USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Glocester > A brief history of the town of Glocester, Rhode Island : preceded by a sketch of the territory while a part of Providence > Part 10
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APPENDIX.
BRIEF PERSONAL NOTICES.
SAMUEL YOUNG ATWELL graduated at Brown University in 1814. His ancestry were from England. After graduat- ing he studied law with Hon. John Whipple. In 1831 or 1832 he removed to Chepachet and established himself in law. In 1835 he was a member of the General Assembly from Glocester and chairman of the State Commission on Banking. He was a very able advocate and seldom lost a case. Some of Providence's most able pleaders at the bar, studied law in his office at Chepachet, viz. : Samuel Ames, James M. Clarke, Thomas A. Jenckes, Edwin Metcalf, George H. Browne and Horace Manchester. He died in October 1844. He left a widow and two daughters and three sons.
GEORGE HUNTINGTON BROWNE, son of Elisha and Roby (Bowdish) Browne, was born in Glocester in 1818. His father died when his son was a few years old, leaving the homestead in Chepachet and a large landed property in northern Ver- mont. His mother, previous to her marriage, was a private school teacher of standing for several years. The son's early winters were spent with his mother at their home in the village, where he attended a good private school. Several summers he was under the charge of a special friend of his mother on a farm near the village, where he had the reading of books from a small, well-selected library. Here, before he was fourteen years, he read with great enthusiasm the transla- tion of Homer's Illiad and Dryden's Virgel ; also about one hundred volumes, most of them historical and scholastic
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APPENDIX.
works. He said, "for the reading of the above library, I was inspired to go to college." . After being prepared in some studies for an examination, he went to Brownington Academy, in northern Vermont. In 1836 he entered Brown University, and graduated in 1840. He studied law with Samuel Y. Atwell, in his native village, and was admitted to the Rhode Island bar in 1843. At his home village he established a successful law office, which he held for several years. In 1853 he removed to Providence ; also, his law office. In 1855 he entered into partnership with Colonel Nicholas Van Slyck, which continued until his death in October, 1885. He was several years in the General Assembly from Glocester ; also, a Representative in Congress from 1861 to 1863 from the Western District. He was commissioned in September, 1862, as Colonel of the Twelfth Regiment of Rhode Island Volunteers for nine months. He was elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. This offer he declined on account of ill health. He was twice married. He leaves two children by his first wife, Harriet Danforth, and a widow.
CLOVIS H. BOWEN was for many years a faithful Town Clerk. He also kept an excellent drug store on Main street. He was the son of Dr. Joseph Bowen. He married the daughter of Anthony Steere. He died in 1880. He leaves several children.
JOHN BROWN, son of James and grandson of the Rev. Chad Brown, laid the corner-stone of Rhode Island College ; was treasurer many years of the corporation, and filled many places of trust where great wisdom and liberality were required. He was the first merchant in Rhode Island. He built a fine mansion on Power street, in Providence, where most of his life was passed. His residence in Glocester has previously been referred to. He presented fourteen hundred volumes to the College library. He gave dinners to the students on Commencement days. He was a leader of Rhode Island in the war of the Revolution, and a purchaser with his brother
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APPENDIX.
Moses of the home lot of their ancestor, Chad Brown, for the College. He was in Glocester in 1791, and some years previously. He married Sarah, daughter of Daniel Smith, Providence. He was born in 1736 anddied in 1803.
MOSES COOPER died in 1837, aged 97 years. He owned slaves previous to the Revolution. He was a man who kept himself well informed on the important subjects of the day. He was a prominent member of the Society of the Friends.
AMASA EDDY, of Glocester, was a descendant of the Rev. William Eddy, of Cranbrook, England. (Eddy Genealogy.) He was also grand-nephew of the late Walter Phetteplace and the Rev. Zachariah Eddy, of Providence. He was born January 3, 1783. He married Mary Owen, of Glocester. For many years he was prosperously engaged in harness man- ufacturing. In 1852 he was the Democratic candidate for Governor of the State.
Motto on the. English Eddy coat-of-arms : "Crux mihi grata quies." The cross is my welcome rest.
JONATHAN EDDY, grandfather of the late Deacon Richard Eddy, and wife were members of the old Baptist Church at Chepachet in 1780. It is related that he went to church every Sunday, even though he had to walk many miles.
HON. ASA KIMBALL is spoken of in 1759 as ensign in a military company against the acts of the King of Spain. In 1761 as lieutenant and captain in other expeditions. In the war of the Revolution he was appointed on various commit- tees and officered from captain to major from this town. He was a prominent officer in General Sullivan's expedition on the Island of Rhode Island. The house he built in Chepachet for his homestead is still standing, and owned by his great- grandson, Horace A. Kimball.
DOCT. SAMUEL MOWRY was educated principally at Dudley and Amherst academies. He attended medical lectures in Boston in 1825 and 1826. In 1838 he was admitted a mem- ber of the Rhode Island Medical Society. He settled in
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APPENDIX.
Chepachet, where for more than forty years he had a good practice. He was well read in his profession. His health declining, he moved into Providence, where he died.
DOCT. REUBEN MASON was surgeon in General William West's, brigade in the Revolution. He had a large and long practice in this town. The house he owned, lived and died in, is still standing on the turnpike, near the village at Che- pachet.
THOMAS OWEN was admitted a freeman from Providence in 1736. He was Assistant Deputy-Governor from the town of Smithfield in the year 1753. Later he removed to Gloces- ter, and in 1770 he was elected by the town Deputy to the General Assembly. Also, he was Assistant Deputy to Gov- ernor Stephen Hopkins. At various times he rendered important political services to the town and State.
DANIEL OWEN, son of the above Thomas Owen, was admitted a freeman from Glocester at Newport, in May, 1757. He was chosen Deputy to the General Assembly in 1775 and 1776. He was one of the committee to procure gold and silver enough for the State to use in the Canada war. He was chairman of the committee to draft a letter to Con- gress in September, 1787, to explain the reason why this State had not any delegation at the Convention at Philadel- phia. He was a member and President of the Conventions that met at South Kingstown in March, 1790, and at Newport the following May, that adopted the Constitution of the United States. He gave great satisfaction for his candor and impartiality in conducting the proceedings of the Con- vention. He wrote from Newport, May 29, 1790, a letter to President Washington to accompany the message that informed the President that the Constitution of the United States of America had that day been adopted by the people of this State agreeably to the recommendation of the General Convention at Philadelphia. At the Convention at South Kingstown the anti-Federal members of the Convention offered the office of Governor of the State to Deputy-Gov-
APPENDIX. 129
ernor Owen. This offer he refused. A coalition party was formed and Arthur Fenner was nominated the first Governor of the State under the Constitution.
In 1786 the coinage of the United States required the adoption of the decimal system. The "die" for the first United States cent was established July 6, 1787. In 1786, Hon. Daniel Owen, Samuel Winsor, Simeon Thayer, Arthur Fenner, Jr., and Caleb Harris, Esquires, petitioned the General Assembly, praying for the "exclusive priv- ilege " of a coinage for this colony for the period of twelve years. It was granted in January, 1787, subject to such conditions as should be agreed upon by the As- sembly. Henry Marchant, William Channing, Benjamin Bourn and Moses Brown were appointed a committee to draft and report an act to carry said intention into execution con- sistent with the Articles of Confederation and the sovereignty of the State. No report of said committee is found on the records of the State.
He was Deputy-Governor four years from 1786. He was a large landholder in northern Vermont, where several of his children settled. He, with William Barton, received the grant of the town of Barton, in Vermont, October 20, 1781.
Iron ore was found on his farm in Glocester, and he had a trip-hammer run by water power. The iron was made into the desired shape for use by means of his heavy hammer. Various useful implements were made, and sold in other parts of the country, viz. : ploughs, harrows, rims for wheels, cranes, trammels, horse-shoes, etc., etc. For several years he transacted considerable business with England in the iron department.
His son-in-law, Mr. William Gadcomb, a merchant in the village of Chepachet, died about 1800. Judge Owen settled his estate and invested some of the property for his widow and children in lands in the vicinity of St. Albans, Vermont. Mrs. Gadcomb afterwards married Judge Asa Aldis and settled at St. Albans. Mr. Aldis was a graduate of Brown University in the year 1796. Judge Owen married Hannah Angell, daugh- ter of John and Lydia Winsor Angell, January 19, 1736. He died in Glocester.
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APPENDIX.
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CAPT. SOLOMON OWEN, brother of the above Daniel Owen, had a great desire to see other countries and cross the ocean. As captain he sailed from Providence to the East Indies with valuable orders from merchants from this State. After try- ing the sea for several years he returned to his native village to spend the remainder of his life. He was proprietor and keeper of an excellent public house in Chepachet previous to the year 1800.
EBER PHETTEPLACE was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of Walter Phetteplace. His mother, Susanna Smith, was the grand-daughter of Casper Hyzer, or Hauser, a German. He was born in Glocester, August 15, 1765. He early had a taste for history and agriculture. About 1790, he, with his friend Mark Steere, had a ship loaded several autumns with fruits and vegetables to carry to Charleston, South Carolina, to sell, they going in charge and remaining until spring before returning. While there, Mr. Phetteplace acquired a slight knowledge of the French and Spanish lan- guages. In January, 1796, he was married by Elder Joseph Winsor to Waite, daughter of Resolved (Waterman) Irons. She was the lineal descendant of Roger Williams, Richard Waterman, Gregory Dexter and Rev. Chad Brown, of Provi- dence. Mr. Phetteplace superintended his large farm, on which were a great variety of fruit trees and berry bushes. He was a great lover of his home, a staunch Whig in politics, and deeply interested in sustaining good schools. He died . October 8, 1834.
WALTER PHETTEPLACE was a descendant (through Sir John Fetteplace, of Oxfordshire, England,) of Fettiplace, the Norman gentleman usher to William the Conqueror, and who came into England with that monarch. (Oxfordshire Annals.) When Glocester was set off from Providence in 1831, the above Walter Phetteplace was appointed by Gov. Jencks an Assistant Deputy to the General Assembly. This office he filled several years. In 1746 he used great influence to keep sufficient money in the General Treasury for use
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APPENDIX.
should the fleet of any sovereign power attack the colony in some unexpected place, instead of sending large supplies to Fort George while in peace. He married Joanna Maury (daughter of Nathaniel ), August 4, 1709, in Providence. He died December 29, 1753.
DOCT. ALLEN POTTER studied medicine with his father in Massachusetts three years, and two years with Dr. Hubbard, in Pomfret, Conn. In 1825 he settled in the western part of Glocester, where he was a regular practicing physician until overcome by the infirmities of years.
WILLIAM RHODES, who lived in the northern part of the town, learned the art of navigation, and succeeded in acquir- ing great wealth, principally by capturing English vessels at the close of the Revolutionary war.
RICHARD STEERE was a valuable citizen, and much trusted in public affairs. He was Justice of the Court of Common Pleas for the county of Providence for many years ; he was a faithful Town Clerk for sixty years; an excellent penman, and kept the record books very accurately and with great care ; he owned farms in different parts of the town ; he was Deputy from Glocester to the Assembly four years. He died October 16, 1797.
DOCT. JERVIS J. SMITH was the son of Rufus Smith, of Burrillville. He was educated at the private schools of the town and at the Friends College, in Providence; he studied medicine with his uncle, W. Smith, M. D., and was admitted a member of the Rhode Island Medical Society in 1833. He settled in Chepachet, where he had an extensive practice ; also in Glocester and neighboring towns. He died in 1864. His funeral was very largely attended. He was a Free Mason and was buried with Masonic honors at Swan Point, Providence.
JOHN SMITH, son of Benjamin, left Providence village late in the seventeenth century, with an axe in his hand and a bag
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APPENDIX.
of eatables, to seek a home in the wilderness. After spend- ing some time in looking around for the most comfortable place to build a log house for his home, he selected a place near where the house of the late Urania Smith stood. Here he found a good stream of water and excellent game in the forest. A family of Williamses soon followed him from Provi- dence. Many of their descendants are still living in the vicinity.
ABRAHAM TOURTELLOT was the son of Gabriel and Marie (Bernon) Tourtellot. He came to Providence from Bordeaux, France, on account of religious persecution, about 1688. In 1706, Abraham bought a tract of land in what is now the town of Glocester, and about a mile south of the village of Chepachet. On a commanding hill, he built a comfortable house which was occupied many years by his descendants. His mother lived with him the latter part of her life. He was twice married, and had twelve children, viz. : Mary, Lydia, Esther, Abram, Jonathan, Benjamin and Sarah by his first wife, and Stephen, William, Jesse, David and Anna by his second wife. Some members of these families have filled important places of trust and responsibility in the town and State.
FENNER R. WHITE, son of Benjamin White, was born in Glocester. He was successful in his large manufacturing establishments, very honorable in all his engagements, true to every trust, and very kind to the poor. He was several years a member of the Town Council and General Assembly. He married Mary B. Arnold. He died in November, 1880.
JOHN WATERMAN, brother of Col. Resolved Waterman, was a paper manufacturer in Glocester in 1750. (Providence Gazette.)
The above Resolved Waterman, of Smithfield, bought land in Glocester in 1750. He married Mary Smith.
TIMOTHY WILMARTH lived in the village of Chepachet. His wife was the daughter of Judge Richard Steere. He
APPENDIX. I33
was interested in public affairs and an esteemed citizen. He commanded a company of militia in Gen. Sullivan's expedi- tion on the Island of Rhode Island, where his musket in his hand was very much shattered.
Richard Evans, Abraham, John and Resolved Waterman, Samuel Irons, the Smiths, Eddys, Steeres and others owned land here under the reign of Queen Anne, George I., George II. and George III. Some of these farms are still in posses- sion of their descendants. John Usher and Aaron Bardeen were soldiers in the Revolution from this town, and had pen- sions given them from Congress.
ORATION.
An oration was delivered by Riley Phetteplace, at the request of prominent citizens of the town, on July 4, 1828, in the Baptist Meeting House, in the village of Chepachet. Mowry S. Peckham read the Declaration of Independence. Both the above named gentlemen were students in medicine. The former died February 25, 1830. The latter (physician) died in the Texan war.
GOVERNORS OF THE STATE AFTER THE REVOLUTION AND UNDER THE ROYAL CHARTER, 1775.
Nicholas Cooke, William Greene, John Collins, Arthur Fenner, William Jones, Nehemiah R. Knight, William Gibbs, James Fenner, Lemuel Arnold, John Brown Francis, Samuel W. King.
UNDER THE CONSTITUTION, 1843.
James Fenner, Charles Jackson, Byron Diman, Elisha Harris, Henry B. Anthony, Philip Allen, William W. Hop- pin, Elisha Dyer, Thomas G. Turner, William Sprague, Wil-
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APPENDIX.
liam C. Cozzens, James Y. Smith, Ambrose E. Burnside, Seth Padelford, Henry Howard, Henry Lippitt, Charles C. Van Zandt, Alfred H. Littlefield, Augustus O. Bourn. George Peabody Wetmore, the present Governor, 1885.
INDEX.
PAGE.
Early History and Indians.
5
Town Organized. 13
War Declared. 20
British in Newport 24
Independence Declared
25
Dark Day 26
Flax Raising. 29
Money Scarce 29
Federal Constitution 31
Slave Trade
35
War of 1812.
37
Division of Town
38
Town Council.
39
Roads
40
Appian Way
42
Railroads 42
Villages
44
Hills. 46
Rivers and Ponds
47
Secret Societies
48
Banks
49
Military 52
Manufacturers, Business Men 66
Farmers
67
Early Religious Privileges 68
Dorr War. 70
Miscellaneous 72
Schools
77
Deaf Schools 80
Societies
80
Debating Clubs
81
1
136
APPENDIX.
PAGE.
Graveyards
82
Friends. 83
Business Men, 1785 86
Graduates in Brown University 87
Lawyers and Physicians
88
Baptist Meeting House and Society 88
Sunday Schools 90
Episcopalians 91
Congregationalists 93
Library
94
Ornithology
95
Botany.
96
Geology
96
Freemen.
97
Families, 1774 99
Names of Old Families 104
Resident Tax-Payers. 105
Non-Resident Tax-Payers
. 109
Justices of Peace
III
Deputies, Colonial Period. II7
Representatives to the General Assembly. II8
Senators and Representatives under the Constitution. 120
Town Officers of 1820
122
Town Officers, 1885 124
Personal Notices.
125
Oration
133
Governors
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