USA > Rhode Island > Kent County > East Greenwich > History of the town of East Greenwich and adjacent territory, from 1677 to 1877 > Part 22
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" Old Anna has had her clothing, night-cap and all, made from your garments, and always asks after you, as if you were benefactors sent for special help to the poor. Of course these people know nothing of the money value of clothing, but it is the higher value of its real use, which they prize so much, and are so thankful for. The ' old man patient,' as he was called in the hospital, died two weeks since. He was one of the Washington family, was over one hundred years old, ripe in faith and love, and died very happy.
" Old Fanny Tylor has been an object of special care to me for two years past. I found her at the wash-tub last week, although her eyes are dim with the film of years. She is not less than one hundred years old, and has the child of the fifth generation in the two-room shanty where she lives, with a grandchild who is subject to fits. The old
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auntie was washing their little pile of rags, for she said the Lord did not like her ' wid dirty close on.' She is wonder- fully clear in her mind and talks much of her life in the past century ; remembers about the Revolutionary men and their acts, and is sure of heaven any day when 'my Massa says come.' She has been entirely clothed from your gar- ments.
" Old Nancy Williams is ninty-nine years old, and has been an object of care for the last four years. You have been, as she says, 'better den Massa and Missis both, to give her such fine close.' She has never in her life had any thing but coarse linsey, and takes great pleasure in going to church (Methodist) in her calico dress. Aunt Mary Eastman is another of the ninety years' old saints that you have clothed. Also Elcy Harlan, one of the most princely looking women-six feet tall, and straight as an Indian.
" Susan McGuire, also ninety, is another of the sweetest spirits. She was once whipped on her bare back, at a , whipping post in Maryland, for being detected with eighteen others in the crime of trying to learn to read !
" Patsy Bird is another, tall and very black, who, on her master's twelve plantations was intrusted with the health of all his slaves, and went from one farm to another, the mother of thirteen children and wet nurse to all the chil- dren of her mistress. The first Union officers she ever saw were standing in her master's front door, and heard him say, 'No, I will not give them up; they are mine, and I feed them. No, I will not surrender. I will cat acorns first,' with an oath. Patsy saw them handcuff him and put him on the wagon train for the Old Cape Jail. When he started his slaves were on the same train. His wife was taken to a quiet farm house where she soon died from the shock of seeing ruin and poverty before her. Patsy fre- quently went to the jail in this city and carried some luxu- ries to her old master, who always showed great regard for her. Patsy sighs as she speaks of secing the buildings in flames before they were out of sight of the old home. She brought with her eight children, six of whom died within four months after she came here. You remember what a great mortality there was among the blacks when they flocked into this city in such great numbers as freed people.
" Patsy is my main dependence now to cook and carry food to the sick and old. Yesterday she found Robert and Sallie Hunter, who came on the same wagon train with her,
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and their daughter Martha, sixty-five years old, all sitting out in a little nook of sunshine-Sallie, stone blind, and Martha rapidly sinking with consumption, (she had on an old ragged dress, no shoes or stockings, and sitting with her feet on a piece of tin picked up from the road-side); old Robert so feeble as to totter, in his eighty-ninth year- all turned out of home because they could not pay house rent. Patsy was out all day finding a stable to put them in, and up early this morning to carry them food and clothes. I saw this poor family to-day, and never met a more resigned and truly suffering one. Your garments have gone to-day to record your acts of unselfish love for God's dear down-trodden ones. Many, many more cases I might name, but you have not time to hear, nor I to write them.
"You ask ' why all this suffering when Congress appro- priated $30,000,-$5,000 for Georgetown, $5,000 for the County of Washington over the river on the Maryland side, and 20,000 for this city and over in Virginia for miles around.' No part of this is expended in clothing. It could not be, however, so great is the want of food and shelter. Why do we not have money in hand to care for all? This is never done by government. The agents have the pro- visions and fuel through government orders, in office hours never out of them. That is the way in all departments now. With the mayor it is not so difficult to help out of office hours, but money is never given under any circumstances, although cases occur where it is greatly needed. Our work is to put up in fifteen-cent packages thousands of dollars worth of sugar, tea, salt, rice, coffee and soap, and pack- ages of a peck of meal for multitudes of these worn-out slaves (we do not even help half of the suffering widows and children, that go hungry from day to day); and to penetrate to the very inmost soul all cases that we do not know, who come with tickets from others, and hear the same sad tale of a hundred in a day, till our own faces wear the shadow of the pangs they feel. Oh, that we could bear more and do more. I cannot tell you how much I prize your fellowship and cooperation. God knows.
"My love to one and all,
"J. S. GRIFFING."
Among the large number of those whose condition had been improved by the benefactions of the society, it was a pleasure to know, that there were two who had been at-
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tached to the family of General Washington. Anna Fer- guson received, with other articles, the first one of the eighteen bed-quilts which were made and furnished by the Society.
In order to show how industrious the ladies were we will mention that the number of one style of under-garments made for women and children was three hundred and forty- eight, nearly all of which were made from new material furnished by the members of the Society. Two hundred and ninety-one pairs of stockings were furnished. The number of articles sent from the Society, comprising bed- ding and every variety of wearing apparel for men, women and children, was eighteen hundred and twenty-eight.
This Society continued its labors until April 8th, 1870, when the necessity for its continuance no longer existed. The nineteenth and last barrel, filled as usual with clothing, was expressed to Mrs. Griffing, at Washington. If it were proper we would gladly record the names of the few noble and faithful ladies whose fidelity and exertions in behalf of the soldiers and freed people continued from the commence- ment of the war until this Society closed its labors, but their record is on high.
In the Summer of 1866 a fair was conducted by Miss Nancy Allen, Miss Anna Waterman, Miss Kitty Larned, Miss Carrington, Miss Blodgett and other young ladies who were summer residents, assisted by Mrs. William P. Greene, Mrs. Thomas Mathewson, Miss Mary Crane, Miss Mary M. Sherman, Miss Lizzie B. Greene, Miss Anna Shaw and Miss Abbie G. Shaw, who were members of the Aid Society. The amount realized was six hundred dollars, which was forwarded to the treasurer of the " Freedmen's Relief As- sociation," at Washington.
The amount contributed for the freed people in money and clothing through the ladies of East Greenwich, was nineteen hundred and one dollars. So far as we could command the facts we have endeavored to faithfully repre- sent the work accomplished by the ladies of East Green- wich during our country's "darkest days." The sacrifice of ease, the energy required to overcome obstacles and the patient toil for others' good, would fill many pages of yet unwritten history, but these heroines unknown in earthly lore, may in the Book of the great hereafter, find their names inscribed by Him who knoweth all good and faithful servants deserving the plaudit, " Well done !"
CHAPTER XVIII.
MISCELLANEOUS.
WHILE writing this history, several persons in this vicin- ity kindly sent me a number of valuable old papers, many of which furnished material for the work, and some of them, although not directly connected with East Green- wich, were interesting enough to be worth preserving. As they could not be used in the foregoing chapters, I have concluded to put them in a chapter by themselves without any particular arrangement. Among them was a diary kept by Daniel Howland commencing A. D. 1740.
EXTRACT FROM THE DIARY OF DANIEL HOWLAND.
" In 1739, war with Spain began. In May 1744, war with France was proclaimed here."
"July the 5th 1740. Died, John Wanton, Late Gov- ernor of Rhode Island and was Decently Buried on the 7th of the Same a Great Concourse of People attending the fun- eral.""
Rather a singular way of noticing the death of a gov- ernor by saying he was "decently buried.">
"December 1741 and the first of January following there fell 6 or 7 Snows one upon another, without a thaw between. Bristol ferry was so froase the said winter that people passed upon the Ice from December 23d to January the 10th. January. the 30th Father came away from Boston and Got home February the 5th there being thirteen in Com- pany most part of the way and travelling every Day, the bad travelling was caused by a great Snow which fell the 28th and 29th of January which with the rest of the Snows that was then remaining on the Ground was counted 5 foot
EXTRACT FROM THE DIARY OF DANIEL HOWLAND. 247
Deep upon a level; about the 5th and 8th of February the rivers were so extremely frose that five men went from Bristol to Newport on the Ice, and Nathaniel Manchester came from Bristol ferry to Greenige, and a few days before John Baly went from Coeset shore to Swansy upon the Ice ; our well that is 3 or 4 and twenty foot Deep was frose to a solid body of Ice, for three weeks, so that we got no water in the time about the first of February 1741. Feb- ruary the 25th 1741 a Wedding Guest came from Freetown to common fence pint on the Ice, across the Bay. Some- time the last of February the Ice was measured up against Fall River and found to be 25 inches thick and about Slades ferry it was 30 inches. March 6th. there went a man over Bristol Ferry and led a horse with a sled. March 7th. there fell a snow, which with the Rest since hard wether set in makes 32 inches."
" March 10th. a man went over Bristol Ferry upon the Ice, and two boys came from Portsmouth to Coeset. March 20th it was generally thought that a man might have Gone from Common fence pint to Swansy on the Ice. March the 24th, the Bay above us not yet broke up. March 26th. it broke up and the Ice came down by Acres. April 23d. I went to Newport, and in Moon's lane there was a snow bank for Rods together 3 feet or 32 feet Deep. June 2d. the Ice thawed in John Howland's Well. June the 6th. there was Snow Brought to a town meeting held at the town house in Portsmouth, half a hat crown full from Job Lawton's farm. June the 10th. at the Wedding of Joseph Freeborn, We the guests Drank Punch made of Snow; The like Never known in these parts Before."
" 1742. The Spring very forward, the peach-trees bloomed in April for the most part ; a very promising Sea- son the fore part of the year but followed by a violent Drouth, which began About the 26th of June and for about ten weeks, without Rain except some scattering Drops some times and very Seldom any at all."
" February the 19th, 1743. Grasshoppers seen to Day plentifully hopping about in the Meadows ; the Winter past since November, exceedingly moderate, the Ground bare mostly, and but little frost, fine pleasant Weather some- times for a Week together and Summer like Days very common. November the 8th. Extraordinary Dark about the middle of the Day, so that people were obliged to light candles to do their business. January 1774 there appeared
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a Blazing Star in the West in the Evening for a great while and afterwards it was scen by many in the Morning before it was light Easterly. The same Year in February died Martha Dyer aged Ninety Nine years and Nine months, and her Sister Susan Brownel, aged Ninety Six years and Eleven months, both lived in one house, many years, and died in the same in a week's difference."
"June 17th, 1745. Louisburg surrendered to the English after a Siege of six weeks and five days. In May came orders from the King to the several Governments to Raise a Number of forces in order to join the British forces at Cape Britton, to go on an Expedition against Canada, in compliance with which Rhode Island raised three hundred men directly and the other Governments a great many more, but no fleets come as yet October the first. In the last of September a general alarum in Boston Government, throughout the Province thirty or forty thousand men gathered into Boston out of the Country all which was caused by inteligence of a large French fleet near the Cape Sable shore."
"November the 4th our Country Sloop and Sogers, which were enlisted for Canady on Bord the transports hauled off in Order to Sail to Anopilus Royal by order of Assembly in order to Strengthen that place against the French fleet, which we have inteligence has Sailed homewards Some- time last Month. Our forces afore mentioned, proceeded to the Vinyard shore, and there cast away one transport but lost no Men, took them on bord the other transports, afterwards lost one more totally upon some of the islands, run the Country Sloop on shore, and the other transport. The Sloop they Got off again and after losing great num- bers of their men by reason of hardship and Sickness, returned home without proceeding any further. Wood in Newport ten pounds ($50) a cord; Hay not to be got at all hardly, Grain very scarce of all sorts."
"In December 1746 Our Commissioners settled the Bounderies betwen the Governments ; Boston not Joining."
These "Bounderies" I presume were those between Massachusetts and Rhode Island, which were so long in dispute, and were only decided by law a few years since.
" In the last of May came a man of War Snow and lay off by Block Island and took two flag of truces, and prest several men out of Vessels. In the last of November a prodigious Mob in Boston, chiefly exasperated by the Men
EXTRACT FROM THE DIARY OF DANIEL HOWLAND. 249
of War pressing many of the people and the Governor's winking too much at it."
" In February Commodore Knowls besieged and took port Louis upon Hispanola in Order as tis reported to make it a free port for the English, which I think was al- together needless, it being so already to several Govern- ments without employing fifteen of the King's Ships to settle a traders dispute. About Midsummer came orders to proclaim a cessation of arms between English, French and Dutch, and some time after the Spaniards also."
" March the 23d, 1749, it being the 5th Day of the Week, we put our Goods on bord a Boat in Order to move to East Greenwich, from Portsmouth came away the next Morning, and arrived at Updikes Newtom (Wickford), just before Night, after a tedious passage and a very hard gale of Wind; the Next Day carted up our Goods and got into our new House."
This new house was the one now owned and occupied by John Kenyon, and therefore by this date we know how old the house is.
" May the 5th Anno 1749, Peace proclaimed between English, French and Spaniards at Newport.
" June the 15th 1750, The General Assembly passed an Act Incorporating East Greenwich, West Greenwich, War- wick and Coventry into a County by the Name of Kent, with a proviso (viz.) That the Inhabitants of said County should by Free Contribution or Subscription build a Court House, near the Dimensions of the County House in Provi- dence to be suitable to hold a Court in by the last of Oc- tober, which being Completed agreeable to the Act, was Confirmed and the Officers chosen at that Sessions of As- sembly, through great Opposition parts of Warwick and Providence in general doing their utmost Endeavours to stop their proceedings."
The Court House here mentioned is not the present one. The older one was pulled down in 1804, and the present built on its site. The opposition referred to was caused by the jealousy then existing between the towns of Warwick and East Greenwich, Warwick being anxious to have the Court House located at Old Warwick, as it was then the most populous portion of the Town of Warwick, but the contribution and subscription of East Greenwich being much the greatest, the controversy was ended by building at East Greenwich.
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HISTORY OF EAST GREENWICH.
" October the 27th. The Sheriff with a Jury (after two days spent to get a Full One) proceeded to set off a certain parcel of Land which John Rice had Recovered of John Pierce, and attempting to run across some Land in posses- sion of Joseph Nichols, was forewarned which they took a great Opposition and very dangerous to proceed and so fled to Providence for aid, returned two Days after with forty men, which were warned to appear in arms, But Did Not appear in arms, and with that aid proceeded to set off the Land."
" The 22d of this Month we had a very violent Storm at S. E. but short attended with an Extraordinary Gale of Wind which brought in a very high tide, which did Con- siderable Damage in chief of the Harbours about this Shore, and at Providence the loss is considerable sustained by the tide, in their Stores amongst the Salt chiefly; in Newport, the Merchants suffered many thousand pounds Damage in their Stores amongst Dry Goods, Sugar and Salt."
" This year 1752, Our Style was altered from Old to New, in the Month of September beginning the 1st and 14th. March following very warm, the Season seeming to be as much altered as the Style, some peach blooms said to be opened in this month N. S. but very plenty according to O. S."
" January 1755. Some stirr in all the American Gov- ernments about the French and Indians fortifying at or near the River Ohio. Our Government (R. I.) voted 100 men for to join the other forces in an attempt upon that fortification, and such further Service as should be thought proper."
" February the 5th the petition preferred by Joseph Nichols and Rufus Green in order to destroy our County of Kent, received its expected fate, for after a Warm Debate in the Assembly they declined taking a Vote upon it, and so withdrew it."
" This year, the 18th November, about half after 4 o'clock in the Morning we had a very surprising Shock of an Earthquake, and on the 22d about 8 at Night we had another small one, but very perceivable.
" On the 9th of July this year General Braddock met with an almost total defeat, himself and great part of his head Officers being killed, just after they had passed the River Monongahala in their march towards the fortification on or near the Ohio."
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COMMERCE AND THE FISHERIES.
"October 21st, we were ordered to raise 400 men in the Government by an act of Assembly to join our forces al- ready in the Expedition formed against Crown Point which was done at a very great expense, some leaving £300 besides their wages, who were all dismissed without being mustered the rest of our forces sent home and dismissed presently after."
FOUNDING OF KING SOLOMON'S LODGE OF MASONS.
In the year' 1810, a Masonic Lodge, under the name of " King Solomon's Lodge, No. 11," was established in East Greenwich. I shall be able to give only the first paragraph of the charter with the names of the charter members, all of whom have long since passed away :
" Whereas, a petition has been presented to us by Peter Turner, Wanton Casey, Stephen Franklin, Abner Alden, James Miller, Thomas Allen, Thomas Tillinghast, Jr., Stephen Douglas, Job Tillinghast, all Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, praying that they, with such others as shall hereafter join them, may be erected and constituted a regular Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons ; which peti- tion, appearing to us as tending to the advancement of Masonry and good of the Craft."
As a remarkable circumstance, all of the above named persons were over eighty years of age when they died, and one of them, James Miller, died aged ninety-eight years. IIc had held the office of town clerk.
COMMERCE AND THE FISHERIES.
The following is an extract from a " Genealogical Record of the Fry Family," compiled by Benjamin Greene Fry, of Providence :
" The Town of East Greenwich previous to the Revolu- tionary War had a large coasting trade in which my grand- father, Benjamin Fry, was to some extent engaged; among other enterprises he imported a cargo of slaves from the coast of Africa, some of whose descendants still remain, bearing the family name of Fry.
"In the War of the Revolution a Captain Gazzec, a resident of East Greenwich, fitted out a small schooner of fifty tons, called the Felicity, as a privateer, and with her surprised and captured a large English ship, with a valuable
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HISTORY OF EAST GREENWICH.
cargo of dry goods, brought her into the harbor and anchored her in the upper end of the cove. I have heard my father say that the English captain was so mortified at his capture that he actually shed tears, and remarked that had he been captured by a respectable force, he " could have borne it with more fortitude; but to be captured by a d-d old squaw in a hog-trough was more than he could endure."
" Captain Gazzee was a Frenchman with a very dark complexion, hence the allusion to an Indian squaw. He left a number of descendants, some of whom are still living here.
" Within my own recollections many citizens of the town were engaged in navigation, among others Colonel William Arnold, in connection with his sons Major Stephen Arnold and Captain Perry Arnold, employed two brigs and a schooner, in the trade with the Dutch Colony of Surinam and the West Indies, exporting mules, fish and stoves, and importing sugar, molasses and other products of the islands and the Spanish main, as South America was then called. Colonel Arnold was the proprietor of the old tavern, " The Bunch of Grapes," which is still occupied as a Hotel, with the identical sign and now called the " Updike House."
"Jonathan Salisbury, Captain Joseph and Reynolds Spen- cer, Joseph and Barney Greene and others owned and em- ployed vessels in the coasting trade and cod fisheries. The fish were caught and salted on the Newfoundland coast, and then dried on flakes on Rope-Walk Hill. My father, John Fry, was for several years engaged in the same busi- ness. I still remember the names of some of his vessels, a sloop called the Industry, which ran regularly to Nan- tucket, another the Betsey in the trade to the James River and the cities of Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia, and a schooner called the Beaver which was wrecked in a hurri- cane in the Island of Antiqua.
" About the year 1809, a company was organized, for the whale fishery, and two ships, the Hudson and the Dauphin were fitted out; but the Embargo, and the Non-Intercourse laws, followed by the war of 1812, put a check upon all maritime enterprise, from which the town has never re- covered. The Hudson was wrecked at Turks Island, and the Dauphin was driven on shore at the east end of Long Island by a British privateer, and thus ended the whale fishery at East Greenwich. The oil works stood on a wharf, at the foot of Division Street."
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The embargo law passed by Congress in 1812, was very disastrous to the commerce of East Greenwich. At that time a number of vessels were engaged in trade with the West Indies and the southern ports of the United States. A brig partially loaded, was lying in the harbor near Long Point, when the news arrived that the act had become a law. The collector of course notified the owners that the vessel must remain in the harbor until further notice, but a difference of opinion arose between the captain and the collector, and as a cargo was engaged for Surinam, the cap- tain was determined (if possible) to carry it. Persons on the wharves observed that the brig settled deeper in the water every morning, until at last the suspicions of the collector were aroused and he intimated that he should go on board the next day and ascertain the source of the mys- tery; but the next morning the vessel had disappeared. The cargo had been put on board during the nights by boats from Old Warwick harbor.
STONINGTON RAILROAD.
The Stonington Railroad, which passes through the whole length of the village of East Greenwich, gave a great im- petus to the growth and prosperity of the town. The first survey carried the road through the valley west of the vil- lage, but the directors were induced, by making a curve, to bring the road through the village, to the great convenience of the inhabitants. The elegant and costly granite bridge across King street, is not only an ornament to that portion of our village, but a monument to the taste and skill of the chief engineer, Major McNeal. When the road was first built it was only intended for through travel between Bos- ton and New York, and way travel was a secondary con- sideration ; therefore a small and very inferior building for a depot station was erected, sufficient it was supposed for the few who would avail themselves of this new way of travel; but the intercourse between East Greenwich and other places became so great, the old depot was over- crowded, and in the year 1873, the directors erected the present beautiful and convenient structure.
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