USA > Rhode Island > The "Old Stone Bank" history of Rhode Island, Vol. III > Part 15
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With Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut all claiming the tract that included the so-called Atherton pur- chase, it is easy to imagine the confusion that resulted when Atherton and his co-partners unanimously elected to be governed not by Rhode Island, but by Connecticut. The latter Colony was naturally delighted at this decision, and immediately designated the area as the "Plantation of Wickford." Rhode Island hotly objected to this decision and then began a long series of controversies that even Rhode Island's Charter of 1663 did not settle, although that instrument fixed the western boundary at the Pawcatuck River. It was not until 1726 that the English king made a final decision estab- lishing a permanent boundary line be-
tween the Colonies, and then that section of Narragansett country, which for half a century had existed as an independent jurisdiction, became part and parcel of Rhode Island.
It was at Richard Smith's trading post or garrison house that the Massachusetts, Plymouth and Connecticut soldiers as- sembled, in December 1675, before setting out on the historic expedition into the great swamp in Kingston to find and rout the Narragansetts and their allies, against whom the United Colonies had declared war. To Richard Smith's the white sol- diers returned after one of the most tragic episodes in the history of warfare. Nearly two thousand native men, women and children were left dead or dying in the frozen wilderness and more than two score white soldiers were given a last resting place in a great grave that was opened just a few yards from the building that probably rested on the foundations that are there to-day beneath the struc- ture that bears the historic name of "Cocumcussoc."
And now let us turn to the highlights of the early settlements in the general area called the Narragansett country. East Greenwich came into being when the General Assembly, meeting in Newport in May 1677, granted lands to forty-eight men in consideration of services rendered during King Philip's War. These men subsequently became the first proprietors and founders of East Greenwich. No white persons lived in what is now Exeter until after King Philip's War, and this area originally formed a part of the hereto- fore mentioned Pettaquamscutt Purchase. Exeter continued an integral part of North Kingston until 1742 when it was incorporated, and named after Exeter, England.
There is no record of any white settle- ment in Hopkinton before 1700. The story of Westerly, formerly Misquam- icut, extends far back into the history of the Niantic Indians, ruled by the cele- brated Ninigrets. The Niantics were peaceable although they lived close to the warlike Pequots in Connecticut and the troublesome Montauks who lived on the eastern end of Long Island. These Nian- tics finally came under the jurisdiction of
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THE EMPIRE-ABORN BRANCH OF THE PROVIDENCE INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS, EMPIRE AND ABORN STREETS, BETWEEN WESTMINSTER AND WASHINGTON STREETS. ERECTED IN 1929.
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the Narragansetts and much of their history is absorbed into the record of the latter tribe, especially during that period
when their neighbors sought to unite the tribes of New England in a plot to destroy all of the English settlements.
SEA TRADE IN THE BEGINNING
T" evolution of Rhode Island has now been traced to the time when the planters who had settled around the waters of Narragansett Bay began to realize that these waters, and the nearby open sea, offered greater oppor- tunities than did the soil, to the tilling of which the first settlers had devoted most of their time and energy. Naturally, planting was the chief occupation of those who first came and of those who followed, since the first consideration in all Ameri- can settlements was the securing of food, the soil offering the main supply. But, as the early settlement grew, and when life and sustenance became more secure, there were some among our ancestors in Rhode Island who looked about for occu- pations, other than farming, to earn their living in a youthful, hopeful country. Some may have considered manufactur- ing, others trades and professions, but it is certain that a few of the early comers must have observed that the great wide bay, fed by deep-channeled rivers, and surrounded by innumerable inlets, coves and natural harbors, presented golden opportunities for trade. Beyond the mouth of this great and well-protected Bay lay the ocean, with its open seaways beckoning a merchant to send out his loaded ships, someday to return with profits and precious cargoes of treasures from faraway lands. One did not have to be much of a dreamer in the early days to predict that not many years would pass before ships laden with lumber from the surrounding forests and the handiwork of Rhode Island artisans would sail away from Narragansett Bay seeking ready markets abroad and among the other American Colonies, or before the time would come when strange craft might approach this broad stretch of sheltered water to unload the luxuries that a grow- ing Colony demanded.
But, the very first settlers were not very venturesome on the water, even though many had lived in English sea- ports before coming to New England. On the other hand, the water-minded Indians in these parts must have encour- aged some to do a little fishing, boating or ferrying in crude canoes or dugouts, and it is quite likely that it was soon dis- covered that the landlocked Bay and the rivers offered much easier and more direct ways to reach other settlements than did the difficult Indian paths or trails. How and when water travel in the Colony actually began will never be known, but the practice must have increased rapidly once it did start because later generations of Rhode Islanders be- came sea minded to a much greater extent than did their neighbors in other Colonies.
An early and interesting reference to local water travel was included in the instructions given to the Town of Provi- dence representatives when they were sent down to Portsmouth to attend the first General Assembly under Parlia- mentary Charter on May 18, 1647. It read in part, "Desiring the Lord's Provi- dence for your safe arrival there . . . we commit you unto the protection and direc- tion of the Almighty, wishing you a com- fortable voyage, a happy success and a safe return unto us again.' Three cen- turies later, youngsters think nothing of skimming around Narragansett Bay in frail sailing skiffs, but the historic journey from Providence to Portsmouth was con- sidered a hazardous undertaking; and it probably had reason to cause concern if the appointed representatives made the trip in canoes.
Four years before, Roger Williams had left on a voyage back to England for the purpose of securing some evidence of authority under which his Colony could be governed. Descriptions of his tri-
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umphal return with the first Rhode Island Charter in 1644 inform us that a great flotilla of heavily-laden canoes crossed the Seekonk when Roger Williams arrived on the eastern shores of that river on his way home from England by way of Bos- ton, and that he was escorted across the waters to the Providence side amid great shouting and general rejoicing. Some will remember a wall painting that depicted this scene - it was in the old Providence County Court House demolished to make way for the present imposing structure.
Evidently Roger Williams was some- what of a sailor, boatman or canoeist because no one doubts that he crossed the Seekonk in a canoe with one or more com- panions in 1636 when he made the famous water journey that brought him to the place which he called Providence. Later, historians agree, he paddled down the bay to a meeting of the Indian sachems that were about to enter into an alliance that would have been disastrous to the whites if carried out; and, there is every reason to believe that Williams journeyed back and forth between Providence and his Wickford trading post in a canoe or shallop. One more reference to Williams and water travel is found in the account of his trip to Newport, where he planned to engage in a religious debate with George Fox, the Quaker apostle. This was in 1672 when the founder was over seventy years of age, and it is recorded that he made the trip down the Bay alone in a canoe. Williams had a full day of paddling and did not arrive in Newport until midnight. This familiar anecdote brings out two points, first, that Williams must have been in excellent physical condition late in life, and second, that facilities for travel must have been very limited thirty-six years after the founding of Providence.
So much for intra-Colony water travel. Although the English were the first to settle in what is now Rhode Island, the Dutch had preceded them as traders here. About ten years before Providence was first settled the Dutch West India Com- pany secured a title from the Narra- gansetts to a small island in the west passage of Narragansett Bay between the mainland and Conanicut Island,
and there was established a trading post under the direction of Abraham Piertesen. This accounts for the origin of the name Dutch Island. Across the Bay within the limits of Charlestown these early Dutch traders also set up two fortified trading posts.
Since the trading that these early Dutch carried on was not with Rhode Islanders and had no connection with local maritime history, not much can be said of it except that the vessels that took away what the Indians had to offer, and what the wilder- ness supplied, were the very first trading ships that came into Rhode Island waters. Newport and the island upon which it is located naturally was the first place to witness any form of sea trade, and there as early as 1640, prices were fixed for sawed boards, clapboards, and fencing, probably the first merchandise exported from Rhode Island. About that time a ship load of pipe staves and clapboards was sent from Portsmouth, and, six years later, a ship of 150 tons was built on the island for the colony at New Haven, Connecticut.
However, little trade was carried on with Connecticut or Massachusetts in the beginning, because of the attempts then being made by these Colonies to secure jurisdiction over Rhode Island, therefore the local pioneers in sea trading found it more desirable to enter into commercial contacts with the Dutch at Manhattan (New York). Trade between Rhode Island and Manhattan increased rapidly, and by 1652 it had reached considerable proportions. Then, when England and Holland went to war against each other conditions arose which upset this pleasant business relationship al- though Rhode Island was disposed to keep out of mother country disputes and maintain friendship with the commer- cially minded Dutch Colony. However, pressure from official sources in England forced some hostile actions on the part of Rhode Island featured by the passing of rules forbidding trading with the Dutch and the commissioning of privateers to capture Dutch ships and take them as war prizes. French and Massachusetts ships suffered more than did the Dutch vessels at the hands of the first three commis-
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sioned Rhode Island privateers, and when the war ended, no time was lost in repealing the law that forbade trading with the Dutch. Considerable will be said about privateering as this narrative goes on, and what you have just read were the first instances of privateering by the Colonies on Narragansett Bay. In passing it might be well to observe that beginning with the very first instances during the English-Dutch war, those who held commissions to practice privateering, or licensed pirating, were never very particular about whether a ship was a fair catch according to the rules of the times. It was a prize they were after and Rhode Island privateers were no different from the rest.
The lower end of the Bay took the lead in sea trade and that was natural because of the proximity of the ocean. But, Provi- dence must have followed not long after as evidenced by an old document that reads as follows: "Shipped aboard the Providence of Pequitt, for Christover Almy, Ralph Parker, master, for New- foundland, forty-nine roles of tobacco, one hogshead of floure, and thirteene bushells of pease the hog: marked with C.A., which goodes are to pay after the rate of fifty shillings the tun as also fifty shillings for his passage, and are to be de- livered at Newfoundland safe and well, all danger of the seas excepted, dated the first of June, 1652. A true coppie, John Smith."
In 1680, Governor Peleg Sanford re- ported to the commonly-called Board of Trade in England certain facts pertaining to the status of business and shipping among the Narragansett Bay Colonies, and his observations give one a good idea
of how far Rhode Island had progressed during its first half-century of its exist- ence. In part, he reported that there was not much shipping and no trouble with privateers or pirates; there was no trade with foreigners but some with neighbor colonies; Newport was the principal town for trade; the Colony had many good, navigable harbors; the principal exports were horses and provisions; chief imports were from Barbadoes for the family trade; several men in the Colony were then engaged in buying and selling but none could properly be called merchants; the Colony had no trading ships of its own, only a few sloops; the great need was for merchants and men of wealth; fishing, as yet undeveloped, offered great oppor- tunities if capital could be interested in such an industry; no customs were im- posed upon exports or imports.
There, one sees that nearly fifty years had passed and the Colonies on Narra- gansett Bay were still communities of planters, and they still lacked the wealth to take advantage of the opportunities that lay before them on the trade lanes extending from the heart of Providence down a great wide Bay to the ocean and to the four corners of the globe. Up to this time limited commerce with the West Indies and with the English and Dutch Colonies had given many the train- ing that was soon destined to open the way to the realization of these oppor- tunities. The date of Governor Sanford's report to the English Board of Trade on the status of Rhode Island's maritime facilities practically marked the turning point toward an era in which the sea was to be chief influence in the development of Rhode Island as a center of world trade.
PRIVATEERS AND PIRATES
TN the preceding chapter of this series . of chronologically arranged historical episodes we discussed the early days of water travel in Rhode Island and told of the period at the end of the seventeenth century when our Colonial ancestors first began to be sea-minded. We learned
how Newport took the lead in shipping, and we quoted from the report of Gov- ernor Peleg Sanford to the English Board of Trade on the status of this Colony in respect to the development of its commer- cial advantages. Volumes could be writ- ten about Rhode Island and the sea, but
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since this narrative must go on, brief mention will be made of the highlights of maritime history during the last decade or two of the century in which this common- wealth had its beginnings.
One of the first and outstanding names associated with this Colony's sea history was Wanton, and four of the Wanton family became Governors of Rhode Island. The first was William who came to Newport with his brother John to engage in shipbuilding. They had left their family at Boston because of re- ligious complications and soon found themselves engaged in exploits that brought them great fame. The story of one of these exploits is told somewhat as follows: William and John Wanton had not been in Newport very long when reports were spread about that a well- armed French privateer ship had appeared off Block Island and Point Judith and was cruising up and down the coast, pur- suing and capturing merchant ships that sailed that way. The two adventurous Wanton brothers, joined by thirteen other daring young men, quickly set sail in a sloop of 30 tons, with supplies for a cruise, small arms for all, but with no cannon.
Once out of sight of land most of the crew kept below decks, while the little sloop cruised here and there along the Sound in search of the troublesome pirate ship. After several days' search the look- out sighted what appeared to be the craft sought, and this was found to be true when the two ships came closer and a shot crossed the bow of the Newporter. The sloop immediately lowered the peak of its mainsail, and, nautically speaking, "luffed up" as if to draw along side of the pirate. Instead, by quick and clever handling, the smaller craft turned and slid under the stern of the pirate, whose rudder was quickly wedged, while grap- pling irons were thrown out fastening the two ships together. Ready for hand-to- hand fighting, the Newport adventurers clambered over the stern of pirate and there calmly shot everyone that appeared on deck. Those of the pirate crew that remained alive eventually surrendered and were taken to Newport, tried and hanged. At this time William Wanton was 24 years old, and John was 22.
Later, in 1697, during the trouble with Count Frontenac, Governor of Canada, a French armed ship took several prizes in and near Narragansett Bay and its depredations along the coast were nu- merous and disastrous. The two Wantons went to Boston, where each fitted out a vessel and set sail after the greatly-feared French ship. When they finally caught up with the offender the same tactics were repeated as in the case of the pirate ship. William sailed under the stern of the Frenchman and wedged her rudder while John drew along side, made a quick rush oversides, and swept the enemy from the decks. The brothers went over to England in 1702 and there were hailed as great naval heroes. They received handsome presents from Queen Anne and were accorded highest honors. Wil- liam was elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1732, and, at his death the following year, John was elected, but that takes us ahead of our story. There is more to tell of the sea at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
When France and England went to war, in 1689, the American Colonies encountered considerable trouble with foreign privateers. The mainland fared pretty well during the period of hostilities but the islands along the coast, Block Island for example, experienced many hardships. Observing the isolated loca- tion of Block Island, the French lost no time in turning their attention to that small ocean-bound settlement. One day, probably in the summer of 1689, three French men-of-war and a transport ship made their appearance on the east side of the island. This array of naval power caused great alarm among the few inhabitants living there because no one knew whether the ships were English or French, friend or foe.
Shortly, a boat was lowered and brought in to the shore. One of the strangers stepped upon the beach and approached the anxious group huddled there, and greeted the natives in English. To make a long story short, some of the islanders were induced to go out to the anchored ships, where they were promptly imprisoned and forced to tell all they knew about the defense of the island.
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Then a landing party of some size went ashore and overpowered the islanders, forcing them to surrender or forfeit their lives. Successful in their ruse, the French- men then began a week of pillaging and destruction.
All property, arms, cattle, everything of value on the island was destroyed and, in addition, the Frenchmen captured two English vessels headed up the Sound, sinking one and preserving the other for her cargo of liquors. At last, news of the invasion reached the mainland, where preparations were made as quickly as possible to drive away the enemy. After an unsuccessful expedition to attack New London, the Frenchmen encountered the Colonial fleet commanded by Commodore Paine, and then the first naval battle in the waters near Block Island took place. The enemy was driven away after a hot fight and Block Island was relieved, for the time being, of annoyance and de- struction.
As a result of the first invasion of Block Island by French privateers, ships were sent from Boston and New York to help protect the island. Later in the same year some of the original invaders made another brief but destructive attack in very much the same manner. Still another visit from the marauding French- men came a few months later. This time the home of Captain Sands on Block Island suffered most. The occupants were forced to flee for their lives, and the dwelling turned into a slaughter house. In the midst of these depredations the lifting of the fog revealed the man-of-war "Nonesuch" riding at anchor off shore. The privateers promptly took to their heels with the "Nonesuch" in pursuit. Losing their way in the fog, the French- men found themselves bottled up in Buzzard's Bay, where they were captured. The men were made prisoners and the vessel was taken back to Newport as a war prize. Even then Block Island was not left alone by the invading privateers. The lonesome island's cattle, swine, sheep and poultry, together with what household goods were left, were too tempt- ing to be overlooked. From 1698 to 1706, the island was in a constant state of siege and it took a fairly large force of
defenders to protect it from further destruction. So much for the open waters of Rhode Island at this particular period.
At the time Providence was still a small town, whereas Newport had a population of about two thousand persons, and in that prosperous port were three busy ship- yards. Providence was still pretty much on the east side of the headwaters of Narragansett Bay. Towne Street, present North and South Main Streets, was the principal business and residential thor- oughfare, and this historic highway ran along the waterfront. Across the water, where the civic center of Providence is to-day, there was no compact settlement, and there were no bridges then. Trans- portation was supplied by ferry, when it was needed, but men often forded the river at low tide and cattle were taken across by swimming. Reference has been made to the first warehouse and wharf in Providence built by Pardon Tillinghast, in 1679, but by 1700, or shortly there- after, several more had been built, and a group of merchants in the town had be- gun to acquire wealth. A few beautiful homes began to appear, and gradually silks, woolens and furs displaced the simple homespuns which everyone had worn until heavily loaded ships sailed down the Bay for distant points, coming back, after several months, with precious cargoes of the luxuries that a prospering Colony demanded.
Exports in those days consisted chiefly of lumber, staves, heading, hoops, beef, pork, butter, cheese, onions, horses, candles, cider, Indian corn and wax, while the imports included sugar, mo- lasses, salt, ginger, indigo, pimento, rum, wine, wool and linen, Spanish and Swedish iron. Trade was carried on with the Western Islands, the West India Islands, Surinam, and the other English Colonies in America. It is recorded that in one year the Rhode Island Colony did a business with England amounting to more than £20,000.
In the year 1710 the first bridge was built in Providence, the Weybosset Bridge, from a point on the present North Main Street across to where a part of the Hospital Trust Building rests. This bridge project had been talked about for a
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long time, and at last it was constructed. It was a wooden span fourteen feet wide.
In the space of a few years the Colony had become an important commercial center; wise business men became mer- chants, while adventurous young men shipped before the mast for livelihood
and excitement. Shipping was only in its infancy in Rhode Island as one century ended and another began, but the Colo- nists became trade-minded in a short time, once they saw the wealth that lay down the sea lanes that extended to all corners of the world from the headwaters of Narragansett Bay.
THE BISHOP OF CLOYNE
G OVERNOR SAMUEL CRANSTON died in office to be succeeded by Joseph Jenks who served from May 1727 to May 1732. One of the first accomplishments of the son of the founder of Pawtucket was the division of the Colony, in June 1729, into three counties. The Island of Rhode Island, with Jamestown, New Shoreham or Block Island and other islands in the Bay were formed into Newport County, with Newport as the county town; Provi- dence, Warwick and East Greenwich were constituted as Providence County, with Providence as shire town; South and North Kingstown and Westerly were made into a third county, known as King's County, with South Kingstown as the chief town. Keep in mind that the original County of Providence Plantations, incorporated in 1703, became Providence County in 1729 and included the present territory of Providence, Kent and Wash- ington counties, excepting the present towns of Cumberland, the east side of Pawtucket and East Providence. This division of Rhode Island as it then existed into counties was brought about princi- pally for the purpose of giving the scat- tered inhabitants more ready access to the courts. The judicial system was promptly revised providing for justices for each county which, in addition, was to have its own court house and jail.
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