USA > Rhode Island > The "Old Stone Bank" history of Rhode Island, Vol. III > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40
What was it that had guided Williams, the unpopular champion of the doctrine of brotherly love, to this place of happy abode, where no one begrudged the other his right to live and worship as he pleased ? What great power brought him and his faithful associates to such a delightful place, far from the vicious tongues and unsympathetic regard of men who dog- gedly traveled the straight and narrow path of religious bigotry ? Surely it could be nothing else but God's own providence.
21
"THE OLD STONE BANK"
And so, fired by the desire to share reli- gious liberty with those who were op- pressed and persecuted, he then and there
established a harbor of refuge where liberty and freedom of thought might forever pre- vail, and he called this place Providence.
EARLY DAYS OF THE PROVIDENCE SETTLEMENT
THE actual spot where Roger Williams decided to end his wanderings was in the immediate vicinity of a spring long used by the Indians in these parts and which was located just opposite the present site of the Cathedral of St. John on North Main Street in Providence. There can be little doubt about this loca- tion because the land that Roger Williams later selected for his own extended east and west at that point, and his family burial plot has been positively identified just above the spring on the hillside. Roger Williams could have landed at some other point along the shore, but it seems quite logical that the particular spring that has long been referred to was the one that was on or adjacent to his property. And using now a little imagination, let us follow in the footsteps of Roger Williams immediately after the decision had been made to remain in this place which he called Providence.
He probably set his companions at work building a wigwam or some rude, tem- porary shelter, and it is quite natural to suppose that he lost no time in ascending the high hill to the east in order to secure a wider view of his new home. He may have made this initial survey from what is now Prospect Terrace, where one can still gain an unbroken view for miles to the north, southwest and west, or he may have gone farther up the slope to some vantage point in the vicinity of what is now the campus of Brown University. If he did that, and tradition indicates that he did, he would have peered through the openings in the dense woods of oak trees down upon the "Great Salt River" that flowed far below, wide and unconfined. The bank of the river at the foot of the hill where he had beached his canoe was
bordered with ancient forest trees, while across the river, the west bank (now down- town Providence) was marshy and stud- ded with islands overgrown with coarse marsh grass. These islands that Roger Williams beheld were completely sub- merged by every spring and full-moon tide. At the head of this Salt River or Bay, the channel widened into a cove, with a broad gravelly beach on the east and north and a border of salt marshes on the west. On the north side two small sluggish rivers flowed into this cove, and each of these rivers, the Mooshassuck and the Woonasquetucket, had its own en- vironment of swamp and wood land. Still farther to the west the founder could have observed low sand hills, scantily covered with pines rising above the marsh, and beyond these more hills shrouded in a bluish haze with dense forests extending to the north and west. The hill upon which Roger Williams stood probably did not offer any particularly attractive agricultural opportunities, but the fertile valley to the southwest, across the river, very likely suggested easy conversion into corn fields and pastures. Furthermore, closer inspection of the river and cove shoreline must have revealed ample supplies of clams, oysters and other forms of native shellfish. Additional encour- aging prospects were offered by the sight of salmon ascending the river, and by glimpses of deer in the woods, and by unmistakable signs of wild life all about. Roger Williams and his companions undoubtedly needed no further induce- ments to convince them that they had chanced upon a place that offered unlim- ited facilities for the permanent site of their long-hoped-for settlement. It must have occurred to all of them many times
22
PROVIDENCE INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS
during that historic first day that the name Providence had been a most for- tunate and appropriate designation for the place.
So much for the area in its untouched, unchanged physical character. Among the first settlers with Williams were William Harris, John Smith, Francis Wickes, Joshua Verin, and Thomas Angell. William Arnold, a tailor, with his son Benedict and son-in-law William Carpenter, arrived soon after. Thomas Olney Sr., Nathaniel Waterman, John Throckmorton, and Stukeley Westcott, among others, left Salem to settle in Providence and be included among the first householders. According to biog- rapher James Ernst: "The men with their families began to build houses on parcels of land assigned to them by lots" but it is more likely that the first ones lived in wigwams or rough log shelters daubed with clay. Mrs. Williams with her children soon joined her husband. Little Mary was two years old, and Free- born but a few months.
It did not take these pioneers long to become completely satisfied that both the natural advantages and resources of Providence were ample, and before a great amount of time had passed they began to make their first aggressions upon the wilderness surrounding the head of the Bay. And the first step was the estab- lishment of a broad highway along the east side of the Great Salt River, a thoroughfare that followed the curves of the shore. The settlers selected the east shore because the land there was firm and easy of access, while across the river, it was flat, marshy and scarcely habitable because of the lack of fresh water. Little did our ancestors think that, some day, New England's second largest city would rest upon the same area that appeared so uninviting just three hundred years ago. This road or highway probably followed the course of the present North and South Main Streets, and extended from the present Fox Point as far north as Consti- tution Hill. Its name, the "Towne Street," was descriptive of its original character and importance in the community, and it held its original designation for nearly a century and a half.
As suggested before, most of the first settlers probably lived in wigwams or thrown together shelters until this "Towne Street" was laid out. Then, with the convenience of a public-highway and the receipt of titles to the soil selected by certain individuals, a straggling village of approximately fifty houses was set up on the eastern side of the street along a tract of about two miles. Naturally, the owners were the architects and the builders, and there was a goodly amount of cooperative construction and mutual aid while the trees were being felled in the near-by forests for the lumber, and rough, unhewn stones were dragged from the hillside for the foundations, steps and for the huge chimneys. No one will ever know just how the allotment of these land parcels was conducted but it is doubtless true that Roger Williams had first choice and there- fore selected the plot that included the spring, and that his original associates in his adventure had next choice after him. The committee in charge of this land division consisted of Chad Brown, John Throckmorton and Gregory Dexter. Mr. Brown's plot was in the vicinity of College Hill, John Throckmorton's was adjacent to the Williams' land on the south; and Gregory Dexter was last in line on the north. All of the plots were at least five acres in area.
Difficult as it is, try to visualize the lay- out of early Providence by picturing a familiar area of the present city bounded on the west by North and South Main Streets and on the east by the Seekonk River. Then divide that area in half by running an imaginary line running north and south. The original home lots of the first settlers, and the lots were extremely narrow, extended from the western bound- ary, or North and South Main Streets, to this imaginary north and south line. Originally, the north and south "halving line" was a road or trail which was called the "Highway" or "the highway at the head of the lots," indicating a distant and little-frequented region, but today we call it Hope Street. An old plan showing the first division of home lots indicates that fifty-two individuals held titles to the uniformly-marked off land assignments. The East Side of Providence, that is, east
23
"THE OLD STONE BANK"
of Hope Street, was mostly swamp (later commonly referred to as Cat Swamp) and what is now Fox Point was first called Fox Hill. The present business section of downtown Providence was then called Waybaussett Neck and there was only one road in the early days on the west side of the Great Salt River. It was called Pautuxett Road, a highway that extended off to the southwest.
The houses along Towne Street were at first only a story and a half high with a huge stone chimney at one end of the structure. Most of them had but two rooms, the large living room, dining room and kitchen combination and the sleeping chamber upstairs, often reached by a ladder as space was too precious for stairs. No doubt, Roger Williams had the largest and the most pretentious homestead of his day, but that is not a known fact. Like the houses, the furniture and the equip- ment that went into them was largely home made. Although the average first settler was not a mechanic or a carpenter
by trade, nevertheless he could fashion planks and timbers from logs, and he could make the rude tables and chests that stood upon the sanded floors. Chairs in those days were luxuries - the families that possessed them had not more than one or two and these were invariably reserved for elders of the households. As a substitute for chairs the old English settle stood at the family table, by the winter fireside, or be- fore the door in pleasant summer weather.
Thus you have a general picture of the place called Providence approximately three centuries ago. Long before that, Nature had set the stage for the coming of the first inhabitants who changed but little the physical appearance of the place. With the arrival of Roger Williams and his few associates a new era was about to begin, one that might be called the second act in the drama of Rhode Island, and an act with many scenes depicting the life and times of one central character supported by a distinguished cast of actors and actresses.
THE PROVIDENCE PURCHASE
T THE establishment of a Colony was not the only purpose in the mind of Roger Williams when he decided to accept the hospitality of friendly Indians and remain among them in the vicinity of Narragan- sett Bay. The moral and social uplift of the natives was then his concern, for, in his own words, he said, "My soul's desire was to do the natives good, and to that end to learn their language, and therefore desired not to be troubled with English company." And if Williams had been in search of complete divorce from social contact with the Massachusetts Puritans, he might have followed in the footsteps of his neighbor and contemporary, William Blackstone, and become a recluse shun- ning all persons whether or not they agreed with him on the questions that were giving the Massachusetts and Plym- outh authorities no end of trouble. But, this ardent, exiled missionary was not destined to live a solitary life in the
pleasant place he called "Providence." He found greater responsibilities, heavier duties than the mere spreading of Chris- tian doctrine among the Indians whom he had long ago determined to elevate morally and socially.
The companionship of many others was forced upon Roger Williams soon after that eventful day in 1636 when he decided to accept a cordial invitation and remain in peace and concord near the headwaters of Narragansett Bay. His tiny settlement grew rapidly with the influx of others who were also under the displeasure of the neighboring Puritan government. News spread rapidly in the vicinity of Boston about this "shelter for persons distressed of conscience," this community where complete religious toleration might be secured. The liberals, the freethinkers and the idealists all came flocking to the side of Roger Williams in such numbers that he was forced to change his original pur-
24
PROVIDENCE INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS
pose and become the founder of an offi- cially established settlement.
Although political responsibilities pre- vented the founder of Providence from devoting his entire time to social service work among the Indians, his pleasant relations with the natives were of the greatest value to him, when he came to purchase lands and sites for his settlement. His kindness, patience and gentle bearing toward those who little understood the ways and intentions of the white strangers had won the esteem and confidence of the Indians ; therefore, it was a simple matter for him to negotiate with them in a busi- nesslike manner when the founder sought title to lands which rightfully belonged to those first residing there. And, it must be remembered, that this friendship thus early acquired and mutually maintained, was an important influence later when the wrath of natives was turned upon the Colonist and it doubtless saved all of the New England settlements from complete extermination.
From the Narragansett sachems, Ca- nonicus and Miantonomi, Roger Williams obtained his first deed of the lands in the vicinity of Providence. Evidently the lands were conveyed to the new owner first by verbal agreement as the original document appears to be in the form of a "memorandum" that confirms a previous transaction. The exact wording of this precious record dated March 24, 1637, and titled "Deed from Cannannicus (Canonicus) and Miantonomi to Roger Williams," may be transcribed as follows : "At Nanhiggansick, the 24th of the first month, commonly called March, in ye second year of our plantation or planting at Mooshausick, or Providence-Memo- randum, that we Cannannicus and Miantonomi, the two chief sachems of Nanhiggansick, having two years since sold unto Roger Williams, ye lands and meadows upon the two fresh rivers called Mooshausick and Wanasquetucket, doe now by these presents, establish and con- firme ye bounds of those lands, from ye river and fields at Pawtuckqut, ye great hill at Notquonckanet, on ye northwest, and the town of Maushapogue on ye west. As also, in consideration of the many kindnesses and services which he
hath continually done for us, both with our friends at Massachusetts, as also at Quinickicutt and Apaum, or Plymouth, we doe freely give unto him all that land from those rivers reaching to Pawtuxet River; as also the grass and meadows upon ye said Pawtuxet River. In wit- ness whereof we have hereunto set our hands."
This deed was signed first by the sachem Canonicus who penned his mark that resembles a crude sketch of an Indian canoe, and beneath that appears a rough design of an arrow, the mark of Mian- tonomi. The former's signature was witnessed by Setash, an Indian whose mark appears to be a circle, and Mianto- nomi's signature was affixed in the presence of Assotemewit, whose official signature resembles an automobile crank more than anything else. At the bottom of the document appears a second memo- randum that may be read as follows : "3. month, 9. day. This was all again confirmed by Miantonomi, he acknowl- edged this, his act and hand up the streams of Pawtucket and Pawtuxet without limits we might have for our use of cattle, Witness, whereof ... Roger Williams - benedict Arnold." Since the execution of this remarkable document many questions have arisen in regard to the correct interpretation of the wording used ; at one time it was claimed that a part of the instrument was forged by one of Williams' associates who sought per- sonal gain; and historians have often attempted to alter dates and to decipher meanings from the wording other than those which have become well-established in the records of early Rhode Island his- tory. The spelling of the several proper names that appear in the deed have changed noticeably with the passing of the years, but there should be no doubt in anyone's mind regarding the original purpose of the worn and mutilated docu- ment that is now safely preserved in the Providence City Hall.
There is no record of the amount that Williams paid the Indians for these lands, but it is generally understood that he gave his native friends many presents, and that he was forced to mortgage his property in Salem in order that he might
25
"THE OLD STONE BANK"
procure more presents and thus retain their confidence and friendship. And, right here it may be observed that Williams was not actuated in this and other transactions by any selfish motives. The Providence lands were legally sold and transferred to him and they were his to make use of or dispose of in any manner that he might choose. He might have secured a grant or patent of all the lands in the Colony, controlled the government, sold real estate to the settlers and thereby amassed a fortune for himself and family. This he did not do. Having had his own disastrous experience with an aristocratic government, and having endured the persecutions of civil and ecclesiastical dictation, he resolved to establish a Colony where liberty of conscience would be freely offered to all men. Inspired with a lofty conception of this principle of soul
liberty, and true to his convictions of truth and duty, Roger Williams was determined to found a settlement where the civil power should have no authority in spiritual matters, and every man could be free to think for himself.
For this privilege the world had been waiting for centuries. Regardless of claims by other Colonial founders and by champions of other great leaders in thought and action, Roger Williams was the first one in the history of the world to embody the full privileges of personal liberty in the government of his Colony, the colony that later became the State of Rhode Island. Shortly after receiving the deed from the Narragansett sachems, Williams reconveyed these lands to the several persons who united their fortunes with him in laying the foundations of the new Colony.
WAR WITH THE PEQUOTS
W ORD by word, chapter by chapter, the true story of the American Indian in New England is being compiled by modern writers and historians whose minds are free from the prejudices that misguided the pens of those who first re- corded the history of relationships be- tween the white men and the occupants and rightful owners of this territory. School children are now being taught that the sachems and the tribes in this particu- lar section of America, without exception, extended the hand of friendship and spoke the word of genuine welcome three cen- turies ago when a group of liberty-seeking pioneers left home and fireside to implant civilization in a strange land. The exag- gerations of those who called themselves "Indian Fighters" and the bitter accusa- tions of the white men who saw naught but evil in a race, driven to the defense of life and homelands, are gradually being replaced by impartial analyses of condi- tions that finally brought about a tragic struggle that ended in the extermination of one race and the ascendency of another. Now, it is generally understood that the early relations of the white settlers with
the adjacent Indian tribes were, in the main, peaceable and friendly. The treaty made with the Wampanoag sachem Massasoit in 1621 was sacredly observed as governing the relations of his tribes with all the Colonies until his death. However, the Wampanoag tribe was a subject tribe to the Narragansetts before the coming of the Pilgrims to Plymouth, and this alliance brought about through the kindliness and peace-loving character of Massasoit turned out to be a bold stroke of diplomacy and a defiant secession from the control of the stronger tribe. Keep in mind that the Wampanoag tribe occupied Rhode Island territory in the vicinity of Bristol and Warren and the Narragansetts were generally centered around what is now Providence.
To understand fully the significance of the following account of the important chapter in local history, which might properly be called "The Pequot War," it will be necessary to preface the record with a few observations. During the first years of the Plymouth settlement it would have been very easy for the power- ful Narragansetts to have slaughtered the
26
PROVIDENCE INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS
Pilgrims and put a quick end to the colonization of eastern New England. They could have done this even if the neighboring Wampanoags had preferred to remain neutral, or if the latter had rallied to the defense of the feeble Plym- outh and Massachusetts Bay Colonies. It is true that there was considerably less friendly feeling between the Narragansetts and the early Colonists than there was between Massasoit's tribe and the pale- face strangers, but this absence of friend- ship did not approach any feeling of hostility. Perhaps trouble was avoided because the Narragansetts were ruled by two unusually wise and cautious leaders, Miantonomi and Canonicus, the latter being one of the greatest that ever ruled an Indian tribe. He loved peace, he knew how to hold his tongue, bridle his wrath, and he understood the temperaments and shortcomings of his subjects. According to tradition, he was the eldest of four children, the offspring of a blood brother and sister. His grandfather, Tashtassuck, ruler of a vast Indian empire, having a son and a daughter whom he could not match in marriage with others of equal rank and dignity, caused his children to be united as man and wife. Canonicus, the oldest of four children springing from this rare and unnatural union, inherited the noble qualities of his ancestors and reflected his royal lineage by his efficient administration of tribal affairs and by his nobility of character. Like his gener- ous contemporary, Massasoit, Canonicus never violated a pledge made to the white settlers.
His young nephew, Miantonomi, asso- ciate ruler of the Narragansetts, was much more of a fiery leader, a type always ready to crack-down upon someone or to settle an argument without delay and by force. Luckily for all concerned the elder Canonicus was the last word in all impor- tant decisions in tribal administration, and there again was the reason why friendly relations were maintained with those who had come from afar to seek a new home. Now it appears that it would have been much more diplomatic for the leaders of the Plymouth Plantation if they had entered into a treaty with the power- ful Canonicus instead of with Massasoit;
it might have avoided much of the intra- tribal disagreements and fighting between the Narragansetts and the Wampanoags, and it might have prevented hostile attitudes in other directions. For example, it was in 1632 that the Narragansetts sent an expedition to capture Massasoit then living at Sowams, or Warren. Captain Miles Standish, leading forces from both Boston and Plymouth, came to the defense of their old friend, neighbor and faithful ally, and drove back the invaders. It is easy to see that this episode would cause some feelings of enmity be- tween the Narragansetts and the whites, even though the trouble started over tribal differences.
At this point it is proper to observe that Roger Williams, friend of the Narragan- setts and also of Governor Winthrop, served as the great peacemaker between the two forces, reconciling their differ- ences and quieting suspicion on either side. This immortal, many-sided man became the only successful mediator be- tween the Indians and the English colonists, and, in this capacity, he dis- tinguished himself as a statesman, dip- lomat, counselor and politician. Let us consider the details of one instance wherein Roger Williams, the founder, served both his compatriots and his newly-made friends of the forest.
The Pequot tribe of Indians occupied the territory west of the Narragansett lands, the domain extending along the Long Island shores from Weekapaug on the east to the Connecticut River on the west. Their headquarters were probably in the vicinity of present New London and they held sway over all of the tribes of the Connecticut Valley. They were ex- tremely warlike, said to be cruel, and, although fewer in numbers, they terror- ized their neighbors, the Narragansetts. The white Colonists found this out not long after the establishment of settlements in New England and it became the firm purpose of the English to reduce the power of the Pequots and perhaps ex- terminate them. The murder of several English traders by the Pequots somewhere near the mouth of the Connecticut River and the strange murder of Captain John Oldham, a Dorchester trader, while on a
27
"THE OLD STONE BANK"
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.