.W725 >. V^ oO^>°-: = «/" J/ * .0-' " '' » N ' ^V^ V • , > %.^ 6^ o -i OV x^^' "^^ ^°Oc. 4 .A^ , N e %■ - ''^' /^:r;i''^->'-'y .^''>>c-'-''\<' --S''^''/^ ^^'"♦.% /.^ir^-^-o cP^"\';-%% /-'j^^'^- o«V«-^.-<^^ '^z **''\. ^.^^_ 4^ .o°<. -; • • - v"'. . . . X' •^- '/. ■ ■ y; • -^y'. . • . :s ** Y •>■ _ "^^ ** 'I z Rhode Island Historical Society REPORT UPON THE BURIAL PLACE OF ROGER WILLIAMS BY HOWARD M. CHAPIN PROVIDENCE 1918 CONTENTS Report Appendix I Stiles Account .... II Packard's Account III Miss Packard's Account IV Sumner's Account V Allen's Account of the Excavations VI Statement of Brown and Sessions " VII Ashton Inscription " VIII Foster's Account . " IX Diagram of Traditions " X Daniel Williams Statement " XI Record of Town Meeting " XII Chase's Map Page 5 12 13 14 15 19 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 The undersigned, a committee appointed by the Executive Com- mittee of the Rhode Island Historical Society, have examined the following report and are of the opinion that the burden of evidence shows that Roger Williams was buried on his own home lot north- west from the present corner of Bowen and Pratt Streets. Wilfred H. Munro Howard W. Preston Charles D. Kimball Norman M. Isham Howard M. Chapin REPORT UPON THE BURIAL PLACE OF ROGER WILLIAMS MADE BY HOWARD M. CHAPIN IN ACCORDANCE WITH A RESOLUTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COM- MITTEE OF THE RHODE ISLAND HISTORI- CAL SOCIETY, PASSED DECEMBER 12, 1917 The earliest reference to the location of Roger Williams' grave Seems to have been in 1771, when a committee was appointed by the freemen of Providence to ascertain the spot where he was buried and to draft an inscription for a monument which it was then voted to erect "over the grave of the Founder of this Town and Colony." (Allen's Memorial of Roger Williams, p. 2. No report of this committee is extant, but Ezra Stiles in October, 1785, writing in regard to Roger Williams' burial place, states that "all tradition agrees that he was buried on his own Home lot near his own dwelling house whose cellar I saw." {Stiles' Literary Diary V. HI, p. 191.) Stiles talked with the members of the committee and was acquainted with its findings. He states that Governor Hopkins was of the opinion that the grave was at the north corner of the house, and that the others, Sessions, Brown, and Bowen were "rather doubtful whether it was not ten rods S. E. on a Lot afterwards Rev. Mr. Cottons." (Ibid.) Stiles evidently meant S. W. and not S. E. as is shown by his map. The above account by Stiles was unknown to Zachariah Allen, who writing in 1860 states that Governor Sessions told Governor Allen that the committee had "satisfactory knowledge of the locality of his (i. e., Roger Williams') family burial ground, east of Benefit Street." (Allen 2.) Also Allen records that Moses Brown in 1836 said that the above described burial lot had "always been considered as that of the family of Roger Williams, but that his grave was un- known." (Allen 2.) Thus apparently both Sessions and Brown come around to Governor Hopkins' point of view before they died, and give up the theory that he was buried in the Cotton lot which was west of Bene- fit Street. Incidentally it may not be out of place to state that Stephen Hopkins was a far more careful historian than Moses Brown, who at times interpolated words even in original documents in order to emphasize his own theories. Neither Bowen nor Sessions have any reputation for historical work. Miss Packard likewise located Williams' grave at this point, her father having told her that he had been let down into the grave next to it when he was 10 years old, i. e., about 1740. (Allen 4.) Thomas M. Sumner, writing in 1834, agrees with Hopkins as to the place where tradition in 1774 located Roger Williams' grave. (R. I. H. S. MSS. V. 10, p. 76.) Theodore Foster in 1819 refers to the same place as the location of Roger Williams' grave. (Knowles, Memoir of Roger Williams 431.) Now to the objections. The earliest objections to the theory that Roger Williams was buried upon his home lot did not make their appearance until the twentieth century. The objectors claimed that he was buried on Daniel Williams' lot at Benefit and Power Streets. They gave as their reasons that Roger Williams lived with his son Daniel and that therefore when he died he would have been buried on Daniel's lot. There is however no real evidence that he lived with his son Daniel. The following extract from a letter that Daniel wrote in 1710 was the basis for this supposition: "so that he being not in a way to get for his supply, and being ancient, it must needs pinch somewhere. I do not desire to say what I have done for both father and mother. I judge they wanted nothing that was convenient for ancient people, &c." (Knowles 111.) The next problem is to determine in which burial lot he was in- terred, for it is claimed that there were two burial lots on the Wil- liams' home lot. One east of Benefit Street, where Hopkins, Pack- ard, Sumner, Randall and Foster state that he was buried; and one west of Benefit Street, "ten rods S. E." as Stiles states, but draws on his map as ten rods S. W. The reason for this error on the part of Stiles is quite clear for Stiles wrote "An aged Mr. Brown, living outside of Providence said to the Committee that he well remembered Roger Williams' death and funeral and that he was buried under arms; and that although he, the said Brown, was not present at the funeral yet he knew well that the grave was in that part of the lot which is ten rods S. E. from dweUing house on lot afterwards Mr. Cottons and afterwards Dr. Bowens." (Stiles III 192.) This explains how Stiles inadvertantly wrote S. E. in both places instead of S. E. in one and S. W. in the other. Dr. Bowen, the owner of the lot, and hence a biased witness, "positively asserted the Grave was on his Lot." (Stiles III 192.) Moses Brown and Governor Sessions were at first in doubt be- tween the Hopkins theory and the Brown-Bowen theory, being rather in favor of the latter, but later decided in favor of the Hopkins theory. Rider in his confused criticism, which is more of a criticism of Allen's composition and accuracy, than of the question at issue, gives no evidence against the Hopkins' theory. {Book Notes v. 24 p. 57.) He merely claims that the identity of which of the graves is Roger Williams' is not certain. The chief flaw in the Brown-Bowen theory seems to be the fact that the Cotton-Bowen lot, was not part of the Roger Williams home- lot, but was part of the John Throckmorton home-lot, which passed to Henry Wright and thence to Samuel Wright who held it from 1677 to 1717 and so at the time of Williams' burial. Thence it passed to Benjamin Wright who sold it to Joseph Williams in 1718. Jabez Bowen purchased the Cotton lot in 1723, and another part of the Joseph Williams' lot in 1739. In 1742 Bowen purchased a small strip of the original Roger Williams lot but this strip did not extend even half way to Benefit Street and was north of the Cotton house and so could not have included a grave which was 10 rods S. E. of the Cotton house. Any grave 10 rods S. E. of the Cotton house would have been on the home lot of John Throckmorton. But inasmuch as Bowen purchased his land from Joseph Williams he doubtless thought he was purchasing the Williams' home lot, which however at this time had passed into the hands of the Thayers and Tourtellots. Packard's statement is the only evidence which identifies the grave of Roger Williams. Although his story is extraordinary the practical part of it is substantiated by the excavations made in 1860. His evidence is not first-hand, but is the tradition of 1739, a tradition 50 years old. Stiles in 1785 calls the southwest grave that of Roger Williams. Stiles however located but 5 graves in his sketch, and 7 graves were opened. "After the removal of the turf and loam, down to the hard sur- face of the subsoil, the outlines of seven graves became manifest, the three uppermost (i. e., eastern) on the hillside being those of children, and the four lower (i. e., western) ones, those of adults. "It was immediately discovered that two of the latter adjoined each other, thus manifestly showing in accordance with the testi- mony of Capt. Packard, that when the last one of the two was dug, the end of the coffin contained in the other must have been laid open to view." (Allen 5.) The two adjoining graves were the northerly ones on the western and centre rows. (Map of 1860.) "The easterly grave was evidently the most recent, as the exact shape of the cofhn was visible by a carbonaceous black streak of the thickness of the edge of the sides of the coffin." (Allen 6.) No such tangible remains were found in the northwest grave, hence it would appear that the north grave of the centre row was that of Patience Ashton, and the northwest grave was that of Roger Williams. This is made still more probable by the fact that a lock of braided hair was found in the south grave of the western row, proving it to be the grave of a woman. It would be natural for Roger Williams and his wife to be buried beside each other. Stiles read the inscription on Patience Ashton's grave in 1785 and gives it "inscribed Patience Ashton, wife of Philip Ashton, who died as the stone says 1739 aged 63." (Stiles III, 193.) The three graves on the eastern row were those of children, doubt- less the children of Mrs. Ashton, that died before their mother. This accounts for all the graves except the south one on the middle row. It might be expected that this would be the grave of Mr. Ashton, but he and his second wife were buried in St. John's church- yard. It is probably the grave of Providence Williams who died during the lifetime of his father Roger Williams. He was unmarried and probably lived with his parents. Mrs. Ashton's grave was the best preserved, which was what would be expected because it was the latest interment. Although there is no documentary or contemporary evidence in regard to the burial place of Roger Williams, yet the preponderance of the traditional evidence, coinciding with the customary and most probable proceedings for that period, leaves no reason to doubt that he was buried on his own home-lot. The identity of the graves in the burial lot on the Williams home-lot rests upon the testimony of Mr. Packard, who records the traditions of 1740, traditions of 8 less than sixty years. Inasmuch as the most extraordinary part of Packard's account was substantiated by the excavations of 1860, and that his identification of the graves coincides with what would have been the natural arrangement, it seems safe to conclude that the burden of evidence points to the probability that the northwest grave was the grave of Roger Williams. Inasmuch as the three eastern graves were the graves of children, and the north central and southwest graves were those of women, it follows by elimina- tion that only the northwest and south central graves could have been those of men. Patience Ashton was buried in the north central grave, hence Mrs. Williams must have been buried in the southwest one, and it certainly would seem more probable that Roger Williams was buried beside his wife than behind her. ^X-li^^^ 1^— r STILES' MAP SHOWING THE LOCATION OF THE TWO GRAVE YARDS Original is in Stiles' Papers, Yale University Library 10 f////////// r/ //// // /// ///////////© -^ ^ nA-^V- 1^ ! STILES' DIAGRAM SHOWING THE GRAVES IN THE WILLIAMS BURIAL LOT Original is in Stiles' Papers, Yale University Library 11 APPENDIX 1. stiles' account "At Provid. Oct. 6, I visited the Place of Roger Williams Lands, House, Spring, & Grave. There is some uncertainty as to the last, altho' the grave may be ascertained within ten Rods. Ten or a doz. y. ago the T" of Prov. voted to erect a Monumt upon his Grave and appointed a Committee Gov. Hopkins, D. Gov. Sessions, M^ Moses Brown & present h<- Gov. Bowen, who examine the two places, Traditions & Evidences. I now conversed with Gov. Bowen & Mr. Brown. All Tradition agrees that he was buried on his own Home Lot & near his own Dwells house, whose Cellar I saw. Gov. Hopkins was of opinion it was the Grave at the north corner of the House within two paces: the others rather doubtful whether it was not ten Rds S. E. on a Lot afterw^s Rev. Mr. Cottons. The Amot of the Evidence thus. It has been the general Idea that it was by the Cellar, & Strangers & I myself years ago have been shewn these Graves and one as for Roger W™^; on the contrary an aged Mr. Brown liv out of Provid. said to the Committee he well remembered R. W'"3 Death & Funeral & that he was buried under Arms; & that altho' he s^ Brown was not present at the Funeral yet he knew well that the Grave was in that part of the Lot which is ten Rds. S. E. fr. Dwells House on Lot afterw^s Mr. Cottons & afterwards Dr Bowens. Old D^ Bowen that lived on the spot positively as- serted the Grave on his Lot. He died phps ten years ago aet. 80 circa. Roger W™s must have died about 1685 or 1686 [1682]. Moses Brown, a very sensible man, told me that the only Evid. of Time of his Death was, that by an Entry in y Records one year he was alive, and within a year after he is spoken of in the Records as deceased. Oliver Whipple Esq., formerly lived at Provid. & tells me (Oct. 4) that D' Bowen & others had often shewn him the place of the Grave on sd D" Lot. I viewed the spot — there is no Appear- ance of a Grave. A Niece of R. W"»s is buried by the House. . . "Ruins of R. Williams Dwells House and Cellar grown over with Barbary Bushes in 1785. With five Graves near N. W. Corner, one of which only has Stones inscribed, viz., Patience Ashton's." — Literary Diary of Ezra Stiles, v. 3, p. 191. 12 APPENDIX 2. PACKARD'S ACCOUNT The following is an extract from a letter by Wheeler Martin, dated July 17, 1819, printed in the American of July 20, 1819: "Providence, July 17, 1819. "Messrs. Goddard & Knowles, "Observing, in your paper of yesterday, a letter from the Hon. Theodore Foster, respecting Roger Williams, the founder of this State, I am induced to lay before the public the following facts, communicated to me by the late Capt. Nathaniel Packard, of this town, about the year 1808. About fifty years since, there was some stir about erecting a monument to commemorate that distinguished divine, civilian and statesman, and there was a difference of opinion as to the place of his burial. Capt. Packard was then absent, but had he been present, he could have pointed out the very spot where Roger Williams' house stood, and where he was buried. When he was about ten years old, one of the descendants of Roger Williams was buried at the family burying-ground, on the lot right back of the house of Sullivan Dorr, Esq. Those who dug the grave, dug directly upon the foot of the coffin, which the people there present told him was Roger Williams'. They let him down into the new grave, and he saw the bones in the coffin, which was not wholly decayed, and the bones had a long, mossy substance upon them. Roger Williams was born in 1599, and died in 1683. Captain Packard was son of Fearnot Packard, who lived in a small house, standing a little south of the house of Philip Allen, Esq., and about fifty feet south of the noted spring. In this house Captain Packard was born, in 1730, and died in 1809, being seventy-nine years old. He was born forty- seven years after Williams died. So if he was ten years old when Williams' descendant was buried, it was fifty-seven years after Williams died. "As the people at the funeral of Williams' descendant told Captain Packard that Williams was buried in the grave dug upon, there can be no doubt that Roger Williams was buried in the lot btfck of Mr. Dorr's house, in his own family burying-ground, where I myself have seen stones to a number of the graves, within twenty years, which have since been removed. But, though the stones are 13 not to be found, yet I cannot but venerate the spot where, I have no doubt, the dust of one of the greatest and best men that ever lived mingled with its mother earth. "Mrs. Nabby Packard, widow of Captain Packard, who is eighty- five years old, told me, this day, that her late husband had often mentioned the above facts to her; and his daughter. Miss Mary Packard, states, that her father often told her the same." — Knowles, m- APPENDIX 3 MISS Packard's account "Providence, April 18th, 1860. "Z. Allen, Esq. — My Dear Sir: — I was informed some five years ago by the late Polly Packard, then more than eighty years old that she had in childhood often visited the grave of Roger Williams in company with her father, who in early boyhood, had been put into the grave next to it by his father. The facts in the case were these: Williams' grave had been levelled many years with the surrounding greensward, and its exact locality lost. In digging another grave for a new interment, the spade man came upon the bones of Williams, being portions of his lower extremities. Many of the inhabitants gathered to see the bones of the Founder of Rhode Island, and her grandfather among them; who, actuated by a singular whim, lowered his little son, her father, into the grave, probably thinking the act would make an indelible impression of this discovery upon his son's memory. In process of time, and after she and her sisters had more than Once visited the spot with their father, the ground became levelled, and the grave had disappeared. "But Miss Packard seemed confident that she could indicate the exact spot from its bearing and distance from another grave marked by a broken head-stone. "I requested her to accompany me to the ground, and the spot she then indicated was exactly where Mr. S. Randall, a descendant of Williams, supposed it to be, from information derived from other sources; and where, on digging a few days since, he found some relics of an early interment. "Yours truly, USHER PARSONS." Allen's Memorial of Roger Williams, p. 3. 14 APPENDIX 4. SUMNER'S ACCOUNT "viz. My Father lived near Tripes Spring (/ should say three years of the time we were in Providence— say 75-76-&77-) in a house belonging to Capt. Packard — near the river — and chief of the water we used in the house, was got at this same Tripes Spring — and the largest portion of it was gotten by myself — by dipping in the Pail — & I had it full— The other Spring was situated — South Easterly — from Tripes— up hill East of the -Bac^ Street then so called — in a lot Known as Docf Benjamin Bowens Lot — I should think two hundred feet from the Street where it Burst out — and run very copiously to the west down hill — there were four large Button wood trees round it — "I have drank from this Spring many a time and it was fine water — "A Few Rods North Westerly from this Spring was — the Re- mains of an Old Celler — and a few rods Northerly of the Celler were a number of Graves — there were some Grave stones — but I have no recollections of Inscriptions on them. "This is the Spot I understand Foster to discribe as were he Saw the Graves & Stones — & am Suppis'd he did not notice the old Celler— "But the Tradition amongst the Boys wasThat where the Celler is Stood the House, that Roger Williams Lived and Died in, and there are the Graves — were he and his family are Buryed. I understand a M^ Dorr has built a house on what was the Bowen Lot — and I think with Mr Foster if search were made, in his Garden, the remains of the Williams family would be found — ". Original letter written by T. M. Sumner in 183^ and preserved in R. I. H. S. MSS. v. 10., p. 76. 15 ^Ty r" V IV er^t ''^y*^ :ii 1 4 .^i 11' CL, w D (A) Nortli Mam Street f>''/^!ft„V.! ' S^n/ca. ^^BB Canal Street Jfosha^suck Jitvcf ALLEN'S MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF WILLIAMS BURIAL LOT APPENDIX 5 Allen's account of the excavations "After the lapse of 177 years of oblivious neglect, the researches for the indentification of the grave were finally commenced on the 22d day of March, 1860, in the presence of several gentlemen, who were invited to witness the processes of the disinterment. The assistance of two experienced superintendents of the public Burial Grounds was obtained to direct carefully the researches. Pointed iron rods were procured for piercing through the greensward, to ascertain where the texture of the subsoil might be rendered loose by former excavations, and suitable boxes were prepared to receive the exhumed remains. "The first preliminary operation was the stripping off the turft from the surface of the ground occupied by the graves, all com- prised within less that one square rod. The greensward covering the sloping hillside presented to view a nearly uniform surface. After the removal of the turf and loam, down to the hard surface of the subsoil, the outlines of seven graves became manifest, the three uppermost on the hillside being those of children, and the four lower ones, those of adults. "It was immediately discovered that two of the latter adjoined each other, thus manifestly showing, in accordance with the testi- mony of Capt. Packard, that when the last one of the two was dug, the end of the cofifin contained in the other must have been laid open to view. This proximity is delineated on the plat of the land which Mr. Randall has caused to be made to exhibit the relative positions of the graves. "The easterly grave was evidently the most recent, as the exact shape of the coffin was visible by a carbonaceous black streak of the thickness of the edge of the sides of the coffin, with the ends dis- tinctly defined. The rusted remains of the hinges and nails were found in their places, with some rotten fragments of wood, and a single round knot. The nails are wrought of iron, with the heads flattened edgewise to resemble brad heads. This was done to per- 19 mit the heads to penetrate deep into the wood and out of sight in the finished coffin. "The utmost care was talcen in scraping away the earth from the bottom of the grave of Roger Williams. Not a vestige of any bone was discoverable, nor even of the lime dust which usually remains after the gelatinous part of the bone is decomposed. So completely had disappeared all the earthly remains of the Founder of the State of Rhode Island, in the commingled mass of black, crumbled slate stone and shale, that they did not 'leave a wreck behind.' By chemical laws, we learn that all flesh, and the gelatinous matter giving consistency to the bones, become finally resolved into car- bonic acid gas, water and air, but the solid lime dust of the decomposed bones was here doubtlessly absorbed by roots or com- mingled with the earth in the bottom of the grave, being literally the 'ashes of the dead.' This is all that remained to be deposited in the cinerary urns, which in classic days were used for receiving the residue of the human body after being burnt in the brick furnaces that once formed an important appendage to every cemetery. "By the side of the grave of Roger Williams was another, which was supposed to be that, of his wife; for wonderfully preserved there- in was found a lock of braided hair, being the sole remaining human relic. All else had disappeared in the lapse of more than 170 years, during which this tress of hair had survived every other portion of the body equally exposed to the wet earth. "The reason for which this location had been so soon abandoned as a burial spot became evident in the almost impenetrable hardness of the soil, composed of shale, which rendered necessary the use of steel pointed bars and picks to penetrate it. So near the surface of ground is the substratum of shale rock, which constitutes nearly the whole mass of Prospect Hill, that water was found percolating the soil at the bottom of one of the excavations which were made. "It appears that in this vicinity, on the gravelly soil a few hun- dred feet below on the hill side, the Indians once had a cemetery. At the foot of Bowen Street, skeletons, with the remains of Indian implements, and a copper kettle, were found. Many of the early settlers of Providence were there buried. "Along the whole range of Benefit Street were a successions of orchards planted on the hill side, above the garden lots. In these orchards were the burial lots of the families which occupied the homes below on the east side of North and South Main Streets, 20 commencing with the burial lot of the family of Whipple, at the junction of Constitution Hill with Benefit street; next was that of Roger Williams's family — of Olney, Waterman, Crawford, Tilling- hast, Cooke, Ashton, and others. In the course of modern improve- ments, most of these remains have been removed to the North Burial Ground. Near Bowen street, whilst cultivating a garden, Nicholas Esten pulled up the fragments of a human skull, attached to the roots of a cabbage. "A similar and very remarkable exhibition of the powers of vegetable life in active pursuit of appropriate nourishing food, even in the depths of a human grave, constituted one of the most interest- ing phenomena in a philosophical point of view, disclosed during the researches that have been described, serving to show that nothing useful as food for plants is wastefully lost in the economy of nature, and that even our very graves are ransacked by rambling roots, as well as by the crawling worms, that convert every charnel house into a banqueting hall. "On looking down into the pit whilst the sextons were clearing it of earth, the root of an adjacent apple tree was discovered. This tree had pushed downwards one of its main roots in a sloping di- rection and nearly straight course towards the precise spot that had been occupied by the skull of Roger Williams. There making a turn conforming with its circumference, the root followed the di- rection of the back bone to the hips, and thence divided into two branches, each one following a leg bone to the heel, where they both turned upwards to the extremities of the toes of the skeleton. One of the roots formed a slight crook at the part occupied by the knee joint, thus producing an increased resemblance to the outlines of the skeleton of Roger Williams, as if, indeed, moulded thereto by the powers of vegetable life. This singularly' formed root has been carefully preserved, as constituting a very impressive exemplifica- tion of the mode in which the contents of the grave had been entirely absorbed. Apparently not stated with banqueting on the remains found in one grave, the same roots extended themselves into the next adjoining one, prevading every part of it with a net-work of voracious fibres in their thorough search for every particle of nutri- tious matter in the form of phosphate of lime and other organic elements constituting the bones. At the time the apple tree was planted, all the fleshy parts of the body had doubtlessly been de- composed and dispersed in gaseous forms; and there was then left 21 H O h) < CA t> ca S < oi d O ^ < M >-" B Q H ^ s Z en U W -^ § O a » u o s (/5 only enough of the principle bones to serve for the roots to follow along from the extremity of the skeleton to the other in a continuous course, to glean up the scanty remains. Had there been other or- ganic matter present in quantity, there would have been found di- vergent branches of roots to envelope and absorb it. This may serve to explain the singular formation of the roots into the shape of the principal bones of the human skeleton. These disclosures are cor- roborated by the artificial use of bones as a manure in practical agriculture." — Allen's Memorial p. 5. 23 APPENDIX 6 Allen's account of the statements of sessions and brown "One of this committee, Governor Sessions, stated to iiis neigh- bor. Governor Allen, that the committee had satisfactory knowledge of the locality of his family burial-ground, east of Benefit street, where the explorations for the grave have recently been made; but the troubles of the revolutionary war, which ensued, prevented any active exertions for ascertaining the exact spot, and for erecting thereon the proposed monument. "Mr. Moses Brown, previous to his death in the year 1836, at the age of 98 years, was called upon by the writer for the special purpose of obtaining information on the subject in question. Mr. Brown stated that the above described burial lot had always been considered as that of the family of Roger Williams, but that his grave was un- known. He also stated that a large burial ground of the early settlers of the Providence Plantations had existed on the south side of Bowen street, near Benefit street; so called from its having been laid out for the common benefit of access to the rear of the garden lots of the original proprietors." — Allen's Memorial p. 2. 24 APPENDIX 7 Allen's account of the>shton inscription "On the fragment of the grave stone still preserved is a part of the inscription, exhibiting the "last letter of a name terminating with n, probably that of Ashton, which family was connected by marriage with that of Roger Williams. The remaining inscription records: " , who departed this life ye May, 1739, 63 years her age." — Allen's Memorial p. 5. 25 APPENDIXiS Foster's account "The freemen of Providence, in town meeting, July 15, 1771, appointed a committee, viz., Stephen Hopkins, Amos Atwell, and Darius Sessions, Esqrs. to draft an inscription for a monument, which it was then intended to erect to his memory. In their vote on that occasion, Mr. Williams was called "the Founder of the Town and Colony." The committee did nothing, and the business has slept from that time. In the summer of that year, (forty-eight years ago) when much was said respecting a monument for him, though noth- ing could be agreed on, his grave was shown to me, near the east end of the house lot now owned by Mr. Dorr. The foot grave-stone was then gone, and the top of the other broken off, so that only the lower part appeared, without any inscription. There were several other grave-stones near his, in memory of some of the Ashton family, who were connected with Mr. Williams, on which the inscriptions were entire. Thinking it a duty to preserve some knowledge of the place, where was deposited the dust of the founder of our State, I have repeatedly, of late years, sought for those monuments, without being able to find any traces of them; though I think I can, within a rod or two, show where they were placed, so that on digging the ground, the graves may, perhaps, be discovered. "There is no doubt but that Mr. Williams lived, the latter part of his life, upon the estate whereon he was buried, which was called the Crawford estate, after the connection of the Crawford and Fenner families, by the marriage of Gideon Crawford with Freelove Fenner, daughter of Arthur Fenner, April 13, 1687; which Arthur Fenner, July 31, 1688, gave to his three daughters, Freelove, Bethiah and Phebe, thirty-one acres of land, "in Providence Neck," all which became the property of Mr. Crawford, who married Freelove Fen- ner, and I believe was exchanged or negotiated for Mr. Williams' estate, near the spring. "As Mr. Williams' grave and others before mentioned were on 26 that estate, I applied, on the 12th of May, 1813, to Mrs. Mary Tripe, a descendant of the said Gideon Crawford, then in the seventy- second year of her age, for information respecting them. She was a woman of intelligence, good sense and information, and careful of what she said. She informed me that your ancestor, Roger Williams, lived in a house which was on the east side of the main street, a little south of the Episcopal church, the foundation whereof then remained, which she showed me, within sight of her house, and which I believe is also now removed, as I saw nothing of it, on looking for it, the last time I was in Providence."— Le//er of Theodore Foster to Mr. William Thayer, Jr., dated Foster, R. I., May 21, 1819, and published in R. I. American, July 16, 1819. Copied from Knowles, p. ^31. 27 CP m — c^ ^ c/' 03 5 tn 2 + H > ^ r '' <: m • Z DIAGRAM OF TRADITIONS ALL THESE TRADITIONS AGREE THAT ROGER WILLIAMS WAS BURIED OX HIS OWN HOME LOT 28 APPENDIX 10 DANIEL WILLIAMS' STATEMENT "It is evident, that this township was my father's, and it is held in his name against all unjust clamors, &c. Can you find such another now alive, or in this age? He gave away his lands and other estate, to them that he thought were most in want, until he gave away all, so that he had nothing to help himself, so that he being not in a way to get for his supply, and being ancient, it must needs pinch somewhere. I do not desire to say what I have done for both father and mother. I judge they wanted nothing that was convenient for ancient people, &c. What my father gave, I believe he had a good intent in it, and thought God would provide for his family. He never gave me but about three acres of land, and but a little afore he deceased. It looked hard, that out of so much at his disposing, that I should have so little, and he so little. For the rest, &c. I did not think to be so large; so referring your honors to those queries you have among you, "Your friend and neighbor, "DANIEL WILLIAMS. "Providence, August 24, 1710." — Knowles, p. 111. 29 APPENDIX 11 TOWN MEETING RECORD At a town meeting held in Providence on July 15, 1771, it was "Voted that Stephen Hopkins Amose Atwell and Darius Sessions Esqrs make a Draught of an Inscription to be Erected on a monu- ment In Memory of Rodger Williams who was the Founder of this Town and Colony and to Lay the Same before this meeting in August Nixt and Likewise what the Expense of Erecting of said Monument will be." — Prov. Town Meeting Records vol. 5, p. 185. The August records do not show any report from this com- mittee. From Stiles' notes it would appear either that another committee was appointed or that Moses Brown and Lieutenant Governor Bowen were added to this committee. 30 •;/»>< f/""""°y. < W U < U H O z o H Bi O s u o Bi 23 H Q < •J U z o u H O z o B F B " ' -* ^ ^ n. .j^. v^°*. - V V '•=:■■■'v^••:•.^v••■;/..•:;•x■•■'>^•^:.l•.v••'/.';r^^: c^.;;^/- ' •1-7'. 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