USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Providence > Governors for three hundred years, 1638-1959; Rhode Island and Providence Plantations > Part 17
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THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF
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HON. NICHOLAS COOKE Painting at State House Providence, R. I.
Painted by Q. V. This portrait was copied by Wilfred I. Duphiney from the original which hangs in Sayles Hall, Brown University. The original was given to Brown University by Henry D. Sharpe.
Inscription on Cooke's Monument
NICHOLAS COOKE Born in Providence Feb. 3, 1717 Died Sept. 14, 1782 Unanimously elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1775.
He remained in office during the darkest period of the American Revolution. He merited and won approbation of his fel- low citizens and was honored with the friendship and confidence of WASHINGTON
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
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be found in the volume referred to, indicate the patriotic spirit by which he was gov- erned, and the wisdom with which he discharged the responsible duties of his office. In- teresting letters also from Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery, and Henry Marchant, writ- ten from Philadelphia in the earlier years of the Revolutionary struggle, may be found in Judge Staples's instructive volume. The whole correspondence between the Governor of Rhode Island and the Congressional delegates is worthy of perusal, and gives us a high conception of the excellent common sense and good judgment of the Governor.
Both Governor Cooke and Deputy Governor Bradford declined a re-election in May, 1778, and the General Assembly passed the following resolution: "His Excellency Nicholas Cooke, Esq., late Governor, and His Honor William Bradford, Esq., late Deputy Governor of this State, having entered upon their said offices at a time of great public danger, difficulty, and distress, and discharged the duties of their stations with patriotic zeal, firmness, and intrepidity, it is voted and resolved, that the thanks of this Assembly be given them in behalf of this State for their aforesaid services, and that the Secretary de- liver a copy hereof to each of them;" "A compliment," says Judge Staples, "that was well deserved." The venerable John Howland says that "Rhode Island history, if faithfully written, will hand his name down to posterity in connection with the most eminent pub- lic characters of which our country can boast."
Governor Cooke lived two or three years after he retired to private life, his death occurring November 14, 1782. His widow died March 21, 1792. Nicholas Cooke was appointed a trustee of Brown University in 1766, and continued in office until his death. He represented in the corporation the Congregational Church, of which he was a member. He married, September 23, 1740, Hannah, daughter of Hezekiah Sabin, and was the father of twelve children. He has his representatives in men and women who have reason to be proud of an ancestry so honorable. His ninth child, Jesse, was the father of Joseph S., who was the father of nine children, among whom were the Rev. James Welsh Cooke, Joseph J. Cooke, Esq., of Providence, Albert R. Cooke, Esq., of Provi- dence, Hon. George Lewis Cooke, of Warren, and Dr. Nicholas Francis Cooke, of Chi- cago, Illinois.
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NORTH BURIAL GROUND
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
1
NORTH BURIAL GROUND. 1700.
This cemetery is located about 11/2 miles from the civic center of Providence, on North Main Street, going toward Pawtucket.
At a town meeting June 10, 1700 a tract of about 45 acres of land situated between the road to Pawtucket and the road to Wanskuck, and along the Moshassuck River, was designated as common land "for the use of military affairs for the training of soldiers, etc. and also for a place for use of burying the dead."
The first interment of record was that of Samuel Whipple who died March 12, 1711. Subsequently the use of the common land was restricted to burial purposes. The original boundaries were revised at a later date for highway improvements. and the bur- ial ground was extended to the north and was called North Burial Ground.
At this writing, there are eight governors buried here.
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WILLIAM GREENE (JR.)
Governor: May 1778 to May 1786.
War Service: Capt. Gen. and Commander in Chief, RIM, Revolutionary War. Born: August 16, 1731 in Warwick, R. I.
Died: November 29, 1809 in Warwick, R. I.
Buried: Warwick, R. I. Greene-Roelker Burial Ground.
GREENE, GOVERNOR WILLIAM, Second, son of Governor William and Catherine Greene, was born in Warwick, August 16, 1731. When he had passed his majority a few months, he was admitted a freeman of the colony, in May, 1753. Twenty years later he was Deputy from Warwick, and was re-elected in 1774, '76, and '77. In August, 1776, he was chosen First Associate Justice in the Superior Court, the Chief Justice being Hon. Metcalf Bowler. The enemy having taken possession of Rhode Island, he was appointed, December 10, 1776, one of the Council of War. The following May he was elected Speaker of the House, and in October of the same year, was appointed, a second time, one of the Council of War. In February, 1778, he was chosen Chief Justice of the Su- perior Court, and in May, he was chosen Governor of the State, to succeed Governor Nicholas Cooke. Jabez Bowen was at the same time elected Deputy-Governor. "It illus- trates," says Governor Arnold, "the simple manners. as well as the physical vigor of the men of Revolutionary times, that Governor Greene, although possessed of an ample for- tune. was accustomed, two or three times a week, during the sessions of the Assembly, at Providence, to walk up from Warwick, or we might say from Greenwich, as he resided on the dividing line of the two towns, and home again in the afternoon."
The post of Governor was filled by him for eight years-1778-86. They were among the most eventful years in American history, and the office of governor was anything but a sinecure. The correspondence which Governor Greene carried on with different per- sons during this stirring period may be found, in part, in Vol. V. of the Collections of the Rhode Island Historical Society, in Vols. VII., VIII., and IX. of Rhode Island Colonial Records, and in Staples's Rhode Island in the Continental Congress, edited by Dr. Reu- ben A. Guild. Librarian of Brown University. "All this correspondence," says Dr. H. E. Turner, "is characterized by unwavering patriotism and by eminent ability. The bow, constantly strung during that trying period. never relaxed; how trying, we can hardly now conceive." "The most vivid imagination can hardly form an adequate picture of the distresses of the people, all of which must of necessity have constantly wrung the heart of him to whom, as head of the government, all looked for succor. Calm, strong, immovable, he passed through that cruel ordeal with a reputation for wisdom and in- tegrity accorded to but few men, even in that period of exceptional superiority."
After retiring from public life, he continued to reside in Warwick, where he died November 29, 1809. His wife was Catharine, daughter of Simon and Deborah (Greene) Ray, of Block Island. Their children were Ray, who married Mary M., daughter of George Flagg. Esq., of Charleston, S. C .; Samuel, who married Mary, daughter of Colo- nel Joseph Nightingale of Providence; Phoebe who married Colonel Samuel Ward, son of Governor Ward and Celia; who married Colonel William Greene, her cousin.
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GREENE-ROELKER BURIAL GROUND WARWICK, R. I.
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
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JOHN COLLINS
Governor: May 1786 to 1790.
Born: June 8, 1717 in Newport, R. I.
Died: March 8, 1795 in Newport, R. I.
Buried: Newport, R. I. Family Lot "Neck" Castle Hill on the property of Col. Aus- tin Sands.
COLLINS, GOVERNOR JOHN. was born in Newport, June 8, 1717. The son of Samuel and Elizabeth Collins. He comes into special notice in the annals of Rhode Island history as an active champion in the cause of American Independence. He was one of a commit- tee which was sent to General Washington, by the General Assembly, in September. 1776, to inform him of the condition of the colony, and obtain his views upon the best method to adopt for its defence. In 1778 he was chosen, with three other gentlemen, to represent the State in Congress. At different times, until 1782, he represented his native State at the seat of national government.
At the close of the war there was in existence an embittered state of feeling in Rhode Island, owing to differences of opinion, which had prevailed throughout the country to this day. One party advocated State sovereignty; the other urged the importance of the closer union of the States under a general head. The seaport towns of the State and the mercantile classes favored the Union, while the agricultural interests clung to the Con- federation. The former party contended for specie currency, and the latter for paper. In 1785 a petition, numerously signed, was presented to the General Assembly, praying that a new bank of paper-money might be established. The petition was rejected by a large majority. The friends of a paper all over the State, organized in opposition to se- cure an election of State officers who should favor their views. Anticipating the presenta- tion of another petition to the General Assembly, a memorial and remonstrance, numer- ously signed, was drawn up and presented to that body at the February session, in 1786. It may be found in Staples's Annals of Providence, pp. 297-308. The evils of paper cur- rency not founded upon a specie basis are in this paper set forth with remarkable vigor and pertinency.
In spite of strong opposition the "Greenbackers" of those days rallied all their forces. and, at the spring election in 1786, succeeded in choosing John Collins as Governor, and a Senate which harmonized with them in their views. Thus was inaugurated a system "more destructive," says Governor Arnold, "in its effects upon the peace and prosperity of the State than any which had yet been attempted, and whose baleful influence was to extend far beyond the period when its name and objects passed away." Those who wish to see what was the practical results which followed this attempt to force a paper currency on the people. will do well to read Arnold's History, vol. ii., p. 520, etc., and Staples's Annals of Providence, p. 204, etc.
One of the last acts of Governor Collins was the casting of his vote, when there was a tie in the Senate, which secured the calling of a convention to decide upon the accep- tance of the Constitution of the United States. This vote of Governor Collins made him unpopular with his party, and he was not re-elected. Subsequently, he was chosen as a representative to Congress, but did not take his seat. He died at Newport, March 8. 1795.
Governor Collins married Mary, daughter of John Avery of Boston, Mass.
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JOHN COLLINS
--
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FAMILY LOT "NECK", NEWPORT, R. I.
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
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ARTHUR FENNER
Governor: May 1790 to October 15, 1805
Born: December 10, 1745 in Providence, R. I.
Died: October 15, 1805 in Providence, R. I.
Buried: Providence, R. I. North Burial Ground.
West side Ridge Avenue 70' south of junction Chapel Avenue.
FENNER, GOVERNOR ARTHUR, son of Arthur and Mary (Olney) Fenner, was born in Providence, in 1745. The ancestor whose name first appears in Rhode Island history was Arthur, born in England in 1622. He was among the early and most prominent citi- zens of Providence, and was chosen to fill many important posts of honor and trust. He was appointed a "Commissioner" for Providence in 1650, which office he held for several years. In 1659, he was chosen a member of the Town Council, his associates being Roger Williams and John Sayles. He was actively engaged in King Philip's War, and was among those, according to Judge Staples, "that stayed, and went not away," from Providence, when most of the inhabitants of the town fled to the island of Rhode Island, as a place of safety from the Indians.
He was appointed captain of what was called the "King's Garrison." Some time pre- vious to this Roger Williams had petitioned the town for the establishment of such a gar- rison, praying that the house of William Field might be fortified for a security to women and children, and that "some defence might be put on the hill, between the mill and the highway," for a like purpose. The hill is that over which Stampers Street now passes, and the house of William Field was situated where the Providence Bank now is. Judge Staples says that "the remains of the garrison-house were still standing within the recol- lection of some persons living in 1836." It is an interesting coincidence that the former Light Infantry Armory, on South Main Street, stood upon almost, if not quite, the exact spot on which stood that early garrison-house. When the distribution of Indian captives was made, to which allusion is made in the sketch of John Smith, the miller, Captain Fen- ner had a whole share in the product.
The October following the close of the war, he was honorably discharged from his duties, as captain, by the General Assembly. We find his name, in subsequent years, as connected with attempts to settle boundary and other questions. He was, in all respects, a leading man of his time. It is also to be said that the father of the subject of this sketch, known in the history of the State as Arthur Fenner, Jr., was a prominent citi- zen of his time. His son, Arthur, was appointed by the town of Providence one of the "Committee of Inspection," recommended by the Continental Congress, which held its first meeting in the Chamber of the Town Council, December 24, 1774. This circum- stance indicates the position which the future governor took in the contest which ended with the establishment of the independence of the United States. For many years he was clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in Providence.
At the spring election for State officers, in 1790, Governor Collins having made him- self unpopular with his party, the Anti-Federal, because, by his casting vote, a conven- tion was called to discuss the question of the acceptance or rejection of the Constitution,
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a Coalition party was formed, and Arthur Fenner was nominated as an Anti-Federal can- didate for governor, and Samuel J. Potter, a Federalist, as deputy-governor, and they were elected. Governor Fenner was so popular in the State that he was chosen chief magistrate every year during the remainder of his life, and was in office at the time of his death.
The following are some of the leading events which took place during his administra- tion. The visit of Washington to Rhode Island in August, 1790. The establishment of the "Providence Bank" in 1791. The rebuilding of Weybosset Bridge in 1792. The first movement towards the construction of the Blackstone Canal, made by incorporating a company, in February, 1796, the project having originated with John Brown, merchant, who subscribed $40,000 towards the stock. The visit of President Adams, with his family, to Providence, in 1797. The "great fire" of January 21, 1801, in Providence, on the west side of South Main Street, nearly opposite the foot of Planet Street, in which dwel- ling house, etc., to the value of $300,000, were destroyed.
The death of Governor Fenner occurred at Providence, October 15, 1805, and he was succeeded in office by his son, Governor James Fenner, who was the first regularly elected governor after the decease of his father, being chosen to office in the spring of 1807.
HON. ARTHUR FENNER 1790-1805 Painter Unknown Northeast Corridor Second Floor of State House
See Page 199 for Fenner Tomb
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ISAAC WILBOUR
Acting Governor: 1806-1807.
Born: April 25, 1763.
Died: October 4, 1837.
Buried: Wilbour Cemetery, West Main Road, Little Compton, Rhode Island.
WILBOUR, ACTING GOVERNOR ISAAC, son of Charles and Hannah Borden Wil- bour was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island April 25, 1763. He was a direct de- scendant of Samuel Wilbore (Wilbour) who early in the Seventeenth Century came to Boston, Massachusetts from England. It is known that he was born in 1585 during the latter part of the reign of Elizabeth, and that on December 1, 1633 he and his wife, Ann, joined the First Church in Boston; but his history during the 48 intervening years is, to adopt a badly shopworn expression, "cloaked in mystery".
It is not known definitely from what part of England Samuel came but his home was thought to have been in the County of Essex.
Boston, in the days before manmade geography, was a peninsula connected with the mainland by a narrow isthmus, fenced off at both ends to serve as a cow pasture, and we find Samuel Wilbore was keeper of the gates. In 1634 he was one of a committee of six commissioned to buy Boston Common from William Blackstone.
In 1644 the government of Massachusetts Bay sent Wilbore and Robert Harding to induce the Narragansett Indians not to join in war against the white man. They tried to get Benedict Arnold to act as their interpreter, and when he refused, took Roger Wil- liams to perform that duty.
Samuel Wilbore was among those who accepted the Antinomian beliefs of Anne Hut- chinson and was one of the signers of the Portsmouth Compact, which incorporated them- selves into a "bodie Politick" preparatory to the settlement at Aquidneck. Samuel lived for a while in Portsmouth and then returned to Boston where he lived until his death in 1656.
Isaac Wilbour was born 1763 and died in 1837, but in those 74 years he lived an ac- tive and varied life. He became a member of the General Assembly in 1801 and was elected Speaker of the House in 1805. In that year the people in the northern part of Glocester petitioned to have it set off as a separate town. Speaker Wilbour cast his vote to break the tie and pass the bill.
The Senate rejected the act but it came up again in 1806. Speaker Wilbour again broke the tie in the House, the Senate fell into line and the voters in the new town wished to name it Wilbour, Isaac was unwilling and the place was named Burrillville after James Burrill.
In 1806 he was elected Lt. Governor, "however" none of the three candidates for Governor, received a majority of votes cast, that office not filled by the election and Isaac Wilbour served one year as Acting Governor. From 1807 to 1809 he was a mem- ber of the Congress and in 1810 to 1811 he again served as Lt. Governor. He was made an Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court in 1818 and upon the retirement of James Fenner became Chief Justice, an office he held until 1826 when he retired be- cause of ill health.
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Edward Field says in his history, "The last of the old order of Chief Justices was Isaac Wilbour. He was a farmer from Little Compton, but had been much in public life, serving in the General Assembly as Speaker of the Lower House. Representative and as Lt. Governor. He was a man of imposing presence and dignified knowledge of law, which, according to tradition, he liked to display a little too magniloquently, but, how- ever, this may be, he held the office for eight years under annual elections."
When Isaac's successor, a lawyer was chosen, Dutee J. Pearce, said "Though the pub- lic may get more law, they would not get more justice".
Isaac Wilbour was married at Dartmouth, Massachusetts to Hannah Tabor, daugh- ter of Capt. Philip Tabor. She was born in 1767 and died in 1836. His wife, in her latter years, was a confirmed invalid and he watched over her with a lover's assiduity to the day of her death, after which his predominant thought and desire was a reunion in the fu- ture.
Their children were Tabor, born May 12, 1788. Eliphalett born March 12, 1790. Hannah Borden born February 4, 1793. Philip born July 12, 1795. Patience born May 27, 1798. Sarah Soule Wilbour born April 9, 1804.
The Wilbour family cemetery at Little Compton, Rhode Is- land. The decorated grave marker indicates the place of burial of acting Gov. Isaac Wil- bour.
Place of Birth and home of acting Gov. Isaac Wilbour, Tiverton, R. I.
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
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JAMES FENNER
Governor: May 1807-1811, 1824-1831, 1843-1845.
War Service: Dorr War.
Born: January 22, 1771 in Providence, R. I.
Died: April 17, 1846 in Providence, R. I.
Buried: Providence. North Burial Ground.
West side Ridge Avenue 70' south of junction Chapel Avenue.
FENNER, GOVERNOR JAMES, LL.D., the son of Governor Arthur Fenner, was born in Providence, January 22, 1771. His ancestors were among the earliest settlers of the State, and his father was Governor of the State from 1790 to 1805. Having received a thorough preparatory classical education, he entered Brown University in 1785, under the presidency of Rev. Dr. Manning, and was graduated with the highest honors of his class in 1789. Among his classmates were Hon. J. B. Howell, Senator to Congress from Rhode Island, and Professor Thomas Clark, LL. D., Professor of Languages in the Col- lege of South Carolina.
The circumstances of his association with his distinguished father, added to his own abilities, early brought him forward into public life. He was a born politician, and as a Democrat of the Jeffersonian school, he did as much as any man of his time to control and give shape to the politics of the State. For several years he was a prominent and active member of the General Assembly, in which he represented his native town. When he was not far from thirty-four years of age, he was chosen a Senator to Congress, and served from December 2, 1805, to the spring of 1807, at which time he was elected Gov- ernor of the State, and held the office until May, 1811. Again he was elected in 1824, and re-elected each successive year until 1831.
During the troubles in Rhode Island in 1842, Governor Fenner took a strong, de- cided stand with the "Law and Order" party, and was called to preside over the Con- vention which met at East Greenwich, November 5, 1842, to act upon the present Con- stitution of the State, the question of the adoption of which was submitted to the peo- ple November 21, 22, and 23, and decided in the affirmative, there being 7032 for it to 59 against it. Mr. Fenner was elected the first Governor under the new Constitution, and held the office two years, 1843-45. The whole term of his office as Chief Magistrate of the State, was fourteen years.
The closing year of his life was spent in the quiet retirement of his pleasant man- sion, on his "What Cheer" estate, where he died April 17, 1846. He was buried with civic and military honors, such as have been accorded to few, if any, citizens of Rhode Island. The record of the event says: "Such demonstrations of respect for one whose life has been spent in the service of his State, and who has ever been conspicuous for his zeal and energy in advancing the true interests of his fellow-citizens, cannot fail to exert a beneficial influence upon our community. While we would not overlook his faults and infirmities we cannot forget that they were the almost necessary attendants of the iron will, the inflexible resolution, the vigorous intellect and the unconquerable energy which caused all eyes to turn to him when the State was threatened and in danger, as one in
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HON. JAMES FENNER 1807-1811 1824-1831 1843-1845 By James S. Lincoln Northwest Corridor Second Floor of State House
Original Painting at R. I. Historical Society
North Burial Ground
Providence, R. I.
whose hands power could be reposed without fear that it would be perverted to selfish purposes."
Mr. Fenner married, in November, 1792, Sarah, daughter of Sylvanus and Freelove (Whipple) Jencks, born in Providence, June 12, 1773; she died May 24, 1844. Their children were Almira, Sarah, Freelove. and Arthur. Governor Fenner received from Brown University, in 1825, the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
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WILLIAM JONES
Governor: May 1811 to May 1817.
War Service: Captain of Marines, American Revolution.
Born: October 8, 1753 in Newport, R. I.
Died: April 22, 1822 in Providence, R. I.
Buried: Providence, R. I. Swan Point Cemetery.
Lot 7-Group 204 Beach Avenue.
JONES, GOVERNOR WILLIAM, was born in Newport, Rhode Island, October 8, 1753. His parents were William and Elizabeth (Pearce) Jones. His grandfather, Thomas Jones, came from Wales, and his father, who died in 1759, entered the privateer service in the war against France, and became First Lieutenant of the famous vessel, the Duke of Marlborough. His mother was left a widow at the age of thirty-one, with five children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the fourth.
From a memoir of Governor Jones, prepared by William Jones Hoppin, read by him before the Rhode Island Historical Society, and published in the Society records, we have obtained the following facts. He received a fair education, and in January, 1776, then twenty-three years of age, obtained a commission as Lieutenant in Babcock's (after- wards Lippitt's) regiment, which had just been raised by order of the General Assembly, for the War of Independence. In September of the same year he received a captain's com- mission. The regiment marched from Rhode Island on the 14th and 15th of the same month, and joined Washington's army at Harlem Heights, about the 5th of October. On the 14th it was incorporated with McDougall's brigade, which on the 15th became a part of the division under the command of Major-General Lee.
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