebeen a happy c i rcum s tance for my fortune i f I had so done,

but enchanted at the idea of the enormou s profi t s tha t I mightder i ve f rom a retu rn ca rgo to be d i sposed Of in the Wes t Ind ies

,

I pers i s ted in the f u l l execution Of my or ig ina l p lan .

For the command of the H ydra , the person selec ted by myagent in London was a S cotsman named John H aggey.

2

(H e

h imsel f was a l so Of the same count ry ). H aggey wa s an ableseaman, a tolerable nav iga tor , and competent under my d i rect ionto d i scha rge decent l y enough the dut ies of his s ta t ion

,but his

temper was ma l ignant . he was poor . much in debt and des t i tu te

of pr inc i ple . H e had been for some years a common seaman on

boa rd an Eas t Ind iaman, a f terwa rd s a pet ty Officer in a sh i pbound to Benku len‘” for pepper ,— a voyage commonly hel d to bed read fu l ly unhea l thy ,

—and there the u sua l morta l i ty hav ingca r r i ed oil -if by fevers the capta in and the fi rs t and second Officers ,and tha t not being a port at which they could be replaced by men

qua l ified for such s ta t ions . the vacanc ies occa s ioned by thesedeat hs were fi l led , as they could only be , by selec t ions f rom the

pet ty Officers . Thus he retu rned to England fourth ma te ,in

whi ch s ta t ion he behaved so as to be reappointed to the samerank the nex t season in another of the Company

'

s sh i ps , in wh ich»

he rose to be second ma te and so retu rned .

Such unexpec ted and perhaps unmer i ted l uck ,for his va r iou s

1 Green certi fied on Aug . 23 ,1786 that the gross amount O f the out

going cargo O i the H ydra wa s l .'7V2 S tg . Commerce of R hode

I s land ,I I

,285.

2A statement on p . 2 17 o f the second volume o f Commerce of R hodeI s land say s that the capta in John Clark ,

who had first been appo inted to

command the H yd ra ,had taken i l l j u st be fore the sa i l ing , and that G reen

was obl iged to pu t in John H aggey in h is stead .

3A port in the i s land o f Sumatra in the East Ind ies .

1 2 6 R HOD E I S L AN D H I ST OR I C A L SOC I ETY

promot ions in the serv i ce were acc i denta l,appea red to be too

much for h im and to unset t le his reason,a s appea red by his

subsequent conduc t , for M r . Da l rymple , the hyd rographer tothe Company , l hav ing Obta ined a sh i p in thei r serv i ce to be

employed in a survey Of the Ea s tern A rch i pelago under hiscommand and be ing perm i t ted to selec t a second in command onwhom he cou ld in some degree sa fely re l y for a fa i th fu l per formance O f the naut i ca l dut ies , he selec ted John H aggey for tha ts ta t ion,

who was appointed nomina l l y to be cap-ta in o f the

B ritannia , intended “

to make a complete ma r ine survey thereof ,the same be ing then bu t l i t t le known :bu t w i tha l to serve and act

ent i rely in Obed ience and subord ina t ion to M r . Da l rymple unt i lher retu rn home . Ignorant and a r rogant and ups ta r t as he was ,th i s promot ion was too much for h im reasonab ly to bea r . H e

forgot h imsel f SO ent i rely and conducted h im sel f w i th SO muchimprop r iety du r ing the outfi t Of the sh i p in the Thames , tha t M r .

Da l rymple saw c lea r ly and thought j us t ly tha t i f he began so

ea r ly to d i splay his rea l cha rac ter i t was absurd to hope anyth ingbet ter f rom him when he should be beyond the reach and cont rolOf his employers . A compla int wa s there fore ma de aga inst h imto the Cour t of D i rec tors .

i

H is conduct was in consequ enc

f u l ly inves t i ga ted . and the resul t wa s his d i scharge f rom tha tsh i p and d i smi ssa l forever f rom any employ in the Serv i ce Of the

Eas t Ind ia Company .

For two or th ree yea rs a f terwa rd s he had pa rt ly subs i s tedupon someth ing saved , or so supposed to be , f rom his formerserv i ces and upon a c red i t depend ing upon hopes Of the fu ture .

Du r ing the Amer i can R evol u t ion he had been for a y ear or two

employed in the command o f a sh i p in the Transpor t Serv i ce to

New York ,f rom which he wa s d i smi s sed for causes not very

much to h is c red i t . H e had then been taken up by a M r . Kemble

O f New York . and employed in the command Of a vessel to

Jama i ca for some voy ages . and eventua l l y wi th the l i ke resul ts ,

l A lexander D a l rymp le ( 1737 - 1808) was hydrographer to the EastInd ia Company, 1779 - 1795 . D . N . B .

2The subj ect Of th i s verb is “Mr . Dal rymp le seven l ines above .

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[ 2 8 R HODE I S L AN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

a s a j u s t ifi ca t ion, I there fore ca re f u l ly regula ted mysel f in a ll

respects towa rds h im,however my Op inions

,wi th the utmos t

c i v i l i ty and f r iend l iness Of manner. I had taken a hou se for h imin the c i ty at a rent Of 600 rupees or £75 s ter l ing per month ,( hou se—rent at t ha t t ime was enormou s ly h igh ). There I kepta sepa ra te table for h im and his ma tes

,at a heavy add i t iona l

expense,wi th a p ropor t iona l es tabl i shment of na t i ve servants .

H e was t rea ted by my f r iend s and connec t ions wi th a l l necessa ryu rbani ty

,bu t w i t hout p roduc ing any ma ter ia l effec t on his

set t led determ ina t ion to effec t a ruptu re w i th his employer . Amore fl im sy and t r ifl ing pretex t than tha t he se i zed to br ing i tabou t could ha rd ly be imagined , which was as fol low s :The t raders Messrs . W i l l iams CO .

, who had pu rchased myca rgo O11 boa rd and who were to rece i ve i t f rom the sh i p

,being

des i rous to Obta in some pa rt i cu la r ly ma rked packages in pre ference to others , add ressed to me a note one morning wh i l s t shewas unload ing reques t ing me to have them sent ashore as soon

a s pos s i b le . Be ing then ashore at the house of M r . Lamber twhere I rece i ved i t , and knowing t hat the d i scha rging the sh i p

wa s'

ca r r ied on pr inc i pa l l y by the fi rs t and second mates , Iindorsed i t w i t h the fol lowing d i rec t ion to the command ing

officer on boa rd the H yd ra . Such an a r rangement was necessa ryas i f i t had been del i vered .add res sed to h im and he had beenabsent the ma te might have hes i ta ted at compl iance and havede layed i t unt i l he had been hunted up e i ther in the c i ty or the

count ry . Were I at th i s minute on my dea thbed , I do mos tsolemnl y p rotest tha t I had no intent ion by th i s measure to gi ve

h im Offence,nor do I th ink in rea l i ty tha t he had any reasonable

ground for tak ing i t in tha t l i gh t , my obj ec t be ing S i mply to

exped i te as soon a s pos s i b le the bus iness of the sh i p . H owever ,he

'declared i t to be such an a ffront and insu l t a s he could not

pu t up w i th, and tha t he Should qu i t my employ

,request ing at

the same t ime a set t lement O f his account , whi ch I reques ted h imto prep-a re and to send me as soon a s poss i b le, and he d i d i t verysoon a f te

( To be concl uded )

HOD E SLAND

I STO R ICAL OC I ETV

LLECT IONS

Vol . XVI I I Oc tober, 1925 NO . 4

F i rs t North Prov idence CompanyIn the Soc ietv

’

s h 'l i i seum

Issued Quarterl y

CONTENTS

PA GE

Early Rhode Island Flags , by Howard Chapin 129'

Notes

Dr. Joseph Torrey’

s Records, byWi l l iam Davis Mi l ler 142

The Memoranda Of Wi l l iam Green, by Henry

S . Fraser .

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1 3 0 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

a l l y by be ing wound once a round i t . In modern flags the cantonis , as a rule,

not pa inted , but made of dyed hunting of the sametex tu re as the res t Of the fie l d . Thi s flag a lso shows tha t some

F i rst Rhode Is land Regiment , Cont inenta l Infantry in the Revolu tion

A t Sta te Hou se, Prov idence

of the companies had d i s t inc t i ve flags as wel l as the regimentsand so Opens up the specu la t ion as to whether or not a ll the

companies had d i s t inc t i ve flags .

D i s t inc t i ve reg imenta l flags were ca r r ied by New England

EARLY RHOD E I S LA ND FLA G S 1 3 1

mi l i t ia at leas t as ea r ly as 1677 1,but l i t t le informa t ion in rega rd

to these colonia l flags has come down to ou r day.

Rhode I s land sent two regiment s into the . Revol ut ion. and the

d i s t inc t i ve reg imenta l flags in a ta t tered and bat t le—scar red con

d i t ion a re preserved at the S ta te Hou se in Prov idence . Theseflags were made of S i l k

,and had a wh i te fiel d whi ch has tu rned

yel low wi th age . One of these flags has a blue canton conta iningth i r teen whi te s ta rs , a r ranged 3 - 2 - 3 - 2 - 3 and in the lower pa r t Ofthe field a blue sc rol l w i th an insc r i pt ion in whi te let ters R .

I SLAND REGT .

"2 The canton in th i s flag is sa id to have gi venthe i dea for the s im i la r canton tha t wa s adopted as pa rt Of thenat iona l flag .

The other flag a lso has a blue canton conta ining th i r teen s ta rs ,a r ranged 3—2—3—2 - 3 , but these sta rs are gol d . In the field of the

flag is a l ight b lue foul anchor,the cable be ing da rk blue

,and

above the anchor are fou r holes in the flag where the mot toHOPE has been removed . The mot to was p robably a l so blue .

3

I t seems probable tha t each company a s wel l a s each regimentOf the cons t i tu ted mi l i t ia had its own d i s t inct i ve flag . The ca r l iest one Of t hese regimenta l flags now known was ca r r ied by theSecond Prov idence County Regiment . I t is a red s i l k flag wi tha black pa inted canton . On one s i de the canton bea rs the s ta tea rms , the fou l anchor , the sc rol l and the out l ine Of the sh ie l dbe ing wh i te

,and the mot to “ I N GOD W

'

E HOPE in blacklet ters . On the other s ide o f the canton is a blue sh ield out l ined

1 Preble'

s The Flag Of the Uni ted S tates, p . 182 .

- The flag is label led F irst Cont inenta l Infantry,but F ield in the

D iary Of I srael Angel l" states that th i s is the flag Of the Second RhodeI s land Regiment ( see f ront i sp iece wh i ch shows reverse, and note on pagexv i i i ). I t seems more probable that the flag bear ing the word ing R I s landRegt" wou ld be the one adopted by the first reg iment , when there wa sonly one reg iment, rather than by the second regiment S ee note 3 .

3T h i s flag is label led Second Cont inenta l Infantry, but is not men

tioned by F ield . S tone in Ou r French A l l ies , p . 453 , gives an engrav ingOf the Second Regiment flag ,

wh i c h is merely a p la in flag bear ing the

letter ing :SECON D

RHODE I SLA N DREG IM ENT

NO colors are des i gnated and no author i ty is g iven.

F i rstRhode Island Regiment , Cont inental Infan try in the Revolu t ion(Reverse)

A t Sta te Hou se, Providence

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Flag carr ied in the S u l l ivan Exped i t ion of 1 778

In the Society’

s Mu seum

Second Rhode Is land Regiment, Cont inenta l Infantry in the Revolu t ion(The letters HOPE have been cu t ou t)

A t S ta te Hou se, Prov idence

E A RLY RHODE I S LAN D FLA G S 1 3 5

which t ime he is l i s ted an ens i gn o f the Second Nort h Prov idence Company , Second Prov idence County Regiment . Thi sflag was placed wi t h the Soc iety by M r . Swan ’

s grandson,l\

'

l r .

Benj amin Wh i tman.

These two mi l i t ia flags are of pa rt i cu la r interest because theygive u s an idea of the d is t ingu i sh ing m i l i t ia company flags of a

centu ry ago. There a re doubt less other ea r ly mi l i t ia flags s towedaway in Rhode I s land a t t i cs

,and i t is hoped tha t th i s a rt i c le wi l l

serve to br ing some of these ou t.

Each of the cha rtered commands had its own d i s t inct ivecolors

,and a few of t hese flags have been preserved and are

now on exh ib i t ion at the Rhode I s land H i s tor i ca l Soc iety .

The Kent i sh Gua rds ’ flag is of ye l low s i l k w i t h a red s i l k can

ton on which the a rm s of the Uni ted S ta tes and of Rhode I s landare pa inted . The outer ha l f of the flag has long s ince worn awayso tha t the rema ining f ragment is on t h is account of an unusua lshape . The sh iel d of the Uni ted S ta tes is represented by e i ghtb lack and e ight gold s t r i pes , hera l d i ca l ly a pa ly of 16 sable and

or,and f rom the number of s t r i pes the age of the flag can eas i ly

be deduced . I t wa s ev i dent ly pa inted between 1796 and 1802 .

The anchor , the s ta rs and the eagle are gol d , the sc rol ls or r i bbons whi te

,and the let ter ing black . The Rhode I s land mot to

“In God \Ve H ope” was u sed decora t i ve ly at th i s t ime ins tead

of the offic ia l mot to “H ope .

” Thi s flag was p resented to the

Soc iety in 1860 by D r . D . H . Greene .

The flag of the Uni ted Tra in of A r t i l lery of Prov idence isthe ea r l ies t Rhode I s land flag extant , for i t was ca r r ied as ea rlyas 1776 . The des i gn appa rent ly is not in a canton a s was la terthe genera l custom . but was the pr inc ipa l cha rge on the fie ld . I tis the ins i gnia of the company and is a l so used on the uni fo rmbut ton. The fiel d o f the flag is yel low ,

the snake yel low and

blue , the s ta rs blue . the cannon gol d w i th black mount ing , the

sc rol l under the snake is pink wi th gol d let te r ing and the sc rol lon the cannon l ight bl ue wi th gold let ter ing . The sc rol l s and

s tars are out l ined in bl ue .

A let ter sent to the Rhode I s land H i s tor i ca l Soc iety Februa ry2 1

,186 1

,read s a s fol lows : The Prov idence A rt i l lery pa rade

to—mor row and wi th them the“Old Gua rd who des i re to carrv

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1 3 8 R HOD E I S LAN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

Second Regiment Prov idence County 1803 - 1812

In the Society’

s Museum

Second Regiment Prov idence County 1803 - 1812

(Reverse)

In the Soc iety’

s Mu seum

F i rs t North Prov idence Company 1834

(Reverse)In the Society

’

s Mu seum

Uni ted Tra in of Art i l lery of Prov idence 1 776

In the Society'

s Mu seum

RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

F i rs t L i gh t Infantry,Second Regiment 1 824

(Canton, obverse and reversel

A t S ta te A r

Unofli cia l Rhode Is land S tate flag of abou t 1 824From certificate of the Providence Assoc iation of

Mech anics and M anu factu rers

From Society’

s Mu seum

An unoffi c ia l Rhode I s land s tate flag of about the year 1824 is shownon the cert i fi cate of the Prov idence Assoc iat ion of Merchants and M anuf actu rers . I f the engraver 's l ines are s igni fi cant , i t wou ld appear that theflag was blue . The anchor was doubtless gold and apparently surroundedby a gold c ircl e . The flag appears to be a pennant , and the anchor p la innot fou l . The first offic ia l enactment in regard to the state flag was not

unt i l 1877 . ( See Cha p in’

s The S ea l,the A rms , and the Flag of R hode

I s land . )

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1 4 2 RHODE I SLA ND ZH I S’

I‘

OR I CAL SOC IETY

Dr . Joseph Torrey and h is Record Book of

Marriages

BY \VI LLI A M DAV I S M I LLER .

(Concluded )

Zephaniah B rown A l i ce W i l l son both of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Ap . 1 3 . 1755 .

S i las H ar r i s the W'

i dow Ma ry Osbun bot h res i d ing in t h isTown were Law ful ly M ar r ied May 1 2 . 1755 .

JohnW i l l res i d ing in Newpo r t the W i dow Ma ry Pol lock ofth i s Town were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied Oc tr 1 . 1755 .

Bened i c t Oatly 81 E l i zabeth Ladd bot h of t h i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Oc tr 2 . 1755 .

John Peckcom 8: Ma ry H as z ard ( the Daughter of Cap-t

Thoma s H as z ard ) both of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r iedOc tr 29 . 1755 .

F reeman Per ry and M ercy H as z ard ( the daughter of Ol i verH as z ard ) both of th i s Town were Lawful ly Mar r ied Jany 2 5 .

1756 .

Peter Boss Junrand Sa rah Ga rdner (Daughter of Ca leb

Ga rdner ) bo th of t h i s Town were Law ful ly Ma rr ied Apr i l 4 .

1756 .

John Shearman of Nort h K ings ton and Freelove Wh i t fordres i d ing in th is Town were Law fu l ly Mar r ied May 16,

1756 .

N i cholas Spencer o f Eas t G reenwich and ab iga i l Ga rdner

(Daughte r of H enry Ga rdner) of th i s Town were Law fu l lyMa r r ied December 12 . 1756 .

Edwa rd Adams of Ki l l ingly in the Colony of Connecticutt

and E l i zabeth Torrey of th is Town were Law ful ly Ma r r iedDecr 16 . 1756 .

James Wel l s Junr of Wes ter ly Ruth H annah of th i s Townwere Law fu l ly Ma r r ied Jany 5 . 1757 .

Thoma s S teadman Junr Ma ry Per ry (B augh . of Benj aminPer ry Deed) bot h of th i s Town were Law fu l ly Ma rr ied Feb . 6 .

1 757 .

D R . TOR REY AND H I S R ECOR D B OOK OF MAR R IAG ES 1 43

A Page from Dr. Torrey’

s Record of Marr iages showing the marr iageof h i s Daugh ter Mary to Cap t . Wi l lson Pol lock

1 44 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

Samuel Congdon and Sa rah Champl in both of th i s Townwere Law ful ly Ma r r ied May 19 1757 .

Mr Jona than Babcock of Wes ter ly 8t Mr s Est her H as z ard of

t h is Town were Law ful ly Ma rr ied Decr 2 5 . 1757 .

Thomas H awkins and Ann Tor rey bot h of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied May 2 5 . 1758 .

Jona than Ca rd E l i zabeth H as z ard both of th i s Town wereLaw ful l y Ma r r ied 1 758

Thomas Pot ter ( Son of I chabod Deed) and E l i zabeth R eyh olds both of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Oc tr 2 9 . 1758 .

Ol i ver H a s z ard of t h i s Town Pa t ience Green of EastG reenwich were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied Novr 2 3 . 1758 .

Chr is topher Babcock of H opk inton 8t Ma r tha Per ry of th isTown were Law ful ly Ma rr ied Nov“ 2 9 . 1758 .

George Duglass of Nor th K ings ton and Susannah Nor thupof Exete r were Law ful ly Mar r ied Decr 2 1 . 1 758 .

H enry Green and E l i zabet h Perk ins both of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Decr 3 . 1 758 .

Thomas Spencer of Eas t Greenwich and Ruth -

’a it of th i s.

Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Janr 7 . 1759 .

Chr i s topher N i chols of Eas t Greenw ich 8z Ma ry Case of th i sTown were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Ap 1 3 . 1759

S i las Casey of Eas t G reenwich 81 ab iga i l Coggesha l l of NorthK ingston were Law ful l y Mar r ied June 7th 1759 .

S tephen H as z ard ( Son of Capt Thomas H as z ard ) and E l i zabeth Ca rpenter bot h of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Octr

7 . 1759 .

Thomas Carpenter Junrand Dorca s Grinnal bot h of th i s

Town were Law fu l ly M a r r ied Oc tr 2 5 . 1759 .

I chabod Power Junrof New London in the Colony of Con

necticu tt and Eun i ce Nor thup of Nort h K ings ton were Law ful lyMa r r ied Novr 2 1 . 1 759 .

S tukley Congdon And A sey Nor thup both of North K ings tonwere Law ful ly Ma r r ied Nov r 20 . 1759 .

H enry Wa l l and the widow Ma ry Ph i l l i ps both of Nort hK ingston were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Janr 7 . 1760 .

Payne Johnson of Newpor t and Sa rah Congdon of th i s Townwere Law ful l y Ma r r ied Sept 3 . 1760 .

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1 46 RHODE I S LAN D H I STOR I CA L SOC I ETY

Samue l H as z ard H annah Per ry (Daughter of Benj a Per ryE sq

f

) both of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied May 1763

And rew N i chols Junr A nn Taylor both of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Oct r 24 . 1763 .

Ab i j ah Babcock 8: Br i dget W’

a tson both of th i s Town wereLawful l y Ma r r ied Nov r 1 3 . 1763 .

Joseph C la rk ( S on of W i l l iam C la rk ) of Char les ton and

Dorcas S heffiel d of th is Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Nov“

1 5th . 1763 .

Daniel Shea rman and H annah S teadman bot h of th is Town

were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied Dec"1 1 . 1 763 .

Joseph H ul l Junrand Mol l y Ga rdner (Daughter of Thomas

Ga rdner ) both of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma rr ied Decr 18 .

1763 .

John H owland of James Town 8: Mary Coggesha l l of NorthK ings ton were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Mar . 4 . 1 764 .

Ber iah B rown Jun". of Exeter and Amy Shea rman of th i sTown were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Mar . 8 . 1764 .

Benj amin S tanton of Richmond Town Renewed Ca rp-enter

of th i s Town were La u lly Ma r r ied May 6 . 1764 .

S tephen Chappel o f Exeter and Penelope Eyres res i d ing inth i s Town were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied May 2 5 . 1764 .

John S hel don E sq f . and M r s. F reelove B rown both of th i s

Town were Law ful ly Marr ied June 3 . 1764 .

George Thomas of Richmond Town and Bat hsheba H ul l of

th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Aug“. 12 . 1764 .

John B raman and M er i bah Tenant both of th i s Town were

Law ful ly Ma r r ied S epr 16 . 1764 .

Thomas Kynion Junf . 8t Sarah S teadman both of th i s Town

were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Nov“

. 1 5 . 1764 .

John Pot ter Junf . and Ma ry N i les both of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Mar r ied Deer . 20 . 1764 .

W i l l iam Pot ter ( Son of Robert ) and Ma ry Ra thbone both of

th is Town were Law ful ly M a r r ied Jany . 24 . 1765 .

Ba r z i l la i Duglas 8t Mercy Congdon (Daughter o f W i l l iamCongdon Dee

d) both of Nort h K ings ton were Law ful ly Mar

r ied Febr 28 . 1765 .

AN D H I S R ECOR D BOO K OF MA R R I A G ES 1 47

Raynold Shea rman 8 Ma ry Shea rman both of Nort h K ing

ston were Law ful l y Ma r r ied Ap . 29 . 1765 .

Joseph Denn i son 2 d . of S tonington in the Colony o f Connecti

cut t and Ma ry Babcock of th is Town were Law ful ly Ma r r iedNov r . 10 . 1 765 .

S teadman of t h i s Town and H annah S eranton of

North K ings ton were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied Nov“. 2 5 . 1765 .

Jabez Tucker and Susannah Lee both of th i s Town wereLaw fu l ly Ma r r ied Feb“. 2 . 1766 .

Cap t . Pol lock and Ma ry Tor rey both of t h i s Townwere Law fu l ly Ma r r ied Feb". 6 . 1766 .

Job Wa tson 8 Sa rah H as z ard ( Daughter of Rober t Deed . )both of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Feb 1 2 . 1766 .

Pau l B raman and Ma rtha Pot ter (Daughter of Thomas Potter) both of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied May 2 5 .

1766 .

N i cholas Ga rdner ( S on of Ca leb ) and Sa rah Reynol ds botho f th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma rr ied May 2 9 . 1766 .

Thomas Shea rman and Ma ry H as z ard (Daughter o f Ca leb )both of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied June 29 . 1766 .

Hol loway Sa rah C rossman both of t h i s Townwere Law ful ly Ma r r ied Ju ly 1 3 1766 .

H enry H ooper H ol land Res i d ing in t h is Town SusannahLadd of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Augus t . 10 . 1766 .

Chr i s topher H as z ard of North K ingston ( S on o f Ca leb ) andSa rah Lock o f th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied S ep

“. 7 th

1766 .

Enoch S tanton and wa i t Dyre both of th i s Town were Lawf u l ly Ma r r ied Nov r 1 2 . 1766 .

Colo .John Pot ter and H annah Pot ter (Daughter of Robert

Pot ter ) both of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r i ed Deer . 2 1 .

1766 .

E lna than Lewi s 85 Ma rga ret Tarj ee both res i d ing in th i s

Town were Law ful ly Ma rr ied Ma rch 22 . 1767

Daniel Dye 8 Ma r tha N i chol s both of th i s Town were Law

f ul ly Ma r r ied Ma rch 29 . 1767 .

Samuel Per ry Ma rtha N i les both o f th i s Town were Law

fu l ly Ma r r ied Ap . 2 . 1 767 .

1 48 R HOD E I S L AND H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

James Ti ff t and Jane A rmst rong bot h of th is Town wereLaw ful ly Ma rr ied A p . 3 , 1 767 .

W’

i l l iam Dyre Junf . of th i s Town 8 Sa rah Kynion of Richmond Town were Law ful ly Ma rr ied Ju ly 19 th . 1767

\Vil l iam Rees 8 E l i zabeth Larkham both of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Aug . 16 . 1767 .

John Cottr il 8 Ma rgeret Pot ter ( daughter of Benj amin Potter ) bot h of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Aug . 30 . 1767 .

John We i gh t 8 Ma rgeret Sheffield both of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Sep t . 3 . 1767 .

S tephen Congdon 8 Ma ry Taylor both of North K ingstonwere Law ful ly Ma r r ied Sep t. 1 3 . 1767 .

Capt. F ranc i s Ca rpenter 8 M rs. Es ter H elme were Law ful ly

Ma r r ied Octf . 1 1 . 1767 .

Dav id Remington 8 Ma ry Shel don both o f th i s Town wereLaw fu l ly Ma r r ied Nov r . 1 5 . 1767 .

Jeremiah N i les E sq f . of th i s Town 8 the \Vidow Euni ceGre-

enman of Wes ter ly were Law fu l ly'

Ma rr ied Deer . 22 . 1767 .

Na than Jackways Junf . and H annah Nor thup (Dauf

. of Sy lves ter Northup) both of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied

Jan"

. 17 th 1768 .

Jeff ry Champl in ( S on of S tephen Champl in) of Exeter 8Mary Ga rdner (Daughter of John Ga rdner ) of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Jan

r. 2 1 . 1768 .

N i chola s Eas ton Junf . o f Newpor t 8 E l i zabeth Pot ter Daugh

ter of John Pot ter E sqr

. of t h i s Town were Law ful ly Ma rr i edFeb . 2 5 . 1 768 .

John Ma rsh 8 the \V idow H annah B i l l both of th i s Townwere Law ful ly ma rr ied Ju ly 3 . 1768 .

Aba l F rank l in of James town 8 Ma ry Shea rman (Daughter ofH enry ) of t h is Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Oct”. 9 . 1768 .

W'

i l l iam Potter ( S on of John Pot ter E sqf

. ) 8 Sarah N i lesboth of th i s Town were Law ful ly M a r r ied Nov“. 10 . 1768 .

Benj amin N i chols Junr. 8 Anne G reen both of North King

s ton were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Nov r . 16 . 1768 .

Jona than H a s z ard E sqf

. of th i s Town 8 M i ss Anne C la rk of

Ea s t Greenwi ch were Law ful ly Ma rr ied Feb . 1 2 . 1769 .

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I SO R HODE I S LAN D H ISTOR I C A L SOC I ETY

John H as z ard 8 Sa rah Ga rdner both of th i s Town were Lawf u l ly Mar r ied Ap 30 . 1772 .

Ph i l i p Tou rj ee of North K ings ton 8 Des i re Tou rj ee res i d ingin th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied June 14 . 1772 .

Joseph Ca rpenter 8 Belh iah Babcock both of th i s Town wereLaw fu l ly Ma r r ied June 24 . 1 772 .

Pa rdon Mawney of Eas t Greenwi ch 8 Exper ience Gardner ofth i s Town were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied June 2 5 . 1772 .

M ingo A Negro Man be long ing to Colo . S i las N i les ) and

D inah a Negro Woman belonging to Jeremiah N i les E sqr . wereMa r r ied by consent of the i r M as ters Aug . 2 3 . 1772 .

S tephen C rosby 8 H appy S c ranton both of Newpor t wereLaw fu l ly Mar r ied Sept . 6 . 1 772 .

Ber iah Ca rpenter of th i s Town 8 E l i zabet h Babcock of Nor thK ings ton were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Octr . 1 . 1 772 .

George Reynol ds 8 E l i zabeth Rogers both of th i s Town wereLaw fu l ly Ma rr ied Octr . 1 5 . 1772 .

John Bul l ( S on of Eph ra im ) and Ma ry H as z ard (Daughterof Jona than) both of th i s Town were Lawf ul ly Ma r r ied Ju ly 41 773 .

John Records Jun“

. la te of Paugips ie in the Government of

New York 8 Ma ry Donwil l Res i d ing in t h i s Town were Lawf u l ly Ma r r ied Octr . 7 . 1 773 .

Richa rd Ph i l i ps of North K ings ton 8 Lyd ia -

’ li a ley of th i sTown were Law ful ly ma r r ied Oc

tr. 24 . 1773 .

Richa rd Corey Res i d ing in t h i s Town 8 the \Vidow MaryShearman of th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Octr . 2 5 1773 .

Peleg Gradmer of Nor th K ings ton 8 I sabel “fatson of th i sTown were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Octr . 26 . 1773

James P ierce 8 Ma ry Crosman bot h of th i s Town were Law

f u l l y Ma r r ied Nov". 7 . 1 773 .

Ol i ver Kynion 8 Sa rah Sweet both Res i d ing in th i s Town

were Lawfu l ly M ar r ied Nov . 24 . 1773 .

E l i sha Wa tson 8 M i r iam Babcock both of t h is Town were

Law ful ly Ma rr ied Deer . 1 5 . 1 773 .

Dr. W

'i l l iam Chace 8 Ka ther ine Rodman (Daughter of‘

D R . T ORR EY A N D H I S R ECOR D BOOK OF MA R R I AGE S 1 5 1

Samue l Rodm an) bot h of t h i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r iedMar 15 . 1774 .

Daniel Knowles 8 Sa rah Pot ter ( Daughter of Rober t Pot ter )bot h of th i s Town were Lawful ly Ma r r ied May 12 . 1774 .

Na than Ga rdner of th i s Town and the W idow Thank fu l H ul lof James town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied June 16 . 1774

M i chael A rms t rong 8 H annah Babcock both of th i s Townwere Law ful ly Ma rr ied Aug . 2 5 . 1774 .

N i cholas Gou ld 8 Bethany S teadman bot h o f th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Nov”. 1 7 . 1 774 .

Benj amin Per ry 8 Ruth Pot ter both of th i s Town were Lawfu l l y Mar r ied 1 774 .

Rowse Pot ter ( S on of Thomas ) 8 E l i zabet h S eagar both of

th i s Town were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied 1774 .

\Vill iam Tou rj ee 8 Sa rah B i l l ington both of th i s Town wereLawful ly Ma r r ied Janf

,8 . 1775 .

E l i sha B i l l ington 8 Sa rah Tennant both of th i s Town were

Law ful ly Ma r r i ed Janf . 22 . 1775 .

S tephen Pot ter 8 Ab iga i l Rob inson both of th i s Town were

Law ful ly Ma r r ied Feb. 9 . 1 775 .

Na than Munrow of Rehoboth in the Prov ince of the Massa

chu s'

ets Bay 8 A l i ce H a sz a rd were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Feb . 1 3 .

1775 .

Eph ra im Ca rpenter 8 Ma ry Rodman both of th i s Town were” h- d

Law ful ly Ma r r ied Ap . 9 .

Samuel C la rk 8 Sa rah N i les both of th i s Town were Lawfi - vfi—fl

fu l ly Ma r r ied Ap . 1 3 .

Jona than Per ry 8 Sa rah D i ck inson both of th i s Town were

Law ful ly Ma r r ied May 7th 1775 .

Ol i ver Tennant Junf . 8 M eh i tabel B raman both o f th is Town~~ fl

were Law ful ly Ma r r ied July 2 . 1 / / O.

James Pot ter Jun“

. of Newpor t 8 A l i ce Per ry of th i s Town

were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Oct". 2 2 . 1 775 .

Daniel H a r r i s of Spr ingfield in the Prov ince of the Massa

chu sets Bay 8 A nn Greenman of t h i s Town were Law ful lyfi—fi—F'

Ma r r ied November 28 . 1 / / D .

R HOD E I S L AN D H I STOR I C A L SOCI ETY

Thoma s Champl in 8 Lucy N i les both of th is Town were Lawf u l ly Ma r r ied Mar 17 . 1776 .

Joseph Perk ins 8 Ma ry Ga rdner ( of Ca leb ) bot h of th i sTown were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied June 16 . 1776 .

Jerimiah Brown Junf . 8 E leoner Lil lebr idge both of th is‘

Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied S epf

. 2 9 . 1 776 .

John Caswel of Newpor t 8 H annah Tefft of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Nov r . 7 . 1 776 .

W i l l iam Peckham 8 Mercy Per ry both of th i s Town wereLaw fu llv Ma r r ied Feb . 13 . 1777 .

Cap t . Lor ing Peck of Br i s tol 8 Jane Burke la te of Newportnow res i d ing in th i s Town were Law ful ly Mar r ied Feb . 2 3 .

1777 .

Ru fus Wheeler of S tonington ( in the S ta te of Connecticu tt)8 Ab iga i l Pot ter of th i s Town were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied June 1 2 .

1 777 .

Wa l ter Wa tson of t h i s Town 8 Ab iga i l H as z ard of Nor thKings ton were Law ful ly Ma r r ied Octr . 16 . 1777

James H elme 8 Sa rah C la rk bot h of th i s Town were Lawful l y M a r r ied Nov f

. 9 th . 1777 .

M i chae l Dye 8 Ma rga ret A rms t rong bot h of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Nov

f. 2 3 . 1777 .

N i cholas Northup of Nort h K ings ton 8 Des i re Ga rdner ofthiS

'Town were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied May 1 1 . 1778 .

Daniel B i l l ington 8 the W i dow Sa rah Chappel both of th isTown were Law fu l ly Ma r r ied June 14 . 1778 .

Thomas Peckham la te of M i dd leton 8 H annah Weave r lateo f Newpor t both res i d ing in th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r iedJune 29 . 1 778 .

John Rose Junf . 8 Orphah Swee t both of t h i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied Janf . 3 . 1779 .

Jona than H as z ard 8 Es ther Wa tson both of North K ings tonwere Law ful ly Mar r ied Mar . 2 3 . 1779 .

Benj amin H as z ard 8 H annah H as z ard both of th i s Townwere Law fu l ly Ma r r ied Ap . 1 1 . 1779 .

S tephen Champl in Ga rdner of Exeter 8 Ma ry Champl in of

th i s Town were Law ful ly Ma r r ied May 2d

. 1779 .

Edwa rd Ca rt r igh t 8 Lyd ia Kynion both of th i s Town wereLaw fu l ly Ma r r ied May 9

i h. 1779 .

Cha r les Ba rker 8 Sa rah Sheffiel d both of th i s Town wereLaw ful ly Ma r r ied July l l tk . 1779 .

A lexander Bur t a Sol d ier in the A rmy 8 H annah H ays of

th i s Town were Law ful ly Mar r ied Octr . 24 . 1779 .

John H a s z ard of Nor th K ings ton 8 Ma r tha C la rk of th i sTown we re Law ful ly Ma r r ied . 4th Jan

". 178 1 .

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1 54 RHOD E I S L AN D H I STOR I CA L SOC I ETY

The Memoranda of Wi l l iam Green

By H ENRY S . FRASER

(Concluded)

I t wa s one to be sure, and I dare say notof ten,i f ever

,surpassed

for ext ravagance or i mpudence ,c la im ing f rom me a ba lance

of near £5000 s ter l ing,composed of a number of cu r ious i tems ;

fi rs t , £ 1800 payment for wha t my agent cha rged to me for an

add i t iona l inves tment of good s,bu t for which he pretended he

had g i ven his own bonds and notes ; next he c la imed a profi t of100 per cent . on the same and whi ch I had sol d for 70 per cent .The whole subj ect wa s nove l to me and exc i ted equa l su rpr i seand ind igna t ion. The agent informed me t h rough his c lerkwhom he sent to set t le the account w i th me

,or his c lerk at lea s t

so a l leged,tha t he had promi sed Capta in H aggey tha t he should

have a sha re in the profi ts of t ha t inves tment , the i tems of wh ichhe had adv i sed should be added to the ca rgo

,but he had no

author i ty f rom me to make any such engagement , wh i ch was infac t a gross and pa l pab le v iola t ion of his ins t ruct ions

,and I

re fer red to the f u tu re conduc t of the capta in upon wh ich mvcompl iance or noncompl iance would depend . H is next i tem wasa heavy cha rge for his wages unt i l he Should be able to retu rn to

England the passage money for his retu rn th i ther a heavy i temfor his expenses wh i ls t rema ining in Ca l cu t ta , 8 c .

,8 c .

,and all

these ext ravaganc ies he a t tempted to j us t i f y and sus ta in by a

long s t r ing of fa l sehoods and ca l umnies .

A s the re ferees were gent lemen o f fa i r cha racter , I subm i t tedto them my comments in wr i t ing of his cla ims. and gave mysel fno f urther concern abou t them and the i r awa rd that I should

pay h im in f u l l abou t £450 s ter l ing , wh ich was i mmed ia tely com

pl ied w i th and a bond of indemni ty g i ven to h im on a ccount of

his hav ing , as he a l leged ,made h imsel f l ia ble for payment of the

second inves tment , in wh ich bond my brother - in- law,Mr . H ea t ly ,

j o ined . I rea l l y thought mysel f fortuna te in thus get t ing r i d of

T H E MEMORA NDA OF W I LL IAM GREEN 1 55

a t roublesome fel low w i thou t prob i ty or proper ty,but in th i s

respec t I was mi s taken,for some yea rs a f terwa rds he got h imsel f

sued in London in col l us ion wi th some knave l i ke h imsel f andM r . H ea t ly wa s ca l led upon for a reimbursement of some hund red pound s

,which no doubt he sha red w i th h iS '

confederate,

the amount hav ing no doub t been pa i d by the sh i p ’s hu sband ,1

who was the rea l and only debtor pr ior to her sa i l ing f rom the

Thames .

A rema rkable cha rac ter of the las t centu ry is sa i d to haveadv i sed his onl y son on his outset in l i fe to employ fla t tery as a

ch ie f ins t rument to atta in his ends in l i fe in his connect ion wi the i t her man or woman.

“H owever coa rse i t may be,

never m indlad ,

for t hough some, perhaps much of i t , may fa l l off ,—be yesure some wi l l s t i ck !” wa s the sagac ious rema rk of the h ighlandChie f tain. S o i t is wi th ca l umny ,

for though the obj ec t may bet ru ly innocent , some of i t w i l l s t i ck and be inj u r iou s to his

progress th rough l i fe ; and so i t wa s w i th me , for I am persuadedi f there had been an Admi ra l ty Court in Ca l cu t ta he would haveembod ied his l ies in the forms of law and l i bel led her

,wh ich

would have invol ved me in many d i fficul t ies and an uncerta inresul t , wi th an enormous expense and delay . H is misrepresen

tations there fel l to the ground ha rmless ; the rank and influenceof my brothers - in- law and the f r iend ly a t tent ions of the Governor and Counc i l combined , presented an aeg is wh ich a fforded to

me and my adventu re ample protec t ion.

I have been more d i ffuse on the subj ec t of H aggey’

s unworthyconduc t and cha ra cter as I was ma ter ia l ly a ffec ted by them a f terwa rd s in my pursu i ts and opinions . I le f t Ca l cutta wi th the

Hydra hav ing a ca rgo on boa rd , my sole property , cons i s t ing of

al l the va r ious fabr i cs o f Benga l w i th about one hund red and

fi f ty tons o f refined sa l tpet re, H yson tea in 2 ches ts c innamon,

1A sh i p ’s hu sband is an agent represent ing the owners of the vessel .He manages its expenses and rece i pts .

2 Th i s is pr inted a s i t stands in the or i g ina l . I have read two chests ,but the numera l is queerly made . No comma serves to show whether thetea or the c innamon wa s in the chests . S ee above . i l lu stration f a c ing p . 3 6

of Vol . XVI I,wh i ch says 48 chests of Hyson tea .

1 56 RHOD E I S L AND H I S TOR I CA L SOC I ETY

ca ss ia , sp i ces , 8 c .

, 8 c .

, the invoi ce of wh ich on boa rd amountedto five lacks l and a ha l f of s i cca! rupees or S i x ty - s ix thousand

pound s s ter l ing and my sh i p va l ued at S tg .,wh ich

amount was a l so about tha t the f rei ght was ca l cu la ted to be at a

very modera te es t ima te,and adm i t t ing the homewa rd profi t to

have rea l i zed upon the whole twenty per cent ,1 might j us t ly

hope the tota l ava i l s of my voyage would be about e i ghtythou sand pounds S tg .

,leav ing me on a set t lement

,a f ter pay ing

my respondent ia,debts , and b i l l s

,worth about fi f ty thousand

gu ineas .

She wa s now commanded by S tevenson,the fi rs t ma te ; the

second had ‘

become fi rs t , and the th i rd was a person sh ipped at

Ca l cu t ta , of very modera te ta lents and ra ther ques t ionable

integr i ty and sobr iety , and manned by abou t for ty Europeans ,petty officers and seamen

,wi th a mos t excel lent gang o f Ch inese

seamen headed by a Serang or boat swa in of doc i l i ty and sk i l l ,3

wh i ch proved a supplementa ry a id in the course of my voyage

to the wes t Ind ies . The second ma te, sh i pped a l so at Ca l cu t ta ,

was a Yankee . competent enough for his s ta t ion and not muchto be in any event depended upon . A l l these men knew tha tt hough nomina l ly only superca rgo I wa s in rea l i ty the sole ownerof the sh i p and ca rgo

,thei r paymas ter in al l cases , to whom they

were bound in obed ience,mora l l y and lega l ly , by the a r t i c les

whi ch they a l l agreed to, and s i gned and sea led at Ca l cu t ta ,to

nav igate the sh i p to S t . Eu s ta t i u s and Rhode I s land .

My beloved w i fe ,my two daughters , ( the second ,

Tempe,born at Ca l cu t ta ),

4 the i r servants . and mysel f occup ied the grea tcabin and s ta teroom s , and the capta in and officers were wel laccommoda ted in the roundhou se, but al l ea t ing at my table,whi ch was purveyed for very com for tably ; as indeed was everyind i v i dua l of the c rew , every one hav ing rece i ved a few days

1 A lak, or lakh , or lack , equal s rupees .

i’A s i c ca rupee was worth somewhat more than a current rupee .

3An account of the d i sbursements shows that the Ch inese seamen

numbered s i x teen,inc lud ing the boatswa in. Commerce of R hode I s land,

I I,286, 11 .

Born J u ly 29 1785 . Fam i ly papers .

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1 58 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC I ETY

away a couple of points , he s t i l l cont inued the same course, andin doing so conv inced me tha t he was bent on mak ing tha t i s land .

I thought he could have no hones t mot i ve for th i s , and could notbut suspec t someth ing wrong to be intended , bu t of wha t particu lar k ind I was at a loss to d iv ine .

H owever , as I had foreseen and foretol d,about 6 A . M . on the

e leventh day, i t made its appea rance about two point s on ou r lee

bow. We had the wind on ou r s ta rboard qua r ter, a modera te

t rade wind . I now reminded h im of my former orders and

repea ted t hem , bu t he persevered in his a sser t ion tha t on tha tcou rse we should run to leewa rd of i t ; wh ich , as i t was mos tc lea r ly ev i dent wa s fa l se,

confi rmed the susp i c ion exc i ted by hisconduc t at ou r second depa rtu re f rom the Cape

,which I had

confined to my own breas t w i thou t even h int ing to my belovedTempe a syl lable on the subj ec t

,being unwi l l ing to a larm her .

I saw a cr i s i s approach ing and resol ved on meet ing i t w i th

the requ i s i te for t i tude and a l l the v igor of mind wh i ch i t m ight

and wou ld requ i re s ingle—handed . To pa r ley w i th mut ineers and

the capta in at t he i r head as prompter and leader , probably w i ththe par t i c i pa t ion or assent of the other officers

,I was sure wou ld

not apply any remedy to the ev i l , as these sor t of men are not to

be subdued by a rgument or reason . I had,there fore, only to

wa i t w i th pa t ience for an explos ion,.and when i t took place

,to

resol ve and to act w i th prompt i tude and dec i s ion.

The morning pa ssed away w i thou t any ind i ca t ion of t rouble

or uneas iness . Ou r d inner usua l ly at one wa s taken in s i lence,and be ing qu i ck ly d i spat ched

,he and the ma tes went upon deck ,

I rema ining be low w i th my dear Tempe for abou t 10 minutes ;when i t s t ruck me I had bet ter take my pos t upon deck . S o

appr i s ing her of my intent ion to retu rn in a few minutes I proceeded to the qua r ter - deck

,and tu rning at the top o f the com

panion ladde r I saw th ree or fou r of the sa i lors at the door ofhis cab in in a co-nfab w i th Capta in S tevenson, who appea redl i s tening to them w i th the utmos t compla i sance . I saw at a

glance wha t I might expec t f rom i t , and ret u rned to the grea tcab in to put my dea r w i fe on her gua rd not to be a la rmed

,and

had ha rd ly t ime to do so be fore he came down and wi th the a ir

TH E M EMORA NDA OF W I LL IAM GREEN 1 59

of a bravo exc la i med , Wel l , S i r , wha t are we to do here ! The

men say they w i l l go into S t . H elena .

” “W i l l t hey,by God '”

was my r eply ,“wel l

,we’ l l see tha t 1”

Running up before h im to his infini te surpr i se and a s toni shment I assumed the command of the sh i p and ca l l ing ou t to the

men at the wheel ,“Up wi th the helm

,bea r away !” and to the

qua r termas ter cunning them,

“Keep her t h ree points to the

wes t . Wh i l s t g i v ing these orders I paced the deck w i th a rapi ds tep hav ing my Captain a longs i de of me pari pass -

u wi th a bul lying a ir as i f intend ing to lay hol d of me ,

but awed probably bymy fi rm and v igorous conduc t . To some seamen loung ing on

the forecas t le I ordered to ca l l the boat swa in . The answer washe won’ t come on deck . On the nex t ca l l for a l l hands on deck ,every one of the Eu ropean seamen ran below and h i d themsel ves .

The officers , though no doubt in f u l l concer t w i t h the capta in,

took no open pa r t , but a s neut ra l s wa l ked the deck in s i lence ;but my Ch inese Serang , a very able seaman, and his gang of

Lasca rs obeyed the ca l l , and a s d i rec ted by me squa r ing the ya rd sto cor respond w i th the course we were now steer ing in abouttwo hours we had S t . H elena i r recoverably under ou r lee qua r ter .

I t may be read i ly bel ieved tha t the mut ineers , o f whom Ia lways rega rded the Capta in S tevenson as the pr inc i pa l , were

wi thout the l eas t i dea or apprehens ion o f the course I adoptedand s tead i ly pursued ,

for he and a l l the others as far as theywere made pa r t ies as his tools had,

I presume, conc luded , beingthe ma jor i ty a bou t two—th i rds of the whole c rew and the otherth i rd as A s ia t i cs and La sca rs be ing counted a s nonent i t ies , tha tthe game wa s a ll thei r own, and tha t a s a s ingle ind iv i dua l Icould not make any and would not a t tempt any oppos i t ion . Theyhad probably d reamt that they shou ld be ca l led a ft to hea r an

ora t ion abou t thei r duty , wi t h an appea l to the i r a rt i c les

of agreement at sh i pp ing in Ca l cu t ta , wh ich they woul d have

t reated w i th infini te contempt and the sh i p gradua l l y approach ing

the anchor ing ground . I t is probable tha t they never thought of

the exert ion of any phys i ca l force to accompl i sh thei r obj ect ,the i r Capta in being thei r ch ie f , and were there fore unprepa red

to exer t any. They conc luded the Hydra could not proceed to

1 60 RHODE I S L AN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

her des t ina t ion wi thout the i r serv i ces,whi ch they had determ ined

to wi thhol d , and t hey were probably sei zed w i th surpr i se and

a stoni shment at see ing h im in a c r i t i ca l moment s t r i pped of his

command by his owner,who a ssuming i t h imsel f was

,w i th the

a id of t hese so much contemned Lasca rs , changing the cou rsea nd manoeuv r ing the sh i p so as to c lea r the i s land and proceedon her voyage to S t . Eus ta t i us .

H av ing thu s ext r i ca ted mysel f f rom th i s interes t ing,menac ing

,

and mos t dangerou s d i lemma , and gi ven my orders to the mate,whose wa tch i t was on deck

,I descended to the cab in to remove

f rom my beloved Tempe the uneas iness , apprehens ion,and fea rs

she mu s t have been under for the s i tua t ion in which I had beenplaced , and to t ranqu i l l i ze her as to the f u tu re

,for I am now

wel l conv inced tha t i f they had foreseen or penet ra ted my intent ions t hey wou ld have cont r i ved some means of f rus t ra t ion bydepr i v ing me of ex i s tence . H owever

,as i t was

,a f ter skulk ing

for a few hours they retu rned to the i r duty,and the Capta in

appea red at the u sua l evening repas t w i thout any pa r t i cu la rnot i ce or rema rk as to the event s of the day f rom me

,very

humble and probab ly much more mort i fied at his want of successt han repentant or cont r i te f rom any sense or feel ing o f the baseand unwor thy a t tempt he had made and fa i led in, and perhap s

a lso not wi thou t some a la rm les t he h im se l f had incu rred the

d anger of t r ia l and puni shment be fore a competent’

tribuna l on

ou r rea ch ing the Wes t Ind i es . I amused mys el f somet imes

du r ing the res t of our voyage t h i ther by qu i ckening his feel ing of

t h i s by somet imes enqu i r ing of h im in the presence o f his officers

for the names of the mut ineers , wi th an int ima t ion tha t they

mi ght be t r ied and gi bbeted for p i ra cy . Upon such occas ions he

would appea r abashed and wi th a downcas t look answer tha t he

could not recol lec t them but tha t he bel ieve-d i t was one and a l l .

Rea l l y I had no such i dea ; I meant merel y to ter r i f y h im ,and

had resol ved , on a r r i v ing there, to r i d mysel f of the whole sh i p’

s

company and to get a new one ,whi ch I a f terwa rds d i d do.

1

1 Green h i red a new capta in,Joseph Foster of Maryland , at S t .

Eu stat i u s,May 5. 1786. Commerce of R hode I s land . 1 1 , 277 - 278 .

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CONTENTS

Lafa yette ’

s Visits to Rhode I sland . by Howard W .

Preston

The R emova l of the County Seat from Tower

H i l l to Little R est, 1752. by Wi l l iam Dav is

Mi l ler

Othniel Gorton’

s Two Wives, by Henry A .

Burl ingame

The B lock I sland Doub le Ender. by George R .

Burgess

Notes

Rhode Is land S ignboards, by Howard M.

PA GE

RHODE I SLAND

H I STORICAL SOC IETY

COLLECTIONS

Vol . X IX January 1 , 1926 No. 1

HOW ARDW . PR ESTON , Pres ident G ILBER T A . HARR I N GTON,Trea su rer

GEOR GE T . SP I C ER ,S ecreta ry HOW ARD M. CHAPI N , L i bra r ian

The Soc iety assumes no respons i b i l i ty for the statements or the

O p in ions of contribu tors .

Lafayette’

s V isits to Rhode I s land

BY H OWARD PRESTON

Genera l La fayet te made four v is i ts to Rhode I s land dur ingthe Revol u t iona ry War : the fi rs t in the summe r o f 1778 . when

he brought a detachment of t roops f rom a sh ington to ass i s t

Genera l Sul l i van in the movement wh i ch culm ina ted in the bat t le

of Rhode I s land . and the second in 178 1 , when as the represen

tative of Washington he came to con fer w i th Rochambeau at

Newport . A f ter the wa r was over . he v i s i ted Rhode I s land on

both of the tou rs in Amer i ca in 1784 and in 1824

Severa l houses c la im the honor of his presence on these d i f

ferent v is i ts . The c la ims of a few can be subs tant ia ted by documenta ry ev idence ,

but the grea ter number are vouched for onlv

by loca l t rad i t ion .

F IRST V I S IT .

\Vhen in 1 778 the F rench fleet under the Comte d’

E sta ing

was unable to enter the ha rbor o f New York and a t tack Genera lHowe .

i t was dec i ded . wi th the co - Opera t ion of an Amer i can

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RHOD E I S L AN D H I STOR I C A L SOC IE TY

Old S tate House ,Prov id ence

Be fore Enlargement

Lafayette ’s Headq uarters , T iverton

L AFAYE TT E ’S V I S I T S TO RHODE I S LAN D 5

G . N . Denni s ). The southea s t room on the second floor ispointed ou t as the La fayette room . Another house in Port smouth , nea r B r i s tol Fer ry , former l y owned by Denni s H a l l

,is

ment ioned a s used by La faye t te as headqua rters ( Bayles’

H is

tory of Newpor t County,p . In F ield ’

s Rhode I s land isshown a cu t marked : H a l l H ouse nea r B r i s tol Fer ryPortsmouth. Dur ing the bat t le of Rhode I s land th i s hou se wasu sed as a hosp i ta l by the Cont inenta l forces .

”

The same day tha t Genera l Sul l i van c rossed to the i s land,a

Br i t i sh fleet appea red off the ha rbor . and the next day d’

E sta ing

sa i led ou t to meet t hem . Ten day s la ter the F rench fleet sha ttered by a ga le retu rned

,bu t only to sa i l away to Boston,

Augus tl t

, to refi t . Though depr i ved of the a id of the French . f romwh ich so much had been expec ted . Sul l i van bes ieged the Br i t i shin Newpor t

,but was forced to ret i re . Conv inced tha t unless a id

could be obta ined f rom d ’

E sta ing the campa ign mu s t fa i l . La fayet te,

Augus t 28th ,rode the seventy m i les to Bos ton in seven

hou rs.a r r i v ing j u s t as the F rench fleet entered the ha rbor . The

j ou rney was f ru i t less,and La fayet te,

retu rning on Augu s t 30thin six and a ha l f hou rs ,

found the ba t t le of Rhode I s land overand the Amer i can forces ret rea t ing . H e was in t ime to takecommand of the rea r gua rd and br ing i t ac ross to Tiverton .

H ere he may have occup ied the hou se ment ioned above .

On September l st, accord ing to Colonel I s rael Angel l’

s d ia ry

Genera l V arnum’

s br igade in Genera l La fayet te’

s detachmentpassed by boa t to K ickemu it br i dge and thence v ia to

Br i s tol , where i t encamped on Brad ford’

s h i l l . La fay et te madehis headqua r ters at the hou se of Joseph Reynold s . now known as

the Reynol ds H ou se , at the north end of Br i s tol on the eas t s ide

of the road . Thi s d i gni fied th ree s tory wooden mans ion s t i l lstands bea r ing a bronze tablet :“Thi s hou se bu i l t about the y ear

1698 by Joseph Reynold s was occupied by La fayet te a s his

headqua r ters September 1 778 dur ing the of Amer i can

Independence .

The s tory is o f ten told wi th p ic tu resque deta i l o f how Mrs .

Reynolds, eagerly expec t ing her d i s t ingu i shed gues t , wa s su r

pr i sed by the a r r i va l o f a pla in appea r ing young man, whom she

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8 R HOD E I S L AN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

A r r i va l he was wel comed by a D i scha rge of 1 3 Cannon at the

S ta te H ouse Pa rade . the Be l ls were rung and at Sunset , theSa l u te was repea ted by 1 3 heavy Cannon on Bea con H i l l . ”

“The Marqu i s hav ing v is i ted Newpor t retu rned f rom thence

on Monday Evening and on Tuesday pa rtook of an Enterta inment at M r . R ices Tavern at whi ch were p resent his Exce l lencythe Governor , his Honor the Deputy - Governor

,both H ouses of

A ssembly,a Number of respectable Inhab i tants , Officers of the

la te A rmy 8 c . A f ter D inner the Ma rqu i s set ou t for Bos tonand was aga in sa l u ted w i th 1 3 Cannon .

”

On Monday las t (Oc tober 2 5) the Soc iety of the C inc inna t iof th i s S ta te convened at Mr. Rices Ta vern where an e legantD inner was prov i ded upon the Occas ion ; and hav ing fin i shedthe Bus iness of the i r M eet ing they were honored w i th Comp-any

of his Exce l lency the Governor his Honor the L ieutenant Governor and the H onorable the Ma rqu i s de la Fayet te accompaniedby the Cheva l ier De L’

E nfant.

”

Thi rteen toas ts were g i ven .

M r . Rice ’s tavern was the Gol den Ba l l Inn,on Benefi t S t reet

,

la ter the G lobe,and la ter s t i l l long known a s the Mans ion House

and s t i l l s tand ing .

LA ST V I S IT .

La fayet te , the inv i ted gues t o f the Amer i can governmentmade his la s t v i s i t to P rov idence . Augus t 2 3 . 1824 . The Com

mittee of a r rangements,

B lodget t,Moses B . I ves and

R icha rd J . A rnol d ,i ssued a broa ds i de g i v ing the order of the

p roces s ion and the deta i l s of the recept ion .

The process ion wi l l form at the l ine of the town where theGenera l may enter . move th rough H i gh - S t reet down “l es tm ins te r—S t reet to VVevbosset B r idge ,

up North Ma in- S t reet,to

the S ta te H ouse .

”

A f ter be ing rece i ved by the Governor in the Sena te Chamber ,the commi t tee were to conduc t h im to H or ton’

s H otel . The

Ma r ine A r t i l lery under Colonel S tewa rd were to be s ta t ioned at

the Dexter Tra ining Ground s to fire a sa l ute when the Genera lreached the l ine of the town. and the Uni ted Tra in of A r t i l leryunde r Colone l H odges on Prospec t H i l l to fire a sa l u te whenLa fayet te reached the S ta te H ou se .

L AFAY ETT E ’ S V I S I T S To R HODE I S L AND 9

The Prov idence Gaz ette o f Augu s t 2 5 . 1824 ,conta ins a long

rhetor i ca l account of th i s v i s i t . A commit tee and mes sengerswere d ispa tched by d ifl erent road s to insu re meet ing the Gen

era l . H e was met at F i sk ’

s tavern in Sc i tua te,Monday morning

,

and escorted to “the l ine of the town.

" where at 2 P . M . he was

rece i ved by the Town Counc i l . Then in an Open ba rouche d rawnby fou r wh i te horses he fol lowed the appointed l ine o f ma rch

,

wel comed by tha t mos t express i ve token of a ffect iona te interes t ,the wav ing of wh i te handkerch ie f s by the fa i r hands of the

lad ies .

”

“On a r r i v ing in f ront o f the S ta te—H ouse . the Genera l a l ighted

and was rece i ved in a pecul ia r ly interes t ing manner . The popla ravenue lead ing to the bu i ld ing was l ined on each s ide wi th nea r lytwo hund red mi sses

,a r rayed in wh i te

,hold ing in thei r hands

b ranches - of flowers wh ich ( a s the Genera l p roceeded up the

avenue supported by the Governors A id s) they s t rewed in hispa th at the same t ime wav ing the i r wh i te handkerch ie f s . The

Genera l wa s a f terwa rd s plea sed to express the pecul ia r and

h igh sa t i s fa c t ion he took in th i s s imple and touch ing a r rangement .

The old S ta te - H ou se , as La fay et te saw i t . presented a s t ra i ghtf ront w i th s imple steps . The proj ec t ing tower and ent rancewi th long fl i gh t of s teps were bu i l t in 1850 - 5 1 . when the bu i ld ing

was enla rged by the add i t ion of the Benefi t S t reet port ion.

A t the land ing of the s ta i rs occu rred the a ff ect ing meet ingw i th Colonel S tephen O lney . In the Sena te Chamber the Genera lwas rece i ved by the S ta te and Town Offic ia l s .

H e then proceeded on foot to the accommoda t ions prov ided

for h im and a f ter enter ing the H ote l appea red on the pia z z a and

was greeted in the wa rmes t manner .

” La ter the company re

pa i red to the d ining room where an elegant enterta inment was

prov i ded in M r . H orton’

s best s ty le and where du ring the repa st

the fines t recol lec t ions in the h is tory o f Amer i can Independence

gave a zes t to the soc ia l p leasu res of the boa rd . A t about ha l fpas t fou r the t roops ( at the pa rt i cu la r reques t of Genera l La fayet te who expressed his admi ra t ion o f t he i r d i sc i pl ine and fine

mi l i ta ry appea rance) were d rawn up for rev iew in a l ine extend

I O RHODE I S L AN D H I ST OR I C A L SOC I ETY

ing on Benefit—s t reet towa rd s Pawtucket . The Genera l then proceeded on foot and was greeted on enter ing the s t reet w i th thesame j oyous acc lama t ions . Supported by the arm of the Gov

ernor he wa l ked in f ront of the l ine of t roops s topp ing to shakehands wi th a l l the pr inc i pa l Officers . On a r r i v ing at the ext remewing he ha l ted and his ca r r iage was d rawn up for his recept ion,

wh i ch he entered accompanied by his Exce l lency , Colone l B rown,

and Zacha r iah A l len E sq . and amid the cheers of the people le f tthe town .

”

San ford H or ton was the propr ietor of the G lobe Tavern at 8 1

Benefi t S t reet . the house at whi ch H enry R i ce,as the hos t of

the Gol den Ba l l , enterta ined La fayet te on his v i s i t to Prov i dencein 1784 .

Severa l houses in Prov i dence a re of ten connec ted w i th the

name of La fayet te . as the Fenner Ga r r i son H ouse at Thornton,

the gambre l roo f b r i ck house . 537 and 539 Nort h Ma in S t reet ,and

“the house of W i l l iam F iel d of F iel ds Point” ( S tone

’

s

F rench A l l ies,p . 30 Some Cla i m his presence at the

so - ca l led P idge Tavern .

Go ld en Bal l o r G lobe Tave rn ,late r ca l led the Mans ion Hou se ,

Benef it S tree t , Prov i d ence .

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1 2 R HODE I S L A N D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

fi rs t set t lement made in the Pet taquamscutt Purchase . In 1729

i t wa s a communi ty of cons i derab le s i ze,and s i t ua ted as i t was

on the anc ient Pequot Pa th or Pos t Road and access i b le by fer ryf rom the i s lands of Rhode I s land and Conani cu t , its pos i t ion wasone of impor tance in the County .

In the ea r ly days of the Pet taquamscut t Purchase7 the Purchasors had la i d ou t a la rge t rac t of land ly ing about two mi lesto the Wes twa rd o f Tower H i l l . wh ich land t hey d i v ided intofa rms of cons i derable a c reage

,

sa l lot t ing a por t ion to themsel ves

and the rema inder to others . Th i s t rac t was on a r i dge,known

la ter a s L i t t le R -est H i l l . and on its adj acent S lopes . I t wa sna tu ra l , therefore,

t ha t,as these fa rms became occup ied and bu i l t

upon,t here should grow up a sma l l set t lement in the i r center .

Th is set t lement,on the c res t of the r i dge, soon became the v i l lage

of L i t t le Res t ,9 now Kings ton . The fi rs t house lots and sma l lhol d ings

,on wha t i s now the ma in s t reet of the v i l lage ,

weretaken up abou t 1700

,and f rom tha t da te the growth of the

commun i ty would appea r to have been compa ra t i vel y rapi d and

tha t w i th in two score of yea rs wa s o f such s i ze as to cha l lengeits ne i ghbor to the eas twa rd .

The Pettaquamscutt Purchase, a tract of approx ima tely twelve mi les

square,was made in 1658 . The fi rst sett lement was on the East s lope of

Tower H i l l and there are records of house lots be ing a l lotted as ear ly as

1663 . Here J ireth Binl l had his stone house . There is repeated ev idencethat th i s sett lement was ca l led Pettaquamscutt” d ist ingu i shable f rom the

Purc hase as a whole.

SN-orth of what is now the ma in s treet of the v i l lage were the farms

of M umford , H u l l , Sewe l , Porter, W i l lson,VVilbo-r

, and B renton. On the

sou th were those of Bu ll,Knowles . Te f t and Helme . These farms were

a l lotted and occup ied by the ir owners or tenants pr ior to 1700 .

9 I t is Certa in that a l l proof of the or igin o f th i s name is lost . The

theory that i t was so named becau se the troops of the United Colon iesrested there in 1675 on the i r way to the Great Swamp may wel l havefounda t ion prov ided i t is agreed that the i r route o f marc h crossed the h i l l .However

,as most o f the travel at a later per iod crossed the h i l l O1I the

way to the westward and because of the steepness of the roads approa ching i t, i t is conce ivable that man and bea st d id ha lt for a l itt le rest” uponreach ing the crest .

1 0The first record found of a sma l l hold ing on the ma in street of thev i l lage was that of Abraham Perk ins who purchased two acres of landf rom John Moore in 17 14, where he bu i l t . Th i s land wa s s ituated 0 11 the

sou th east corner of the four corners and oppos i te to what is now the

Tavern Ha l l Club .

R EMOVA L OF T H E COU N TY S E A T 1 3

In 1752 , the inhab i tants of Tower H i l l hav ing , for some inexpl i cable reason, a l lowed the Cou rt H ouse and Ja i l to fa l l into a

bad s ta te of repa i r , the V i l lage of L i t t le Res t was not slow in

grasping the opportuni ty of a t tempt ing to wres t f rom TowerH i l l t he i r env iable pos i t ion as the County Sea t . To ga in th isend

, L i t t le Res t , or at leas t a cons i derable number of its res idents , presented a pet i t ion1 1 to the Genera l A ssembly point ingout tha t L i tt le Res t wa s now a la rge v i l lage “

surrounded w i th a llthe conveniences of L i fe of a ll sorts ,

”and tha t there were soon

to be bu i l t “Three: good for the enter ta inment of

those attendingxthe Courts . The ru inou s and decayed cond i t ionof the ex is t ing court house a lso ga ve an exce l lent po int of a rgument

,and with re ference to this

,

"

grave concern was expressedtha t the members of the Genera l Assembly “

should so endangeryou r L i ves as to set in i t th is t ime of Yea r when a ha rd s tormwou ld a lmos t B low i t down.

” Thi s concern expressed for thewe l l be ing of the members , was la ter somewha t tempered by a

long rec i ta l of the ha rdsh i ps wh ich the res i dent s of L i t t le Res texper ienced in a t tend ing the courts and A ssembly at Tower H i l l .

The pet i t ion was add ressed to the “H onble Genera l Assembly

to set at South K ings Town the las t Tuesday of Feb .

1752 and together w i t h the excerpts quoted in the preced ingpa ragraph

,set forth :“tha t we a Long t ime have taken not i ce of

8 Laboured under ye many Inconviencies tha t a t tend ye S cituat ion of y

e Cour t House on Tower H i l l be ing in a Very remoteCorner of the County tha t ye sa i d H ouse and Ja i l are out of repa i rt ha t i t w i l l take a great dea l of money to put them in tol lerable

repa i r bu t can never be made good for they were but M i serablybu i l t at fi rs t 8 tha t there is no Likelyhood of any end

to the cha rge 8 Expence thereo f except by pul l ing them down

1 1A copy of th i s pet i t ion found among‘

the“papers o f the la te E l i sha R .

Potter bears the s i gnatures o f T homas L i l l ibr idge, Thoma s Rogers , JohnKenyon,

Joseph Reynold s , Zackeras Pooler and R i c hmond Reynold s .

1 2The three taverns wh i ch were to be bu i l t were probably those laterowned or managed by Charles Barker, T imothy Peck ham and John Potter .

The Barker house is now the Kingston Inn ; Peckham’

s stood o ff the road

and east of the rear of the old Court Hou se wh i ch st i l l stands : and

Potter ’s was probably s ituated where the Tavern H a l l C lub now stands .

1 4 R HODE I S L A N D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

you r pet i t ioners hav ing a l so been informed yt Aplyca

t ion has been made for money to repa i r sa id CourtH ouse 8 Ja i l wh i ch as we are members of th i s Colony prey maynot be granted as we are sens i b le wha tsoever sums of money are

la id out on i t w i l l be onl y th rown awayThe pe t i t ioners

,a f ter th i s rec i ta l of the per i lou s cond i t ion of

the cou rt house and its danger to the l i ves of the A s sembly , proceed ,

in terms ha rd ly to the c red i t of Tower H i l l,to cont ras t the

com for ts of the two v i l lages . A ccord ing to the i r s ta tement we

find tha t the Members of the Genera l A ssembly 8 the Cou rt sof Jus t i ce and a l l other a t tend ing on them”

su ffer grea t inconveniences espec ia l l y “when they set in ye winter season for wanto f proper accomodations 8 Su i tab le p laces Enough to be com

fortably enter ta ined wood 1 3 and a l l other Necessaryes of L i febe ing S ca rce 8 d iffi cu l ty obta in at Tower H i l l . ” ‘

vVhereas at

L i t t le Res t . bes i de the th ree taverns a l ready ment ioned.at tent ionis d rawn to

“many H andsome es ta tes 8 and good setlers at 8

nea r Sd L i t t le Res t h i l l who wi l l at a l l t imes enter ta in 8 accomo

da te glad the M embers of the A ssembly 8 Cou rt s 8 many othersa t tend ing at the i r own H ouses 8 pr i va te expense A lsoa t tent ion is d rawn to the cent ra l s i t ua t ion of L i t t le Res t H i l l toa l l pa rt s of the county .

I f . cont inue the pet i t ioners , the Assembly w i l l move the s i te ofthe County Sea t to L i t t le Res t , Col . E l i sha Reynol d s“ w i l l deeda pa rce l of land for the Cour t H ouse and

“M r . Rober t Pot ter”

1 3 It wou ld appear that th i s is an exaggerat ion. a s there is now p lentyof wood land near Tower H i l l , desp ite the f act that much of the wood landin th i s sect ion is of comparat ively recent growth .

1 4Col . E l i sha Reynolds , 5 0 1 1 of Henry and Sarah ( Greene) Reynold s,was born in 1706. H e marr ied Su sanna Potter . Reynolds a cqu ired the

land by purc hase f rom H enry Knowles , grand son of the Henry Knowleswho acqu i red the land f rom the Pettaquamscutt Purchasers pr ior to 1670 .

The greater port ion of th i s property is now in the posses s ion o f Col .Reyno-ld

’

s grea t great grand daughter , M i ss Mary LeMoine Potter .1 5 “Mr . Robert Potter , the son of Robert Potter (born 1666) and

E l i z abeth Wel ls Potter, was born J u ly 26, 170-2, and was the brother - 111

law of Col . E l i sha Reynolds . H e acqu i red the land by inher i tance f romhis f ather who had i t by purchase f rom the he i rs of Samue l W i lbor on

S eptembe r 22 ,1684 . H e deeded the j a i l lot to the Governor and Company

on September 22,1752 . Th i s lot mea su red 50 by 45 feet .

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1 6 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

Othnie l Gorton’

s Two Wives

By H EN RY A . B URL I N GAM E

(Add ition to page 3 03 of A us tin’

s Genea log ica l D ictionary)

Othniel Gor ton,born Sep tember 22 ,

1669,d ied June 1 3 ,

1 73 3 ,

mar r ied fi rs t Ma rcy Bu r l ingame ( daughter of Roger Bur l ingameand wi fe Ma ry ), had by her ,

I s rae l born John born169 3 and F rance s bo rn M a r c h 15

,1707 . H e m a r r i ed second l y ,

Ma rcy ( granddaughter of Moses and wi fe Ma ry (Knowles)Lipp i t t ), had by her , Ot hnie l born Octobe r 1 , 17 18 . S ee sa id RogerBu r l ingame ’

s wi l l,November 28

,17 1 5

,Book 1 1

,page 49 ,

Prov idence Records , and Ma ry Lippitt

’

s w i l l,Ma rch 6,

Book1,page 1 54 , Wa rw i ck Records . A l so Book 1 , page 88 for b i rths .

Moses L i pp i t t ma r r ied Ma ry Knowles,November 19

,1668,

Book 1 , page 2 ,Wa rw i ck Records

,and t hey could not have a

granddaughter old enough to ma r ry Othn iel in 1690 ,.about the

date of I srael ’s b i r th or John ’

s b i r th in 169 3,t here fore the

granddaughter of Ma ry L i pp i t t shows Othniel ’s 2nd ma r r iage .

A n abs t rac t of Ma ry Lippitt’

s wi l l appea rs on page 3 38 o f

Aus t in’

s Genea log i ca l D i c t ionary o f Rhode I s land .

The Block I s land Doub le Ender .

ADDI T IONA L NOTES BY GEORGE R . B URGESS .

Through the courtesy of M r . Lovel l D i ckens , M r . George A .

M i t che l l and M r . Pa rker M i tchel l , a l l of B lock I s land , I wasable th is pas t summer to record the names of some of the old

B lock I s land “doub-le - enders .

The l i st is as fol lows : Thomas Lynch ( la rges t and probablymos t famous , bu i l t in Newport ), I s land B elle ( second la rges t),Dreadnought ( la rge c las s ), S apho ( la rge c lass ), Lena M . ( largec lass), A rk

,Telegraph,

D iana’

s D el ight ( bought by D . B .

Dodge,renamed S nowy Da isy), l/Vedge, R os e an

’

Ba l l,III orn

ing S tar, Rhode I s land, A ctive ( la rge c lass ), Glory A nn, ( s tory

*An i l lustrated account of the double - ender appeared in the October,1923 , i ssue of the Col lections .

THE B LOCK I S LAN D “DOU BL E EN DER ” 1 7

of , wri t ten and publ i shed in maga z ine a few yea rs ago,pi c tu re

in R . I . H . S . C . Oct Light Foot, Flying Cloud, B ee,l l

’abash, Connecticu t ( bu i l t in Connect i cut ), Oregon,

Van-aler

bi lt, A nni e S teel ( bu i l t by And rew Dodge in 1879 ,had s teel

mas ts ), Da uxntless , Cnmchi ( bu i l t in Turtle,P res ident

,

Fou r B rothers ( poss i b ly two, one bu i l t in Newport and one in

B lock I s land ), L i l o ( bu i l t by Deacon M i tchel l ), Emma ( nowdoing duty—sawn in two —as roof of two ch i cken houses),S plendor, Lad ies

’

Del ight ( poss i b l y t h i s is same as D iana'

s

Del ight), Owl and H ector .

A pa int ing of the I s land B el le was reproduced in The R udder

of Apr i l , 1 9 12 .

The Lena .II . , one of the last in commi s s ion a s a fi sh ing boa t ,was pu rchased in 19 10 by M a rt in C . E rismann. a nava l a rch iteet , who sa i led her to Ma rb lehead . Upon be ing hauled ou t

,i t

was found impract i cable to repa i r her . H e took off a l l of the

measurements . and f rom them produced the R oar ing B es s ie and

used her as a pleasu re boa t .

Ca l i fornia hea rd of the R oar ing B es s ie,and B . C . H uber

ordered his Pac ific Chi lde la id down and bu i l t in 19 2 4 ,fol lowing

a lmos t exac t ly the l ines of the Lena .11 . H e says : Perhaps i tis interes t ing to know tha t the owner p i cked the old B lock I s landmodel not onl y because the old model wa s Sound accord ing to

modern nava l a rch i tec tu re ,but because in the beaut i fu l l ines of

the hul l and the G reek s i mpl i c i ty of the r i g the old bu i lders and

boa tmen of Block I s land a t ta ined the mos t p leas ing form i t has

yet been his pleasure to see afloa t .

I have been unable to t race the bu i ld ing o f these doubl e

enders fa rt her back than a round the Revol ut ion . John Rose

was bu i ld ing them a l i t t le la ter than th i s . Unfortuna te ly I havemis la id my da ta g i v ing da tes , but he was the grand fa ther of the

p resent John Rose ,ha rdwa re dea ler . and others now l i v ing 0 11

Block I s land . Thi s John Rose was fol lowed by his son Ca leb ;his son Rober t

,who is s t i l l l iv ing,

a l so worked on them . In the

la t ter days,Deacon M i t chel l and John Thomas were boa t

bu i lders .

In 1886 there were owned on the I s land a round s i x ty double

1 8 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC I ETY

enders , twel ve yea rs a f ter the Eas t H a rbor was cons t ruc ted . In

19 14 there were th ree or four s t i l l in the wa ter in the Eas tII arbor .

In Ju ly , 1776, a mus tee lad who was a pr i soner on the Cerberus j umped overboa rd and swam three mi les to Block I s land ,where he found “

a‘ ceda r boa t w i th two sa i ls ,

”of wh i ch he

promptly took possess ion and sa i led to B renton’

s Po int . Thi sboa t was p robably a double - ender

, a s t hey cou ld be hand led byone man .

Notes

The fol lowing persons have been e lec ted to membersh ip in theSoc iety '

M r . W i l l iam O . DyerMrs . A rthu r B . L i s leM r . James R . MacColl

D r . H enry S . Ma thewsonMrs . Wh i tney Smi thMrs . Ga rdner T . Swa r ts

The Soc iety has been fortunate in obta ining a complete fi le of

Bangs Trumpet, a newspaper i ssued in Prov i dence in 1857 , and

in ob ta ining a fi le cons is t ing of a l l the known cop ies of the'

Gaz ette Frangois e, whi ch was pr inted at Newport in 1780 and

178 1 on the pr int ing press of the F rench fleet .H on . F reder i ck B . Cole has presented to the Soc iety a type

wri t ten compi la t ion of i tems rela t ing to North K ings town in theRevol u t iona ry War .

Among the new books o f Rhode I s land interes t are '

S teamboatDays , by F red E . Dayton,whi ch has a chapter on

s teamboa t ing on Na rraganset t Bay.

R hode I s land Ferries,by Anna A . and Cha r les V . Chapin .

Trad itions of M edicine in R hode I s land , by John W . Kee fe,M .D .

,F . A . C . S .

,conta ining br ie f b iograph ies of ea r ly Rhode

I s land phy s i c ians .

Looking Backward Fou r S core Years , by F rank C . Ange l l

of Centredale , R . I .

The S tory of a S u b- P ioneer,by Sa ra M . A lgeo.

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2 0 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

a long the hois t ; the second by hav ing r i bbons sewn to the ho i s tof the flag at regula r interva ls and the flag was a t ta ched to the

p i ke by means of ty ing these r ibbons . The th i rd method washav ing a b i t of c loth somet imes an extens ion of the fiel d of the

flag made long enough to wrap a round the pi ke as desc r i bed by

you—t h i s I find wa s o f ten sewed mak ing a cy l inder through

wh ic h the p i ke wa s run. In tha t case I am inc l ined to th ink thatthe port ion wrapped a round the pi ke wa s not cons i dered a partof the color in measu rement .M r . R C . Ba l la rd Thrus ton re fers to the Sul l i van Exped i t ion

flag as one of the mos t interes t ing flags in the count ry .

”H e

expla ins its curious des i gns a s fol lowsAppa rent ly the makers had an abundance of wh i te

,but were

Shor t of red ma ter ia l . There fore, onl y four of the t h i r teens t r i pes we re red ,

and the wh i te were a r ranged one at the top and

the ot her e i ght in pa i rs . The canton had a coi led rat t lesnake .

”

Rhode Is land Signboards

BY H OWARD M . C H A P I N .

*

In 1922 the Soc iety he l d a loan exh ibi t ion of old S ignboa rdswh ich c rea ted a grea t dea l of interes t . Photographs were taken

o f a l l of the S i gnboa rds In the exh i b i t ion and i l l us t ra t ions of

the Rhode I s land S i gns are inc luded in th is i ssue of the Col lee

tions .

The s i gnboa rd had reached a h igh s ta te of deve lopment inthe Old Wor l d a s a neces sa ry and t ime—honored ins t i tu t ion,

when i t was t ranspor ted in toto,des i gn

,form

, and u se,to the

growing colonies of the New Wor l d . Soc ia l cus toms are mos tretent i ve

,and Amer i ca absorbed the s i gnboa rd as a na tu ra l

phase of its da i l y l i fe wi thout mak ing any ma rked mod ifica t ion

in its appea rance or u se . A s the or ig ina l pu rpose of the S ign

boa rd wa s to info-rm the unlet tered , its u se in seventeenth cen

tu ry New England was prac t i ca l l y as impor tant as in England ,and the u se o f the s i gnboa rd gradua l l y d ied ou t as educa t ioninc reased . The wooden Ind ian of the tobacco shOp,

one of the

*Mr . Charles A . Ca lder very k ind ly contr ibu ted his notes on earlyRhode Island S i gnboard s .

RHODE I S L AN D S I GN BOA RDS 2 1

f ew d i s t inc t i vel y Amer i can S igns,hel d its own a lmos t to the

end, wh i le the st r i ped ba rber ’s pole and the th ree ba l l s of the

pawn shop came th rough w i th fly ing colors . The s i gnboa rd . as

e veryone knows , reached its lowes t ebb at the beg inning of the

twent ieth centu ry , and has now taken a new lease of l i fe fort h ree qu i te d i fferent causes ; fi rs t as the symbol of nat ionwideins t i tu t ions a s the be l l for the telephone sys tem

,then second l y on

a ccount o f the“h i s tor i ca l rev i va l . as the modern interes t in

ant i ques might be ca l led,and las t ly as a means of qu i ck ly com

municating informa t ion to those rush ing a long in automob i les .

S i gnboa rds fa l l into th ree genera l c lasses : t rade s igns , thepurpose of whi ch is to ca l l a t tent ion to the pa r t i cu la r t rade tha tits owner fol lows ; tavern and shop s i gns tha t are

,l i ke t rade

ma rks , d i s t inc t i ve of the pa rt i cu la r house rega rd less o f wha t itsbus iness ~may be ; and tol l s i gns whi ch give the ra tes and

c ha rges . The ea r l ies t s i gns in New England were in genera ltavern s i gns , these be ing fol lowed by t rade s i gns a s the townsgrew la rger and thei r bu s iness centers became more complexand confu s ing . F ina l l y

,wi th the cons t ruc t ion of roads and

br idges , tol l S igns fol lowed as a na tu ra l corol la ry .

The ea r l ies t S i gn d i splayed at the recent loan exh i b i t ion at the

Rhode I s land H i s tor i ca l Soc iet y was the t rade S i gn o f a Prov id ence shoe—shop ,

the S i gn bea r ing the da te 1 7 18 . Va r ious typeso f

“Butes and S hou s are shown in black and red upon a whi tebackground . The reverse of the S i gn is S i mi la r in des i gn,

the

whole be ing about twenty inches squa re . Thi s S i gn is pa rt i cu la r lyinteres t ing becau se i t does not seem to have been retouched in

modern t imes , the J form of the ones and of the seven, and the

s c rol l work being cha racter i s t i c of the per iod . I t belongs to the

fi rs t type of s i gns , the sort tha t we have desc r i bed as t rade s igns .

The ea r l ies t c la ss of s i gns u sed in New England was the

tavern S i gn. Each tavern was known by its d i s t inct i ve S i gn,and

its reputa t ion for serv i ce and for Cheer was eas i l y assoc ia ted in

the t ravel ler’

s mind w i th the emblem or dev ice o f the pa r t i cu la rhos tel ry . One of the ea r l ies t

,i f not indeed perhaps the ea r l ies t ,

of Bos ton S i gnboa rds was tha t wh i ch d i splayed the K ing s A rms

and hung be fore the inn or ord ina ry tha t was kept by H ugh

Gunni son as ea r ly as 1642 . I t is sa i d tha t the name o f th i s tavern

2 2 R HODE I S LAND H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

was changed to the S ta te’

s A rms dur ing the Protec torate as a

ma t ter of pol i t i ca l and economic exped iency .

A S i gn bea r ing the popula r Engl i sh dev i ce of a R os e and

Crown and the da te 172 5 is preserved by the A t t leboro Chapter ,Daughters of the Amer i can Revol u t ion . Thi s S ign former lyhung at the Dagget t Tavern,

an h i s tor i c bu i ld ing wh ic h is s t i l ls tand ing in S la ter Pa rk , Pawtucket , R I . The S i gn ha s interes ting ornamenta l i ron—work

,but one s i de of the Si gn has been re

touched,wh ich is a grea t p i ty

,for both the deta i l s of the des i gn

and the color ing have su ffered gr ievou s l y .

La rwood and Hot ten,the grea t au thor i t ies on Engl i sh S ign

boa rds,have developed a c lass i fica t ion wh ich perhap s cannot be

grea t ly improved . I t w i l l be interes t ing to l i s t ou r Amer i cans i gnboa rd dev i ces in s im i la r groups

,whi ch the reader can t hen

compa re in d i vers i ty and number w i th.

those of England . Manyinteres t ing colonia l s i gns s t i l l rema in unrecorded

,and i t wi l l be

the work of yea rs. be fore the Amer i can l i s t can pretend to r i va ltha t of the mother count ry .

The h i s tor i ca l or commemorat i ve group of s i gnboa rd des i gns

gave in la ter yea rs a chance for Amer i ca to deve lop some distinctively Amer i can des i gns . Some oneonce sa i d

,perhaps s l igh t

ingly,tha t the G reeks honored the i r great men by erec t ing s ta tues

to them ,tha t the Romans rewa rded t hem wi t h t r iumpha l ent r ies

and ova t ions . and tha t the Engl ish hung the i r por t ra i ts in the

st reets to serve as s i gns for publ i c hou ses . M any o f the ea r lyBos ton taverns fol lowed th is popu la r na t iona l t rend w i th suchnames and s i gns ( for the S ign was a lmos t an integra l pa r t of thetavern) a s the King

’

s H ead,169 1 , the Queen

’

s H ead ,1732 ,

George or S t. George, 172 1 , Cromwe'l l

’

s H ead . 1760 ,Admi ra l

Vernon‘

s H ead ,1743

, S hakes p eare and General l l / olfe'

, 1 768 . A s

t ime went on the word “head ” gradua l ly came to be omi tted , and

by the la te e i ghteenth centu ry the word “head ” is ra rel y foundas pa r t of a tavern ’

s name . I t is re la ted t ha t the S i gn of Crom

tt'e'l l

’

s H ead was hung so low tha t a l l who passed under i t hadto make a necessa ry reverence ,

and tha t Vernon’

s H ead wa s

pa r t i cu la r ly popula r becau se of his n i ckname of“Old G rog .

”

A lmos t everyone of the old S i gnboa rd s unlocks a flood of t rad i

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2 4 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

RH ODE I S LAN D S I GNBOARD S 2 5

Wa r fame,wi th a s i gnboa rd p ictu re represent ing Anawan on

horseback in an a l together too modern s ty le . Tobacco was soldat the S ign of Tecums eh at Prov idence in 182 1 . \Nas th is a forerunne r of the wooden Ind ian of the tobacco shop ! The VernonS t i les Inn at Thompson. Conn .

,on an unusua l ly la rge s i gnboa rd ,

shows Lafayette, sea ted beh ind a Span o f horses in the act o f

r a i s ing his hat in sa l u ta t ion. On the reverse the faces were not

fini shed , but were le f t blank , wi thout very much det r iment to the

genera l effect o f the S ign . The commemorat ion of the Ma rqu is ’

v i s i t,as wel l as the s i gns of H ancock

,A nawan

,Frankl in and

Washington have the flavor of Amer i can h i s tory and shouldcerta inly be c lassed a s new wor l d mod i fica t ions o f s i gnboardd ev i ces . Few c lass i ca l ce leb r i t ies were honored wi th s i gns inNew England , a l though the H ead of H ippocrates hung in colonia l Sa lem . and Neptune

,in his cha r iot sur rounded by Tr i ton ,

appea red on a Ph i ladel ph ia s ignboa rd . The reverse conta ined a

ma r ine v iew ,and the complex i ty o f the des i gns marks the s ign

aS of the decadent per iod . for S ignboa rds a s wel l as hera ld rytu rned f rom s impl i c i ty to p i c tu resque b i ts in t he i r flamboyant

(dec l ine .

The second group of s i gns cons i s ts of those bea r ing an

hera l d i c or emblema t i c dev ice . The crown is one of the ea r l ies tof these s i gns and is found in London a s ea r ly as 1467 . A l thoughunment ioned

,i t a lways appea rs on the K ing

’

s H ead and on the

Queen’

s H ead in s i gns bea r ing such representa t ions . I t is a l so

o f ten found s tand ing by i tsel f as a S i gn of the Crown tavernBos ton,

1 745,or the Crown coffee house . Bo s ton,

1 7 18 . New

port,1777 . and e l sewhere

,sca t tered th roughout the colonies

dur ing the pre- Revol ut iona ry per iod . The c rown is a l so very

popula r in combina t ions such a s the R ose and Crown o f 172 5

a l ready ment ioned . There was another R ose and Crown at

Bos ton in 1728,and other colonia l combina t ions were the H at

a nd Crown.Newport

,1764 , the Crown. and and the

Crown and R a z or,the two la t ter swinging at Bos ton . The s i gn

o f the Three Crowns hung at Lanca s ter , Pa ,in 177 1 .

The roya l a rms usua l ly under the name o f the K ing'

s A rms .

a s at Bos ton in 165 1 and la ter at Sa lem . fa l l into th i s group .The

K ing’

s A rms hung be fore a coffee hou se at Newport in 1767 .

2 6 R HODE IS LA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

and in 1766 a S i gn at Saybrook bore the K ing’

s A rms on one

s ide and a sh i p on the other . O f the t rade- gu i l d a rms we findtha t both Bos ton and Newpor t boa s ted a Freemas on

’

s A rms and

a Baker’

s A rms,and tha t the Pa inter ’

s A rms hung“ be fore a

Prov idence pa int shOp in 1769 . There was a De La-ncey A rms

Tavern in New York in 1763 .

Samuel Adams D rake , Bos ton’

s grea t h i stor ian . apt ly wrote :The Revol u t ion wrought swi f t and s i gnifi cant change in many

of the old, favor i te S ignboa rds . H e notes tha t “down came the

King ’

s arm s and up went the people ’

s a rm s” and that “the c rownsand scept res

,the l ions and un i corns f u rnished fue l for pa t r iot i c

bonfi res,or were pa inted ou t forever .

”H e cont inues “

The

c rown was knocked into a cocked hat,the scept re fel l at the un

shea th ing o f the sword . The heads of Wash ington and H ancock,

Putnam and Lee,Jones and H opk ins

,now fi red the ma r t ia l hea r t

instead of Vernon,H awk and Wol fe .

”The N ewport M ercu ry

of Augus t 19,1776

,conta ins the fol low ing comment : “W i th in

a few days pas t,the S ign o f the B ritish Union J ack ,

wh ich hadbeen a tavern S i gn at a house in th i s town, nea r ha l f a centu ry ,was taken down and on F r i day las t the S i gn of the F lag of the

Thirteen United S tates of America wa s put up in the p lacethereo f , by the pa t r iot i c owner of the house , who certa inl y de

serves every rea sonable encou ragement oi his count rymen . The

A rms of the United S tates , the spread eagle wi th na t iona l sh ie l d ,

of cou rse became immensel y popula r in the la te e i ghteent h and

ea r ly nineteenth centu r ies . The na t iona l a rms appea r on the

s i gnboa rd of H . Pray ’

s Inn, of Ange-11

’

s Center H otel,at Cent re

da le ,R . I . ; of VVitter

’

S Inn in Connect i cut in 1829,of the

Ta vern of Northfield Fa rms and of many other inns . A t theSp i cer Tavern at Hopk inton C i ty

,R . I .

,the E agle and A rms are

sur rounded by twel ve s ta rs , ins tead of th i r teen,and a grea t

va r iat ion is of cou rse not i ceable in the ar rangement and color ing

on the d i fferent S ignboa rds . In many cases the E agle and A rms

appea r on onl y one s i de of the board and the other s i de is deco

ra ted wi th a d i fferent des i gn,as at Newton, N . H .

, where the

reverse or ig ina l l y bore a Pu nch bowl,and at Covent ry where i t

bore a Yoke of oven.The B i ssel l Tavern at Eas t W indsor , Ct.

,

had an A 11 1ericcin eagle on one s i de and Thirteen inter lacing r ings

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R HODE I S L A N D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

R HOD E I S L A N D S I GN BOARDS 2 9

The dog fami ly was represented by the s i gn o f the Dog and

Pot at Bos ton in 1722,doubt less a copy of the famous old

London s i gn,by the Greyhound Tavern at Roxbu ry and by the

s i gn of the Greyhound at Prov idence in 1772 . The appea ranceof the Prov i dence Greyhou nd s ign is p reserved by a woodcu t ina contempora ry new spaper and remind s one of the huge woodencat tha t unt i l recent l y s tood in lower New York . There was a

Fox at Ja ff rey,N . H .

,in 1802 and a Golden Fox at Prov idence

in 1768 .

A grea t many s i gns bore the horse both by i t sel f and a l so incombina t ions . We find the Black H ors e at Bos ton in 1698 ,

at

Newpor t in 1766,and at New York . and there wa s a very

cu r ious Black H ors e s i gn da ted 1762 in the exh ib i t ion of 1922 .

Jona than N i chol s kept the l l ’h-ite H ors e at Newpor t in 1759,and

later a White H ors e hung be fore a tavern and a genera l s tore,and the Wh ite H ors e s i gn is found at Prov idence in 1803

,at

Bos ton and at many other p laces . The H ors e by i tsel f appea redon the s i gn of the Pembroke Tavern and the Dewey Tavern,

1776 . The s i gnboa rd of the Grosvenor Inn at Pom fret bea rs a

horse and the da te 1765 on one s ide and on the other a sol d ieron horseback ca r ry ing the Cont inenta l or Grand Union flag of

1776 . Th i s s i gn wa s retouched some yea rs ago by M r . Hopp inof Prov i dence . In combina t ion the H ors e and E agle, Newpor t ,1774

,is unusua l , not be ing ment ioned in the Engl i sh l i s t . The

Man. and H ors e,Prov i dence . 1798 ,

is doubtless a va r iant descript ion of the H ors e and Groom

,a common Engl i sh dev i ce appro

priate for taverns . whi ch appea rs on the s i gnboa rd of Mowry’

s

Inn, Smithfield ,

R . I .

, a s i gnboa rd tha t is s t i l l extant . and on the

s i gns tha t formerl y hung at B ra t t leboro. V t.

,and at Prescot t ,

Mass . Thi s la t ter s i gn had on the reverse a H ors e and R ider .

The Coach and H ors es s i gn was u sed at Phi ladel ph ia ,at Cent re

brook, Ct.

,and el sewhere . and a S table and H ors es at Prov i

dence in 1784 . The unu sua l s ign o f'

a H ors e,R ider and H ounds

hung at H opk inton,N . H . , in 1786 .

The Unicorn wa s cons i dered as espec ia l ly appropr iate for

chemi sts and gold smi ths . and d i verse romanti c ta les and legend sare rela ted in connect ion wi th th i s my thologica l bea s t . I t is .

bel ieved by many tha t the uni corn is merely the outgrowth o f

.30 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

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3 2 RHOD E I S L A N D H I S TOR I C A L S OC I ETY

the name \V . Ca rder was placed over H ancock ’

s name,thus

r ecord ing changes in ownersh i p . The famous Golden E agles of

Newpor t , l i ke the Horses of S t . Ma rks , have had an event fu lh i s tory . Or i g ina l ly they a re sa i d to have been companion p iecesa nd to have graced the ga te - pos ts of M etca l f Bowler ’s e labora tecount ry es ta te in Portsmouth

,R . I . The panel l ing f rom one

room in his house is now in the Amer i can W’ ing of the Met ropol i tan Museum in New York . A f ter the sa le of the Bowler

p roper ty , t hese eagles were ca r r ied to Newpor t . One of them is

cons i dered by some to have been the Golden E agle tha t served

a s the wel l known s ign of John Bou rs ’ shop . I t is somet imesca l led the Golden E agle, 1763 .

'

and somet imes is merel y refer redto as the E agle . One of the eagles wa s la ter p laced over GeorgeEng'

s s tore on Thames S t reet,and the other on top of Town

send'

s Coff ee house,where i t appea rs in an old engrav ing of

a bout 1840 . Th i s eagle was tw i ce b lown down f rom i ts perch .

Today the two eagles,fu l l re l ie f ca rv ings

,not p i ctu res

,stand

fac ing each other,one on ea ch s i de of Thames S t reet . One of

the eagles has su ffered cons i derable res tora t ion,the head and

fea ther - ca rv ing c lea r ing da t ing f rom a la te per iod .

The Gol den E agle,P rov i dence

,1809 ,

perhaps the same as the

S pread E agle, 1799 ,the H orse and E agle, Newpor t , 1777 ,

a ll

Tavern s i gns , the American E agle, a Prov idence pr inter’

s s i gn,

18 16,the E agle, Bos ton . and the R is ing E agle, Ma l den,

1766,

g i ve proo f of the rega rd in wh ich th i s b i rd wa s hel d . In Penn

s lyvania . a cu r ious s i gnboa rd bore a H en with Chickens above

wh ic h hovered an E agle with a Crown in its beak , and the

insc r i pt ion read ,

“May the W ings of L i berty cover the Ch i ckenso f F reedom and pluck the C rown f rom the Enemy ’s H ead .

”

The sp i r i t of the Revol u t ion is ev i dent in th i s s i gn .

A few other b i rds appea r on s i gnboa rds a s the Swan at Bos

ton,1 708

,the Dove at Boston

,the P u rbl ind Owl, and the Crow

a nd S a usage both at Prov i dence . The Three Cranes at Cha r les

town,and the b i rd on a Ph i ladel ph ia s i gn w i l l be ment ioned la ter

i n connec t ion wi th humorous s i gnboa rd s .

( To be eon-eluded )

HOD E SLAND

I STOR I CAL OC I ETY

OLLE CT IONS

Vol . X IX Apri l 1 , 1926 NO . 2

Mod el of fr iga te Wash ington.

Issued Quarterly

CONTENTS

PA G E

L ife in Old N arraganse t t, by Mary A . Harris

Some Additiona l Notes on Rhode I sland Pewterers, by

Charles A . Ca lder

The Remova l of the County Seat from Tower H i l l to

Little Rest, 1752 , by Wi ll iamDavis Mi l ler

Notes

Treasu rer’

s Report

Rhode I sland S ignboards , by Howard M. Chap in

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34 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC I ETY

goodbye . \Ve as ch i ld ren d i d not know for yea rs why the gues twent qu iet ly into tha t other room .

Then the la rge k i tchen, a“ lean - to bu i l t the whole width of

the hou se . I t had fou r w indows , fac ing the upland meadows ,and wood land ,

—where gra zed a la rge flock of meek - eyed sheep .

The wool f rom the sheep commanded a good pr i ce, and was a

cons i derable income for the home .

There were cows , a plenty ,but ter and cheese , was made for

the home ,ra re l y sol d

,as the fami ly was la rge . The mi lk and

c ream were u sed lav i shly . But the s tap le a r t i c le was the “ j onnycake

,

” made f rom f reshly ground mea l . \V i t h plenty of c reamand butter

,i t was fi t for a k ing .

The tab le was never s t inted,and everyth ing except flou r

(whea t ), was ra i sed on the fa rm . Bee f,vea l

,pork ( f resh and

sa l t ), fowl s , corn,pota toes , onions and vegetables of a ll k ind s .

There were a lways two -or t hree horses . and a lway s one tha tcou ld go fas t , and i t wa s the pr ide of the grand fa ther to s ta r t atthe las t m inute for the t ra in and let t ha t horse make t ime .

The windows had sma l l panes , and there were ins i de shutters ,hand made, put together w i th wooden pegs . The shut ter s s l i dand had to be pushed in f ront of the windows . There were no

outs ide b l inds . There were hand - wrought h inges on the doors .

They a re s t i l l t here . The beams proj ec t overhead . Ups ta i rs are

the bed rooms :two la rge f ront rooms,and four sma l ler ones in

back ; and above them a l l . the b ig ,old—fash ioned a t t i c , where we

c h i l d ren loved to play . The rock ing - horse,wi th rea l horse - ha i r

mane and ta i l . The model of a sh i p , two and one—ha l f feet longby two feet h igh ,

wi th squa re sa i l s , and every equ ipment for

sa i l ing . The old spinning wheel had been pu t there too,and the

sma l ler flax wheel . They had both been used in the ol den t ime,

by the fore—mot hers , to sp in,and the weav ing had been done

there too .

The herbs were s t i l l ga thered in summer , and u sed for med ic ine when needed . They were hung in the ga r ret—thyme

,cat

nip,thoroughwor t , sage and pennyro

-

ya l .

The b i g ch imney bulged ou t in the a t t i c , and was u sed for

smok ing the ham s , and bacon,and bee f . Some of the fire—places

were st i l l in u se then,wi th the bel lows , fender and and i rons .

L IFE IN OLD N AR RA G AN S ETT

Henry Marc h ant House, Wést Kings ton,R . I .

3 5

SO R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

The beds teads were p i led h igh w i th l i ve goose fea ther beds,

and unless the n i ght was wa rm . they were very com for table .

They were fou r - pos ters , and were “ corded .

A nd the company .

—wel l , . ta lk of hosp i ta l i ty ; I bel ieve tha told hou se cou ld tel l wonder f u l ta les of the f r iends enter ta ined .

Ten,twe l ve

,ra rely less than e i ght at table . T ime meant not h ing

to t hem when the gues ts were there . two hours or more at the

table . wi th s tory a f ter story tol d . f u l l of wi t and wi sdom . Manyof them “ South County ” legends . of

“old L i z S tetson

,

”

who let

her g i r l grow up w i thout a name . unt i l she was old enough toname hersel f , of the man who was too lazy to work ,

and who

was be ing taken to be bu r ied a l i ve,when a k ind hea r ted ne i ghbor

offered to gi ve h im enough corn to la st th rough the winter . H e

a sked , I s i t shel led !” W’

hen answered in the nega t i ve,he

repl ied ,

“D r i ve on,boys

,d r ive on .

”

Then there was the wa l k over the fa rm ,the fish ing for eel s

,

the hunt ing for rabb i ts and qua i l .

On Sunday everyone went to chu rch . In the ol den days , they

went to the Congrega t iona l Chu rch . on the H i l l in Kings ton .

The cand les were d i pped at home . There were severa l wha le

oil lamps about the house . but not in u se .

I t was a ne ighborhood where the neighbors were nei ghbor ly ;a s M i ss H a za rd say s “

The fami l ies were bound together by t ies

of blood,and ma r r iage, and a ll j o ined in j ol l i ty , i r respect i ve of

church or c reed .

”

South County is s t i l l fa i r l y f ree f rom the fore i gn people who

have flooded the other pa r ts o f ou r S ta te .

The fa rms a re fa i r ly prosperous , the hou ses wel l kept up , and

the pe-

Ople t h r i f ty and wel l to do .

The spi r i t of ne i ghbor l iness is s t i l l t here,and the c lan spi r i t

wh i ch makes a South County ne i ghbor s tand up for h is f r iend

under a l l c i rcums tances .

Get a rea l South County man to ta l k aga ins t another South

County man,i f you can,

then tel l me who he is .

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John Sk inner, Boston,Mass .

SOME A DD IT I ONA L NOT E S ON R . I . PE \VTE R E R S 4 1

por r ingers in d i fferent s i z es and Jones speaks o f qua rt andpint pots and 3 p int

,qua r t and pint ba s ins ; the qua r t ba s in and

and por r inge rs o f H aml in a re a l l tha t seem to havesu rv i ved of these two l ines , and ne i t her bas in or pots have comedown f rom Jones and only his por r inger ; the same hold st rue of the Newpor t workers and the other Prov idence men

,

save for a two qua r t ba s in of Ca lder .

\Vhile saunter ing a long col lect ing Rhode I s land p ieces . I haveoccas iona l l y s t rayed a bi t f rom the s t r i c t ly s t ra igh t and na r rowRhode I s land t ra i l . find ing i t l i ke mos t s t ray ing , h igh ly enterta ining ,

and ga ther ing now and then a few examples of outs ideYankees se ldom seen . Th ink ing tha t they might prove interes ting we have dec ided to show some of them wi th the i r ma rks .

The l i t t le “Semper Eadem bas in should be ca re fu l ly scanned ,

for i t is ra rel y found ,l i kewi se the bas in bea r ing the Massachu

set ts sea l (R . Aus t in). a s a l so the Thomas Badger d i t to, a l l o f

Bos ton Town and a l l exceed ingly sca rce ; the Samue l P iercebas in

,da te and habi ta t as yet unknown,

and the l i t t le R . Lee

por r inger,are a l so among those genera l ly m i ss ing .

A John Sk inner 1472” pla t ter aga in o f Bos ton

,and aga in elu

s i ve and a John 8” pla te

,a l though a bi t problema t i ca l a s

yet. are shown wi th the i r ma rk s . These las t pla tes are

mered, someth ing rat her except iona l in Amer i can pewter .

John \V i l l

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46 RHODE I S L AN D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

The R emoval of the County Seat from

Tower H i l l to Little Rest, 1752

W I L L I AM D AV I S M I L L E R

(Conc luded )

The rumor tha t th i s pet i t ion was to be pres ented ev identa l lyrea ched Tower H i l l short ly a f ter its incept ion,

for a counter pet it ion was prepa red and presented at the same sess ion1 8 of the

A ssembly . Thi s la t ter document is not as ca lmly wr i t ten and

expressed as the one f rom L itt le Res t bu t shows unmi s takabl eev idence Of has te ,

hea t and ma l i ce . I t is termed The Remons t rance and Pet i t ion Of u s

,the Subs cr i bers Inhab i tants on 8:

nea r Tower H i l l ” who have “apprehended t ha t the Pet i t ion of

CO11 E l isha Reynol ds Ma jor La tham C la rke and ot hers for re

mov ing the Cou r t H ou se and Goa l f rom Tower H i l l to a placeca l led L i t t le Res t is conce i ved in very E xtra vergatTerms F raught w i t h ah-su rditiys and mi srepresenta t ions and the

prayer there Of unrea sonab le and Inj u r ious Tha t i tis a bsu rd when t hey Endeavou r to impose on the Bel iefe of the

H onob le

assembly tha t the members Of Genera l A ssembly and of

the Severa l Cou rts of Jus t i ce when they there set t sha l l be ma inta ined at the Pr i va te E xpence o f the Nei ghbour ing Inhab i tantsand at the Same Time propose Three Taverns to be ma inta inedat the E xpence of Such members . t hat they mis represent Fac tswhen t hey wou ld Ins inua te tha t the i r fa rms are Bet ter the

Nesesaries of L i fe Eas ier Obta ined and Gent lemen Better enterta ined at L i t t le Res t than at Tower H i l l , the Cont ra ry of wh i chis so appa rent t ha t we Be l ieve no persons Except the Subsc r i bers of sa i d Pet i t ion wi l l have E ffrontry enough to Cont rad ict i t . You r Pet i t ioners wou ld further observe tha t the place

proposed by the Subsc r i ber's Of S d Pet i t ion for plac ing sa i dCou rt H ouse 81 Goa l in is a t tended w i t h severa l unhappy C i rcumstances . G rea t Pa r t Of the h i l l be ing a wet t heavy Soi l Supported w i th a ha rd Substance S O nea r the Su r face 1 9 as to Render

1 8February,1752 .

” T h i s cond it ion st i l l ex i sts in certa in parts Of the v i l lage

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48 R HOD E I S LAN D H I ST OR I CA L S OC I ETY

The A ssembly thereupon sent not i ce of the above pet i t ions tothe C lerk s of the severa l Towns in the County and town meetings were ca l led to vote upon the quest ion .

2 7 L i t t le Res t was thesuccess fu l contes tant and the A ssembly thereby enac ted 2 8 tha tits pet i t ion was granted Prov i ded Col . E l i sha Reynol ds

,M r .

Wm Pot ter and Ma j or La tham C larke g ive bonds in the sum Of

for the per formance of a l l the cond i t ions ment ioned inthe i r pet i t ion .

”

Thus L i t t le Res t won its s t ruggle for the County S ea t ,2 9

whi ch i t reta ined unt i l the yea r 1900 when a new cou rt housewas bu i l t at West Kings ton, two mi les. to the wes twa rd . Thi swas the th i rd court house on or nea r L i t t le Res t H i l l as the one

bu i l t under the cond i t ions conta ined the pet i t ion as grantedabove was replaced in 1776 by a second and la rger bu i ld ing 3 0

wh ich s tands to—day and is now under the superv i s ion of the

Trus tees of the Kings ton F ree L i b ra ry and Read ing Room .

3 1

'The reports on the vote on th i s quest ion, sent by the severa l Town

Clerks to the Assembly, are now in the S tate Arc h ives in Prov idence .

2 8May sess ion 1752 . Records Of the Colony of Rhode I s land ,Bartlett

,

Vo l . V, p . 349 .

2 0The remova l was a great detr iment to Tower H i l l and wa s actua l lyits dea th blow. To—day there is noth ing to suggest the prosperous v i l lageOf 1752 , not a s ing le hou se o f that per iod be ing le f t . Many Of its res identsfol lowed the court to L i ttle Rest where they bu i l t . Among them wasJames Helme

, son of Judge Helme, who bu i lt a large gambrel roof hou seon the land Oppos ite the present Upd ike hou se . I t was demol i shed in 19 10 .

In h is test imony ref erred to in Note 2 1 , Po l lock , who wa s by trade a car

penter , stated that in 1755 he worked on the Wa ite house and in 1757 on

the B arker hou se.now the Kingston Inn. The Wa i te house re ferred to

wa s la ter torn down and the present stru cture bu i l t on its s ite. Pol lockmoved from Tower H i l l to L i ttle Rest in 1787 and rema ined there unt i l1797 . H e

“kept the Goa l 1788 The fi rst j a i l keeper was N athanielHelme .

3"The firs t court house at L itt le Rest , wh i ch stood j ust east o f thepresent c hurch , was in u se fo r u pward Of twenty years . In 1773 the

A ssembly voted tha t a new court hou se be bu i l t . T h i s wa s completed in1776 and the Old bu i ld ing was so ld at auct ion to S i las N i les the fol lowingS eptember The amount rece ived was two hundred and s ixtydol lars .

3 1 Pol lock in the d i spu te ment ioned in Notes 2 1 and 22 f urther test ified that the land east o f where the j a i l was then. s i tuated was . in 1754.

a l l Open and u sed a s a Ra ce Ground” . Th i s is where th i s second cou rthou se now stand s .

NOT ES 49

Notes

The Na r ragansett Mortgage is the t i t le of a vol ume i ssuedin December by the Soc iety Of Colon ia l wa rs in Rhode I s land .

I t cons i s ts Of a col lec t ion o f documents relat ing to the a l ien purchases of Ind ian lands in sou thern Rhode I s land .

A n H i s tor i ca l Sketch of S t . Ann’

s I ta l ian Pa r i sh ,Prov idence .

R . I . . by the Very Reverend John F . Sul l i van,D .D .

, and the

Reverend V incent F . Kienberger , O .P . . was i s sued on the occas ion Of the s i l ver j ub i lee o f its pas tor . the Righ t Reverend Anthony Bove .

The Janua ry 1926 Bul let in Of the Newport H i stor i ca l Soc ietyconta ins a paper by George B . Smi th

,ent i t led “Memor ies of the

Long Ago,1839

A genea logy of the descendants of Chad Brown appea rs inthe Janua ry 1926 i ssue Of the N . E . H . (

9 G . R eg is ter

The fol lowing persons have been elec ted to membersh i p in the

Soc ietyD r . Luc i u s C . KingmanM r . A rch iba l d C . Ma t tesonM r . Benj amin P . H a r r i sMrs . Cha r les D . CookM r . S tep-hen O . Metca l fM i ss Ma rga rethe L . DwightM r . George E . NerneyMr . Na than M .

Mrs . E . T . H . M etca l fM r . John A . Ti l l inghas tMrs . F rances Pomeroy L i pp i t tMrs . George H . Capron

Through the generos i ty of M r . Dav i s M i l ler a copyof Papworth

’

s“Br i t i sh A rmor ia l s ha s been added to the Soc i

ety’

s l i b ra ry , where i t w i l l be of grea t u se to persons interes ted in

ident i fy ing coat s of a rms .

50 R HOD E I S L AND H I ST OR I C A L SOC I ETY

Treasurer ’s Report

I ncome A ccount for the Year 1 925

RECEI PTS

Annua l DuesD iv idends and InterestRent Of Rooms

S tate Approp r iat ion”Grounds and Bu i ld ing

$8 060 34

E ! PE N D ITU RE S

E lectr i c ityExh ib i t ions and LecturesExpenseFue lGa s

Jani tor ia lNewspapersPub l icat ionsSa lar iesSupp l iesT elephone\Va terFrankl in Lyceum Fund

Excess Of rece i pts over expend i tures

34

Respect f u l ly subm itted

G . A . HARR INGTONTreasurer

J anuary 12 , 1926.

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52 R HODE I S L AN D H I ST OR I C A L S OC I ETY

L IAB I L IT I E S

Equ i pment A ccount 00

Permanent Endowment Fund :

Samuel M . NoyesHenry J . S teereJ ames H . BugbeeCharles H . Smi thCharles W . ParsonsW i l l iam H . PotterE sek A . J i l l son . .

John W i l son Sm i thW i l l iam G . WeldChar les C . Hosk insCharles H . Atwood

00

Publ i cation Fund

Robert P . B rownI ra B . P eck . .

W i l l iam Gammel lA lbert J . JonesW i l l iam E ly

J u l ia Bu l lockCharles H . Smi th

George L . Shep ley F'und

L i fe Membersh i p FundFrankl in Lyceum Memor ia l Fund:Book FundReserve FundSurp lus

62‘

Respect f u l ly submitted

G . A . HARR INGTONTr easurer

January 12 , 1926.

R HOD E I S LA N D S I GN BOARDS 53

Rhode I s land S ignboards

Bv H OWA RD M . CH AP I N .

(Conc luded )

F i shes and insects make but scant showing as s i gn- boa rdemblems . The Dolph in at Ph i ladel ph ia fa l ls into th i s ca tegoryfor the Engl i sh l i s t c lasses sea mamma l s as fish . and in 1768 the

S i gn Of the F ish and Frying Pan hung at Prov i dence be fore a

d ry - good s The Turtle,a Prov idence s i gn of 182 1 , is a

very unu sua l s i gn- boa rd dev i ce . The B eehive,symbol i c of busy

ness , made an appropr ia te s ign, and we note the B eehive .

Cha r les town. N . H .,1760

,the Golden B eehuiz 'e .

1792 , alSO ca l ledthe A rne and B eehive

,and the S i lver B eehive

,1805 . bot h at

Prov idence . two B eehive Taverns at P‘

hiladelphia ,and the Crown

and B ee/tit re .

The botani ca l g roup,flowers

,t rees and herb-s . br ings u s to the

puz z l ing Locus t S tump whi ch is ment ioned so O f ten in the col

umns of the Newport I t was certa inl y a wel l—knownlandma rk

,but whether i t wa s pa inted on a s i gn- boa rd

.ca rved in

rel ie f . or an a c tua l s tump , perhaps gi l ded to serve as a s i gn,is a

p roblem s t i l l awa i t ing sol u t ion. The Orange Tree . 1708 . and the

Logwood Tree, 1 73 2 . were both Bos ton tavern S i gns . The lat ters i gn doubt less owes its or ig in to the profi table logwood t radetha t New England sea capta ins pl ied . I t is wor th not ing tha t theLocu st S tump and the Logwood Tree a re Amer i can dev ices and

a re not l i s ted among the Eu ropean s i gns .

The B u sh was for many yea rs in England the t rade s i gn o f

an inn whe re one could be c heer f u l ly re f reshed and i t may havebeen so used in Amer i ca . The Green Bu sh. tavern at Ba rr ington. R . I . I s perhaps an ou tgrowth of th i s Old cus tom . Mrs .

Ea r le ment ions a P ine Tree tavern at Eas t Poul tney ,V t. . and the

S i gn o f the R abbit and P ine Trees at Northfield ,Mas s . The

Grea t Trees and the l 'l’hcat S heaf were Bos ton s i gns .

A popula r f ru i t s i gn was the B unch of Grapes , which . u sedin 17 1 2 at Bos ton a s a tavern S i gn . may have ca r r ied wit h i t a

Daggett Tavern, S later Park . Pawtucket. R . I . Th i s s i gn has beenrestored .

Loa ned by the A ttleboro Chapter . D . A . R .

Bu l l Dog Tavern,Prov idence

From photog raph in the S oc iety ’

s L i brary .

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R HODE I S L AN D S IGN BOARDS 57'

S ai lor and woman,the Three J ol ly s a ilor s , the l/ Vounded Tar .

the Boatswa in and Cal l,five Ph i ladel ph ia s i gns , and the Il l / ood

man. and A r e at Germantown are cha rac ter is t i c Of th i s type of

s i gn- boa rd p i c tu res . The S old ier and S a ilor,o f ten known a s the

Pa tr iotic Brothers , appea r in va r ious sur round ings , and are a .

phase of the spi r i t of ’

76 .

The Sh ip and its a ccessor ies were favor i te dev i ces . Bos tonhad the S hip Tavern,

1666 . a lso ca l led Noah’

s A rk,and la ter the

S hip in D is tress . There was a S h ip at P rov idence , another atPh i lade l ph ia ,

and the one in bas - re l ie f at Saybrook,1 766

,is now

at the Connec t i cu t H i stor i ca l Soc iety . The S teamboat H otel ,otherw i se H a tches Tavern in North A t t lebo ro.

had an elabora tesh i p des i gn .

The B r igantine hung at Prov i dence in 1766,the New York

Packet and the S hip and P lough in 1795 and a Passage boat at

Newport in 177 1 . whi le Ph i ladelph ia had the B rig and S now,

and the Two S loops . Pa rt s Of sh i ps a l so were ut i l i zed as for

ins tance the Cros s Trees and the Top- Ga l lant at Phi ladel ph ia ,

and the Trysa il at Newpor t . The Anchor or B lu e A nchor,1652 ,

the Lighthouse and A nchor,1763

,both at Bos ton. and the va r i

ou s B ible and A nchor s i gns give proo f of the appea l of t h i sdev i ce .

Ot her s i gns fea tu r ing the obj ects connected wi th t rades and

profess ions were the S mith s A nz 'il , 180 1 . the S add le,1794

,the

Golden R eel . 1794 ,which was next door to the S pinning t eel .

the Gold l l ’ a tch . the M ortar,the P es tle and l lfl ortar and the

va r iou s combina t ions o f the morta r and other Obj ec ts . A verv

unusua l S i gn was tha t of the Mathema tica l l ns trmneu ts at New

por t in 1766 . No Engl i s h counterpa r t of t h i s dev i ce is notedThe fou r in. hand s tage Shown on the S i gn Of Cady ’

s H otel atG loces ter . R . I .

,in 18 10 . a s some of the other horse combina

t ion s i gns . may wel l belong to th i s group . The S ign of the Clock

in l lfl otion,18 14 . is another unusua l “

0 11 6 .

The hou se and table produced another group of dev i ces . morep rol ifi c in England tha t in Amer i ca . S t i l l we find here the

Cas tle, 1675 ,the P unch B owl

,1789 . and the Golden, Keys , a l l a t

Boston. the Gold Cup at Sa lem and the P ewter Pla tter at Prov i

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RHOD E I S L AN D S I GNBOARDS 6 1

Another more p i c tu resque s tory is tha t i t wa s rescued f rom the

fire and sent to the Cherokee Ind ians . who there-

a f ter venera tedi t as the image Of a god . A fascimile reproduct ion Of t h i s interes t ing and impress i ve s i gn is preserved at the Rhode I s land H istorica l Soc iety . There was a l so an ea r l ier Turk’ s H ead S ign a t

Prov i dence . da t ing back to 1763 . Thi s is a lso sa i d to have oncegraced a sh i p

'

s prow a s the figu re- head o f the sh ip S ul tan,

and

la ter to have been set up on shore over the owner'

s shop .

La rwood and H ot ten devote cons iderable space to humorou sand comic s i gns and to those tha t conta in puns and rebuses .

Amer i ca is . genera l l y speak ing . very weak on th i s sor t o f s i gns .

Mrs . A l i ce Morse Ea r le . in her enterta ining book on S tageCoach and Tavern Days ,

’ f rom which we have a l ready d rawn,

ment ions a few humorous s i gns,but t hese seem to be merely

copies of s im i la r wel l—known ones of England . F i ve of thesemay be worth desc r i b ing br iefly . The s i gn- boa rd bea r ing the

p ic tu re of a head less woman and the t i t le ,the Qui et l Vonzan,

whi ch is somet imes va r ied as the S ilent l/Vovman or the Good

l i f onzan,had a s t rong appea l , as d id the S truggl ing Man

,a lso

ca l led the l ldan making h is wav thr ough the World . Thi s show sthe globe w i th a man ’

s head ,a rms and legs prot rud ing f rom i t ,

a s he s t ruggles onwa rd . The s i gn- boa rd bea r ing the p i c tu res Of

a t ree,a b i rd . a sh i p and a mug of beer and the fol lowing verse

Thi s is the t ree t ha t never grew ,

Thi s is the b i rd t ha t never flew,

Thi s is the sh ip tha t never sa i ledThi s is the mug tha t never fa i led .

d oubt less had good d rawing power for i t was used at Bos ton

and Phi ladel ph ia as wel l as in England . Perhaps the mos tfamous humorous S i gn is tha t Of a man ca r ry ing on his shou ldera d runken woman

,a monkey and a magpie. and hav ing a round

his neck a cha in and pad lock ma rked “Wed lock .

” Thi s s i gn .

imported f rom England to the New Wor ld . is ca l led A Man

Fu l l of Trouble, a paraph rase o f the Engl i sh t i t le . A Man load ed

wi th. llf ischief and llf atr inzonv. The s i gn o f the Fou r A lls

depi c ts a k ing,a genera l . a mini s ter and a laborer w i th the

l egends “ I govern a l l .” “ I fight for a l l

,

” “ I pray for a l l,

”

and

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=64 R HOD E I S LAN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

and ha rd r id ing Ames got home fi rs t and removed the s ign . The“Federa l Convent ion of 1787 Inn

”

at Ph i ladel ph ia had a p ictor ia l s i gn showing the Com 'ention

,and the Union H otel had a

r eproduct ion of the engrav ing of the D eclaration of I ndepend

ence . Pi ctu re s i gns,showing lVas /zsirzg tow cross ing the D elaware

,

hung at Ph i ladel ph ia and at Ta ylorsv i l le ,Pa . Pi c tor ia l s i gns

.and s i gns wi th verses ma rk the dec l ine of the s i gn—boa rd and

show a lack of tas te,being ent i rel y ou t of keep-ing wi th the pur

i ty of the ea r l ier product ions . The cha rm and s impl i c i ty of the

e a r ly s i gn—boa rds. ca r r ies the i r c rudenes s of . workmansh i p , and

conversel y the bet te r workmansh ip » of the later compl i ca ted p i ctoria l boards

'

s erves to accen tua te the i r inap -

pvropriateness .

Tol l s i gns are rea l l y a spec ia l s tudy by themsel ves,for whi le

not a s a ru le a r t i s t i c or ornamenta l,they ca r ry a vas t amount of

interes t ing informa t ion, economic , soc ia l and h is tori ca l , in

the few l ine-

s of desc r i pt i ve tex t and pr i ces tha t they bear .

O f ten,a s is the case wi th other s i gns , the pa int of the back

ground has been worn away , leav ing the let ters s tand ing in lowrel ie f .

A very rema rkable s i gn is the H awa’

cufied Man, tha t former ly

hung over the door of the Kent County j a i l at Eas t Greenwi ch ,R . I . Exac t ly why a j a i l needed a t rade s i gn is not qu i te c lea r ,a s there wa s ev i dently no neces s i ty for the j a i l to a t tempt topopular i ze its serv i ce . Of course,

some wa rden may have hopedt ha t th i s s i gnmight serve as a t imel y wa rning to some sou l wan

d er ing f rom the s t ra i gh t and na r row pa th .

Add i t iona l ma ter ia l on ou r ea r ly s i gnboa rds wi l l be found in

the Rhode I s land H i s tor i ca l Soc iety Publ i ca t ions , V z2 16 and

VI :144 ,and in Book Notes I :1 3 and VI I I :12 1 .

HODE SLAND

I STOR ICAL OC I ETY

OLLECT IONS

Vol . X IX Ju ly , 1926 NO . 3

Ha l l of Fame , New York .

Cou rtesy of Society of Colonia l Dames

Issued Quarterly

CONTENTS

PAGE

Bust of R oger Wi l l iams Cover and 80

R hode I sland ’

s Declara t ion of Independence

by Wa lter F. Angel ] .

The Earl iest Known Wh ite Settlement on Block

I sland bv George R . Bu rgess .

No tes

Steamer Hancock

Quetenis Is land by Howard M. Chap in

List of Members .

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66 R HOD E I S LAND H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

\Vhereas , in a l l s ta tes , ex i st ing by compac t,protect ion

and a l leg iance are rec i p roca l ; the la t ter be ing onl y du e inconsequence o f the former .

AndWherea s , George the Thi rd , King Of'

G rea t B r i ta in.

forget t ing his d i gni ty,rega rd less of the compac t mos t

solemnl y entered into,ra t i fied and confi rmed to the inhabi

tants Of th i s colony , by his i l l us t r ious ances tors ; and t i l l ofla te

,f u l ly recogni zed by h im ; and ent i rely depa rting f rom

the dut ies and cha rac ter Of a good k ing,instead Of protect

ing, is endeavor ing to dest roy the good people Of t h i s colOny, and Of a l l the Uni ted Colonies , by send ing fleets and

armies'

tO

i

Ameri ca, to confi sca te ou r property . and spread

fire, sword and desola t ion,

th roughout ou r count ry ,in order

to compel u s to submi t to the mos t debas ing and detes tablety ranny ; whereby , we are obl i ged . by necess i ty , and i tb

'

ecomes'

O u r h ighes t duty,to u se every means , wi th whi ch

God and natu re have f u rn i shed u s,in support of ou r inval

uable r ights and pri v i leges ; to Oppose tha t power wh i ch isexerted only for ou r dest ruc t ion.

Be i t there fore enac ted by th i s Genera l A ssembly , and bythe author i ty thereo f , i t is enac ted , t ha t an act ent i t led An

act for the more effectua l secu r ing to H is Ma j es ty the

a l legiance Of his subj ec ts,in th is his colony and domin ion

of Rhode I s land and Prov i dence Plantat ions ,”be . and the

same is hereby , repea led .

And he i t furt her enacted by th i s Genera l A ssembly , andby the author i ty thereof , i t is enacted

,that in a ll commi s

s ions for Offices,c i v i l and mi l i ta ry ; and in a l l wr i ts and

processes in law,whet her or ig ina l , j ud i c ia l or executory ,

c i v il or,

c r im ina l . wherever the name and author i ty of the

sa i d K ing is made u se Of , the same sha l l be omi t ted and in

the room thereo f , the name and author i ty of the Governorand Company Of th i s colony , sha l l be subst i tu ted ,

in the

fol lowing words , towi t :“The Governor and Company Of

the Engl i sh Co lony Of Rhode I s land and Prov idence

Planta t ions .

RHODE I sLAND’

s DEC LA R A T I ON OF I N D EP ENDEN C E 67

Tha t a ll such commi ss ions , wr i ts and processes , sha l l beotherwi se o f the same form and tenu re a s thev heretoforevvere .

Tha t the courts Of law be no longer ent i t led ,nor - con

s idered , as the King’

s court s .

And t ha t no inst rument in wri t ing ,Of any na tu re or k ind ,

whether.

publ i c or pr i va te ,sha l l

,in the date thereo f , men

t ion the yea r of the sa i d K ing ’

s re i gn .

Prov i ded ,nevertheless , tha t noth ing in th i s act con

fa ined ,sha l l render voi d or v i t ia te any commis s ion . wri t ,

process or inst rument,heretofore made or executed

,on

account Of the name and author i ty Of the sa i d K ing be ingthere in inserted .

(Rhode I s land Colonia l Records . Vol . 7,522 - 3 )

Thi s was both a dec la ra t ion and an act Of independence . In

pla in and unequ i voca l language, i t severed the one and Onl ylega l tie whi ch bound the colony Of Rhode I s land and its peopleto G rea t B r i ta in ; namel y ,

the tie of a l leg iance to the King . I td id th i s wi thout any reserva t ions or express ions of des i re or

hope for reconc i l ia t ion. and wi thout wa i t ing or ask ing for theco—opera t ion of anybody el se .

,F i rs t

,i r revocably and a lone,

Rhode I s land hauled down the Br i t i sh flag ,ra i sed her own in its

place, set ou t upon a ca reer as an independent S ta te, and

ad j u s ted her government to the new s i tua t ion.

Tha t such was the intent ion Of th i s act,a mul t i tude of con

temporaneou s act s and utterances show . I t is suffic ient to quotetwo . Governor N i c holas Cooke of Rhode I s land wrote to

George “la shington on the 6th of May,

1776 :

I enc lose a copy of an act d ischa rg ing the inhabitants of th i s colony f rom a l legiance to the K ing Of

G rea t B r i ta in, whi ch was enacted in the hou se Of deput ies , a f ter a deba te

,wi th bu t s ix d is sent ient voi ces ;

there be ing upwa rd s Of s i x ty members present . ”

On the 14th of May,1776 ,

Nathanael Greene wrote to a

f r iend :

68 RHODE I SLAND H I STOR I CA L SOC I ETY

By a la te act passed las t sess ion in your govern

ment , you have dec la red you rse l ves independent .’

Tis

nobly done . God prosper you and c rown you r effortswi th success .

The verd i c t Of h is tor ians has been the same . George Ban

c rof t says Of th i s act '

“ I t was at once a dec lara t ion of independence and an

organ i za t ion Of a sel f cons t i tu ted republ i c .

”

E . Benjamin And rews says“May 4 ,

1776 : Rhode I s land forma l ly dec la red herindependence Of Grea t B r i ta in by a solemn act abj u r

ing her a l leg iance to the Br i t ish C rown . I tcons t i tu tes Rhode I s land as the Ol des t independentS ta te in Amer i ca .

”

The pu rpose Of such an Occas ion as th is is not, there fore ,to

es tabl ish the fac t tha t the A c t Of May 4th ,1776

, was a dec la rat ion of Rhode I s land ’

s independence ; but to pay t r i bute to the

wi sdom and cou rage Of the men who da red to take a s tep f raughtw i th such dangers and such t remendous consequences to themsel ves and the i r fel low c i t i zens , the acumen wi th wh i ch t hey d iscerned the means of accompl i sh ing the i r pu rpose, and the

order l y procedu re by whic h they eff ec ted i t . And a lso to rev iew ,

tha t wemay a lways keep them f resh in ou r minds , the c i rcums tances wh ich led to t he i r ac t ion and whi ch d i c ta ted the formwh i ch they took to accompl ish i t .

When you a re t ied to a th ing f rom which you want toescape

, you look for the th ing tha t t ies you and t ry to sever i tor cas t i t Off . Those Of you who are readers o f O . H enry w i l lperhaps reca l l how j us t i ce of the Peace Bena j a VViddup Of Piedmont County

,Tennessee , sol ved the p roblem Of d i vorce . Two

mounta ineers . man and wi fe , appea red be fore h im and askedfor a severance Of the i r ma t r imonia l t ies . H e resol ved a doubta s to his j u r i sd i c t ion on the pr inc i ple tha t s ince he was undoubt

ed ly aut hor i zed to ma r ry people , i t s tood to reason tha t he cou ldunma r ry them ; and t hen he proceeded to f rame his dec ree inthese words :

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70 RHOD E I S L AND H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

Engl i shman is a bout to be na tu ra l i zed . You wi l l hea r the C lerkrequ i re h im on oa th

to absol utely and ent i re ly renounce and abj u re a l l a l le

giance and f idel i ty to anv forei gn pr ince . potenta te,

s ta te or sovere i gnty,and pa r ticu la r ly to George the

F i f th . King of Grea t B r i ta in and I reland .whose sub

j ce t vou have heretofore been.

”

I t should be remembe red,too . tha t we owed ou r colonia l ex i s t

ence to the King a lone— not in any degree to Pa r l iament or any

ot her depa rtment of the B r i t ish S ta te . I t was Cha r les the S eond .

“by the Grace of God King O f England,S cot land . F rance

and I reland . De fender of the Fa i t h ,

"who granted u s ou r char

ter ; and he. wa s ca re fu l to say tha t he did i t“O f his espec ia l

g race . certa in knowledge and mere mot ion .

” I t wa s he whogranted u s the land s whi ch we occup ied and f rom wh i ch weder i ved ou r subs i s tence . A nd i t was f rom him a lone tha t weder i ved ou r governmenta l powers . Thu s the coloni s t s werebound to h im by a spec ia l tie .

Now . to th i s f undamenta l th ing—a l legiance to the King,ou r

fa thers found tha t t hey had bound them sel ves bv a sta tu teenac ted by themsel ves . They found in the D iges t of 1 767 an

act ent i t led

An Ac t for the more eff ec tua l ly secur ing to h is

M a j es ty . the a l legiance Of his subj ect s . in t h i s h is col

ony and domin ion o f Rhode I s land and Prov idencePlantat ions .

”

By i t they both acknowledged tha t"

a l legiance and might be ca l ledupon at any t ime to make forma l oa th to i t . A S long as tha t actrema ined ,

they were subj ec t s by the i r own con fess ion . Theycould do noth ing incons i s tent w i th a l legiance to the King wi th

ou t v iola t ing a law wh ich they them sel ves had made . I f theywanted to be independent . the i r course wa s c lea r . I t was to

repea l t h i s act. They d id i t by the act wh ich we ce lebra te today.

They thu s s evered the onl y tie by wh i ch they had bound themsel ves to the King . They had never been bound to anybody

R HODE I S L AND ’ S D EC L A R AT I ON OF I N D EP EN D EN C E 7 1

el se . Bv the severance Of th i s tie . they became f ree and independent .

a t tent ion bégan to be ca l led to t h i s act in recent vea rs,

i t wa s c r i t i c i zed because i t d i d not,l i ke the resol u t ions pa ssed by

the Cont inenta l Congress on the 2nd and 4th days of the fol lowing July . specifica l lv decla re t ha t Rhode I s land wa s a f ree and

independent S ta te . But the act did wha t the Cont inenta l Congress had no power to do—it repea led the act of the RhodeI s land legi s la tu re recogni z ing and requ i r ing a l legiance to the

King and thus removed t heg

onl y lega l ba rr ier between the col~

ony and independence . I t spoke for i tsel f . I t subs t i tu ted f reedom for subj ec t ion . Tha t was its inev i table effect . and t herewa s no need o f decla r ing tha t effec t . Wh en a sh ip is ready tosa i l . and the capta in s tand s on the br idge and the la st hawser iscas t Off . the offi cer o f the deck reports to the capta in

,A l l f ree

,

s ir . But the Sh i p is f ree . whether the officer announces i t ornot. I t is the ca s t ing off Of the haw ser—not his announcementtha t makes her f ree .

Some two mont h s a f ter these event s . the Cont inenta l Congres s . s i t t ing in Ph i ladel ph ia . adopted two dec la ra t ions of Inde

pendence— one on Ju ly 2ud . d ra f ted by Richa rd H enrv Lee ,

and the other on July 4th . d ra f ted by Thoma s Jeff erson and

ma ter ia l ly improved bv Benj amin F rank l in and John Adams .

Jefferson'

s dec la ra t ion S et forth in language Of su rpass ing f orceand c lea rnes s the pol i t i ca l ph i losophy of the day and the gr iev

auces wh ich j us t ified the colon i s t s in renounc ing the i r a l legianceto the King . I t was an add ress to the wor ld , i s sued ( a s i t sa id )ou t of decent respec t for the op inions of mank ind . for the purpose O f expla ining . j us t i fy ing and v ind i ca t ing the ac t ion whichRhode I s land had a lreadv taken and wh i ch the Cont inenta l Congres s adv i sed the other co loni st s to take . For the Cont inenta lCongres s could only adv i se . I t cou ld not lega l ly effec t the inde

pendence o f any colonv or of the people of any colony . Je ffer

son’

s dec la ra t ion wa s t ransmi t ted to Rhode I s land by the Con

tinental Congres s!. and ou r Legi s la tu re publ i shed i t . as the Continenta l Congres s had reques ted i t to do .

7 2 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

\Vhat pa rt , then,had Jefferson’

s dec la ra t ion in the ach ievement of Rhode I s land ’

s independence ! F rom the s tandpo int ofmora l and pol i t i ca l effect , a grea t pa rt . F rom the lega l s tand

po int , no par t wha tever . I f th i s seems to you to be a sta rt l ingassert ion, I t h ink you wi l l nevertheles s agree wi th i t i f you putth i s ques t ion to you rsel f :

Suppose t h i s Rhode I s land act Of May 4th . 1776 ,

had never been passed ; and suppose tha t when the

Cont inenta l Congress t ransmi t ted Jefferson ’

s resol ut ion to the Legi s la tu re Of Rhode I s land the Leg i s la tu reOf Rhode I s land had ref u sed to approve i t and sa i dtha t i t d id not wi sh to be independent and affi rmedits cont inued a l legiance to the King :I s there any doubt tha t Rhode I s land would have

rema ined a Br i t i sh dependency

The ma t ter w i l l be st i l l c lea rer i f you cons i der what the Con

tinenta l Congress as i t ex i s ted on Ju ly 4th ,1 776

, was . The Con

tinenta l Congres s was not. l i ke ou r Congress of today, a body

w i th power to enact measures b ind ing upon the colon ies or t he i rpeople . I t was ne i ther an organi zed government

,nor was i t anv

organ. leg i s la t i ve . execut i ve or j ud i c ia l . Of any organi zed government. I t had no power to enact law s and no cou rt s to whi chi t could appea l f rom the en forcement Of law s . M uch less couldi t repea l an act Of a colon ia l leg i s la tu re or set up an independentgovernment in a colony or dea l w i th the rela t ion Of a l legiancebetween a colony and its people and the i r K ing . In the fi rs tdeba te whi ch took place in the Continenta l Congress , John Rutledge

, a delega te f rom South Ca rol ina , sa i d :

We have no lega l aut hor i ty ; and Obed ience to ou r

determ inat ions wi l l onl y fol low the reasonableness , theappa rent ut i l i ty and necess i ty of the measu res weadopt . we have no coerc i ve or legi s lat i ve author i ty

Ou r const i tuents are bound only in honor to observeou r determ ina t ions .

”

The Cont inenta l Congress as i t ex i s ted on the 4th day Of Jul y ,1776

,was a commi t tee of the severa l colonies . I t was an out

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74 R HODE I S L AND H I ST OR I C A L SOC I ETY

4th,under wh i ch we were a l ready func t ioning

,th rough Officers

commi s s ioned by ou rsel ves , in ou r cou rts,in ou r legi s lat u re

,and

through ou r mi l i ta ry and nava l es tabl i shments on land and sea ,

a s an independent S ta te .

I th ink i t is worth wh i le on such an occas ion as th is to rev iewthe grounds upon wh ich the coloni s ts jus t ified the i r renunc ia t ion

Of a l legiance and the c i rcum stances whi ch fina l ly led to suchrenunc ia t ion .

The f undamenta l pr inc i ple Of thei r pol i t i ca l ph i losophy wa stha t p rotect ion and a l leg iance are rec iproca l . The subj ec t owesa l legiance to the sovere i gn

,and the sovere i gn in retu rn is bound

to protect the subj ec t in his r i ghts . The coloni s ts were the sub

j ects Of the King and owed h im a l legiance . H e owed them pro

tection in thei r ord ina ry r ights Of Engl i sh subj ec t s and in the

spec ia l r i ght s wh ich the King or his ances tors had granted to

them in the i r cha rters .

The coloni s ts c la imed tha t these r ight s had been invaded not

by the King,but by Pa r l iament and its min i s ters . Up to 1776,

they d i d not. forma l ly and publ i c ly,at leas t

,lay t hose ac t s to the

cha rge of the King . On the cont ra ry,they repea ted l y appea led

to him . a s thei r l iege lord . super ior to both them and to Pa r l iament and the mini sters . to put a s top to and red ress the wrongswhi ch Pa r l iament and the mini s ters were infl i c t ing upon them .

In these appea ls they cons tant ly and to the very las t a ssured h imof t he i r a l legiance and denied any wi sh or intent ion Of renounc

ing i t or Of seek ing independence .

The ac tua l revol u t ion was far under way long be fore th i sdecla ra t ion Of independence was adopted . The coloni sts hadres i s ted and s la in Br i t i sh t roops at Lex ington and Concord and

Bunke r H i l l . They had d r i ven the Br i t i sh A rmy ou t o f Boston

(on Ma rch 17th,1776) and had invaded Canada and a t tacked

Quebec (December 3 1 , But th rough a l l these events ,down to the very las t , they had sedulous l y re f ra ined f rom any

a t tempt to a l ter the i r pol i t i ca l relat ions with Grea t B r i ta in . Theycont inued to affi rm in the s t ronges t language the i r a l legiance

RH ODE I S L A N D ’S D E C L A R A T I ON OF I NDEPE N DEN C E 7S

and loya l ty to the King . They d i sc la imed a l l i dea tha t t hey wereseek ing independence .

I t was of Pa r l iament tha t they compla ined , and aga ins t theacts o f Pa r l iament and its mini s ters . They re ferr ed to the a rm ieswho were Oppres s ing them . not as the King

'

s a rmies , but as themini s ter ia l a rm ies . George Wash ington,

announc ing to Gov

ernor Cooke of Rhode I s land the evacua t ion of Bos ton by theBr i t i sh t roops . sa id under da te Of Ma rch 17t h

,1 776 :

I have the pleasu re to inform you tha t t h i s morningthe minister ia l t roops evacua ted the town Of Bos ton

wi thout des t roy ing i t and tha t we a re now in f u l l pos

sess ion.

"

A n the fi rs t Of Apr i l , 1776 . Governor Cooke wrote to Gen

era l t ha t he had informa t ion f rom Newport tha t ala rge pa rt Of the minis teria l fl eet and a rmy were nea r tha tha rbor .

O f cou rse . th is was a l l pol i t i ca l fi ct ion . The mini sters werethe King

’

s mini ster s . The King ’

s name had been S igned to

every act of Pa r l iament of which the coloni s ts compla ined . The

sold iers whom they had s la in at Concord and Bunker H i l l werethe King

'

s sold i ers . and the“Ga spee wh i ch we had bu rned in

Na r raganset t Bay was the King'

s shi p .

Neverthe less . in the lega l and po l i t i ca l aspect s of the case,there was the d i st inc t ion between the King and Pa r l iament andthe mini sters . wh ich i t wa s important for the coloni s t s to ma inta in . They owed no a l legiance to Pa r l iament or to the min i ster s . They d id Owe a l legiance to the King . They migh t res i s tPa rl iament w i th compa ra t i ve sa f ety . But i f thev res i sted the

King . they became t ra i tors and were qu i te l i kel y to be hanged .

Moreover , the eyes Of the wor ld were upon them . To obta in thesupport abroad for wh ich thev hoped . they mu s t make i t perfectly clea r tha t the King wa s the aggressor . and not they . In

the whole long yea rs o f s t ruggle Wh i ch pr eceded the Dec la ra t ionof Indepenrence ,

the s t rategy o f the coloni s t s . both in the forumand in the field . was tha t embod i ed in the immorta l words

76 R HODE I S LAN D H ISTOR I C A L SOC I ETY

add res sed by Capta in Pa rker to the minute men,which vou may

read on the green at Lex ington :

“S tand your ground . DO not fire unt i l you a re fi redupon . But i f they want a war

,i t m ight as wel l begin

here .

The coloni s ts were determined tha t they wou ld not renouncethe i r a l legiance unt i l the King had forma l l y and unequ i voca l lydenied them protec t ion. They mus t be able to c lea r ly show the

wor l d t ha t he had b roken the compac t , and not t hey . And uponth i s resol u t ion they cons i s tent ly s tood the i r g round unt i l thevcould plaus i b ly and reasonably say to the wor l d tha t he was theaggressor . And tha t came about in th i s wi se :In Augus t

,1775

,the members Of the Cont inenta l Congress

Once more add ressed the i r grac ious King . Once more thev

assured h im Of the i r a l leg iance and devot ion . Once more theydenied any intent ion of sever ing thei r rela t ions wi th the Engl ishS tate or set t ing up an independent government . Once more theybesought his inter ference aga ins t Pa r l iament and the mini s tersin the i r beha l f .

They sent t h i s pet i t ion to the King by a descendant of VVill iam Penn

,in the hope tha t the loya l ty and serv i ces o f his ances

tors to the B r i t i sh C rown might make h im an acceptable ambassador . The reply of the King was to re fuse to recei ve the ambassador or the pet i t ion . and to denounce the coloni s ts by Roya lp roc lama t ion as rebe l s and no longer the obj ec ts Of his protec

t ion . A t the same t ime he began mak ing a rrangement s for re inforc ing his a rm ies in Amer i ca by h i r ing fore i gn m ercena r ies .

News O f th i s ac t ion reached the colonies in the las t months of

the yea r .

Th i s was necessa r i ly the end . Up to tha t moment , everylead ing colonia l s ta tesman and pa t r iot had hoped or pro fessed

to hope for an ul t ima te reconc i l ia t ion ; bu t by th i s act of the

King a l l such hopes were blas ted . I t was th i s act whi ch pointed ly

j us t i fied the s ta tement in Jeff erson’

s dec la ra t ion t ha t '

We have been spu rned wi th contempt fro-m the footo f the th rone .

”

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78 R HOD E I S LA N D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

s ions were da ted in the yea r Of ou r Lord,wi thout re ference to

the yea r Of the King ’

s re i gn . In the cha r ter i tse l f,the da te was

g i ven in the yea r O f the King’

s re i gn,withou t

'

re ference to the

b i rt h of ou r Lord . In t hose days tha t was a seconda ry ma t ter .

The roya l a rms d i sappea red f rom the f ront pages of the few

Jou rna l s Of the day. The effi g ies Of King George the Th i rdd i sappea red f rom the swmgmg S igns be fore the taverns and

were replaced by equa l ly a t roc ious ca r i ca tu res Of George VVashington .

Rhode I s land l i ved on under its cha rter , a l ready 1 1 3 yea rsOld . I t ca r r ied her th rough the Revol u t ion. the A r t i c les of Con

federa t ion and into the Uni ted S ta tes Of Amer i ca . A nd for

s i x ty—seven yea rs a f ter her Dec la ra t ion of Independence , she

l ived and prospered under the venerable ins t rument granted herby t ha t fa i th les s and good - na tu red profl igate King Cha r les theS econd . Thi s and two other ac ts of his may be rega rded a s

ent i t l ing his memory in some measure to the respec t and k ind lytolerance Of mank ind . H e granted a l i bera l cha r ter to Connecti

cu t a lso,and wi th his dy ing Words he expres sed a human sol i c i

t ude for the fu tu re Of Nel l Gwynn .

When we commemorate events l i ke th is, we should never

make i t an occa s ion for rev i v ing anc ient grudges'

Or a rous ingnew an imos i t ies between peoples . We should never th ink Of

G eorge the Thi rd or Lord Nor th w i thout remember ing a l soBurke and Fox and Cha t ham and the thousands of other E ngl ishmen who rea l i zed t hen wha t everybody admi ts now—t ha tthe Amer i can Revol u t ion was a s much a s t ruggle for the l i bert ies Of E ngl i shmen as i t was for the l i bert ies Of the coloni s ts .

Espec ia l ly today . wi th a wor l d in tumul t . as an a f terma th of the

greates t upheava l recorded in the anna ls of mank ind . we shou ld

remember tha t the people whose pol i t i ca l i dea ls a re nea res t

i dent i ca l w i th ou r own.is the peop le Of that count ry f romwh ich

ou r fi rs t coloni st s came and whose f ree ins t i tu t ions they brought

w i t h them and expanded in ou r favorab le surround ings . We

fough t ou r Revol u t ion to preserve those f ree ins ti tu t ions both

R HOD E IS LAN D ’S D EC L ARAT ION OF I N DE P EN DEN C E 79

for them and for ou rsel ves . We should remember,too ,

tha t inby far the grea ter pa rt of the wor ld ,

and among an enormousma jor i ty of its people . those i dea l s ne i ther preva i l nor are theyeven comprehended . A nd tha t i f

,as we bel ieve,

i t is essent ia l tothe peace and wel fa re Of the wor l d t ha t they Shou ld u l t ima te lyp reva i l

,the resul t can onl y be ach ieved by the c lose f r iendsh ip

and co - Opera t ion and the uni ted effor ts of the two count r ies inwhich they had the i r or ig in and development .

F ina l ly . no occas ion l i ke th i s shou ld be a l lowed to pass withou t ment ion Of the name Of James S . S la ter , veteran of the

C i v i l and long - t ime Town C lerk of the Town Of NorthSmithfield . who when th i s impor tant event in Rhode I s landh i s tory seemed to be i gnored and los t s i gh t O f by his fel lowc i t i zens . cons tant ly kept i t in mind and impres sed i t upon the

publ i c . TO his memory we owe a t r i bute of a ffec t iona te respec t .he could get no one else to celebra te th i s day wi th h im ,

be

celebra ted i t a lone—unt i l g radua l ly he imp res sed i t upon the

minds of more and more Of his fel low c i t i zens and fina l lyach ieved the t r i umph of Obta ining for i t an Offic ia l recogni t ion .

I never saw and I sha l l never see James S . S la ter w i th morta leyes . H e has passed beyond the i r range . But I th ink I can doeven bet ter . I can make my own menta l p i c tu re of h im , as Il i ke to do of a l l my fa vor i tes in h i s tory or fi ct ion . I can v isua li z e h im a s one of t hose stu rdy , unassuming c i t i zens who fa i thf u l ly served his count ry in peace and war and went qu iet ly aboutevery task tha t l i fe imposed upon h im . Whose every morning ,

l i ke that'

of Long fel low ’

s V i l lage Blacksmi th , saw some worthytask begun . and whose evening saw i t c lose ; who cher i shed a

s tead fas t and unfa l ter ing pu rpose to keep the s i gnifi cance of

th i s act o f the legi s la t u re Of Rhode I s land a lways f resh in the

minds of its people and secu re for i t Offi c ia l recogn i t ion and

Observance ; who was never d i scouraged when his effor ts werei gnored . nor f ret fu l at de lay , because he knew tha t his pu rposewa s a noble one . and tha t because i t was noble i t was cer ta in to

be ul t ima te l y ach ieved . I del ight in the p ic tu re of such a man,

and I rej oi ce today ,as I am sure he,too, somewhere in th i s wide

uni verse . rej oi ces . tha t as a resul t o f h is effor ts there s tands inou r S fatu te Book t h i s sect ion :

“S ec . 1 3 . The fourth day Of May in each and every

yea r he rea f ter is hereby establ i shed ,in th i s s ta te ,

a s

80 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC I ETY

‘Rhode I s land Independence Day’ —be ing a j u s t t r i b

u te to the memory Of the members Of ou r genera las sembly who, on the fou rth day of May, seventeenhund red seventy—s ix

,in the s ta te house at Prov idence

,

passed an act renounc ing a l legiance of the colony to theBr i t i sh crown. and by the prov i s ions Of tha t act declaring i t sovere i gn and independent—the fi rs t Offic ia l actOf its k ind by any Of the th i r teen Amer i can colonies .

”

Front V iew of bu s t of Roger Wi l l iams recently p laced inHa l l Of Fame,

New York .

Cou rtesy of Society of Colonia l Dames

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8 2 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

In 1648 or 1649 t here appea red in Long I s land Sound a p i ra tesh i p named Legace

,the p i lot Of which wa s a man named Kempo

S ebado . (The Spe l l ing of bot h names is va r ied by d i ffe rentw r i ters . ) S ebado ev ident ly qu i t the sh i p at New London

, or

nea r by. as he appea red in New London,or Pequot as i t was

ca l led,in t ime to

'

be granted an or ig ina l lot2,1650 - 1 . Thi s lot

was on Ma in S t reet and in la ter y ears S hapel y S t reet was cu tth rough i t . H e was a res i dent of New London as la te as May

2 9,1653 ( and had pa i d chu rch and other ra tes for two yea rs)

3,

On whic h da te hewas fined ten pounds for sel l ing ammuni t ionto the Ind ians .

4 This ma rks the beg inning Of his t roubles in th i ssec tion of Amer i ca .

F rom New London he ca r r ied on a bus iness o f shi pping and

t rad ing w i th the Ind ians and owned at leas t one vesse l,whi ch

he ca l led a ba rque and others a p innace . In Apr i l,1653 ,

he was

commi ss ioned by Governor W inth rop Of New London set t lement to br ing some bread into that town .

3 W i th “1700 of b read

,

l inen,hol land and pole dav i s

,he set sa i l f rom some por t , a lso

a ccompanied by some passengers en route to New London,and

as he entered tha t por t on the 18th or 19 th of Apr i l,Edwa rd

H u l l and Samuel Coms tock—somet imes des i gna ted a s p i ra tesin the

“ba rque SWALLOW f rigott” promptl y took possess ion

of Sabado ’

s vessel as a Dutch pr i ze . Governor lea rning of the captu re , put two men on boa rd to take an inventoryand demanded the b read . but was re f u sed it.

3 H u l l and Com

s tock brought the'

vessel into Newpor t . where i t was prompt lycondemned and sold as a pr i ze to \\l i l l iam Dyer . who in tu rnsold i t to Chr i s topher A lmy .

Sabado,when he lea rned Of i t

,protes ted ,

but the RhodeI s land government was appa rent ly lot h to hear the case

,and

made efforts to put the hea r ing Of i t onto the Ma ssachusett s and

Jama i ca courts,poss ibl y w i th some author i ty for the la t ter , as

the order for the appo intment of a commi ss ion for rece i v ing

Cau lk in'

s H i story Of New London.

John VV inthrop'

s test imony in Sa lem Court Records .

4Connect i cut Colonia l Record s .

W H IT E S E T T L EMEN T ON B LOC K I S L A N D 83

Dutch pr i zes had come f rom an Engl i sh offic ia l loca ted at

Jama i ca .

Roger in a let ter to W inth rop , says : We have had

some gus ts amongs t u S as to ou r whole Colonie civ ill orde rM r . Ea ton Mr . Dyer at Newpor t

,fea r ing Sabau

d ies p innace mus t be pa id for which case the Court at Massa

chu sets la tely would not determ ine ,bu t le f t i t to be t r ied in ou r

own Colon ie . which was the la te answer of the Court at Ipswich to M r . Ames [A lmy ] who sued M r . Dyer in the Bay.

In another let ter he says , a prepos Of noth ing at a l l .“ I p i ty poor

S abaudv f’

F rom ou r Colonia l Records i t appea r s tha t N i c holas Eas tonhad been appointed commi ss ioner to rece i ve pr i zes and tu rn the

money into the t reasu ry . Easton ev ident ly sol d Sabado ’

s Sh ip toI ll iam Dyer . who in tu rn sold i t to Ch r is topher A lmy

, as the

Cou rt Of Commi ss ioners . on Ma rch 17,1655 - 6

,ordered “ tha t

wherea s,Chr i stopher A lmy bought a vesse l l of M r . Dyer

,which

on in ve Ma ssachu set t s ; as a lsoe findinge t ha t ye sa i d vesse l lwas noe pr i ze by verd i c t Of j u r ie on Rhode I s land . We therefore order . tha t ye Sa ide Chr i s topher A lm ie , or his fa ther in hisbeha l fe, ha th au thoritie hereby to demand of M r . N i cho : E as

ton twentv - e i ght pounds and five shi l l ings of ye S ta te’

s par t,to

make pa rt of rest i tu t ion ;”

Eas ton ev i dent ly pa id no a t tent ion to the A lmy demand , so

the Cou rt in Oc tober ordered “ tha t the pres i dent . M r . RogerWi l l iams is des i red to d raw up a let ter to Mr . N i cholas Easton,

conta ining the head s o f Capta ine Campo S ubados pet i t ion . and

the let ter sent f rom his“H i ghness ” Commis s ioners of Jama i ca ,

concerninge Capta in S ubado des iringe his presence or h is

answer upon the th i r teenth da ie in th i s present month . A l so to

g ive an answer of his not de l i ver ing the £28 . 55 to Ch ri s topherAnother demand to be made on Eas ton wa s ordered

Mav 18 .1658 . The Genera l Court at the May,

166 1,ses s ion,

becoming d i s cou raged a s to the i r ab i l i ty to fo rce Eas ton to pay

over A lmy’

s money . rev ised t he i r prev ious Order , tel l ing A lmy

84 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC I ETY

to make another demand on Eas ton, and in case he doth not

rece i ve i t on demand,he may tacke a lega l l way to recover i t

A f ter fa i l ing a hea r ing in Massachuset ts , the case was broughtbe fore the Court at Portsmouth

,in Augu s t , 1653 . In the mean

t ime,in May. 1653 ,

Edwa rd H u l l had asked for and rece i ved , apr i va teer sman ’

s commis s ion to go aga ins t the Dutch , but th i swas too la te to lega l i ze the se i zu re of Sabado’

s Sh i p . The decla

ra t ion was da ted Augu s t 18 ,1653

,a l leg ing damage to the

amount Of 200 pound s s ter l ing ,and the ca se was hea rd the

2 9th . Verd i c t was for Sabado,a s the vessel was ad j udged not a

pr i ze as i t was taken wi thout a commi ss ion . NO ment ion is madeOf New London’

s bread .

The owners Of the SWALLOW were the H ul ls . fa ther andtwo sons , wi th one e i ghth sha re to Samuel Coms tock , who latersol d i t to Rober t Ea r le . Ten or eleven davs a f ter captu r ingSabado ’

s vessel at New London,H ul l and Com s tock sa i led over

to B lock I s land where Sabado had a s ta t ion for t rad ing w i th theInd ians for fi sh and wampum . W i l l iam Baker and his wi fe werein cha rge of

,and l i v ing in the hou se . The wr i ter can find no

record Of any grant to S ebado for the occupancy on B lockI s land . bu t tha t does not a l ter the fac t tha t he had a houset here . Ma ssachu set ts c la imed the I s land at th i s t ime—in fac t

,

she had c la imed i t f rom 1636 . a f ter the murder of John Ol dhamby the Ind ians .

A t Sa lem .Novembe r 29 . 1653 . Sabado had hi s day in cour t

aga ins t Rober t H ul l , fat her , and John H ul l . son. for the B lockI s land captu re . W

’

i l l iam Baker,a s agent for S ebado . tes t ified to

the effec t t ha t on the 29th Of Apr i l Samuel Com s tock and some

Of his comp-any came up to the hou se on B lock I s land and sat

down to“d r ink tobacco . and he . in a f r iendly manner , gave

them some tobacco and wa ter . A f ter the enterta inment , and

Com s tock and company were about ready to depa r t . Comstockshowed h im a lega l look ing document , say ing i t was a wa r rant

fro-m the Governor O f Connect i cu t to fetch Baker and wi fe to

New London. a s . on account Of the war between the Dutch and

Engl i sh .i t was not sa fe for them to cont inue to l i ve on the

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86 RHODE I S LA N D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

comes to wi th in a few feet Of the loca t ion of the hou se a s Shownon the map, wi th wa ter deep enough to floa t canoes or sma l lboa ts . We are told the Ind ians d i d not bu i ld houses O f logs .

Thi s ev idence seems to be concl u s i ve,tha t the hou se noted by

the su rveyors was tha t Of Capta in Kempo S ebado,and tha t Wil

l iam Baker and wi fe were the fi rs t wh i te res ident s on B lockI s land .

The New London records 2 Show tha t a W i l l iam Baker was a

wi tness to a deed f rom the Ind ian Sachem Mauhektan to

Na thaniel B rews ter , dated Apr i l 2 5 , 1650 . H e does not appea ra s a res i dent there . A W i l l iam Baker was a propr ietor Of Portsmou th in 165 1

,bu t is not ment ioned aga in in the Portsmouth

Town Records unt i l Janua ry 1 1,1659 . when he sol d ten ac res

Of land and his hou se . On Janua ry 1 2 .1660

,he asked the town

to take his sheep and suppor t h im ,and he was so supported and

boa rded by va r iou s inhabi tant s . The la st t ime he is ment ionedis on December 3 ,

1662 , when the town voted to pay JamesSands for his “ lodging and diatt.

” James Sands at t ha t t imewas a propr ietor of Block I s land .

[Mr . Burges s ha s recent ly prepa red a map Of B lock I s landbased on the p ropr ietor ’s map Of 166 1 , to whi ch he has a ddednotes Of h i s tor i ca l interes t . and has b r iefly entered the landt rans fers on the la rger d i v i s ions shown on the pla t . The map

conta ins about 75 names Of heads Of fami l ies . or a l l t ha t are of

record to 17 17 . a s owning or leas ing rea l es ta te ]

Notes

The Soc iety ha s obta ined another h i therto unrecorded RhodeI s land e i gh teent h centu ry broads ide . I t is a repr int Of the f rontpage of the P rov idence Ga z ette for Februa ry 2 1 . 1784 ,

and con

ta ins a s t rong a rgument for the abol i t ion o f s lavery .

Another interes t ing a cces s ion is the pr inted br ie f s in the

Admi ra l ty cases of fou r Rhode I s land ves sel s . t hat were takenby the Engl i sh : the S tork of Br i s tol . 1806 ; the R owena of

88 R HOD E I S LAN D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

Newport , 1805 the A rthu r of Prov idence,1809 ; and the Fame

,

of Prov idence ,1808 .

A b iography os r . Benj am in V Vaterhou se by J . W . Cou rt

ney,M .D .

,Of Bos ton,

has been pr inted in pamphlet form at

Geneva , Swi t zer land .

“Ant i ques for J une conta ins an art i c le on ea r ly Rhode I s landinv i ta t ions , The Amer i cana Col lec tor” for May conta ins an

account of paper - mak ing in Rhode I s land ,and the June i ssue

conta ins a b iograph i ca l ske tch of James F rank l in,Junior , the

Newport pr inter .

The fol lowing persons have been e lected to m embersh i p in theSoc iety :

M r . John P . B . Pe i rceM r . Houghton P . Metca l fM r . John R . G ladd ingM r . F reder i c L . ChaseM r . John B . Lewi sM r . Daniel F . GeorgeM r . F reder i c W . H oweM r . Edw in F . S herman

Ouetenis Is land or Dutch Is land

BY HOWARD M . CH A P I N

The Dutch interes t in Na r ragansett Bay began in 16 14 wi ththe famous explor ing voyage Of Capta in Ad r ian B lock .

1 Sk i r ting the coas t f rom the wes twa rd

,he came upon the i s land ,

whichthence forth wa s to bea r his name ,

and then entered and exploredthe lower reaches Of Na r raganset t Bay. Capta in Block appa rent ly ta l ked w i th the Ind ians and doubt less t raded w i th them to

some extent .Adventu rous Du tch t raders fol lowed B lock , and wi th in a few

yea rs developed a cons i derab le t rade w i th the Ind ians about

1 Chap in,H . M . Doc . H i st . of R . I .

,

M r . Fos ter B . Dav i sM r . George B . Champl inM r . Everet t S . H a r twel lM r . James H . H u rlev

M r . W i l l iam L . Mau ranM r . H enry Sa lomonD r . H elen C . PutnamM r . Lou i s H . C . H untoon

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9 0 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL . SOC IETY

d r i ven so h igh on shore by s t ress Of wea t her,r i ght be fore his

dwel l ing,tha t t i l l the t i des inc reased

, s li e could not be gotThi s Dutch sh i p . however , was floa ted and sa i led be fore \Vinslow h im sel f reached Pockanocket.

Even as la te as the Colom map of 1648 , we find Dutch namess t i l l appl ied to th i s d i s t r i c t , Kl ips Ki l ev i dent ly be ing at t h i st ime appl ied to the \Va rren River

,doubt less the pr inc i pa l haven

used by the Dutch in thei r t rade wi th the “l ampanoags .

The extent and importance of the Dutch t rade in Narraganset t Bay wa s rea l i zed by the Plymouth colon i s ts , who in the i rnegot iat ions wi th the Dutch in 1627 asked the la t ter to forbea rto t rade wi th the na t i ves in th i s Bay and River of Na r raganset tand S owames , wh i ch is . as i t were at ou r doors 5 The Dutchna tu ra l l y dec l ined to gi ve up th is l uc ra t i ve t rade and cont inued“to t ruck p ieces ,

powder and shot w i th the Ind ians .

0

In 1636 or 1637 . A braham Pietersen,who la ter became prom

inent as one o f the famou s “A s sembly of E i ght,purchase-d

f rom the Ind ians . pa id for and took possess ion of the I s land Of

Qu etenis in S loop Bay .

T Pieter sen was not ac t ing for h imsel f ,but for the Dutch VYest Ind ia Company

,and th i s purchase was

made the bas i s of la ter Du t ch c la ims to th is d i s t r i c t .

I t is easy enough!

to i dent i fy the Qu etenis I s land of the Dutchw i t h Dutch I s land in Na rraganset t Bay. I t wa s probably usedas a t rad ing ba se by the Dutch , and there is no ev i dence tha t i twas e i ther set t le-d or for t ified by them .

S idney S . Rider sugges ts tha t Qu etenis is the Lat in wordmeaning “

as far as .

" but his a rgument is not conc lus i ve .

8 I t

4VVinS low’

s Good News . M . H . S . C. I—VI I I - 257 .

5M . H . S . C. I—I I I - 52 .

“M . H . S . C . I - I I I—57 .

7New Nether land s c la imed a l l other bay s . r ivers and i s land s i tuatewestward of Cape Cod ,

and espec ia l ly the i s land named Quetenis , ly ingin S loop bay. wh i ch wa s purcha sed , pa id for and taken posses s ion Of in the

year 1637 on the Cmnpany’

s a ccount ." MS S . dated Feb . 165 1 . D . C. H . N .

Y . and S loop s Bay, howbe it , pos sess ion had beentaken Of i t . in the y ear 1636 for the Company by one Abraham P ietersono f H aer lem on the I s land Qu etenis s i tuate in f ront Of sa id bay .

” M S S .

dated 2 Jan. 1656. D . C . H . N . Y .

“R ider . S . S . ( Ind ian Land s ). The Lands of Rhode I s land, p . 12 1 .

Cf . p . 62 and map and R . I . L . E .

QU E TE NIS I S L AN D OR .DU

'

I CH I S L A N D 9 1

may wel l be a cor rupted Ind ian name , perhaps a Dutch der i vat i ve f rom Acqu edneessu ck, the fi rs t and la s t syl lables be ingd ropped as so O f ten happened when Ind ian words were adaptedto European tongues .

Thi s i s land was ca l led Dutch I s land a s ea r ly as byBened i c t A rno ld in his wi l l . a l t hough When he purchased i t f romthe Ind ian-

s in 1658 i t wa s ca l led A cqu edneesuck and Aqu id

nes icke .

”

Samuel G . A rnold . wri t ing in 1856 . s ta tes tha t the Dutchhad two fort ified t rad ing pos ts on the south shore of Na rragan

set t . I II wha t is now Cha r les town ” 1 1 Rider ident ifies these as

“N ini g ret Fort “

and the for t on Chemunganock H i l l.

"2 bu t

Le i ces ter B radner shows t ha t these for ts were in a l l probab i l i tyInd ian and not Dutch .

1 3

The Dutch at fi rs t appl ied the name H oek van de apanoos

to Po int Jud i th and la ter ca l led i t Cabe lj aws H oeck . I t was o f

cou rse an important landma rk to t raders whether the i r des t inat ion was Kl i ps Ki l or Qu etenis .

R . I . H . M . VI :2 9 .

I ”R . I . L . E . I :67, 68.

1 1Arno ld . S . G . H i st . of R . I .1

'

-

'R ider . p . 295 .

1 3 R . I . H . S . C . X IV :1 .

9 2 RHODE I S LAN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

List Of Active Members Of the Rhode Is land

H istorical Society

Ju ly 1 , 1926

Mr . Benj amin B . Adams

H on. Joshua M . A ddeman

Mr . Freder i ck W . A ldredMr . Charles T . A ldr i chMr . Edward K . A ldr i c h

, J r .

Hon . R i c h ard S . A ldr i c hMr . Franc i s O. A l lenMr . Freder i ck W . A l lenMr . Ph i l i p A l lenMrs . Frederi ck A ll ienM i ss Anna L . AndrewsMr . Wa l ter F . Angel lM i ss Em i ly J . AnthonyMr . Arthur H . ArmingtonMr . James H . ArthurMr . A lbert BabcockMr . A lbert A . BakerMrs . Charles K . BakerMr . Harvey A . BakerM i ss Mary H . Ba lchMr . Lu ther C. Ba ldwinMrs . Wa lter S . Ba l lMr . Freder i ck D . Ba l louMr . Henry A . BarkerHarry Lee Barnes , M .D .

Mrs . Nel ly A . BarnesMr . Arthur C. BarrowsHon. Chester W . BarrowsMr . Franc i s E . BatesW . L inco ln Bates , M .D .

Mrs . Danie l BeckwithMr . Horace G . BelcherMr . Horat io E . Bel lowsG . A lder B lumer

,M .D .

Mr . J . J . Bodel lMrs . Theodore P . BogertM r . Clov i s H . Bowen

Mr . Henry BowenMrs . Charles B rad leyMrs . A . B . B radshawMr . Claude R . B ranchMr . John B . B ranchM i ss E l i z abeth H . B raytonM i ss Ida F . B r idghamMrs . Annie M . B r i ggsMr . Herbert O . B r ig hamM i ss E va S t . C. B r i ghtman

Mrs . Clarence A . B rouwerMr . Clarence I rv ing B rownMr . Cyru s P . B rownMr . Frank Ha i l B rownMrs . Frank Ha i l B rownMr . John N i c holas B rownMr . W i lbur D . B rownMr . A l f red S . B rownel lMr . Edward C . Buckl inMr . Harr i s H . Buckl inM i ss Jane W . Buckl inM i ss Clara Bu ffumMr . Freder i ck H . Bu ff umMr . H enry BukerMr . George Rothwel l BurgessMr . Sydney R . Burle ig hMr . Edwin A . Burl ingameMr . A l f red T . ButlerMr . John H . Cady

Mr . Charles A . Ca lderMrs . Charles A . Ca lderFrank T . Ca lef , M .D .

Mr . Herbert C . Ca le fMr . Wa lter R . Ca l lenderMrs . George H . CapronMr . Freder i ck D . Car-

r

Mrs . George W . CarrMr . Edward Carr ington

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94 R HODE I S IL’

AND H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

Mr . W i l l iam Gam’

mel lMr . W i l l iam Gammel l , Jr .

Prof . Henry B . GardnerMr . Preston H i G ardnerH on. Rathbone GardnerMr . Dani el F . GeorgeMr . John' iR -

r Gladd ingMrs . A l i ce C. GleesonMr . Robert H . I . GoddardMr . Harry Ha le GOS SH on. Theodore Franc i s GreenMr . Arthur D . GreeneMr . Edward Aborn GreeneMr . T homa s C. GreeneMr . W i l l iam C. GreeneMr . Ra lph W . GreenlawMr . W i l l iam B . GreenoughMr . Ru ssel l Gr innel lMr . E . Tudor GrossCol . H arold J . GrossM i ss Georgiana Gu i ldMr . E ll ery A . Ha l lM i ss Annette M . H am

Mr . G i lbert A . Harr ingtonMr . Benj amin P . Harr i sMr . Stephen C. Harr i sMr . Everett S . Hartwel lMr . W i l l iam A . HathawayM i ss Carol ine Ha z ardMr . Rowland Ha z ardMr . T homa s G . Ha z ard, Jr .Mrs . Frank Hea lyMr . Charles F . H eartman

Mrs . W . E . HeathcoteMr . Arthur H eniu s

Mr . John HenshawMr . W i l l iam L . HodgmanMr . John S . HolbrookMr . George J . HoldenMrs . S tephen E . Hopk insMr . Charles A . HortonMr . Wa lter E . HortonMr . E . Harr i s Howard , Jr .Mr . Freder i c W . Howe

Mr . M . A . Dewol fe HoweMr . John Lu ther HowlandMr . Horat io A . H untMr . S . Foster H untMrs . Duncan H unterMr . Lou i s H . C. HuntoonMr . George HurleyMr . James H . H urleyMr . R i c hard A . HurleyMr . James Ha z en HydeMr . Norman M . I shamMr . Benj amin A . Ja cksonMr . Benj aminM . Ja cksonMrs . Dona ld E . JacksonMr . Arthur James

Mr . George A . Jepherson

Mrs . Edward L . JohnsonGeorge F . Johnson,

M .D .

Mr . Edward C. JoyceMr . Franc i s: B . KeeneyMrs . E l lsworth L . Kel leyH on. Charles D . Kimba l lMrs . Charles D . Kimba l lEugene P . King , M .D .

Col . H . Irv ing KingMr . V i ctor H . KingLu c i u s C. Kingman, M .D .

M i ss Amel ia S . Kni gh tMr . Robert L . Kni gh tMrs . Robert L . Kni ghtMr . Ru ssel l W . Kni ghtMrs . Webster Kni gh tMrs . Rhea

”

L . Kni ttleProf . Harry L . KoopmanMr . John Krawcz uk

Rev . A lbert C . LarnedH on. George -R . LawtonH on. Thomas Z . Lee

Charles H . Leonard,M .D .

M i ss Grace F . LeonardM i ss Anna L . LestradeMr . George H . Lewi sMr . John B . Lewi sMr . Joseph W . Lewi s

A CT I VE MEMBE RS

Mr . Ferd in’and A .

'

Lincoln

Mrs . Charles Warren L i pp i ttMr . Charles Warren L i pp i ttMrs . Frances Pomeroy L i pp ittMr . Gorton T . L i pp i ttHon. Henry F . L i pp i ttMr . Arthur B . L i s leMr s . Arthu r B . L i s leMr . Charles W . Littlefield

Mr . Ivory Littlefield

Hon. Na than W . Littlefield

R ev . Augu stu s M . LordMr . A lbert “E . LownesMr . R i c hard E . LymanMr . W i l l iam A . McAu s lan

Mr . Franc i s 1 . McCanna

Mr . H ugh F . MacCOl l

Mr . James R . MacCol l

Mr . W i l l iam B . MacCol l

Mr . Arthur M . McCr i l l is

Mr . T . F . I . McDonnel l

Mrs . T . F . I . McDonnel l

Mr . Charles B . Mackinney

Mrs . Edwin A . A . McLeod

Mrs . W i l l iam H . MansfieldMr . Charles C. Marsha l lMrs . John F . MarvelMr . Fletcher S . Mason

Mr . Harold Mason

Mr . John H . Mason

Mrs . W i l l iam B . Mason

Mrs . George S . MathewsDr . Henry S . M athewson

Mr . Arch iba ld C. MattesonMr . Frank “l . MattesonMr . W i l l iam L . MauranMrs . F . E . M axwel lMrs . E . B ruce Merr iman

Mr . Harold T . Merr imanMr . I saa c B . Merr imanMrs. E . T . H. . Metca l fMr . G . P ierce M etca l fMr . Hough ton P . Metca l fMrs . 1 . Harr i s Metca l f

(

95

H on. Jesse H .

'M etca l fMrs . Jes se H . M etca l fMr . S tephen O . M etca l fMr . W i l l iam Dav i s M i l lerMr . George L . M inerM i ss L i l ian B . M inerMr . G . A . Mor iarty, J r .Mrs . Bent ley W . MorseMr . Dav id P . Mou ltonMr . Edward S . Mou ltonMrs . Edward S . Mou ltonW i l l iam M . M uncy,

M .D .

Wa lter L . Munro,M .D .

Prof . W i l f red H . M unroH on. Add i son P . M unroeMr . Wa lter M . Mu rdie

Mr . George E . NerneyMr . George H . Newha l lMr . Lou i s C. NewmanM i ss E l i z a T . NewtonMr . Pau l C. N i chol sonCol . Samuel M . N i chol sonMr . George C. N i ght inga leMr . George C. N i ght inga le,M i ss Mary OlcottMrs . Frank F . Olney‘Mr . Erl ing C. OstbyMr . Hara ld W . OstbyMr . Raymond E . OstbyMr . Harry C. Owen

Mr . M iner H . PaddockMr . G . R i chmond ParsonsH . G . Partr idge, M .D .

M i ss E l i z abeth A . PeckMr . Freder i ck S . PeckMrs . Freder i ck S . PeckMrs . Leander R . PeckMr . S tephen 1 . PeckCharles F . Peckham, M .D .

Mr . Augu stu s E . Pe i rceMr . George E . Pe i rceMrs . George E . Pei rceMr . John P . B . Pe i rceMr . Thomas A . Pe i rce

96 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

Mr . Charles M . PerryRt . R ev . James Dewol f Perry,

Mr . M arsden J . PerryJohn M . Peters

,M .D .

Mr . Charles H . Ph i lbr i ckMrs . G i lbert A . Ph i l l i psMr . By ron A . P ierceHerman C . P itts

,M .D .

Pro f . W i l l iam C. PolandMrs . Robert H . PooleyLewi s B . Porter, M .D .

Mr . B . T homa s PotterMrs . Dexter B . PotterMrs . Thomas I . Hare PowelMr . Howard W . PrestonMrs . Howard W . PrestonM i ss Eve lyn M . Pu rdyHelen C. Putnam“

,M .D .

Mr . Patr i ck H . Qu innMrs . Gu stav RadekeMr . Wa l ter E . RangerMrs . Henry G . RapsH on. E lmer J . RathbunMrs . Irv ing E . RaymondMr . Charles C. RemingtonRhode I s land S tate Col legeH on. Herbert A . R i ceMr . Herbert W . R i ceMr . Henry I saac R i c hmondMr . Lou i s E . Rob insonMr . Robert Rodman

'

R ev . Arthur RogersMrs . Mabel K . RogersMr . Henry W . Sa 'ckettMrs . T . S haw Sa feMr . Henry Sa lomonM i ss I rene T . SeaburyMr . Henry M . S ess ionsMr . Henry D . S harpeMrs . Freder i ck E . S hawMrs . Arthur N . S he ldonMr . Edwin F . Sherman

Prof . S t . George L . S iou ssatMrs . Charles S i ssonMr . IV i l l iam A . S ladeMr . Henry L . S laderMrs . Edwin C. Smi thHon. Nathanie l W .

S mithMr . Norman B . Smi thR . Morton Smi th . M .D .

Mrs . B y ron N . H . Smi thMr . Wa lter B . Smi thMrs . Wh i tney Smi thMr . Sylvester M . SnowMr . Robert L . S pencer

George T . S p i cer,M . D .

Mr . Henry S . S pragueMr . Charles R . S tarkMrs . James G . S ta tonH on. Charles F . S tearnsMrs . Charles J . S teedman

Mr . T homa s E . S teereM i ss M aud Lyman S tevensMr . Edward Cl inton S tinessMr . Henry Y . S t i tesMr . Edward A . S tockwel lM r . Charles T . S tra ig htM r . H . Nel son S treetMr . John F . S treetMr . Ru sh S turgesHon. Arthu r P . S umnerMr . Frank H . SwanMrs . Gardner T . SwartsH on. John W . SweeneyMr . Robert W . Ta f tMr . Roya l C. Ta f tMrs . J . P . T hornd ikeMr . W i l l iam H . ThornleyMr . John A . T i l l inghastMr . W i l l iam R . T i l l ingha stM r . Freder i ck E . Tr i ppMr . W i l l iam J . Tu l lyMr . D . Berkeley Upd ikeMr . W i l l iam A . V ia l lH on. Wa lter B . V incentMrs . Arthur M . Wa lkerMr . A . T ing ley Wa l lMrs . Lewi s A . Waterman

Col . Byron S . WatsonMr . John J . Watson, Jr .

Mrs . W i l l iam B . \NeedenMr . Freder i ck Lewi s VVeisMr . R i chard Ward Greene Wel l ingMr . Herbert J . We l l sMr . John H . Wel ls

Mr . T homas H . West , Jr .

Mr . W i l l i s H . Wh i teMrs . Gera ld W'

h itman

Mr . V i ctor ‘

Ni lbou rMr . Frank J . W i lderMrs . E l i z abeth K . W i lk insonW . Fred W i l l iams , M .D .

M i ss Amey L . W i l l sonMr . W i l l iam A . W

' ingMrs . George P . W insh i pHon. JOhn. Carter B rown WoodsMr . Nathan M . Wr i ghtMr . Lawrence C. WrothMr . W i l l iam P . YoungMrs . W i l l iam P . Young

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CONTENTS

PAG I

Wash ington’

s V isits to Providence, by Howard

W . Preston

Notes

Unu sua l Ind ian Implements found in Rhode I s land

by Howard M. Chapin.

RHODE I SLAND

H I STORICAL SOC IETY

COLLECTIONS

Vol . X IX October, 1926 NO. 4

G . ALDER B LU M ER . P res ident G ILBERT A . H ARR I NGTON ,Treas u rer

HOWA RD M . CH A P I N,Librar ian

The Soc iety assumes no respons ib i l ity for the statements or the

Op InIons Of contr ibutors .

Washington’

s V is its to Providence

By H OWARD W . PRE STON

The movement for the preserva t ion Of the home Of GovernorS tephen H opk ins where Wash ington lodged Shows the publ i cinteres t in the Genera l

’

s presence in Prov i dence .

A s some con fu s ion seems to exi s t rega rd ing W’

ashingt-on

’

s

va r iou s v i s i ts to Prov i dence some of the contempora ry account sOf these events are here pr inted . Undoubted ly other account sex i s t in d ia r ies and letters and i t is to be hoped tha t they may bereported to t h i s Soc iety .

Wa sh ington is known to have v i s i ted Rhode I s land four t imes .

Fi rs t V is it

In 1756 . at the reques t of h is fel low Ofli cers . Wa sh ingtont ravel led f rom A lexand r ia to Bos ton to Obta in f rom Genera lSh i r ley ,

then commander - in- ch ief Of H is Ma j es ty’

s forces inAmer i ca . a dec i s ion rega rd ing the rela t i ve rank o f roya l andcolonia l officers .

RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

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RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

\VAS H INGTON’

S V I S IT S TO PR OV I D ENC E 1 0 1

S econd V is it

When the B r i t i sh a rmy evacuated Boston,Ma rch 17 , 1776

i t was expec ted tha t the Amer i can forces would ma rch to NewYork . The Rhode I s land Genera l A ssembly , at its Ma rch ses

s ion,approved a memor ia l to Genera l Wash ington :

Shou ld you r Exce l lency see fi t to order any pa rt Of the forcesf rom the v ic ini ty of Bos ton to any of the Southern Colonieswe could wi sh You r Excel lency would order the i r ma rchthrough th i s colony by the sea shore, tha t we might have the

chance of t he i r being present should the colony be invaded .

”

(R . I . Colonia l R ecords, Vol . VI I , p .

On Apr i l 4 ,1776

,Governor Cooke Of Rhode I s land wrote to

Genera l “a sh ington in Boston : Genera l Greene hav ing informed me tha t your Excel lency proposed to set ou t for Prov idence th i s day I do myse l f the honou r to acqua int tha t a hou sei s p repa red for you and you r lady , for M r . Cu rt i s and his lady ,for Genera l Gates and you r whole su i te . Were i t poss i ble to

have made i t so agreeable to your Excel lency i t woul d havegiven me the h ighes t p leasu re to have enterta ined you at myhouse .

”

(R . I . H is t. S oc . Col l . Vol . VI , p .

Theodore Fos ter,town c lerk of Prov idence for many yea rs ,

and la ter a sena tor f rom Rhode I s land in the fi rs t Congress of

Uni ted S ta tes,desc r i bed th i s v i s i t in his inter leaved a lmanac :

F r i day Apr i l 5th 1 776 Informa t ion be ing Rece i vedYesterday tha t his Excel lency Genera l Wash ington E sq , was

on the way to th i s Town and tha t he would be in Town todayThe Company Of Cadets commanded by C0 1. N i ght inga le and

the Company Of L i gh t Infant ry commanded by C0 1. Ma thewsonappea red in the i r Uni forms and went as far as M r . SaylesTavern in North Prov i dence where they wa i ted for his comingup . Col . H i tchcocks 8: Col . L i t t les Reg iments be ing uponMa thewson Pla in as above ment ioned under the Command Of

Br igad ier Genl Na thaniel Greene were Ordered by Genera lGreene to Ma rch about one O

’c lock to meet Genl Wa sh ingtonThey accord ingly ma rched some wav s ou t of Town before t heymet the Genera l wh i ch was at o

'

clock—Then Fac ing about

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1 0 4 RHODE I S L AND H I STOR I CA L SOC I ETY

S tate Hou se be fore a lterat ions .

Wash ington was enterta ined here March13 , 1781 , and Augu st 19 , 1790

On th i s v i s i t Wash ington a r r i ved f rom Bos ton.F r i day a f ter

noon, Apr i l 5, 1776, and lodged at the house Of S tephen

Hopk ins , t hen loca ted on South Ma in S t reet,but S ince moved

up the h i l l on H opk ins S t reet . Sa tu rday,Apr i l 6

,he was enter

ta ined at H ackers H a l l ( eas t s i de Of South Ma in S t reet between Power and Planet S t reets , des t royed by the

“G rea t F i re”

in Janua ry and Sunday , Apr i l 7 , le f t for Norw i ch ,Conn .

, where he met Governor T rumbul l , Monday , Apr i l 8 .

\Vash ington wri tes to the Pres i dent of Congress f rom New

York 1 5 Apr i l “On the 4th ins tant I set out f rom

Cambr idge,and a r r i ved here on Sa tu rday las t . I came th rough

Prov idence,Norw i ch

, and New London,in order to see and

exped ia te the emba rkat ion Of the t roops , (Ford’

s IW/ ritings oflVashington,

V ol . X IV,p .

WA S H I N GTON ’ S v i s iTs To PROV I D E NC E 1 0 5

Third Vis it

Jeffrey of South Kings town wr i tes in h i s d ia ry for178 1

“Ma rch 6 Genera l “a sh ington Rode by ou r H ou se withabout Twenty Sol d iers for a gua rd about ten o

’

c lock .

”

(Ha z

a rd’

s NarrangaxnsettFr iends M ceting . p . 167

“a sh ington wa s then on his way f rom headqua rters at New

VVinsor to Newpor t to con fer w i th Genera l Rochambeau . H e

reached Newport by the Conan i cu t fer r ies . Ma rch 6 . and re

ma ined there unt i l Tuesday morning ,Ma rch 1 3 . when,

accom

panied by severa l of the French officers . he le f t for Prov idence .

H e t ravel led by land ,pass ing th rough B ri stol , and d ining at

\tVarren at the tavern of Shubael Burr , whose b i l l , for enterta ining Genera l and his su i te ,

was orderedpa i d by the Genera l A s sembly

, ( R . 1 . Col . R ecords . V ol . IX . p .

and a r r i ved at Prov idence in the evening . Count Dumasof Rochambeau

’

s a rmy accompanied Wash ington. and thu sdesc r i bes the scene :“The whole popula t ion had assembled f romthe suburbs ; we were su rrounded by a c rowd of ch i ld ren ca r rying torches , re i tera t ing the acc lama t ions of the c i t i zens ; a l l

were eager to approa ch the person of h im whom they ca l ledthe i r fa ther

,and pressed SO c lose l y a round u s that they h indered

u s f rom proceed ing . Genera l Wa sh ington was much a ffected ,

s topped a few moments and press ing my hand sa i d may

be bea ten by the Engl i sh ; i t is the chance of war ; bu t beholdan a rmy wh i ch they can never conquer ,

’

( Dumas : . l tl eznoi-rs,

Vol . I . p . Thi s inc ident is somet imes sa id to have occu rreds ix months ea r l ier OII Wash ington’

s retu rn to headqua rters f romhis fi r s t v i s i t to Rochambeau at H a rt ford

,September 2 1 . 1780 .

The Providence Gaz ette of March 17,178 1 reports : Prov i

dence Ma rch 17 . On Tuesday A f ternoon a r r ived here f romNewpor t his Exce l lency Genera l Wash ington with his Su i te ,

accompanied by Ma jor Genera l. H owe,and severa l other Gent le

men of the A rmy . H e was met at the Lower Fer ry by a Number o f Gent lemen and escorted to the House of the H OII . JabezBowen,

E sq . On his Excel lency ’

s A rr i va l he was sa l u ted by a

D ischa rge of Th i rteen Cannon f rom the Cont inenta l Pa rk of

Order of Process ionFrom R . 1 . H is tor ica l S ociety A rch ives

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1 0 8 R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

Cou rtes y of Prov id ence Al ag as i u e

Daggett ’ s Tavern,

Where “fa shington lodged Augu st 18 and 19 , 1790

WA smNGTON’

s vxs rrs TO P ROV I D EN C E 1 0 9

s ide o f Ma rket Squa re on the s i te now occup ied bv the Prov idence Bu i ld ing .

Fou rth V is it

A s Rhode I s land had not adopted the Const i tu t ion when“a sh ington v i s i ted New England in 1789 , he did not enter thes ta te . Rhode I s land ra t ified the Const i t u t ion in May 1 790 . and

on the ad j ournment o f Congress in Augu s t 1790 “a sh ingtona r ranged to v i s i t the s ta te . H e le f t New York bv packet S unday. Augus t 1 5 . 1790 . accompanied bv Thoma s Jefferson . Sec reta ry of S ta te

,George C l inton. Governor of New York

,Theo

dore Sena tor f rom Rhode I s land . Judge Bla i r o f the

Uni ted S ta tes Court,\Vill iam Smi th . Member of Congress f rom

South Ca rol ina . whose d ia ry gi ves a deta i led account Of the

tr i p,Mr . G i lman. Member of Congress f rom New H ampsh i re ,

and th ree gent lemen of his Offic ia l fami ly . H e a r r i ved at New

por t . Tuesday morning . Augus t 17 .and a f ter spend ing a day

and n i gh t there,proceeded to Prov idence up the bay.

Sena tor Foster,whose inter leaved a lmanac fu rnished '

the de

ta i led acount of \Vash ington’

s v i s i t in 1776 . now makes the

br ie f ent ry : “Wednesday Aug . 18th 1790 I a r r i ved at Prov idence f rom New York w i th the Pres i dent of the Uni ted S ta tes .

Th i s t ime the town of Prov idence prepa red to gi veton an Offic ia l recept ion . On Augus t 16 . M ess rs . Eph . Bowen .

N i cholas Brown,Joseph N i ght inga le and others reques ted a

town meet ing the same day at th ree o'

c lock “to cons ider of the

mos t prope r M easu res to shew the Venerat ion the Town ha thOf his Cha racter (Wash ington) and the Sent iment s of G ra t itude the Inhabi tants enterta in for his rescu ing Amer i ca f romthe Prospec t of S lavery and es tabl i sh ing her L i berty upon the

b road Bas i s of Just i ce and Equ i ty under a Cons t i tu t ion the

Admi rat ion and Envy of the Ci v i l i zed ( Prov idenceTown Papers . A t th i s .town meet ing i t was voted “

to

cau se the in the Ma rket H ouse to be immed ia tel ymended .

”and tha t H enry D r . Enos H i tchcock .

A rnold,Dav i d Howel l and Benj amin Bourne be a Commi ttee

to d raught an add ress to be presented to the Pres ident . A

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\VAS H INGTON’

S V I S I T S TO PR OV I DEN C E 1 1 3

wa rds,fol lowed the pr inc i pa l inhabi tants of Prov idence and

some f rom Newport . and other c i t i zens mak ing a long fi le, pre

ceded by some t roops and mu s i c ; the doors and windows forthe length of a mi le ,

were a l l c rowded wi th lad ies and specta tors .

Wh en we ar r i ved at the tavern (Dagget ts ) the Pres i dent s toodat the door and the t roops and the process ion passed and sa l u ted .

In the process ion were th ree negro sc rapers mak ing a hor r i b lenoise . We t hen sat down to a fami ly d inner . A f ter tea ,

j u s tas the Pres ident was tak ing leave to

'

go to bed,he was informed

by C0 1. Peck (Ma rsha l of the D is t r i c t , who sa i led w i th u s

f rom New York ) tha t the s tudent s of the Co l lege had illuminated i t

,and would be h igh ly fla t tered at the Pres i dents go ing

to see i t,which he pol i te l y agreed to do

,though he never goes

out at ni gh t and i t then ra ined a l i t t le . and was a d i sagreeableni ght . We made a noctu ra l process ion to the Col lege whichindeed was worth see ing ,

being very splend i d ly i l l um ina ted . Is lept tha t ni gh t at M r . C l

'

a rkes ( John Innes C la rke), a merchantwho has latel y bu i l t a handsome house ( Benefi t and JohnS t reets ) and is a man Of property . H is house was st ruck w i thl igh tning a few week s ago,

but is repa i red :he t rea ted me wi thmuch C i v i l i ty

,hav ing offered me a bed immed ia tely on my

a r r i va l , though I had never seen h im be fore .

“Thursday morning began wi th heavy ra in and col d eas ter lyw ind . I t c lea red at nine O

’c lock . and then the Pres ident accom

panied as be fore . began a wa l k wh ic h cont inued unt i l one O'c lock

and which completely fa t i gued the company wh ich formed hisescort . We wa l ked a l l a round the Town

,v i s i ted a l l the apa r t

ments of the Col lege,went on the roo f to v iew the beaut i fu l

and extens i ve prospect , wa lked to a place where a la rge Ind iaman of 900 tons was on the s tock s . went on boa rd her , retu rnedto town

,s topped and d rank wine and punch at M r . C larkes ,

M r . Browns ( John Brown) Governor Fenners (A rthu r Fenner) and Gov . Bowens (Deputy Governor Jabez Bowen) and

then retu rned home . A s soon as the Pres i dent wa s rested . he

rece i ved the add resses Of the C inc inna t i . the Rhode I s land College

,and the Town Of Prov idence

,and then went immed ia tel y

to d inner to the Town H a l l ( Court Hou se). The d inner con

1 1 4 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

s i sted Of 200 persons , and an immense c rowd sur rounded the

ha l l . A f ter d inner severa l toas ts were d rank ; the second was‘

The Pres ident of the Uni ted S ta tes ,’

at wh ich the whole com

pany w i th in and wi thou t gave th ree huzzas and a long c lappingof hands . The Pres i dent t hen rose and d rank the hea l th of a ll

the company ; he a f terwa rds gave ‘

The Town of Prov idence .

’

“Among other toas ts,there were gi ven ‘

The King and Na

tiona l A ssembly of F rance .

’ Severa l F rench gent lemen who sat

together t hen rose and bowed,

‘

Fa ith funess in the col lec t ionand economy in the expend i tu re of the publ i c revenue,

’

and‘

The es tabl i shment Of publ i c c red i t and pr i va te fa i th .

’ Cannonwas fi red at each toas t ; at the conc lus ion Of the toas ts , thePres i dent rose

,and the whole company

,w it h a cons i derable

c rowd Of c i t i zens , wa l ked down to the wha r f , where he and his

su i te emba rked for New York .

The P rov idence Gaz ette Of Sa tu rday,Augus t 2 1 , 1790 ,

has

the fol lowing account :On Thursday [shou ld be Wednesday] about Fou r

'

o’

ClOCk,

P . M . a r r i ved f rom New York,in the Pa cket H ancock

,Capt .

B rown,the PRES IDEN T of the Uni ted S ta tes , wi th his Su i te ,

a ccompan ied by Governor C l inton of New York , Thomas Jefferson,

E sq ; Sec reta ry of S ta te , Theodore Fos ter , E sq ; one Of

the Sena tors f rom th is S ta te —Judge B la i r , M r . Smi th,of

South Ca rol ina , and M r . G i lman,of New H ampsh i re

,Members

of Congress—A Process ion was formed agreeab le to a p rev iousA r rangement , and the Pres i dent escor ted to his Lodgings at

M r . Dagget t s .

“ORDER OF TH E PROCESS ION [see pla te 5 ]

The A r r i va l Of Capt . B rown at the Ent rance of the H ar

bou r was announced by the D i scha rge of a Cannon f romFedera l - H i l l , when the Process ion was formed at the Sout hE nd Of the Town. On the Pres i dents Land ing he was welcomed by a fede ra l D i scha rge of Cannon and the Ringing of

Be l ls . The Concou rse of People was prod i gious . The Proces

s ion ' wa s conducted w i th grea t Decorum and exceeded any

th ing of the Kind be fore exh i b i ted in th i s.

Town.

“A l l Ages C lasses and Sexes , were f u l l of Sens i b i l i ty on

th i s Joy fu l Occas ion .

—The br i l l iant Appea rance of the Lad iesf rom the W indows was pol i tel y not i ced by the Pres i dent , and

gave Anima t ion to the S cene—On the Pres i dents a rr i va l atM r Dagget ts , another federa l Sa l u te took Place, and a f ter

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1 1 6 R HODE I S LAN D H I STOR I C A L SOC I ETY

Notes

An account of the horseboat E xper iment,i l lu st ra ted on the

cover Of th i s i ssue of the CO-LLE CTONS,wi l l be found in the

Na r raganset t H is tor i ca l Regi s ter,vol . VI

,p . 387

The fol lowing persons have been e lec ted to membersh ip in theSoc iety '

M r . H owa rd V . A l lenM i s s M i ld red E . Basset tMrs . Grace Cob-u rn Sanc tua ryM r . Edwa rd L . W’

a tsonM r . R icha rd W’

a rd G reene W'

el l ing has presented to the

Soc iety a cha i r tha t former ly belonged to C0 1. Augu s tus M umford

, who was k i l led at the Ba t t le of Bunker H i l l .M i ss Sa rah Bou rne M anches ter recent l y gave the Soc iety the

manusc r i pt a ccount book of D r . Aa ron Bou rne of Br i s tol . Thebook covers the per iod f rom 1 720 to 175 1

,and conta ins a la rge

amount of va l uable and interest ing h i s tor i ca l da ta .

Among the new books of loca l interes t are :Block I s land ,

Fac t and Fancy ,

” by Thomas B . F ie lders .

The H ou se of Ca r r . An H i s tor i ca l Sketch of the Ca r r Fami lyf rom 1450 to 1926

”by W . L . \Vatson .

Sha l l the Anc ient Grudge be S ta rved !” by G . A lder B lumer,

M .D . An Add ress be fore the Soc iety of the C inc inna t i .Colon ia l Rhode I s land by A l i ce Col l ins G leeson .

Rhode I s land Pr i va teers in King George ’

s \Var , 1739 - 1748

by H owa rd M . Chap in .

The B ul letin of the Newpor t H is tor i ca l Soc iety for Ju ly .

1926 . conta ins an account of the F i rs t Regiment Rhode I s landDetached M i l i t ia

,186 1 .

The sea l s of the por ts of Prov i dence and Newpor t are i l l ustrated in the Essex Inst i tute H i s tor i ca l Col lections for Ju ly

.

1926 . and in Lou i s E . M i dd lebrook ’

s“ Sea l s of Ma r i t ime New

England .

Cha r les M . Leffer t ’s “Uni form s o f the A rmies in the W’

ar of

the Amer i can Revol u t ion,

” recent l y i ssued by the New YorkH i s tor i ca l Soc iety , conta ins i l l us t ra t ions of two Rhode I s landuni forms and s ix pages O f notes On Rhode I s land uni formsext rac ted f rom contempora ry new spapers .

The Amer ican Col lector for July conta ins a note on SamuelVernon’

s work as an engraver and pr inter .

U N U S U A L I ND I A N IMPL EMEN T S 1 1 7

Unusua l Indian Imp lements Found in

Rhode I s land

BY H OWARD M . CH A P I N

The Oc tober 1924 and the Janua ry 19 2 5 Col lec t ions conta inan i l lus t ra ted account of the Ind ian implements more commonlv

found in Rhode I s land w i th i l l us t rat ions O f a few unusua l spCCImens . I t mav be of interes t to record and i l l us t ra te other un

usua l types .

The stone head found at the soaps tone mask foundat F iel ds Po int . and the face ca rved on the pipe bowl werement ioned in the prev ious a r t i c le ,

but Obj ec ts bea r ing ca rvedrepresenta t ions O f human be ings were ra ther ra re among ou r

loca l Ind ians .

Three very interes t ing s tone effigies have been found in

Rhode I s land and were,I bel ieve . the work Of ou r loca l Ind ians .

I fi rs t hea rd of these effigies I d id not bel ieve tha t thevwere genu ine . but a f ter ta l k ing w i th M r . Romer and Mr . King ,

I became conv inced of the s ince r i ty and hones ty of these gent lemen. each Of whom found one o f the effigies . The soaps toneface . about one and a ha l f inches ta l l

,was found nea r

Pond about twenty yea rs ago by M r . Samuel K ing . and the

soaps tone i mage . two and a ha l f inches ta l l in its presentbroken two—th i rd s cond i t ion. but ev ident l y or ig ina l l y a fu l llength image

,was found nea r Wa rw i ck Pond by M r . Ca r l

Romer . The la rger seated figure th ree and a ha l f inches ta l l ,is made of graph i te and was found at Neu taconkanu t H i l l . A s

these t h ree effigies are made ou t Of s tone commonly found inRhode I s land .

i t seems probably tha t they were made here , buti t is qu i te poss i ble tha t thev were made in the colonia l per iod

by Ind ians . who had come in contac t w i th European c i v i l i za t ionand had seen figu res made in Eu rope . The effigies a l l have a

certa in Ind ian ca s t of countenance doubtless due to the env i ron

ment o f the a rt isan,even though he rece i ved his genera l inspi ra

tion f rom Eu ropean Obj ec ts .

R HODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC IETY

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1 2 0 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CAL SOC I ETY

Two effigy pes t les were ment ioned in the prev ious a rt i c le . At h i rd one

, c rude l y ca rved at one end to represent a tu rt le ’

s

head , wa s found at Eas t Prov i dence . Thi s pest le ,whi ch is

fou rteen and a ha l f inches long , is owned by M r . Osca r J . Tyler .

The subj ec t of s tone mor ta rs Opens up a quest ion on whichmuch has been wr i t ten a l though but l i ttle is known . Fool s rushin where angels fea r to t read ,

i t is sa i d,and so in h i s tory and

a rchaeology , we find many s ta tements wi thout support ing proo f .

Tha t an Ind ian might u se any chance hole or depress ion foundin a rock or s tone a s a makesh i f t morta r or anv i l can not of

cou rse be d i sputed , but t ha t many of the natu ra l holes and

depress ions . wh ich a re sa i d to have been used a s mor ta rs bythe Ind ians , were ever so used

,is a mat ter tha t can not be sub

stantiated by conc lus i ve ev idence .

The so - ca l led flat morta r . found at Oak lawn,is an unusua l l y

good spec imen of its type . I t is a rough fiat s tone wi th a sha l lowconcave depress ion made by rubb ing . but whether the rubbingwas done by a la rge pebble and the forces Of na tu re , or by a

pes t le and the arm Of man is a d ifficul t ques t ion to sol ve . I fsuch a s tone was u sed as a mor ta r

,the or ig ina l depress ion was

doubt less na tu ra l,so t ha t the d i fficul ty of sol v ing the problem

is inc reased . O f cou rse t ime and wea r would have long s inceel im ina ted a l l t race of anv subs tances t ha t m ight have beenground .

The a rt i fic ia l s tone mor ta r or d i sh Offers another p roblem .

Such a s tone vessel was i l l us t ra ted in the prev ious a rt i c le,and

there is another sma l ler one ,wi th a much sma l ler cav i ty , in the

col lec t ion Of M r . Danie l Sherman Of Wakefie l d,tha t wa s found

in tha t v i c ini ty . The cav i ty in both cases is unques t ionab ly thework of man,

and the outs i de of the vesse l has to some extentbeen shaped . Such a vesse l may have been used for a mor ta r orfor some other purpose .

Th is br ings u s to a very interes t ing problem ,the or ig in and

u se Of the ova l s tones wi th the concave top . About twenty

yea rs ago M r . Edga r M . Bacon found nea r the shore nor th of

Mount Hope an ova l s tone about s i x teen inches ta l l w i t h a

s l igh t concave depress ion at one end and presented th is s tone

U NU SU A L IND I A N IMPLEMEN T S 1 2 1

Mortar found at Woodv i l le, inHopk inton, R . I .

Property of Ju dge Oli z 'er l/Vil l ia ms

Ova l stone mortar ( so—ca l led ) found at Coventry, R . I .Col lection of Os car J . Ty ler

R HOD E I S L A N D H I S TOR I C A L S OC I E TY

Tubu lar p i pe,2% inches

long . found at Jamestown,

R . I .Col lection of P eter Cook

B i rd—shaped p ipe,3% inches ta l l , found

at S c i tuate, R . I .Col lection of Peter Cook

P lat form p i pe found in R hode I s la IOrnamented p i pe, 1 3A,

inches long, found Col lection of M rs . A . B . B radsnear Warwi ck Pond ,

R . I .‘

Col lection of S amu el W. King

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1 2 4 RHODE I S L AN D H IS TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

to the H i stor i ca l Soc iety . I t appea red to be a glac ia l pebble of

na tu ra l forma t ion a l though unusua l ly symmet r i ca l, and Of no

pa rt i cu la r note excep t for the s l ight ly concave flat tening at the

la rger end . A ccord ing to a loca l t rad i t ion th is s tone had beenused as a mor ta r by the Ind ians .

N 0 spec ia l impor tance was a ttached to th i s s tone unt i l abou tfive yea rs ago, when a s tone Of s im i la r s i ze

,shape and appea r

ance, was found nea r Wa l l um Lake and presented to the soc ietyby D r . H a r ry Lee Ba rnes . Th i s s tone was a lso sa i d to havebeen used by the Ind ians . I t had the same sor t of a concavedepress ion at the la rger end , only somewha t deeper than in the

ca se Of the B r i s tol s tone .

A s tone, s im i la r in s i ze,shape and appea rance

,was recent ly

found at Covent ry by M r . Osca r Tyler . Thi s s tone has a muchdeeper cav i ty at the la rger end and the cav i ty seems at fi rs tglance to have been the work Of man . I f th is cav i ty is the

resul t of intent iona l des ign,i t arouses the suspi c ion tha t the de

press ions in the ot her s tones may a lso have been the work of

humanbeings,and i f so,

presumably Ind ians . On the otherhand these s tones are rema rkab ly s im i lar to the ova l s tones wi thconcave pebble - worn cav i t ies

,tha t are preserved at Lucerne ,

Swi tzer land . A s a l l of these s tones are top—heavy and have a

spher i ca l base ,i t seemed at fi rs t as though they could not have

been used as mor ta rs on account Of the i r ins tabi l i ty , but on the

other hand i f they were set in sof t earth they would s tandqu i te fi rmly .

A fou rth s tone of s im i la r s i ze ,wi t h an ar t ifi c ia l cav i ty in its

top,was loca ted atWoodv i l le in Hopk inton

,R . I . Thi s s tone,

however , has a ra the r rough and i r regula r exter ior and does

not present the smooth fini shed appea rance of the ova l s tones .

The pi pes found in Rhode I s land are Of many des i gns . The

pipe,th ree inches ta l l made of pol i shed greeni sh s tone carved

in the shape of a b i rd ,perhaps intended for a c row , was plowed

up in S c i tua te,R . I . I t is a beau t i f u l p iece Of work and in a

very good s ta te Of preservat ion . A banner—s tone a l so found in

S c i tua te is of somewha t s i m i la r s tone, and bot h pieces may havebeen made el sewhere and b rought here by t rade . The tubu la r

UNU S U A L IN D I AN IMP L EMENT S 1 2 5

T r inket or pendant ,inc hes ta l l . found at Car

C ircu lar tr inket found at buneleOlneyv i l le, R . 1 .

Actua l s i z e .

Col lection of E a r l R omer

Col lection of Os ca r J . Ty ler

P ierced stones o r

"gorgets . 2 inches and 3 f/ z' inc'hes in d iameter,

found at E lmwood , R . 1 .

Col lection of S amu e l l l ' . K ing

1 2 6 R HODE I S L AN D H I S TOR I C A L SOC I ETY

One - hand led bowl , 8 inches long , found at Sand Pond,Warwi ck

,R . I .

Co l lection of S amu el W . K ing

Unfini shed bowl,8% inches long , found at Norwood

,R . I .

Col lection of S amu e l W. Ki ng

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1 2 8 RHODE I SLA ND H I STOR I CA L SOC IETY

pi pe found at James town is the onl y spec imen Of tubula r p ipe tha tI have heard Of be ing found in Rhode I s land . Another veryunusua l p i pe is the black bowl p ipe found at Newpor t . A soaps tone p ipe found nea r Wa rw i ck Pond has inc ised ornamenta ll ines in d iamond Shaped pa t terns

,a des i gn wh ich may have

been due to contac t w i th European c i v i l i za t ion. I t is probablyof loca l workmansh i p . A very fine spec imen Of pla t form p i pewas found in Rhode I s land

,a f ragment of a pla t form p ipe was

found nea r R ed Br idge , Prov i dence . and unfini shed b lanks forpla t form p ipes were found at and Warw i ck . An

unfini shed p ipe s tem , whi ch m ight have been pa r t of a p ipes tem s im i la r to the one on the anima l effigy pipe found at

a rren. was found at Eas t P rov i dence . The preva lence of p ipeblank s in Rhode I s land proves conc lus i vel y tha t ou r loca l Ind ians manu factu red p ipes . and i t is qu i te poss i b le tha t stonefor t h i s pu rpose was occas iona l ly brought f rom a cons iderabled i s tance .

A n unfini shed banner s tone found at Covent ry wou ld seemto ind i ca te tha t ou r loca l Ind ians made these prob lemat i c p ieces .

Some - cons i der tha t they were made by preh is tor i c t r i bes thatpreceded the Ind ians

,who were found her e by the whitemen .

Two t h in pierced s tones are shown . These are pa rt i cu la r lyinteres t ing in tha t they Show depress ions ev i dent ly made byrubb ing s inew back and forth . The u se of such s tones s t i l lrema ins an unsol ved prob lem . Sma l l s tones of unusua l shape

,

showing t races of human workmansh i p , are ca l led t r inkets forwant Of a bet ter name . Everyone is f ree to make his own con~

j ectu res as rega rd the u se of such Obj ec ts .

Soap-s tone d i shes are of many types and would make an in

teresting s tudy in themse l ves . Occas iona l ly they are a lmos trectangula r in shape

,somet imes have onl y one hand le, and va ry

f rom being verv sha l low to hav ing a depth of severa l inches .

The Ind ians made beads ou t O f Sheet copper by rol l ing b i tsof cop

-

per into the requ i red shape . These beads had a genera lresemblance to Ind ian wampum as rega rds s i ze and shape .