USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Rehoboth > The History of Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, 1836 > Part 3
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Here Mr. Williams supposed himself to be without the limits of either the Massachusetts or Plymouth patents, and that he might rest in quiet, with none to molest or disturb ; but he soon found himself mistaken, and learned that Seekonk was not to be his home. For Mr. Winslow, Governour of Plymouth Colony, wrote to him, informing him that Seekonk was within their juris- diction, and advising him to remove to the land on the other side of the river, where he would be beyond the claims of any patent, and where the country would be free before him. "I testify and declare," says Roger Williams, (in a letter dated Providence, 13th of the 10th month, 1661,) "in the holy pres- ence of God, that when at my first coming into these parts, I obtained the lands of Secunk of Osamaquin the then chief Sachem on that side, the Governour of Plymouth, (Mr. Wins- low,) wrote to me in the name of their Government, their claim to Secunk to be in their jurisdiction, as also their advice to remove but over the river unto this side, (where now, by God's merciful providence, we are, ) and then I should be out of their claim, and be as free as themselves, and loving neighbours together."
On the reception of this information and advice, Mr. Williams, still buoyed up with the hope that the globe yet held some spot sacred to freedom, abandoned Seekonk, and, embarking in a
mile. There are now four springs within that space, one having broken out since Mr. Brown visited the spot; and I am informed by the oldest of the inhabitants, that two of the four have broken out within their recollection. Of the two remaining, the one on the land of Mr. Hammond Cole has the highest claim to being the spring in question. It is the largest and best, and the water boils from the ground rapid and clear ; whereas the other, which is a short distance to the south east of this, has more the appearance of a mud- puddle. Tradition, also, points the most clearly to this.
* In the north-west corner of Mr. Daggett's house lot.
19
HISTORY OF REHOBOTH.
canoe with five others,* proceeded down and across the stream. As they approached the little cove, on the west side of the river, between India and Central bridges, they were hailed by a party of Indians with the friendly interrogation, " What cheer ?" a common English phrase of salutation, which they had learned from the traders on the coast, and equivalent to the modern How do you do ? At this spot they went on shore ; and here is a rock at the water's edge, on which it is said Roger Williams and his company landed. The rock to this day bears the name of Roger Williams's Rock ; and is the resort of numerous pil- grims,-the citizen and stranger,-the fair of the city, and the student of the University,-many of whom, in testimony of their veneration for the memory of this father of Rhode Island, have handed their names down to us, "engraven deep " on the rock on which he landed. Re-embarking at this place, he pas- sed round India Point and Fox Point, and proceeded up the river on the west side of the peninsula, near the mouth of the Moshassuck river, where he landed, as tradition says, near a spring, south-west of St. John's Church.+
To the town which he here founded, Roger Williams, with his characteristic piety, and in grateful remembrance of " God's merciful providence to him in his distress," gave the name of PROVIDENCE.
The precise period at which Roger Williams left Seekonk, never has been, and, probably, never can be, satisfactorily as- certained. An approximation, however, may be made to it. The writ for seizing him and sending him to England was issued Jan. 11, 1636 ; and he " began to build and plant at Secunk," which could not have been earlier than the middle of April, if so early. In the same letter to Major Mason, above quoted, he says his removal occasioned him the " loss of a harvest that year ; " from which remark we may reasonably infer that the corn had attained a considerable growth before he left Seekonk. On the 26th of July, he wrote a letter to Governour Vane, which he dated at Providence. For these principal reasons, among others of minor consequence, Professor Knowles in his Memoir of Roger Williams, concludes that he removed from Seekonk
* William Harris, John Smith, (miller,) Joshua Verin, Thomas Angell, and Francis Wickes .- R. I. Register, 1828, article furnished by Moses Brown.
t " Tradition has uniformly stated the place where they landed, to be at the spring south-west of the Episcopal Church, at which a house has recently been built by Mr. Nehemiah Dodge."-Moses Brown.
20
HISTORY OF REHOBOTH.
to the place where Providence now stands, not far from the mid- dle of June, 1636. It appears clear enough, that it must have been between the time of planting and the 26th of July. The foundation of the Colony, which Roger Williams planted in Rhode Island, he laid on the broad basis of civil and religious freedom, making Providence to others, what he had found it for himself,-the home of the exile and the asylum of tlie oppres- sed.
In 1643, he went to England to obtain a charter for his Colo- ny conforming to their principles of government ; and arrived with it at Boston in September, 1644. In 1651 he went again, as agent for the Colony, to England, and continued there till 1654. On his return he was chosen President of the Gov- ernment, in which station he continued till 1657. He died at Providence, sometime between January 16th and May 10th, 1683, in the 84th year of his age, fifty-two years having elapsed since his arrival in America.
His character is one, which, if few are found to imitate, all are constrained to admire. His whole soul, like that of Black- stone, seemed constantly struggling with a spirit beyond the feelings and the knowledge of the age in which he lived. Yet not like him was he contented with merely enjoying the bles- sings of liberty himself, but, nerved up his energies to break the shackles in which he found himself and the people enslaved. He did not quietly brood his opinions in secret,-opinions which concerned the dearest interests of mankind ; but boldly pro- claimed them before the world, and fearlessly asserted, in the face of kings and bishops, of court and clergy, what he deemed his rights and the unalienable rights of man. The principles which he laid down, both in religion and in politics, and which were then considered but as the distempered dreams of the fan- atick, the experience of two centuries has proved to be correct. Toleration,-then considered as a plant of strange growth, or as a poisonous weed to blight all the sweet scented flowers in the garden of God, the trial of two centuries has shown to be native-born and healthful, within whose balmy fragrance only religion can ever vigorously flourish. His mind, original and in- dependent, determined to strike out its own course. In religion and in politics he thought and acted for himself. While he gen- erously tolerated all, he blindly followed none. He was as magnanimous as he was tolerant ; showing himself superior to the meaner passions of malice and revenge. For, living in the
21
HISTORY OF REHOBOTH.
neighbourhood of several formidable tribes of Indians, over whom he possessed great influence, he could at any time have stirred them up to avenge himself for his banishment; but so far was his disposition from pursuing such a course, that he con- stantly strove to keep them in peace with the colonies of Plym- outh and Massachusetts Bay. His writings evince a mind of a superiour order ; and in those controversial, especially in his con- troversy with Mr. Cotton, respecting toleration, he shows him- self a thorough master of argument. He wrote " A Key to the Language of New-England," London, 1643. " The Bloody Tenet of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience, dis- cussed, in a conference between Truth and Peace," &c. 1644; " The Bloody Tenet yet more bloody, by Mr. Cotton's endeav- our to wash it white in the blood of the Lamb," London, 1652 ; " The Hireling Ministry none of Christs or a Discourse touching the propagating the Gospel of Christ Jesus," Lon- don, 1652; " Experiments of Spiritual Life and Health, and their preservatives," London, 1652; and " George Fox digged out of his Burrowes," Boston, 1676, which was written against Fox and Burrows, and gives an account of Roger Williams's dispute with the Quakers. An answer to it was published in 1679, entitled, " A New-England firebrand quenched."
The real founder of Rehoboth was the Rev. Samuel New- man. He was born at Banbury, England, in 1600; educated at the University of Oxford; and, after having been the minis- ter of seven different churches in the land of his nativity, re- moved to New-England in 1636 or 1638 .* After his arrival here, he spent a year and a half at Dorchester, four and a half or five years at Weymouth ; and then, with the majority of his congregation, removed to a place called by the Indians Seekonk, to which he gave the name of Rehoboth. He was a man of learning and talent, an excellent minister, and wrote a Concord- ance of the Bible, which far surpassed any thing of the kind before written. He died July 5, 1663. A full account of his life and writings will be given when we come to that year.
From the quit-claim deed of Philip, given in 1668, it appears that the first purchase of land afterwards included in the original town of Rehoboth was made of Ousamequin, more commonly
* We are able to give high authority in support of both of these dates. Mather, Magnalia, iii. 113-116. gives 1638; as also Eliot in his Biog. Dic. Judge Davis, Mort. Memorial, 217, adheres to the earlier date, and also Allen in his Biog. and Hist. Dic .- See also year 1663.
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HISTORY OF REHOBOTH.
known to the English by the name of Massassoit, in 1641, by Mr. John Brown and Mr. Edward Winslow, of Plymouth. "Where- as Osamequin, sachem, deceased, did, for good and valuable considerations, in the year one thousand six hundred forty and one, give, grant, convey assurance of, and confirm unto Mr. John Brown and Mr. Edward Winslow, deceased, a tract of land of eight miles square, situate, lying and being both on the east and west sides of a river called Palmer's river, to the property and behoof of the townsmen of Seacunck, alias Rehoboth; I Philip," &c. This tract comprised the present towns of Reho- both, Seekonk, and Pawtucket, and is about ten miles square. It had been granted by Plymouth Court, as appears from the records of the proprietors of Reboboth, to certain persons (of Hingham, probably,) for the settlement of a town, and Mr. Brown and Mr. Winslow were appointed agents to purchase it for the Colony : " Whereas the Court of Plymouth was pleased, in the year 1641, or thereabouts, to grant unto the inhabitants of Seaconk (alias Rehoboth) liberty to take up a trackt of lands for theare comfortable subsistance, containing the quantity of eight miles square ; and the Court was pleased to appoint Mr. John Browne and Mr. Edward Winslow for to purchase the fore- said trackt of land of Asamecum, the chief sachem and owner thereof, which accordingly hath beene effected, and the purchase paid for by the foresaid inhabitants, according to the Court order," &c .- Proprietors Records, vol. I. p. 1.
No deed of this purchase from Massassoit is to be found on record, or in existence; but there is a deposition of John Hazell on the Plymouth Colony Records, [vol. II. p. 67.] taken Nov. 1, 1642, which confirms the purchase : " John Hasell (Hazell) affirmeth that Assamequine chose out ten fathome of beads, at Mr. Williams's and put them in a basket, and affirmed that he was fully satisfied therewith for his land at Seacunck ; but he stood upon it that he would have a coat more, and left the beads with Mr. Williams and willed him to keep them untill Mr. Hubbard came up." " He affirmeth the bounds were to Red Stone Hill VIII. miles into the land, and to Annawamscoate VII. miles down the water." No record or deed from the colony to the town at this time is to be found on the Plymouth Records ; but ref- erence to, and acknowledgment of, a grant of this land to sev- eral individuals, is made in the confirmation deed of the colony, in 1685: " Whereas Mr. Daniel Smith, as agent of the town of Rehoboth, answered at this Court, and showed, declared, and
23
HISTORY OF REHOBOTH.
made appear unto this Court by several writings and records, that the bounds of the said town of Rehoboth are as followeth : The first grant of the said township being eight miles square, granted in the year 1641, unto Mr. Alexander Winchester, Richard Wright, Mr. Henry Smith, Mr. Joseph Pecke, Mr. Stephen Paine, and divers others, for the settling of a town, which is now bounded from Puttukett river," &c. The same thing is repeated in the quit-claim deed of William Bradford, son of Governour Bradford, to the town, in 1689. This deed, after speaking of grants of land having been made to different townships, says : " Among others, in the year of our Lord 1641, [Gov. Bradford] granted to Joseph Peck, Stephen Paine, Henry Smith, Alexander Winchester, Thomas Cooper, gent. and others with them, and such others as they should associate to themselves, a tract of land for a plantation or township, for- merly called by the natives Secunke, upwards of forty-five years since settled and planted, now called and known by the name of Rehoboth." These deeds will be taken notice of, and extracts made from them, when we come to the years in which they were given. The people, whose names are mentioned in both the above extracts, as grantees, were of Hingham .- See Lincoln's Hist. of Hingham, pp. 42-8.
Although the town had been purchased of the Indians, and granted to a number of individuals for the purpose of making a settlement, it does not appear that any general and permanent settlement was made here earlier than about the year 1643. We find, however, one individual residing at "Seacunck," as early as 1642. This was John Hazell, whose deposition, rel- ative to the sale of "Seacunk" by Ousamequin, has been al- ready given. He was then residing at "Seacunck," (Nov. 1, 1642,) and we find farther mention made of him at the same Court in November : "John Hassell" (afterwards written Ha- zell, in the Town Records,) "doth acknowledge himself to owe the king, to be leveyed of his lands, goods and chattells, &c. £XX. if he fayle in the condicon following : The condicon that the said John Hassell shall either take the oath of alle- giance to the King, and fidelitie to the Government, betwixt this and March Court next, or els remove his dwelling from Seacunck." [Plym. Col. Rec. vol. II. p. 67.]
The £20 which he acknowledged himself to owe the king, was a fine for contempt of Court, as appears from the following :
"August 2, 1642. It is ordered that a warrant be sent to
24
HISTORY OF REHOBOTH.
fetch John Hassell, that lives at Sickuncke, to answer his con- tempts at the General Court : which was made and signed by all the assistants present." [Plym. Col. Rec. vol. II. p. 55.] John Hazell continued to reside at "Seacunck," where he had lands granted him in 1669. And he appears to have owned largely before, for, in describing the bounds of the grant, men- tion is made of "his other allotment, being six hundred acres, bounded on the east with his fresh meadow and a little run of water and a cedar swamp ; on the west side Patucet river; on the north side the woods; on the south side the towne land ; only the Island and little upland above mentoned is part of the six hundred acres." [Plym. Col. Rec. vol. II. p. 193.]
" Seacunck," we have seen, was first granted to people of Hingham ; but they were soon joined by Mr. Newman and the majority of his church at Weymouth, in their projected settlement ; and it is even possible that some of the people of Weymouth were among the original grantees, of 1641, though none of them are among the names mentioned. It appears, however, that those whose names are given were a committee acting for " themselves and divers others."
The first meeting of the original planters of Rehoboth, to be found on record, is dated at "Weimoth the 24th of the 8th month* [October,] 1643." The record is as follows: "At a general meeting of the plantores of Seacunk, it was ordered,
" (1) That the [illegible] lottes shall not exceed the number of sixty and five, and in case anny of those that have these lottes granted already fale, that Goodman [illegible] of Cambridge to be admitted if he please; and in case so manny fale as may limit to sixty, then not to exceed sixty lottes."
"(2) It is agreed that the ground that is most fit to be plant- ed and hopefull for corne for the present to be planted and fen- ced by such as possess it according to [illegible.] "
" (3) It is ordered that those that have lottes granted and are [illegible] inhabitants shall fence the one end of their lottes and their part in the comon fence, in the same time, by the 20th day of April next, or else forfit their lottes to the disposal of the plantation ; and likewise to remove themselves and family to
* This is Old Style. The year then commenced the 25th of March. The correction of the calender by Pope Gregory, in 1582, was not adopted by the British Parliament till 1751. I have inserted the names of the months, desig- nated by " 1st mo." "2d mo." &c. but have not made the correction for the eleven days, ordered to be struck out of September, 1752 .- See also year 1669.
25
HISTORY OF REHOBOTH.
inhabit [torn off] by this time twelvesmonth, or else forfite their lottes againe to the plantation, allowinge them their necessa- ry improvements, as they in their discretion shall think meet." " (4) That if anny damages shale fale out by anny man's particular fence, the owner of the fence shale pay the damage, and if [torn off ] generall fence, then those persons that one the fence to pay [torn off.]" [Rehoboth Rec. vol. I. p. 1.]
The next meeting of the proprietors was held at Weymouth, " the 10th day of the 10th month " [December,] when regula- tions were made as to the planting of corn. The teacher to have a certain portion from each settler. Servants, after four years, to be inhabitants, and entitled to their privileges. Richard Wright employed to build a corn-mill.
During the year 1643, and probably before any other division of land had been made other than for house-lots, the proprietors were required individually to give in the value of their estates, in order that the allotments of land might be made accordingly, as appears from the Proprietors' Records : "About the year 1643,a joynt agreement was made by the inhabitants of Sea-conk alias Rehoboth, ffor the bringing in of their estates; that soe men's lotments might be taken up according to person and estate, as alsoe for the carrieing on of all publick chardges both for present and future ; furtheremore the means and interest of what is heare expressed is that by which lands, now granted by the Court of Plymouth to the towne, is to be divided according to person and estate, as is expressed in this following list .*
£ s. d.
1. Mrs. Bur
100 00 00 10. Will. Smith
£ s. d. 196 10 00
Ruth Ingram accept- ed in her place. S
11. Walter Palmer 419 00 00
2. Widdow Walker
50 00 00
12. James Clark, now John Perrum's.
71 00 00 -
3. John Read
300 00 00
4. John Cooke
300 00 00
13. Ralph Shephard, now 121 10 00
which still is in the } town's hands.
James Redewaye's. 14. Zachariah Roads 50 00 00
5. The Schoolmaster 50 00 00
15. John Mathewes 40 00 00
6. Will Cheesbrook
450 00 00
16. John Perrum 67 00 00
7. Mr. Winchester 195 00 00 . John Millar 69 10 00
8. Richard Wright
834 00 00 18. Samuel Butterworth 50 00 00
9. Mr. Newman
330 00 00
19. George Kendrick 50 00 00
* In transcribing the names in this list, as in most of the extracts from the ancient records, I have followed the orthography of the original.
4
26
HISTORY OF REHOBOTH.
£ s. d.
£ s. d.
20. Abram Martin 60 10 00
21. The Teacher
100 00 00
22. Edward Seale 81 00 00
23. John Browne 50 00 00
24. Mr. Howward
250 00 00
25. Mr. Peck 535 00 00
26. Mr. Obediah Holmes, now 100 00 00
Robert Wheaton's.
27. Edward Smith 252 00 00
28. Job Lane, now Robert Abell's.
50 00 00
29. Thomas Hitt
101 00 00
48. Will. Carpenter 254 10 00
30. James Walker, now Jolin flitche's .*
50 00 00
49. John Houlbrook. now Nicholas Ide's.
186 10 00
31. Thomas Blyss
153 00 00
50. Robert Titus, 156 10 00
now Robert Jones's.
51. Will. Sabin 53 00 00
Richard Bullock's.
33. Isaack Martin, now 50 00 00
54. Edward Patteson, now 50 00 00
34. Robert Morris
94 10 00
John Woodcock's.
55. Peter Hunt 327 00 00
Rich. Bowen's, Jr. S
36. The Pastor
100 00 00
37. Mr. Henry Smith
260 00 00
Rice Leonard's.
38. Mathew Pratt
239 00 00 58. Richard Bowen
270 00 00
39. John Megg's
120 00 00
[Proprietors' Records, vol. I. p. 1.]
At a meeting of the proprietors of Seekonk, (the date of which is torn off, though it was probably among the first,) it was voted, that nine men should be chosen to order the prudential affairs of the plantation, who should have power to dispose of the lands " in lots of twelve, eight, or six acres, as in their discretion they think the quality of the estate of the person do require." This applied to house-lots. It was further ordered, "that all other lots to be divided according to person and estate. One person to be valued at £12 sterling in the division of lands, and that no person should sell his improvements but to such as the towne shall accept of;" also voted, "that the meeting-house shall stand in the midst of the town."
On "the 21st of the 4th month" [June,] a town meeting was holden, but the records of it are so mutilated as to be mostly
* Instead of a capital letter, the small letter is frequently doubled.
40. Thomas Clifton, now 160 00 00
Stephen Payne's Jr.
41. Joseph Torry,
now John Peck's. 134 00 00
42. Tho. Cooper 367 00 00
43 Robert ffullor
150 00 00
44. John Allen
156 00 00
45. Ralph Allen 270 00 00
46. Edward Gillman, now Josepli Peck's. 306 00 00
47. Tho. Houlbrook 186 10 00
32. The Governor's lot, now 200 00 00
52. Stephen Payne 535 00 00
53. Mr. Browne 600 00 00
Thomas Wilmot's.
35. Edward Bennet, now 134 10 00
56. Robert Martin 228 10 00
57. Robert Sharp, but now 106 00 00
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HISTORY OF REHOBOTH.
illegible. It appears, however, to relate to a new division of land. It was resolved, that on every fortieth day, a meeting should be holden by all the inhabitants " for the consideration and acting of such necessary affairs as concern the plantation."
" At a town meeting, the 31st day of the 4th month [June], 1644, lots were drawn for a division of the woodland between the plain and the town. Shares were drawn to the number of 58, as follows :
1. Mr. Winchester,
2. Mr. Leonard,
3. Peter Hunt,
32. Edward Smith,
4. William Cheesborough, 33. William Smith,
5. Ralph Allin,
6. John Holbrook, 35. The Governour,
7. John Perram, 36. Edward Bennett,
8. The Schoolmaster, 37. Obadiah Holmes,
9. Matthew Pratt,
38. Mr. Browne,
10. William Carpenter,-
11. Ephraim Hunt,
12. Samuel Butterworth,
13. Edward Patterson,
42. John Allin,
14. James Browne,
15. Richard Bowin,
16. Mr. Newman,
17. Mr. Peck,
18. Walter Palmer,
19. Abraham Martin,
20. John Sutton,
49. Joseph Torrey,
50. Thomas Dunn,
51. Robert Martin,"
52. Widow Walker,
24. James Walker,
John Miller,
25. Robert Titus,
54. Mr. B- *
26. Edward Seale, 55. The Teacher,
27. George Kendrick, 56. John Cooke,
28. - *
157. Ralph Shepherd,
58. John Reade.
On " the 3d of the 5th month [July], 1644," the inhabitants signed a compact in the following words :
* These names I was not able to decipher.
44. William Sabin,
45. Mr. Henry Smith,
46. Zachery Roades,
47. Edward Gilman,
48. Thomas Clifton,
21. Robert Morris,
22. John Matthewes,
23. Isaac Martin,
29. Thomas Bliss,
30. The Pastor's,
31. Stephen Payne,
34. James Clark,
39. Thomas Cooper,
40. Thomas Holbrooke,
41. Thomas Hitt,
43. John Meggs,
28
HISTORY OF REHOBOTH.
"This combination, entered into by the general consent of all the inhabitants, after general notice given the 23d of the 4th month."
" We whose names are underwritten, being, by the providence of God, inhabitants of Seacunk, intending there to settle, do covenant and bind ourselves one to another to subject our per- sons [torn off,] (according to law and equity) to nine persons, any five of the nine which shall be chosen by the major part of the inhabitants of this plantation, and we [torn off] to be subject to all wholesome [torn off] by them, and to assist them, according to our ability and estate, and to give timely notice unto them of any such thing as in our conscience may prove dangerous unto the plantation, and this combination to continue untill we shall sub- ject ourselves jointly to some other government."
Walter Palmer, Z_
Edward Smith,
Edward Bennett,
Robert Titus,
Abraham Martin,
John Matthewes,
Edward Sale,
Ralph Shepherd,
Samuel Newman, William Cheesborough,
Alex. Winchester,
Henry Smith, Stephen Payne,
Richard Wright, Robert Martin, Richard Bowen,
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