LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. ^^^^- E2Lb2L Shelf -3 I PRESENTED BY ' Vv'^ S"^ ; ^_,,^UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. UOHHllT PEliKlNS BROWN, PliKblDENT. MANUAL OF THE RHODE ISLAND SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION ©:^ (si^:^ (5i5^ (Sj^ (5^ For the Years from Eio^hteen Hun- i dred and Ninety Three to Eighteen Hundred and Ninety Nine both inclusive. Illustrated with many Portraits and Photographs of His- toric Interest gij^ gij:^^ gi^ (si^ (sij:^ (si;:^ Compiled and Edited by Edward Field Historian of the Society Committee on Publication And published pursuant to a vote of the Society by the Board of Mana- gers, and printed at the printing house of E. L. Freeman & Sons, at Central Falls, in the State of Rhode Island A. D. MDCCCC Vv^ v^ \^_ 58105 D -v i> EDITOirS NOTE. T ITK ^Manual of tlie Eliode Island Society of tlie Sons of tlie American Revolution is published pursuant to the following vote of the Society passed February 22, ISiilt : " Besolred, That the Board of Managers be requested to publish, as soon as possible, a Year Book, containnig the Constitution and By-Laws of the National Society, the Charter and By-Laws of our State Society, and such other matters as may be deemed useful for tlie hiformation of the Society." On April lit, 1S!)1), the undersigned was appointed a Committee on Publication, and immediately commenced the preparation of the volume herewith submittted. In publishing this, the second of the Society's ^lanuaLs, it has been the intention of the Board of Managers to make it a com- plete history of the Society suice the last Manual was issued m 1892, and therefore includes all the addresses and reports of its officers and such other proceedings as were necessary to make a complete record for the period covered. In preparing the abstracts of the services of our Revolutionary sires in the Struggle for Amer- ican Independence, I have taken great pahis to make such record comi)lete ; but on account of the great number of dates and the various methods by which these records are presented in the orig- inal applications I shall be agreeably surprised if there are no errors. I hope that the result of my labors in preparhig this volume will be acceptable to the Society, and that any omissions that may have been made will be overlooked. I desire to express my appreciation of the support and coiipera- tion of the Board of Managers and of the kind assistance which has been rendered me by Robert P. Brown, President ; Christopher Rhodes, Secretary ; Arthur P. Sumner, Treasurer ; and Isaac C. Greene, Registrar. EDWARD FIELD, Comivittee on Puhliration, CONTENTS, PAGE Bristol Chapter, No. 1, Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution 298 By-Laws of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the Amer- ican Revolution 17 Chai'ter of the Riiode Island Society of the Sons of the Amer- ican Revolution 15 Constitution and By-Laws of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution IS Historical Address — "Rhode Island's Participation in the New England Cam- paign of 1775-1781," by William E. Foster 137 "Events Preceding the Outbreak of the Revolution," by Alfred Stone 157 " Revolutionary Landmarks," by Alfred Stone 179 " Which is the Oldest American Constitution ? " by Amasa M. Eaton 192 "Bristol in Revolutionary Days," by Prof. Wilfred II. Munro 224 "Concurrent Opinion of the American Revolution," by Prof. Wilfred H. Munro 240 " Colonel Israel Angell," by Robert P. Brown 241 " Isaac Barker's Signal," by Edward Field 264 "A Night at Sabin's Inn," by Edward Field 287 List of Members of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution 30 [ vi ] List of Members who served in the War witli Spain 296 ( Xlicers of the Society, 18!)!)-19()0 26 ( )t1ieers of the Society since organization 27 Memorials — William Warner Hoppin 300 James Henry Eklred^e 301 Charles Fales Ballon 304 Edward Payson ])enison 307 Crawford Allen 308 Nathaniel Mowry Bradley 310 Alfred Mason Williams 311 Nathaniel Greene Totten 313 William James Swinbnrne 315 ( 'hristopher Lippitt 317 Henry ( "lay Armstrong 319 JJaniel Bnllard Pond 321 llobert Grenville Brown 324 Reuben Aldridge Gnild, LL.D 326 Names of Ancestors of Members of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolntion 42 Poem, "Brown University in the Revolntion," Rev. Frederic Denison 142 "The Neer-do-Weel," ) "With Clearer Sight," [• George A. Bnffnm 272 "Nathanael Greene," ) " ( )nr Forefathers," George A. Buffum 292 President's Address — Amasa M. Eaton 148 Wilfred H. Mnnro 171 Edward Field 208 William Maxwell Greene 232 Royal C. Taft 253 William T. C. Ward well 274 Kobert P. l5rown i ^'ice-President) 278 vii ] Proceedings of Third Annual Meeting l:>7 Fourth Fifth Sixtli Seventli Eighth Xinth 148 171 20S 232 253 274 Reception and ]]anqnet in Honor of (ien. Horace Porter 201 Report Relative to the Identity of John Waterman, who died at Yalley Forge 194 Of Committee on ^Marking (Jraves of Revolutionary Sol- diers 218, 239, 260 Of the Registrar 152, 217, 238, 258, 284 Of the Secretary 150, 177. 215, 236, 256, 280 Of the Treasurer 151, 178, 216, 237, 257, 282 The Dooley Letter (?) 294 LIST OF ILLl STRATIONS/ Robert P. IJrown. Portrait Frontispiece George C'orlis Nightingale. Portrait .Page 1(3 Christopher Rhodes. Portrait " 24 Jabez Bovven's Cartridge-Box " 50 Certificate from Capt. John Paul Jones for Prize Money due Nathaniel Cooke " 58 Ye Old Denison House, Mystic, Conn " 62 The Home of Lieut. Ezekiel How, Jr., at Framingliam, Mass. " 64 Lieut. Nathaniel Gove. Portrait " 72 Esek Hopkhis, Commander-in-Chief of the American Navy. Portrait " 76 Lieut. Ezekiel How, Jr. Portrait " 78 Watch formerly belonging to Lieut. p]zekiel How, Jr " 7!» Commission of Capt. William Humphrey " 80 Home of Col. Ezekiel How, "The Wayside Inn" " 88 Major Daniel layman. Portrait " 00 Sword belonging to Col. Ezekiel How " 06 Home of Capt. Stephen Olney at North Providence, R. 1.. " 102 Home of Capt. John Potter at Scituate, R. I " 104 Commission of Lieut. John Potter " 106 Capt. Robert Rhodes. Portrait " 108 Home of Peter Rhodes at I'awtuxet, R. I " 110 Homestead of Major-General Nathanael Greene at Coven- try, R. I " 112 Sword belonguig to Lieut. Benjamhi Wilkhison " 127 Home of Esek Hopkins at Providence, R. I " 132 John Carter Brown Woods. Portrait " l;;6 William Eaton Foster. Portrait " 140 ' The editor is under obligations to the Preston and Rounds Co , publishers of Field's "Revolutionary Defences in Rhode Island" and "Esek Hoplcins" and Wil- liams' "Under the Trade Winds," for several of the iUustrations in this volume. Rev. Frederic 1 )eiiis()n. Portrait Page 144 Amasa Mason Eaton. Portrait " 148 Alfred Stone. Portrait " 15(5 Alonzo Williams. Portrait " 160 Theodore Foster Tillingliast. Portrait " 168 Wilfred Harold ]Munro. Portrait " no Tablet placed on the Market building at Providence " 172 Rev. Edward Otis JJartlett. Portrait " 176 Timothy Newell, M. J). Portrait " 184 Fort Independence, Field's Point, Providence " 1S8 (Jen. Horace Porter. Portrait " 200 Edward Field. Portrait " 208 A t'onier of IJntt's Hill Fort, Portsmonth " 212 ( )lney Arnold, II. Portrait " 216 William ]Maxwell (Ireene. Portrait " 232 Tablet on I'niversity Hall, Brown University, Providence. " 234 Royal Chaphi Taft. Portrait " 2.52 George Thomas Hart. Portrait " 2(52 Rev. Samnel Ileber Webb. Portrait " 2(54 (ieorge Allen Bnffnm. Portrait " 272 William Thomas Chnrch Ward well. Portrait " 274 Artluir Preston Snnnier. Portrait " 282 Isaac Chace Greene. Portrait " 288 William Wanier Hopphi. Portrait *' 300 James Henry Eldredge, M. T). Portrait " 302 Cliarles Fales JJallon. Portrait " 304 Edward Payson J)enison. Portrait " 30(5 Crawford Allen. Portrait " 308 Nathaniel Mowry Bradley. Portrait " 310 Alfred Mason AVilliams. Portrait " 312 Nathaniel ( i reeiie Totten. Portrait " 314 William James S\vinl)urne. Portrait " 316 Christopher Lippitt. Portrait " 318 Henry Clay Armstrong. Portrait " 320 Daniel Bullard Pond. Portrait " 322 Robert Grenville IJrown. Portrait " 324 Reuben Aldridge Guild, LL.D. Portrait " 326 INDEX OF NAMES OF MEMBERS AND AN(^EST()RS FROM WHOM MEMBERSHIP IS DERIVED. Ancestors' Navies in Italics. Abbot, Charles Wheatoii, Jr. . .!)s Ahell, Prescrrcd 42 Adnm.'<, Ebenezer 42 Adams, George Allen 42 AM rich, (Uileh 42 Allen, Crawford 112 Allen, Diarca 4:'. Anthony, Edwin Perkms 71 Angell, Fenner 4;J Angell, Israel 4;> Angell, Jessie 44 Armstrong, Tlenry Clay 107 Arnold, Arthur Henry 44 Arnold, Caleb 44 Arnold, George Carpenter, 44, 10!), l:!4 Arnold, George Ulric 4S Arnold, James 44 Arnold, James, Jr 44 Arnold, Joseph 44 Arnold, Nathan 4.") Arnold, ( )lney 45 Arnold, ( )lney, II 45 Atwood, John 45 Atwood, William Edwin 45 Austin, Artliur Ernest 45 Austin, Ezekiel 45 Bahcock, Ebenezer 45 Babcock, James 46 Balrh, Joseph 46 13alch, Joseph 46 IJallou, Charles Fales 4!», (!S Ballon, Levi 47 Barker, Frederick Eugene ... .47 Barker, Isaac 47 Barker, Robert Lewis 47 Barnard, Charles Alonzo. .4:^), 1 02 r>arston\ ( 'aleb 47 Barstow, (Jeorge p]ames, 47, (i4, 100 liartlett, Edward Otis 47 Bartlett, John liussell I01» Bartlett, Nathaniel 47 Barton, Albert Gallathi 4s Barton, William 47 Bassett, Frederick James. .86, .s7 Bates, Albert Greene (52, l:!2 Bates, Francis Eliot l;'.2 Beckwith, Truman. SS, 00, 01, 112 Bellows, Horatio Eliphalet. . . 115 liicknell, Joshna 4S Bicknell, Thomas Williams. 4s, S6 Bi)rnef/, Barnabas, 31. 1) 4S Bhniey, AVilliam, Jr 4S Bisbee, William Henry 47 Blackington, Joel 48 Blodgett, John Taggard, 48, 116, 121, 125 Blodgelt, Jonathan 48 [ xii ] Tjogert, Theodore reacoek . . . .80 Boiiicdrtli, Benjamtn 4!) Bosworth, Orriii Luther 49 Bourn Augustus Osborne. .40, (!(> Jiouni. Steplieii 4!) Bowen, f'harles ^Vetter, 50, !•;!, U-l. 180 Bowen, Frank 50 Bowen, Henry 50 Boireii, IsfKir 40, 130 Boveii, Jahez 50 Boven, Nathdii 50 Bowen, Richard ]Martin, 50, 03, 112, 130 Bowen, William ^Manuel Perez, 51, 00 llradford, Geonje 51 Bradford, Henry Carpenter. . .51 Bradford, WilUarii 51. 13o Bradley, Nathaniel ]Mowry. . .117 Brai/ton, Jariies Whect'jii 52 Broirn, Abel 52 Brown, Ahnd 53 Brown, Albert Frederick ..42, 54 Browai, Arnold Cleveland 43 Brown, Daniel Russell (52 Broirn, EJijoh 53 Broirn, Esek 53 Brown, Harris Wilbur 43 Brown, Henry Martin (i2 Broirn, John 53 Broirn, Kkliohis 54, 131 Broirn, Bohert 54 Brown, Robert (irenville.54, 131 Brown, Robert Perkins 5:', Brown. AVill Edwin 42, 54. 114 15ro\vncll, Frederick liichinond. 55, 5,s liroirnidl, Jondthon 55 liroirnell, Sj/Ires/er 55 Brownell, Walter Simmons, 55, 5S Budlong, John Clarke. 55, 03, 111 Jhtdlon;/, S((nuicJ 55 JiinViimi, SinnueJ. Jr 55 Buft'um, Frederick Henry. ... 110 Butt'um, George Allen 120 BiKjhee, Hezel'iah 55 Burlingham, IHram 73 Burrough, Lewis Fairbrother.06 Bnttiirk, John 55 Cady, Alfred Eugene 50, 76 ('ady, Frederick Waterman, 5(), 111 (\id ji, Jo)Uith(iii 50 Cady, Louis Edgar 50, 70 Cady, William Fletcher 50 ('aider, Albert Lawton 132 Colder, JoriK's 131 f'd/iron, Josepli ". 57 Carlisle, Daniel 57 Carpenter, John 57 Carr, Frederick Hickman 7o Case]/, Wanton 57 Chare, Asa 5S Chace, Moses Brown 5S Chase, Charles Frederick 5S Chase, Ezra 58 Clinrrh, Thomas 58 Clapp, Earl 58 Clarke, Joshua 50 Cole, Joseph Carpenter Wheaton, 44. 57, 50, 111, 120, 120 Cole, Jiirho rd 50 Cohrell, William 120 Converse, Waldron Howard.. 113 Cook, Ariel 50 Cook, Charles Xourse 50 Coo//, JVatlaudel 50 Cooke, Annanias oo Cooke, Charles (;o Cooke, Henry William oo Cooke, Nicholas oo Coojier, Stephen (JO Corel/, Paris in Corlis, Georr/e (il Cranston, Benjamin (il [ xiii ] Cranston, Frank Hill (U (h-ani;;, 71 Denifion, Gilhert (i:! Denison, Isaac 0:1 D'Wolf, John ()3 DeWolf, John Ilalsey 03 DeWolf, John Wintlirop 08 Dexter, Henry Clinton 120 Dexter, Theodore JCverett 120 Dyer, Anthony 04 Dyer, Elisha 04 Dyer, Hezekiah Anthony 04 Eames, Daniel 04 Eames, Samuel 04 Easton, Frederick Willard 07 Eaton, Amasa Mason . .54, 0.'), 79 Eaton, Amasa Mason, Jr., .")4, 05, 70, 01 Eaton. Ithanidr l;]?, Eaton, Noah 05 Eaton, William Diuniell, 54, 05, 70, 01 Eccleston, Alvin Herbert 05 Eccleston, (jcrsJioin (i5 Eddy, Barnard 05 Eddy, WWiani 00 Eddy, William GO Eld red (je, James 07 Eldredge, James Henry (i7 Elliot, James 07 Elliott, William Cowper 07 Emerso)!, Ephraim (iS Fales, Nathaniel 08 Fanninij, Walter OS Fa rnsn-orth, ^\ tnos 08 Fanisworth, Claude Joseph. . .09 Fanisworth, Jolni Prescott. . . .09 Fenner, Arthur, Jr (iO Premier, Herbert Xicholas (iO Fenner, Bichard, Jr 00 Field, Arthur Webster 00 Field, Edward oo, 118, 12:5 Field, Harold Crins 70 Field, John (JO Fisit, Daniel 00 Foster, Moses, Sr 70 Foster, Timothy 70 Foster, William Eaton. . . .70, l:!4 Francis, Aaron 70 Francis, Ebenezer Charles 71 Frencli, Charles Henry 02 Fuller, Ahraham 71 Gallup, lieriadam 71 (iammell, William i:',l (fardiner, Paris 71 (libson, Henry Maitland 70 (lifford, Darid 71 (rill, OJxuliah 72 (Uaddhig, Frederick Fillmore. .7.". Coff, Isaac Lewis o;5 (foodale, Nathan 72 Gorton, Benjamin 72 Gore, Nathaniel 72 Granger, William Smith 72 Gray, Tliomas 73 Greene, Christopher 7:> (Jreene, Clarence Henry 102 Greene, Frederic Albert 102 Greene, Isaac Chase 57 [ xiv ] Greene, Jdcnh 7:> Greene, Josepli 7o (jreene, WilUcmi, Jr 74 (ireene, William Chace. . .7;), 12:i (Jreene, William Maxwell, 57, 72, 7:1, 122 (Ireene, William Hay — 11.'), 12(; Guild, A(ir(ni 74 (Jnild, Henry Taft 7-") Giiihl, Jose/ih 74 (Juild, Reuben Aldri(l Harrison, (Jeorge Arnold 7() Harrison, Robert 75 Hart, George Thomas 108, KM) Harvey, Edwin Hates 74 Ladd, Ezekiel 8(5 Mathewson, Frank Mason 57 Ladd, Josepli 8" Mathewson, Ificholas 94 Lane, Ahial 87 3Iatheirson, JSfoa/i 94 Lurcher, John S7 Manran, John Tyler 90 Laii'ton, (reorye 88 Mauran, Jot^eph Ciirlo 95 Lawton, Georg'e Robert 88 Ma.rjieJd, John 95 Luwton, Bohert 88 May, Edward IJenjaniin 97 Lewis, Anynstiis J 88 Mai/, Elislia 9(5 Lillibridge, Byron Jesse 89 May, Lenmel 9(> Lillibridije, Jonatlxin 89 Merrill, John Harvey 99 Lindley, Isaiah 89 Metcalf, Harold. . .94, 99, 100, 182 Lippitt, Charles 90 :\ret('alf, Howard Tucker, Lippitt, Charles Warren, 94, 99, loo, i;;2 4(), S8, 90. 91. 112 Metralf, James 97 Li/iliitt, ( 'hrtstoiJa r 90 Metralf, James, Jr 97 Lippitt, Christopher 90 Miller, Nathan 97 Upi)itt, Henry Frederick, Miller, Nelson 98 40, 88, 90, 91, 112 Miner, Francis AVayland, Jr., Lippitt, liobert Lhicoln, 40, (W, 10:!, 129 46, 88, 90, 91, 112 Mitchell, A hijah 98 Locke, Thomas 90 Moody, Joh n 98 Locke, Thomas, Si- 91 Morris, Edward Dexter 68 Low, John 91 Morse, Ahner 99 Lyman, Daniel 91 Morse, Silas 99 Lyman, Rolfe March 67 Moirry, Daniel 99 Moicry, Daniel, od 99 Mallett, James Fenner (59, 92 Mumford, Jeremiah 100 Mallett, I-'eter 92 Munro, Charles George., 98 Manchester, Charles Howard. .92 Munro, Edirard lOo Manchester, James Cook 92 Munro, Walter Lee. . .42, loo, 121 Manchester, John Howard 92 Munro, Wilfred TLarold, Manchester, Nathaniel 92 42, 100, 121 Manchester, William Leonard, 92 Xewell, Claude Potter lOO Martin, David 92 Neicell, Stephen 100 Martin, Ephraim 98 Xewell, Timothy loo Martin, Hezekiah 98 Nichols, Cliarles Lemuel 6() Martin, Jacob Sterry 98 Nightingale, George Corlis. Martin, Luther 98 61, 74, 101 [ xvi ] Ni(/htiii Potter, Join, 100 Potter. Join, 1(»0 lidiiihill. Join, 100 llanddll. Join, -100 Pandall, .lolni Pendleton, 103, 107, 121 Peed, JI<, II, 111(11,(1 107 Reynolds, Charles Stepiieii. . .los Pei/iiohls, James 107 Reynolds, John Post lOS Heiliiohls, Joseph 107 Pu III, olds, W'illid,,, lOS hMiodes, Arthur Ans'ustns, los, 1()<» Phodes, Penjdiiiiii 10^* Rhodes, Christopher 05, 109 Rhodes, Edward Smith., los, lou Phodes, Jeiriies 134 Rhodes, Peter lOS Phodes, llohert 100 Rliodes, William P>attey..44, 125 Rickard, James Ilelme so liickard, James Ilelme, Jr., so, 1 10. 125 ir,vk((rd, Silas 100 liohcrts. Join, 110 Robhison, Rowland Rodman, loi Roelker, William Greene 74 Pollers, Uichard 110 Rose, Henry Brayton 71 Russell, Emory Poole 105 lliissell, John 110 Sahii,, J(ni,es 110 Salish,ir/i. Aiitlarnjl Ill Salisl},ii-ii, Martin Ill Sallsl)it ,-,1, Xalhdniel Ill Sinnj>soi,, ^1 le.vd Idler Ill Sanl'ord, Ee Roy Sprague 131 Seaiianis, Martin 112 Senter, Isadc 112 Seymore, Manuel Francis 52 Sheldon, Frank Augustus — 120 Sheldon, Philip Collins oo, KHi Shurrocks, Alfred Francis. s7, 112 Shurrocks, William Otis. .S7, 112 "SSkinner, Solomon, Jr 112 Sldler, I'eter 11:'- Slocum, Percy Dinsniore Smitli, 101 Smith, Brown Esek 53 Smith, Franklhi Augustus, Jr.. lOS, 1011 Smitli, Robert Ezekiel . . . los. loO Siddc. .lames 113 Snow, Louis Franklin 113 [ xvii ] Southwick, Isaac Ilarrisoii. . . 1 10 South wick, Isaac Hinckley. . .110 Spelman, Elihu li;j Spelman, Frederick Brown, ry.], 114 Spencer, lieiijainin 114 Spink, Arthur Bradford. . .T)-!. 1:51 Stearns, Charles Falconer 114 Stearnes, Edioard 114 Stenness, Samuel 114 Stevens, Daniel 4(i Stiness, Edward (^linton liessom, 114 Stoddard, EU l;];j Stone, Alfred ii:,, 120 Stone, Jeremiah 11.5 Stone, Jeremiah 11.5 Stone, Jonathan nr, Stone, Solomo)! 115 Studley, John Edward 72 Sumner, Arthur Preston. .5!), 11.") Sumner, Benjamin 115 Swain, Edward Allen 4;], ()2 Swhibunie, William James. . . 117 ^'aft, Jacob, Jr lie, Taft, Eobert Wendall no Taft, Koyal Chapui no Taygard, WiUiam 110 Tallman, Benjamin no Tanner, Herbert Sanford 10:; Tanner, Sainuel 117 Temple, William Henry (riles, i)l, 107 Ten; William II7 Thompson, Arthur :\Iiddleton, 10!) Thontjison, Chai-Ics, Her 118 Thurher, Darius us lliurston, Georhrairn 125 Westcott, John 12(i Westcott, Robert Folger 12() Wheaton, fieorge, 2d 98 xviii J Wlieatoii, John Robert '.is Whi'dto)!, Jt)! Whipjile, Job l-i(i AVhite, Hunter Carson (il, sit Wilkinson, Ben Join in 1:^7 Williams, Alfred ^Slason 127 Williams, Alonzo lt»4 M'iUi(i)iis, Janies Il'7 Williams, James Wilmartli, 127, 128 WiJlidrns, Squire 127 W'lllianison, Frank Adolphus, (id, S4, 127 AVillson, Edmund Russell oU Wihnnrtli, TiniolUji 127 Wiiidnster, Lemuel 128 WoihI. .Jul ha in 128 Woods. Jolni Carter Brown, :)4, 181 ]'e(iininis, Jdlni 129 Vnik\ Allen 129 COxXSTlTUTION NATIONAL SOCIETY SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION ARTICLE I. NAME. The name of this Societ}- shall be "The Sons of the American Revolution." ARTICLE II. OBJECTS. The objects of this Society shall be to perpetuate the inein- oiy of the men who, by their services or sacrifices during the war of the American Revolution, achieved the independence of the American people; to unite and promote fellowship among their descendants ; to inspire them and the commu- nity at large with a more profound reverence for the prin- ciples of the government founded by our forefathers; to encourage historical research in i-elation to the American Revolution ; to acquire and preserve tlie records of the indi- vidual services of the patriots of the war, as well as docu- ments, relics, and landmarks ; to mark the scenes of the Revolution by appropriate memorials ; to celebrate the an- niversaries of the prominent events of the war ; to foster true r 2 ] patriotism ; to maintain and extend the institutions of Amer- ican freedom ; and to carry out the purposes expressed in the Preamble to the Constitution of our Country and the injunc- tions of Washington in his Farewell Address to the American people. ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP. Section 1. Any man shall be eligible to membership in this Society who, being of the age of twenty-one years or over, and a citizen of good repute in the community, is the lineal descendant of an ancestor who was at all times unfail- ing in his loj^alty to and rendered actual service in the cause of American Independence, either as an officer, soldier, sea- man, marine, militiaman, or minute-man, in the armed forces of the Continental Congress or of anj' one of the several Col- onies or States ; or as a signer of the Declaration of Inde- pendence ; or as a member of a Committee of Safety or Correspondence ; or as a member of any Continental, Provin- cial, or Colonial Congress or Legislature ; or as a civil officer, either of one of the Colonies or States or of the National Government ; or as a recognized patriot who performed actual service b}^ overt acts of resistance to the authority of Great Bi-itain. Section 2. Applications for membership shall be made to any State Society, in duplicate, upon blank forms presci-ibed by the Genei-al Board of Managers, and shall in each case set forth the name, occupation, and residence of the applicant, line of descent, and the name, residence, and services of his ancestor or ancestors in the Revolution, from whom he derives eligibility. The applicant shall make oath that the state- ments of his api^lication are true, to the best of his know- ledge and belief. L^pon the approval of an application by the State Society, to which it is made, one cop3^ shall be transmitted to the Registrar General of the National Society, who shall examine further the eligibility of the applicant. If satisfied that the member is not eligible, he shall return [ 3] the application for correction. And in case of such return the State Society shall, on failure to satisfy the Registrar General of the eligibility of such applicant, drop his name from membership. Section 3. The official designation of the members of the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution shall be " Compatriots." ARTICLE IV. NATIONAL AND STATE SOCIETIES. Section 1. The National Society shall embi-ace all the members of the State Societies of the Sons of the American Revolution now existing or which may hereafter be estab- lished under this Constitution. Section 2. Whenever in any State or Territory in which a State Society does not exist, or in which a State Society has become inactive or failed for two years to pay its annual dues to the National Society, fifteen or more persons dul}^ qualified for membership in this Society may associate them- selves as a State Society of the Sons of the American Revolu- tion, and organize in accordance with this Constitution, they may be admitted by the General Board of Managers to the National Society as "The Society of the Sons of the American Revolution," and shall thereafter have exclusive local jurisdiction in the State or Territory or in the District in which thej'' are organized, subject to the provisions of this Constitution ; but this provision shall not be construed so as to exclude the admission of members living in other States. Section 3. Each State Society shall judge of the qualifi- cations of its members and of those proposed for membership, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, and shall regu- late all matters pertaining to its own affairs. It shall have authority to establish local chapters within its own jurisdic- tion and to endow the chapters with such power as it may deem propei-, not inconsistent with this Constitution. It shall have authority, after due notice and impartial trial, to [ i ] expel any member who, by condnct unbecoming a gentleman, shall render himself unworthy to remain a member of the Society. Section 4. Each State Society shall submit to the Annual Congress of the National Society a report, setting forth b.y name the additions, transfers, and deaths, and any other changes in the membership and progress of the State Society during the preceding year, and make such suggestions as it shall deem proper for the promotion of the objects of tlie whole Order. Section 5. Whenever a member in good standing in his Society changes his residence from the jurisdiction of the State Society of which he is a member to that of another, he shall be entitled, if he so elects, to a certificate of honorable dismission from his own State Society, in order that he may be transferred to the State Society to whose jurisdiction he has changed his residence; Provided, that his membership shall continue in the former until he sliall have been elected a member of the latter. Each State Society shall, however, retain full control of the admission of members by trans- fer. Section 6. Whenever the word "State" occurs in this Constitution, it shall l)e held to include within its meaning the District of Columbia and the Territories of the United States. Section 7. A Society maj' be formed in anj^ foreign country by fifteen or more persons who are eligible to mem- bership under this Constitution, which shall bear the same relation to the National organization as the State Societ}', subject to the provisions of this Constitution. ARTICLE V. officers and managers. Section 1. The General Officers of the National Society sliall be a President General, five Vice-Presidents General, a Secretary General, Treasurer General, Registrar General, Historian General and Chaplain (General, who shall be elected [ 5 ] by ballot by a vote of the majority of the members present at the annual meeting of the Congress of the National Society, and shall hold oflfice for one year and until their successors are elected ; Provided, that the President General and five Vice-Presidents General shall not be elected for a second term. Section 2. The General Officers, together with the Presi- dents of the State Societies ex-officio, shall constitute tlie General Board of Managers of tlie National Society, which Board shall have authority to adopt and promulgate the By-Laws of the National Society, to prescribe the duties of the General Officers, to provide the seal, to desigimte and make regulations for the issue of the insignia, and to trans- act the general business of the National Society during the intervals between the sessions of the Congi-ess. Meetings of the General Board may be held, after not less than ten days' notice, at the call of the President General, or, in case of his absence or inabilit}', at the call of the senior Vice-President General, certified by tlie Secretary General. Meetings shall be called at the request of seven members. At such meet- ings seven shall constitute a quorum. Section 3. An Executive Committee of seven, of whom the President General shall be Chairman, may be elected by the Board of Managers, which Committee shall, in tlie interim between the meetings of the Board, transact such business as may be delegated to it b}^ the Board of Managers. ARTICLE VL DUES. Each State Society shall pay annually to the Treasurer General, to defraj' the expenses of the National Society, twenty-five cents for each active member thereof, unless in- termitted by the National Congress ; Provided that the Na- tional Board of Management maj^ increase said dues at any time, not to exceed Mty cents in all, by a two-thirds vote, when the necessities of the National Society so demand. All such dues shall be paid on or before the first day of Api-il [ 6 ] in each j^ear for the ensuing year, in order to secure repre- sentation in the Congress of the National Society. ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS AND ELECTIONS. Section 1. The annual Congress of the National Society for the election of the General Officers and for the transaction of business shall be held on the 30th day of April or on the first day of May in every year. The time, hour, and place of such meeting shall be designated bj^ the Board of Managers. Section 2. Special meetings of the Congress may be called by the President General, and shall be called by him when directed so to do by the Board of Managers or whenever requested in writing so to do by at least five State Societies, on giving thirty days' notice, specifying the time and place of such meeting and the business to be transacted. Section 3. The following shall be members of all such annual or special meetings of the Congress, and shall be en- titled to vote therein : (1) All the officers and the ex-President General of the National Society. (2) The President and senior Vice-President of each State Society. (3) One delegate at large from each State Society, (4) One delegate for every one hundred members of the Society within a State and for a fi-action of fifty or over. Section -4. State Societies shall only be represented at meetings of the National Society by members of their own State Society, or by members of other State Societies who may be designated by the regularly appointed delegates from such State Society who may be present at any meetiug of the National Society ; and that the delegates representing any State Society, as provided herein, shall be authorized to cast the entire vote to which such State Society is entitled, each delegate oi- representative present being authorized to cast his proportionate vote, or fraction thereof. [ 7] ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS. This Constitution may be altered or amended at any meet- ing of the Congress of the National Society, provided that sixty days' notice of the proposed alterations or amendments, which shall first have been recommended by a State Society, shall be sent by the Secretary General to the President of each State Society. A vote of two-thirds of those present shall be necessary to their adoption. r> Y - 1. A AV s NATIONAL SOCIETY SONS OF THE AMKUIOAX REVOLl TION ARTICLE I. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. All iioniinatioiis of officers shall be made fi'om the floor, and the election shall be by ballot. A majority shall elect. The nominations may be acted upon directly, or may be referred to a committee to examine and report. ARTICLE II. OFFICERS. The duties of the General Officers shall be such as usually appertain to their offices, and they shall have such other duties as are hereinafter imposed. The^^ shall report at the annual meeting, and at such other times as they may be re- (|uired to do so by the Geneial Board of Managers. ARTICLE III. PRESIDENT GENERAL. Section 1. The President General, in addition to his general duties, shall be ex-officio chairman "of the General [ i^ 1 Board of Managers and of the Execntive Committee and a membei" of every other committee. Section 2. At each annnal meeting lie shall appoint the following Standing Committees : Committee on Auditing, " Correspondence, " Credentials, " Finance, " Organization, " Unfinished Business. The duties of the above committees shall be such as usually pertain to committees of like character, and such as may be defined by the Board of Managers. ARTICLE IV. VICE-PRESIDENT GENERAL. Section 1. In the absence of the President General the senior Vice-President General pi-esent shall preside at the annual meeting. Section 2. In the prolonged absence or inability to act of the President General, the executive authority shall be vested in the Vice-President General first in order of pre- cedence. ARTICLE V. secretary general. The Secretary General, in addition to his general duties, shall have charge of the seal, give due notice of all meetings of the National Society or General Board of Managers, of which he shall be ex-officio a member. He shall give due notice to all general officers and State Societies of all votes, orders, and proceedings affecting or appertaining to their duties. He shall distribute all jiamphlets, circulars, rosettes, and supplies, as directed by the General Board of Managers. 2 [ J" 1 ARTICLE VI. TREASURER GENERAL. Section 1. The Treasurer General shall collect and re- ceive the funds and securities of the National Society. He shall deposit the same to the ci-edit of the " Sons of the Amer- ican Revolution," and shall draw them thence for the use of the National Society, as directed by it or by the General Board of Managers, upon the order of the President General, countersigned by the Secretary General. His accounts shall be audited by a committee to be appointed at the annual meeting. Sectjon 2. He shall, if so required by the General Board of Managers or the Executive Committee, give bonds for the safe custody and application of the funds. ARTICLE VII. REGISTRAR (JENERAL. The Registrar General shall keep a Registei* ot the names and dates of the election, resignation, or death of all members of the several State Societies, and shall have the care and custody' of all duplicate applications for membei'ship. He shall issue, upon the requisition of the Secretary or Registrar of the several State Societies, cei-tificates of membership and insignia to every member entitled thereto, through such Sec- retary or Registrar. ARTICLE VIII. HISTORIAN GENERAL. The Historian General shall have the custody of all the historical and biographical collection of which the National Society may become possessed, and shall catalogue and arrange the same, and shall place the same in a iireijroof rej)Ository for preservation. [ 11 ] ARTICLE IX. CHAPLAIN (GENERAL. The Cliaphiin General shall be a regularly ordained min- ister, and shall open and close all general meetings of the National Society with the services usual and pi-oi)er on such ■ occasions. ARTICLE X. STATE SOCIETIES. Every State Society shall (1) Notify the Secretary General of the election and ap- pointment of all officers and delegates. (2) Pay to the Treasurer General on the first daj' of March, or within sixty days thereafter, the sum of twenty- five cents for each active member thereof. (3) Transmit to the Registrar General duplicate applica- tions of all accepted members, and notify- him of the resigna- tion or death of all members thereof. ARTICLE XL GENERAL BOARD OF MANAGERS. Section 1. The General Board of Managers shall prepare and carr}" out plans for promoting the objects and growth of the Society ; shall generally superintend its interests, and shall execute such other duties as shall be committed to it at any meeting of the National Society. It shall have charge of the printing of the Diploma and the manufacturing of the Insignia, and shall determine tlie price at which tlie same shall be issued. Section 2. It shall have authority to admit or re-organize as a State Society anj^ association of fourteen or more per- sons duly qualified foi- meml)ership in the Society. Section 3, It shall have power to fill any vacancj' occur- [ 12 ] ling among the General Officers, and an officer so elected shall act until tlie following annual election and until his successor shall be elected. Section 4. It shall have authority to make, alter, and amend the By-Laws as hereinafter j^rovided. Section 5. The President General ma}' call meetings of the Geueral Board of Managers at any time he may deem necessary', and shall call such meeting upon the written request of any five members thereof, provided that not less than five days' notice of the time and place of such meeting shall be given. ARTICLE XII. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The President General may call a meeting of tlie Executive Committee at an}- time, and shall call such meeting on the written request of three members thereof. ARTICLE XIII. SEAL. The seal of the Society shall be two and three-eightlis of an incli in diameter, charged with the figure of a minute-man, gi'asping a musket in his right hand, and surrounded by a constellation of thirteen stars, who shall be depicted in the habit of a husbandman of the period of the American Revo- lution, and as in the act of deserting the plough for the service of his country ; the whole encircled by a band three- eighths of an inch wide, within which shall appeal' the legend, "National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, organized April oO, 1889." ARTICLE XIV. CERTIFICATES. All members of the Society, wherevei- admitted, shall be entitled to a certificate of membership dul^^ attested by the [ r. President General, Secretary General, and Rej;:i8trar General, countersigned by the President, Secretarj', and Registrar of the State Society to which such member shall have been admitted. ARTICLE XV. INSIGNIA. The insignia of the Society shall comprise (1) a cross sur- mounted by an eagle in gold, (2) a rosette. Section 1. The cross shall be of silver, with four arms, covered with white enamel and eight gold points, same size as Chevaliers' Cross of the Legion of Honor of France, with a gold medallion in the centre bearing on the obverse a bust of Washington in profile, and on the reverse the figure of a minute-man, surrounded by a ribbon enameled blue, with the motto : " Libeiias et Pafria " on the obverse, and the legend "Sons of the American Revolution " on the reverse, both in letters of gold. The cross shall be surmounted by an eagle in gold, and the whole decoration suspended from a ring of gold by a ribbon of deep blue with white and buff edges, and may be worn by any member of the Society on ceremonial occasions only, and shall be carried on the left breast, or at the collar if an officer of the National Society, or the President, active or past, of a State Society. Section 2. The rosette shall be seven-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, of usual pattern, displaying the colors of the Society, blue, white, and buff, and may be worn by all members at discretion in the upper left-hand button-hole of the coat. ARTICLE XVI. INDEBTEDNESS. No debts shall be contracted on behalf of the National Society. Every obligation for the payment of money, except checks drawn against deposits, executed in Ihe name or on behalf of the National Society shall be null and void. [ 1-t ] ARTICLE XVII. AMENDMENTS. These By-Lciws may be altered or amended by a vote of three-fourths of the members present at any meeting of the General Board of Managers, notice thei-eof having been given at a previous meeting. CIIxVRTER RHODE ISLAND SOCIETY SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION State of Rhode Island, etc., In General Assembly, jMiiuHi'y Session, A. D. 1801. AN ACT TO INCORPORATE RHODE ISLAND SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF THE AMEIHCAN REVOLUTION. (Passed Februnry 18. 1)^91.) //. is enacted by the General Assemhly as folloas : Section 1. W. Maxwell Greene, William W. Iloppin, William Goddard, Albert Gallatin Bai'ton, E. Benjamin Andrews, Daniel B. Pond, and their associates and succes- sors are hereby made a corporation by the name of Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, for the purpose of cherishing and maintaining- the institutions of American freedom, and pei'petuating the spirit and mem- ory of the deeds of the patriots who achieved American in- dependence, with all the powei's and privileges and subject to all the duties and liabilities set forth in Chapter 152 of the Public Statutes and in any acts in amendment thereof or in addition thereto. [ 16 ] Sec. 2. Said Corporation may take, hold, transmit, and convey real and personal estate to an amount not exceeding- twenty-five thousand dollars. Sec. 3. This act shall take effect immediately. A true copy. [seal.] Attest : GEORGE H. UTTER, Secretary of Stnie. GEORGE CORLIS NIGHTINGALE, Vice-Pkesident. BY-LAA\ S RHODE ISLAND SOCIETY SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. ARTICLE I. OBJECTS OF THE SOCIETY. The purposes of tliis Society are i)atriotic and social ; to cherisli and maintain among ourselves and our descendants and in the community the institutions of American freedom ; to perpetuate tlie sj^irit and memory of the deeds of the pa- triots who achieved American Independence and who secured to us the blessings of liberty ; to promote the fitting celebra- tion of anniversaries commemorating the events connected with the War of the American Revolution ; to collect and preserve documents and relics relating to said war ; and to promote social intercourse and fellowship among its mem- bers now and hereafter. ARTICLE II. ELIGIBILITY. Any man shall be eligible to membership in this Society who, being at least twenty-one years old and a citizen of good repute in the community, is the lineal descendant of an an- cestor who was at all times unfailing in his loyalty to and 3 [ 18] rendered actual service in the cause of American Independ- ence, either as an officer, soldier, seaman, marine, militiaman, or minute-man in the armed forces of the Continental Con- gress, or in any one of the several Colonies or States ; or as a signer of the Declaration of Independence ; or as a member of a Committee of Safety or Correspondence ; or as a member of any Continental, Provincial, or Colonial Legislature ; or as a civil officer, either of one of the Colonies or States or of the National Government ; or as a recognized patriot who jjer- formed actual service by overt acts of resistance to the authority of Great Britain. ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP. All applications for membership in this Society shall be in duplicate, upon blank forms furnished by the Society, and each application shall be accompanied by the membership fee, which shall be returned if the applicant is not accepted. Such ai)plications shall be submitted to the Registrar for ex- amination and shall be reported by him to the Board of Managers. The aj)plicant shall become a member of the Society when his application shall have been approved by the Board of Managers and bj^ the Registrar General and when he shall have subscribed to the Cliarter and By-Laws. ARTICLE IV. FEES AND DUES. The membership fee shall be one dollar and the yearly dues shall be two dollars. The payment of fifty dollars by a member at any one time shall constitute him a life membei", and he shall thereafter be exempt from the payment of an- nual dues ; and any amount so received shall be set aside and invested as a permanent fund, the income only to be used for such purposes as the Board of Managers shall determine. Annual dues shall be paid to the Secretary on or before the [ If' ] 22d day of February in each year, but members joining the Society during the last quarter of the year ending February 21st shall not be liable for the pajnnent of dues for the year preceding. The Secretary shall notify any member nine months in arrears, and non-payment of dues within three months thereafter shall be regarded as terminating the mem- bership of such person unless he shall present a satisfactory excuse acceptable to the Board of Managers. ARTICLE V. MEETINGS. A meeting of the Society for the election of officers and other business shall be held annually in the city of Provi- dence, on the 22d day of February at 12 o'clock, noon, at such place as may be designated by the Board of Managers. Upon the completion of such business as shall be appropriate to the annual meeting, it shall adjourn, and the adjourned meeting of the Society shall be held on the same day, or some other day, at a iilace which shall be provided by the Board of Managers, where a dinner shall be served, at which the newly elected President shall preside. Included in the exercises attending the annual dinner shall be a toast, " To the Patriots of the American Revolution." Whenever the 22d of February shall fall on Sunday, the annual meeting shall be held on the following day. The Society shall hold at least one meeting in each year for the purpose of celebrating some event in Revolutionary His- tory, at such time and place and in such manner as may be determined by the Board of Managers. At an}' meeting of the Society a quorum shall consist of ten members. Special meetings of the Societj' may be called by the Presi- dent, and shall be called by him when directed so to do by the Board of Managers, or whenever so requested in writing by at least fifteen members. Thereupon the Secretary shall mail to each member a notice of such meeting and of the business to come before it, at least forty-eight hours before such meeting. [ 20 ] The following sliall be the order of business at the annual meeting : 1. Reading and approving the reeoi'd of the last annual meeting. 2. The President's annual address. 3. The Secretary's annual report. 4. The Treasurer's annual report. 5. The Registrar's annual i-eport. G. The reports of Committees. 7. The election of Officers, Delegates, and Alternates. 8. Unfinished business. 9. New business. ARTICLE VI. OFFICERS. The officers of this Society shall consist of a Pi-esident, Vice- President, Secretary', Treasurer, Registrar, Historian, Chap- lain, Poet, and the Delegates to the National Society. These Officers and the Alternate Delegates shall be elected by ballot by a majority of the members voting at the annual meeting, and they shall hold office for one j'ear, or until Iheii' succes- sors are duly elected. ARTICLE VII. PRESIDENT. The President, or, in his absence, the Vice-President, or, in the absence of both President and Vice-President, the Chair- man 2jro tern, shall preside at all meetings of the Society and of the Board of Managers and shall have the casting vote. The presiding officer shall preserve order and shall decide all questions of order subject to appeal to the meeting. He shall present an address in writing at the annual meeting at the end of his term of office. The President and Vice-President shall not be eligible for re-election as Iheir own successors. [ 21 ] ARTICLE VIII. SECRETARY. Tlie Secretaiy shall receive all money from the members ami shall pay it over to the Treasurer, taking his receipt for the same. He shall conduct the general correspondence of the society. He shall notify members of their election to membership and to office, and of such other matters as the Society may direct. He shall have charge of the seal and such records of the Society as are not herein given especially in charge to the other officers of the Society, and together with the presiding officer he shall certify all acts and orders of the Society. He shall, under the direction of the President or the i:)residing officer, give notice of the time and place of all meetings of the Society and of the Board of Managers and shall attend the same. He shall keep accurate reports of the meetings of the Society and of the Board of Managers. He shall give such notice of the votes, orders, and proceedings of the Society and of the Board of Managers as they shall direct, and he shall submit a report in writing at each annual meet- ing. As a guide to the Board of Managers in admitting new members, the Secretary shall make known to all members of the Society all applications for membership at least ten daj^s before the meeting of the Board, when such applications sliall be acted upon, and shall request all members to make known any reason for the non-acceptance of any application, stating that such communication shall be regarded as confidential. ARTICLE IX. TREASURER. The Treasurer shall deposit all money received by him in bank in the name of the Society, and all money received for the Society shall be paid over to him monthly. He shall make payments therefrom only for the benefit of the Society, and in such sums as the Society or Board of Managers shall direct or upon the order of the Secretarj' countersigned by the Pi-esi- [ 22 ] dent. He shall keep a true account of his receipts and dis- bursements, and at each annual meeting he shall make a full report to the Society. The books of the Secretary and Treas- urer shall at all times be open to the inspection of the Presi- dent and Board of Managers and Auditing Committee. ARTICLE X. REGISTRAR. The Registrar shall examine all applications and proofs of membership and shall report his opinion thereon to the Board of Managers. He may return imperfect and incorrect appli- cations to the applicant for completion or correction. He shall forward to the Registrar General one copy of such appli- cations as have been approved by him and accepted by the Board of Managers, and he shall preserve one copy in the files in his office, making record of the same in a book prepared for that purpose ; and from time to time he shall have the originals suitably bound for preservation. He shall have the custo3j h4 <* ' ■, V ^■- >». 1 v^ ^ ^ ■ r ■^ Ni N \ X ^ ¥: - ► V^, X > K '•^ [ 50 ] State Regiment ; July 27, 17S(), commissioned Major of Col- onel John Jacobs' Massachusetts State Regiment. (0. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Arthur Preston Sumner, great-great-grandson. Joshua Clarke, of Richmond, R. I. ; served in Revolu- tionary War as private in Ensign John Larkin's Division, in Captain Jonathan Maxon's Companj^ Colonel Dyer's Regi- ment ; ordered on duty b}'' Governor Nicholas Cook, Novem- ber 8, and continued in service to December 8, 1777. {Archives of the State of Rhode Istand.) Edwin Knowles, Jr., great-great-grandson. Richard Cole, of Foster, R. I. ; Ensign in Fourth Com- pany of Scituate, R. I., 1781 ; Ensign of Second Company of Foster, R. I., 1784. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Joseph Carpenter Wheaton Cole, great-grandson. Ariel Cook, of Cumberland, R. I. ; enlisted July, 1775, for four months as private under Captain Elisha Waterman ; September, 1776, served three months as private under Cap- tain Williams ; September, 1777, served one month as private under Captain Amos Whipple ; August, 1778, served one month under Captain Amos Whipple ; August, 1780, served one month as private. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Charles Nourse Cook, great-great-grandson. Nathaniel Cook, of Cumberland ; in June, 1776, he served as a private in Rhode Island in a company of minute-men commanded by Colonel George Peck, and in the fall of that year served one month as private in Colonel Peck's Company; in October, 1776, he enlisted on board the frigate "Alfred" of the Continental navy, John Paul Jones commander, the ship then lying at Holmes Hole ; upon putting to sea she cruised to the eastward and took several prizes, one of which was [ <50] the British ship "Mellish," having on board eleven thousand stand of arms and tlie same number of uniforms destined for the Britisli army ; his service on the " Alfred " covered a period of seven months; in October, 1777, he was a member of Colonel Geoi-ge Peck's Comijany in Spencer's expedition against the British on Rhode Island, and in December fol- lowing he served in the same company one month at War- wick ; in August, 1778, he participated in Sullivan's expedi- tion against Rhode Island, serving one month and taking part in the battle of Rhode Island. {O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Frank Adolphus Williamson, great-great-grandson. Ananias Cooke, of Smithfield, R, I. ; private in Captain Amos Whiijple's Company, in Colonel John Matthewson's Regiment, Second Division, August and September, 1778. {Oriqinal muster-roll in private collection of Fred A. Arnold, Esq.) ■ John Edwin Kendrick, great-grandson. 'VO ft P L > 'Sr^ Charles Cooke, of ; private in Colonel ^l^ ^^ Tophtim' i o Rliodo Island Rogimont i '^h ( .1 .v7. ."i^^c r.yih,? f^inin nf T?L,uln Trlfiud'^ ^fSXt^ Tduj^ ^"t w PiiiLir CoLLiND Sheldon, grotit groat grandoon il P«*i3tuuj»J^ Nicholas Cooke, of Providence; he was Deputy Gov- JK ^ j^ ernor of the Colon .. (Vh^v^K jj^Q^^yiy elected Governor of Rhode Island when Joseph #J5 a" ji ernor of the Colony of Rhode Island, and was unani- fft^M, "VK v*»^j^\Yj^j-,^qj-^ ^,^g suspended fi-om the office of Governor of Rhode ^*'*** , ' Island for his Torj^ sentiments. X(^ yf^ (^. I- Colonial Records.) ' AJWnl^^'H *V Henry Williams Cooke, great-great-grandson. • iL. \^^(#\ Stephen Cooper, of Glocester, R. I.; was private in Captain ' James Parker's Company in Colonel Archibald Crary's Regi- ment, from June 0, 1778, to September 16, 1778; served through the war ; at close of the war he was elected Ensign of Com- [ 61 ] pany of light Infantry in the town of Glocester, in May, 17S;i. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Hunter Carson White, great-great-graiKlson. Paris Corey, of West Greenwich, R. I.; served three years and nine months, most of the time as private in Captain Eben- ezer Macoraber's Company in Colonel Jeremiah Olney's Regi- ment. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Frank Irving Hammond, great-grandson. George Corlis, of Providence ; member of the committee " to see that the association entered into b}^ the Continental Congress be strictly adhered to by all persons within this (Providence) town." December, 1774. (JR. I. Colonial Records.) George Corlis Nightingale, great-great-grandson. William Greene Nightingale, great-great-grand- son. Benjamin Cranston, of Warren, R. I. ; Quartermaster on the galley "Spitfire," Captain Joseph Crandall; private in the army, served a period of thi'ee years in both branches of the service. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) William Abel Cranston, great-grandson. Samuel Cranston, of Newport, R. I. ; served as Sergeant in the Rhode Island troops. Revolutionary War, for two years, a part of the time under Colonel Jeremiah Olney. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island. O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Frank Hill Cranston, great-grandson. Daniel Daggett, of Attleboro, Mass. ; Sergeant in Captain Jabez Ellis' Company of minute-men, January 5th, 1776 ; private in Captain Elisha May's Company, Militia, August [ G2 ] 23, 1778 ; Lieutenant in Captain Enocli Robinson's Company, July 31, 1780; private in Captain Sam. Robinson's Company, Colonel Dean's Regiment, in Rhode Island, March 6, 1781 ; of Captain Moses Wilmarth's Comj^any, Massachusetts Regi- ment, in 1781. {Archives of the CommonweaUh of Massachusetts, Boston, Mass.) Charles Henry French, great-great-grandson. Ellas Dart, of Bolton, Conn. ; who enlisted April 1, 1782, in Captain Durkee's Company ; taken prisoner by the British, and discharged April 1, 1783. {Connecticut Men in the Revolution.) Daniel Russell Brown, grandson. Henry Martin Brown, grandson. Joshua Davis, of North Kingstown, R. I. ; Major of 2d Regiment, Kings County, R. I. {E. I. Colonial Records.) Jeffrey Davis, great-grandson. Benjamin Damon, of Amherst, N. H.; private in the army of the Revolution. {Damon Memorial, page 38.) Edward Allen Swain, great-grandson. Nathaniel Day, Jr., of Rhode Island ; private in Captain Anthony Potter's Company in Colonel Mathewson's Regi- ment, in the expedition against Rhode Island, August 22 to 31, 1778; served also in Captain William Lawless' Company in Colonel Archibald Crary's Regiment, from Maj" IG to Aug- ust 16, 1778. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Albert Greene Bates, great-grandson. Enos Dean, of Taunton, Mass. ; in December, 177G, served 22 daj's as Commander of a detachment of guards to prevent 11^ I * ^ I' § b •^^a, ^ s C5S ^ a. ^ ^ 'i) S" C «5 ^a [ 63 ] Highlanders (prisoners) from escaping- from Taunton jail, upon alarm of December 8, 1776 ; private in Caj)tain James Cooper's Company in Colonel Gamaliel Bradford's Regiment, from February 14, 1777, until arrival at Bennington, March 14, 1777 ; he also appears as having joined the above Com- pany, April 1, 1777, and to have been mustered in Februarj^ 1,1778; appears also as Sergeant, upon the roll of the 4th Com pan}', Captain James Cooper, Colonel Bradford's Regi- ment, from February 4, 1777, to December 31, 1779, and marched to Bennington, and on another roll from January 1, 1780, to February 14, 1780; discharged from service December 17, 1780, the roll on which this appears being dated at the "Hutts near West Point." {Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) Isaac Lewis Gopp, great-grandson. Gilbert Denison, of ; private in Captain William Stanton's Company of the 8tli Regiment of Con- necticut Militia, August 6, 1780. (Connecticut Men in the Revolution.) Walter Boradel Vincent, great-grandson. Isaac Denison, of Stonington, Conn. ; served from 1775- 1781 as a member of Committee of Correspondence and Pub- lic Safety, and was an active patriot. {Connecticut Men in the Revolution. '■^Record of the de- scefidants of Capt. George Denison.^'') Rev. Frederic Denison, grandson. Edward Payson Denison, great-grandson (deceased). John D'WoIf, of Bristol, R. I. ; served as private in Rhode Island troops in the Revolutionary War ; under Captain Carr and Colonel Nathan Miller, and also on the letter of marque " Patty " and the brig " Sally." (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) John Halsey De Wolf, great-grandson. John Winthrop De Wolf, great-great-grandson. [ 64 ] Anthony Dyer, of Cranston, R. I.; in January, 1776, he was enrolled in the troop of light horse called the Captain Gen- eral's Cavaliers, Colonel Benjamin Slack, and was appointed First Sergeant, serving in said capacity until July 14, 1777, when he was honorably discharged ; this organization per- formed many tours of duty as a body and in detachment, being located at Point Judith, Tower Hill, and along both shores of Narragansett Bay ; in September, 1776, was ordered to his troop on the island of Rhode Island, where he served six weeks ; from thence he was ordered to Tower Hill, where he served five weeks ; from there he was ordered to Point Judith, where the troop was located when the British landed at Newport ; this troop was largel}' occupied in carrying dis- patches on occasions of alarm. (O. W. & N. Div., Peusioii Bureau.) Elisha Dyer, great-grandson. Hezekiah Anthony Dyer, great-great-grandson. Daniel Eames, of Haverhill, Mass. ; loaned money to the town for the purpose of paying soldieis. {History of Haverhill.) George Eames Barstow, great-great-grandson. Samuel Eames, of Haverhill, Mass. ; belonged to First Company of the town of Haverhill, Mass. ; loaned money to the town for the purpose of i^aying soldiers. {History of Haverhill.) George Fames Barstow, great-great-great-great- grandson. Ithamar Eaton, of Weare, N. H. ; private in Captain John Hale's Company in Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Gerrish's Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, in General Gates' Sar- atoga Campaign, September 2!) to October 25, 1777 ; Ensign in Captain Aaron (Juimby's Company in Colonel Moses Kelly's Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, in General Sullivan's army on Rhode Island, August 6 to August 27, [ (^5 ] 1778; Lieutenant, 1780; Major of Second Battalion,- New Hampshire Militia, 1792 ; Colonel, New Hampshire Militia, 1800. {Archives of the Commomuealth of Massachusetts.) William Eaton Foster, great-grandson. Noah Eaton, of Framingham, Mass. ; Third Sergeant iii Captain Simon Edgels Company which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, to Concord and Cambridge; served 14 days ; Corporal in Captain Walter McFarland's Company in Colonel Cyprian How's (Middlesex) Regiment, enlisted Julj^ 24, 1780, discharged October 30, 1780, served three months and ten days ; this company was raised to re-inforce the Continental army for three months and was stationed in Rhode Island ; also Sergeant in Captain John Haj^ward's Company in Col- onel Webb's Regiment, entered August 21, 1781, discharged December 1, 1781, served three months ; company raised to re-inforce the Continental army for three months. {Archives of the Conwionwealth of Massachusetts.) Amasa Mason Eaton, great-great-grandson. Amasa Mason Eaton, Jr., great-great-great-grandson. William Bunnell Eaton, great-great-great-grand- son. Gershom Eccleston, of North Stonington, Conn. ; private in Captain Christopher Brown's Militia Company, Colonel Oliver Smith's Regiment, 1778 ; March, 1778, joined Captain Benjamin Clark's Company at Fort Griswold ; was in con- tinual service until July 25, 1778, when he was discharged ; July 30, 1778, was drafted and joined Captain Richard Hewitt's Company, in New London, in General Tyler's Bri- gade ; served there till his discharge, March 1, 1779. (O. W. & N. Die, Pension Bureau.) Alvin Herbert Eccleston, M. D., great-grandson. Barnard Eddy, of Providence; at the outbreak of the War ■J [ ««^ ] of the Revolution his services were in constant demand ; soon after the Concord and Lexington fight, in anticipation of an attempt on the part of the British to march toward Providence, by vote of the town, he was appointed with others as watch, for the better protection of the town from surprise or attack ; his name appears for three nights ; Sep- tember 6, 1775, he was appointed on a committee to report a list of men's names, guns, baj^onets, cartridges, cartridge boxes, flints, powder and balls, swords and pistols, in the hands of the inhabitants of Providence ; at a town meeting held October 25, 1775, a committee was appointed "To direct where and in what manner, fortifications shall be made upon the hill to the southward, of the house of William Field, at Field's Point;" these works were immediately built, and Captain Barnard Eddj^ superintended their consti'uction ; this fort is now well preserved and is called Fort Independ- ence. (See plate.) (Providence Town Papers. Revolutionary Defences in Rhode Island. Field.) Charles Lemuel Nichols, great-great-grandson. William Eddy, of Rehoboth, Mass ; a soldier in the Revo- lutionary War, and was allowed a pension for seven mouths' service in the Rhode Island troops ; a part of the time he served under Captain James Hill and Colonel Walker. (0. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Augustus Osborne Bourn, great-grandson. William Eddy, of Providence, R. I. ; in May, 1775, served one month as a private at Cambridge in Captain Smith's Company, Colonel Gridlej^'s Regiment of Artiller}- ; in Julj^ 177G, served two months as private in Crown Point and Lake Champlain exi)editions, in Captain Barnard Eddy's Company of Rhode Island Militia, under General Spencer ; October, 1777, served two months as private in Captain James Hill's Company, Colonel Walker's Regiment of Massachusetts [ 67] Militia, and was in Spencer's expedition ; in May, 1777, served one month at Bristol in same company, and in Aug- ust, 1778, served one month in same company, in Sullivan's expedition, and was detached to boat service under Captain Eddy. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Frederick Willard Easton, great-grandson. James Eldredge, of Stonington, Conn. ; May 1, 1775, was 1st Lieutenant of 3d Company, Connecticut troops ; July 1st, 1775, Captain; discharged December 10, 1775; in 1776, in 10th Continental Regiment, Colonel Parsons ; after siege of Boston marched under Washington to New York and assisted in fortifying the city ; in battle of Long Island, August 29 ; caught in the panic in retreat from New York, September 15 ; with the armj^ at Wliite Plains, October 28 ; remained in vicinity of Peekskill under General Heath till December 31, 1776; in 1st Regiment, Connecticut line, 1777 and 1778; took the field at Peekskill in spring of 1777, and remained there till ordered under General McDougall to Washington's army in Pennsylvania, September, 1777; engaged in battle of Germantown, October 4 ; wintered at Valley Forge in Hun- tington's Brigade during winter of 1777-78 ; in service from May, 1775, to January 2, 1778. {Connecticut Men in the RevoJution.) RoLFE March Lyman, great-grandson. James Henry Eldredge, M. D., grandson (deceased). James Elliot, of Gloucester, Mass. ; was a marine and soldier in Revolutionary War ; Corporal in Captain Reuben Sibley's Company, Colonel Jacob Davis' Regiment ; served at Rhode Island ; enlisted July 30, 1780 ; discharged August 7, 1780. {A Sketch of tlie Eliot Family, by Walter Graeme Eliot, New York City, 1887.) William Cow^per Elliot, great-grandson. [ 68 ] Ephraim Emerson, of Rehoboth, Mass. ; private in Cap- tain Jolm Fuller's Company, Colonel Bradford's Fourteenth Massachusetts Regiment, June 5, 1780 ; at Springfield, N. J., and West Point, N. Y., in Simeon Cole's Company, Colonel Dean's Regiment, Massachusetts Continental line, March 6, 1781 ; re-enlisted April 18, 1781, and served until surrender at YorktoM^n. {Archives of the Comniomuealth of Massachusetts.) Edward Dexter Morris, great-grandson. Nathaniel Fales, of Bristol, R. I. ; Deputy from town of Bristol in General Assembly and member of Committee of Safety. (i?. I. Colonial Records.) Charles Fales Ballou, great-grandson (deceased.) Walter Fanning, of Stonington, Conn.; enlisted in the Continental army on the call for troops. May 9, 1775 ; he was discharged with the rest at the end of enlistment, December 15, 1775 ; the Gth Regiment, Colonel Samuel Holden Parsons, was recruited from New Loudon, Hartford, and present Middlesex counties ; remained on duty at New London until June, when the regiment was ordered to the Boston camps, in Roxbury, by the Governor's Council ; remained there till the term of service expired. {Connecticat Men in the Revolution.) Francis Wayland Miner, Jr., great-great-grandson. Amos Farnsworth, of Groton, Mass. ; private in Captain Heni-y Farwell's Company, Colonel William Prescott's Regi- ment, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, from Groton, service six days ; Corporal in Captain Farwell's Com- pany, Colonel William Prescott's Regiment ; enlisted April 25, 1775, service 98 days ; Ensign in Colonel Jonathan Reed's Regiment, in 177G-1777 ; 1st Lieutenant in Captain William Swan's Company of Matrosses of the (5th Middlesex County Regiment, commissioned October 19, 1778 ; joined company of minute-men in 1774, at Groton, under Captain Henry Far- [ G9 ] well and served from Concord to Bunker Hill, when he was wounded, and furloughed till September ; he was in continu- ous service until the end of the war ; at Ticonderoga, in 1776 ; in New Jersey under Washington for some time in 1777, but served principally in his own State ; commissioned Major in July, 1704. (BuUer^s History of Groton. Greene's Groton Records. Archives of the Comvionwealth of Massachusetts.) John Prescott Farnsworth, great-grandson. Claude Joseph Farnsworth, great-grandson. Arthur Fenner, Jr. ; Member of the General Assembly which repealed the Act of Allegiance to the English Govern- ment, 1776 ; Governor of Rhode Island ; was prominent in the civil and military affairs of the State. {R. I. Colonial Records.) James Fenner Mallett, great-grandson. Richard Fenner, Jr., of Johnston, R. I. ; 1775, appointed by General Assembly of Rhode Island, Lieutenant of Johnston, 1st Company of Militia ; 1776, Captain of same ; 1778, Major of 1st Regiment of Militia, in the County of Providence; 1779, Major of same; 1779, Lieutenant-Colonel of same; 1780, Major of same; 1780, Lieutenant-Colonel of same. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Herbert Nicholas Fenner, great-great-grandson. John Field, of Providence, R. I. ; May 15, 1775, member of the watch ordered by the Town Council of Providence to give notice should any attempt be made by the British to attack the town, served three nights. {Providence Town Papers.) Arthur Webster Field, great-great-grandson. Edward Field, great-great-great grandson. Daniel Fish, of Dighton, Mass. ; private in Captain James Hill's Company, Colonel Williams' Regiment, served at Tiverton, R. I. ; enlisted September 29, 1777 ; discharged [ 70 J October 30, 1777 ; also was private in Captain Nathaniel Carpenter's Company, Colonel Tiiomas Carpenter's Regi- ment, for service at Rhode Island on the alarm of December 8, 1776; marched from Relioboth, Mass., to Bristol, R. I., enlisted December 8, 1776, and served 14 days. {Archives of the Common wealtJi of Massachusetts.) Harold Crins Field, great-great-great-grandson. Moses Foster, Sr., Ipswich, Mass., and Milford, N. H. ; private in Captain Abraham How's Massachusetts Company on occasion of Lexington alarm, April 19-20, 1775 ; in Clen- eral Snlli van's arni}^ on Rhode Island, Januarj^ 10, 1778, to January 1, 1779. {Archives of the Commomvealth of Massachusetts.) William Eaton Foster, great-grandson. Timothy Foster, of Walpole, Mass. ; Sergeant in Captain Nathaniel Healy's Company, Colonel Ebenezer Larned's Regiment, wliich marched on alarm of April 19, 1775, six daj's' service; Ensign in same comjjany, April 24, 1775, had three and a half months' service ; 2d Lieutenant in Captain William Carter's Company, 5th Worcester County Regiment, commissioned April 4, 1776 ; Lieutenant in Captain Natlianiel Healy's Company, Colonel Jonathan Ilolman's Regiment, at Rliode Island, on the alarm of December, 1776 ; served 21 days ; Lieutenant in Massachusetts Regiment, Colonel Jona- than Holman's Company, September 26, 1777 ; served 30 days; 2d Lieutenant in Colonel Jonathan Holman's 5th Wor- cester County Regiment ; commissioned September 25, 1778. {Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) Frederick Dickman Carr, great-great-grandson. Aaron Francis, of Beverly, Mass. ; Corporal in Captain Ebenezer Francis' Company, Colonel Mansfield's Regiment, August 1, 1775, enlisted May 4, 1775, served three months and five days ; Corporal in same company, October 6, 1775 ; Quartermaster in Colonel Ebenezer Francis' Regiment, Feb- ruary 3, 1777 ; Quartermaster in Colonel Benjamin Tupper's [ 71 ] Massachusetts RegimeDt at Valley Forge, April 8, 1778 ; En- sign and Quartermaster in same regiment from January 1, 1777, to December 31, 1779 ; promoted to Lieutenant and commissioned July 4, 1780 ; Lieutenant and Acting Quarter- master in Colonel Benjamin Tupper's Regiment from Jan- uary 1, 1780, to December 31, 1780 ; Lieutenant in same regiment from January 1, 1781, to January 1, 1782 ; also served from January 1, 1778, three months and fifteen days; reported resigned, April 16, 1782. (Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) Ebenezer Charles Francis, great-grandson. Abraham Fuller, of Colchester, Conn. ; Captain ; was present with company at the " Danbury Raid," April 25-28, 1777, at New York ; marched August 22 ; discharged Septem- ber 30, 1776. {Connecticut Men in the Revolution.) Henry Brayton Rose, great-great-grandson. Benadam Gallup, of Groton, Conn.; Major and Commander of a regiment of Connecticut Militia. [Connecticut Men in the Bevolution.) Rev. Frederick Denison, grandson. Paris Gardiner, of South Kingstown, R. I. ; Adjutant in Colonel Sands' Regiment, 1777 ; Captain Second Company South Kingstown Division, State Militia, 1779, 1780. [R. I. Colonial Records.) Edwin Perkins Anthony, great-great-grandson. David Gifford, of Dartmouth, Mass. ; June, 1775, Lieu- tenant First Company of Militia, Portsmouth ; February, 1776, Captain First Company of Militia in Portsmouth ; also Captain of same, May, 1776 ; December, 1776, proceeded with flag of truce to Rhode Island, under direction of the Gov- ernor ; May, 1777-1780-1781, appointed Deputy from Ports- mouth ; August, 1777, Lieutenant of Major Monroe's Cora- [ 72 ] pany : July, 1780, aijpointecl from Portsmouth to receive recruits. (R. I. Colonial Be cords.) William Thomas Church Wardwell, great-grand- son. Obadiah Gill, of ; enlisted at Brattle- boro, Vt., August, 1775, for eight months, with Captain Har- vey, of Montague, Mass., in Colonel Brewer's command at Charlestown, for siege of Boston ; in 177G volunteered for 12 months with Captain Aaron Haj'den in Colonel Asa Whit- comb's Regiment of Massachusetts ; was at Lake Champlain when Benedict Arnold's flotilla was destroyed ; discharged at Ticonderoga, N. Y. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) John Edward Studley, great-grandson. Nathan Goodale, of Brookfield, Mass. ; Major in the Massachusetts line in the army of the Revolution. (Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) William Maxwell Greene, great-grandson. Benjamin Gorton, of ; private in Captain Jeremiah Olney's Company, Colonel Hitchcock's Regiment, 1775, army of Observation. [CowelVs Spirit of ^76 in Bhode Island.) Christopher Francis Parkhurst, great-great-grand- son. Nathaniel Gove, of Preston, Conn. ; Second Lieutenant in 8th Connecticut Regiment, Colonel Huntington, 8th Com- l^any, commissioned July (J, 1775 ; First Lieutenant in 17th Continental, Connecticut, 1776 ; taken prisoner in battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776. {Becord of Connecticut Men in the Berolution.) William Smith Granger, great-grandson. LIEUT. NATHANIEL GOVE, First Lieutenant ITth Continental Infantry (Connecticut). [ 73 ] Thomas Gray, of Tiverton, R. I. ; Captain of one of the companies of the Army of Observation, raised in Newport and Bristol Connties, in June, 1775 ; at a meeting of the General Assembly of Rhode Island, held October 7, 1776, he was elected Lieutenant-Colonel of the 1st Regiment of Militia, of Rhode Island, for Bristol County. {Sjjirit of ""76 in Rhode Island. R. I. Colonial Records.) Hiram Burlingham, great-great-great-grandson. Christopher Greene, of Warwick, R. I. ; Member of Com- mittee of Public Safety ; one of the earliest commanders of the Kentish Guards, which corps he helped to organize in 1774 ; a volunteer in Sullivan's expedition to Rhode Island, in which he occupied an honorable command under his brother. General Nathanael Greene ; member of State Con- vention which ratified the Constitution of the United States. {R. I. Colonial Records.) William Chace Greene, great-grandson. William Maxwell Greene, grandson. Jacob Greene, of Warwick, R. I. ; 1775, member of Com- mittee of Safety from Kent County, R. I.; member of General Assembly from May, 1771, to May, 1777 ; in 1776 aided in securing passage of the act, repealing act of allegiance to the king, and in February, 1777, was appointed Math another to go to Baltimore to receive monej" due Rhode Island from the Continental treasury ; March 27, 1778, w^as appointed Com- missary of Purchases by Major General Nathanael Greene. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Harris Smith Inman, great-grandson. Joseph Greene, of East Greenwich, R. I. ; Sergeant in Colonel Fry's Rhode Island Regiment, having entered the service at the commencement of the war, and rendered twenty-two months and twenty-seven days actual service ; served in the Kentish Guards. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Frederick Fillmore Gladding, great-grandson. 10 [ 74] William Greene, Jr., of Warwick ; member of Committee for Measures of Safetj^ October, 1775 ; member of Legis- lature repealing act of allegiance to Great Britain, May, 1776 ; First Associate Justice of Superior Court, August, 177G; Chief Justice, May, 1777 ; member of Council of War, Decem- ber 10, 1776 ; Commissioner to meet commissioners from the other colonies, December, 1777 ; Governor of Rhode Island, May, 1778-1786 ; member of Electoral College that elected George Washington president of the United States, October, 1792. (R. I. Colonial Records.) William Greene Roelker, great-great-grandson. William Greene Nightingale, great-great-grand- sou. George Corlis Nightingale, great-great-grandson. Aaron Guild, of Dedham, Mass.; Ensign in Captain Fales' Compan}^ of Colonel Nichol's Regiment of Foot; also Cap- tain in same company ; member of Committee of Safety, 1774 ; Muster Master, 1775 ; member of Committee to Make Provision for the Families of Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, 1779 ; of Committee of Correspondence and Safety, 1780-1781 ; Major in Colonel William Heath's Regi- ment on the alarm of April 19, 1775 ; served 16 days ; chosen 1st Major of Colonel William Mcintosh's (1st Suffolk County) Regiment, by the Legislature of Massachusetts, February 14, 1776. {Genealogy of the Guild Family, Burleigh, 18S7. Archives of the Commonwecdth of Massachusetts.) Reuben Aldrige Guild, great-grandson (deceased.) Joseph Guild, of Dedham, Mass.; Captain of Company of minute-men ; member of the Committee of Safety ; Muster Master, 1775; a Selectman and Representative; authorized to enlist soldiers bj^ the following order : "In Committee of Safety Cambridge 24 April 1775 To Mr. Joseph Guild, Sir: You are hereby empowered immediately to enlist a company to consist of b^) able bodied and effective men including ser- [75] geants as soldiers in the Massachusetts service for the pre- servation of American Liberty and cause them to pass muster as soon as possible Jas Warren Chairman " {Archives of the CommonweaWi of Massachusetts.) Henry Taft Guild, great-great-grandson. Asaph Hall, of Wallingford, Conn. ; raised troops for the war ; 1st Lieutenant with his company' at taking of Fort Ticonderoga b}^ Colonel Ethan Allen ; member of State Legislature ; Captain of Militia ; member of convention whicli adopted the Federal Constitution, 1788 ; 1st Lieuten- ant, 4th Connecticut Continental Line, 2d Battalion, General Wooster's Regiment, 1777 ; Captain, Colonel Sheldon's Regi- ment, 2d State Battalion, 1779 ; member of General Court of Connecticut, 1773-97. {Archives of the State of Connecticut.) Charles Edward Vere Kennon, great-grandson. Samuel Hamlin, of Middletown, Conn. ; a signer of "The Declaration of the Citizens of Providence/' of August 5, 1776 ; Lieutenant of the 2d Providence Company (Lewis Peck, Cap- tain), First Regiment, Providence Militia, of which John Mathewson was Colonel in 1778, and Amos Atwell in 1779. {R. I. Colonial Records. Providence Town Papers.) Edward Bowen Hamlin, great-grandson.' '5 to' Robert Harrison, of ; private in Colonel Israel Angell's 2d Rhode Island Regiment in 1777-78-79 and 80 ; in 1781-82 and 83 of Colonel Christopher Greene's and Colonel Jeremiah Olney's 1st Rhode Island Regiment; served through the war, and participated in battles of Red Bank, N. J., October 22, 1777; Monmouth, N. J., June 28, 1778; Springfield, N. J., June 23, 1780; and Yorktown, Va., October ' Edward Bowen Hamlin is also the great-grandson of Isaac Bowen, of Providence whose services are stated on page 49. t 7G] 19, 1781; enlisted from town of Johnston, R. I., in March, 1777 ; discharged from army, June 3, 1783. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) George Arnold Harrison, great-grandson. Josiah Harvey, of East Haddam, Conn. ; Surgeon's Mate in Captain John Fellow's Eegiment ; engaged, June 8, 1775 ; served one month and twenty-seven days ; Captain of Berk- shire Company, same regiment, and acted as Surgeon's Mate. {Archives of the Coininonwealth of Massachusetts.) Edwin Bates Harvey, M. D., great-grandson. Elias Hasbrouck, of Kingston, Ulster County, New York ; Captain of the Ninth Company of the Third Regi- ment of New York, Colonel James Clinton, June 20, 1775, with General Montgomerj^ at Quebec. {History of Kingston^ hy Marius Schooninalier. American Ancestry, Munsell, Vol. VI.) Sayer Hasbrouck, M. D., great-grandson. John Hastings, of Cambridge; entered the army, 1775; Captain, May 25, 1777, in Henry Jackson's Regiment, IGth Massachusetts, called the Boston Regiment, and partici- pated in the engagement at Monmouth, Quaker Hill, and Springfield, N. J. ; in Colonel John Brooks' Regiment, 7th Massachusetts, in 1783. {Memorial Volume of the Massachusett Society of the Cin- cinnati.) Henry Maitland Gibson, great-grandson. John Henshaw, of Newport, R. I. ; Second Lieutenant in Captain John Warner's Company, Colonel Robert Elliott's Regiment of Artillery, March IG, 1779 ; served two years. (O. W. (& N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Alfred Eugene Cady, great-grandson. Lew^is Edgar Cady, great-grandson. E8EK HOPKINS, Commander-in-Chief op the American Navy, 1775. [ 77 ] David Holmes, of Woodstock, Conn. ; Surgeon in Colonel John Chandler's Sth Regiment, Connecticut Line Formation, 1777-1781; Captain in French and Indian war, 1757-1758- 1759, [Connecticut Men in the Revolution.) Hardin Chester Waters, great-great-grandson. Nehemiah Holt, of Windham, Conn. ; Sergeant in Cap- tain Dyer's Company of Colonel Durkee's Continental Regi- ment, and assisted in removing and melting into bullets the leaden statue of George III, at New York, in 177G ; was at the battle of Long Island and the skirmish of Harlem Heights ; in the retreat through New Jersey, and in the battles of Trenton and Princeton ; he was also for three months in the State ser- vice as 1st Sergeant, 5th Company, Colonel Hezekiah Wylly's Regiment, August 7, 1780, serving at Forts Trumbull and Griswold. {A Genealogical History of the Holt Family in the United States.) Charles Alfred Hammond, great-great-grandson. Esek Hopkins, of Providence, R. I. ; August, 1775, was appointed commander of the garrison at Fox Point, in Provi- dence, on a threatened attack by British ships; in October 1775, was appointed to the command of a force of six hun- dred men for special service, to repel a force from the British fleet on a foraging expedition to the island of Rhode Island in quest of live stock ; later in the same month he was ap- pointed, with Joseph Brown, to go through the Colony and decide what places should be fortified and in what manner; October 4, 1775, he was commissioned Brigadier-General by Governor Nicholas Cook; December 22, 1775, he was confirmed by Congress the Commander of the first naval fleet, organized and equipped by the colonies ; he sailed from Delaware Bay, February 17, 1776, made a descent on New Providence March o, and captured the forts, with a large amount of military stores and upwards of 100 cannon, with which he sailed for New England; April 4tli he captured the British schooner [ 78 ] 'Hawke," of six guns, Captain Wallace, and on the 5th the bomb brig " Bolton," of eight guns ; on the Gth he engaged the frigate "Glasgow," of 20 guns, and after an action of three hours she escaped into Newport under protection of the British squadron ; the records show that after his retire- ment from the navy he was constantly engaged in duties of a public nature. (Esek Hopkins, Commander-in-Chief of the American Navy, hi) Edward Field, Providence, 1898. B. I. Colonial Records.) Frederick Greene Hopkins, great-great-great-grand- son. Amos Micajah Hawkins, great-great-grandson. Asahel Simmons Hawkins, great-great-grandson. Samuel Hopkins, Jr., of West Greenwich, R.I. ; committee to make a list of persons in West Greenwich able to bear arms, March, 1777 ; committee from same town to procure blankets for soldiers, April, 1777 ; appointed Captain of First Com- pany of Militia of same town. May, 1779, and June, 1780 ; member of committee to receive recruits for said town, Jul}', 1780. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Charles Wyman Hopkins, great-great-grandson. Stephen Hopkins, of Providence ; Governor of Rhode Island, Chief Justice, Delegate to Congress, and member of Council of War ; one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Theodore Foster Tillinghast, grcat-great-great- grandson. Charles Foster Tillinghast, great-great-great- grandson. Ezekiel How, of Sudbury, Mass. ; in 1775 he was Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the Fourth Regiment of Middlesex County LIEUT. EZEKIEL HOW. Jr. {From an old paintinr/). [ 79 ] Militia ; May 10, 177(3, he was chosen by the Legislature Col- onel of the regiment and held his commission until Januar}^ 26, 1779, when he resigned ; he participated in the fight at the old North Bridge at Concord, April 19, 1775. (Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. History of Sudbury, Mass. Hudson, 1889. BenVs ''Wayside Inn.'') Amasa Mason Eaton, great-great-grandson. Am ASA Mason Eaton, Jr., great-great-great-grand- son. William Bunnell Eaton, great-great-great-grand- son. Ezekiel How, Jr., of Sudbury, Mass. ; private in Captain Moses Stone's Company ; Lieu- tenant, Colonel How's Regi- ment, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, from Sudbury ; Corporal in Cap- tain Jonathan Rice's Com- pany, Colonel Samuel Bullard's Regiment ; enlisted, August 17, 1777, served three months and twenty-four days ; this service was with the Northei'n army ; Watch formerly belonginjr to Lieutea- he participated iu the fight at ant Ezekiel How, Jr. 1 r^ j a •^ -it\ -t nn cf j Concord, April 19, 1775, under command of his father, Lieutenant-Colonel How. [Archives of the Conunonwealth of Massachusetts.) Amasa Mason Eaton, great-grandson. Amasa Mason Eaton Jr., great-great-grandson. William Bunnell Eaton, great-great-grandson. 'This watch was bouarht by Lieutenant Ezekiel How, Jr., of a captured British officer during: the campaijjn ending in Burgoyne's surrender. At the battle of Sara- toga, when the music stopped as the armies advanced to combat. Lieutenant How gave this watch to a companion, asking him to give it, if he fell iu battle, to his be- trothed, Sarah Read, of Sudbury, whom he afterwards married. He often used to relate the interesting scene when General Burgoyne, taking his sword by the point and offering the hilt to General Gates, surrendered his army. [ 80] Moses Howe, of Vermont ; received pay from the State of Vermont for conducting six British jirisoners from Brattle- boro to Castleton, by order of the Sheriff ; served four days as Lieutenant in Captain Squire Howe's Company of Horse, in the service of the State, to assist the Sheriffs at Guilford, in September, 1782, in Brigadier-General Fletcher's Brigade. {Archives of the State of Vermont.) Arthur Warren Howe, great-great-grandson. William Humphrey, of Swansey and Rehoboth, Mass. ; Lieutenant in Arnold's expedition to Canada, 1775, where he was taken prisoner and paroled, August 11, 1776 ; Captain in Colonel Israel Angell's Regiment, 1780 ; commissioned Major by General Washington ; participated in battles of Springfield and Yorktown ; member of the Societj^ of the Cincinnati. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) George Humphrey, grandson. Jabez Hyde, Jr., of Pomfret, Conn. ; served in Captain Jolin Perkin's Company', of Norwich, Conn., Colonel Jedediah Huntington's Regiment ; responded to Lexington alarm. {Connecticut Men in the Revolution.) James Helme Rickard, great-grandson, James Helme Rickard, Jr., great-great-grandson, William Jackson, of Goshen, Orange County, N, Y. ; Captain of id Company of Colonel Clinton's New Windsor Regiment, Orange County, N. Y., in 1775 ; later he was trans- ferred to Colonel Henry B. Livingston's Regiment ; one of a Committee of Safety and Observation, for Hanover Precinct, Orange County, N. Y., May 8, 1775. {Orange County History. Documentary History of Neiv York:) Theodore Peacock Bogert, great-great-grandson. John Jenckes, of Providence, R. L ; member of the Gen- eral Assembl}- from Providence, 1772-73-71:-75 ; from North 5 C^ ^ W X f ^ ^ §: V ^ ?- >^ N rv ^ ^ V N ri K-: ^. ?^ § ^ ^ ^^ \ ^ ^'1 X ^ .H ^^ x^ t K^^ I: r ^ rr ?^' ' Jifri K •^ \ ^^ % M^ f ^ i I ^- ^ S ^ X >■- N, - r .^: P3 ? H w •■3 o > w >-( o > 5 ? ■'•■ \ ^'" ^N^ :x.S |!r^ ; [ 81 ] Providence, 1779-80-81-82-83 ; from Providence again in 1785-8G-88-89 ; in January, 1774, was one of a committee to correspond with neighboring towns on all matters thought to effect the liberties of America; December, 1774, one of a committee to purchase powder, lead, and flints; October, 1775, one of a committee to act during the recess of the General Assemblj', upon any sudden emergencj", with full j)ower to act for the safetj^ of the Colonj' ; February, 177*5, one of a committee to erect a powder mill ; July, 1776, appointed a committee, with the Governor, to fit out a vessel to procure powder, arms, and warlike stores ; December, 1776, authorized to purchase goods which were brought into Providence on the prize vessel " Friendship," on the best terms possible on behalf of the government; May, 1777, authorized to deliver powder, lead, &c., to the towns of Westerly, South Kings- town, and Richmond; September, 1778, appointed, with the Hon. William Bradford, to take into their care and custody the ship "Aurora" and sloop "Diamond," with cargoes, and to sell the same to best advantage for the State ; May, 1779, chosen a member of the Council of War; February, 1780, one of a committee to lease out real estate taken possession of by the Colony ; May, 1780, member of the Council of War ; October, 1780, one of a committee to revise an act on Contin- ental bills ; January, 1781, one of a committee to prepare a bill to prevent the trade illicitly carried on with the enemy ; October, 1781, one of a committee to sell all the sugar in their possession belonging to the State; November, 1782, one of a committee to settle the accounts of the General Treasurer with the State ; February, 1783, one of a committee to burn bills of emission of the State ; June, 1783, one of a committee to enquire into the debt of the State ; December, 1783, one of a committee to draft an act relative to the issuing of certifi- cates ; February, 1784, one of a committee to examine certain pay rolls ; October, 1784, one of a committee to present the Address of Welcome of the General Assembly to the Marquis De Lafayette. {E. I. Colonial Records.) John Jenckes, great-grandson. 11 [ 82 ] Jeremiah Jenks, of Smithfield, R. I. ; in 1776 signed the "Association Test ;" Jnlj^ 24, 177G, he was chosen Lieutenant of the Newport, N. H., Volunteers, and left, June 9, 1777, to take part in the capture of Ticonderoga. {Genealogy of Jeul's Family of Newport, X. H.) Thomas Allen Jenckes, great-grandson. Thomas Johnson, of Newbury, Vermont ; Captain of Volunteers from Newbury, 1777 ; Colonel and Aid to Gen- eral Lincoln at Ticonderoga; captured by the British and held as a prisoner in Canada, 1781 ; paroled October 5, 1781, and subscribed to the following parole : "I Lieut Col John- son now at St Johns, do hereby pledge my faith and word of honor to his excellency Gen. Holdimand whose permisssion I have obtained to go home, that I shall not do or saj^ anything contrary to his Majestys interest or government ; and that whenever required so to do I shall repair to whatever i)lace his excellency or any other his majesty's commander-in-chief in America shall judge expedient to order, until I shall be legally exchanged and such other person as shall be agreed upon sent in my place, given under my hand at St. John's the fifth day of October one thousand seven hundred and eighty-one Col Thomas Johnson " {History of Coos County, by Rev. Grant Powers, A. M., 1840.) Wendell Phillips Hale, great-grandson. Barnabas Jones, of Providence, R. L; private in Captain Aaron llaynes' Company, Colonel Asa Whitcomb's Regiment, in camp at Ticonderoga, December 1, 1776 ; enlisted, May 1, 1776 ; time of service, seven months ; discharged August 1, 1776 ; private in Captain Aaron Haynes' Company, Colonel Asa Whitcomb's Regiment, in camp at Ticonderoga, Decem- ber 1, 1776 ; enlisted, August 30, 1776 ; time of service, three months, one day ; reported on command at the saw-mill ; in a list of men mustered in Suffolk County to serve in Captain Asa Haynes' Company, Colonel Edward Wigglesworth's Regi- [ 83 ] raent, by a return made bj^ Nathaniel Barlow, dated Boston, February 2, 1777; enlisted for three yeai'S ; received £20 bounty; private in Captain Aaron Haynes' Company, Colonel Edward Wigglesworth's Regiment, in service on or before August 15, 1777; private in Captain Aaron Haynes' Company, Colonel Edward Wigglesworth's Regiment, in May, 1778; at Valley Forge, Maj- 2, 1778; enlisted for the war; private in Captain Aaron Haynes' Company, Colonel Wigglesworth's Regiment, June, 1778; at Camp Greenage, July 22, 1778, June 28, 1778 ; reported taken captive, released from cap- tivity, being exchanged and joined since muster; private in Captain Aaron Haynes' Company, Colonel Wigglesworth's Regiment, October, 1778 ; private in Captain John K. Smith's Company, Colonel Wigglesworth's Regiment, at Providence, May 5, 1779 ; March and April, 1779 ; enlisted, February 1, 1777; private in Captain John K. Smith's Company, Colonel Smith's (formerly Wigglesworth's) Regi- ment, from January 1, 1777, to June 24, 1779 ; received a pension from the United States government ; the follow- ing extract from his pension papers relates to his ser- vice : " I John Westcott of Providence, on oath do say that Barnabas Jones of Providence belonged to Colonel Wiggles- worth's regiment in General Glover's Brigade, and was a good and faithful soldier and served to my knowledge over nine months and was honorably discharged ; these facts were within ray knowledge at the time, being a Lieutenant in Gen- eral Sullivan's Guard." (Signed) John Westcott {Archives of the Commonivealth of Massachusetts. 0. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Edward Simmons Jones, great-grandson. John Judson, of Woodbury, Conn. ; Ensign in Revolu- tionary armj^ enlisting from Woodbury in 1776, {History of Ancient Woodbury.) John Edwin Judson, great-great-grandson. John Kaull (of Germany), Providence and Newport ; in October, 1779, he enlisted as private in Captain Thomas' [ 84] Company of Colonel Lamb's Re.s^iment of the Connecticut Continental line ; he participated in tlie battle of Kings Bridge and was at the reduction of Yorktown at the time Cornwallis surrendered ; in this engagement he was badly wounded in the hand by a bayonet and was in the hospital for some time in consequence of the wound. (O. W~. & N. Div, Pension Bureau.) Frank Adolphus Williamson, great-grandson. Aaron Keeler, of Norwalk, Conn. ; served from nearlj' the beginning of the war till the disbanding of the army in 1783 ; he enlisted from Norwalk, Conn., in the oth Regiment, under Captain Samuel Comstock (afterwards Major) his maternal uncle; he was appointed Corporal, April 21, 1777 ; Sergeant-Major, August 20, 1780, and Ensign, April 22, 1781 ; he was present at the battles of Fort Mifflin, November 10, 1777, and at Monmouth, June 28, 1778. {Archives of the State of Connecticut. 0. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) George Anson Keeler, great-grandson. Micajah Kelley, of Amesbury, Mass.; enlisted, June, 1777, in Captain Dodge's Company, Colonel Francis' (New Hamp- shire) Regiment ; re-enlisted, July, 1779, in Captain Jonathan Leavett's Company, Colonel Mooney's (New Hampshire) Regi- ment. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Arthur Livingston Kelley, great-grandson. Oliver Kendrick, of Dedham, Mass.; April 19, 1775, private in Captain Ebenezer Battles' Company on occasion of the Lexington alarm; December 1, 1775, enlisted at Roxbury, Mass., as Sergeant in Captain Wallbridge's Company in Col- onel Reed's Regiment of the Massachusetts Continental line; served 14 months. {Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bareau.) Joseph Harvey Kendrick, grandson. John Edwin Kendrick, great-grandson. [ 85 ] Ezra Kent, of Rehoboth, Mass.; appears among a list of officers of the Massachusetts Militia, chosen by 10th Company of Bristol County Regiment as 2d Lieutenant in Captain Jos. Franklin's Company, Colonel Thomas Carpenter's Regiment, commissioned by order of Council, October 10, 1776 ; 2d Lieu- tenant, Captain Jos Franklin's Company, Colonel Thomas Carpenter's Regiment, on the alarm of December 8, 177G ; marched to Bristol, R. I. ; 1st Lieutenant in Captain Jabez Bullock's Company (10th Company), Colonel Thomas Car- penter's Regiment (1st Bristol County Regiment), commis- sioned, April 13, 1779 ; 1st Lieutenant in Captain Jabez Bullock's Company, Colonel Thomas Cari^enter's Regiment, service at Rhode Lsland on the alarm of August 1, 1780; en- listed August 1, 1780; served nine days under General Heath; marched to Tiverton, R. I. {Archives of the Convmoniuealth of Massachusetts. Fletcher Stone Mason, great-great-grandson. Caleb Kenyon, of Charlestown, R. L ; private in Captain Alexander Thomas' Companj^ in Colonel John Topham's Regi- ment, from July IG, 1778, to August 16, 1778. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Edwin Almeron Kenyon, great-grandson. William Kenyon, of Richmond, R. I. ; served as private in Captain Eben Adam's Company of Artillery in Colonel Robert Elliott's Regiment, from December 20, 1776, to March 8, 1777. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Almeron Clark Kenyon, great-grandson. Timothy Ketcham, of Huntington, L. I.; signed the pledge made May 8, 1775, to support the cause of the col- onies in their struggle for independence, and, when the British landed on Long Island, joined the army ; was in the battle of Long Lsland, serving in General Putnam's Brigade ; he was wounded in the battle of Fairfield, Conn., when the town was burned by Governor Tryon ; he recovered from the [ 80 ] wound, again joined the armj'- and served to the close of the war. {Records of the University of the State of New Yorli.) Edwin Rogers Handy, great-grandson. Daniel Kinnicutt, of Barrington, R. I. ; Ensign of the Barrington Militia Companj'' in 1775, and in Captain Thomas Allen's Company at • Bristol, April 1, 1770; promoted to rank of Lieutenant by vote of Grand Committee of both houses of General Assembly in 1770, holding the same posi- tion in 1779 and later; from 1775 until 1779 on duty with his company, as Coast Guard from Nayatt Point to Bristol. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Thomas Williams Bicknell, great-grandson. Robert Knight, Sr., of Cranston, R. I. ; served in the Captain-General's Cavaliers, Colonel Benjamin Slack and Colonel Manton, during the war. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Edward Balch Knight, great-grandson. Russell Winchester Knight, great-great-grand- son. Robert Knight, Jr., of Cranston, R. I. ; served in the troop of horse called the Captain-Genei'al's Cavaliers. {Archives of the State of Rliode Island.) Edward Balch Knight, grandson. Russell Winchester Knight, great-grandson. Ezekiel Ladd, of Haverhill, N. II. ; Captain in Colonel Timothy BedeFs (New Hampshire) Regiment, from June 1, 1778, to April 1, 1779; from April 1, 1778, to April 1, 1779, his company was engaged in the defence of the frontier on and iidjacent to the Connecticut River. {Arcliives of the State of New Hampshire.) Frederick James Bassett, great-great-grandson. [ sn Joseph Ladd, of Haverhill, N. H. ; private in a party of men under the command of Sergeant James Ladd, raised by order of the Court of New Hampshire for the defence of the frontier at Coos, from January 28 to April 9, 1782; private in Captain Ebenezer Webster's Company of Rangers, raised for the defence of the frontier, from April 10 to October 21, 1782 ; private in Captain Ezekiel Ladd's Company in Colonel Timothy Bedel's Regiment, raised for the defence of the frontier on the Connecticut River; enlisted April 11, 1778; served eleven months and twenty days. {Archives of the State of New Hampshire.) Frederick James Bassett, great-grandson. Abial Lane, of Norton, Mass. ; Corporal in West Militia Company of Foot, in Mansfield, Mass. (minute-men), other- wise the 7th Company of Colonel John Daggett's Regiment of Attleboro, Bristol Count}', Colony of Massachusetts Bay, April 19, 1775 ; 11 da3^s' service ; in the companj^ commanded by Captain John Allen, of Norton ; also in Colonel Thomas Carpenter's Regiment of Detachment of Militia, in Bristol County, July 27, 1780 ; in liieutenant Ephraim Grover's Com- pany of Colonel I. Dean's Regiment, or 4th Regiment of Militia of Bristol County, August, 1780; nine days' service; also in Captain Josiah Keith's Company of Colonel I. Dean's Regiment, March 4, 1781; served 13 days; Ensign in Sliep- ard's Regiment of Artiller}' from Massachusetts, January and March, 1776, and January 1, 1777, to March 1, 1779. {Archives of the Cornmonivealth of Massachusetts.) William Otis Shurrocks, great-great-grandson. Alfred Francis Shurrocks, great-great-grandson. John Larcher, of Providence ; sea captain and pilot during tlie War of the Revolution ; it is said he acted as pilot when the French fleet entered Narragansett Bay in 1780; in 1780 was paid £0. 2s., lawful silver monej^, for rent of rooms furnished two French surgeons, viz. : Mons. [ 88 ] Frownee and Mons. Segur ; aucl for providing quarters for another French officer he was allowed and \)a[d i;i. 3s. (''Our French Allies;' Slone.) Charles Warren Lippitt, great-great-grandson. Robert Lincoln Lippitt, great-great-grandson. Henry Frederick Lippitt, great-great-grandson. Truman Beckwith, great-great-grandson. George Lawton, of Portsmouth, R. I. ; January 10, 1777, private in Colonel John Cook's Rhode Island Regiment ; while on duty at this date at Fogland Ferry he was wounded in the leg and left arm by a cannon-shot from a British ship lying in the Seaconnet River. {E. I. Colonial Eecords.) George Robert Lawton, great-grandson. Robert Lawton, of Portsmouth, R. L ; 1781-1782-1783, Deputy from Portsmouth to General Assembly of Rhode Island. {R. I. Colonial Records.) George Robert Lawton, great-grandson. Augustus J. Lewis, of Charlestown, R. I. ; in November, 1775, belonged to the Second Company of Militia in Charles- town, R. I., Captain Amos Greene ; he continued in this organization from November, 1775, to November, 1776, doing duty in guarding the south shores of the town of Charles- town, as far west as Quonochontaug Neck, and eastward to Green Hill and Point Judith, in town of South Kingstown, for periods of one to three weeks at a time ; during this time he went on to Point Judith on three occasions of alarm, when Wallace, who commanded the British armed vessels, attempted to make descent on the shores ; he was on active duty for about four months during this period; in November, 177G, at Charlestown, he enlisted in Captain Roswell Smith's Com- pany for three months, and early in December, 1776, was marched to the island of Rhode Island ; he was then attached to Colonel Cook's Regiment, with which he retreated off the THE HOME OF COL. EZEKIEL HOW, 1746-1796. The Wayside Inn at Sudbury, Mass. 1686-1859. ' As ancient is this hostelry. As any in the land may be, Built in the old Colonial day When men lived in a grander way, With ampler hospitality." ' And half effaced by rain and shine The lied Horse -prances on the sign." — ("Tales of the Waymdi: Inn."— Loniffellow.) [ 80 ] island over to Bristol, and there encamped about two months ; from Bristol he was marched to Providence, and from there to Quidnesset Neck ; a few days previous to the expiration of his three months' term of enlistment. Captain Smith, hav- ing entered into the fifteen-month service in the State line, he again enlisted into the service for fifteen months under Captain Smith ; he then marched from Quidnesset Neck to Boston Neck, when, in consequence of some different arrange- ments made by Congress and the General Assembly with respect to the troops, he was discharged ; this company be- longed to Colonel Potter's Regiment ; he served about six months under the above-named three-months enlistment and in tlie fifteen-month service; in June, 1777, he and Thomas Greene were drafted out of the Second Comj)any of Militia to guard the commissary stores then collected in Charlestown under the charge of Joseph Hoxsey, Esq. ; in this service he continued till March, 1778, a period of about nine months ; he served a month in Sullivan's expedition, in Aug- ust and September, 1778, under Lieutenant Beriah Lewis; after he returned from Sullivan's expedition he performed military service in the Second Company of Militia, at various times, on the south shores of Charlestown and i^articularly at Quonochontaug Neck, and eastward as far as Point Judith, several times, for periods of one to three weeks at a time, and that from September, 1778, to November, 1779, it amounted to at least four months. (O. W. & N. Dii\, Pension Bureau.) Hunter Carson White, great-grandson. Jonathan Lillibridge, of Exeter, R. L ; appointed Ensign of the Third Company of Militia in the town of Exeter by General Assembly, at East Greenwich, June, 1778. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Byron Jesse Lillibridge, great-great-grandson. Charles Wyman Hopkins, great-grandson. Isaiah Lindley, of Rehoboth, Mass. ; private in Captain Sylvanus Martin's Company of Colonel Williams' Regiment; 13 L ■'" I enlislod, September 20, 1777; cliscliarged, October -30, 1777; this sci'viee whs performed at Tiverton, R. I. (ArvJiii'es of the Commonwealth of Massachnsefls.) Wfi.liam Manuel Perez Bowen, great-great-grand- son. Charles Lippitt, of Cranston, R. I.; April 1, 1778, ap- I)oinlcd Assistant Commissary of Issues at l\)st of Warwick, requested to take possession of stores in the hands of Mr. Benjamin Stelle, to give receipt for same, and issue provis- ions to the troops ujpon the station ; rank, Commissary ; Rhode Island Continental service ; the following commission being issued to him : "Providence, R. I., April 1, 1778. Sir : You are hereby appointed Assistant Commissary of Issues at llie Post at Warwick, where you are I'equested to take pos- session of stores in the hands of Mr. Benjamin Stelle, giving me receipt for tlie same, and Issue Provisions to the troops ux)on the Station, taking for your guide the Resolution of Congress regulating the Commissary Department, and this shall be a sufficient warrant for your so doing. Sol'n. South wick, I). C. Geri'l Issues " (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Charles Warren Lippitt, great-grandson. Robert Lincoln Lippitt, great-grandson. Henry Frederick Lippitt, great-grandson. Truman Beckvs^ith, great-grandson. Christopher Lippitt, of Cranston, R. I. ; Lieutenant-Colonel of a regiment of minute-men in Rhode Island ; Colonel of a regiment, 1770; brevetted Brigadier-General at Morristown by General Washington ; participated in battles of Prince- ton, White Phiins, and Trenton. {R. I. Colonial Becords.) Christopher Lippitt, grandson (deceased). John Tyler Mauran, great-grandson. Thomas Locke, of ; enlisted at Lexing- MAJOIi DANIKL I.VMAN Ok the CONTINJi^TAI, AHMV. [ 91 ] ton for three years or the war, and served in the Continental line. {History of Lexington.) William Henry Giles Temple, great-grandson. Thomas Locke, Sr., of ; enlisted at Lexington for three j^ears or the war, and served in the Con- tinental line. [History of Lexington.) William Henry Giles Temple, great-great-grand- son. John Low, of Warwick, R. I. ; was elected Lientenant- Colonel of the First Regiment in the County of Kent, of the Militia of Rhode Island, by the General Assembly of Rhode Island, May 1, 1776 ; in 1776, was allowed £4. 4s. for services in collecting the Militia upon the alarms at Warwick Neck, R. I,, and Prudence Island ; October 28, 1776, was elected by General Assembly of Rhode Island Lieutenant-Colonel of the First Regiment of Militia ; March, 1777, was allowed £5. 2s. for victualing a number of soldiers and for six days' service in the Militia. {E. I. Colonial Records.) Charles Warren Lippitt, great-great-grandson. Robert Lincoln Lippitt, great-great-grandson. Henry Frederick Lippitt, great-great-grandson. Truman Beckwith, great-great-grandson. ■■5 to* Daniel Lyman, of Durham, Conn. ; entered the Contin- ental army in 1776 ; served as Major, Adjutant-General, and Colonel ; at the capture of Ticonderoga, at Crown Point, and at St. John's ; at the battle of White Plains he had a horse shot under him ; President of the Order of the Cincinnati ; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. {Genealogy of the Lyman Family. History of Durham, Conn., Foivler.) William Bunnell Eaton, great-great-grandson. Amasa Mason Eaton, Jr., great-great-grandson. [ 0:^ ] Peter Mallett, of New Rochelle, N. Y.; appointed Com- missary of the 5tli Regiment of North Carolina, April 25, 1776, and continued till October, 1786 ; was in all the great engagements to the northward till 1778, and afterward to the southward ; in September, 1780, he resigned his office of Com- missary-General of the State and Commissary to General Gates' Division, on account of depreciation of the currency and heav}' loss to himself ; at the beginning of the war he was a Commissary in the British army, which position he resigned, and entered the Continental army ; in 1780, while at Collins' house, with another officer and eighteen men, they were attacked by a body of eighty tories ; during the engage- ment which followed he was shot in the side, and suffered for many years afterwards in consequence of the wound. {History of North Carolina. Congressional Papers. Col- onial Records of North Carolina.) James Fenner Mallett, grandson. Nathaniel Manchester, of Bristol, R. I. ; private in Con- tinental troops. (0. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) James Cook Manchester, great-grandson. William Leonard Manchester, great-great-grand- son. John Howard Manchester, great-grandson. Charles Howard Manchester, great-great-grand- son. David Martin, of Providence ; signed the following : "The Declaration of the Inhabitants of Providence," "We the subscribers do solemnly and sincerely declai-e that we believe the War, Resistance and Opj)osition, in which the United American States are now engaged against the Fleets and Armies of Great Britain is, on the part of said States just and necessary, and that we will not directlj' or indirectly afford assistance of any sort or kind whatever to the said Fleets or Armies during the continuance of the present War, [93] but that we will heartily assist in the defence of the United States." Providence, August 5, 1776. {Providence Town Papers.) Charles Wetter Bo wen, great-great-grandson. Richard Martin Bowen, great-great-grandson. Ephraim Martin, of Rehoboth, Mass.; drummer in Cap- tain Stephen Bullock's Company, Colonel Thomas Carpenter's Regiment, at Rhode Island, on the alarm of December 8, 1776 ; reported marched to Bristol, R. I. {Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) John Clarke Budlong, grandson. Hezekiah Martin, of Rehoboth, Mass. ; Sergeant in Cap- tain Stephen Bullock's Company, Colonel Thomas Carj)enter's Regiment, at Rhode Island, on the alarm of December 8 1776 ; reported marched to Bristol, R. I. ; Sergeant in Lieu- tenant James Horton's Company, Colonel Thomas Carpenter's Regiment, at Rhode Island, on an alarm in August, 1780 ; marched to Tiverton, R. I., hy order of Council, July 22, 1780. {Arc/lives of the Co7nmoniuealth of Massachusetts.) John Clarke Budlong, great-grandson. Luther Martin, of Barrington, R. I.; Enlisting Officer from Barrington, June, 1775 ; Ensign of Captain Thomas Allen's Company of Artillery', 1776. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Jacob Sterry Martin, great-grandson. Nathaniel Martin, of Barrington, R. I. ; Colonel of First Regiment of Rhode Island, October, 1776 ; Deputy from Bar- rington, 1772-1774 ; member of Committee of Safety, 1776 ; appointed to advance bounties for the town of Barrington. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Jacob Sterry Martin, great-great-grandson. [ W] Pardon Mason, of Providence ; private in Captain Daniel Brown's Conipan}', Massachusetts Continental line, August li, 1777, marched on the alarm from Lanesborough to Mel- oomsenyck ; served six days; September 5, 1777, in same company, marched on the alarm from Lanesborough to Paw- let ; served 27 days ; in Captain Ebenezer Newell's Company in Colonel Syraond's Regiment, July 9, 1777, marched on the alarm from Lanesborough to Manchester ; served 21 days ; participated in the battle of Bennington, August IG, 1777. {Archives of the Cominoniuealth of Massachusetts.) Orray Tillinghast Mason, great-grandson. Earl Philip Mason, grandson. Nicholas Mathewson, of Cranston, R. L ; joined the Militia Company of Warwick on the alarm of the battle of Lexington, April, 1775, serving six days; in the summer of 1775 he served five days at Warwick Neck, and, later, five days at Quidnesset Neck, in North Kingstown ; in December, 1775, served a month at Warwick Neck ; in 1776 served seven days in January on the island of Prudence ; from the first of March to first of Ma3' at East Greenwich ; was again called into service in June, and served till January 1, 1778 ; in Feb- ruary, 1778, was called into service, serving at East Green- wich till Jul}' ; and then in Sullivan's expedition at the battle of Rhode Island ; in 1770, served from January to March at East Greenwich, and later with Colonel Chris- topher Greene at Conanicut, twelve days ; in November, 1779, and August, 1780, was at Newport, then volunteered and served 15 daj's at Conanicut. (O. W. & N. Dii'., Pension Bureau.) Henry Howard, great-grandson. Noah Mathewson, of Johnston, R. L ; Recruiting Officer in the Revolutionary War. {R. I. Colonial Becords.) Howard Tucker Metcalf, great-grandson. Harold Metcalf, great-grandson. [ 95 ] Joseph Carlo Mauran, of Italj- and Barrington, R. I. ; in Marcli, 177(3, appointed Master of the row-galley "Spitfire;" in June, 1777, was appointed Captain of the row-galley " Wash- ington," which was destroyed by the British near Warren, R. I., May 25, 1778 ; on June 6, 1778, the Council of War took action, as follows : "Resolved that Captain Joseph Mauran, late com- mander of the galley "Washington," be, and he is hereby directed to cause the wreck of the " Washington " to be cut up in order to get ye iron, that he secure all the iron belong- ing to her, in some secure place, that he cause ye guns which belonged to said Galley to be brought to Providence in order that they may be rendered fit for use, and that he get the same done on the best terms he can ; " the Council of War on July 15, 1778, passed the following resolution: "The Galley " Washington " being destroyed by ye enemy in their late excursion to Warren, whereby Captain Joseph Moran who had the Command of her is put out of business, and the state having no armed vessel to put in pay for ye present. Tis therefore Resolved that ye said Captain Joseph Moran be dismissed from ye service of this state and he is hereby recommended as a good and faithful sea officer to all ye Friends of ye United American States ; " he also commanded the privateer schooner " Weazle," of Warren, and captured a brig of 140 tons, taking her safely into i^ort. {B. I. Colonial Records. Munro''s History of Bristol. His- tory of Warren, Fessenden. Records of Council of War of R. I., 1778-79. Providence Gazette, November H, 1778.) Christopher Rhodes, great-grandson. John Maxfield, of Salisbury, Mass. ; was at Bunker Hill, Ticonderoga, and Valley Forge ; served six and one-half years in Continental army ; private in Captain Stephen Merrill's Company, Colonel Caleb Cushing's Regiment, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, from Salisbury; term of ser- vice, three and one-half daj's ; in Captain Jonathan Evans' Companj^, Colonel James Frye's Regiment, October 6, 1775 ; reported in camp at Cambridge ; received a bounty coat for eight months' services ; he was present at Burgoyne's sur- [ 96 ] render ; the term covered by his services extended from May, 1775, to January, 1778. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Nathaniel French Davis, great-grandson. Elisha May, of Rehoboth, Mass.; September 12, 1774, member of first Committee of Safety, Attleboro ; April 0, 1775, member of Assonett expedition, which preceded the battle of Lexington ; April 19, 1775, 1st Lieutenant in Cap- tain Jabez Ellis' Company, which marched from Attleboro on the Lexington alarm ; March 21, 177G, Captain in 6th Company of Colonel John Daggett's Ith Bristol County Reg- iment of Massachusetts Militia; Jane 17, 1776, at the battle of Bunker Hill; September-November, 1776, Captain of Company in Colonel Thomas Carpenter's Regiment ; August 20 to September 2, 1778, Captain in Colonel John Daggett's Regiment ; June 10, 1779, 1st Major of the Ith Bristol County Regiment of Massachusetts Militia; June 19, 1780, Lieuten- ant-Colonel of the 4th Bristol County Regiment of Massa- chusetts Militia ; civil service ; representative of Attleboro, County of Bristol, 1778, 1783, 1788; senator from Bristol County, Massachusetts, 1784-1786, 1790-1796, 1801-1802; member of the Governor's Council, 1797-1800; March 18, 1777, served on Committee of Correspondence and Safety for Attleboro. {Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) Lewis Fairbrother Burrough, great-great-grand- son. Lemuel May, of Roxburj^, Mass. ; Lieutenant in Captain Lemuel Child's Company, Colonel William Heath's Regiment, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, from Roxbury, and served 15 days ; commissioned Captain of the 10th Com- pany of Colonel William Mcintosh's Regiment, May 7, 1776; Captain of Captain Lemuel May's Company, Colonel Mcin- tosh's Regiment, enlisting March 23, 1778, serving 14 days, stationed at Roxbury lines ; in December, 1778, he was in com- mand of one of the three Roxbury companies; he received a SWORD WOHX BY LIEUT. -COL. EZEKIEL HOW, 4tII KkGT. jMlDDLEt^EX Co. MiLI'lIA. AT CoNCOKD BlJIUGE, APIUL 19, 177."). " * * * * heloiD The scroll reads, ''By the name of Iloire.' And over this, iw longer bright. Though glimmering with a latent light. Was hung the sword his grandsire bore In the rebellious days of yore, Down there at Concord in the fight." 'The Landlord ended thus his tale, Then rising took down from its nail Tlte sword that hung there, dim with dust. And cleaving to its sheath with rust. And said, 'This sword was in the fight.' " —("Tai.es of a Wayside Inn." — Longfellow. [ ••»7 ] cominission as Captain of a company in the First Regiment of Suffolk, Colonel Ebenezer Battles, July 1, 1781, signed by John Hancock, a Governor of Massachusetts. [The Toiun of Roxhury, by Francis S. Drake. Original Commission, dated July 1, 1781. Archives of the Common- wealth of Massachusetts.) Edward Benjamin May, great-great-grandson, James Metcalf, of Wrentham, Mass. ; 2d Major, West Regiment, Massachusetts minute-men, April 19, 1775, at Lex- ington ; Captain 13th Regiment, Continental Infantry, Janu- ary 30, 1770, at siege of Boston ; 1st Major, -Ith Regiment, Suffolk C^ounty, Massachusetts Militia, Februarj^ 10, 177G ; Major 4th Regiment, Suffolk C^ounty, Massachusetts Militia, December 8, 177G, served in Rhode Island ; Lieutenant-Col- onel, same, 1779 ; served to close of war. {Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) James Henry Kingman, great-great-grandson, James Metcalf, Jr., of ; Bombardier in Captain Perez Cushing's Company, Colonel Thomas Craft's Regiment, Massachusetts State Artillery, September 9, 1776, in Continental service, Boston harbor, and sea-coast defences ; private in Captain Asa Fairbanks' C^ompany, Colonel Ben- jamin Ilawes' Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infan- try, Septembei" 30, 1777; served in Rhode Island under Major General Spencer ; Sergeant in Captain John Metcalf's Com- pany, 4th Regiment, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Militia, Colonel Setli BuUard, January 27, 1780, served in Rhode Island. {Year Book of Society of Sons of Merolution, State of Neiv York, year 1893.) James Henry Kingman, great-grandson. Nathan Miller, of Warren, R. I. ; Deputy from Warren, 1772 to 1774, and 1780, 1782, 1783, 1790; Commissary under General IIoi)kins, 1775 ; Commissary of Brigade established 177G ; member of committee to ascertain deficiencies in mili- 13 [ 'J« J tary quota, 1777; appointed by General Assembly to advance bounties, 1777 ; Colonel of Regiment of Militia in County of Bristol, 1777, 1778, 1779; Recruiting Officer, 1777-1780; member of Council of War, Bristol County, Maj', 1779 ; Brig- adier General of Bi-igade in Bristol and Newport Counties, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783, 1784 ; delegate to Congress, 1786; delegate to Constitutional Convention at Newport, 1790. (R. L Colonial Records.) George Wheaton, 2d, great-grandson. Charles Wheaton Abbot, Jr., great-great-gi'andson. John Robert Wheaton, great-grandson. Nelson Miller, of Warren, R. I. ; enlisted as Drummer in May, 1775, for eight months, under Captain Martindale, in Colonel Thomas Church's Regiment ; re-enlisted in January, 1776, for twelve months, as Drum Major, under Colonel Henry Babcock, and Captain Loring Peck; as Drum Major, in Januar}^, 1777, for fifteen months, under Colonel Crary, and Captain Caleb Carr ; participated in the battle at White Plains. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Charles George Munro, great-grandson. Abijah Mitchell, of Woodbury, Conn. ; Captain in the Continental army, 1776. {History of Ancient Woodbury.) John Edwin Judson, great-great-grandson. John Moody, of Kingston, N. H. ; Captain of the 12th Company, Colonel Joseph Badger's lOth Regiment of Militia, late Colonel N. Baldwin's Regiment, which was raised in September, 1776, to re-inforce the Continental army in New York, and was given command of the 8th Company of this Regiment ; discharged at North Castle, N. Y., in December, 1776 ; sixth signer of the Association Test, in 1776 ; appoint- ed, in 1779, to hire soldiers for the Continental army from his town ; was also a private in Captain S. Gilman's Company [ 09 ] during the Indian War, serving from April '2V> to October 10, 1758. {Archives of the State of New Hampshire. Lancaster'' s History of Gilmantoii, N. H.) John Harvey Merrill, great-great-grandson. Abner Morse, of Medway, Mass. ; musician, soldier, Cap- tain, and Major of Artillery; served one campaign in Rhode Island, or with Rhode Island troops. {Family Records.) William Thornton Parker, great-grandson (re- signed.) Silas Morse, of Walpole, Mass. ; minute-man in Captain William Bullard's Company, Colonel Heath's Regiment, which marched from Dedham on the alarm of April 19, 1775, served 10 days; March J:, 1776, private in Captain William Bullard's Company, Colonel William Mcintosh's Regiment ; enlisted March 4, 1776, served four days ; November 29, 1776, private in Captain John Gay's Company, Colonel Ebenezer Francis' Regiment ; June 12, 1778, among a list of men detached for defence of Rhode Island ; July, 1778,-Januar3', 1779, private in Captain Jacob Haskin's Companj', Colonel John Jacob's Regiment ; service in Rhode Island, enlisted July 2, 1778, served six months, two days ; served in the Continental army six months, enlisting July 17, 1780. {Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) Reuben Aldridc4E Guild, great-grandson (deceased.) Daniel Mowry, of Smithfield, R. I. ; a member of the Continental Congress in the year 1782, {R. I. Colonial Records.) Howard Tucker Metcalf, great-great-great-grand- son. Harold Metcalf, great-great-great-grandson. Daniel Mowry, 3d, of Smithfield, R. I. ; enlisted for three months service in battalion ordered to be raised by the Gen- L(JfC, [ 100 ] eral Assembly of State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, at the session at Newport, on the third Monday of July, 1780 ; his name appears on pay abstract of Colonel Daniel Mowry's Company; his name apjjears among the list of men dismissed from service August 9, 1780 ; he was iu the company drafted August 1, 1778, Captain James Sprague, of Smithfield. {Archives of the R. I. Historical Societij, Military Papers.) Harold Metcalp, great-great-grandson. Hovs^ARD Tucker Metcalf, great-great-grandson. Jeremiah Mumford, of Eastford, Conn. ; Colonel and Paymaster. {Archives of the State of Connecticut.) George Eames Barstow, great-great-grandson. Edward Munro, of Bristol, R. I. ; December, 177G, to November, 177!), private in Captain C^arr's and Captain Throop's Companies of Colonel Archibald Crary's Rhode Island Regiment. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Wilfred Harold Munro, great-grandson. Walter Lee Munro, great-grandson. Stephen Newell, of Sturbridge, Mass. ; private in Captain David Batehellor's Company, Colonel Ezra Wood's Regiment ; enlisted, August 1, 1778 ; discharged, December 31, 1778 ; Ser- geant in Captain Elias Pratt's Company of Guards, stationed at Rutland ; enlisted, April 17, 1779 ; served two months, fourteen days ; name appears on a warrant to paj' officers and men, on a roll, bearing date, March 11, 1781, of Captain Elias Pratt's Company; private in Captain Abel Mason's Company- in Colonel Job Cushing's Regiment, August 13, 1777, to November, 1777, from Sturbridge ; arrived at battle- ground about the time Burgo^^ne surrendered, probably in Captain Mason's Compan3\ {Arcliives of the Commonioeatth of Massachusetts.) Timothy Newell, SON. Claude Potter Newell, grandson. [ 101 ] Joseph Nightingale, of Pomfret, Coun., and Providence ; complained to Governor Wanton regarding depredations made by the British in Narragansett Baj^ March, 1772 ; Captain of Independent Company of Cadets, August, 1775, March, 1776 ; member of committee to bnild vessels of war, December 14, 1775 ; chosen Major-General of Militia of Rhode Island, De- cember, 177G ; Captain of Senior Class Conipan3% Providence, Jul}' 3, 1781 ; member of General Assembly that ratified Con- stitution of United States, 1790. (R. I. Colonial Records.) George Corlis Nightingale, Jr., great-grandson. William Greene Nightingale, great-grandson. Joseph Noyes, of Westerly, R. I. ; Colonel of the First Regiment, King's County, R. I., during the war. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Row^LAND Rodman Robinson, great-great-grandson. Joseph Noyes, Jr., of Westerly, R. I. ; was employed by the State to purchase beef for the army at a period when in great want of provisions, but not being supplied with a suffi- ciency of money founded on real estate to pay for the same, he was induced, from the necessity the army was in, to give his own note of hand to Messrs. George and Samuel Sheffield, of Stonington, Conn., in order to receive these sui^plies. (R. I. Colonial Records.) Rowland Rodman Robinson, great-great-great-grand- son. John Olney, of Glocester, R. I. ; private soldier; wounded at Bunker Hill, after which he returned to his home in Gloces- ter until his wound was healed, when he again joined the army. {Olney Memorial, p. 37, No. SI.) Percy Dinsmore Smith Slocum, great-gi-eat-grand- son. [ 102 ] Stephen Olney, of North Providence ; private in North Providence Rangers, 1774 ; Ensign in Captain John Angell's Company of Colonel Daniel Hitchcock's Regiment, 1775; First Lieutenant, March, 1776 ; Captain in Colonel Israel Angell's Regiment, 1777 ; participated in battles of Bunker Hill^ Long Island, White Plains, Monmouth, Springfield, Red Bank, and Yorktown ; chosen to lead the attacking column at Yorktown, where he was badly wounded. {R. I. Colonial Records. Lives of Barton and Olney, Wd- liams.) Clarence Henry Greene, great-great-grandson. Frederic Albert Greene, great-great-grandson. Charles Libbeus Hodges, U. S. A., great-grandson. Arnold Paine, of Smithfield, R. I.; in April, 1775, ap- pointed on a committee to procure and receive for Smitlifield its proportion of powder, lead, bullets, and flints, belonging to the Colony ; in February, 1776, a member of a committee appointed b^^ General Assembly to procure gold and silver coin for the operations in Canada ; in October, 1777, a mem- ber of Captain Stephen Whipple's Company from Smithfield in expedition against Rhode Island; August 1, 1778, his name appears on a " True list of the men in the alarm list drafted from the whole," Job Mowry, Captain, Smithfield ; was in Captain Ballou's Company, Senior Class; in 1779 was chosen, with Caleb Aldrich, Esq., a committee to purchase the town's proportion of grain and beef for the supply of Commissary General ; was a Deputy in General Assembly from Smithfield in 1775 and 1776 ; member of Town Council, 177!) to 1784; Town Treasurer, 177o-'7G ; Justice of Court of Common Pleas, 1794 to 1802. {R. I. Colonial Records. R. I. Historical Socieiy, Military Papers. Steere's History of Smithfield.) Charles Alonzo Barnard, great-great-grandson. Isaac Pearce,of Rehoboth, Mass.; was in the Revolutionary army for a time, when he was 16 yeai's old, while the lirilish 1 ^ f i ^S S ^ ^ » * i i ^ ^ S: ^ <> 5^ ^ Co * s- «-^ S: 5- § S" ^ ^ 5S C^ ^ S' Si! ■=> Si- - ^5 5^ te c« S ^ s' S- ■^• ^ ^' s- f 3 s g S" ?. «Ci S vi «> ^ 1 s !>■ C a. S ^ W ^ O s- o f5 ^ 3 X H K O [ H);j ] were at Newport, and was allowed a pension for one j^ear's actual service, as a private in the Rhode Island troops ; a l^art of the time he served under Colonel 01ne3\ {Pierce. Genealogy, by F. C. Pierce, 1889. 0. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Herbert Sanford Tanner, great-great-grandson. Ambrose Peck, of Swansey, Mass.; Captain of a company in First Regiment of Militia in the County of Bristol, Mass., commanded b3' Colonel Shubael Peck, July 1, 1781 ; commis- sion signed hy John Hancock. {Original Commission.) Allen Millard Peck, great-grandson. Samuel Peck, of Milford, Conn. ; Captain of Tenth Com- pany, Seventh Regiment, Maj^ 1, 1775; Captain, Third Com- pany, Fifth Battalion, in Wadsworth's Brigade, Colonel Douglass, 1776 ; at battle of White Plains, October 28, 1775 ; Captain in Second Regiment, Connecticut Militia, 1777 ; Cap- tain in Volunteer Company in 1779; turned out to repel the enemy at New Haven, July 5, 1770. {Archives of the State of Connecticut.) James Garrison Peck, great-grandson. John Pendleton, of Westerly, R. I. ; was in expedition against the island of Rhode Island (Sullivan's expedition), and lost certain articles off Point Judith, in October, 1777. {R. I. Colonial Records.) John Pendleton Randall, great-great-grandson. Nathan Pendleton, of Westerly, R. I. ; Ensign in the First Company of the Fii-st Battalion of Militia in the County of Kings, Rhode Island, in 1780 ; in 1781, was Ensign in the First Infantry Company of Westerly, R. I. ; member of State Militia. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Francis Wayland Miner, Jr., great-great-grandson. [ 104 ] Ebenezer Pettee, of Dedliara, Mass. ; private in Captain Geoi'i>e Gould's Company, Colonel Paul Dudlej^ Sergeant's Regiment, enlisted May 18, 1775, served two months nine- teen days; in October, 1775, was private in same company; from May 26, 1776, to November 1, 1776, pi-ivate in Captain Aaron Guild's Companj'^, Colonel Josiah Whitney's- Regi- ment ; private in Captain Luke Howell's Company, Colonel Nathan Idler's Regiment, from August 29, 1779, to Decem- ber 31, 1779. {Archives of the Commonwealth of Massacliusetts.) Reuben Aldridge Guild, great-grandson (deceased). Eli Phinney, of Centreville, Mass.; January 4, 1775, was one of committee at Barnstable, Mass., to purchase arms and ammunition; dui'ing first of the Revolutionary AVar he was a gentleman of distinction, and was frequentlj' employed in municipal trusts, and was referred to as "That stout hearted son of liberty. Mr. p]li Phinne3\" {Freemaii's History of Cape Cod.) Alonzo Williams, great-great-grandson. Eli Pond, of Franklin, Mass. ; Drummer in Captain John Boyd's Company of minute-men, April 19, 1775 ; Sergeant in Captain Josiah Fuller's Companj', Colonel Wheelock's Regi- ment, December 8, 1776 ; Lieutenant in Captain Amos Ellis's Compan}^ in Colonel Benjamin Hawes Regiment, September 25 to October 31, 1777 ; Lieutenant in a Company commanded by Lieutenant Ilazekiah Ware from June 20 to July 14, 1778. {A Genealogical Record of Daniel Pond and his descend- ants. Harris.) Daniel Bullard Pond, great-grandson (deceased). Samuel Poole, of Abington, Mass.; private in Captain Edward Cobl)\s Company, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, from Biidgewater, Mass.; 2d Lieutenant in Cap- tain Nathan Alden's (4th) Company of 3d Plymouth County Regiment, March 23, 1776 ; 2d Lieuteiuint in Captain Abiel Pierce's Company, August, 1776 ; in same Company, SeiD- B H ^ O S) [ 105 ] tember, 177G, and November, 177G; Ensign in Captain Nathan Snow's Companj^, Colonel Hawes Regiment, enlisted Septem- ber 25, 1777, served one jnonth and nine days on secret ex- pedition to Rhode Island ; Lientenant in Captain Nathan Packard's Compan}^ Colonel J. Jacob's Regiment, enlisted July 10, 1780, discharged October 31, 1780, served three months and twenty-two days. {HoharVs History of Ahingion. Dyer^s History of Plain- field, Mass. The History of Edward Poole and his desce^id- ants, hy Murray Edward Poole, A. B.) Emory Poole Russell, great-great-grandson. Samuel Poole, of Abington, Mass. ; a member of the first State Constitutional Convention, in 1779 ; he was Chairman of the first public meeting called by the town, March 10, 1770, to denounce and resist British aggression, and a mem- ber of the committee which drew up the famous resolutions called "The Noble Resolves," passed by the town March 19, 1770; he was a member of the Committee of Safety and Correspondence. {HoharVs History of Abington. Dye7'''s History of Plain- field, Mass. The History of Edward Poole, of Weymoutli, Mass., 1635, and his descendants.) Emory Poole Russell, great-great-great-grandson. Benjamin Porter, of Assonet Village, Freetown, Mass. ; served as a militia man from 1750 (French and Indian War) until 1792, when he was commissioned Captain of the First Company of Foot, of Freetown, Mass.; served in Rhode Island in 1780. {Archives of the Commonwealtli of Massachusetts.) Henry Perry Porter, great-grandson. Caleb Potter, of Cranston, R. I. ; jprivate in the Captain General's Cavaliers, a corps of cavalry under command of Colonel Benjamin Slack and Colonel Manton, which did 14 [ lOG ] service during the War of the Revolution in the expedition to Rhode Island from July 24 to August 31, 1778 ; he also served in Captain Charles Holdeu, Jr's., Company during the month of November, 1780. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Philip Collins Sheldon, great-great-grandson. John Potter, of Scituate, R.I. ; served under Colonel Joseph Knight, guarding the shore of Rhode Island ; commissioned Lieutenant by Governor William Greene, July 29, 1780, and Captain, June -l, 1781. {Original Commissions. See illusfration.) Dexter Burton Potter, great-grandson, John Potter, of Scituate, R. I.; at the news of the British attack at Concord and Lexington he responded to the alarm, and went from his home, below Pawtuxet, to Providence, from there he went to Hopkin's Mills where his company met, and, volunteering with others, he marched to Providence, where he learned that the fight was over ; his walk of thirty- eight miles that day satisfied hini with foot service, and he enlisted in a troop of horse and entered the service soon after ; he served as rider or messenger conveying dispatches, and in 1777 served as picket guard on the shores near Point Judith, guarding against boat expedition from the British fleet foraging the country ; near the close of the war he was commissioned Ensign. {Genealogy of John and Waite Potter, Providence, 18S5.) Isaac Mathewson Potter, grandson. John Randall, of ; May, 1775, Captain in Colonel Varnum's Regiment, in the Army of Observation. {Proceedings of General Assembly, May, 177f>, p. 15.) Frederick Danne, great-great-great-grandson. John Randall, of Stonington, Conn. ; was a member of —5 o ^ [ 107 ] Committee of Correspondence and Inspection for the town of Stonington, Conn. {History of New London County, Conn.) John Pendleton Randall, great -grand son. Hammond Reed, of Lexington, Mass. ; member of Cap- tain Parker's Compan3% and was engaged witli his company on the 19th of April, 1775 ; served in the five months cam- paign at Ticonderoga, 1775, and in the six months campaign at Providence, 1778 ; one of the signers of the Declaration of Loj'alty to the Colony of Massachnsetts Bay, in 177G ; one of the Committee of Safety, in 1778, and served as one of the Selectmen in 1770-72-74-80-89. {History of Lexington.) William Henry Giles Temple, great-great-grandson. James Reynolds, of Westborough, Mass. ; enlisted for the war, April 5, 1777, in Captain Cliffs Company, Third Regiment, Connecticut line, commanded by Colonel Samuel Wyllys, and was discharged April 5, 1780, having served three years ; this regiment went into camp at Peekskill in May, 1777, served under Putnam, along the Hudson, until January, 1778, when it took post at West Point ; in summer of 1778 it encamped at White Plains with Washington's main army; wintered, 1778-79, at Redding; engaged in storming of Stony Point, July 15, 1779 ; wintered, 1779-80, at Morris- town, N. J., and served on outposts. (O. W. & N. Dili., Pension Bureau. Archives of the State of Connecticui.) Henry Clay Armstrong, great-grandson (deceased.) Joseph Reynolds, of Bristol, R. I. ; Associate Justice of Court of Common Pleas for Bristol Countj^ from 1776 to 1783 ; was Chief Justice of the same court from 1787 till his death, in 1789; in 1778, when the British marched through the town, though sick in bed, he was taken to a i^rison ship. [ 108 ] but soon exchanged; September, 1778, his home was made the lieadquarters of General Lafayette, and is still standing in Bristol, R. I. {R. I. Colonial Records.) John Post Reynolds, great-great-grandson. William Reynolds, of North Kingstown, R. I. ; served two years as private in the Rhode Island troops. Revolution- ary War ; a part of the time under Captain Thomas Clarke and Colonel Robert Brown ; enlisted at North Kingstown, R. I. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Charles Stephen Reynolds, great-great-grandson. Benjamin Rhodes, of Warwick, Kent County, R. I. ; in the spring of 1778 he engaged as a ]3rivate or seaman for nine months on board the guard ship called the " Pigot Gal- ley," stationed in Narragansett Baj^ for the defence of the shores, and also nsed for the confinement of prisoners, com- manded by Caj)tain Jeremiah Clark ; Benjamin Rhodes' father was an officer of the vessel, and commanded in the absence of Captain Clark, if he did not succeed him ; the period of his service was during General Sullivan's campaign, in 1778, and he was with the boats transporting provisions to the army ; in August, 1780, he served one month at Newport, R. I., in the Pawtuxet Rangers, under Captain Benjamin Arnold. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Robert Ezekiel Smith, grandson. Edward Smith Rhodes, grandson. George Thomas Hart, great-grandson. Franklin Augustus Smith, Jr., great-grandson. Arthur Augustus Rhodes, great-grandson. Peter Rhodes, of Warwick, R. I. ; member of the Paw- tuxet Rangers, and did dutj' at Pawtuxet Neck in 1777, also. c:y^cri^.^7f^^^ [ 109 ] in same company, September 28, 1781 ; officer on board "Pigot Galley," 1778. {O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau. Rhode Island His- torical Society, Military Papers, cited hy Field in ^^Revolu- tionary Defences in Rhode Island.^^ ) Edward Smith Rhodes, great-grandson. Robert Ezekiel Smith, great-grandson. Arthur Wellington Dennis, great-grandson. Arthur Augustus Rhodes, great-great-grandson. George Thomas Hart, great-great-grandson. Franklin Augustus Smith, Jr., great-great-grand- son. Robert Rhodes, of Warwick, R. I. ; in 1777 was recruit- ing officer for town of Warwick; in 1778-79, Captain of Alarm Company in Warwick ; was at Lexington ; when on the island of Newport, at the battle of Rhode Island, was the oldest captain, and in the engagement there carried a " Queen's Arm," taken from the enemy at Prudence, and dis- charged it 2G times in succession without misfire, and kept command of his company and the firing ; in 1780, chosen to command several companies of Militia within the State, First Battalion in Kent County, Senior Class Company; appointed by the General Assembly and the town of Warwick to receive recruits ; elected Captain of the 1st Battalion Artillery Com- pany, Senior Class, 1780-17S1. {R. I. Colonial Records. Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Christopher Rhodes, great-grandson. John Russell Bartlett, U. S. N., great-grandson. Arthur Middleton Thompson, great-great-grandson. George Carpenter Arnold, great-great-grandson. Silas Rickard, of Plympton, Mass. ; private in Captain Stephen Crosby's Company, Colonel Comfort Sage ; this com- pany belonged to the Third Battalion, Wadsworth Brigade, which was raised June, 177G, to re-inforee Washington at [ 110 ] New York ; served in New York citj^ and on Long Island, and was in the retreat from New York, September 15, 1776 ; l^articipated in the battle of White Plains, October 28, 1776 ; time expired December 25, 1776. {Connecticut Men in the Revolution.) James Helme Rickard, Jr., great-great-grandson. John Roberts, of Grafton, Mass.; served eight months in a regiment raised in Sutton, under Colonel Ebenezer Learned, of Oxford ; was Orderly Sergeant and Clerk of his companj^ ; served nearly two years in the " Sutton Regiment" under Col- onel Jonathan Ilolman, in that portion of the army under immediate command of General Washington ; in battle of Saratoga and others, and in the company afterwards de- signated to hold Fort Edward. (Archives of the Coinmonivealth of Massachusetts.) Isaac Harrison Southwick, grandson. Isaac Hinckley Southwick, great-grandson. Frederick Henry Buffum, great-great-grandson. Richard Rogers, of Putnam County, N. Y. ; private in the New York State Militia, companj^ commanded by Cap- tain Israel Knapp; this company belonged to the 7th Dutchess County Regiment, and was in active service during the war. {Records of the University of the State of New York.) Edwin Rogers Handy, great-great-grandson. John Russell, of Boston, Mass. ; Commissary, by which title he is addressed bj^ Colonel Jeremiah Olney, in a request to issue provisions to certain soldiers; among the bills ordered paid by the General Assembly during the Revolutionary War are some to him for subsistence for the army. {BartletVs Oenealogy of the Russell Family.) Russell Winchester Knight, great-great-grandson. James Sabin, of Providence, R. I.; it was at his house on the corner of Planet and Soutli Main streets tliat the burning a- s H a. K a. t*" P3 «>■ i-J ^tH a > o *-> :^ a r, H IS^ y. ^. H ank, October, 1777; wounded at Monmouth, June 28, 1778 ; at Valley Forge and West Point; at Springfield, June 23, 1780, and Yorktown at the surrender, October 19, 1781. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Edward Field, great-grandson. George Thurston, of Hopkinton, R. I.; Captain of Second Company in town of Hopkinton, in June, 1775, and May, 1770, also May, 1778-1779, and Februarj^ 1780 ; Captain in Colonel Stanton's Regiment, December, 1770 ; in March, 1778, was one of a committee relative to furnishing supplies for the war and member of General Assembly of Rhode Island ; Jul}^ 1780, Captain of Troop of Horse in First Battalion of Militia, Kings County; May, 1782, and May, 1783, meujber of General Assembly and elected Lieutenant-Colonel of Senior Class Regiment of County of Washington ; May, 1791, Ibiga- dier-General of Militia in County of Washington. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Horace Thurston, great-grandson. [ 110 ] Ebenezer Tiffany, of Warreu (now Barrington), R. I.; served in the Militia Guard stationed at Barrington, R. I., under command of Sergeant Josiah Humphrey, from April 5 to May 20, 1778 ; in Captain Viall Allen's (Barrington) Com- pany of Militia in 1780. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Ebenezer Tiffany, Jr., great-grandson. Charles Tillinghast, of Quidnisset, R. I.; appointed En- listing Officer by the General Assembly of Rhode Island, when the Revolutionary War broke out, to raise troops for the Continental army ; he was so active and earnest in the work that the Tories formed a partj^ to get rid of him ; when the mob was on the way to the house thej'^ waylaid his son, who assisted his father, took him prisoner and killed him ; shortly after, in November, 1775, four masked Tories broke into his house, and, after threatening his wife, dragged him from bed, not allowing him to dress, and carried him in a boat to Block Island ; from wounds received he died in 17 days. {Genealogy of the Tillinghast Family, hij James Tillinghast, of Buffalo. R. I. Colonial Records.) John Willard Tillinghast, great-grandson. George Hall Tillinghast, great-great-grandson. Willard Wheaton Tillinghast, great-great-grand- son. Benjamin Tingley, of Altleborongh, Mass.; Sergeant in Captain Jabez Ellis' Company, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, from Attleborough ; length of service, 11 days ; 2d Lieutenant in Captain Jacob Hide's (1st) Company Colonel John Daggett's (4th) Regiment, March 18, 1776 ; 2d' Lieutenant in the 1st Company of the 4th Bristol County Regiment, commissioned March 21, 1776 ; his name appears on an order dated July 5, 1776, for wages, &c., on Ephraim Newell, Town Treasurer of Attleborough — service on alarm caused by battle of Bunker Hill ; Lieutenant of Captain Stephen Richardson's Company ; service at Rhode Island [ 1:^0 1 from April 21, 1777, to May 15, 1777, 25 days; Quartermaster in Colonel Isaac Dean's Regiment ; service at Tiverton, R. I.; engaged July 31, 1780; discharged, August 7, 1780. {ArcJiires of the CommoniceaUli of j\[(issac]iuseffs.) Henry Clinton Dexter, great-great-grandson. Theodore Everett Dexter, great-great-grandson. Levi Totten, of Goshen, N. Y.; February 22, 1776, private in Captain Daniel Denton's Company, of Goshen, N. Y., for one 3'ear, in od Regiment, Colonel Rhodolph Ritzraa ; was in battle of White Plains ; served six months under Captain John Minthorn, in 1777; also with Captain John Hawthorn, in 1777 ; in 1778, served at West Point under Major Toppen, two tours, two others under Captain Miller at Never Sink, and one month under Captain Sayer; in 1779, served one tour under Lieutenant Armstrong, one month under Captain Mil- ler, and two months under Colonel Hothorn at Poughkeepsie; was at Fort Montgomery when it was taken, and at the fight at Ramapo Bridge. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Nathaniel Greene Totten, SON (deceased). Levi Tower, of Cumberland, R. I.; Lieutenant of the 1st Regiment of one of the companies of the Army of Observa- tion, and later was Captain of 2d Com[)any of his regiment. James Henry Tower, great-grandson. Thomas Tread well, of Ipswich, Mass.; Sergeant in Cap- tain Samuel Reed's Company of minute-men. Colonel Pres- cott's Regiment, marched from Littleton, Mass., to Lexington, April, 1775; also Sergeant in Captain Samuel Gilbert's Com- pany, Colonel Prescott's Regiment, 1775, served eight months ; Sergeant in Captain John Nutting's Company in Colonel Wil- liam Mcintosh's Regiment, General Level's Brigade, in Rhode Island, July to September, 1778 ; discharged September 12, 1778. {Archives of the Coiyimoniuealth of Massachusetts.) Alfred Stone, great-grandson. [ 121 ] Bartholomew Trow, of Charlestown, Mass.; member of "Boston Tea Party;" minute-man at Lexington, Mass., April 19, 1775 ; Lieutenant in Captain Josiali Harris' Company in Colonel Thomas Gardiner's Regiment, at Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775; this company was stationed at the famous "Rail Fence," and was the last to retreat ; the bravery of Captain Harris' (Company was a conspicuous feature of the battle, for they held an important j)ass into the country, against which the enemy made the most desperate efforts, and they defended it until the enemy discovered another ; in the account of the battle prepared by the Committee of Safety, July 25, 1775, to be transmitted to Great Britain, the gallantry of C^ajjlain Harris' Company is specially referred to; Captain of 25th Massachusetts Regiment, Colonel William Bond, March, 1776, with General Wolf at siege of Quebec. {Genealogies and Estates of Charlesioiuii, Mass., Wyman.) John Taggard Blodgett, great-grandson. Nathaniel Viall, of Seekonk, Mass.; served as a private at Portsmouth. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) William Angell Viall, great-grandson. Dr. William Vincent, of Westerly, R. L; Surgeon in Col- onel Joseph Noyes' Regiment, in 1777-1778. {R. I. Colonial Records.) John Pendleton Randall, great-great-grandson. Thomas Waldron, of Bristol, R. I. ; private in Bristol, R. I., Militia Compau}^, Captain William Throop ; served eight months. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Walter Lee Munro, great-grandson. Wilfred Harold Munro, great-grandson. IB [ 122 ] Samuel Wall, of Coveutiy, R. I. ; in March, 1777, was appointed by the General Assembly one of a committee to make regular lists of persons able to bear arms in the town of Coventry; in September, 1779, was elected Captain of the Alarm Company in the town of Coventry; in May, 1780, was elected Major of the Senior Class Regiment of Militia, in the County of Kent; in July, 1780, was appointed by the General Assembly one of the recruiting officers of the town of Coventry. (E. I. Colonial Records.) George Augustus Wall, great-great-grandson. Samuel Ward, of Westerly and Newport, R. I. ; repre- sented Westerly, in 1756, in the General Assemblj^ of Rhode Island ; was Chief Justice of Rhode Island in 1761 ; Gov- ernor in 17G2 and 1763, and from 1765 to 1771 ; delegate from Rhode Island to the General Congress of the Colonies, in 1774, as well as to the Continental Congress, May 10, 1775, of which he was one of the most efficient members ; was Chair- man of the Committee of the Whole when Washington was elected General of the Continental army; as earl}' as 1774, as Chairman of a Committee of the town of Westerlj^ he in- troduced a series of resolutions in a spirit of patriotic devo- tion to the rights of the people of the Colonies ; he died in the midst of his devoted services for the establishment of the independence of his country, at Philadelphia, March 26, 1776. {R. I. Colonial Records.) William Maxwell Greene, great-grandson. William Chace Greene, great-great-grandson. John Warner, of Warwick, R. I. ; commissioned by au- thority of the Continental Congress, July I'J, 1776, Captain of the sloop " Yankee Ranger," to attack, seize, and take the ships and other vessels belonging to the inhabitants of Great Britain, &c. ; August 23, 1776, in company with the sloop "Montgomery," William Rhodes, Master, in latitude 31" 25' Iiorth, captured the brigantine "Dee," bound from Dominica [ 123 ] to Lancaster, loaded with coffee, corn, sugar, &c. ; February 9, 1777, Acting Quartermaster at the military post at War- wick Neck, R. I. ; December, 1776, appointed Captain Lieu- tenant in Captain Samuel Sweet's Company of the Rhode Island Regiment of Artillery, and served in this position to Januarj'- 10, 1778; February, 1778, Captain Lieutenant in Captain Garzia's Company, in Colonel Robert Elliott's Regi- ment of Artillery; May, 1778, Deputy from Warwick,' and appointed committee to pay bounty allowed soldiers from Warwick ; February, March, April, and May, 1779, Captain of the Fifth Company of the Rhode Island Regiment of Ar- tillery, Colonel Robert Elliott. (Archives of the State of Rhode Istand, and lyrivcde papers.) Edward Field, great-great-grandson. Levi Washburn, of Bridgewater, Mass. ; Sergeant in Captain Robert Orr's Company at the battles of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775, serving eight days ; later became Captain. {Archives of the Commonivealtli of Massachusetts. MitchetVs History of Bridgewater.) RoscoE Stetson Washburn, great-grandson. Asa Waterman, of Norwich, Conn. ; Captain and Issuing Commissary of Rhode Island, and Deputy Commissary-Gen- eral ; commissioned by Governor Trumbull, of Connecticut, to receive and deliver provisions for Connecticut troops in Rhode Island, December 14, 1776. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Shearjashub T. Watson, great-grandson (deceased). Daniel Waters, of Killingly, Conn. ; Lieutenant in Cap- tain Ephraim Warren's Company; served seven days ; in the list of men who marched from the Connecticut towns for the relief of Boston, April, 1775 ; in Captain Ephraim Warren's Company when it marched to West Chester, it [ 124 ] being the 5th Company in the 11th Regiment Militia in the Colony of Connecticut. {Records of Connecticut Men in the Revolution.) Hardin Chester Waters, great-great-grandson. Benjamin Weatherbee, of Bristol, R. I. ; minute-man in Captain George Gould's Company, which marched from Dedham on the alarm of April 19, 1775; served two days; September 30, 1779, private in Captain Joshua Leland's Company, Major Heath's Regiment ; enlisted September 30, 1779, served one month twelve days; in Company of Guards; detached by order of General Hancock to man forts in and around Boston. (Arcliives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) Reuben Aldridge Guild, great-grandson. Joshua Webb, of ; member of Convention of " Green Mountain Boys," September 25, 1776, which met at Dorset, Vt.; also at Westminster, Vt., October 30, 177G, and January 15, 1777, in the same place ; he was a member of the committee chosen to plan proceedings at the meeting, October 30, 1776, and a member of the committee chosen January 15, 1777, to raise money to ^?iy expenses of dele- gates to the Continental Congress and a member of the War Committee. {Family History.) Rev. Samuel Heber Webb, great-grandson. George Heber Webb, great-great-grandson. Luther Webb, of Rockingham, Vt. ; enlisted October 17, 1780, in Captain Jonathan Holton's Company in Colonel Wood's Regiment ; served 15 days. (O. W. & N. Dili., Pension Bureau.) Rev. Samuel Heber Webb, grandson. George Heber Webb, great-grandson. [ 125 ] Ebenezer Welch, of Boston, Mass.; Midshipman in the Revolution. {Family Tradition.) John Taggard Blodgett, great-grandson. Hezekiah Welch, of Boston, Mass.; 2d Lieutenant, frigate "Boston," Captain Samuel Tucker, 1778 ; said to have served also with John Paul Jones. {Archives of the Covmioinuealth of Massachusetts.) John Taggard Blodgett, great-great-grandson. Aaron Weld, of Roxbury, Mass.; private in Captain Abel Mason's Company, Colonel Jacob Davis' Regiment ; this com- pany was summoned to Tiverton on June 22, 1780, to join the army stationed there ; discharged August 8, 1780. {Archives of the Commonivealth of Massachusetts.) James Helme Rickard, Jr., great-great-grandson. William West, of ; May, 1776, member of General Assembly ; in 1776, of committee to fortify town of Providence ; Colonel of Third Rhode Island Regiment, in 1776 to 1778, and participated in battle of Rhode Island ; committee to distribute bounties to soldiers in Scituate, R. I.| in December, 1778, he paid £3,021, 5s., bounty to men under his command in Third Rhode Island Regiment ; in May, 1779, appointed General ; in 1776 promoted to Brigadier-General,' Militia of Providence County; was honorably discharged with vote of thanks from General Assembly ; in October, 1776, was Representative to General Assembly; was Deputy- Governor of State from 1780-1781, and Judge of the Supreme Court in 1787, 1790. {R. I. Colonial Records.) William Battey Rhodes, great-great-grandson. Ephraim Westcott, of Cranston, R. I.; member of the Colonial Assembly of Rhode Island in 1776, when the Colony [ 120 ] passed an act renouncing all allegiance to the British crown ; he represented the town of Coventry in 177G-1777-1778 and 1780 ; in January, 1 776, he was one of a committee to buy supplies of beef, &c.; in March, 1776, he was one of a com- mittee to procure 2,000 stand of arms and accoutrements for the troops ; in May, 1776, he was on committee to take the number of inhabitants of the Colony ; in April, 1777, was one of a committee to advance the soldiers' bounty and to pro- cure blankets ; member of Captain Samuel Wall's Alarm Company. {R. I. Colonial Records. Coll. R. I. Historical Society.) William Ray Greene, great-great-grandson. John Westcott, of Providence, R. I. ; served in corps known as Sullivan's Life Guards, which was selected by La- fayette to cover the rear guard in the retreat from Rhode Island on the night of August 30, 1778; appointed Ensign, October 23, 1778, by the Council of War for bravery and dis- tinguished services on the occasion of Sullivan's expedition against the British forces on Rhode Island. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau. Proceedings of the Council of War.) Robert Folger Westcott, grandson, Joseph Wheaton, of Rehoboth, Mass.; minute-man in Captain John Pen-y's Companj^ April 19th to 27th, 1775 ; private in Captain John Perry's Company, Colonel Timothy Walker's Regiment, served eight months ; held on prison ship at New York by the British until exchanged. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Joseph Carpenter Wheaton Cole, great-grandson. Job Whipple, of Warwick, R. I.; private in Colonel Var- uum's Rhode Island Regiment. (O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Lester Seneca Hill, great-grandson. [ 127 ] Benjamin Wilkinson, of Cumberland, E. I.; in 1775 was Ensign in Cumberland First Com- pany, Captain Enoch Weather- head, Train Band, Colony's Bri- gade; at the February session of the General Assembly, 1776, he was elected, with others, a com- mittee to procure as much gold and silver coin as they could for operations of the army of invasion of Canada; in the same year he was Lieutenant in the First Com- pany of Cumberland, Captain Enoch Weatherhead, in the Train Band of the Colony's Brigade ; in 1778 Lieutenant in same company. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Frank Adolphus Williamson, great-great-grandson. James Williams, of Taunton, Mass.; C^aptain in a Company of Massachusetts Infantry, and pro- moted successively from Brigadier or Corporal. (Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) Alfred Mason Williams, great- grandson (deceased). Sword formerly belongin;? to Lieutenant Benjamin Wilkin- son and carried by him during' the Revolutionary War. Squire Williams, of Scitnate, R. L ; enlisted in 1776 and served as guard at the beacon erected on Chopmist Hill, Scituate, for the purpose of alarming the country at the ai^proach of the enemy. {lievolutionary Defences in Rhode Island. Field.) James Wilmarth Williams, great-grandson. Timothy Wilmarth, of Chepachet, R. L; Captain of [ 128] Company of Infantry in Gloucester ; took part in tlie battle of Rhode Island, and aecomj)anied General Sullivan's expedi- tion to New York. {R. I. Colonial Records.) James Wilmarth Williams, great-great-grandson. Lemuel Winchester, of Amherst, N. H. ; served as Cor- poral in Captain Crosby's Corai^any at Bunker Hill ; the comijany was in service when Washington took command of the army, July 2, 1775; Lemuel Winchester signed the fol- lowing: "Wilmington, November 29, 1776. We, the sub- scribes whose names are under written, do solemnly promise and engage to equip ourselves according to law, as is specified in said Act, for raising a reinforcement to ye American Armj', and to stand at minutes warning till ye first of March next, if not called for before, and if called to march to reinforce ye American Army, before ye first of March next to remain three months in ye service of ye United States, and be sub- ject to all ye laws and regulations of said Army, as witness our hand." (Records of Town of Amherst, N. H. Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.) Edward Balch Knight, great-grandson. Russell Winchester Knight, great-great-grandson. Jotham Wood, of Lancaster, Mass. ; appears on a pay- roll for six-months men, raised by the town of Lancaster, for service in Continental army during 1780 ; he marched July 10, 1780, was discharged January 20, 1781 ; served at West Point at time of Benedict Arnold's treason, in September, 1780 ; name appears upon a clothing account, extending from 1778 to 1782; private in Captain Abel Holden's Company, Lieutenant-Colonel Calvin Smith's Sixth Regiment, of Massa- chusetts trooj)S in service from January to December, 1781, for wages, &c.; his company, later was commanded bj^ Captain Wottles, and his regiment by Colonel Nixon; his name appears on a claim for arrears of pay of date 1784-1785, which entry [ 129 ] shows he reenlisted, and served after his six months' service expired; he returned home serionsljMnjiired, and lived nianj^ years almost helpless, djing in the last year of the century. (Archives of the CommoiiweaUh of Massachusetts.) George Allen Buffum, great-grandson. John Yeomans, of Newport, R. I.; Ensign in Shepherd's 4th Massachnsetts Regiment, February 10, 1778; Lieutenant under Sullivan in Rhode Island, April 15, 1780 ; Inspector of Customs at Newport, R. I., from 1790 till his death, July 12, 1827 ; member of the Society of the Cincinnati, and name enrolled on parchment in Antiquarian Building, Worcester, Mass. (Archives of the Com^nonwealth of Massachusetts.) Frank Augustus Sheldon, great-great-grandson. Allen York, of Stonington, Conn.; enlisted in the Contin- ental army on the first call for troops. May 8, 1775 ; the call was made April and May, 1775 ; he was discharged with the rest at end of enlistment, December 17, 1775 ; the Colonel of the regiment was Samuel Holden Parsons ; remained on duty at New London until June, then ordered to the Boston camps in Roxbury by the Governor's Council ; there remained until the term of service expired, and was discharged December 15, 1775 ; this regiment was adoj)ted as "Continental;" also enlisted in the 8th Regiment of Militia at New York, 1776, in Captain Holmes' Company ; enlisted September 8th ; dis- charged November 17th. (Connecticut Men in the Revolution.) Francis Wayland Miner, Jr., great-great-grandson. William Colwell, of Glocester, R. I., a soldier of the Revo- lution. Joseph Carpenter Wheaton Cole, great-grandson. 17 [ 130 ] Isaac Bowen, of Providence, R. I.; Lieutenaut of the Fii'st Company' of Infantiy of Providence, 1780, 1781, 1784 ; Ensign in 1770; in May, 1775, named for duty as night guard; a signer of tlie following: "The Declaration of the Inhabit- ants of Providence." " We the subscribers do solemnly and sincerely declare that we believe the War, Resistance and Opposition, in which the United American States are now engaged against the Fleets and Armies of Great Britain is, on the part of said States just and necessary, and that we will not directly or indirectlj^ afford assistance of anj^ sort or kind whatever to the said Fleets or Armies during the con- tinuance of the present War, but that we will heartily assist in the defence of the United States." Providence, August 5, 177G. (R. I. Colonial Records. Providence Toivn Papers.) Edvtard Bowen Hamlin, great-grandson. Charles Wetter Bowmen, great-grandson. Richard Martin Bowmen, great-grandson. William Bradford, of Plympton, Mass., and Bristol, R. I.; Deputy from Bristol, R. I., May, 1761-62-63-64; Speaker, 1765-66; Deputy, 1768-69-70-72-73-74-75; May, 1773, was one of committee on preservation of rights of the Colonies • under Royal Charter was elected Deputy-Governor, 1775-76- 77 ; one of a committee of safety ; Major-General of forces of the Colonies in 1775; member of Council of Wai* during recess of General Assembly ; in 1776 represented Rhode Island in the Continental Congress ; served on following committees : March, 1776, to draft a letter to Congress regarding situation of fleet then in the State ; to examine Surgeons and Surgeons Mates for army and navj^; of Council of War regarding enemy having taken possession of Rhode Island ; to order placing of cannon and fortifications throughout the State ; to confer with committees from Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, regarding sitnation at that time ; to charter vessels for purchase and transportation ; June, 1776, a com- pany was ordered from Prudence to Bristol to remain sub- ject to his orders ; September 23, 1776, corresponded with [ 131 ] General Washington as to exchange of prisoners ; in 1777 was on committee to meet committee from New England and New York in Springfield, July 30th, as to the situation at that time; in 1778, Deputy in the House from Bristol; March 12, 1778, was appointed to receive back rents of farms in pos- session of State; in 1779 was member of Council of War; retiring from office of Deputy-Governor a vote of thanks was extended him for able discharge of duties of the office by Deputies of the House; re-elected Deputy from Bristol, 1780- 81-82 ; 1780, one of committee to meet at Hartford, Conn., to fill up quota of men and provide provisions for army; Speaker in 1782-83-84-85-86; Deputy in 1787-88-89-90; Speaker in 1791-92 ; in 1792 was 2d Senator to Congress. {R. I. Colonial Records.) Le Roy Sprague Sanford, great-great-grandson. Arthur I>radford Spink, great-great-grandson, Nicholas Brown, of Providence ; who was among the first to take measures against the imposition of unjust taxes and to protest against the unlawful acts of British officers ; fur- nished munitions of war and assisted in raising recruits for the Continental armj^ ; member of committee appointed by Congress to build vessels for the Continental navy ; Com- missioner to adjust accounts between Rhode Island and the United States. {Archives of the State of Rhode Island.) Robert Grenville Brown, great-grandson (deceased). William Gammell, great-great-grandson. John Carter Brov^^n Woods, great-great-grandson. James Calder, of Boston, Mass.; private in Lieutenant Hopestill Hall's 2d Company, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, from Dorchester, served three daj^s; private in Captain John Baker's Company, Colonel Samuel Gerrish's Regiment ; enlisted May 11, 1775, served two months, twenty- one days ; private in Captain Pettingill's Company, Colonel Gerrish's (Baldwin's) Regiment ; encamped at Sewall's Point, September, October, November, 1775; his name appears on [ 132 ] an order for Bounty Coat, or its equivalent in money, due for eight months' service, in 1775, in Captain Joseph Pettingill's Company, Colonel S. Baldwin's (38th) Regiment, dated Sewall's Point, November 19, 1775. {Archives of the Commonivealth of Massachusetts. O. W. & N. Div., Pension Bureau.) Howard Tucker Metcalf, great-grandson. Albert Lawton Calder, 2d great-grandson. Harold Metcalf, great-grandson.' Nathaniel Day, Jr., of Rhode Island ; private in Captain Anthony Potter's Company in Colonel Mathewson's Regi- ment, in the expedition against Rhode Island, August 22 to 31, 1778 ; served also in Captain William Lawless' Company in Colonel Archibald Crary's Regiment, from Ma}^ 16 to Aug- ust 16, 1778. {Archives of ihe State of Rhode Island.) Francis Eliot Bates, great-grandson. Albert Greene Bates, great-grandson. Charles Holden, of ; commissioned paj'- master November 6, 1776, bj' General Washington, in the Second Battalion of Rhode Island troops, commanded by Col- onel Daniel Hitchcock ; paymaster in the Second Rhode Island Regiment, Colonel Israel Angell, 1777 ; delegate to the Hartford Convention, October 2, 1779 ; held various pub- lic offices. {American Archives, 6th Series.) George Metcalf Daniels, great-great-grandson. Esek Hopkins, of Providence, R. I.; August, 1775, was appointed commander of the garrison at Fox Point, in Provi- dence, on a threatened attack by British ships; in October, 1775, was appointed to the command of a force of six luin- dred men for special service, to repel a force from the British fleet on a foraging expedition to the islands of Rhode Island ' This name erroneously appears on page 56 as Howard Metcalf. ^ 7i K* K O > < [ 133 ] in quest of live stock ; later in the same month he was ap- pointed, with Joseph Brown, to go through the Colony and decide what places should be fortified and in what manner; October 4, 1775, he was commissioned Brigadier-General b}' Governor Nicholas Cook; December 22, 1775, he was con- firmed by Congress the Commander of the first naval fleet, organized and equipped by the colonies ; he sailed from Delaware Baj', February 17, 177G, made a descent on New Providence March 3, and captured the forts, with a large amount of nnlitary stores and upwards of 100 cannon, with which he sailed for New England ; April 4th he captured the British schooner " Hawke," of six guns. Captain Wallace, and on the 5tli the bomb brig "Bolton," of eight guns ; on the Gth he engaged the frigate "Glasgow," of 20 guns, and after an action of three hours she escaped into Newport under pro- tection of the British squadron ; the records show that after his retirement from the navy he was constantly engaged in duties of a public nature. {Esek Hopkins, Commander-in-Chief of the American Navy, hy Edward Field, Providence, 1898. B. I. Colonial Records.) AsAHEL Simmons Hawkins, great-great-grandson. Amos Micajah Hawkins, great-great-grandson. Frederick Greene Hawkins, great-great-great-grand- son.' Eli Stoddard, of Woodburj', Conn.; enlisted in the Con- tinental army in 177G. {History of Ancient Woodhury) John Edwin Judson, great-great-grandson. Ithamar Eaton, of Weare, N. H.; private in Captain John Hale's Company in Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Gerrish's Regiment, New Hampsliire Volunteers, in General Gates' Saratoga Campaign, September 29 to October 25, 1777 ; En- sign in Captain Aaron Quimby's Company in Colonel Moses ' This name erroneously appears on page 78 as Frederick Greene Hopkins. [ 134 ] Kelly's Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, in General Sullivan's army on Rhode Island, August 6 to August 27, 1778; Lieutenant, 1780; Major of Second Battalion, New Hampshire Militia, 1792 ; Colonel, New Hampshire Militia, 1800. {Archives of the Slate of New Hampshire.) William Eaton Foster, great-grandson. James Rhodes, of Warwick ; Deputy from Warwick, 17G0, 17G6 and 1777; also Deputy for Westerly, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773 ; in August, 1775, he was appointed by the General Assembly of Rhode Island, commander of the 250 men ordered to proceed on an expedition to New Shoreham, R.I. {R. I. Colojual Records.) George Carpenter Arnold, great-great-great-grand- son. PROCEEDINGS OF THE RHODE ISLAND SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. JOHN CARTER BROWN AVOODS, President, 1892-189;J. TIlllM) ANNUAL MHETING. June 24, 1893. THE third annual meetin<2^ of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is held by adjournment at the country house of tlie Union club, East Providence, June 24, 1893. The meeting is called to order by President John Carter Brown Woods, and the members and invited guests sit down to dinner at 2:30 o'clock. After dinner the business appertaining to the annual meet- ing is disposed of as follows : The reports of Olney Arnold, II, Treasurer, and Edward Field, Registrar, are received, read, and ordered placed on file. The officers elected for the ensuing year are : President, .... Amasa Mason Eaton. Vice-President, . . . Robert Grenville Brown. Treasurer, .... Olney Arnold, II. Secretary, .... Christopher Rhodes. Registrar, .... Edw^ard Field. Historian, .... Alfred Stone. Cliax)lain and Poet, . . Rev. Frederic Denison. William E. Foster, Esq., Historian of the Society, delivers the historical address. Rhode Island's Participation in the New England Campaigns of 1775-1781. The War of Independence, as a whole, may be conceived of as a drama, in which, while there was a good deal of ap- is [ 13S J pareiitly indisciiininate sceiie-sliifting-, the ti-ansaetioiis are seen to group themselves in three main acts. In this view of the ease the first act ends witli the evacuation of Boston, in March, 1776, and is performed wholly on New England soil. The second act ends with the battle of Rhode Island, in Aug- ust, 1778, and, with the exception of this closing scene, is per- formed almost wholly on the soil of the middle colonies — New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The third act, closing with the battle of Yorktown, in October, 1781, consists almost wholly of a brilliantl.y executed series of movements in the southern colonies — yet even in this period also Arnold's marauding expedition in Connecticut serves to illustrate the general principle that New England, throughout the entire period, was considered an excellent " point of attack." If there is any one feature more obvious than another to a student of the military history of this period — more painfully obvious, one might say, if the student's sympathies follow the efforts of such leaders as Washington and Greene — it is the feature of "short enlistments." Most of the campaigns of the Revolutionary War were fought not by men who had en- listed for the war — with few but honoi'able exceptions — but by men who were willing to give their country eight or ten weeks of their valuable time — and that when the fighting was near their own homes — but at the end. of that time, no mat- ter in what stage of advancement the campaign might be, too often had no hesitation in turning back to their ploughs, their merchandise, oi- their pastures. I have said that there were notable exceptions to this, and few colonies have a more hon- orable record than Rhode Island in this jiarticnlai". Such names as Nathanael Greene, C'hristoj)her Greene, and Stephen Olney at once call to mind a military record of the opposite description — a record of men who won their spurs largely in fields remote from their home, and not in one year but in a series of years. Had the Commander-in-Chief been able to feel at every step that this was the type of support which he could command, the war would have been i^ushed to a suc- cessful conclusion long before the year 1781. It remains true, however, that, in general, the New England campaigns [ 139 ] were fought largely with New England men, and the Southern campaigns largely with Southern men ; and so, to narrow the case to the single colony of Rhode Island, much the larger part of the Rhode Island men whose names stand associated with a militarj' record in the Revolution performed their service somewhere in New England. There are, perhaps, two points of greatest interest in con- nection with this New England military service — three, if we include the wholly introductory episode of the " Gaspee " — namely, the siege of Boston and the siege of Newport. The most vivid and altogether enlightening comments on these transactions ai-e from contempoi-ary actors, such as Nathanael Greene and John Howland. Here is a bit of such "local color" from John Howland, the time being April, 1775, when, on the Lexington alarm, the Kentish Guards set out on their march from East Greenwich through Providence to the scene of war. "I viewed the company as they marched up the street," said John Howland,' "and observed Nathanael Greene, with his musket on his shoulder, in the ranks as a i^rivate." Later this march was unexpectedly interrupted, for the company as a whole, but not for four of the constituent members of it — three of whom were Nathanael Greene and his two brothei'S — who pushed on towards Boston. Later, when the steps were successively taken which ren- dered the town of Boston too narrow quarters for the king's troops to remain there longer. General Nathanael Greene's Brigade, comprising three Rhode Island regiments (as well as four Massachusetts regiments), took position on Prospect Hill, two miles to the north of Harvard College. " No troops in the whole army," says a later writer, " were equipped and appointed as they were, with their tents and marquees, and the 'four excellent field-pieces' which had once formed part of the garrison of Fort George."' More important than mere equii^ment were the discipline and " high state of efficiency " which came to characterize these Rhode Island regiments. 1 Quoted in Greene's Life of Nathanael Greene, v. 1, p. 78. ^Ibia, V. 1, p. 105. [ 140 ] Greene "spai'ed no pains, night or (\iiy, to teach them their duty," and was admirablj' seconded by Varnum and Hitch- cock. "Lee bestowed great encomiums upon their bearing and discipline," says the same writer. How effectively all this slow, steady, skillful work — this intelligent laying of foundations — was destined to count in the end, we now" know from the issue of the siege. Early in March the pi-eparations were nearl}^ completed. " To draw off the enenij^'s attention from the poiut of danger tlie Amer- cans began to fire from C'obble Hill, Lechniere Point," etc. The dawn of the 5th of March saw Dorchester Heights cov- ered with redoubts. General Greene's assignment was this hill. Later Nook's Hill was fortified, and the British recog- nized at once the significance of this "checkmate." "Howe had no choice but to flee, or drive the Americans from their strongholds, or see his ships sunk at their moorings. On the 10th, soon after sunrise, boats tilled with soldiers and citizens were seen putting off from the wharves, and when the sun set, the city was once more in the hands of its own people." Exceptionally creditable is the connection of Rhode Island troops and Rhode Island officers with this "single brilliant stroke,"' as a distinguished writer of our day has well desig- nated it, which not merely followed up the undecisive engage- ment of the Bunker Hill battle with this thoroughly decisive freeing of all New England from British troops, but had a palpable effect in emboldening Congress to take the decisive step in favor of separate nationality so soon to follow in the Declaration of Independence. The second of these great episodes is the now familiar siege of Newport, two years later. It is true that in August, 1777, there had been noteworthy fighting at Hubbardton and Bennington, in what is now the State of Vermont, but New England jurisdiction had not yet been firml}' estal)- lished on the western side of the Green Mountains. More- over these separate engagements were an integral part of the Saratoga campaign ; properly belonging, tlierefore, in the narrative of the operations in the middle colonies. ' John Kiske's "American Revolution," v. 1, p. 172. WILLIAM EATON FOSTER, HisTOKiAN, 1890-1898. [ 141 ] The skillfully planned operations b}^ which the king's troops were dislodged from Boston, in March, 1776, stretched over a ijeriod of not far from a year, and were successful. It is true that after the British fleet sailed out of Boston harbor, in March, 1776, the British, to quote from Mr. Fiske, " never regained their foothold upon the main land of New England." But the position which they had taken in De- cember of the same year, on the large island in our bay, known variously as "Aquidneck," or "Rhode Island," had been a constant menace to the three southern New England colonies. In April of the year 1778 General John Sullivan took command at Providence. At this time the military repre- sentation of Rhode Island comprised two regiments in the " Continental army," and three in the State service, besides various independent companies, such as the Kentish Guards, all of whom were now massed for the attack on Newport. Regiments from other colonies brought the total of the American troops up to between 9,000 and 10,000, one brigade being commanded by the fearless Rhode Island officer. Gen- eral Varnum, while the French allies — both land and sea forces — supplied 4,000 more. In this case, also, we are able, from contemporary correspondence, to gain a somewhat defi- nite idea of the considerations which shaped the plan of attack ; and nowhere is there a more lucid and skillful fore- casting of the procedure than in a letter of General Gi'eene's, addressed to Washington, in July, 177S. At this time Greene was acting in a double capacity. He had, since March of this year, been acting as Qnartermaster-General of the ai-my, at Washington's urgent request, and bringing order out of the profoundest chaos in the commissary department; but he was also, at his own earnest request, serving at the same time as an active field officer. That on which dependence was placed in the operations against Newport was, of course, the co-operation of the French fleet ; and if that had not failed it is difficult to see how this Rhode Island campaign should not have resulted — as it was, not without reason, expected to result — not merely in regaining Newport and [ li^' ] Aquidneek, not merely' in dislodging the king's troops from Rhode Island, and, indeed, from New England, bnt in strik- ing the one decisive blow which should end the war. Tlie Rhode Island campaign was a good instance of intelli- gence in planning. It was a marked instance of superb fighting. "The best fought action of the war," was La- faj^ette's dictum upon it, in later j^ears, and few were better entitled to judge than he. Rhode Island military experience, judgment, and critical discernment were conspicuous, as we have seen, in the preliminary steps which led to the shaping of the campaign. Rhode Island courage, endurance, and heroic daring were scarcely less conspicuous, as abundant contem- porary accounts testify, in the actual figliting which took place on the slopes of Quaker Hill and Butts Hill during those memorable August days. In particular should be cited the conduct of the men under Varnum and Greene.' Rhode Island, to this day, remembers, and has just cause to remember, the heroic achievements of her sons on fields so remote from home as Red Bank or Yorktown ; but she remembers with equal honor and equal pride the deeds which reflected credit upon her name within New England — indeed, within her own State limits. Rev. Frederic Denison, Poet of the Society, reads the fol- lowing poem, written for the occasion : Brown University in the Revolution, Our Mother, of the Liberal Arts, Maintains her old heroic flame, Recalling stalwart, generous hearts. Who reared her shrine and gave her name. She counts, witli patriotic pride. The struggles of her early years. When tj'rannies she firm defied. Unheeding doubts and spurning fears. ' Gen. Sullivan's report, in the " Collections " of the Rhode Island Historical Society V. C, p. 104. [ 143 ] Her altar burned with purest fires— The genuine Promethean blaze, That, heaven-lit, nevermore expires. But shines with ever widening rays. The embers in her ancient hall She fondly fans afresh to-daj^. And, answering to her children's call. Indulges her historic lay : "Mine was a mission quite above Old systems of philosophy : Man's common brotherhood to prove And, if need be, for it to die. This thesis was my natal text : Unchain the flesh, unbind the soul. Let voice of conscience be unvexed. Let right, not power, command the whole. Alike, with equal hand, I gave Jew, Baptist, Quaker, Puritan, And Churchman what all men should have : The liberal fruitage of my plan. In this, at first, I stood alone ; No other seat of classic lore Presumed the bi'oad idea to own ; New light of truth my altar bore. Such are the truest scholars, who Maintain the sovereignty of jnind. And in their freedom dare and do For the uplifting of mankind. There is a royalty of soul That has, direct from God, its birth. Predestined to secure control 'Mong all the peoples of the earth. [ 144 ] The crucial question came, as blast That tests tlie fibre of the oak : Sliall despotism bind men fast ? Or justice lift resisting- strolve? My classic doors were open flung When Freedom called her sons to arms, And every heart with challenge rung When patriot-bugles blew alarms. I saw the 'Gaspee's' dying glare — In truth I helped, somewhat, the plea — I joined the town on Market Square, And cheered the burning of the tea. I heard the conflict's opening gun Ring out from Narragansett's strand ; I heard the call from Lexington That sent its thrill through all the land. The startled farmer left his plough. The trader left his merchandise, Resolved that they would never bow To what a tyrant might devise. I sent my Manning to the front To lead in patriot debate, Who bravely spoke, as was his wont, In all the high att'airs of state. Here Fi'eedom spoke her will before The voice from Independence Hall ; Here freemen, standing on their shore, First vowed to win the fight or fall. For six war-crimsoned, testing j'ears, M}^ halls were given, to willing wait On Freedom's army, lending cheers To all defenders of the state. REV. FREDERIC DENISON, Chaplain. [ 145 ] Here innstered eager volunteers ; Here borne the wounded from the field, Who to their comrades sent fresh elieers, And thus their Spartan blood revealed. My rooms were barracks, and for wards Of sick, both camp and hospital. And whatsoever work accords With sanguine, martial spectacle. And here the fife and muffled drum Oft lent their notes of tearful dirge For soldiers, borne to their last home, In silent tents on life's last verge. Here Stars and Lilies were allied ; Here Hope strong to her Anchor held ; Though Freedom's valiant votaries died, They yet by faith the triumph spelled. In memory I still can trace The footmarks of the Gallic troops That bore themselves with knightly grace And gave our cause its larger hopes. Upon the brow of yonder hill The outline of their camp is found, Where, on my quickened ear, is still The sentry's challenge passed around. I read the hill-top signal blaze ; I viewed the armies marching by To battlefields, and spoke my praise As they pressed on to win or die. I cheered our ships adown our Bay, Armed with the guns Rhode Island cast. On ocean waves their part to plaj'' Until the fiery storm was past. 19 [ 146 ] My heart beat high in those hot days When stood a continent at stake ; When freemen, choosing justice's ways, Decreed a tyrant's yoke to break. My halls are hallowed by tlie names Of those who souglit the true to find, And, owning virtue's highest claims, Gave up their lives to bless mankind. My gifted sons have held their lights In civic, and in sacred place, Defenders of all human rights, And worthy winners in life's race. And now, on every patriot-day I lift the Starry Flag above My walls, and shout, in patriot-lay, The names that freemen ever love : Our peerless Washington, the man God gave our nation at her birth. Himself a host in Freedom's van. And still a leader in the earth. Then Hopkins, Varnum, Hitchcock, Greene ; Then Rochambeau and Lafayette, Whose lives remain in fadeless sheen. Whose deeds our land may not forget. Then Ward and Angell I give tongue ; Then Olney, Whipple, Barton, Brown, And yeomen chivalrous, who wrung Their rights from an oppressive crown. To private soldiers be the meed Of special praise ; they dealt the blows And wrought the memorable deed That humbled our imperial foes : [ 1^7 ] Like Williams, Spencer, Rhodes, Brownell, And Thui'ber, Potter, Harrison, And Mason, whom we proudly tell, And sing the honors that they won. And so the happy issue came ; The Lion turned him to his lair ; A new republic rose to fame, The fairest Flag on earth to bear. As out of chaos rose the light, As from upheavals life outsprings. So out of battles grew the right That now a mighty nation sings. Peace to the ashes of the braves. Let sacred honor speak their claims ; We strew fresh laurels on their graves, And give to sweetest song their names. And ye, so highly favoi-ed Sons Of Revolutionary Sires, Keep full aglow on altar stones The old-time patriotic fires." FOX in H ANNUAL ^MEETING. February 22, 1804. THE fourth annual meeting of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is lield Feb- ruary 22, 1894, at the Cabinet of the Rhode Island Historical Societj^ on Waterman street in Providence at 12 o'clock, noon. President Amasa M. Eaton presents his address as fol- lows : Address of Amasa M. Eaton, Esq., President. In accordance with the requirements of Section 5 of our B3'-Laws I have now the honor of submitting this address in writing at the end of my term of office. It is with great satisfaction that I report we have had a year of progress, and increase in membership. The Constitution and By-Laws adopted upon the organiza- tion of our Society have shown to us, through experience, in what respects they were defective. They were, therefore, carefull}'^ rewritten with a view to correcting such defects and omissions, and in doing this work we were also guided by tlie Constitution and By-Laws of other sister societies. This new Constitution and By-Laws were adopted at our meeting- held last October, and now we find ourselves adequately equipped with rules for our guidance. And b}^ the adoption to-day of the Charter granted by our General Assembly we have now become a corporation, and not merely a voluntarj'^ association. I congratulate the Society that we have also, during the year last past, entered actively upon work of a lasting char- acter, directly in the line of the objects of our Society, as AMASA MASOX EATON, Pbksident, 1893-1894. [ 140 ] stated in Article II of our Constitution, i. e., "To perpetuate the spirit and memory of the deeds of the patriots who achieved American Independence and who secured to us the blessings of liberty." At our meeting last October it was resolved that the President appoint a committee of five, with authority to act and to erect a memorial tablet upon the Board of Trade building, to commemorate the action of the citizens of Providence in burning British taxed tea on the night of March 2d, 1775. Compatriots Alfred Stone, John E. Ken- drick, George E. Barstow, Edward B. Knight, and James H. Tower were appointed such a committee. As history tells us that the women of Providence took part in this Providence tea burning it was felt to be peculiarly appropriate that Gaspee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution should join us in this patriotic under- taking. The committee on the Memorial Tablet were em- powered by the Board of Managers to confer with a committee appointed by the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, with full power to unite with them in the erection of this Memorial Tablet. This has been done ; the accepted design for the tablet has been placed in the hands of the Gorham Manufacturing Co., who are to cast the bronze, and it is intended to complete its erection next month with appropriate exercises and cere- monies. Each society is to pay about 150 dollars, the esti- mated expense being 300 dollars. Contributions to this fund may be made to Compatriot Kendrick the Treasurer of the committee. It has been the aim of the Board of Managers during the last year, not only to accomplish some practical result, such as the erection of this Memorial Tablet, but also, to bring the members of the Society into more direct and personal rela- tion with the Society and its management. With this end in view, and also to guard against the admission of any one not agreeable to the members, the Board has resolved that here- after, the Secretary is to make known to the membei-s all applications for membei'ship at least ten days before the meeting of the Board when such applications shall be acted [ 150 ] upon, and all members are requested to make known to the Board any reason for the non-acceptance of any such appli- cation, said communications to be regarded as strictly confi- dential. Owing to the change of date for the annual meeting to February 22, my term of office has covered only eight months. But a great deal has been accomplished during that short period, and I trust the Society will continue its growth in membership, in influence, and in usefulness. Christopher Rhodes, Secretary, presents the following report for the past year : Report of the Secretary. Providence, R. I., February 22d, 1894. To the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution : In compliance with the provisions of Section 6 of the By- Laws, the Secretary herewith presents his annual report : Amount collected for dinner tickets, ro- settes, certificates, annual dues, and admission fees $3!)!) 50 Amount paid Treasurer $300 00 Cash on hand to be paid Treasurer 9 50 $399 50 By much exertion the Secretary has been able to collect all the annual taxes, due the Society, up to the present time. It would be well if the members would remit their dues promptly. At a meeting of the Board of Managers held February 14, it was voted, "That, on account of the change of date on which the annual tax is due and payable, all members of the Society who joined previous to the adoption of the new Con- stitution, October 18, 1893, be giv'en a credit of 50 'cents on their annual tax, due February 22d, 1894, for the ensuing year." [ 151 ] Sixteen new members have been admitted since the last annual meeting— and several charter members have qualified —one has resigned. The total number of qualified members on the rolls of the Society is 1 22. Respectfully submitted, Christopher Rhodes, Secretary. Oluey Arnold, II, Treasurer, presents the following report : Treasurer's Report. To the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the Ar)ierican Revolution : Receipts. Cash in bank June 1st, 1893 $10(3 31 Dues, dinners, rosettes, &c 451 40 Interest on bank account to date 1 48 $559 19 Expenditures. Annual dinner, June 24, 1893 $95 75 Rosettes, year ending February 22 18 15 Stationer}^ stamps, and printing 54 82 Society's Seal (wood cut) . 6 50 Certificates of membership 26 00 Dinner of Society, October 18, 1893 206 60 $407 82 Cash in bank February 22, 1894 151 37 $559 19 Olney Arnold, II, Treasurer. Providence, R. L, February 22, 1894. [ 152 ] Vouchers for receipts and expenditures examined and found correct. Joseph C. W. Cole, Auditor. February 19, 1804. Edward Field, Registrar, presents the following report: Report of the Registrar. To the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution : On the ISth daj^ of October last, a new Constitution and By-Laws was adopted by the Society, in which it is provided that the annual meeting shall be held on the 22d day of Feb- ruary instead of the 29th day of May, as the laws of the Society formerly provided ; the time, therefore, covered by this report, will be for the eight months only. The total number of members of the Society to whom cer- tificates have been issued is 119. During this period there were admitted to the Society 24 members, one of whom is the son of a Revolutionary soldier. The members thus elected derive their eligibility from services rendered by their ancestors, in the following capaci- ties : Major-General 2 Brigadier-General 1 Colonel 3 Captain 5 Lieutenant 5 Paymaster 1 Ensign 2 Sergeant 3 Corporal 2 Recruiting officer 1 Private 10 Deputy-Governor 2 [ 153 ] Deputy 3 Member of Continental Congress 2 Senator - Judge 1 Member of various committees I' Member of Council of War 3 During the time covered by this report I have received the following additions to the Society's collection : From the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution— Year book, 1892. From the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution— Year book, 1803. From the New York Society of the Sons of the American Revolution— Year book, 1893-1894. From Ex-President-General William Seward Webb — Cor- respondence of Samuel B. Webb, two volumes. These, when properly inscribed, will be deposited with the Rhode Island Historical Society, in accordance with the pro- vision of our By-Laws, thereby giving to persons interested a better opportunity of consulting the valuable material which these volun)es contain. At the meeting of the Board of Managers held on the 28th day of November, 1893, the Registrar was appointed a com- mittee to co-operate with the persons named in the act of incorporation passed by the General Assembl}^ at its Januarj^ session, 1891, in securing the acceptance of the charter. This duty has been jjerformed, and I have to report that the cor- poration of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the Amer- ican Revolution is duly organized. In December last, at mj^ suggestion, the newspapers in the city published a notice requesting all persons who knew where the grave of a Revolutionary soldier was located in Rhode Island to send such information to me. In reply to these notices I have received letters and visits from a number of persons, giving me the locations of many of these graves^ nearly all of which have for j'Cars been neglected and almost forgotten. 20 [ 15i ] Some lime ago the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution caused to be made a design for a metal marker, to be placed upon tiie graves of Revolutionai-y sol- diers, and at tlie semi-annual meeting held at Marblehead on the 19th day of October last a design was accepted. It con- sists of a rod, at the top of which is the cross of St. Louis one foot in diameter, being the ensign or badge of the Society, with the figure of the Concord luinute-man instead of the head of Washington ; each arm of the cross contains a letter of the inscription S. A. R. (Soldier of the American Revolu- tion), the lower arm having the date 1775. A socket can be attached to the rod to hold a bouquet of flowers. These mark- ers in iron cost one dollar each, and are manufactured by M. D. Jones & Co., 76 Washington street, Boston ; they are also furnished in bronze of finer workmanship but of similar design. I believe that this societj' should undertake a similar work in the State ; the expense would not be great, and each mem- ber would be glad to see that the grave of his own ancestor was appropriately marked. A few of these designs, pur- chased from time to time, and placed in different parts of the State, would, in a little while, produce a most gratifying result. One member to whom I have spoken regarding this matter has already volunteered to perform the work of mark- ing all the graves in the North Burying Ground and Swan Point Cemetery, if the Society will furnish the markers. The memory of the men who made this great Society possible should not be forgotten, and would in no better way be per- petuated than by having their last resting-place suitably identified. In order to ascertain if this Society might have the privilege of using these markers, in the event it should undertake to have the graves in Rhode Island marked, I addressed a letter to Nathan Warren, Esquire, Registrar of the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, asking if this Society would be privileged to use their markers, and in reply received the following : [ 155 ] " Boston, Januaiy 10, 1894. Edward Field, Esq., Registrar, Providence. Dear Sir: Yours of the 3d inst. is at hand. We are pleased to know that you are agitating the subject of mark- ing the graves of Revolutionary soldiers and think favorable of our design. We think that the subject of your inquiry ought to be referred to our Board of Managers, which will hold a meeting in a few days, so I will communicate with you later. Very truly yours, Nathan Warren, Registrar.'''' Subsequently I received a letter as follows : "Boston, January 19, 1894. Edward Field, Esq , Registrar, Providence. Dear Sir: In further reply to yours of the 3d inst. I would state that at a meeting of our Board of Managers it was voted that you could use our design for a marker, and pleasure was expressed that you desired to do so. The manu- facturers will be instructed to send one to you. If you do not receive it shortly, please inform me. Yours very truly, Nathan Warren, Registrar.'''' By some oversight tliis sample marker has not yet been received, but the desci-iption previously given will convey to the members a good idea of its appearance. The coming year finds us better equipped for a Avork of this kind than ever before. The Society is perfectly organ- ized ; it has a substantial membership, and has already en- tered upon a life of activity, and it must not be forgotten L 15G ] that we are under some obligalioii — "to perpetuate the meiii- orj^ of the deeds of the patriots who achieved American In- dependence and who secured to us the blessings of liberty." In closing this report I desire to express my thanks to the officers and members of the Society for their hearty support and cooperation during the four years which I have held the position of Registrar of this Society. The time has come when I can no longer be considered a candidate for this office ; its increasing demands require more time than I have at my command to properl}' attend to the various duties which devolve upon the Registrar, and I must, therefore, at this time, retire from the office. Respectfully submitted, Edwaed Field, Registrai'. The officers elected for the ensuing year ai-e : President, .... Wilfred Harold Munro. Vice-President, . . . Edward Field. Secretary, .... Christopher Rhodes. Treasurer, .... Olney Arnold, II. Registrar, .... Alonzo Williams. Historian, .... Alfred Stone. Chaplain, .... Rev. Samuel Heber Webb. Poet, Rev. Frederic Denison. Delegates, . Edward Field and Dexter B. Potter. Alternates, William E. Foster, Alfred M. Williams, John E. Kendrick. Upon the conclusion of the business meeting the Society in a bod}^ proceeds to llie Empire room, Ti-ocadero, where the annual dinner is served. Alfred Stone, Esq., llistoiian of the Society, delivers the following address : ALFRED STONE, President, 1891-1893, [ 157 ] Events Preceding the Outbreak of the Revolution. Mr. President and Compcdriots: The duty of the Historian of this Soeietj', as set forth in Section 10 of its By-Laws, is "to keep a record of all facts in connection with the Society, which he may judge to be of historic value, and shall make an address in writing at each annual meeting." Since the last annual meeting action has been taken, in conjunction with the Gaspee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, to commemorate the burning of British taxed tea by causing a bronze tablet to be made which will be placed on the westerly end of the City Build- ing on Market Square, and which will be dedicated with simple ceremonies on the 2d of March. Your Historian is also required to present in writing an annual address, and as it is one of the purposes of this Society to erect other memorials at different sites (such as the site of the Liberty Tree on Olney street, the burial place of Esek Hopkins, the location of the Old Forge at Potowomut — Nan- quit Point — to commemorate the burning of the Gaspee, the site of the beacon at Field's Point, and others which he will not undertake to enumerate), it seems to him more proper to leave these purely local subjects to be treated by persons selected for the purpose, and at other and more ai^propriate times ; he will, therefore, in chronological order, touch upon a few of the incidents preceding and leading up to the actual breaking out of armed resistance, and in so doing he dis- claims an J' attempt at original research, but has freely availed himself of material to be found in that work which is so fre- quently quoted and so justly esteemed, "Staples Annals." He has quoted from and received inspiration from Rev. Edward Everett Hale's "One Hundred Years Ago," from Jus- tin Winsor's "Narrative and Critical History of America," and incidents obtained from letters written at the time of the occupation of Boston, edited b}^ William P. Uphara, and from other familiar sources. He believes that the steps which are traced and hinted at [ 158 ] are steps in the development of a higher civilization for the whole English speaking people, and that the establishment of the United States of America as an independent nation, on the basis of the equal rights of each individual man under the law, was a natural sequence of the Magna C'harta, and that it was given to the peojjle from whom we claim descent to maintain and perpetuate in the British colonies that spirit of liberty which grew up and flourished in a nation strug- gling for existence under the most trying circumstances to a far greater degree than was possible with their kith and kin in Great Britain under the more immediate and corrupting influence of a more or less profligate and effeminate court, to maintain which the government had to avail itself of every means to raise the necessary revenues and thought it neces- sary then, as now, to retain its grip on all its colonies, no matter at what cost of money or sacrifice of life. To accom- plish these purposes of raising a revenue and holding on to the colonies which had grown up on these shores under the patents and grants of the kings of England, from 1G20 down to the time of which we are speaking, made it necessary for parliament to enact those laws which, under the growing spirit of liberty and in the first throes of the scarcely fell and as yet undefined desire for independence, gave the en- croachments of the crown the appearance, at least, of adding to and increasing burdens of a frugal and simple people, to such a degree that they became at last to be regarded as tlie intolerant oppressions and insolent demands of the mother country under the rule of the " best of kings" — the familiar appellation of one hundred and twenty years ago for that obstinate ruler, George III — to whom, and not to his minis- ters, was more directly due the "dismemberment of an em- pire " than was at that time thought to be the case. George the Third, and not the miiiistery, was the real power — not heliind, but on, the throne, who was the cause of our woes ; and yet our fathers in those days, laboring under what proves to have been false and inaccurate information, hung in effigy Lord North, the Earl of Bute, and others of the min- istery, instead of the king. [ 159 ] But though the people of this country did not, at that day, generally appreciate that Lord North was kept from desert- ing the king by the special pleading and imploring of George the Third, they were constantly harrassed and goaded to rebel- lion by the unjust taxation and other indignities heaped upon them by the British government. The wars of Great Britain waged against Spain and France, the latter ending in 1763, resulted in splendid victories and gave her jurisdiction over provinces which it would have been better for her never to have acquired — left her also with an enormous national debt which induced her to attempt to raise a revenue from her colonies by enforcing her naviga- tion acts and by imposing a stamp and other duties. The colonies, having been for a long time revelling in an absti- nence from those burdens, " insisted that they were entitled to all the riglits of native-born Englishmen," and all the col- onies were united in the one idea that taxation was the right of colonial legislatures elected by their own suffrages, and not of the British parliament, in the election of whose mem- bers they had no voice. As early as 1761 James Otis, in arguing the writs of assist- ance, assumed the natural rights of the colonists to absolute independence. Patrick Henry, in 1763, denied the right of the king to negative the "Two-penny Act " of the Colonial Assembly. In 1764 the enforcement of the navigation acts in the great commercial centres, threatening the ruin of New England, was one of the more immediate causes, and prepared the people for the general outbreak in 1765, following the pas- sage of the Stamp Act — such as the hanging and burning in effigy of the stamp distributors, the burning of the records of the Vice-Admiralty Court, sacking the house of the Comp- troller of the Customs, and the forcible entry of the house of Chief Justice Hutchinson, which was left in ruins by the mob. Other personal indignities were heaped on those ap- pointed to enforce the Stamp Act ; their houses were some- times burned, their property sometimes destroyed, and gen- erally they were forced to resign their offices. [ ^*io ] In Providence no acts of violence occurred, but a citizens' committee was appointed, in 17i!5, to draft instructions to their representatives in the General Assembly, from which I quote the following extracts : " As a full and free enjoyment of British libertj^ and of our particular rights, as colonists, long since precisely' known and ascertained by uninterrupted practice and usage from the first settlement of this country down to this time, is of un- speakable value, and strenuously to be contended foi', b}' the dutiful subjects of the best frame of government in the world, any attempts to deprive them thereof, must be very alarming and ought to be opposed, although in a decent manner, yet with the utmost firmness." " The refusal of Parliament to hear the humble petitions of the colonies against the Stamp-Act, the enlargement of the admiralty jurisdiction and the burdening of trade, we look upon as a great grievance, and directly against our rights, as subjects," and " we recommend you, in the most express manner, to use your utmost endeavors that commissioners be appointed by the Assembly to meet with the commission- ers from the other colonies on the continent, at New York on the first day of October next, agreeabl}^ to the proposals and request of the province of the Massachusetts Bay, signified to this colonj', in order to unite in a petition to the king, for relief from the Stamp Act and other grievances," and " We likewise request j^ou to do all in your power, consistent with our relation to Great Britain, toward postponing the intro- duction of the Stamp Act into this colony until the colonists may have opportunity to be heard in defence of such just rights as the}' will be deprived of by an execution of it. And to this end that you endeavor to procure our essential rights and privileges to be asserted in General Assembly." "And inasmuch as it hath been lately drawn into question, how far the people of this his Majesty's dominion of Rhode Island, have the right of being tried by juries, we earnestly recommend it to you, to procure an act to be passed, if it may be done, declaring that the courts of common law only, and not any court of admiralty, have and ought to have jurisdic- tion, in all causes, growing or arising in this colony on ac- count of levying or collecting any internal taxes, or of any matters relating thereto. — And that such process and way of trial, shall hereafter be had and used in such matters, as have been usual and accustomed, time out of mind ; and further, that no decree of any court of admiralty, respecting these matters, shall be executed in this colony." ALONZO WILLIAMS, Registrar, 1894-1S9o. [ I'^l ] This action was almost a declaration of independence from the British government, and being followed by similar action throughout the country, the Stamp Act was repealed in March, 1706, but with British obduracy it was coupled with the irri- tating and nnnecessary declaration of the right of parliament to bind the colonies in all cases whatsoever. The rejoicing over the repeal of the Stamp Act was of short duration, as in 1767 the Townshend acts were passed, the first providing for the more effectual enforcement of the laws of trade, and the second laying a duty on paper, glass, paints, tea, etc., imported into the colonies, and legalizing writs of assistance. This was followed on the part of the colonj^ of Rhode Island by an agreement not to use certain imported articles, and to encourage the nse of things made bj^ home manufacturers, and also to encourage the raising of wool and flax. The agreement not to use imported articles went into effect January 1, 1766, and on the 13th of Februarj^ the following advertisement appeared in the Gazette : "The following tradesmen are wanted in the northern col- onies in America, and from the universal spirit which now prevails, for extending our manufactures, there cannot be an}' doubt but that suitable encouragement would be given them, if they should transport themselves from Great Britain or Ireland, into these delightful regions, quite removed out of the reach of the paw of oppression ; that is to say : All sorts of tradesmen in the linen and woolen manufacture, stocking weavers, steel makers, nailers, locksuiiths, gunsmiths, saw makers, cutlers, file makers, and in general all sorts of workers in the iron way ; clock and watch makers, paper makers, paper stainers, glass makers, makers of blue and white and other soi"ts of earth and stone ware, pipe makers, needle and pin makers, wire drawers, workers in brass and copper, buckle makers, button makers, glue makers, makers of painters' colors, glovers and engravers." The advertisement then states that the climate is very salubrious, enumerates many advantages which the trades- men would enjoy, and annexes a price current of many of the necessaries of life. Wheat is stated at two shillings nine pence sterling; rj^e, 21 [ 1G2 ] two shillings two pence ; Indian corn, one shilling sixpence per bushel ; beef, veal, and mutton, a penny half penny; pork, a penny three farthings ; butter, five pence, and cheese, three pence, per pound ; salt, one shilling six pence per bushel ; sugar, twentj'-seven shillings per cwt.; and firewood in the cities eight shillings per cord. The list of tradesmen included several arts in which considerable progress had already been made. The design, as far as regarded these, was to induce more finished woi'kmen, and in greater num- bers, to enrich the country with their skill and knowledge, and the result aimed at was to i-ender the colonies independ- ent of the mother country for any of the necessaries, or even conveniences or luxuries, of social life. In 1768 the colonies arrayed themselves more openly than ever against the king, their previous iwsition being one of opposition to the supremac}^ of parliament but loyalty to the king, and in that year Samuel Adams — profuse in expression of loyalty and disclaiming " the most distant thoughts of in- dependence" — rose to the loftiest principles of statesmanship in the declaration " that the supreme legislature in any free country, derives its power from the constitution by the fun- damental rules of which it is bounded and circumscribed ;" "that it is the glory of the British Constitution that it hath its foundations in the law of God and nature;" "that the necessity of rights and property is the great end of govern- ment ;" " That the colonists are natural born subjects by the spirit of the law of nature and nations ; " and " that the laws of God and nature were not made for i)oliticians to alter;" and distinctly asserted the rights of the colonists of Massa- chusetts on historical grounds. Demonstrations of ill-will were shown by the colonists to the customs officials, and the mob used abusive language against the governor, followed by the seizure by the custom officers of John Hancock's sloop " Liberty," laden with a cargo of Madeira wine. The officer in charge, refusing a bribe, was forcibly locked up in the cabin, the greater part of the cargo removed, and the re- mainder entered at the custom house as the whole cargo — an outbreak so flagrant that additional ti-oops were sent to [ 1«3 ] Boston in September of this year by General Gage, who was then at New York, and two additional regiments were ordered from Ireland. In June of the same year James Otis, probably, wrote the address to Governor Bernard, complaining of being invaded by an armed force, and in July there assembled in Provi- dence a large concourse of people and there dedicated a lib- erty tree. Laying their hands on the tree, Silas Downer made for the people this declaration : "We do, in the name and behalf of all the true sons of libert}^ in America, Great Britain, Ireland, Corsica, or where- soever they may be dispersed throughout the world, dedicate and solemnl3' devote this tree to be a tree of liberty. May all our councils and deliberations under its venerable branches, be guided by wisdom, and directed for the support and main- tenance of that liberty which our forefathers sought out and found under trees and in the wilderness. May it long flourish and may the sons of libertj' often repair thither to confirm and strengtiien each other ; when they look toward this sacred elm, may they be penetrated with a sense of their duty to themselves and their posterity; and may thej^, like the house of David, grow stronger and stronger, while their enemies, like the house of Saul, shall grow weaker and weaker. Amen." These resolves and declarations were carried out with varying success, as might have been expected, as it is never possible to enforce, in times when there is no excitement, that universal observance which compels a large number of people to deprive themselves of those things which minister to comfort and pi-ide for the purpose of enforcing an abstract principle, especiallj^ when neighboring colonies do not fully live up to these same agreements. In the spring of 1772 the ai-med schooner "Gaspee" arrived in Narragansett Bay to aid in enforcing the revenue laws, and was captured and burned by a body of men whose justi- fication came with the success of the Revolution, but wliose act was treasonable to the government under which they lived when the act was committed, and large rewards were offered for the discovery of the perpetrators, but no one was [ IGJ^ ] found raeau enough to betray his fellows and the act went unpunished, and thus was inaugurated the first armed resist- ance of the American people to his Majesty's duly appointed officers and representatives. Then followed the destruction of tea in Boston harbor on the 19th of January, 1774. General Gage was preparing for war, and advised England to save blood and treasure by sending out an army of twenty thousand men. He had with him in Boston thirty-five hun- dred troops, and did what he could to encourage the loyal- ists, and waited for the opening of spring, hoping for the re- inforcements from England for which he had written, and in February he sent Colonel Leslie by water from Boston to Marblehead, where he landed on Sunday, the 26th, while the people were at meeting, his objective point being Salem, where he heard there were some brass cannon and gun car- riages ; but, to quote from Edward Everett Hale, "his object was suspected and news immediately sent to Salem. When Colonel Leslie reached the North Bridge the drawbridge was up ; and one of these parleys followed, which, in all that his- tory, showed how anxious were both parties to keep within the forms of law. The people who assembled told Colonel Leslie that it was a private way and that he had no right to travel on it or to use the drawbridge. He undertook to ferry over a party in two scows, known then and now, in the lan- guage of New England, by the proud name of 'gondolas.' Their owners jumped in and began to scuttle them. In the scuffle which ensued some were pricked with bayonets." The Salem people, to this hour, say that blood was drawn, and claim the honor of the first " blood shed " of the Revolution- ary War. This is certain, that they made the first resistance to a military force of England. Leslie did not wish to force matters. Rev. Thomas liar- nard, the minister, dismissed his congregation, and was on hand, as a minister should be on such occasions. He per- suaded the Colonel to be moderate, and promised that the bridge should be lowered if the detachment did not march more than thirty or fifty rods on the other side. It was, for Leslie, a clear case of being " for the law but agin enforcing [ IGo ] it." He agreed to this. The bridge was lowered. The guns had been removed in the meanwhile. The detachment marched its thirtj' rods and marched back again, and Colonel Leslie returned to Boston. Trumbull, in "Mac Fingal," gives this account of the ex- pedition : " Through Salem straight, without delay. The bold battalion took its way ; Marched o'er the bridge in open sight Of several Yankees armed for fight ; Then, without loss of time or men. Veered round for Boston back again, And found so well their projects thrive, That every soul got home alive." Meanwhile General Gage was feeling the country in other directions. As February closed he sent Captain Brown and an ensign on foot to Worcester to examine the country with reference to a march inland. That two officers of the army could not ride in uniform with proper attendance into the in- terior was evidence enough that the mission in which General Gage was employed was hopeless. These two gentlemen went disguised as "countrymen," with "brown clothes, and red handkerchiefs round their necks." It is edifying to think of the skill with which two such Englishmen would maintain such a disguise. Bernicre's journal of the expedition is very funny. They traveled on foot and were, of course, recog- nized every few miles. Here is a specimen : "From that we went to Cambridge, a pretty town with a college built of brick. The ground is entirely level on which the town stands. We next went to Watertown and were not suspected. It is a pretty large town for America, but would be looked upon as a village in England. A little out of this town we went into a tavern — a Mr. Brewer's, a Whig. We called for dinner which was bi-ought in by a black woman. At first she was very civil, but afterwards began to eye us very attentively. She then went out and a little after re- turned, when we observed to her that it was a very fine country; upon which she answered, 'So it is; and we have [ ICG ] got brave fellows to defend it ; and, if you go up any higher you will find it so.' This disconcerted us a good deal and we imagined she knew us from our papers, which we took out before her, as the general had told us to pass for surveyors. However, we resolved not to sleep there that night as we had intended. Accordingly we paid our bill which amounted to two pounds odd shillings, but it was old tenor. After we had left the house we inquired of John, our servant, what she had said. He told us that she knew Capt. Brown very well ; that she had seen him five years before at Boston, and knew him to be an officer and that she was sure I was one also, and told John that he was a regular. He denied it ; but she said she knew our errand was to take a plan of the country ; that she had seen the river and road through C'harlestown on the paper. She also advised him to tell us not to go any higher for if we did we should meet with very bad usage." They then took John into their company at inns and other places, and at Sudbury, at the Golden Ball, since immortalized by Mr. Longfellow, they were fortunate enough to find a Tory landloid, in Mr. Jones. " Can you give us supper ? " "I can give you tea if you like." This was the Shibboleth that revealed a friend of government. Mr. Jones accredited them to other Tory innkeepers in the country above. They were sadly frightened on the rest of their journey ; but till thej' came to Mr. Barnes', at Marlborough, they had beds to sleep in. There their luck turned. No sooner were they under his roof than Sons of Liberty began to intimate that they must not stay, and i)oor Mr. Barnes had to lead them out bj^ a back way. The tired officers took up their march. " We resolved to push on at all hazards, but expected to be attacked on the causeway. However, we met nobody there, so began to think it was resolved to stop us in Sud- bury, which town we entered when we passed the causewaA'. About a quarter of a mile in the town we met three or four horsemen from whom we expected a few shot. When we came nigh thej^ opened to the riglit and left and quite crossed the road. However, they let us pass tlii-ough them without taking any notice, their opening being only chance ; but our api)rehensions made us interpret eveiytliing against us. At last we arrived at our friend Jones' again very much fatigued after walking thirty-two miles between two o'clock [ 167 ] and half after ten at night, through a road that everj^ step we sunk up to the ankles, and it blowing and drifting snow all the wa5\ Jones said he was glad to see us back as he was sure that we should meet with ill usage in that part of the country as they had been watching for us some time ; but said he found we were so deaf to his hints that he did not like to say anything for fear we sliould have taken it ill. We drank a bottle of Madeira wine which refreshed us very much, and went to bed and slept as sound as men could do that were very much fatigued." On the 2d of March the burning of tea in Market Square was the next local event of interest, and on the 5th, the an- niversary of the "Boston Massacre," Dr. Warren delivered an oration in the Old South, which was crowded. The Eng- lish officers occupied the steps to the pulpit, and some of them were in it. Warren and his friends entered the pulpit by a ladder on the outside. The officers did not interfere, and he went on with the address. It was pointed, vehement, but always ingenious in the determination to avoid an issue which could be called treasonable. Take this passage as a hint to these gentlemen around him of what Warren and his friends were learning : "Even the sending troops to put these acts in execution is not without advantage to us. Tlie exactness and beauty of their discipline inspire our youth with ardor in the pursuit of military knowledge. Charles the Invincible taught Peter the Great the art of wai". The battle of Pultowa convinced Charles of the proficiency Peter had nmde." Here is one of the statements, undoubtedly true of War- ren and his friends, that they were not seeking independ- ence, but there were men in that churcli who were : " But pardon me, my fellow-citizens : I know you want not zeal or fortitude. Yon Mill maintain your rights, or perish in the generous struggle. However difficult the com- bat, you will never decline it when freedom is the prize. An independence of Great Britain is not our aim. No; our wish is that Britain and the colonies may, like the oak and ivy, grow and increase in strength together. Bnt, whilst the infatuated plan of making one part of the empire slaves to the other is persisted in the interest and safety of Britain, as [ l^H ] well as the Colonies, require that the wise measures recom- mended by the Honorable the Continental Congress be stead- ily pursued, whereby the unnatural contest between a parent honored and a child beloved may probably be brought to such an issue as that the peace and happiness of both may be established upon a lasting basis. But if these pacific measures are ineffectual, and it appears that the onl,v way to safety is through fields of blood, I know you will not turn 3^our faces fi'om j^our foes, but will undauntedly press forward until tyranny is trodden under foot, and you have fixed your adored Goddess Liberty fast bj^ a Brnitswicli^s side on the American Throne." George the Third and Liberty, like William and Mary, seated on an Amei'ican throne, probably had their last ap- pearance, even in prophecy, on that da}'. The end of the address is : " Having redeemed your country, and secured the blessing to future generations, who, fired by j'our example, shall emu- late your virtues and learn fi'om you the heavenly art of making millions happy with heartfelt joy, with transports all your own, you cry, 71)6 glorious work is done! then drop the mantle to some young Elisha and take your seats with kin- dred spirits in your native skies." Captain Chaj)man, of the Welch Fusileers, sat on the pul- pit stairs. He drew from his pocket a handful of bullets as Warren spoke, and held them in view of the people around him. Warren did not pause, but dropped a white handker- chief on the bullets. "On the nineteenth day of April, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, a day to be remembered by all Americans of the present generation, and which ought, and doubtless will be handed down to ages yet unborn, the troops of Britain, unprovoked, shed the blood of sundry of the loyal American subjects of the British king in the field of Lexing- ton." These words are the prophetic introduction of the " Narra- tive of the Excursion of the King's Troops under the Command of General Gage," which the Provincial Congress of Massachu- setts sent to England a hundred years ago. With infinite care THEODOKE FOSTER TILEINGIIAST, Secretary. lst)0-lS91. [ KiO ] the Congress drew up dej)ositioiis whieli were sworn to before "his Majesty's justices of the peace," that with all legal form thej" might show to the world who were the aggressors, now the ci'isis had come. Then they intrusted the precious volume containing these depositions to Richard Derby, of Salem, who sent John Derby with them to England. The vessel made a good run. She arrived on the 29th of May with the official papers, and the " Sukey," Captain Brown, with the government accounts, forwarded by General Gage, did not arrive till eleven days after. Meanwhile Arthur Lee and all the friends of America in London were steadily publishing the news of the " ministerial " attack on the people and the people's repulse of the army. The public charged the gov- ernment with concealing the news. Thus was it that when "The embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard round the world," they told their own story. But it is not mj^ purpose to describe the battle of Lexington and Concord, nor the march of the troops who embarked in Boston from near the site of the old Boston and Piovidence depot, what is now Park Square, and were ferried to East Cambridge, where they took up their line of march to make the first attack, which resulted in an ignominious defeat and a harassing retreat ; nor can I be permitted to stop to dwell upon the battle of Bunker Hill, which followed in two months' time ; nor linger on the details of the occupation of Boston, with its harassing tales of suffering and its sometimes unin- spiring enumeration of the names of those who from a weak sense of duty, a timid fear of incurring the animosity of the army and its officers, a love of ease and desire to be on the strong side, held aloof from the progressive movement, and either declared themselves Tories or held themselves, as they thought, in even balance on both sides, and prided themselves on being judicious and fair, and yet were really despised by both patriots and Tories — men whose jiosition was well illus- trated during our great civil war in the attitude of the "Co]3- perheads." Nor can I pictui-e as I would like to the heroism 8i [ 170] of the patriotic women whose instinct made them side with the right, and whose courage and endurance was illustrated then as we have seen it illustrated since in the days of the rebellion. But I must close with this thought, that the resistance to the legal government rightfully ruling these colonies began as a rebellion, but as it was a rebellion against unjust oppression, and as it was based on the divine right of the individual, it grew to be a successful revolution which established a new nation ; while in the dajs preceding the ISth of April, 1861, a i-ebellion was begun and directed against a legal government rightfully ruling over these United States, but, as it was a rebellion against a just and righteous government, and was inaugurated to perpetuate the grossest form of injustice and oppression, it never became anything but a rebellion, and its leaders and supporters were and always will be justly consid- ered and styled rebels. The success of the Revolution and the overthrow of the Rebellion have been the two great events, occurring within a single century, which have been alike beneficial to England and to America, and which have marked the onwai'd i^rogress of a nation wliose God is the Lord ; whose people liave twice exemplilied the grand principle that Righteousness Exalteth a Nation. WILFRED HAROLD MUNRO, President, 1894-1895. FIFTH ANNUAL MEFTING. February 22, 1895. THE fifth Hiinual ineetino; of the Rhode Islnud Society of tlie Sons of the American Revolntion is held at the C-abinet of the Rhode Island Historical Society, on Waterman street, in Providence, February 22, 1895, at 12 o'clock, noon. President Wilfred H. Monro pi-esents his address, as follows: Address of Professor Wilfred II. Munro, President. Compatriots : Section V of our By-Laws requires that the President "shall present aii address in writing at the annual meeting at the end of his term of office." The custom of this Society, and, so far as I know, of the other State socie- ties, has limited this address to a statement of the work done during the year, and to suggestions of work for the future. This is perhaps a better preparation for the annual dinner, which must needs follow, than a long historical discourse would be. It certainly greatly simplifies the task of the President. The specification for an address in ivriting is a wise one. It secures an end in due season. If a speech were allowed, I fear the dinner would sometimes become cold while the speaker was still warm with his subject. The Society has done twice as much commemorative work during the last twelve months as has been accomplished in any previous year. A glorious record, one may say, and j-et our statistics (if I may use so large and comprehensive a word in this connection) show that we have had but two celebrations. If we " double our record " next year, we shall [ 172 ] not celebrate more tliau do oar brotliers around us every year. On the 2d of March, in connection with the Gaspee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, we placed upon the wall of the old "Market Building" the bronze tablet which commemorates the burning of the British taxed tea on or near the same spot, March 2d, 1775. Your President was then suffering with a severe attack of the Grip, and therefore could not deliver the address he had been invited to give. In his absence, the Vice-President of the Society, Mr. Edward Field, presided, with his habitual dignity, and the Rev. E. O. Bartlett, by his address, more than made up for the absence of the speaker originally selected. The tablet is a valuable addition to the historical plant of the city and State, and the committee who brought the project of its erection to so successful a completion deserve our hearty thanks. They have just reason to be proud of their work. Saturday, October Gth, the Society commemorated at Bristol the bombardment of that town bj^ a British fleet, Saturday, October 7, 1775. The Daughters of the American Revolution joined in the celebration, members from every Chapter being j)resent. The occasion was a most enjoyable one. The visit- ing Sons and Daugliters were conveyed in carriages to the residence of Mr. John Post Reynolds, on Bristol Neck, which was kindly thrown open for inspection by its owner. This house, built in early Colonial days, was for a time the head- quarters of the Marquis de Lafayette. Thence the procession moved to Mount Hope " by that landlocked bit of sea where bold King Philip held his Court of Braves." Thence to Ferry Hill where they looked off upon the waters over which Barton and his little company moved to the capture of Gen- eral Prescott. At the Town Hall the carriages were left. So large a number entered the hall that the resources of the caterer were greatly overtaxed. But for the energ}- of the Chairnuin of the Committee of Ai-rangements (Mr. Robt. P. Brown), and of his able stafif of amateur assistants, the banquet, gastronomically considered, would have been a most TABLET Placed on the Old Makket Building, Market Square, Providence, R. I. r 173 ] inelaiiclioly failure. Happily there was no failure in the literary programme, and the daj^ was unanimousl}' voted a success. April 30th, I attended as your Delegate, the Congress of the National Society, held in Washington. The report of this meeting has already appeared in printed form. It was voted to publish a National Year Book, which should contain a complete list of the members of the Societ}^ thus obviating the necessity of State Year Books. It was announced that a new badge had been adopted for the Society in place of those already authorized — a silver badge plated with gold, cost, $9. The membership of the Society was reported to be 4,592, in 28 State Societies. Eight hundred and seventy-five papers had been filed during the year, of which 85 had been returned as unsatisfactory. The Society voted to approve the marker used bj' the Massachusetts Society to designate the graves of Revolutionary soldiers not otherwise marked. The question of uniting the two Societies, Sons of the American Revolution and Sons of the Revolution, was not formally discussed at any session of the Congress. Much was said upon the subject when the Congress was not in session. The opinion seemed to prevail that"our own Societ}' had already conceded more than could reasonabl.y be demanded, that the reciprocity was Irish reci- procity — all on one side. It seems most unfortunate that two societies of kindred origin and parallel aims can not unite their forces. The general impression is that onl}^ the per- verseness, or, as one of the delegates more picturesquely ex- pressed it, the "amazing cussedness," of half a dozen men keeps the two apart. So much for the work of the year. Your retiring President has three recommendations to make: 1st. That more than one meeting shall be held each year in this city. 2d. That more than one commemorative pilgrimage, like the Bi-istol celebration, shall be made each year. 3d. That branches or Chapters of the Society (in subordi- L 17-i ] nation to the State Society) shall be established in several towns and cities in the State. Each and all of these recommendations, if carried ont, would, it seems to me, add largely to the meinbersliip of the Society and increase greatly its j)ower for good. 1st, as to the additional meetings of the State Society. The ol)ject of this Societj^ is not to come together once a year to eat a dinner and to listen to the speeches of eloquent and witty orators. It is not to congratulate ourselves upon the deeds of our ancestors as we tell of tlie heroism the}^ manifested when they fought to make this country fi-ee. A society which lives only for such an object as that, as some societies do, has no valid reason for existence. The aim of this Society is to inculcate patriotism, that we, mindful ever of the heroic fortitude, the wise forethought, our fathers man- ifested in the days of the American Revolution, may be in- spired to deeds which shall prove us wortliy sons of those energetic and patriotic sires. We can not stand, as thej' stood, upon the battlefield with weapons in our hands (tho' some of you have so stood, God forbid that, in our day, we be forced again so to stand ! ) ; but we have a task to i^erform in this land to-day that is immeasurably more difficult of accom- plishment than any of which our ancestors dreamed. They, a people of one race, fought against the troops of a foreign foe. We, a people of composite blood, must fight against ihe forces of ignorance in our midst, and tiie forces of ignorance are infinitely more dangerous than were an}' of the battalions our fathei-s faced when George the Third was king. Every year our dangerous element becomes stronger in the Stale. How shall we repress that element? How shall we crush ii out? Naj', rather — how shall we subdue and tame and civ- ilize that element? How shall we transform it, as with proper treatment it niaj' be transfoi'med, into a power for the ad- vancement of the Commonwealth? That is the task Avhich confronts us. Sons of the American Revolution ! Tliat is the problem Ave must solve. Let us of the older stock of this American civilization meet together more frequently that we may ponder and discu.ss and be instructed about these things. [ 175] Last year Mr. Kendriek said some things concerning the dangers that menace us in Rhode Island in such a way that I have been thinking of them ever since. We need to think of such things always. To the welfare of his country no true patriot can give too much thought. Let us consider these things. Let us meet at times when we can secure the pres- ence of patriots from outside the State who may tell us of the work our brothers are doing as well as the work their fathers did. Almost all the societies meet on Washington's Birthday. It is almost impossible, therefore, to engage speakers at that time. Let us not confine ourselves to our " pent up Utica." Let us realize that the " whole boundless continent is ours," with all its glorious history, with all its limitless opportunities. Not many weeks ago I attended a banquet of the New York State Sons in New York city. It was the anniversai-y of the battle of the Cowpens, and the Governor, or Ex-Governor, of South Carolina was there as one of the principal speakers. (The Governor of North Car- olina was not present. He would have found no opportunity to get in his little casual remark if he had been.) It was a grand thing for New York, with all its battlegrounds, to com- memorate the engagement in South Carolina. Such things make us realize that we are brothers in very deed. Such things are sentiment, you say. Then, in God's name, let us have sentiment. Patriotism is sentiment. Can we have too much of it? Sentiment, crystallized as patriotism, has even a distinct commercial value, as history has proved over and over again. Let us so arouse the spirit of patriotism in Rhode Island that instead of one hundred and fifty we may have ten hundred and fifty members in this Society. What a mighty power for good government it would be? 2d, Let us make two commemorative pilgrimages every year, one in the spring, one in the fall. The State is rich in historic places— richer still in historic events and historic associations. Its soil is enriched and hallowed with the dust of historic men. We shall not exhaust our opportunities for pilgrimages next year or the year after, or for many a year to come. People who dwell in regions not so blest will marvel [ l-'i ] at the capacity' of Rhode Island. Still will the wonder ijrow that one small State, that the smallest of the States, can hold so mneh that tends to niake men heroic. And, to fui'ther lliese pilgrimages, let us Srdly. Establish branches wherever twenty or more men, descendants of Revolutionary sires, are found dwelling in the same community. Other State societies do this thing. The Daughters of the American Revolution accomplish much by such organizations in Rhode Island and elsewhere. Connec- ticut establishes a local branch wherever twenty-five appli- cants demand it, and no State society does so much work, stimulates such ardent j)atriotism, as does that of Connecti- cut. It admits no person to membership in any branch until he is first admitted to the State society, thereby preventing carelessness respecting credentials. Local patriotism is not so valuable to one's Fatherland as national patriotism, but local patriotism develops national patriotism. Ten thousand little streamlets, ten thousand times ten thousand, unite to form one Mississippi, Let us, then, cultivate local patriotism. I dare say that no man here knows all the salient facts con- nected with the history of his own town in which he was born — that no man knows all its historic spots— that no nmn knows even all the ways in which it contributed to swell the tide that overwhelmed the forces of England in the days we celebrate— all the agencies in wdiieh its influence has been felt in the development of this mighty nation. There is no town so small it has not contributed something. I know somewhat of the history' of my native town of Bristol. I have perhaps looked into its past as carefully as anj^ mau (and I may tell you here that its historj^ alone will furnish you abundant opportunities for many pilgrimages). But because I am known to have studied that history, every j^ear some man or some woman tells me something I did not know concerning the days that are gone, something that makes me more glad that I was born where so many of my ancestors first saw the light, where so many of my ancestors lie buried. I rejoice that I am a Bristolian, I rejoice in a larger way that I am a Rhode Islander, I rejoice most of all that I am REV. EDWARD OTIS BARTI.ET C'hapi.ain, 1S9.")-]N!»(;. [ 177] an American. To leach these boys and girls of foreign par- entage that are growing up in the Union to be good citizens, let ns teach them first to love tlie town in which they live, and to do their duty in it. Let us teach them, as they grow older and their affections enlarge, to love their State as well as their town, and to aid its progress always. Let us teach them above all to love their country, to put forth all their energies in its behalf— to die, if needs be, in its defence, under the folds of the stars and stripes. So shall we justify the existence of the Society of the Sons of the American Revo- lution. So shall we prove ourselves tvurthy descendants of those whose deeds have brought us together this day. Christopher Rhodes, Esq., Secretary, presents his report for the past year, which is as follows : Report of the Secretary. Providence, February 22d, 1895. To the Rhode Island Society of the So77s of the American Revolution : In compliance with the provisions of Section 6 of the Bj'- Laws, the Secretary presents his annual report. Amount on hand, February 22, 1894 $9 50 Collected from February 22, 1894, to Feb- ruary 22, 1895 507 2.3 ^516 73 Amount paid Treasurer to date 516 73 Twenty-eight new members have been admitted since our last annual meeting. Two members lost by death. Total number of members on the rolls of the Society, 148. Respectfully submitted, Christopher Rhodes, Secretary. Olney Arnold, II, Esq., Treasurer, presents his report for the past year, which is as follows : 83 [ 178 ] Treasurer's Report, For the Year Ending February 23, 189o. To the Rhode Island Society of the So)ts of the American Revolution : Receipts. Casli in bank, February 22, 1894 $151 37 Dues, dinners, rosettes, certificates, etc., including $150 received from Gaspee C-liapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, to pay for a portion of expenses in erecting IVa Part}^ bronze tablet on Board of Trade Building 733 93 Expenditures. Annual dinner, including necessary' printing, February 22, 1894 $196 23 Stationery, stamps, printing, certifi- cates, express charges, fees to Regis- trar of Society, also expenses of dele- gates to meeting of National Society, etc 156 91 Erecting bronze tablet on Board of Trade Building, to commemorate the burning of British taxed tea 301 75 Rhode Island Society's annual dues of 50 cents per member to National So- ciet}^ 60 50 Floral offering to deceased members ... 8 00 $723 39 Cash in bank, February 22, 1895 161 91 $885 30 ]o 30 Olney Arnold, II, Treasurer. Providence, R. I., February 22, 1895. Correct, E. & O. E. Joseph C. W. Cole, Auditor. [ 179 ] No report is received from the Registrar, The officers elected for the ensuing year ai-e as follows : President., .... Edward Field. Vice-President, . . William Maxwell Greene. Secretary, .... Christopher Rhodes. Treasurer, . . . Olney Arnold, II. Registrar, .... Robert Perkins Brown. Historian, . . . Wilfred Harold Munro, Chaplain, .... Rev. Edward Otis Bartlett. Poet, .... Rev. Frederic Denison. Delegates, . Olney Arnold, Dexter Burton Potter. Alternates, John Carter Brown Woods, Nathaniel French Davis, William Thomas Church Wardwell. Upon the conclusion of the lousiness meeting the Society, in a body, proceeds to the Empire room, Trocadero, whei'e the annual dinner is served. Alfred Stone, Esq., Historian, delivers the following his- torical address : Revolutionary Landmarks. Since our last annual meeting we have, together with the Daughters of the American Revolution, placed on the west- erly end of the City Building, now occupied by the Board of Trade, a bronze tablet to commemorate the burning of British taxed tea, with this inscription thereon: "Near this spot the men and women of Providence showed their resistance to unjust taxation by burning British taxed tea in the night of March 2, 1775." The tablet was unveiled and dedicated with fitting ceremonies on the second of March, 1804, the one hun- dred and nineteenth anniversary of that event. This public act of defiance to Great Britian was one of the surface indications of the growing sentiment of opposition to the domination of the mother country, but this sentiment [ 180 ] was coupled with that spirit of loyalty to the existing gov- ernment which has always been a marked trait of the Anglo- Saxon people, and the conflict which existed in the hearts of the subjects of George the Third held many back from mani- festations of resistance and deterred manj^ from joining the ranks of the more outspoken enemies of the crown. The outbreaks which now and then occurred were like those which preceded the Wai- of tiie Rebellion, when the slave power, in full possession of the government, was constantly flaunt- ing its offensive supremacy by threatening to call the roll of its slaves under the shadow of Bunker Hill, by ostentatiously marching throngh the streets of Boston with its fugitive slaves, backed by the power of the Federal and State gov- ernments, and proclaiming to the world that no portion of the United States was free from the taint of slavery, and boldl}^ endeavoring to extend the "peculiar institution" into the new, and, and as yet, thinly inhabited territories, north as well as south of the Mason and Dixon line, little dream- ing in either case that, by their acts of defiance of the " highei" law," which was derided by both, that they were in the one case educating a people to declare their independence, and in the other, that they were wiping off the one great stain which made our boast that we were a free people, a by-word and a mockery. The growth of the spirit of freedom in both cases was slow, but sure, and in both cases that dread of open resistance, an appeal to arms, was considered by the dominant power an indication of weakness and of timidity; and as the firing upon Fort Sumter aronsed the dormant energies of the Noi'th, so did the mai'ch of the British troops on Lexington — and the battle of Bunker's Hill unite the people of the colonies for the common cause of resistance to Great Bi'itain, and in the determination to settle by the dread arbitrament of war not onlj^ the question of taxation without representation, but the far greater question of whether we should be an independ- ent nation with a republican form of government, or a sub- ject people dominated by a vicious king and an hereditary monarchy. [ 181 J In this movement, Rliode Island, under tlie leadership of Stephen Hopkins, that genuine statesman, that great man with rare "originative faculty," who, in the words of Chief Justice Durfee, devoted himself to a study of the question between the mother country and the colonies in its constitu- tional aspects, and marshalled the arguments on the side of the colonies with masterly ability, and found an argument for independence deeper than the logic of constitutional legitimacy, in the very nature of things, forbidding that this great country should remain merely a servicable dependency of Great Britain — Rhode Island, two months before the Declaration of Independence was signed, declared her own independence, and thus estal)lished the distinction of being the oldest sovereign State of the Union. When such questions arise, as the world does not move backward and but one permanent settlement can ever result — no matter whether it takes a thirty years' war, an eight years' war, or a five years' war — right must ultimately pre- vail, and in such a struggle the sympathy of onlookers is generally on the side of right. The colonists, at the outbreak of what began as a rebellion and by its success became a revolution, had the sympathy of what is now our sister re- public, France — a sympathy which found open expression in the co-operation and material assistance, both of men and munitions of war ; and in no part of our country did our French allies take a more prominent part than in Rhode Island. It cannot be denied that France was ready to do anything it could to thwart and annoy and injure Great Britain ; it is also true that at that time our people were not at all times satisfied with the conduct of the French officers who were sent out to aid us ; but the near view is not always the most correct view, and, by the light of history, we are glad to accord to France grateful praise for the service which she rendered, and we cherish and love the names of Lafayette, Pulaski, Fleury, Rochambeau, DeKalb, and a host of those who hastened to this country to offer their services as a part of the Continental Army, second only to those of our own [ 1B2 ] Washington, Greene, Hopkins, Whipple, Li^jpitt, and the host of all ranks from whom it is our proud boast that we are descended. This gratitude found fit expression, a few years ago, in the erection of a monument in the North Burial Ground, which was dedicated July 4, 1882. What was Providence in those pre-revolutionary days, and what preparations did it make to do what, in its heart}* co- operation with the State, it deemed to be its duty, in order to perform its share of the work and to help on the cause of independence? Founded a little more than a century before the war, it had felled the forests and prepared its soil for tillage, defended itself from wild beasts, and by incessant toil and patient drudger}' it had made for itself homes along the river front, with its broad proprietary acres extending eastward to the waters of the Seekonk, each with its orchard, its garden, its corn-field, its j)otato-patch, and its pasture, and each contain- ing a sacred spot where reposed the dead of its own family, two of which, the Waterman and Tillinghast burial places, are designated by monuments standing upon them. The inhabitants did not depend alone upon the products of the soil, but they soon became familiar with the store of fish in the rivers and baj', and of clams in the tide-flowed lands, which required no toil beyond the ingathering, and made them adepts in building canoes and boats to enable them to traverse the waters of the bay, where thej- could catch the one, and, to reach its shores, where they could dig the other. The growth of the town was slow, and as late as 1732 Gov- ernor Hopkins counted sevent^'-four houses on the east side and but twelve on the west side, as the total of the habita- tions of its people, showing, if this is an accurate count, that there was, at that date, a probable population of less than twelve hundred people within the limits of the town ; but the census returns show a population, in 17o0, of nearly 4,000 ; in 1748, of less than 3,500; and in 1774, of 4,321. A count of houses shows that there were 143 in 1749, and 309 in 1771, [ 183 ] a remarkable increase in the quarter of a century preceding the revolution. At the opening of the year 1776 the population was only 4,355, and her men callable of bearing arms 726; " but she created in the previous year a navy of her own, and gave the command to Abraham Whipple, one of her own sons, and who, obedient to his orders, forthwith captured the tender of the fugitive British frigate ' Rose,' then off Newport, firing the first cannon against tlie Royal Navj^ in the war," and also in this same year recommended the creation of a Con- tinental Navy. Congress heeded this recommendation, and, when the fieet was built, appointed Esek Hopkins, a North Providence man, to command it. It is not, however, upon the naval prominence of Providence that I can dwell to-day, as I wish to say a few words in regard to its fortifications and to urge a recognition of this part of our revolutionary work bj' the erection of suitable reminders of their location. Before the outbreak of the war, the British sent out their revenue vessels to the mouth of the Narragausett Bay, and stationed them at Newport to prevent landing articles sub- ject to import duty. The captain of one of these vessels, while engaged in his legallj^ appointed duties, became ob- noxious to the inhabitants of the Rhode Island sea-coast, because he insisted upon boarding vessels leaving or entering ports, until, finally, his vessel, the " Gaspee," in giving chase to a sloop, grounded upon Conimicut Point." Her crew was captured, and she was burned. This outrage on law, and the destruction of a government vessel by the subjects of the governnrent, was the cause of much excitement in England, and an endeavor was made to apprehend the perpetrators and to send them to England for trial, which would have meant death to every one that was captured and deported ; but no one was mean enough to betray his neighbor, and Stephen Hopkins, then Chief Justice, declared that " for the *I have chosen to spell the name "Conimicut" as it is historic and is approved by that highest living authority, Mr. Sidney S. Rider. See Book Notes, Vol. 4, page 103. [ 18-t ] purpose of transportation for trial, I will neither apprehend anj' person bj' my own order, nor suffer anj^ executive officer of the colon}' to do it." This event undoubtedl}' drew es- pecial attention to the waters of Narragansett Bay, and sub- jected Rhode Island to great danger because of its extensive water front ; and, before the outbreaks at Lexington and Bunker's Hill, work was begun upon fortifications to guard against anticipated attacks from the British, and Governor Nicholas Cooke addressed a letter to "Washington, soliciting assistance, and asking him to order any part of the forces from near Boston which were sent to the southern colonies to march through this colony bj^the sea-shore, to observe and be ready to assist should any attempt at invasion occur. He also asked that some person acquainted with fortifications might be sent, if only for a few days, to assist in this most essential service to the common cause. Military companies were formed, and in the Providence Gazette of December 18, 1775, we read: "Not a day passes, Sunday excepted, but some of the Companies are under arms ; so well convinced are the people that the complexion of the times renders a knowledge of the militarj^ as indispensably necessary." On the first Monday in April, a general muster of the militia of the colony took place, which was then about 2,000 men under arms in the county of Providence, and a troop of horse ; and as early as January, 1775, Stephen Jenckes, of North Provi- dence, had supplied several of the independent companies in Providence with muskets of his own manufacture, and others were engaged in the manufacture of general arms at the same time. News of the battle of Lexington reached Providence on the evening of April 19th, and on the morning of the 21st, several companies, about 1,000 men, had either marched, or were in readiness to march, to the assistance of their brothers in Massachusetts, and as early as the middle of June, Mr. Paul Allen had made up the town stock of powder and lead into cartridges, agreeable to a vote of the town, and he was directed to deliver out of these cartridges, and take a re- ceipt, to such of the inhabitants as he thought would make TIMOTHY NEWELL, M. D., Son of Lieut. Stephen Newell, of Stukbiudge, Mass. AN Officer of the Revolution. [ 185 ] a proper use of them, besides promising: to return them on demand if not used in the colonies' service. Not more than seventeen cartridges for each firearm fit for use was to be delivered, and the sum of nine pence, in lawful money, was imposed for each missing cartridge at any ordered review. On the 20th day of July, news of a startling nature was received from Newport. The British ships, under command of Captain James Wallace, lay in line of battle, with the in- tention of bombarding the town. Great excitement prevailed through the colony. Two days later the British commander, probably realizing? the importance of Newport as a rendez- vous, abandoned the idea of bombarding and departed on a cruise, but, returning later, he found that the efforts that had been made at Newport were too slight and the force too small to prevent the British occupation of the Island of Rhode Island which was maintained from December 8, 1776, until October 28, 1779. Narragansett Bay was thus blockaded, and many of the people from the Island fled to Providence to escape ill-treatment and the spoliation of war, and great fears were entertained that, small as the settlement was, it too was in imminent danger of attack by the British men-of- war, which, if unobstructed, could now easily come up the river to such close proximity as to enable them to bombard the town, although it was guarded by the forts already erected, or in process of erection, on Prospect Hill, at Fox Point, and Field's Point ; by a breastwork for the protection of sharpshooters a little north of Bowen's Cove, and a re- doubt at Bullock's Point, both on the east side of the river. The "Fox Hill" (as styled by the town records), or the Fox Point, fort was ordered at a town-meeting which was convened July 13, 1775, over which the Hon. Nicholas Cooke presided as Moderator, and at this meeting intrenchments and breast works were ordered to "be hove up between Field's and Sassafras Points of sufficient capacity to cover a body of men ordered there on any emergency." Captain Nicholas Power was directed to superintend their construc- tion and draw upon the town treasury to defray the expense ; but if there was not sufficient funds in the hands of the town 24 [ 186 ] he was to be paid interest on any amount he might advance until he was paid. He was also ordered to advise and con- sult witii Captain Esek Hopkins, Ambi'ose Page, Captain John Updike, Samuel Nightingale, Jr., Captain William Earle, and Captain Simon Smith, who were appointed a com- mittee on the manner of building these fortifications, and by order of the town the armament was to consist of " a battery of six 18-pounders, four to be mounted as field pieces." Blaskowitz, in his topographical chart of the Narragansett Bay, 1727, rates the forts at 00 guns, 18- and 24-pounders. The bill of Nicholas Power against the town, amounting to £64, 16s. 5^d., was found in the archives of the town when they removed from the City Building in Market Square to the City Hall. This fort was commanded by Captain Esek Hopkins, with Captain Samuel Warren as Lieutenant, Captain Christopher Sheldon as gunner, and seven men to each gun, who were al- lowed to select from their own number a captain and gunner. A watch of two persons for day and night was also provided. The location of the fort is indicated upon the " Map of the Town of Providence from Actual Surv&y," by Daniel An- thonj^ 1803, on territory undivided by streets, and bounded by Wickenden street on the north, Thompson street on the east, India street on the south, and Water street on the west, with the brook which gave the name to Brook street, and a broad piece of marsh, in its northwest corner. This brook emptied into the river in the neighborhood of Pike street ; but, as the whole topography of that part of the town has been radically clianged, it is hard to picture it to ourselves, although most here present remember the high hill south of Wickenden street, which was known as Corkey Hill (I pre- sume because of the large sprinkling of Irish inhabitants who occupied it), and also the precipitous bluff to India street, and can recall the beauty for situation of the home of Martin Page, near where the fort must have stood, which, before the opposite shores liad been injured by building the Bristol railroad, must have commanded a fine view of the harbor and its enclosing and beautiful shores. [ 187 ] The water battery, or breastwork, north of Bowen's Cove^ and the breastwork and entrenchment thrown up between Field's Point and Sassafras Point, were for the protection of musketeers and sharpshooters ; but the Fox Point battery, elevated on the hill, could command the entire passage be- tween Field's Point and Kettle Point. In October, scows filled with combustible materials were prepared, and a boom and chain stretched across the chan- nel, and about that time the colony came forward and took charge of the direction and completion of the several fortifi- cations, and began the erection, with the approval of General Spencer, of a fort on Prospect Hill, which commanded all the approaches to the town. This fort, three hundred feet by one hundred and fifty feet within the parapet, was sur- rounded by a ditch and was capable of mounting fiftj^-eight guns, was planned by Major James Sumner,* at that time the Chief Engineer of Rhode Island Department, and was erected under his direction. From what is said of its site and the location of the beacon, its major axis must have extended in a northwest and southeast direction, from near the corner of Meeting and Prospect streets towards Bowen street, but I cannot exactly locate it, as one authoritj^ speaks of the beacon being in the centre of the fort, and that it was set up near the corner of Meeting and Prospect streets, and an- other that the fort covered a part of the site of the block owned by Mrs. Francis Colwell, on the corner of Bowen and Congden street ; but the distance between these two spots is too great to have been covered by the fort and its surround- ing ditch. The beacon alluded to above, which is depicted on the badge of this Society, had its origin pursuant to the recommenda- tion of Congress, and in accordance therewith it was voted at a town-meeting held on July 3, 1775, that the town take steps regarding its erection, to alarm the counti-y in case of the approach of the enemy. At a meeting held a week later, * He also had charge of the erection of the First Baptist Church, which was copied largely from the published plans of the church of St. Martins in Fields, London. James Gibbs, architect. [ 188 ] a committee, consisting of Joseph Brown, Joseph Bucklin, and Benjamin Thurber, was appointed to erect a beacon on Prospect Hill, a spot where, in 1067, one had been erected during the Indian war. This structure was very simple in its design, consisting of a wooden shaft, or mast, purchased of Joseph Brown, about eightj^-five feet in height, securel}^ braced at the foundation. Wooden pegs or steps at regular intervals projected from either side, to enable a person to climb to the top. From the end of this shaft an iron crane was extended, from which hung an iron basket which was filled with in- flammable material, and, by order of the town, a house was built at its base in which to store the combustibles, so as to be read}^ at a moment's notice. The Providence Gazette, July 29, 1775, informed the colo- nists that a "beacon is now erecting on a very high hill in the town b}'^ the order of the Honorable General Assembly. A watch is likewise kept on Tower Hill in case of any attempt by water from our savage enemies." Upon the completion of the beacon, the committee under whose direction it had been built were ordered "to fire the same on Thursday, the 17th day of August, at the setting of the sun, and that they procure one thousand hand-bills to be printed, to advertise the country thereof, that proper observations may be made of the bearing of the beacon from different parts of the countrj^ and that they notif}' the country that the beacon will not be fired at any time after August 17th, unless the town or some part of the colony should be attacked by an enemy, in which case the beacon will be fired and three cannon discharged to alarm the country that they may immediately repair to the town, duly equipped with arms and accoutrements." It is probable that these hand-bills contained the same information as the following notice, which appeared in the Gazette on August 12th: "Providence Beacon. The town of Providence to the inhabitants of the towns adjacent: Loving friends and brethren in consequence of the rec- M 5: X H n ■n :^ ■V t. < 3 :3 [ 189 ] ommendation of tlie Continental Congress that those seaport towns whicli are principally exposed to the ravages and depredations of onr common enemies should be fortified and put in as good a state of defence as may be, which has also received the appi-obation of the legislature of the colony: besides a strong battery and intrenchment on the river, there has been lately erected on the greatest eminence in the town A Beacon for the purpose of alarming the country wlienever it shall become necessary in our defence, and as we doubt not of the readiness of our friends and brethren, both within and without the government, to give us every assistance in their power on such an occasion if timely apprized thereof. This is therefore to inform you that it is our urgent request that you all hold yourself in readiness, and whenever you see said beacon on tire you immediately and without delay, with the best accoutrements, warlike weapons and stores you have by you, repair to the town of Providence, there to re- ceive from the military officers present such orders as may be given by the authority of this jurisdiction for our common safety and defence. In case of an alarm we intend to fire the beacon and also discharge cannon to notify all to look out for the beacon. Be it observed and carefully remembered that the discharge of the cannon alone is not an alarm, but the firing of the beacon of itself, even without cannon, will be an alarm in all cases, excepting on Thursday, the 17th inst., at sunset, when the beacon will be fired not as an alarm, but that all may ascertain its bearings and fix such ranges as may secure them from a false alarm, and that they may know where to look for it hereafter. When you hear the cannon look out for the beacon." This trial proved a perfect success. A letter received by John Carter, the publisher of the Gazette, stales that it was observed over an area of country extending from Cambridge Hill to New London and Norwich, and from Newport to Pom- fret. It is stated that many of the inhabitants of tiie neighbor- ing countrj^ not properly uotified of this trial, hurriedly left their homes and promptly repaired to Providence to report for duty, imagining that the town was about to be invaded by the enemy. The beacon, pi'obably, was never fired after the trial of August 17th, unless, perhaps, at the proclamation of peace, it was used to spread the glad tidings throughout the neighboring country. [ 190 ] A committee was appointed October 26, 1775 consisting of Messrs. Joseph Brown, Amos Atwell, Captain Barnard Eddy, Jabez Bowen, John Updilce, Captain Sinjon Smith, Captain John Brown, Captain Josepli Biiclclin, and Captain Ebenezer Thompson, who were authorized "to direct where and in what manner fortifications shall be made upon the hill to the southward of the house of William Field," a house still standing- and located near Old Maids Cove, so-called. This committee evidently performed the duty required of them promptly and faithfully, for on the same day it was " Voted, that the part of the town below the Gaol lane (now Meeting street) on the east side of the river, be required by warrant from the Town Clerk, as usual by the beat of the drum, to repair to-morrow morning (October 27) at eiglit o'clock, to Field's Point, to make proper fortifications there, to provide themselves with tools and provisions for tlie day, that the in- habitants capable of bearing arms, who dwell on the west side of the river, be required in the same manner to repair thither, for the same purjiose, on Saturday next, and that the inhabitants of that pai t of the town to the northward of the Gaol lane, be required in the same manner to repair thither, for the same purpose, on Monday next." In response to this order, Fort Independence was built on the top of the high hill at Field's Point, commanding most perfectly the harbor and its approach, and is a conspicuous object from both land and water. Captain Barnard Eddy superintended its construction. Having hastily called attention to the site of the beacon, the water batteries, and the three fortifications erected upon the heights of Providence, it seems fitting that some steps should be taken to mark these several sj^ots in some suitable manner. Is it impracticable to have a mast erected at the corner of Prospect and Meeting streets, which is about 195 feet above mean high water, of the same height as the original beacon, eighty-five feet, with an iron crane and basket, to be lighted every night by a gi-and electric light, which could be seen from afar, and which would enable the city to dispense with [ 1^1 ] enough lights in the vicinitj- so that the cost of maintenance, including lights -necessarily retained, should not exceed the present cost of lighting that section of the city ? No more appropriate method of preserving Fort Independ- ence at Field's Point could be devised than to restore the embankments, and, if possible, obtain some old cannon with which to equip the fort, and erect a proper monument, so in- scribed as to tell its origin and history. The manner of marking the sites of the Fox Hill and Bo wen's Cove batteries I am not prepared to suggest; but, in some way, a monument should be placed that would tell the tale to coming generations. There are other sites which should be preserved, and is it not possible for this Society to take some steps to secure the site of the French encampment, and revise and realize the abandoned intention of tlie late Mr. Henry T. Beckwith ? I understand that the tract, which has not been materially dis- turbed, can be j)urchased at a moderate cost, and the name of Rochambeau might fittingly be preserved by giving his name to the park, which bj^ this purchase could be created. Should this be done, I should hope that the name of North street would be restored, which has a significance and charm which can never attach to Rochambeau avenue. A tablet also should be put on the house, which belongs to the Butler Hospital for the Insane, to show that it was occuj)ied as head- quarters by French officers. And what society could better undertake (in co-operation with the Rhode Island Historical Society), than this Society of ours, to bring about a reform in the matter of the nomen- clature of our streets, and thus preserve Revolutionarj^ and pre-Revolutionary titles? What has been gained by chang- ing High street to Westminster street, Greenwich road to Elmwood avenue, Pawtuxet road to Broad street, Hartford road to Hartford street, Cranston road to Cranston street? A city that has streets so happily named as Providence should try to preserve its distinction. Need I name those that are pleasant to dwell upon ? I will give but a few : Benefit, Benevolent, Chai-les Field, Young Orchard, Hope, [ 102 ] Transit, Fountain, India ; and tliose with the names of his- toric individuals : Cooke, Angell, Power, Sheldon, Wil- liams, Church, Halsej^ These are enough to illustrate mj^ meaning, and as I repeat them they bring to your mind, un- consciously, a flavor and reminder of the past, and possess a significance that does not attach to Grand avenue, Oriole avenue, Elmwood avenue, Alger avenue. Margrave avenue. Homestead avenue, Fallon avenue, Ann avenue, and many others, more to the square mile, I venture to say, than any other city in the countr3\ An address is delivered bj- Amasa Mason Eaton, Esq., Past President : "Which is the Oldest American Constitution?" Mr. President and Compatriots : An interesting lecture was given, about two weeks ago, in this cit5% on Thomas Hooker, the founder of Connecticut, by the Rev. Mr. Twichell, that many of j'ou doubtless heai-d. In this lecture the claim was made that to Connecticut belongs the honor and the glory of the first written democratic Con- stitution in the world. The claim is not a new one. In the valuable series entitled "American Commonwealths" there is a volume on Connecticut and its history, written by the lamented scholar, Alexander Johnston. On page 03 he says : "The first Constitution of Connecticut — the fii-st written constitution, in the modern sense of the term, as a perman- ent limitation on governmental power, known in history, and certainly the first American constitution of government to embody the democratic idea — was adopted by a general assembly or popular convention of the planters of the three towns, held at Hartford, January 14, 1638-9." Other writers have maintained the same ground, ignoring or denying what seem to be the superior claims of our Providence Plantations to the honor in question. For, on the 20th of August, 1637, the handful of planters here signed that precious document now preserved at our City Hall. It is as follows : '' We [ 193 ] whose names are hereunder, desirous to inhabit in the town of Providence, do promise to subject ourselves in active or passive obedience to all such orders or agreements as shall be made for public good of the body in an orderly way, by the major assent of the present inhabitants, masters of fam- ilies, incorporated together into a town fellowship, and such others whom they sliall admit uulo them, onlj^ in civil things." Of course the prioritj^ in date of this compact, compared with the date of the Connecticut compact, cannot be disputed. And it would certainly seem that, tried by everj^ test above suggested by Johnston, our compact was a true constitution. It was a permanent limitation on governmental power. It certainly embodies the democratic idea, for the agreement was they were to subject themselves to all orders made for the public good in an orderlj' way by the major assent of the inhabitants, masters of families. It specifically provides in- corporation together into a town-fellowship. It is a written embodiment of the purest and simplest form of democracy by a group of j)lanters, who, until that time, without any written form were self-governed, under the only absolute democracy to be found anywhere on this continent or else- where. Of course it cannot be denied that the Connecticut constitution was more ample, and provided for a division into the different branches of government, as to which our constitution was silent. But that very silence only goes to show that ours was the more complete and absolute demo- cracy. I come, therefore, to the conclusion that to Providence Plantations and not to Connecticut is due the honor and glory of having framed and adopted the first written con- stitution. And we must see to it that we assert our claim, lest it be deemed by our silence that the contrary claim, so constantlj' made by those who outnumber us, is correct. Hon. Thomas W. Bicknell, a member of the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, is intro- duced, and delivers a poetic tribute to " Washington." President Field, who was apj)ointed on August 8, 1894, by S5 [ 194] the Board of Managers, a committee " to inquire into the loca- tion and condition of the grave of patriot Jolin AVaterman, who is buried at Valley Forge," presents the following i-eport : Report Relative to the Identity of John Waterman, Who Died at Valley Forge. To the Board of Managers of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Gentlemen : At a meeting of this Board held on August 8th, last, I was appointed a committee to investigate the sub- ject of the so-called John Waterman grave, at Valley Forge, and to report the result of my inquiry at a subsequent meet- ing of the Board. In accordance therewith I have carefully considered the subject, and beg leave to submit the following report : Among the officers of the Rhode Island Continental line in the Revolutionary War was John Waterman, a commissary of issues in General Varnum's Brigade. This John Waterman (for there were two, if not three, of the same name) fii'st ap- pears in connection with the military records of the Revolu- tion, in 1777, when he was a Quartermaster in Colonel Israel Angell's Rhode Island Regiment, and continues to be con- nected with the Rhode Island regiments included in this Brigade up to a certain date in the year 1778. It is not necessary to follow his connection with the Con- tinental army ; it is certain, howevei-, that when the army, under the command of Washington, went into winter quar- ters at Valley Forge, he was with his regiment in Varnum's Bi'igade. On the 24th of April, 1778, a letter was sent to Tlieodoro Foster, Es(i., of Providence, by William Allen, who was a (-aptain in Colonel Israel Angell's Regiment, which, from its direct relation to the matter under consideration, is of con- siderable Importance. It was as follows : [ 195 ] " Camp Valley Forge, 24 April, 1778. Dear Sir : Captain Tew and myself arrived safe to port on the 22d inst, found the encampment in perfect tranquility, and the enemy peaceable in their quarters. I am sorry to inform you that yesterday died of a short illness, that worthy gentleman, John Waterman, Esq., Com- missary to our brigade. Please delivered the endorsed to Sally (torn) accept the sincere regards for yourself and lady, from your most affectionate and most obedient humble servant, Wm. Allen." "To Theodore Foster, Esq.: N. B. — Have returned your bill to Capt. Olney, as it would not pass in Penns3dvania." A death was no unusual occurrence at this time, for hun- dreds of soldiers were sick and dying from the effects of the privations to which they were subjected. But in the death of Waterman his companions seem to have felt his loss, for the nature of the reference to him implies that he was esteemed by his fellow officers. This letter fixes the date of his death, and tradition tells us that he was buried within the cantonment. At the session of the General Assembly of Rhode Island, in December, 1778, Thomas Watei'man, son of Commissary Waterman, presented a j)etition relative to his father's affairs, whereof the following is a copy : " Whereas Thomas Waterman, a Second Lieutenant in the Continental battalion raised by this State, under the com- mand of Colonel Israel Angell, preferred a petition and represented unto this Assembly, that John Waterman, his father, was quartermaster of the said regiment, and his family was supplied with articles at the stated price, to the amount of one-quarter of his wages, to the 14th day of December, 1777, when he was appointed an assistant com- missarj^ of issues to General Varn urn's Brigade ; from which time he never drew anything for the support of his family at the stated price, until the time of his death, which happened on the 24th day of April, 1778, he being then in the service of his country. [ 196 ] That during that period the family was greatly distressed ; his said father's wages not being, by any means adequate to their support. That he being the only son of his father, the care of the family is now devolved upon him ; and that his wages as Second Lieutenant, so far from enabling him to contribute to their relief, is insufficient to support him according to his rank ; and, thereupon, the said Tliomas Waterman prayed this Assembly to direct that his father's family be supplied with the necessaries of life at the stated prices, to the amount of one-quarter part of his said father's wages, from the said 14th day of December, 1777, to the said 24th day of April, 1778 ; and from that time, to the amount of one- quarter part of his, the said petitioner's, wages, at the same rates ; on consideration whereof — It is voted and resolved, that the i^rayer of the said Thos. Waterman in his aforesaid petition contained, be, and the same is hereb}' granted." When the army went into winter quarters at Valley Forge, the brigade, commanded b}^ General James M. Varnum, of Rhode Island, took up its location some fifteen hundred feet to the eastward of the star redoubt, so-called, a large fortifi- cation, and the General's headquarters were just west of this redoubt, at David Stevens' house, which is still standing. Nearly a mile to the southeast of brigade headquarters was a field which subsequently was used for the interment of those who died dui-ing the winter and who belonged to this brigade. For years visitors to this historic locality have noticed in this field, which has, from time to time, been under cultivation, a red sandstone on which was rudelj^ carved "J W 1778," and which evidently marked the grave of some soldier who gave up his life during the memorable winter that the army was there encamped. It seems that succeeding generations have regarded this as a hallowed spot, and have carefully avoided disturbing the stone that marked it, although the surrounding earth has been turned over year after year by the plough. More than ten years ago the subject of this grave was brought to the attention of Dr. J. V. P. Turner, of Philadelphia, who entered upon a careful inquir}- to discover, if i30ssible, the signifi- [ 197] cance of the letters " J W," and thus determine who was thei'e buried. He caused a query to be inserted in the Pennsylvania Historical Magazine, and subsequently secured the information in the letter which has heretofore been given. In the meanwhile, the territory, or at least a portion of it, whei'e the arni}^ encamped, after long years of agitation, was secured by the State of Pennsylvania for a public park and a commission appointed to take the care and custody of it. Numbered among these commissioners are Professor Daniel W. Howard, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and I. Hestor Todd, of Port Kennedy, Pennsylvania, the latter gentleman being the owner of the land on which this grave is located. Professor Howard, who is connected with one of the educa- tional institutions at Chester, has devoted much time and careful study towards ascertaining the identity of the grave, and from his investigations he has come to the conclusion that it is the grave of John Waterman, heretofore referred to. He has taken great pains to have the matter brought to the attention of the different historical and kindred organi- zations in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, with the hope that sufficient interest might be aroused to have the grave suitably marked and cared for. In this work Mr. Todd has also been greatly interested, and has expressed the intent of giving a title to the spot on which the grave is located to such an organization as will preserve and care for it. My investigation of the matter has been directed mainly to determine who this John Waterman was, his ancestry, and, generally, to secure any facts which might confirm the opinion advanced by Professor Howard. With this end in view I prepared a short account of the subject, which was published, together with certain illustrations, in the Provi- dence Sunday Journal. The object in this was two-fold : First, for the purpose of giving the information of so interesting an historical matter to the public ; and, second, for the purpose of calling the attention of descendants or collateral relatives of John Waterman to it, and interesting them in the matter, and [ 198 ] thus secure additional infoi-niation relative to John Water- man and his family. As to the first i-eason, the article pro- duced no more nor no less interest than other newspaper articles do, but in other respects it has produced particularly interesting results. Soon after the publication of this article I received a letter from William H. Waterman, Esq., of New Bedford, Mass., the genealogist of the Waterman family, in which he gave the descent of a John Waterman from the original ancestor of the Rhode Island Watermans, whom he believed to be the soldier who died at Yallej^ Forge. While a corresi:)ondence was pi-oceeding with Mr. Waterman and myself relative to the matter, I received a visit from Mrs. Harriet Sprague, of this city, whose attention had been called to the article, and whose husband, Byron Sprague, was a descendant of Richard Waterman, the first of the name in Rhode I.sland. IMrs, Sprague had in mind still another John Waterman, whom she believed to be the John Waterman who died at Valley Forge. I then communicated with Mr. Waterman at New Bedford, giving him the information which had been given me bj^ Mrs. Sprague, and received from him an account of the John Waterman, her husband's ancestor, which showed conclu- sively that the soldier at Valley Forge could not have been the one she had referred to. This John Waterman was a descendant in the fourth generation from Richard Water- man, the first of the name in Rhode Island, in the following line : Richard Waterman married Bethia — their son, Resolved Waterman, married Mercy Williams; their son, John Water- man, married Anne Olnej' ; their son, John Waterman, mar- ried for his second wife Marcy Stafford. On the Waterman farm, near Crompton, R. I., is the graveyard of this branch of the Waterman family, and among the graves there located is that of " Marcy Stafford wife of C'apt John Waterman who died Feby 28 1811 aged 96 years 11 months." Beside this grave is a vacant space which has produced the impression that it might have been left for the body of her husband to [ 199 ] be buried beside her, and thei'e is a tradition in the family that Captain John Waterman went away and never came back, all of which, in the absence of other evidence, would go far to prove that this was the Captain Waterman who died at Valley Forge, and was there buried ; but Mr. Water- man's records disprove this and show conclusively to the contrary, for he states that this particular Captain John Waterman was drowned in Still river, Coventry, R. I., in 1751, being thrown from his horse while fording the river, and this is confirmed by other branches of the family. It also appears, strangely enough, that this same John Waterman had a son Thomas who removed to Cheshire, Mass. The other John Waterman was a descendant, in the fifth generation, from the same Richard Waterman in the follow- ing line : Richard Watei-man, the ancestor of the Waterman family in Rhode Island, married Bethia — one of their children was Resolved Waterman, who married Mercy Williams, daughter of Roger Williams, and died August, 1070; their son, Rich- ard Waterman, born Januai'y, 1660, married his cousin, Anne Waterman, and died September 28, 1748 ; their son, Richard Waterman, Jr., married November 14, 1725, Marcy Corpe ; their son, John Waterman, married October 3, 1751, Martha Dj'er, of Long Island ; their onlj^ son was Thomas Waterman. There are a number of descendants of the daughters of this John Waterman in the west, but I have not been able to ascertain where they are located, nor even their name. From the information which I have received, and from the investigations which Mr. William H. Waterman has made and the conclusions which he arrived at man}" years ago, when this matter was brought to his attention, I am strongl}^ of the opinion that this John Waterman, the son of Richard Waterman and Marcy Corpe, is tlie John Waterman, Com- missary-General of Issues of Yarnum's Brigade, who died at Valley Forge, and whose grave is marked by the red sand- stone heretofore referred to. I am convinced that no evidence positively proving this fact [ 200 ] can be obtained ; yet I think that enough collateral evidence surrounds the matter to warrant this conclusion. While the resolution directing me to make this examination does not require me to make suggestions or recommendations, I beg leave, however, to do so. Rhode Island has done little to honor the memory' of the patriots of '70. In fact it has done less to honor its own brave sons than other States have. It is one of the particular duties of this Society to see that his- toric spots are marked, and in no better way can the memory of those who served and died at Valley Forge be perpetuated than by a substantial monument on that historic ground. I would, therefore, respectfully recommend that communi- cations be sent from this Society to the proper officers of the Chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolu- tion, suggesting that a committee be appointed to comprise, with a committee of like number from this Society, a joint committee on the Captain John Waterman Memorial, said committee to be empowered to represent each of said Socie- ties before the Legislature of this State in j)resenting a petition, asking for an appropriation for the purpose of causing a suitable monument to be erected on the site of the grave of Captain John Waterman, and which shall con- template the preservation of the grave now remaining, in memory of the Rhode Island soldiers who died at Valley Forge. Accompanying this report are two maps of the camj) grounds at Valley Forge, in 1778 and 1892, marked Exhibits A. and B.' Respectfully submitted, Edward Field, Committee. The report being read, it was Voted, That the report of Compatriot Field relative to the gi'ave of Captain John Waterman, at Valley Forge, and the recommendation therein be, and the same is, hereby accept- ed; and that (ieoi-ge E. Barstow, Fredei'ick W. Easton, and John Edward Studley be, and they are hereby, appointed a committee on the part of this Society relative to the same. 1 These maps are omitted in this volume. GEN. HORACE PORTER, Past President-Genkp.al of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. RECEPTION AND BANQUET IN HONOR OP GENERAL HORACE PORTER, President-General of the National Society op the Sons of the American Revolution, at the Nar- ragansett hotel, providence, saturday Evening, November 30, 1895. I^HE visit of President-General Porter to Providence, as the guest of the Societj^ was an occasion which will ever be remembered as one of the pleasantest in its history. When it was decided that the President-General would honor the Society by his presence, a committee, consisting of Compatriots Robert P. Brown, Joseph Balch, and Joseph C. W. Cole, was appointed by President Field to make the arrangements for his reception and entertainment while a guest of the Society, and for the success of the affair this committee is entitled to great credit. President Field met General Porter at Wickford Junction early in the afternoon, and accompanied him to the city, where they were met by Past President Wilfred H. Munro, who escorted the distinguished guest to the Narragansett Hotel, where accommodations had been provided for his com- fort until the reception and banquet in the evening. At half -past seven the reception was held in the parlor of the hotel, the President-General and Governor Charles Warren Lippitt, Adjutant-General Frederick M. Sackett, and Colonel John C. Wyman, also guests of the Society, being received by the Reception Committee, consisting of Edward Field, President and Chairman ; Past Presidents 26 [ 202 ] Alfred Stone, John Carter Brown Woods, Amasa M. Eaton, Wilfred H. Munro ; Vice-President William Maxwell Greene; Secretary Christopher Rhodes ; Treasurer Olney Arnold, II ; Registrar Robert P. Brown ; Chaplain Rev. Edward O. Bart- lett ; Poet Rev. Erederic Denison ; and Compatriots Dexter B. Potter and General Olney Arnold. Daring the reception, and also while the banquet was in progress, Reeves' Orches- tra rendered a select programme. Shortly after eight o'clock the company proceeded to the dining-hall. In the absence of the Chaplain, prayer was offered by Prof. Nathaniel F. Davis, of Brown University, after which, as is the custom of the Society on all such occa- sions, a toast was drunk to " the memory of the patriots of the American Revolution," the entire assemblage remaining standing. The party then sat down to the following menu: Sherry and Bitters Blue Points Mock Turtle — aux vin Madeira Coquille ou shell aux gratin Escallop of Chicken Halibut White Sauce Potatoes Princess Filet of Beef larded Mushroom Sauce Stuffed Peppers Parisieune Potatoes Roman Punch Cigarettes Roast Quail, Bardee on Toast Celery Currant Jelly Frozen Pudding Whipped Cream Assorted Cakes Fruit Coffee Roquefort Cheese Water Crackers ApoUinaris [ 203 ] At the conclusion of the banquet President Edward Field rapped to order, and introduced the post-prandial exercises. Address of President Field. Compatriots and Guests of the Society : For nearly six years this Society has pursued its work, with a measurable degree of success. We have fittingly observed the anniversaries of important events in the Revolution. We have assisted in placing a bronze tablet upon the old Market House, to mark the spot where the men and women of Providence showed their resistance to tj'ranny and oppression by burning British taxed tea. We have appropriately marked more than a hundred graves of Revolutionary soldiers scattered here and there throughout our little State. To this Society is due the credit of initiating the movement which has resulted in securing from the Legislature an ap- propriation for the purpose of erecting a monument to the memory of Lieutenant John Waterman, a Rhode Island offi- cer, whose lonely grav^e is within the historic grounds at Valley Forge. We have done even more ; for the services of more than 300 Revolutionary soldiers, which but a few years ago were inac- cessible, are now permanently recorded. While we have been thus engaged, the same noble work has been going on in nearly every one of the States in this great republic. Some have done more than we have, some have done less ; but all are united with the common object of per- petuating the spirit and memory of the deeds of the patriots who achieved American independence and secured to us the blessings of liberty. Bound together for such high purposes, these Societies can- not but exert a powerful influence throughout the land in stimulating a higher patriotism and a greater love of country. The Rhode Island Society, in its brief life, has had many [ '^Oi ] notable gatherings, bnt the occasion which brings us together this evening is the happiest in tlie life of our Society. To have with us the President-General of this great national organization gives us a l. To-day, to equal this sum, Bristol should contribute, for a similar object, at least $1,200, if money were worth only as much then as it is now. As a matter of fact, it was then worth much moi'e. Providence would have to contribute $30,000. Almost all the Rhode Island towns sent contributions at that time, but that of Bristol was proportionally^ larger than anj'. Thus, Newport (1st), 9,208 people, sent £300 : to equal Bristol it should have sent at least £375. Providence, 4,321, sent £51 and 136 sheep. Scituate, the third town in inhabitants (3,601), sent 120 sheep. Bristol, remember, had but 1,209 inhabitants. I suppose this large contribution is to be accounted for b^' the fact that Bristol was formerly a part of Massachusetts, and, therefore, had not felt the oppressive hand of the Bay Colony, as had the Rhode Island towns. It was from Bristol that "A Friend to Property," in 1771, had written, proposing that Rhode Island should be divided between Massachusetts and Con- necticut, or else be made a royal government, because, as he said, "an elective legislature must alwa5's be a source of dis- order and corruption in a small State." (Providence Ga- zette.) In the winter of 1774 and 1775, Sir James Wallace, Captain of the "Rose," a frigate stationed at Newport, renewed the persecutions which had made the "Gaspee" so obnoxious. You remember the brief and spicy correspondence between him and Captain Abraham Whipple. " To AhraliavL Whipple : You, Abraham Whipple, on the 10th June, 1772, burned his Majesty's vessel, the ' Gaspee,' and I will hang you at the yard-arm. James Wallace." " To Sir James Wallace : Sir. — Always catch a man before you hang him. Abraham Whipple." [ 229 ] From the time the "Rose" dropped her anchor in Newport harbor until the British sailed to New York, October 25, 1779, the shores of Narragansett Bay was continually devastated by marauding bodies of the enemy's troops. It is hardly pos- sible for us to realize how great those ravages wei'e. To name one instance : Before the war broke out, the islands and the mainland had been covered with forests almost to the water's edge ; the close of the war saw them treeless as to-day. On sandy or rocky soil a forest is the growth of centuries. In the naval adventures of that period the name of Silas Talbot, of Providence, is most conspicuous. His exploits furnish a fascinating theme for the pen of some historian. Conflicts upon the land were exceedingly frequent. In January, 1776, an attack was made upon Prudence Island. Aid to the inhabi- tants was sent from Warren and Bristol, and in the battle of three hours which followed the British were defeated with a loss of fourteen men killed and many others wounded. Be- fore that time, October 7, 1775, the town was bombarded. We celebrated the anniversary of that event a year ago last summer. I will not dilate upon it now, except to say that in the poem which commemorates the affair I seem to trace the influence of the genius Thomas Swan had displayed in his poem concerning the " Gaspee " : " In seventeen hundred and seventy -five Our Bristol town was much surprised By a pack of thievisli villains That will not work to earn their livings." I may say that the poem even surpasses in its meter the more famous Swan song. In 1777 Barton captured General Prescott, stopping, of course, at Bristol for inspiration on his way to the island. It is worthy of note that Barton commanded his men to take luith them no spirituous liquors. It was not town-meeting business that he had upon his hands. The capture of Pres- cott had a marvellous effect. Because of the somewliat scanty attire in which he was hurried to the shore, the poor man never heard the last of it in his own country. The English papers were full of references to it— references like this : [ 230 ] ' ' The handkerchief ! ' Othello cries, ' The handkerchief " the stage replies, ' I prize it more than riches.' A different nole poor Prescott roars, For naught resounds the Atlantic shores But 'Where O where's my breeches?'" Sunday, Maj^ 25, 1778, most of the buildings in tlie compact part of the town were burned by a party of British and Hes- sian troops. The fortune of Bristol was more grievous during the Revolution than that of any other town in Rhode Island. Even Newport did not suffer as much. The latter escaped serious injury, as far as its houses were concerned, because it was garrisoned by the British, About thiity buildings were destroyed by the enemy during this raid. Even the Episcopal Church was burned, probably through a mistake, as the parish of St. Michael's had, for some time, been aided by the Society for the Propagation of Gospel in Foreign Parts, or, as it is more commonly called, the Propagation Societ3\ The sexton of the church was not in the town when the edi- fice was burned. He absolutel}^ refused to believe that the structure was destroj^ed. " It can't be so," he said, " because I have got the key in my pocket," In September, 1778, Lafayette took command of the posts about the island. For a time he made his headquarters at Bristol, but not for many days. He dates one letter to Washington, " Camp near Bristol Sept 7 1778" but seventeen days later writes : " I have removed my station from Bristol and am in a safer place behind Warren." His headquarters in Bristol were in the Reynolds house " on the Neck." (This was thrown open to your inspection not long ago, through the kindness of the present owner.) The Mrs. Reynolds who received the General had made suitable preparations for her noted guest, but when he dismounted from his horse, so youthful was his appearance that she supposed him to be simply an aid, sent ahead to announce the coming of his superior officer. Not until he had finished his dinner, and she had ventured to remind him, as he lingered over his toddj'^ of couise, that his General was momentarily expected, did the [ 231 J Marquis astonish her bj' informing her that he was the visitor whose arrival she had so eagerly anticipated. March 13, 1781, a still more illustrious soldier visited the town. Him a company of the towns-people, mounted on horseback, rode to the Ferry to greet and to escort to the vil- lage. Accompanied bj^ his aids he rode the entire length of Hope street. As he passed State street a salute from the cannons in front of the Court House, wliich then stood in the middle of that street, was fired in his honor. When he passed Bradford street the inhabitants, clad in their best apparel, standing on both sides of the street, strewed his path with flowers and witli evergreens. " Marm Burt," the widow of Parson 'Burt who had died during the bombardment of the town, was then keeping a " Dame School." To impress this visit upon the memories of her scholars she made them learn this couplet : "In 1781 I saw General Washington." SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING. February 22, 1S97. THE seventh animal meeting of the Rhode Island So- ciet}^ of the Sons of the American Revolution is held February 22, 1897, at the Cabinet of the Rhode Island Historical Society, on Waterman street, in Providence, at 12 o'clock noon. President William Maxwell Greene presents his address, as follows : Address op William Maxwell Greene, President. Compatriots of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution : In conformity with the By-Laws of this Society, your Presi- dent herewith gives a short account of the work of the Society during the past twelve months. At the last annual meeting the following Committees were appointed : A Committee on Statues of General Nathaniel Greene and Commodore Esek Hopkins, consisting of, viz.: Amasa M. Eaton, Wilfred H. Munro, Olney Arnold, Alfred Stone , George E. Barstow, Joseph H. Kendrick, Cliarles Warren Lippitt, Ed- ward R. Willson, Daniel Russell Brown, W. T. C. Wardwell, Robert P. Brown, Earl Philip Mason, Nathaniel F. Davis, Daniel B. Pond, Orray T. Mason. In consequence of the decease of Compatriot Pond, Com- patriot A. L. Kelley has been appointed in his place. A Committee was also appointed, to act with a similar WILLIAM MAXWELL GREENE, President, 1896-1897. [ 233 ] Committee to be appointed by the Rhode Island Historical Societj', for the purpose of preparing a list of names of distinguished men of this State, to be placed upon the walls of the new Capitol. The members appointed from this So- ciety were Compatriots Alfred Stone, Wilfred H. Munro, Alonzo Williams. A Committee was also appointed to consider the recom- mendations in the annual address of the retiring President, as to amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws of our Society. This Committee consisted of Nathaniel F. Davis, Amasa M. Eaton, George E. Barstow. The Committee reported later in the day, at the banquet, suggesting that the time was too short, in view of the magni- tude of ihe undertaking, and recommending the appoint- ment of another Committee, to give the subject thorough examination. Whereupon such a Committee was appointed, consisting of Compatriots Amasa M. Eaton, Edward Field, Christopher Rhodes, Nathaniel F. Davis, Alfred Stone. Sub- sequently, Compatriot Field resigned his position on this Committee. The Committee will report during the meeting, and the important matter confined to their care will, doubtless, receive your careful consideration. The experience gained during the past seven years undoubtedly will contribute largely towards the suggestion of laws for our guidance, well adapted to the purposes of our organization. An interesting chaptei' of our year's work was the presen- tation of copies of Stuart's Athenaeum portrait of Washing- ton to the high schools of the State. This Committee will submit their report to you at this meeting. Early last summer our Society was invited by the city of Providence to take charge of the civic celebration of Inde- pendence Day, by following the good old fashion of gathering the people together in some public place, to hear an oration and the Declaration of Independence. Compatriot Wilfred H. Munro was Chairman of this Committee. The services of Solon W. Stevens, Esq., of the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, were secured, who deliv- ered an oration of rare eloquence, appropriate to the occasion. 30 C 234 ] The Society, through the Board of Managers, acknowledged his courtesy bj' a vote of tlianlcs ; and the Committee ac- knowledged, also, its indebtedness to Compatriot Williams, who read the Declaration of Independence. Owing to some misunderstanding, the celebration was not held in the old First Baptist Meeting-House, but in the church of the Benefi- cent Congregational Societ}^, which courteously offered its church for the purpose. A drum and fife band, in Conti- nental uniform, furnished the music. On the 20th of January last a rolled bronze tablet was placed on the northwest cor- ner of Universi- ty Hall, facing the west side, commemorating the occupation of the college building bj' the patriot troops and their French allies during the Revolutionary War, and the fact that, almost to a man, facul- ty and students Avere engaged in the war. Brief services were held in Manning Hall, the I'oom in University Hall being too small to accom- modate the large audience present. Your President said a few words appropriate to the occasion as the tablet was un- veiled, and then, all being assembled in Manning Hall, Arnold Green, Esq., L. L. D., made an address, followed by an origi- nal poem by Rev. Frederic Denison, Poet of the Society. Thanks were given to the speakers, the Daughters of the ITHE RHODE ISLAND SOCIETY ;OF THE SONS OF THE AMERi- ICAN REVOLUTION COMMEAIO- RATES BV THIS TABLET THE OCCUPATION- OF THIS BUILD- INO BY THE PATRIOT FORCES! AND THEIR FRENCH ALLIES, DURING T14E REVOLUTIONARY !^;((gv „ WAR. FOR SIX YEARS ALL .4C-^T' lADEMIC EXERCISES IN THIS 4?^ UNIVERSITY WERE SUSPL=^'D-i^(M ED. faculty; students, and i^^ iCRADUATES, .ALMOST TO A MA^ ^' WERE ENCAGED IN THE^SER- VICE OF THEIR COUNTRYl »<*» MAY ALL WHO READ Y*HIS IN-!-. *-T^!SCRIPTION BE STIMULATED!^ ,W|BY THEIR EXAMPLE TO RE-li^. '#iSPOND AS LOYALLY TO THEIR 1^ ^, •C^ COUNTRY'S CALL : : : :;:::: \m& DUi^E ET DECORUM ESTj^t^ ".OIPATRIA MORI? ' ■ REC£ED^-1S92^ - Ki [ 235 ] American Revolution, members of the Society of Colonial Dames, and other invited guests. A meeting of our National Society at Richmond, Ya., on April 30, 1896, was attended by your Vice-President, Com- patriot Taft, and by Compatriots W. C. T. Ward well and Arthur P. Sumner. I will read Compatriot Taft's letter re- porting this interesting event. Upon invitation of His Excellency the Governor, on Jan- uary 25, 1897, Compatriots Joseph H. Kendrick, J. Edward Studley, John Carter Brown Woods, Christopher Rhodes, and your President met leading military officers of the State and a delegation from the Grand Army of the Republic in the Senate Chambei- in Providence, to examine the old flags of the Colony and State carried by our troops through the Revo- lutionary War, and to unite in a petition to the General Assembly to restore the original color, white, of the State flag, this being the color ordered by General Washington. Since this meeting tliis petition has been presented to our General Assembly, and there is every prospect that the change suggested will be adopted. Upon conclusion of this meeting in the Senate Chamber, a most hospitable reception and lunch took place at the Governor's mansion. The Wisconsin Society of the Sons of the Amei-ican Revo- lution have requested their representatives in Congress to present a bill providing for the collection, indexing, and pub- lication, by the United States Government, of all the records, papers, maps, and other documents relating to the War of the American Revolution. In accordance with the request made to us by this Society, our Board of Managers have requested the representatives in Congress from this State to co-operate in the introduction and adoption of such an act. Our Board has also asked our representatives in Congress to use their influence in securing the passage of a bill now pending be- fore Congress, asking for an appropriation of twenty-five thousand dollars by the National Government to build a monument in memory of the Revolutionary soldiers. The Maryland Society has already secured about twenty thousand dollars as a contribution towards this monument. [ 236 ] During the last j^ear we liave lost two of our members: Compatriots Alfred M. Williams, wlio died at Basse Terre, St. Kitts, March 9, 1800; and Daniel B. Pond, who died in Providence, September 9, 1890. Brief memorials will be read at the banquet. Thirty-two new members, admitted during the 3'ear, pi'ove our continued growth. All these praiseworthy enterprises show that our Society is accomplishing the good work for which it was instituted. Christopher Rhodes, Secretarj^, i)resents his report for the past year : Report of the Secretary. Providence, R. I., February 22, 1897. To the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolidion : In compliance with the provisions of section 6 of the By- Laws, the Secretary respectfully submits the following, viz.: Amount collected for dues, etc., from February 17, 1890, to Febi-uary 10, 1897, $475.50, which has been duly forwarded to the Treasurer. Thirty-two new members have been admitted during the past year. We have lost two Compatriots bj^ death : Alfred M. Wil- liams, who died at Basse Terre, St. Kitts, March 9, 1896; and Daniel B. Pond, who died in the city of Providence, Septem- ber 9, 1890. Total number on the rolls of the Society at the present time, 204. Members are respectfully requested to be as prompt as pos- sible in the payment of their annual dues. Respectfully submitted, Christopher Rhodes, Secretary. [ 237 ] Olney Arnold, II, Treasurer, presents his report, as follows : Report of the Treasurer for tlie year ending February 22, 1897. Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution : Receipts. Cash in bank Feb. 22, 189G $ 92 55 Dues 396 00 Admission fees 33 00 Certificates 29 00 Rosettes 15 00 Dinner 252 50 Interest, etc 8 79 $826 84 Expenditures. Annual dinner, Feb. 22, 1896, including printing, music, etc $353 75 Printing, postage, express, stamps, cer- tificates, and miscellaneous 124 67 Floral emblems for late Compatriots R. G. Brown and D. B. Pond 9 00 Annual dues to National Society, 174 members, at 25 cents 43 50 Portraits of Washington, framed and inscribed, presented to high schools, with incidental expenses 100 08 Fourth of July expenses 23 40 Brown Univ.ersity tablet 140 00 $794 40 ■ $826 84 Cash in bank Feb. 22, 1897 32 44 Olney Arnold, II, Providence, R. I., February 22, 1897. Treasurer. Examined, and found correct. W. A. Cranston, Auditor. [ 238 ] Robert P. Brown, Esq., Registrar, presents his report as follows : Report op the Registrar. To the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution : The Society has this year increased its numbers consider- ably', and has had but two deaths to record, viz.: Daniel B. Pond, died September 9, 1890; Alfred M. Williams, died March 9, 189G. The total number on roll of members is 212 ; less resigned, one ; died, seven ; present living membership, 204. I have registered this year thirty-two, who obtained the right to join this Societj^, viz.: From Privates 17 Corporal 1 Sergeant 1 Lieutenants 4 Ensign 1 Lieutenant-Colonel 1 Captains 2 Commodore 1 Governor 1 Superintendent of Defenses 1 Drummer 1 Chaplain 1 The Chaplain meekly brings up the rear, but he had the honor to be taken a prisoner of war. I think you will find the character of the new membership fully up to the Society's standard. The Board of Managers liave passed a new By- Law, requiring any member who signs the papers of an applicant to write a letter affirming that such applicant is a man of integrity, good character, and desirable as a member of this Society. It would seem that the signing of a man's papers carried the above recommendations with it, but the Board judged not, and the members should bear in mind this By-Law when asked to recommend a man in his application [ 239 ] papers. The surplus funds of this Society have been directed towai'ds carrying out two very proper and desirable objects, and a handsome framed portrait of Washington now adorns the walls of every High School in the State, and old Univer- sity Hall has a tablet describing its services in the Re vol u- tionarj' War. The Committee on Marking Graves of Revolutionary Sol- diers submits the following report : Report of the Committee on Marking Graves of Revolutionary Soldiers. W. Maxwell Greene, Esq., President, Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution : Sir : — Your Committee begs leave to present the following brief report : Very little has been accomplished by this Committee dur- ing the past year. A few names have been added to the list, and the marker of the Society has been placed on a few more graves. Four subscriptions of one dollar each have been i-eceived, to pay for markers delivered, making $26.00 in all received for this purpose. Of this sum $6.00 has been paid for additional markers, and 95 cents for expressage, leaving a balance of $19.05 in the hands of the Committee. In the last annual report of this Committee, in February, 1896, the action of, patriotic people in Barrington, in placing markers on fifty-six graves in that town, was called to the attention of the Society, and the suggestion made that a like course, followed in the other cities and towns in the State, would soon result in having every grave of a Revolutionary soldier in Rhode Island suitably indicated by this Society's marker. As far as known to your Committee, this sugges- tion has met with no response. In the city of Providence fiftj^-one graves have been re- ported to the Committee, and of this number eleven have already been marked, leaving forty graves, of which twenty- [ 240 ] three are in the North Burying Ground, seven in Swan Point, and ten elsewhere, still unmarked. If the Society is not at present in a position to arrange for placing a marker on every Revolutionary grave in the State, I would suggest that it, at least, provide for those in its own city, and thus set an example which, it is to be hoped, the other towns in the State will follow. The Committee would like to see a proper suni appropriated from the funds of the Society for this purpose, say $30.00, a great part of which would probably be returned to the Society by payments, for markers, made by descend- ants of these Revolutionary soldiei's. For the Committee, E. O. Bartlett, Cliairman. Joseph Balch, Secretanj. Providence, February 22, 1897. The officers elected for the ensuing year are : President, . . Royal Chapin Taft. Vice-President, William Thomas Church Wardwell. Secretary, . . Christopher Rhodes. Treasurer, . . Olney Arnold, II. Registrar, . . Robert Perkins 1>rown. Historian, . . Edward Field. Chaplain, . . . Rev. Frederic Denison. Poet, .... George Allen Buffum. Delegate at Large, Frederick W. Easton. Delegates, . . . James II. Tower, George T. Hart. Alternates, . . Joseph Balch, Edward C. B. Stiness, E. Charles Francis, Russell W. Knight, Will E. Brown. Upon the conclusion of the business of the annual meeting the Society adjourns to the Narragansett Hotel at 7: 30 o'clock, where the annual dinner is served. The historical address is delivered by Professor Wilfred Harold Munro, Historian, the subject being "Concurrent Opinion of the American Revolution." This address was [ 241 ] not written, the speaker quoting from various authorities, and supplementing them with explanatory remarks. The address was of peculiar interest and was received with marked attention. Robert P. Brown, Registrar of the Societ}', delivers the following address on the life and services of Colonel Israel Angell, of the Rhode Island Continental line. Address of Robert P. Brown, Registrar : " Colonel Israel Angell." A goodly number of people outside of our communion fancy that this Society is of celestial origin ; they believe that, like the almond-eyed hordes of the celestial empire, we hold as the first article in oiir creed the worship of our ancestors. These same people honestly expect that we shall carry this worship so far as to outdo our Chinese friends, and instead of cultivating the tombstones of our antecedents in the back 3'ai'd, that we will soon sport miniature tombstones on our watch chains, properly engraved with the birth, death, and service of our adored Revolutionary progenitors. While we may disappoint them by failing to observe this latter rite, I have deferred to their celestial conception of us by selecting an Angell to present to you this evening, trust- ing to spread his wings sufficiently to draw your attention to an ideal Revolutionar}' soldier. As I call to mind some of the addresses made by hyper- impartial historical critics before this society, I feel as if it may be an act of temerity to call foith from its grave the ghost of a Revolutionary soldier, and also likely to be very embarrassing for the ghost. For we are told that when the Revolutionary ghosts chance upon the ghosts of a later war, they take otf their skulls and ciy, " Csesar's Ghost ! what am I to stand before thee ? Thou art greater than I." Such meet- ings are, of course, to be avoided. Historj' is also expounded to us tyros in the science, and we are told that the men of wealth and position were opposed to the War of the Revolution ; from which we infer that we 31 [ 242 ] are descended from the common, earnest, every-daj^ fighting- men of that time, who resented all tyranny and thwarted it ; thank God for that ! Tory ancestors are paraded before ns, and we are asked to drop a tear because a community fighting for its life and liberty amid poverty, hardship, and starvation preferred that the Tories should depart from these j)lantations to go whither they would, to perish on the stormy main, or die in Nova Zembla or Kamchatka, rather than have them remain to give encouragement, comfort, or information to the enemy. To my callous understanding, one hundred and twenty j^ears have not mitigated the offence of the Tories, and there will be equally callous people many centuries hence ; for there are times and crises when men have no right to an opin- ion, but must keep their eyes fixed in the path of honor, and act for the defence of the State and the common rights of all. We have had a review of the American army before us, and been told that thej'' were an army of mutineers ; that they did not look genteel, in fact hardly respectable, as some had no shoes, some no trousers, and all of them little suste- nance and less ])ay. Of course, history presents no parallel of that noble array of a few thousand men, who fought to a successful finish the contest with a great kingdom of overpowering superiority in resources, nor can it show a case of greater hardship, priva- tions, and neglect more cheerfully endured for freedom's sake. That they sometimes resented appai-ent neglect and be- came mutinous, therein lay the head and front of their offending. Perhaps the most regrettable historical episode which has been imposed upon us was the impre.ssive fact that there was not money enough in Rhode Island to pay the assessments of the Continental Congress, and so the State paid part in kind ; that is, in supplies of beef, pork, corn, i-um, &c. This was manifestly wrong, and no excuses are offered. It was well enough to pay in rum, for it took just so much of that pernicious colonial liquid out of the State, but to let good beef and corn go when they were so much needed here [ -^43 ] seems inexcusable. The proper thing, from an impartial his- toric view of the case, was to have opened up a gold mine, or at least a silver mine, somewhere in Foster or Chei^achet, and thus the}^ could have furnished hard cash and saved their bacon. Some people, in their attempts to impartialize historj^ rise so high on their opinionated pinions that when they conde- scend to look down everything looks very small, and they find themselves unable to distinguish between a Tory and a patriot, between a Revolutionar^y hero and a bounty jumper. There are others of us wlio prefer to stay on the solid earth, in proximity to facts, and not to pervert history. To these earth-bound people it is refreshing to turn from the bewilder- ing heights of the former, and to view a plain, uncompromis- ing Revolutionary soldier like Colonel Israel Angell, of whom the Providence Journal, two days after his death, said : " There has passed away one who was truly a Revolutionary hero, and as brave and fearless a soldier as ever faced an enem3^ Colonel Israel Angell was a descendant in the fifth genera- tion of Thomas Angell, who came over in 1631, in the ship "Lion," with Roger Williams. Thomas Angell was one of the thirteen who signed the first civil compact which founded the government of Rhode Island. He received from Roger Williams, in the land deal, his six-acre lot, extending from North Main street east, where now the First Baptist C'hurch stands, and cut off future fame-seeking aldermen by having two adjacent streets named for him ; Thomas street and Angell street were thus wisely provided for. To Thomas, therefore, we are indebted that Rhode Island became the abode of Angells, and more especially of one sur- named Israel. Colonel Israel Angell was born in Johnston, August 24, 1740, on the place which is, or recently was, the asylum farm. I do not mean to say he was born a colonel, or even as great as a corporal, but with your permission I will give him the title thus early to distinguish him from the tribes of Israel and of Angells who have passed across life's transitory stage in these plantations. [ 244 ] His mother had been a teaclier, and thus was able to give him a better education than the farm boy usually gets. His penmanship was so excellent that the muster-roll of his regi- ment, written bj' himself and now in the archives at Wash- ington, is said to be as fine a specimen as can be found there. He appears to have been conversant with scientific subjects, and to have talked well upon them ; and the carefully-kept diarj^ detailing the episodes of each day of his soldier life in good, clear English, is the best witness of his mother's careful etforts to equip him for a broader experience. When the news arrived in Providence that the Anglo- American Ball had opened at Lexington, to the tune of whistling bullets, Colonel Israel was about thirty-five years old, a farmer in general, incidentally a teacher, and a cooper in particular. Barrels seemed very empty things to him after that event, and without hesitation or delay our Rhode Island Cincinna- tus left the plough and the adze and quickly changed from his occupation of placing heads in barrels to placing heads on the troops and hirelings of his Britannic Majestj^ George the Third, and for six j'ears the pursuits of peace knew him no more. The battle of Lexington took place April 19, 1775. On the next daj' a thousand men were on the march from Provi- dence to join the "embattled farmei'S." and show that the burning of British taxed tea was no idle brag, but that they were ready to defend their cherished rights with their lives, and to resent all tyranny, however petty, with the sword. This irregular column of attack was recalled upon receipt of later news, and an organized bodj^ was rather liiimoroushj enlisted in the name of the King, and discreetly called an army of observation. In this army Colonel Israel Angell was appointed Major of the Providence Regiment, and, b}' the first of June, Rhode Island had the best organized and equipped contingent before Boston, consisting of about one thousand men (six companies added later), and a siege battery of twelve guns. LTnfortu- nateh" we have no roster of this army before Boston, but we [ 245 ] know that the Providence Regiment was in the skirmish line, and actively engaged at the battle of Bunker Hill. To show the kind of man Colonel Israel Angell was, I will quote an extract from a letter to his brother Hope, December 1, 1775, dated Prospect Hill: "I am much alarmed at the news of the conduct of the people in Providence, and the towns adjacent, to hear that they are likely to rise in mobs, on account of salts rising and some other small articles. I beg of every honest and well-meaning person, both in town and country, to exert themselves to the utmost of their power, to suppress any riotors proceedings among yourselves: especi- ally at this time, for God's sake let us unite all as one in America, if we don't, but fall at variance among ourselves, of all God's creation we shall be most miserable." Upon the formation of Colonel Daniel Hitchcock's Second Rhode Island Regiment, Colonel Israel Angell was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel, and marched westward to join Washing- ton's forces. In August, 1776, the retreat from Long Island was made, and on the fifteenth of September the Rhode Island regi- ments had a skirmish with the British at Haarlem Heights, of which General Nathanael Greene wrote to the Governor of Rhode Island, that "the R. I. troops behaved nobly:" as Colonel Hitchcock was awaj^ taking care of the sick. Colonel Angell was in command. In October, 1776, among the officers named bj' Washington for the Continental line was Israel Angell, as Lieutenant- Colonel of Second Rhode Island Battalion. Hitchcock, who was Angell's superior officer, commanded the brigade, which, besides the Second, included also Varnum's, Lippilt's, and two Massachusetts regiments, and was a part of the flying column called the American army, which executed that long retreat across the Jerseys to the other side of the Delaware river, where it camped in the dead of winter: the forlorn hope in that most dismal pei-iod of a distracted and almost hopeless country. But the British commander failed to take into ac- count two things : the military genius of Washington, and the pugnacious fighting capacities of Rhode Islanders. [ 24G ] On Christmas niglit Washington recrossed the Delaware, and captnred the surprised Hessians, at Trenton. Advanc- ing towards Princeton, he was met by Cornwallis and driven back towards Trenton, which point he readied late in the afternoon of January 2, 1777. The Rhode Island brigade, just arrived, had scarcely time to taste a mouthful of bread and tainted pork, when they were ordered to cross the stone bridge, to support the skirmishers and artillery, and check Cornwallis and his ten thousand men. During the closing hour of that fateful day the Rhode Island troops held their gi-ound ; opening ranks to let the fleeing skirmish line pass through, they closed up into solid column, and, amid a galling cross fire from the side streets, slowly recrossed the bridge and formed on the other side of the creek, in face of the enemy. Meanwhile the artillery occupied the entrance to the bridge. The loss of time, and determined resistance at the bridge, induced Cornwallis, at that late hour of the day, to defer crossing until morning, and Washington's little army of about four thousand tired, starved, and illy equipped men, were saved from almost certain capture. It would be hard to overestimate the services of Hitch- cock's brigade, at the Trenton bridge, during those precious minutes of delay. Not only the fate of the American army, but the very existence of a free United States, hung in the balance. If Cornwallis had crossed that night, history would have had to have been written differently ; and very likely we would not be celebrating Washington's birthday to-night. Washington, sitting on his horse, close to the rail of the bridge, saw it all, and, grasping Colonel Hitchcock's hand, asked him to thank the men and officers of his brigade for their valorous defense. When the British rubbed the sleep out of their eyes, on the next morning, they ^ound nothing to capture but the smouldering embers of numerous camp fires. Washington had spirited his army away in the night, outwitting and outflanking the great Cornwallis, and was far away on the [ 247 ] road, in the rear of the British, to win his second victory at Princeton. After Princeton, the American army, eluding the enemy, after terrible exposure and privation, reached Morristown, where they went into winter quarters. Three days after their arrival, Colonel Daniel Hitchcock, educated at Yale, as brave, talented, and courteous an officer as anj^ in the army, died from the terrible strain of this campaign. Lieutenant-Colonel Israel Angell was promoted to the com- mand of the Second, which Washington called " his Rhode Island Regiment," and held the position so long as it was a separate organization. In August, 1777, we find Colonel Angell at Peekskill,N. Y., from whence he wrote a pathetic letter to the Governor of Rliode Island, showing the beggarly condition of his troops, onlj' one-half tit for duty, many witliout clothes, and many barefoot, and so dissatisfied that only Varnum's eloquence kept them in line. In September, Colonel Angell's regiment behaved gallantly at the battle of Brand}- wine ; October 22d he was at Red Bank, and wrote a lucid account of the defense of Fort Mercer, where Colonel Greene repulsed the attack of 1,200 Hessians, with a loss of one-quarter of their number, and where Major Simeon Thayer distinguished himself at the Mud Island Fort. The terrible winter of 1777-78 he passed at Valley Foi-ge, with the American commander. In June, 1778, we catch a glimpse of Colonel Israel, en- gaged at the battle of Monmouth, where there was intense suffering from heat, and shortly after this he was detached from the grand army, and his regiment was sent, as part of Lafaj^ette's corps, to assist in the campaign against the Brit- ish, on the island of Rhode Island. He took part in the battle of Rhode Island, August 29, 1778, and here is his own account of that event. "Aug. 29, 1778. A clear morning and very cool. The army received orders last evening to strike their tents and march to the north end of the Island. The advanced picquet was to come off at twelve o'clock. The enemy finding that [ 248 ] we had left our ground, pursued with all possible speed, came up with our picquet about sunrise, and a smart firing began. The picquet repulsed the British troops two or three times, but was finally obliged to retreat, as the enemy brought a number of field pieces against them. The enemj' was soon checked by our cannon in coming up to our main body, and tliey formed on Quaker Hill, and we took possession of Butt's Hill. The left wing of the British army was composed of the Hessians, who attacked our right wing and a sevei'e engage- ment ensued, in which the Hessians were put to flight and beat off the ground, with a considerable loss. Our loss was not very great, but I cannot ascertain the number. I was ordered with my regiment to a Redoubt on a small hill which tlie enemj' was trying foi', and it was with difficulty that we got there before the enemy. I had three or four men killed and wounded to-day. At night I was ordered with my Regi- ment to lie on the lines. I had not slept then in two nights more than two or three hours ; the regiment had eaten noth- ing during the whole day. This was our situation to go on guard, but we marched off cheerfully and took our post. "Aug. 30. I was relieved this morning and got some pro- visions, and being much worn out for the want of sleep, went to a house and took a good nap. There was a cannonade kept up to-day and some small arms from the sentries. At night we received orders to retreat off the Island, which we did without the loss of anything. This retreat was in conse- quence of an Express from Gen'l Washington informing Gen'l Sullivan that the British ships of war and transports had sailed from New York some days before. "Aug. 31. Our retreat off the Island was completed by three o'clock this morning. It is supposed that the enemy attemi)ted a retreat last evening, but after finding that we had retreated they returned to their ground," &c., &c. After leaving the island, for the same reasons that the others did, he marched his regiment to Warren for winter cantonment. His most important capture this winter was 388 pairs of socks from a gentleman who strayed into camp. The gentle- man took away $1,200 in return for them, and maybe could explain whether money was cheap, or socks dear. Colonel Angell expresses great satisfaction at the trade, being well up on the value of Rhode Island paper money. July 4, 1779, Colonel Angell was ordered up with his regi- [ 249 ] ment to Providence. December 3d thej^ were at Danbnry Conii., and December 7th crossed the Hudson at King's Ferry, and went into winter quarters at Pompton. On June 23, 1780, a detachment of one hundred and seventy men, from Colonel Angell's regiment, re-enacted the Trenton Bridge defense in a curiouslj^ similar manner. Colonel Green, of the First Rhode Island Regiment, held Springfield, N. J., with less than a thousand men. Kniphausen and Clinton advanced from Elizabethtown with seven thousand men to capture the place. Colonel Angell, with his detachment, held the bridge over the Rahway, and was attacked by one thousand five hun- dred of the enemy. He was forced back with a loss of forty men, but the defense of the bridge was so desperate that General Clinton appeared to think he might fare worse if he went on, and abruptly returned to Staten Island with his troops, leaving that part of the country in peace. Washington complimented Colonel Angell's Regiment in general orders, and wrote to Governor Greene, of Rhode Island, that letter of which yon are all, doubtless, familiar with, but which always tickles Rhode Islanders to repeat. "The gallant behavior of Colonel Angell's Regiment re- flects the highest honor upon the officers and men. Thej' disputed an important pass with so obstinate a bravery, that they lost upwards of forty men, killed and wounded and missing, before thej' gave np their ground to a vast superior- ity of force. The ready and ample manner in which your State has complied with the requisitions of the Committee, both as to men and supplies, entitles her to the thanks of the public, and affords the highest satisfaclion to your ex- cellency's most obedient servant, George Washington." In September, 1780, Colonel Angell's command crossed the river and camped near Tappan. Some entries in his diary about this time are of interest. September 12 he describes a visit of the chiefs of the Oneida nation. The whole army was ordered on parade, and every display made to impress the savages. He says " a tall Chief in magnificent dress, with a wonderful war bonnet of Eagles 23 [ 250 ] feathers, rode by the side of Washington, presenting a pic- ture of Savage dignity and nobility that elicited the admira- tion, and praise of the army." September 19th he writes : "I was appointed a member to settle a disi)ute between Baron Steuben, and Col. Hazen. The dispute was left to the seven oldest officers commanding the lines, from the seven States here in service. New Hamp- shire, Col. Cealery; Massachusetts, Gen. Glover; Rhode Island, Col. Angell ; (-onnecticut. Gen. Parsons; New York, Gen. Clinton ; New Jersey, Col. Dayton ; Pennsylvania, Gen. St. (Uair." "September 22d," he states, "they met at Gen. St. Clair's and settled the disi)ute to the satisfaction of both pai-ties." September 30th entry states : " I was officer of the day. Major Andre was tried, and condemned to be shot to-morrow morning." An entry of February 15th describes the rescue of Ensign John Rogers, who broke through the ice while crossing the ITvulson at West Point, with Colonels Angell and Greene. He concludes the nan-ation by saying: " lUit I would not have run tiie I'isk 1 did for all the State of New York, had it not been to save life." In July, 1781, the two Riu)de Islaiul regiments were con- solidated into one, and Colonel Angell retired from the service. This year he appears as one of the owners of a grant of land six miles square, in Lyndon, Vt., on the Pas- sumpsic river, and he minutely describes a long horseback ride out into Western New York, to locate some land. In May, 178-1, the General Assembly voted to the officers of his regiment one-half of the Mill lot, in Newport. Thus, briefly and ver^Muadequately, I have tried to present some of the patriotic services atid deeds of valor of Colonel Israel Angell, and of his famous old Second Rhode Island Regiment of the Continental line. It remains for some future historian to collect Colonel Angell's scattered diary and offi- cial correspondence, and mak(^ a complete narrative. During the Revolutionary period Rhode Island teemed with heroic men, from Josepli ]>ucklin, who shed the first [ 251 ] blood, when Lieutenant Duddingston, of the "Gaspee," inter- rupted the flight of his bullet, to Captain Stephen Olney, whose sword first flashed victorious above the ramjiarts of Yorktown. Group the heroes of our State as j^ou will, one quaint, sturd}', martial figure will attract your attention, and, as you study it, enchains your interest ; it stands out bold and picturesque from among such men as the gallant Greene, the eloquent Varnum, and the cultivated Hitchcock. It is so unique you say at once " that is Colonel Israel Angell." Hewed out of sturdy yeoman stock, single minded, calm, dispensing discipline with the lash, his fitness for the cam- paign and the camp seems to have been recognized from the outset. He was of medium height, light complexion, auburn hair surmounted by a wig, blue eyes, a strong Roman nose, and straight as a yardstick. Dignitied, earnest, and fearless, war seemed native to him, and we recognize the outcropping of some old Crusader ancestor. He seems to belong to some older type of warrior days; we should expect to find him fitted out with doublet, cuirass, and leather breeches, seeking fame and fortune in the camp of Wallenstein, or slashing at the white cockade with Cromwell's Roundheads. Wherever there was fighting to be done Colonel Angell's regiment seems to have been on hand ready to take part at the first command. Starting with little of that prestige which advanced so many, he became the friend of Washing- ton, and Lafayette, and Greene, and from each of the first two he received a medal. After returning from the service Colonel Angell varied his former occupations of farmei- and cooper by adding that of tavern keeper, not wishing to leave public life altogether. He afterwards moved over into Smithfield, where he died May 3d, 1832. His advances and attacks upon the feminine heart seem to have been as vigorous and successful as upon his red-coated enemies. The art of making war and love must have a deep hidden resemblance. Ho married three times, and as he [ 252 ] approached liis ninety-second year became engaged to a fourth daughter of Eve ; but the arch enemy, death, met and vanquished Colonel Israel and closed all engagements. He had seventeen children, eleven by his first wife and six by the second, and of the seventeen, thirteen reached matu- rity and eight became octogenarians. Rhode Island should be very proud of Colonel Israel Augell in many ways. Out on the South Scituate road, in Johnston, in a stony pasture, is the last resting-place of Colonel Israel Angell, with no inclosure to protect it from marauding man or beast. The bi'oken, prostrate tombstone is eloquent of neglect, and warns us that before many generations all traces of this his- toric grave will disappear. The State of Rhode Island preserves with religious care at her State House the battle-worn ensign of Colonel Angell's regiment. Should it not extend that same care to the grave of its fearless Colonel ? Or, if the State cares not, this Society might well make it an object for their consideration. ROYAL CHAPIX TAFT, President, 1897-1898. EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING. February 22, 1898. ^ ¥ ^^ IIP^ eighth annual meeting of the Rhode Island So- I ciet}^ of the Sons of the American Revolution is held I February 22, 1898, at the Cabinet of the Rhode Island Historical Society on Waterman street in Providence, at 12 o'clock, noon. President Royal C. Taft presents his address, as follows : Address of Royal C. Taft, President. In accordance with the requirements of section 5 of the By-Laws, I have the honor of submitting this address in writ- ing at the close of ray term of service. At the annual meeting of the Society, February 22d, 1897, certain amendments were submitted to the Constitution, which were ordered printed and sent to each member of the Society, together with such further amendments as might be suggested, with the view of their consideration at a future meeting of the Societ}-. In accordance with this vote, the amendments, with others suggested, were printed ; but the decision of the National Society at its annual meeting at Cleveland, Ohio, in April, to make another effort looking to a union of the two National Societies, and with the improved prospects that such a result might be accomplished, it was, after consultation with the chairman of the committee submitting the amendments, deemed wise to defer action until the result of the contem- plated union was determined. A vote was also passed at [ 254 ] that meeting authorizing the publication of a year-boolc, con- taining the Charter, Constitution, By-Laws, and a list of the members of the Societj^ Tliis has also been deferred from the same reason which has delayed action upon the consti- tutional amendments, as w^ell as from lack of funds in the treasury of the Society. This Society was represented at the annual meeting of the National Society at Cleveland, in April, by the President, Vice- President, and Compatriot James H. Tower. The proceed- ings of that meeting were fuUj^ reported by, and published in, "The Spirit of '70," and sent to each member of the State societies throughout the United States. So that I will only allude to the action of the Society in voting to adjourn to meet at Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 12th of October, with the intention of meeting in convention with the National Society of the Sons of the Revolution, who had ad- journed their annual meeting to meet on that day in the same city, and had invited the National Society of the Sons of tlie American Revolution to take simihir action. This Society was represented at its meeting in Cincinnati b}' its Secretary. The united action of the two Societies thus assembled resulted in tlie agreement upon a plan of union of the two National Societies, to be submitted to the several State organizations for their approval or rejection, and, when approved by a majority' of the State Societies of each National Society, was to become operative. This Society, at a special meeting held on December 8th, voted to approve the plan of union as agreed upon in the convention of the two Societies at Cincinnati. The plan of union of the two societies having failed of adoption by reason of not receiving the assent of a nm- jority of the State organizations of tlie two Societies — the vote being in favor by a large majority, 27 States, of the Societies of the Sons of the American Revolution, and a neg- ative vote of sixteen or seventeen of the State Societies of the Sons of the Revolution — as all prospect of a union of the two organizations is at an end, it is now in order to consider the proposed amendments to the Constitution of our Society [ 255 ] now awaiting action. The amendments are printed and will be distributed at this meeting. During the year the Bristol Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution has been organized, being Chapter number one, as auxiliary to this Society. This Societj' observed the Fourth of July — our natal day — by services in the First Baptist Church, participated in by Compatriots Chaplain Denison with the invocation ; Arthur P. Sumner, who read the Declaration of Independence ; and Professor Alonzo Williams, wlio delivered the oration, upon patriotism. Tlie services were without expense to the Socie- tj^ being borne by the Committee having charge of the municipal celebration. I would suggest that a Committee be chosen to provide for similar services during the present year. There has been much activity during the year among the Societies in this State of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and members of this Society have attended some of their gatherings, notabl}- that of tlie Woonsocket Chapter, in June, at the dedication of a tablet upon Beacon Hill, com- memorative of its use for a beacon during the Revolution. Several members attended a meeting of Gaspee Chapter, at Gaspee Point, in August, and the Pi-esident attended, in October, at Newport, the annual meeting of the William Ellery Chapter of the Daughters of tlie American Revolution. A recommendation has been made that special effort be made by this Society to induce the descendants and relatives of Revolutionary soldiers, who are buried within this State, to take a more active interest in having markers placed upon their graves. Twenty-three have been added to the membership during the year, and three have died, viz.: Nathaniel G. Totten, of Providence ; Hon. William James Swinburne, of Newport ; and Christopher Lippitt, of Providence. The present mem- bership is two hundred and twenty-four. Christopher Rhodes, Secretary, presents the following report for the past year. [ 256 ] Report of the Secretary. Providence, R. I., February 22d, 1898. To the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution : In compliance with tlie provisions of Sec. of the By- Laws, the Secretary respectful)}- submits the following report, viz.: Amount collected for dues, etc., from February 10, 1897, to February 15, 1898, $427.00, which has been duly paid to the Treasurer and receipts received for the same. Twenty-three new members have been admitted during the past year. We have lost three members by death : Nathaniel G. Totten, Providence, died August 2, 1897 ; William James Swinburne, Newport, died September 19, 1897; Christopher Lippitt, Providence, died February 2, 1898. Total number on the rolls of the Society at the present time, 224. In accordance with a Resolution passed at the annual meet- ing, February 22, 1897, for observing the Fourth of July (no committee having been appointed), the President and Secre- tary undertook to carry out the ideas expressed in the Reso- lution, and made arrangements and obtained a promise of $50.00 from the Fourth of July Committee of the City Coun- cil, for the celebration held at the First Baptist Church in Providence on the Fourth of July last. The expenses in- curred by the Secretary amounted to $39.54, which was paid by said Committee. After the services at the church the President entertained the Compatriots who officiated, and the Board of jNIanagers present, at lunch at the Hope Club. I suggest that the Society' appoint a Fourth of July Committee to make arrangements for this year. The Secretary was appointed a Delegate to attend the meeting of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, held at Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 12th of October [ 257 ] last. He attended the meeting (full particulars of which can be found in the "Spirit of '76" for November, 1897), and came away satisfied that the union of the two Societies would be a failure. Although "Union" was voted for by the representatives of both Societies at Cincinnati, the New York and Pennsyl- vania Societies and general officers of the Sons of the Revolution have since, I understand, influenced their State Societies to vote against " Union." Considering the high character of the officers and members of our great Society, we shall, without doubt, be able to stand alone. Olney Arnold, II, Treasurer, pi-esents the following report: Report op the Treasurer for the year ending February 33, 1898. Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution : Receipts. Cash in bank February 22, 1807 $32 44 Dues 400 00 Admission fees 13 00 Certificates 1 4 00 Rosettes 00 Dinner 00 Interest on bank account 2 33 From Committee on Marking Graves, to cover express charge on markers 1 00 $462 77 Ex^jenditures. Floral emblem for late Compatriot N. G. Totten $5 00 Thirty markers for graves of Revolu- tionary^ soldiers 31 00 33 [ 258 ] Annual dues to National Society, 204 members at 25c $51 00 Decorating picture of Washington at annual dinner, February 22, 1897.. 4 00 Certificates purchased from National Society, Sons of the American Re- volution 29 00 Expenses of Mr. Christopher Rhodes as Delegate to represent our Society at meeting of National Society, Cin- cinnati, October 12, 1897 70 00 Two hundred and fifty copies of Consti- tutions 4 25 Printing, stationery, etc 105 50 Miscellaneous expenses 4 90 Cash in bank to credit of Society Feb- ruary 22, 1898 158 12 $462 77 All of which is respectfully submitted, Olney Arnold, II, Treasurer. Providence, February 22, 1898. Examined and found correct. W. A. Cranston, Auditor. Robert P. Brown, Registrar, presents the following report : Report of the Registrar. To the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution : The past year has seen a normal increase of our numbers of about eleven per cent. We started the year with 204 living members ; I have registered twentj'-three new names, and three have died. We have now 235 names on our rolls ; ten have died, and one resigned, leaving our living member- ship 224. The additions to our ranks this year have been [ 259 ] exceptionally good men, and enter the Societ.y as descendants of Revolutionary patriots, holding the following positions : Brigadier-General 1 Colonel 1 Lieutenant-Colonel 1 Captain 4 Lieutenant 5 Ensign 1 Sergeant . 3 Private 5 Enlisting Officer 2 The deaths this year were : Nathaniel G. Totten, died August 2, 1807 ; William J. Swinburne, died September 19, 1897 ; Christopher Lippitt, died February 2, 1898. The interest in the Society does not seem to wane, as a large number of papers have been given out, which the applicants have not yet filled out and proved ; and if the character of our membership is carefully guarded, and the zeal of the members does not abate, we bid fair to become a large and influential Societ3^ In conjunction with the Committee appointed, I have gone through the papers i^roving right to membership, and have so far completed them that I feel sure no objection could be sustained to any member on our rolls. In fact, the Regis- ti-ar-General, Mr. Clarke, told one of our members that the papers of the Rhode Island Society were in better shape than those of any other State. The}^ are not perfect yet, but lack only a few particulars. I wish to give credit to our Secretarj^ whose interest and carefulness have contributed largely to this result. The Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution wrote that their action in the matter of union would be governed by their New York Society, so I have had no occasion to suggest a mutual examination of proofs of membership. It is to be regretted that this year the summer celebration [ 200 ] at some historic spot has beeu omitted. In order to keep up the interest of our members, and show tlie community that the Society is alive to the objects for which it was created, it is necessary to meet more than once a year, and have a dinner by ourselves ; and these excursions to interestinjj: spots of Revolutionary' fame have proved most valuable to the Society, and should not be discontinued. The Committee on marking the Graves of Revolutionary Soldiers submits the following report. Report of Committee on Marking Graves of Revolu- tionary Soldiers. To the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution : The Committee on Marking the Graves of Revolutionary Soldiers beg leave to make the following report of their woi-k for the year past : At the last annual meeting of the Society the sum of thirty dollars was appropriated to mark the graves of soldiers in Providence. This has been done, and at present there is only one grave in this city at which the Society's marker has not been placed. This exception is the grave of Commodore Esek Hopkins. I have had moi-e or less correspondence on this matter, and it is deemed advisable not to place a marker at this grave until the monument to be erected to his memory has been placed in position. The number of graves marked in Providence is as follows : In Swan Point, 14; in the North Burial Ground, 28; in other burial places in the citj', ; in all, 48. At the last annual meeting of the Society' it was voted to ask the financial co-operation of the various Chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution throughout the State. This was done through the Treasurer of the Society, and the following sums were received by him and turned over to the Secretary of this Committee. From the [ 261 ] Pawtucket Chapter $5 80 General Natliauael Greene Chapter, East Green- wich 3 40 Phebe Greene Ward Chapter, Westerly 1 70 Woonsocket Chapter 4 10 Narragansett Chapter 1 70 William Ellery Chapter, Newport 2 50 $19 20 I understand that these subscriptions have all been suit- ably acknowledged by the Treasurer of this Society. The Bristol Chapter, instead of making a direct subscrip- tion to the funds of the Committee, offered to meet half the expense of marking the remaining eighteen graves in that town, amounting to nine dollars. In the absence of any specific authority, I felt justified in accepting their offer, and had sent to Bristol eighteen markers, for nine of which the Committee paid. I do not know whether these markers have been placed at the graves yet or not, but I was informed, a short time ago, that as soon as the weather and the state of the ground would permit, they would be placed. Tliis Com- mittee greatly appreciates the action of the Bristol Chapter, and wish their good example could be followed in othei' cities and towns throughout the State. In addition to the graves marked in Providence and Bris- tol, a number have been marked in different pai'ts of the State, and the maikers have generally been paid for by subscription from those interested in the graves marked. The record of the Committee of the graves in the State, and of those marked to date, is as follows : Total number of graves on list 323 Total number at which marker has been placed. 180 Leaving, to be marked, 143 (assuming that the graves in Bristol have been already marked). These 143 graves are distributed throughout the State as follows : [ 262 ] In the vicinity of Providence, including Paw- tucket and East Providence 7 In Bristol (burial places not yet located) 5 Glocester 2 Johnston 2 Cranston 1 Newport 2 Coventry 4 Apponang 3 Kingstown 20 Woonsocket 4 Scituate 10 Sniithfield 2 Little Comptou 3 East Greenwich 18 Centreville 1 Charlestown 3 Cumberland 11 Foster 7 Warren 11 Westerly 9 West Greenwich 5 Warwick 5 Exeter 2 Of the 180 graves marked, forty-eiglit are in Providence, sixty-four in Harrington, and thirty-five in Bristol, tlie re- maining thirty-three being scattered throughout the State. Since the Committee was appointed it has received sub- scriptions as follows : Payment, at $1 each, for markers furnished. $41 00 One extra subscription from member of this Society 3 00 Subscriptions, from six Cliapters, Daughtei\s of tlie American Revolution 1!) 20 $63 20 Payments have been made as follows : GEOKCiE T1IOMA8 II ART Registuar, 1898-1899. [ 263 ] For markers $29 00 For express charges 4 60 Leaving a balance, cash on hand of 29 60 $63 20 The 180 markers have all been placed in position without expense to the Societ}^ and the Committee takes pleasure in having this opportunity of expressing their appreciation of the kindness of Mr. Edward D, Morris, without whose efforts this result would not have been possible. Respectful)}^ submitted for the Committee, Joseph Balch, Secretary. Providence, February 22, 1898. The officers elected for the ensuing year are : President, . Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, . Registrar, Historian, . Chajjlain, Poet, . Delegate at Large, Delegates, Alternates, . William Thomas Church Wardwell. Robert Perkins Brown. Christopher Rhodes. Arthur Preston Sumner. George Thomas Hart. Edward Field. Rev. Samuel Heber Webb. George Allen Buffum. John Carter Brown Woods. Lieutenant Charles Wheaton Abbot, Jr., Frederick Eugene Barker. William Henry Giles Temple, George CoRLis Nightingle, John Taggard Blodgett, John Edward Studley, Walter Boradel Vincent. Upon the conclusion of the business of the annual meeting the Society adjourns to the Club House of the Providence Athletic Association, at 6:30 o'clock, where the annual dinner is served. [ 264] Edward Field, Historian of the Societj^ delivers the follow- ing historical address : Address of Edward Field, Historian : " Isaac Barker's Signal." Among the eonnty folks who staj^ed on Rhode Island after the British had taken possession was Isaac Barker, a farmer of Middletown. His farm was situated on what is now known as Paradise avenue, about half a mile north from Sachuest or second beach, and one mile west of the Seaconnet river. Isaac Barker was a descendant, in the sixth generation, from James Barker, who was in Newport in 1(338, and was of the eighth generation from James Barker, of Harwich, Essex Count}^, England. For more than two hundred years this custom of naming the eldest son James was kept up in tlie Barker family. Nothing seems to have disturbed the tranquillity of his life on the island farm, nor interfered with his domestic happiness, until the month of August, 1778. To be sure, all communi- cation with the mainland had been cut off for a long time pre- vious to this, and he, no doubt, in common with others on the island, had experienced some inconvenience from being thus restrained; but it was not until nearly two years after the British troojis landed that he felt the full effect of the hardships which an invading army produced. At this time Barker was a young man twentj^-six j'ears old, with a family consisting of a wife and one child — an infant daughter. During the time the British forces were in possession of the territory about him. Barker had managed, b}' great tact, to con- vey the impression to the enemy that he was a Tory, and their faith in him, as a friend to the king, was therefore well estab- lished. This apparent loj'alty to the English crown had in- fluenced the officers to treat him in a most friendl}^ and coui'teous manner. Whether this pretended friendship for the Britisli ci'own was the first step in a well concealed and deep laid plot, the sequel plainly tells. In August, 1778, one of the British cavaby regiments took REV. SAMUEL HEBER AVEBB, Chaplain, 1894-1895, 1896-1897, 1898-1899. [ 265 ] up its station not far from the Barker homestead, and the commanding officers made their headquarters at Barker's house. Instead of taking exceptions to this invasion of his household, Barker, on the other hand, perfectly in keeping with his pretended Tor\dsm, at once became on the most friendly terms with the British colonel, catering to his wants with great assiduit}'. He lost no opportunity in showing him little kindnesses, even to the extent of supplying his table with j)oultry and other choice things. All of this had its effect, so that before long they were on the best of terms. The colonel reposed the greatest confidence in his host, and so comi^letely impressed was this officer with Barker's loyalty to the king, that he gave him a pass to go in and out of the British camp. But this was not all ; he was even permitted to visit the American camp, instigated thereto by the colonel for the purpose of obtaining such information as he could from the " rebels." Barker used all this freedom with great caution and prudence, but the advantages attained were of far more importance to these so-called " rebels " than they were to this officer who had sent him. A short distance from the homestead farm Barker owned another to which he had given the name " Paradise " farm, and it is to-day known by that name. On this latter farm there is a high ridge or range of peculiar conglomerate rock, running north and south, from the top of which an extensive view of more than twenty miles can be had east, south, and west. These rocky heights are known as Paradise Rocks, and during the summer season are much resorted to by the people of Newport to enjoy the beautiful view of the ocean and drink in the invigorating salt air. Over these rocks run stone walls, and in one spot a depression in the summit of this ridge forms a natural pass for the cattle and farm wag- gons to reach the fertile fields lying beyond to the eastward. In this pass farmer Barker had built a bar-way, and near this opening was a stake carelessly laid against the wall, and a " crotch " probablj' at the top of one of the sides to this bar- way. So entirely oblivious was the British colonel to any un- 34 [ 266 ] friendlj'^ act on the part of farmer Barker that he had paid no attention to his movements about the farm. If the colonel had been at all suspicious he would have noticed that Barker appeared particularly attentive to this particular bar-way, and seemed to find great difficulty in placing the bars and stake in a position which satisfied him for any great length of time ; but the frequent trips to the hilltop and the careful adjustment of these bars passed unnoticed. In the month of August, 1778, occurred Sullivan's expedi- tion against Rhode Island ; and the American army drove the enemy within his lines at Newport, and occupied the outlying country for some days, retreating, finally, from tlie island on the night of the twenty-ninth. Not long after this. Colonel Sherburne, in command of one of the regiments guarding the eastern mainland shore, dispatched Lieutenant Seth Chapin, with a small force, to the town of Little Compton, on the east side of the Seaconnet river. Upon his arrival at the point to which he had been assigned. Lieu- tenant Chapin took up a j)osition nearlj' opposite to the Barker homestead, ostensibly for the purpose of guarding the shore. If it had been i)ossible for the British colonel to have witnessed the manoeuvres of Lieutenant Chapin, on the heights across the river, he would have noticed a man wonderfully intent on watching, with a glass, every move and act of Barker's, as he carefully adjusted the bars at the opening in the pass over the rocks. " When Bai-ker moved the stake in a certain direction, it had a significant meaning ; and when he moved the crotch and stake, it had another ; every move had a distinct meaning, and there were as many as a dozen dilferent changes, each of which had a meaning." But this was not all. About a mile from the house was North Point, jutting out into the Seaconnet ; near the end of the point there was a ledge of rocks, in which was a half concealed crevice, or hole. Barker was allowed great fi-eedom about the farm, both night and day ; in fact, he went and came as tliough there was no army anywhere about his place. It was, therefore, possible for him to prepare a statement regarding the affairs [ 267 ] on the island, and, in the evening, casually wander off towards the rocks at the point, and, if unobserved, place this commu- nication in this crevice, and return home. Great caution, how- ever, had to be exercised by him in this part of his work, for a guard was usually on the shore. In the morning, after having placed his letter in this improvised post-ofiBce, he would go the hilltop, and arrange the stake and the bars in a way that would signify to Chapin that a letter was awaiting him, and that night, under cover of darkness, Chapin would silently cross over in a boat, secure the precious document, and return to his post, and, ere many hours, the goings on in the heart of the British camp would be spread before Gen- eral Cornell, the commander at the Tiverton headquarters, and often transmitted immediately to General Gates, at Prov- idence, then commanding the Rhode Island department. One night this telegraph and post-office department came near being terminated, and the operator at the Rhode Island end was in imminent danger of losing his life; for such would have been his fate had his actions been discovered. So successful had his work been carried on that, like many others engaged in hazardous undertakings. Barker became careless, and, one night, as he was returning from the post- office, he was overtaken by two light horsemen, halted, and a pass, or the countersign, demanded ; unfortunately lie had neither, but he told such a plausible story that instead of being taken a prisoner to the guard-house, for the guards doubtless knew him, he prevailed ujjon them to take him to his house. On their arrival he explained his wanderings to the colonel in a manner perfectly satisfactory to him, and he was released. Day after day, month in and month out, the news of the movements of the British so far as they came to Barker's ears, and he was in a position to learn considerable, was sig- nalled across the river and as regularly communicated to the American camp. For a long time nothing came to the attention of the British that their movements were so well known ; but at last the enemy awoke to the fact that by some means intelligence of [ 208 ] their acts was being communicated to the American army, and the forces on the island were enjoined to use the greatest efforts to apprehend the person who was furnishing this in- formation. One day the colonel, as he was seated at dinner, called Barker into the room. As he entered the colonel said : " Barker, there is a traitor or spy among us — there is no mis- take. Not a single thing transpires on this island but the rebels know all about it almost as soon as we ourselves. This traitor must be found out. Let me but see him and the rascal shall soon go into eternity ! " In telling the story, years after, Barker said it required all his strength of nerve to conceal his feelings. He knew the " rascal " was there in the presence of the colonel, but with strong language he coincided with him and said : " Yes, the traitor ought to be hung," and promised to use his efforts to see that he was caught. " After that," said Barker, " I was more of a Tory than ever." This little episode, no doubt, caused him to exercise the greatest vigilance in the management of his signal station, but it does not appear to have caused him to relinquish his efforts to do what he could for the cause of liberty. For fourteen months, alone in the heart of the British camp, without the encouragement of anyone save the watchful ej'e of Lieutenant Chapin, with the penalty of death staring liim in the face should his acts be discovered, he continued to transmit messages to the American army by this crude method, and not until the enemy finally withdrew from the island did he cease in this hazardous and voluntary service. Such courage and display of patriotism shows the high character of Isaac Barker. He was a young man when he braved the dangers of a spy in the British camp, but the same noble qualities followed him through life. In his own town he was a person of great influence, fearless in the dis- charge of his duties, and was looked up to and admired by his neighboi's and townsmen. In 1794, and for six years at irregular intervals thereafter, he was elected, from the town of Middletown, a representative to the General Assembly of [ 269 ] the State (Deputy it was called in those daj^s), and for ten years was an honored and influential member of the Town Council. He was an energetic farmer, and devoted much time and study to the raising of silk-worms, being one of the first to enter into this industry ; his results were fairly successful, and he had an entire suit of clothing made from silk of his own raising. Some of the mulberry trees planted by him during this period are still to be seen in the very pass on Paradise Rocks, where were situated the bars and " crotch " of the crude signal station ; many more were blown down in the great gales of 1815 and 1809. In 1833, at the age of eighty-one, Barker was prevailed upon to apply to the National Government for a pension, based upon the services rendered during the war by his sig- nals. " It was not a military service, strictly speaking," says Judge Cowell, who was his attorney ; but it was thought it came within the intention of the act providing pensions for service in the war ; from his declaration and from other statements which he made at the time, most of this story has been drawn. This petition was presented in the first session of the Twenty-third Congress. It was referred to the Com- mittee on Revolutionary Pensions, and by that Committee favorably reported; but when it came before the House it was referred to the Committee of the Whole, and no action was taken during the session. In the second session of the the same Congress the bill for a pension was favorably re- ported, but action thereon was postponed. Between this time and the first session of the Twenty- fourth Congress Barker died, and his widow renewed this petition for a pension on account of her late husband's ser- vices. This bill was before both Houses in both sessions of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Congress, and at the first session of the Twenty-sixth Congress was again favor- ably reported and passed the House, but when it reached the Senate was there "indefinitely postponed," and thus ended the efforts to secure a recognition of the services which this old patriot had rendered during those days of trouble. The report which was made, recommending that it [ 270 ] receive recognition on the part of the government, contains all the material facts relating to this peculiar service, and as the matter was the subject of careful and serious inquiry, it lends additional interest to the story of Isaac Barker's sig- nal. The report was made February 4, 1834, by the Com- mittee on Revolutionary Pensions, and was as follows : "That the petitioner, in his declaration, deposes that in December, 1777, the British took possession of Rhode Island : The deponent lived on his farm, about 3| miles from New- port, in Rhode Island. Immediately after the invasion of the British all commu- nication with the main land was cut off, and the most vigor- ous means used to prevent the inhabitants from giving anj^ intelligence of the movements of their troops. In April or May a regiment of the army was stationed near the farm of the petitioner ; that he was permitted to remain on his farm, and nuiintained a constant communication with the American army, on the main land, by means of signals mutually agreed upon between him and Lieutenant Chapin, a service which was acknowledged by General Gates to have been of great importance, and that he continued in this service fourteen months, from August, 1778, without inter- mission. This applicant's farm was about a mile from the shore, and in plain sight of the American army, stationed on the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay, whereby he was enabled to give almost daily intelligence of what was passing in the British cami^. Had he been discovered he would have lost his life. He volunteered under Lieutenant Chapin and General Gates, who was succeeded by General Sullivan ; is 81 years of age, has no documentary evidence, but ofl'ers the evidence of Gideon Barker, Nicholas Ward, and the Hon. D. J. Pearce, who severally testify that they have long heard of the service of Isaac Barker as stated by him ; that he is a man of truth and respectability, and they have no doubt of the services having been performed by him as he has related it. The petitioner also adduced the evidence of Hezekiah Barker, a native of Middletown, in Rhode Island, but now of Pomfret, in the State of New York, aged 70 years, who testifies that from his earliest recollections he has been ac- quainted with Isaac Barker, of Middletown, aforesaid ; that while the British had possession of Rhode Island, in the war of the Revolution, the said Isaac and this deponent served [ 271 J together in the said war, uucler the direction and orders of General Sullivan ; and this deponent further says that to his certain knowledge the said Isaac did perform at least four- teen months of faithful service, under the direction and orders of General Sullivan as aforesaid: The Committee are of opinion that the petitioner is enti- tled to relief, and report a bill accordingly, for fourteen months service as a private soldier," Accompanying his petition in the first instance was a dia- gram showing the location of the bar-way and stake which formed a part of the signal station, as well as the lay of the ground. In the winter of 1895 I had a search made among the records of Congress and in the Pension Bureau, but no trace of it could be found. Isaac Barker died in Middletown on the seventh of Sep- tember, 1834, at the ripe old age of 82 years, and his body was laid away in the little family God's-acre on his farm. In 1870 his remains, with those of his immediate family, were removed to the cemetery in Middletown. The Barker homestead, with its historic memories, is yet standing, on Paradise avenue, in Middletown. It is still in a good state of preservation, and is still occupied by the grand- children of this Revolutionary hero. The mossy stone wall, too, where this old patriot so often stood in the midst of danger, may yet be seen with a glass from the green hills of Little Comi)ton. It is unfortunate that a story so thrilling, based on a service so unique, with abundant i)roof of its performance, should have been so transformed and misconstrued as that which has recentlj' been published in a volume devoted to the heroic acts of the men and women of the Revolution, wherein the service is reported to have been performed by Barker's wife, and the method of signalling by the family washing, hung on a clothes-line. It would have been an easy task for the author to have ascertained the facts, and not perpetuated such an idle tale as an historical fact. George Allen Bufifuui, Poet of the Society, reads the follow- ing, " A Group of Sonnets." [ 272 ] The Ne'er-do-Weel. He was a ne'er-do-weel. His wealthier kin Oft helped him, but he never could succeed. The war 'gainst Britain came, and worldly greed Kept them all back. He joined the martial din, And did his best that his dear land might win. It won, but he did suffer long and bleed ; Living a life of sore, dependent need ; Which ill this hard world's eye is worse than sin. A hundred years roll by, and where do Sons And Daughters of the Revolution seek For patriot lineage bj^ ancestral right ? From those whose lives were smooth as water runs? No ! from the ne'er-do-weel ; whose merit meek Alone gives title to the blue and white. With Clearer Sight. I never saw so clearly the foul stain That traitor Arnold on our history cast By base betraj^al of that vantage vast, Which brave Burgoyne battled for in vain. As when I learned my great-grandsire had lain In West Point barracks, when all stood aghast. With his own eyes I seemed to see the past, And with his patriot heart to feel the pain, " The Revolution's Sous," the critic says, " Somebodies of old nobodies would make." He would know better could he feel their sway, And gain clear vision of those glorious daj^s. If they could zeal in men like him awake. They'd something make of nobodies to-day. Nathanael Greene. " Born in Rhode Island," is the inscription writ On the memorial in a Southern town. Of him who brought Cornwallis' jjroud fame down By the keen vigor of his native wit ; GEORGE ALLEN BUFFUM, Poet, [ 273 ] Who forged success where others proved unfit, And a despairing land with hope did crown, Filling the South with his well-won renown, While Pickens, Morgan, Marion, shared in it. And has our little State, which gave him birth. Forgetting Washington's desire that he Might fill his place, should dire fate intervene. Failed for a hundred years to own his worth. By raising here his form where all might see Her most illustrious Son, Nathanael Greene? Compatriot William W. Ellsworth, of the Emj)ire State Society, Sons of the American Revolution, delivers an ad- dress : " From Lexington to Yorktown," illustrated on can- vas, with incidents and scenes of the Revolution. NINTH ANNUAL MEETING. February 22, 1899. THE ninth annual meeting of the Rhode Island So- ciety of the Sons of the American Revolution is held February 22, 1809, at the Cabinet of the Rhode Island Historical Society, on Waterman street, in Providence, at 12 o'clock noon. President William Thomas Church Wardwell being ab- sent in Europe, Vice-President Robert Perkins Brown pre- sents and reads the address of the President. Address of William T. C. Wardwell, President. Venice, February 5, 1899. Compatriots : — As the time draws near for our annual meeting my mind goes back to dear old America, and I realize more fully the debt of gratitude we owe our fore- fathers for winning such a government as we possess. My first official act was presiding at the annual dinner, held at the Athletic Club rooms on February 22d last. Not having the names of the guests with me here, I am unable to say as much as I would wish to in regard to the evening's exercises. I think that the Compatriots present will agree with me when I sa}^ that the occasion was both an agreeable and profitable one. A meeting of the Board of Managers was held on April 20, when it was voted to call a special meeting of the Society on May 17th, at the rooms of the Rhode Island Historical AVILLIAM THOMAS CIIURC'II WAKDWELL, President, 1898-1899. [ 275 ] Society, to take action ou proposed amendments to the Con- stitution and By-Laws. It was also voted that a Committee of three members of the Society be appointed hy the Presi- dent for the pnrpose of marking historic houses in Rhode Island associated with the war of the American Revolution, and that said Committee were authorized to make all ar- rangements relating thereto, and to report their doings from time to time to the Board of Managers ; and for this purpose the sum of $50 was appropriated from the funds of the Society. The members of the Committee were Compatriots Edward Field, Robert P. Brown, and John P. Reynolds. The Committee appointed for the appropriate celebration of the 4th of Julj' were unable to make any arrangements with the Marine Society, who had engaged the First Baptist Church, and, therefore, no meeting of this Society was held on that day. The Declaration of Independence was read, however, bj^ the Marine Society, on that occasion. A resolution of thanks was extended to the Committee on the Annual Din- ner, and also to the Hon. Royal C. Taft, ex-President of this Society, for the generous assistance rendered by him towards securing the services of Compatriot W. W. Ellsworth, Esq., who delivered the instructive lecture on "Ijcxington to York- town," at the annual dinner. A meeting of the Society was held on May 17 to take action on the proposed amendment to the Constitution and By-Laws. After discussion, the whole matter was referred to the next annual meeting of the Society' for action. At a special meeting, held on June 3d, the Board of Man- agers voted that the invitation of the Bristol Chapter, to visit them at Bristol on June 17th, be accepted ; and Com- patriot Robert P. Brown was requested to make arrange- ment for the transportation of the members. A special meeting of the Board of Managers was called for June 9. At the meeting it was unanimously voted to present a sword and belt to Compatriot Colonel Charles Wheaton Abbot, Jr., First Rhode Island Volunteers, the expense of the same not to exceed the sum of $50, and the Pi-esident was authorized to make all the arrangements con- [ 276 ] nected with the affair. The Pi-esident was also directed to place this matter before this Society for ratification at its next meeting. June 14th, agreeable to an invitation from the President of the Society of C^olonial Dames, I attended a meeting of that body at the home of its President, Halidon Hall, New- port, where a speech was delivered by Charles Dudley War- ner, Esq., appropriate to the occasion and the daj^ After the speech the companj^ present were entertained at a luncheon, given in the usual happy manner, by the hostess, Mrs. Mason, the President of the Rhode Island Society of Co- lonial Dames. On June 17th the Society, according to the arrangements made by its Committee, Compatriot Brown, took the steamer "Awashonks" for Bristol, where they were entertained by the Bristol Chapter, assisted by the ladies of Bristol Chap- ters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, to a dinner at the De Wolf lun. After speeches by various mem- bers present, the sword to be presented to Compatriot Colonel Abbot was brought before the meeting, when an address of presentation was made by Compatriot Robert P. Brown. After the address the Compatriots in a body proceeded to the residence of John P. Rejniolds, Esq., where they were en- tertained in the usual hospitable manner of Compatriot Rejniolds and his estimable wife. The house of Mr. Rey- nolds is one of the oldest houses in Bristol, and an historic one, it being at one time during the American Revolution the residing place of General Lafayette. The Committee appointed by this Society to mark historic places then pro- ceeded with appropriate ceremonies to do their duty, the principal speech of the occasion being made by Compatriot Professor Wilfred H. Munro, of Brown University. After this ceremony the Compatriots returned to the town, where they took the steamer to Providence, well pleased with their day's outing. A meeting of the Board of Managers was held Julj' 20 ; this being a regular meeting, three members were admitted. The President reports that the sword and belt was duly [ 277 ] presented to Compatriot Colonel C. W. Abbot, Jr., in be- half of the Society, by Compatriot Lieutenant Artliiir B. Spink, an officer of the regiment at Camp Alger, Virginia, on Jnne 25, 1898, accompanied by an engraved copy of the address of presentation for this Society. The President also reports that he had received a letter of acceptance from Colonel Abbot acknowledging the gift. The Board voted that a copy of the address and the letter of acceptance be placed upon the records of the Board. A resolution was passed for the government of the present Board in relation to the admission of new members, being the same passed by the Board of Managers, February 1-t, 1894, viz.: That as a guide to the Board of Managers in admitting new members, the Secretary is instructed to make known to all members of the Society all applications for membership at least ten days before the meeting of the Board when such applications shall be acted upon, and all members are requested to make known any reason for the non-acceptance of any application ; such communication to be regarded as strictly confidential, and that said vote be recommended to the Society to be inserted in the Bj^-Laws. A special meeting of the Board of Managers was held Sep- tember 6, to take into consideration the advisabilitj^ of appro- priating from the funds of the Society an amount of money for the relief of the sick and wounded soldiers of the late war. After discussion it was voted that the sum of $100 be paid, by the Treasurer, to the Rhode Island Sanitary and Relief Association, for that purpose. It was my intention to give a detailed account of the an- nual meeting of the National Society, held in Morristown, New Jersey, in April ; but, not having the necessary infoi-ma- tion here, I am unable to do so. The same officers, with a few exceptions, were re-elected, and those who attended the meeting were well rewarded for their attendance. The sum of money which the Board of Managers appi-o- priated for the sword for Colonel Abbot, as well as the amount given for the relief of the sick and wounded soldiers of the late war, although a large sum for the Board of Man- [ 278 ] agers to expend, still they felt, after consultation with many members of the Society, and there not being time to call a special meeting of the Society, that it was a proper thing for them to do, not only in the interest of the Societj^, but to aid those who were upholding our countr3"'s honor. We all re- member the condition of our soldiers at that time, and I have no doubt but that the Societj' will endorse the action of the Board. Although separated by so many thousand miles, my heart goes out to the Compatriots of Rhode Island, and wishing them all the blessings which a country governed like ours can give. Vice-President Brown, who has been acting President dur- ing the absence of the President, presents the following : Address op Robert P. Brown, Vice-President, In looking back over the history of our Society the past year, I have tried to select from many minor incidents such affairs as may be worthy of record. On April 30 the ninth session of the Continental Congress of the Sons of the American Revolution was convened at Morristown, N. J. Your President and I were in attendance at both sessions, and took great pleasure in meeting and hearing the prominent members of our Society. We met at the Lafayette rooms, adjoining Washington's headquarters, and the New Jersey Society favored the delegates with a lunch, between sessions, and an elaborate banquet in the evening. Morristown, with its historic associations, with its elegant villas, and their extensive undulating lawns, with its Morris County Golf and Athletic Grounds, and its refined societj^ seemed an ideal place for leisure hours. At this Congress an announcement was made of a change in our Society colors, buff being added to distinguish our button from that of the Society of the Cincinnati. Tlie Registrar-General reported the actual membership !»,1-H, and an average increase of [ 279 ] about 1,000 per year. There are thirtj^-eight Societies, and the largest is Massachusetts, with 1,300 members. It was worth the trouble of going to Morristown just to have the pleasure of meeting old John Whitehead, the Nestor of the New Jersey Society. President Wardwell and I took occasion to call on General George S. Greene, at his home, in Morristown. Although in his 97th year, he was devoting his entire time to the study of genealog3^ His recent death recalls our delightful visit, and brings again to mind his great services to his country, at Gettysburg, where the valor and stubborn resistance of General Greene's brigade saved our right wing, and, possibly, the battle. Pursuant to a vote passed at the last annual meeting of the Society, the Board of Managers had a copy of the pro- posed amended Constitution and By-Laws sent to each mem- ber of the Society, and called a special meeting for their consideration, on May 17th. At this meeting the Committee presented two reports ; the majority report, signed by Com- patriots Eaton, Davis, and Stone ; and a minority report, signed by Compatriot Rhodes, Compatriot Field not signing either.' The matter in the new Constitution and By-Laws was amended so as to meet unanimous approval ; but decided objections were made to calling our Charter the Constitu- tion, and placing everything else under the head of By-Laws. As the opposition of the Committee's suggestion seemed strong, it was deemed unwise to take a decisive vote under the circumstances, and the final vote was postponed until this annual meeting, and will come uj) under the head of "unfinished business." On the 17th of June, the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill was celebrated by an outing at Bristol. Our Bristol Chapter, with great courtesy, entertained the Society by an elaborate banquet at the De Wolf Inn, afterward taking the members to inspect the always interesting home of Compatriot John Post Reynolds, which was Lafayette's head- quarters. The trip down on the "Awashonks," the perfect » Mr. Field resigned, as a member of the Committee, in 1897. [ 280 ] day, the Bristol ladies, and the kindness of our hosts, made the whole affair an ideal summer excursion. At the banquet in Bristol, the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the Amer- ican Revolution presented to Compatriot Abbot, Colonel of the First Rhode Island Regiment, an elegant dress sword and belt ; an appropriate address was made and afterward en- grossed and forwarded with the sword to Colonel Abbot in the field. A few months later, when the sad story of suffering and neglect came from Camp Wyckoff, the Society, allowing local plans to wait, devoted its means to the care of our fever- stricken troops from Santiago, and gave one hundred dollars to the Sanitary and Relief Fund, most of which, I under- stand, was distributed by the Red Cross Society. Thus, in the past year, the Society has not only been orna- mental but useful. Yet our numbers have increased but little, only twelve new names appearing on our rolls, which is about one-half of our normal increase. The absorbing in- terest in the Spanish War is largely accountable for this. With a living membership of 234, with no divisions in our ranks, with no politics or undue influence in our manage- ment, we certainl}^ should be proud of our Society and seek to bring the best into its membership. It is hoped that in the coming year several affairs of interest to the Society may take place, and that a new enthusiasm for our Society may be enkindled. Christopher Rhodes, Secretary, presents his report for the past year : Report of the Secretary. Providence, R. I., February 22, 1899. To the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the Amej'ican Revolution : In compliance with the provisions of section 6 of the By- Laws, the Secretary respectfully submits the following report, viz.: [ 281 ] ■ Amount collected for dues, etc., from Februarj^ 1-5, 1898, to February 1, 1899, $448. Twelve new members liave been admitted during tlie past year. We have lost one member by death — Henry Clay Arm- strong, of Providence, who died January 5, 1899. Compatriot George Heniy Wightman has been transferred to the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, to date from February 9, 1899. Total number on the rolls, 234. As the Fourth of July Committee was unable to obtain the First Baptist Meeting House for the celebration of last Inde- pendence Da}^ no services were held by the Society on that day. The Marine Society of Providence, who had the church on that day, had the Declaration of Independence read. I would recommend that the Society invite Gaspee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Rhode Island to apj)oint a Committee of three members to unite with the Committee appointed bj^ our Society, to arrange for a proper celebration of next Independence Day, in the First Baptist Meeting House in this city. Agreeable to a request from the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Secretary has (compiled a list of the members of this Society who served in the war with Spain, which information may be interesting to the members present : Charles Wheaton Abbot — Lieutenant, Twelfth United States Infantry ; noiv Colonel, First Rhode Island Volun- teers, stationed at Camp Fornance, Columbia, S. C. Jo]i7i Russell Bartleit — Captain, United States Navy, re- tired ; was in charge of the Intelligence Bureau, United States Navy, and also in charge of Auxiliary Naval Force, United States Navy. William Henry Bisbee — Lieutenant-Colonel, Seventeenth United States Infantrj' Regiment, now at Santiago, Cuba. Charles Libbeus Hodges — Captain, Twenty-fifth United States Infantry; served with his Regiment at Santiago, Cuba ; now at Fort Logan, Col. 36 [ ^^^ ] Lester Seneca Hill— Major and Surgeon of the First Rhode Island Volunteers, with the Regiment. Eowland Rodman Robitison — Lieutenant and Assistant Surgeon, First Rhode Island Volunteers, with the Regiment. Arthur Bradford Spink — Lieutenant, Companj' A, First Rhode Island Volunteers ; resigned. Charles Foster Tillinghast — Captain of Company A, First Rhode Island Volunteers, with the Regiment. Lewis Fairbrotlier Burrough — appointed from the Rhode Island Naval Reserve ; Ensign ; served on ship at Newport, and on the "Manhattan" and United States cruiser " Mar- cellus ; " discharged when auxiliary fleet was broken up. George Metcalf i>a??ie/s— Lieutenant, LTnited States Rev- enue Service ; served on the " Manning," near Cuba. Charles Ediuard Vere Kennon — Contract Surgeon, with rank of Acting First Lieutenant ; assisted in organizing the Sternberg Field Hospital, at Camp Thomas, Chickamauga, and served there after the hospital was running. Respectfulh^ submitted, Christopher Rhodes, Secretary. Arthur Preston Sumner, Treasurer, presents his report, as follows : Report of the Treasurer for the gear ending Febrnarg 22, 1809. Rece ijtts. Cash in Industrial Tiiist Co., Feb. l'i>, 1S!)S $l,5,S 12 Dues :j!»8 00 Admission fees 18 00 Rosettes 10 00 Certificates 22 00 Interest on deposits 3 2G $009 38 ARTHUR PRESTON SUMNER, Treasurru. [ 283 ] Expeiiditures. Annual dues to National Society, S. A.R., 224 members, at 25 cents each $50 00 Certificates purchased from National So- ciety, S. A. R 13 00 Printing, stationery, binding, engraving, &c 100 83 Christopher Rhodes, Secretary, ex- penses 11 22 Floral tribute for late Compatriot W. J. Swinburne 5 00 Sword, belt, and case, for Compatriot Colonel Charles W. Abbot, Jr 43 50 Engrossing address to Compatriot Ab- bot, and expressage on sword 40 Treasurer of Rhode Island Sanitary and Relief Association 100 00 Rosettes, 50, at 20 cents 10 00 A. P. Sumner, Treasurer, stamps for checks 04 $345 99 Cash in Industrial Trust Co., Feb. 22, 1899 203 39 ■ $009 38 Respectfulh^ submitted, Arthur P. Sumner, Treasurer. Providence, February 22, 1899. Accounts and vouchers examined, and found correct. John T. Blodgett, Auditor. February 20, 1899. [ 284 ] George Thomas Hart, Registrar, presents his report as follows : Report of the Registrar. Providence, R. I., February 22, 1899. To the Rhode Island Societij of the Sons of the American RevoJution : Membership, year 189S-1809. Active enrollment, Feb. 22, 1S98 224 Enrolled during year 8 Dimitted to Pennsylvania Society, No. 1(J!) 1 Deaths, No. 231 1 Active enrollment, Feb. 22, 1899 230 Accepted by Board of Managers, Feb. 21, 1899, but not enrolled 4 Dimitted to Pennsjdvania State Society, George Henry Wightman, No. 169. Accepted Nov. 25, 1895; Dimitted Feb. 9, 1899. Deaths, Henry Clay Armstrong, No. 231. Accepted Feb. 19, 1898 ; died, Providence, Jan. 5, 1899. Meinbership. The eight members enrolled during the yenv descended from twelve patriot ancestors, acting in positions as follows : Signer of Declaration of Independence ] Commander-in-C'hief, American nav}^ 1 Captain 1 Drum-Major ] Privates 8 The four applications accepted by Board of Managers, Feb. 21, 1899, not enrolled, ret)resented Revolutionary patri- ots serving as follows : [ 285 ] Captains 2 Lieutenants 1 Privates 1 Mevibersliip Since Organization. Whole number enrolled, including two received from otlier Societies, S. A. R 243 Dimitted to other Societies, S. A. R 1 Resigned 1 Deaths 11 Active enrollment 230 One charter member died before qualifying. Accej)ted, but not enrolled 4 Archives. The year book foi- 1898 of the National Society, S. A. R., the " Register of Officers and Members of the Society of Colonial Wars," and a few manuscripts read before our own organization, have been acquired during the year. The Register of the Society, C. W., is a volume of 586 pages, giving ancestry upon which menibersliip depends of its 2,366 members, with complete index of botli members and Colonial ancestors. Past President Field addresses the Society relative to the death of President General Edwin Shepard Barrett, and offers the following resolution, which is unanimously adopted by a rising vote : Whereas, Edwin Shepard Barrett, President General of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, died at his residence in Concord, Massachusetts, on Wednes- day, December 21, 1898, in the sixty-first year of his age; and, lohereas, the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the Ameri- can Revolution, at its first meeting since the death of Com- patriot Barrett, desires to place on record its ai^preciation of the great service wliich he has rendered in preserving the [ 286 ] memories of tlie patriots of the American Revolution, his unremitting labors in historical work, and its grief at his untimelj^ death ; therefore, be it Resolved, That in the death of Edwin Shepard Bari-ett, President General of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Society has lost an able, zealous, and enthusiastic officer, who had endeared himself to all its branches by his earnest efforts to promote the objects of the Society. Resolved, That this Society tenders its deepest sympathj^ to the members of the family of the late Edwin Shepard Bar- rett for the loss which they have sustained ; and be it further Resolved, Tliat the aforegoing be spread upon the recoi'ds of this Society, and that copies thereof, attested by the Presi- dent and Secretary, be transmitted to the Secretary General of the National Society of the Sons of the American Rev^olu- tion, and to the famil}' of said deceased. The officers elected for the ensuing year are : President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Registrar, Historian, Chaplain, Poet, Delegate at Large, Delegates, Alter) tales, . Robert Perkins Brown. George Corlis Nightingale. Christopher Rhodes. Arthur Preston Sumner. Isaac Chase Greene. Edward Field. Rev. Frederic Denison. George Allen ]>uffum. James Henry Tower. George Thomas Hart, Wil- liam H. G. Temple. RoiiERT W. Taft, Truman Beckwith, Horace Thurs- ton, John Robert Wheaton. The amended By-Laws of the Societj' are adopted. The business of the annual meeting being disposed of, the Society adjourns to the Narragansett Hotel, at 7:30 o'clock, whei'c the annual dinner is served. Edward Field, Historian, delivers the historical address: [ 287 ] Address of Edward Field, Historian: "A Nkiht at Sabin's Inn." In the year 1772 there was a tavern in I^rovidence, vvliieh was located at what is now the corner of South Main and Phmet streets. This hostelry was known as Sabin's Tavern, and was presided over by James Sabin, a i-egularly licensed innkeeper. It was a famous place of resort, in those days, for merchants and professional men, for the landloi'd was esteemed by all who knew him, and his house was distin- guished for its excellence and its hospitalitj''. Were it not for the events which transpired within this house on the evening of the ninth of June, 1772, Sabin's tavern would never have attracted much attention, and would have been remembered only as a favorite resort of by-gone days. Its location on the Main street and opposite Fenner's whai'f, from which a regular packet sailed to Newport and New York, lent it some prominence, but its selection as the rendezvous for the daring party that burnt the " Gaspee," made the old place historic. Sabin's tavern was the former home of Captain Woodbury Morris, mariner, he having /purchased the estate, June 13, 1757, and built the house soon after. Seven years later Captain Morris, while on a voyage to sea, died on the coast of Africa. On the second day of December, 1705, Mary Morris, the captain's widow, wrote in a little memorandum book, wherein her husband had foi-merly kept his accounts, and which she had continued to use: "Then Mr. Sabin moved into my house." From this time until December, 1773, James Sabin lived here, and catered to the wants of man and beast, but on this date he purchased a tract of land on the west side of the river, near the Great Bridge, about where the Merchants Bank building now stands, and left the tavern. The house was tlien purchased by Welcome Ai'nold, a distinguished merchant of Providence, who made many ad- ditions to the structure, and occupied it as his residence until his death, in 1798. It i-emained in the Arnold family for more than a hundred years, finally coming into the possession of [ 2S8 ] Samuel G. Arnold, the historian. During bis occupancy of the liouse, the room wherein the " Gaspee " party met was used as a dining-room, and there, on the wall, hung, for manj^ years, an account of the affair, prepared by Colonel Ephraim Bowen, the last survivor of the party, and engrossed by the hand of his daughter. The old house was demolished some j-ears ago. It was a custom, in Colonial days in Rhode Island, for the lawyers, at the concluding of filing pleas at the different terms of the courts, to meet at some popular resort, and, together, spend the evening. These gatherings were usuallj^ held at some tavern in the town, where, with good things to eat, good wine to drink, and the companionship of good friends, they passed the time until well into the night. One Tuesday evening, in the month of June, 1772, in one of the spacious rooms at Mr. Sabin's tavern, there was a small, but select part3% consisting of John Andrews, Judge of the Court of Vice-Admiralty, and John Cole, Daniel Hitchcock, and George Brown, gentlemen of the bar. They had attended to the legal duties which had In-ought them to the town, and now sought the comfort and cheer of Sabin's tavern. Early in the evening, after supper, between seven and eight o'clock, and before darkness had settledv down, for the days are long- in early June, these gentlemen were disturbed by a loud noise in the street, near the house, attended by tjie beating of a drum. Such sounds were not unusual, but its long continuation attracted their attention ; and Mr. Cole, going to the window, pulled back the shutters, and saw several people collected together in the street. Turning to his com- Ijanions, he inquii-ed if they knew the occasion of all this excitement. No direct reply was made to Mr. Cole's ques- tion, but one of the party remarked that he hoped they were up to no mischief ; to which Cole replied: "I believe not; if the}^ were on such a design they would not be so public." Several times during the evening, up to ten o'clock, the beating of the drum, and the voices in the street, aroused some curiosity in the minds of these men, and, from time to time, one or another of the party crossed the room to the window, looked out, and inquired the cause of so much com- LSAAO CHASE (4HEENK. liEGISTIiAU. [ 2S0 ] motion. But eacli time tlie reply whs to llie effect that it was some boys beatin*; a di-iim ; "thai it had been training- day, and tlie i)eople wer(> l)realviii.i;' uj) tlieir frolic." During- all this time landlord Sabin was flitting busily about the tavern, attending to their wants, and, now and then, stopi)ing with them for a moment, to enjoy their stories and conversation. Thus the evening passed, until long after midnight, when this little party broke up, and all left the tavern, passed out into the still, dark night, repaired to their lodgings and went to bod. While these gentlemen are enjoying themselves in this room, in another room of the tavern, the south-east room it is called, there is anotluu', much larger, party, and it has a strange and unusual appearaiu-c. I^'rom time to tinu; the door opens, and new-conun-s appear upon the scene. They aie all armed with guns, and have powdcM'-hoi-ns and cartridge-boxes slung over their slioulders. Before nine o'clock the room is full of [)(H)i)le, and by the dim light of the lamp on the nuintel-piece the faces of many of the ship-masters, merchants, and otluM- substantial men of the town can be distinguished. Around the fire-place ai-e men melting lead and running bullets, others are making cartridges ami looking over the locks of their guns. There is no loud conversation, each man is busy preparing foi- some unusual undertaking, and the sound of the drum outside in the street does not disturb them, nor does it awaken any curiosity in their minds as to its significance. The kitchen clock indicates the hour of ten, and witli a few whispered orders from one of the party, the men in the south-east room quietly tile out of the tavern, cross the street to Fenner's wharf, and (lro[), one by one, into some long-boats there in waiting. Ai-ound the whaif are a number of men and boys watching eagerly these strange i)roceedings ; one youth, more venturesome than the rest, clambers down into one of the boats, only to be pulled back by one of his elders, with the admonition that it is no place for boys. 37 [ 200 ] There is a low command, and then the boats push off, and are soon lost in the darkness. Sabin's tavern, at the head of the wharf, stands dark and gloomy, save where a streak of light shines through the shutters in the room where those four erudite gentlemen sit, totally unconscious of the strange manoeuvres going on about them. Next morning Judge Andrews arose early, the sun was an half-hour high. While putting on his clothes he was sur- prised beyond measure to hear some one in the street, near his window, say to another that the schooner was burned. " Upon which he opened the window, and saw on the other side of the street two black fellows and one white man talk- ing together." From them, for the first time, he learned the story of the night's work. It was not long before all of his companions had heard the thrilling news, and then there came floating back upon their memories the crowd, and noise in the street, the disturbing, discordant rattle of the drum, and the meaning of all this was now j^lain enough. Doubtless they congratulated themselves on being ignorant of what was going on within the house that night ; they had no hand in these proceedings, and whatever befell those who had been engaged, they surely would not suffer. But it is the unexpected that always happens. The "Gaspee" had been destroyed, but that was not the end of the troubles by any means. Posters were stuck up in consijicuous places, and circu- lated freely throughout the Colony, offering a reward for information which would bring those engaged in the affair •to justice. Then came the King's Commissioners to inquire into the whole matter, and, in due time, landlord Sabin and the four gentlemen comprising the little dinner party on that June evening, were summoned to Newport, to give their testimony of what they knew about the burning of the "Gaspee"; and they went, all but Mr. Sabin, who sent, instead, the following letter: [ 291 j "Providence, January 19, 1773. To the JionoraNe the commissioners appointed to inquire into the circumstances relative to the desfroying the schoon- er " Gaspee.''^ Gentlemen : — I now address you on account of a sum- mons I received from yon requirins^ ray attendance at the council chamber, in Newport on Wednesday, 20th instant. Now, gentlemen I beg leave to acquaint you, what renders me incapable of attending. In the first place I am an in- solvent debtor ; and therefore, my person would be subject to arrest by some one or another of my creditors ; and my health has been on decline these two months i)ast, and it would be dangerous should I leave my house. And further, were I to attend, I could give no information relative to the assem- bling arming training and leading on the people concerned in destroying the schooner ' Gaspee.' On the 9th day of June last at night, I was employed at my house attending company; who were John Andrew Esq. judge of the court of vice admiralty, John Cole, Esq. Mr. Flitchcock and George Brown, who supped at my house and stayed there until two of the clock, in the morning follow- ing ; and I have not any knowledge relative to the matter on which I am summoned which I am ready to inake oath to, before anj^ justice of the peace. I am gentlemen, most respectfully Your most humble servant James Sabin. To the Honorable Commissioners. The names of every j^erson composing this dinner party were known to the King's Commissioners, and each of them had to give a strict account of his whereabouts and actions that evening, but not one of the crowd in thesouth-east room, fully cognizant of the affair from beginning to end, was ever summoned or ever testified before the Court of Inquiry. So resolutely was the injunction of secrecy maintained that the names of only a dozen or so of this " crowd " were ever known, and who knows but what this little dinner party was a part of the whole scheme. George Allen Buflfum, Poet of the Society, reads the follow- ing poem, written by him for the occasion ; 292 Our Forefathers. I stood, one bleak December inoiii, alone Upon the shore of Pl3nTiouth's land-l()(;ked bay, And saw the waves from the Atlantic blown, Break on the rocks in freezing showers of si)ray. Above the distant harbor bar the sun Did not that morning gloi-ionsly appear, But, as if mourning for the dying year, lie hid his face behind a thick veil, spun Of leaden-colored storm clouds, while the tears That slowly fell from out the cloudy veil Were frozen by the chilling Northeast gale. And blown about me in light flakes of snow 'I'hat wore fast decking the old wharves and piers In winter's white array and dazzling show. The sweeping tempest was so keen and raw That I could feel the ice of Labrador In its fierce bi'eath. Behind me, gray and brown. Arose the ganibrcl roofs of that old town. Whose honored nanu^ shall evei' have renown. lIl)on a neigh boi'ing hill where once a field Of golden-headed grain had from the eyes Of savage foes those early graves concealed, Now rose the glittering marbles o'er the heads Of generations in their lowly beds. Beneath the leafless trees and fi'ozen soil IMiey rested from their earthly caie and toil In one long sleep, the simple and the wise. Such was the landscape that around me bent Tiiat bleak December morning, and although I knew that life was moving to and fro In the old town, and that, few miles away, The Old World to the New its greeting sent Beneath the ocean, 3'et that bitter day A sense of loneliness upon me lay. Then did I strive to picture to my mind What were the feelings of lliat little baud. [ 203 ] Who, centuries ago, first trod this land, Then a bare forest swept by winter's wind. If I was lonely, what must they have felt Who left the verdant lanes of England fair, Or the quaint streets of Holland, where they dwelt Midst strangers, true, but still within the air Of social culture, and o'er rough seas sought This rocky coast of which they yet knew naught Except that it was desolate, and trod By a dark savage race and strange wild beasts ; And did all this that they might worship God, Not by the rule prescribed by kings and priests, But in the manner that their conscience taught? And all for this? Ah, was not this enough To steel their hearts against the Northern blast That drove their wretched bark o'er billows rough To this lone coast? Men to do noble deeds Must have a grand ideal ! This will cast Out from their hearts all fear of danger, take From the sharp sword its edge, and from the stake Its burning pains, its torment from the rack. And cause the toi'tui-ed victim to send back A shout of triumph, even while he bleeds. This had the Pilgrims. What to them were sleet, Hail, snow, keen winds, the rough and storm-toss'd seas, And all the terrors that stern winter bears? With shouts of joy did they the new land greet. And, gladly landing on its frozen sands. Beneath that dome which brightest azure wears. Upheld by columns of ice-gilded trees, In Nature's temple, never made with hands. They Joined in a sweet hymn to God above For this free land, the token of his love. Ah ! theirs were noble hearts and iron wills ! What wonder that from them a nation rose. Whose mighty name the universe now fills, And, as the yeai's roll on, yet mightier grows ; A nation which transformed tiiis Western laud, [ 294 ] Which they found wikl with forests covered o'er, Into a garden ; and throughout its length Stretched the iron sinews of its power and strength, Sending electric nerves from shore to shore, And made this soil, b}^ Freedom's breezes fanned, A blessed refuge from Oppression's hand ! An amusing feature of the exercises at the annual dinner was the following letter, read by Mr. Buffum. It was written by Compatriot Robert Lewis Barker. "Feb'y 20th, 1899. Rliudy Ireland Sasiety, Sons rv the Ainerikin Revolutioners : GiNTLEMEN — I was engaged in peerusin the invite that yez had the honor to sind me, to be wid yez on Feb. twintj'- second ; when me friend Hennessy dr-roped in. Says I, Tin invited,' says I, (swellin wid pride like a poutin pigeon), Tin invited,' I says, 'to spake wisdom to the Sons iv th' Amerikin Revolutioners,' says I. ' Ftwhat th' divil is them?' says he. 'They're ould family min,' I saj^s, 'who live on th' rimnants of their ancestors' riputa- tions,' I says. 'An it's little else some o' thim has to live on onyway,' I says, 'but they're ould, an' proud, an' respictable, t hat's fwhat they are,' I says. ' Fwhat will ye be spakin about?' says he. 'Who else but Washington?' says I. ' Who is th' man ?' says he. ' He's not a man,' says I, 'he's an Idol,' I says, 'an' more nor tin thousands o' thim revolutioners all over th' country worships his mimory,' I says. ' He was hild ver}^ great an' wise afore our Spanish conquist,' I says, 'but it's little heed he's gettin sin(;e Cousin George, and Mack, and Hohson pulls the str-rhings,' I says. 'But do you mind me, Hennessy,' I says, 'Ginerral Washingtown was great once awhile back,' I says. 'Did ye never hear as he made the 13 Indigeneons states,' I says. 'Naw,' says Hennessy,' 'I niver did, an' naythci- did you,' he saj^s. ' What talk have you anyhow?' he says. 'Mr. Hennessy,' says I to him (spakin in that commanding voice that Sectary Alger uses wid such power on Ginerial Miles), 'Mr. Hennessy,' I says, 'for two cints,' I says, 'I'd call th' police an' have ye arristed for lees nmjestic,' I says. 'Well! well!' says Hennessy, 'I didn't mane to spake [ 295 ] disrespectable av th' owld Biicco ; how did he make thim states?' he says. ' Made thim wid his little hatchet,' I says. ' He had in mind to make by a sthraight dozen ; being no Baker (like th' mayor av Providence),' I says. 'But whin the 12 was done and set ont to dhry,' I says, ' up stei3S a sthr-rip av land as runs arround a great ar-runi av the say, and says 'me too." for I'm Rhody Ireland," it says. Well, Ginerral George (he was named for me Cousin George Dewey), Ginerral Geoi'ge,' I says, ' took his second best field glasses an' he looked all over Rhody. "Where is it?" he saj's. "I can't see anything but wather," he says. "Confound j'our aquatic impudence," he says, "what call have ye," he says, "to be on aqual ter-rms wid th' ballue blood av Virginia, an' th' Poltroons av New Amsterswear?" he says.' 'Now there was a man by th' name av Roger that kept a money bank at twinty-seven Market square, and a hotel at number wan Nort Main street ; his ither name was Williams,' I says. 'Roger Williams was his name, Hennessy,' I says. 'An' Roger Williams spakes up to th' Ginerral Washing- town bould as brass, an' he says, "Who first gave yez real liberty av the soul as well as the body?" he says; "it was this same Rhody Ireland, by j^our lave, Ginerral," he says. "Who gave j'ez admirals and commodores for your navy and burned a British fleet on Gaspipe Point?" he saj^s. " 'Twas that same Rhody Ireland, your honor," he says. "It's little goold we have," he says, " but we've bushels av paper-currence and barrels av pat-riot-ism. That's why we're called Rhody Ireland,' he says. "We've more injependence," he says, "in our little state than in all your 12 ready made ones put to- gether,' he says. "Ivery wan has his own mind about iverj- thing, an' divil a wan else agrees wid him," he saj-s. "So by your lave, Ginerral, I guess we'll come in," he says.' 'There's foine impudence for ye, Hennessy,' I says. 'Any- how,' I says, ' it took wid th' gineral, an' he says, says he, " we'll have 13 for luck," he says, " for I can not tell a lie," he says.' An' now I must be takin me lave of yez, tho' faith I've not been wid yez at all, and I can't be, fer me Cousin George has sint for me to come over an' hilp him propitchiate th' Filipines wid taffy and machine guns. Yours for expansion, MARTIN DOOLEY. P. S.— Plaze excuse me writing on Manilla paper, but I use no ither since Cousin George sthr-ruk the town." MEMBERS OF THE RHODE ISLAM) SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF THE AMKUK AN KKVOLITION WHO SERVED IX THE A\ All WITH SPAIIV. Charles \yHEATON Abbot, Jr., Captain, Twelfth United States Infantry ; Colonel, First Rhode Island Volunteer In- fantry. John Russell Bartlett, Ca[)tain, United States Navy, retired ; in ehari^e of the Intellijj;en('e I]ui'eau, United States Navy, at Washington, D. C; and in charge of the Auxiliary Naval Force, United States Navy. William Henry Bisbee, Lieutenant-Colonel, First United States Infantry, now at Pinar Del Rio, Cuba; served in Cuba. Lewis Fairbrother Burrough, Ensign, United States Navy Volunteers; served on the U. S. S. "Constellation," " Manhattan," and " Marcellus." Lester Seneca Hill, INI. I)., Major and Surgeon, First Rhode Island Volunteer Infantiy. Charles Libbeus Hodges, Captain, Twenty-fifth United States Infantry, Second Division, Fifth Army Corps; served at Santiago de Cuba. Rowland Rodman Robinson, M. D., Lieutenant and Assistant Surgeon, First Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry. [ 297 ] Arthur Bradford Spink, Second Lieutenant, Company G, First Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry. Charles Edward Vere Kennon, M. D., Contract Assist- ant Surgeon ; First Lieutenant; assisted in organizing Stern- berg Hospital at Chickamauga. George Metcalf Daniels, Lieutenant, United States Revenue Service ; served on IT. S. S. "Manning," at Cuba. Charles Foster Tillinghast, Captain, Company A, First Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry. Amasa Mason Eaton, Jr., First Lieutenant, Company G, First Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry. William Bunnell Eaton, Corporal, Company A, First Rhode Island Volunteer Infautrv. BETSTOL CH.IPTEE, No. 1, RHODE ISLAND SOC'TETT SUNS OF THE AMERICAN REVULl TlUN ON the twentieth day of November, 1S97, the Board of Managers of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolntion granted the petition of Compatriot William Thomas Church Wardwell and others for authority to associate together as a Chapter of the Society in the town of Bristol, and on May 25, 1898, this Chapter was organized. It is designated as Bristol Chapter, No. 1, of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the Ameri- can Revolution. The following-named Compatriots were elected othcers of the Chapter : President, . . William Thomas Church Wardwell. Vice-President, Orrin L. Bosworth. Secretary, . J. W. De Wolf. Treasurer, . . Frederick F. Gladding. Historian, . George W. Arnold. Board of Managers. J. Howard Manchester, Henry M. Gibson. [ 299 ] The officers thus elected have continued in office since that time. On June 17, 1898, the Chapter celebrated the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill by appropriate exercises, in Bristol, the State Society being guests of the Chaj)ter on this occasion.' The Chapter has been particularlj^ active in locating and marking the graves of Revolutionary soldiers in the town. ' For a more detailed account of these exercises, see address of President Wardwell, under proceedings of February 23, 1899. me:m()1mat.s. WILLIAM WARNER HOPPIN, Died April 19, 1800. Governor William Warner Hoppin, one of the constituent Compatriots of this Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, died in Providence, on the 19th of April, 1890, aged eightj^-two years, seven months and eighteen days. He was the third sou of Benjamin and Esther Phillips (Warner) Hoppin, and was born in Pi-ovi- dence, September 1, 1807. His descent, both on his father's and his mother's side, was from good old Puritan stock, that, in the Colonial daj's of Massachusetts, was regarded as in- fluential. His grandfather. Colonel Benjamin Hoppin, came from the Baj^ State and settled in Providence, where he en- tered the army of the Revolution, and was made Captain in the Rhode Island line, by commission from the Continental Congress. He served with distinction throughout the war, participating in the battles of Red Bank, White Plains, Mon- mouth, and Princeton. While the Societj' of the Cincinnati was flourishing he was elected a member ; and he continued throughout life to be, like most of his associates in this mili- tary order, a staunch Federalist. The grandson inherited many of the sterling qualities of his revered ancestor. At the age of twenty-one he was grad- uated from Yale College, now Yale University, delivering the class oration at commencement. He subsequently en- tered the Law School at New Haven, and in the year 1830 he was admitted to the Providence Bar. His official political career began in 1838, when he was elected a member of tlie WILLIAM WARNER HOPPIN. [ 301 ] Common Council. From this time on until his lamented de- cease his life was one of incessant activity, being, in public service and in business, identified with the most important movements in both city and State. In 1847 he was chosen a member of the Board of Aldermen, in which capacity he ren- dered the city good service for five successive years. In 1853 he was elected to the State Senate, and in the years 1854, 1855, and 185G he was elected Governor of Rhode Island by the Whig party. In 18GG he was re-elected to the State Senate, and in 1867 he was appointed, through his personal friend, Chief Justice Chase, Registrar in Bankruptcy. He also served for many years as a member of the School Com- mittee of Providence, devoting his great personal influence and distinguished talents to the improvement of the public schools and the welfare of the young. To this the writer can bear cheerful testimony, as he was himself a member during all this period, holding the office of Secretary. In private life Governor Hoppin was eminently social ; and in his beautiful summer residence at Warwick Neck he de- lighted to surround himself with friends, and dispense the hospitalities in which he so much abounded. He was, withal, a devout Christian man. His pastor, the Rev. Dr. Vose, in a sermon preached shortly after his death, has paid a glowing tribute to his moral worth and excellence. Truly the memory of such a Compatriot is blessed. Reuben A. Guild. JAMES HENRY ELDREDGE, Died February 20, 1891. Dr. James Henry Eldredge, one of the oldest and most re- spected members of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, died at his residence, in East Greenwich, February 20th, 1891. He owed his title to mem- bership in the Society to his grandfather, James Eldredge, who was a Captain in the Revolutionary army, and served [ 302 ] with credit and distiactiou in the troops furnished by the State of Connecticut. He was also collaterally connected with the Lymans and other families, who were honorably represented in the Revolutionary struggle. Dr. Eldredge was born in East Greenwich, in the same house in which he died. May 27th, 1816, and was the son of Dr. Charles and Hannah (Child) Eldredge. His early educa- tion was in Kent Academy, and in a private school at Ja- maica Plains, Massachusetts. He was destined to his father's profession, and jjursued his studies under his direction. He attended the Yale Scientific School for a year, for instruction in chemistry and physical science, and completed his medi- cal course at the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, from which he graduated, in 1837, with the degree of M. D. He returned to Rhode Island to assist his father, and by the death of the latter, a j'ear later, succeeded to his large prac- tice. From this time for more than half a century Dr. El- dredge was the principal physician in his native place, and his life was that of the active and unostentatious fulfillment of the duties of his i^rofession, with all its wide opportunities for heli3 and comfort, in filling his place in the community as citizen, neighbor, and friend, and in such public offices as his fellow citizens could force uj)on him. His standing in his profession was high, and with a sound judgment and wide practical experience he combined a thorough study of all the advances in medical science. He was President of the Rhode Island Medical Society from 1858 to 1800, and from that time until his death was one of its Board of Censors. For a period of twentj^ years he was a consulting physician of the Rhode Island Hospital. He was reluctant to accept public office, and his service in that direction was mainly as a member of the School Committee of East Green- wich, a place which he held for forty years, for twenty of which he was the President. He was, also, at various times, a member of the Town Council, and, in 1887 and 1888, he was prevailed upon to accept the office of State Senator. For fifty years he was an officer of the Protestant Episcopal Church of East Greenwich, and deeply devoted to its welfare. JAMES HENRY ELDREDGE, M. D. [ 303 ] His many years in the community, added to his virtue and service, his high character and engaging manners, gave him a powerful influence upon his fellow-citizens, and his posi- tion in society was one of the highest dignity and esteem. He was active in benevolence in and outside of his profes- sion, and, intimately associated, as he was, by his profession, with the joys and sorrows of a large portion of the commu- nity, he was regarded as a venerated friend and a "father in Israel" by the generations which had grown up about him. During his entire service as a physician he was seldom ab- sent from his circle of patients, and, at no time, until his death, was he incapacitated by illness from attending them. His manners were so cheerful and kindly that his very pres- ence was an inspiration in a sick room, and tliese manners were but the emanation of his warm and generous nature. His gracious and dignified presence and cordial spirit equall}' commended him to strangers, and, to his latest days, he was a marked figure in any assembly. He was justly proud of his Revolutionary ancestry, and took a deep interest in the welfare and progress of this Society. At his death the Rhode Island Medical Society took appropriate action to express its esteem for his character and service, and a me- morial tablet was placed in St. Luke's Church by his friends and fellow members. His life was one of high honor to him- self, and all connected with him, simple ; unostentatious, finding its highest reward in the performance of duty, and in the exercise of benevolence; fulfilling every requirement as citizen, neighbor, and friend, and bearing "Without abuse, The grand old name of gentleman." Alfred M. Williams. [ 304 ] CHARLES FALES BALLOU, Died January 23, 1893. Charles Fales Ballon was born in Cnnibei-land, R. I., March 12, 1847. When he was quite yonng his parents moved to Bristol. In the pnblic schools of Bristol his schooldays were spent. He was graduated from Brown University in the class of 18G9, and immediately after his graduation began the study of law in the office of the late Edward H. Hazard. He practiced law in Woonsocket for many years, and repre- sented that city in the Rhode Island House of Representa- tives from 1883 to 1887. He was a more than ordinarily useful member of that body, not onlj' because of the clear and convincing way in which he stated his opinions, but also from the fact that he had for four years acted as Clerk of the House, and so had thoroughly mastered the principles of legislation. In 1885 he was elected Trial Justice of the Court at Woonsocket (the previous occupant, Judge Wilbur, having been promoted to the bench of the Supreme Court), and in 1886 he was elected by the Legislature Justice of the Twelfth Judicial District. He was twice elected President of the Town C'Ouncil of Woonsocket, and on the formation of the city government was made Judge of the Court of Probate of the new city. This judgeship and the Trial Justiceship he held at his death. There was no office in the gift of the people of Woonsocket which he could not have whenever he signified his willingness to be a candidate therefor. It was a case where the office sought the man rather than the man the office. As a judge he was sometimes criticised for being too much inclined to leniency in the treatment of the unfortunate criminals who came before his court, being ever inclined to mercy when mercy was at all possible. For two years before his death he suffered from an unusually painful illness. During almost all the last years of his life he was confined to his home, being exceedingly patient under his sufferings. In religion he was an Episcopalian ; in politics a lifelong re- publican. He died January 23, 1893. ClIAKLEy FALES BALL(JU. L 305 ] Such is the account of Charles Fales Ballou, which will satisfy those who knew him only in the later years of his life when his career had become, as it were, a part of the his- tory of the city in which he dwelt. But shall one who was a friend of his boyhood be content with so bare a stoiy ! I first knew Charlie Ballo.u more than thirty years aj^o, and I remember all the circumstances of that meeting as though it had taken place only yesterday. It was in the old High School building at Bristol. (The Ballous lived "on tlie Neck" on a farm which had, I believe, belonged to the family of the ancestor from whom he derived his membership in this Society, and so until he entered the High School lie was known to but few of the boys who lived in town.) A new term had just begun, and the two boys who had won the prizes for declamation in a contest which had taken place at the close of the last tei'ui were to repeat the selections which had given them supremacy. The first to declaim was a giant in size, who seemed to me entirely out of place on the plat- form, so mature in every way did he appear to the eyes of a boy of ten. After he liad taken his seat, amid well deserved applause, the master called "Ballou," and straightway there stepped upon tlie i)latform the slender, graceful figure of a boy a few years older than mj-self. With tiie art of a boin orator he seemed at once to lose himself in Ids subject. Wlien he finished, the applause was deafening. (We used to ap- plaud as seemed to us best, in those old school days at Bristol.) The younger declaimer was easily the first orator in the minds of all who heard the two speakers, as he was confessedly from that time forward the first in the school as long as he remained in it. The boy was father to the man. All his schoolfellows were confident from that moment that there was no position on the oratorical stage he could not worthily fill. And, looking back upon the success he achieved in spite of the poor health which held him back in later life, I feel that our boyish judgment was not far wrong. Into all the boyish sports which then made the " Common " a happy meeting place for all Bristol lads, Charlie Ballou threw himself with the zest every healthy boy ought to show. 39 [ 306 ] So he took part in all our free-hearted rambles over the fields and through the woods of the old town. In all the snowball- ing contests against the other schools, which then formed a part of every High School boy's winter life (contests in which, by the way, the present Senator from Bristol always took a most prominent part, and which were sometimes more severe than our parents supposed), his good nature never failed. And when, in the pleasant days of summer, we breasted the waves of the Narragansett, or went gliding over its watei's, not infrequently with that matchless sailor whose fame as a designer and builder has since become world wide, at the helm (quietest and most modest of Bristol boys he was then as he is now most quiet and modest of Bristol men), no one's laugh was more gay, no one's enjoyment more keen than his. He entered Brown University before I did, and, but for severe illness, would have graduated two classes before me. For three j^ears, however, of our student life our intimacy continued. How much intimacy means among students at college every alumnus here present knows full well. We roomed in the same division in Hope College. For much of the time we ate at the same table, and in all those years our friendship was never ruffled for a moment. Was anyone, I wonder, ever seriously angry with him ? After his graduation he studied law in Providence, and "23 Hope" still f re(iuently held him within its walls. Un- til my own graduation our ways were never far apart. After that time, however, we met less frequently. Continents and seas sometimes divided us. When I came back to Brown, in 1891, the shock his changed ajjpearance gave me was tre- mendous. All the old jauntiness was gone, tho' the old grace still remained. The hand of death was i)lainly upon him. Would he ever recover strength to throw it off? Gal- lantly he struggled, but his work was done. He is dead, and for us only his memory is left. And so, O, Charlie Ballon ! in the name of all those play- mates who knew you and loved you in j'our boyhood da3's, in the name of that larger band of students who enjoyed your EDWARD PAYSON DENISON. [ 307 j friendship in the delightful years spent in the halls of our Alma Mater, in the name of that still larger throng, who, since tlien, have with you been laboring to act well a man's part in life, the friend of thj^ boyhood, and of thj' young man- hood, once more, and for the last time, salutes thee ! Sjnnpathetic companion of our schooldays, chosen associate of the years when life was brightest and most full of hope, much valued friend of our maturer life, upright counsellor, true gentleman. Hail ! and Farewell ! Wilfred H. Munro. EDWARD PAYSON DENISON. Died March 11, 18'J4. Edward Paj son Denison, sou of Isaac W. and Eunice E. (Burrows) Denison, was born in Mystic, Connecticut, May 19, 1854. He was educated in the schools of his native vil- lage, and finally was graduated from Scholfield's Commercial College, Providence, thus fitting himself for a mercantile career. For a time he was employed by D. H. Davis, a wholesale grocer in Providence, and afterwards by Barden & Keep, wholesale dealer in flour and farm products. Finallj' he established himself as a commission merchant, having his office in the city and extending his business throughout the New England States. He mingled but little in societj% his home being the centre of attraction and the object of his thoughts and desires. In early life he united with a Baptist Church in Groton. He was an ardent Republican in politics, a true patriot in principle ; and he had the esteem of all who knew him. He married, January, 1876, Ella L. Garfield, of Providence. He died of the "Grippe," March 11, 1894, and was buried in Swan Point Cemetery. He was a Son of the American Revolution, on his father's side from Isaac Denison and Colonel Benadam Gallup ; and on his mother's side from Sergeant John Burrows, who served both in the French and Indian War, and iu the Revolution. Reuben A. Guild. [ 308 ] CRAWFORD ALLEN. Died May 7, 1894. Compatriot Crawford Allen died Ma}', 7, 1894, in his 55th year. He was a son of the late Crawford Allen, and grand- son of the Rev. Dr. Nathan B. Crocker, for 62 years the well known Episcopal Deacon and Rector of St. John's Chnrch in Providence. His great grandfather on his mother's side was Dr. Isaac Senter, of Newport, a distinguished Surgeon in the Continental army, and President of the Rhode Island Branch of the Society of the Cincinnati. Mr. Allen was born on the 2d of April, 1840. He received his academic training at the University Grammar School, and at the early age of fifteen entered the Freshman Class at Brown. Here he remained but a single year, the still, quiet pursuits of college life not proving congenial to his i-estless, active nature. L^pon leav- ing the institution he traveled in Europe, and subsequently made a voyage to China, visiting various islands in the East Indies. He afterwards went to California, and was in the city of San Francisco upon the breaking out of the Rebellion. He immediately returned to Rhode Island, and with patriotic zeal enlisted in the service of his country, receiving, Novem- ber 7, 18G1, a commission as 2d Lieutenant in Battery G, First Rhode Island Light Artiller3^ This battery fought with great braver}^ at the battle of Antietam. It also rendered good service at the second battle of Fredericksburg, where the Lieutenant received a slight wound. Shortly after this he was made Adjutant of the Regiment, and Acting Adjutant- General of the Artiller}' Brigade, Sixth Army Corps. In 1863, he was promoted to the Captaincy of Battery FT, to fdl the vacancy occasioned bj^ the resignation of Captain Jeffrey' Hazard. In this new relation he proved efficient as a com- mander, and was exceedingly popular with the men. In the battle before Petersburg, April 2d, 1865, his battery bore a very prominent pai't. For "gallantly and meritorious ser- A ■xf"' CRAWFORD ALLEN. [ 30!) ] vices" at this battle, whieli, by a singular coincidence, oc- curred on the anniversary of his ^5th birtliday, Captain Allen was promoted to the i-ank of Brevet Major, Subsequentlj' he was made Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel. On the 28th of June, 1865, he was mustered out of service. A fine steel en- graving of him is among the portraits in Bartlett's " Memoirs of Rhode Island Olificers." On the 19th of November, 1877, Lieutenant-Colonel Allen married Clara Denison Foster, youngest daughter of Samuel Foster of this city. The marriage proved a source of great domestic felicity. Two sons and two daughters, with the widow, cherish fond memories of a loving and affectionate husband and father. For the last eight yeais of his life he suffered intensely from Bi-ight's disease. Duiing all liis sick- ness he was patient and uncomplaining, and at last passed quietly and peacefully awa}'. While it cannot be said of him, in customary phraseology', that he was a " devout member of the church," it can in truth be said that he was biave in the performance of duty, frank and outspoken in his utter- ances, and that he scorned all meanness, hypocris}^ and cow- ardice, in whatever form or disguise they might appear. Peace be to his ashes. Reuben A. Guild. [ 310 ] NATHANIEL MOWRY BRADLEY, Died July 24, 1895. Compatriot Nathaniel Mowiy Bradley, son of Nathaniel Mowry Bradley and Maria Louise (Tallman) Bradley, was born in the city of Providence, August 29th, 18G8. He attended the public schools of that city, and was a pupil in the High School at the time he left to accept a position in the Old National Bank. He continued in the service of the bank for several years, and had won the high regard of its officers as a faithful and efficient employee, when he was stricken down in all the promise of early manhood. He died on the 24th day of July, 1895. Compatriot Bradley claimed his membership in this Societj^ through descent from Colonel Benjamin Tallman, who com- manded the first regiment whose enlistment was authorized by the General Assembl}^ at the October session, 1 775. Colonel Tallman also rendered valuable service in building the new navy. He built two fi-igates for the government: the "War- ren," mounting thirty-two guns, and the " Providence," twentj'- eight guns, and later superintended the construction of the ship "Confederacy." Compatriot Bradley was possessed of a kind and genial disposition, and took a lively interest in all matters pertain- ing to young men. He was a member of the Bank Clerks Association, and an officer in the Narragansett Boat Club. He was a man of higli Christian chai-acter, and actively par- ticipated in many branches of religious work. He was a member of the Central Baptist Church, and served very efficiently as Treasurer of the Sunday-school. He was also connected with the Young Men's Christian Association, and worked faitlifully on man}' of its committees. Akthuk p. Sl'-Mner. NATHANIEL MOWRY BRADLEY, [ 311 ] ALFRED MASON WILLIAMS, Died March 0, 189G. Compatriot Alfred Mason Williams died at Basse Terre, St. Kitts, West Indies, on the Otli of March, 1896. He was the son of Lloyd Hall and Prudence King (Padelford) Wil- liams, and was born in Taunton, Massachusetts, on the 23d of October, 1840. His remote ancestors on both sides were Welsh. His immediate ancestor, Richard Williams, came from Taunton, in Somersetshire Count}', England, and founded the town of Taunton, Massachusetts. His great-grandfather, James Williams, was a Captain during the Revolutionary War, and for a long series of years afterward was the Town Clerk. His great-uncle, John Mason Williams, was the dis- tinguished Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Court of Com- mon Pleas. The subject of our sketch received his early education in the public schools, was fitted for college at the Bristol Academy, and entered Brown University in the class of 1800. The Rev. Dr. Barnas Sears was then Presi- dent, and Professors Caswell, Chase, Gammell, Lincoln, Dunn, and Greene were the leading instructors. Weakness of the eyes, brought on by over-use, compelled him to leave college before the completion of his course, and hence he was never regularly graduated, although he afterwards, in 1883, received the honorarj' degree of A. M. During the Civil War Williams enlisted as a High Private, and served under General Banks in the Louisiana Campaign. Having written some letters to the newspapers that attracted attention, he was invited, at the expiration of his term of service, to accept a position as reporter on the Taunton Daily Gazette. In 18G5 he was appointed by the New York Tribune to visit Ireland, and report the Fenian disturbance. On his return he became City Editor and afterwards Managing Edi- tor of the Gazette. In 1868 he was elected a Representative to the Massachusetts State Legislature, and the year follow- [ 312 ] in<,^ he was re-elected by the unanimous vote of both political parties. In the fall of 1869 he went West and established the Neosho Journal, in Neosho, a town in the southwest corner of Missouri, near the Indian Territoiy. While here he spent much time with the Indians, and was Secretary pro tern, of the last Grand Council of all the tribes, held at Okmulge, in the Greek nation. On his return East he obtained a situa- tion on the local staff of the Providence Journal, and in about six months was promoted to the position of chief edi- torial writer. On the death of George W. Danielson he became Editor-in-Chief. Ilis services in this important posi- tion, as a leader and guide in all measures for the prosperity and growth of the city, and the good of the people, are known to us all. In 1891, while on a visit to Europe in search of rest and health, he resigned all active connection with jour- nalism. After his retirement he contributed a large number of articles to magazines and newspapers on literary and kin- dred subjects. He also published several books, which have had a wide reputation. His latest work was editing "Men of Progress in Rhode Island," a quarto volume published by subscription. Mr. Williams was a member of various societies and or- ganizations, including the Providence Press Club, of which he was the founder and first President. His services in behalf of our Public Library, as an active Trustee, entitle him to lasting gratitude. He married, in 1870, a Miss Leon- ard, of Taunton, with whom he lived happily sixteen years. She died, in 1880, without issue. From this time on, until his own lamented decease, he seemed a changed man; life for him had lost its charms. He was never a man of words, and, in his feelings, he was not especially demonstrative ; but for the few admitted to the inner circle, he had warm attachments. His remains were laid away in the lonely island where he died. "Requiescat in pace." Reuben A. Guii^d. ALFRED MASON WILLIAMS. [ 313 ] NATHANIEL GREENE TOTTEN, Died August 2, 1897. The death of Nath