The History of Bristol, R.I. The story of the Mount Hope Lands ... Illustrated

Front matter

BRISTOL, FROM POPPASQUASH. THE HISTORY OF BRISTOL, R. I. THE STORY OF THE Mount Hope Lands, FROM THE VISIT OF THE NORTHMEN TO THE PRESENT TIME. CONTAINING ACCOUNTS OK THE INDIAN WARS, THE CHARACTER AND L1VEB OF THE EARLY SETTLERS IN BRISTOL, THE EVENTS OP THE REVOLUTION, THE PRIVATEERS OF THE WAR OF 1812, DETAILS OF THE COMMERCE OF THE PORT, AND SKETCHES OF ITS DISTINGUISHED MEN. BY WILFRED H. MUNRO. ILLUSTRATED. PROVIDENCE: A. & H. A. Reid, Printers and Publishers. 1880. COPYRIGHT,

Preface

. " Whether I shall do anything worth while, if from the very be ginning of the city, I write a history of the Roman people, I neither know very well, nor if I knew would I dare to say." So wrote the his torian Livy, as he sat at the window of his study and looked out upon the splendid imperial city, rich with the conquests of many hundreds of years. Whether 1 do anything worth while in writing the history of the town of Bristol, is not the thought which has troubled me, for every contribution to the history of a town or state has a definite and specific value. From their varied threads the future historian shall some day weave into graphic pages a faithful narrative of the progress of Amer ican civilization. Whether I am doing it in a worthy way — has been the troublesome question that could never be satisfactorily answered.

For Bristol has a history peculiarly and strangely interesting to every thoughtful man. Very few towns in the whole country can furnish so many themes upon which the pen of the historian delights to linger. In writing a local history two methods naturally present themselves for the choice of him who takes the task in hand. One is, to make it simply and only a local history; to give an epitome of all the legislation of the town ; to perpetuate and eulogize upon its pages the names of all those who have taken a part that has raised them, in even the slightest degree, above the general level of their fellows; to give extended lists of those who have been its professional men, its merchants, its artisans and its seamen ; aud to make mention of the houses in which these men were born, and lived, and died.

Such is the plan which has been often adopted. It may answer in the case of many towns whose part in the his tory of their state has been light and comparatively unimportant. It would not be worthy of the career of this town. The other method is, to make the local names and details subordinate to the part the town has taken in the development of the state and nation; and to make extended mention only of those whose reputation has passed beyond its boundaries and has become a part of the history of the state. Such a method could not be employed in sketching the his tory of most American cities. I have deemed it the better one to pursue in writing the history of Bristol. This latter method, of course, necessitated a much greater amount of labor, and on this account only did I hesitate for a moment before adopt ing it.

It is but a little more than a year since the task was undertaken ; it is much less than a year since the first page of the book was written. No one who has not been engaged in such work can have more than the very slightest idea of the amount of toil which it involves; of the hours and days and weeks that must be spent in verifying the statements to be presented. The labor of composition is the lightest part. The book has, therefore, been hurried to the press under many disadvantages. The chapters have been sent to the printer almost before the ink was dry, and but little time has been afforded even for the final revision of the proofs. No opportunity whatever has been furnished for clothing in more graceful diction paragraphs that have slipped carelessly from the pen. Abundance of material has never been lacking.

The difficulty has been to select f: om the great mass of facts those most deserving of record. The reader will therefore very probably search in vain for much that he has confidently expected to find. It is undoubtedly true that many things have been overlooked and omitted, which ought here to be given a place. 1 shall be very glad to be informed concerning such subjects, that, if at some future time a new edition of this book shall be called for, I may be able to incorporate them in it. I shall also be gi-ateful to any persons who will correct me concerning errors which have doubtless crept into the work. I have tried to be accurate in my statements, but am not so unwise as to suppose that I have uniformly been so. Into the matter of genealogy I have not ventured to go. A very little re search in the genealogical field is sufficient to convince one how impossible it is satisfactorily to treat the subject.

It would, moreover, have required much more time than could well be spared from the rest of the book. In the history of the churches a sketch of their different pastors has very naturally found a place. Very few biographical sketches besides have been inserted in these pages. Only men who have been unusually prominent, and who have held high official positions, have thus been noticed. To pass outside this limit would be a dangerous step. It would be exceedingly difficult to determine with whom to be gin, and at whose name to stop. Your pardon, therefore, reader, if I have reluctantly allowed the merits of your ancestors to go unre corded. In the chapters relating to the Bevolution I had intended to place the names of those who served as soldiers in the American Army. After a careful examination of records it seems so impossible to present any thing like a complete list, that the plan was abandoned altogether.

Re specting the privateers of the " War of 1812 " I also proposed to furnish a much more extended account, but was obliged to limit myself to the pages that have been given to the subject. I will be glad to receive additional information connected with the privateers and the com mercial history of the port, for another volume, the publication of which is now contemplated.

PREFACE.

. Some corrections necessary in the following pages may as well be made in this place. Additional research has furnished convincing proof that Poppasquash more nearly conveys the sound of the Indian name of the peninsula opposite the town, than any other spelling. The fact that the sounds of the vowels in the Euglish language are constantly chang ing, and that our ancestors always made their mode of spelling conform to the sound, accounts for the various forms of the word found in the old deeds. Pappoosesquaw, which has lately been forced into favor, can with difficulty be traced back for a generation. It is an invention of the present century, and has an entirely fanciful derivation. It should not for an instant be tolerated. Two mistakes, made upon page 93, attest the truth of what has just been written concerning genealogy.

From Mr. John A. Howland, one of her descendants, I learn that the wife of Jabez Howland was not a daughter of Governor Carver. Mrs. Howland's maiden name was Elizabeth Tilley. In the year 1732, the second Jabez Howland died. The first Jabez died in 1711. On page 76, in the paragraph upon Nathaniel Oliver, 1682 should have been the date given. On page 172 one fact should have been stated much more posi tively. Capt. Thomas Swan was, undoubtedly, concerned in the burn ing of the " Gaspee." In after years he delighted to rehearse the tale of its destruction. Many now living have heard, from Captain Swan's own lips, of the part Simeon Potter and the boat's crew from Bristol took in that memorable affair. Captain Swan used to give the names of all his associates, but those names have entirely escaped the memory of bis auditors.

On page 310 it should have been said that the "Yankee" had captured — not destroyed —British property amounting in value to almost a million of pounds. On page 331, Clyde, JV. Y., should have been given as the present residence of the Rev. William Stowe. To mention the names of all those who have contributed to the infor mation embodied in this volume, would require very many paragraphs. My obligations are greatest to Mr. Bennett J. Munro, and Mr. William P. Monro. The former has, from his youth up, delighted to plunge into the records of the past, and from them he has extracted a very great amount of local information. The ready memory and remarkable knowledge of the latter has very rarely failed to aid me when information concerning any important point in the history of the town has been desired.

To Mr. Alexander Perry I am also greatly indebted. Through bis courtesy in placing the books of bis grandfather, James DeWolf, at my disposal, I have been enabled to present the statistics given in the chapter on the " Yankee." My task is by no means completed, even according to the plan I my self bad marked out, but the limit originally assigned to the pages of the book has been considerably exceeded, and the demand for its pub lication has become imperative. Just as it is, with all its imperfections and shortcomings, I must present The Story of the Mount Hope Lands to the kindly consideration of its readers. Lovingly and reverently, as it becometh one of her sons to write, I have written the history of Bristol. I have tried, as Livy tried, to call to life again the vanished past ; to place before her people a faithful picture of what the old town has been — that, looking upon it, aud cherishing ever the memory of the match less enterprise and wise forethought their fathers once displayed, they may be inspired to deeds which shall prove them worthy sons of those energetic and patriotic sires.

Shall I attempt, with prophetic hand, to draw aside the veil which ob scures her future ? The busy hum of machinery now resounds through her streets. Almost deserted is her harbor, aud the wharves, that once groaned beneath the load of foreign freights, are dropping slowly to pieces; besides the daily steamers, only a few coasting vessels glide occasionally over its tranquil waters. It will not always be so. Not alone its merchant ships have vanished ; the ships of the whole country have almost passed away as well, and cautious capital has sought the surer profits manufactures seem to offer. But in course of years there will be a change. As the manufactures of the West are gradually developed, the great mill-owners of the East will be obliged to seek other markets for their products. Again, as in other days, it will be easier and more profitable to reach them over the highway nature has placed at our doors, than over those constructed by the hand of man.

In process of time, also, if we can judge of the future by the past, by the West itself will a foreign market be needed, and then at least, if not before, the seas will again be covered with American keels. The great sea-port cities of to-day will not suffice to accommodate that mighty commerce, and other great commercial centres will grow up along our shores. This spacious, land-locked harbor will then once more be crowded with ships, as of old, and the streets of the town will once more be thronged with seamen. We may not, we probably shall not, live to see it; our children possibly may not, — but our children's children surely will. WILFRED H. MUNKo. Bristol, R. I., Dec. 11, 1880. CONTENTS.

Chapter I

The Visits of the Northmen. — The voyage of Leif Ericson, A. D. 1000 — Sails up Seaconnet River — Erects dwellings on shores of Mount Hope Bay — The German, Tyrker, discovers grapes —Expedition of Thorvald, A. D. 1002 — Of Karlsefni — Snorri Thorfinnson, born A. D. 1007 — Origin of name, Mount Hope — Eric, Bishop of Greenland, sails to Vinland — Disappearance of the Greenland Colony, .... Pages 16-23

The Second Visit to Massasoiet. — Massasoiet sick — Edward Winslow and John Hampden visit him — Winslow's description of the visit, Pages 31-35

Chapter V

From the Death of Massasoiet to the Beginning of Philip's War. — Preparations of Philip — Death of John Sausaman, Pages 36-40 VI. King Philip's War.— Philip's messenger sent to incite war, 1675 — Benj. Church — June 20, war beguu by Indians — English march upon Mount Hope — Church's fort— Destruction wrought by the Indians — Death of Philip — Captain Church's account, Pages 41-52

First Inhabitants. — John Gorham — Privileges contained in the deed — First town-meeting — The name Bristol — List of citizens admitted at first town-meeting, .... Pages 77-70

Chapter XIII

Benjamin Church. — Birth aud parentage — Goes to live at Seaconnet — Characteristics, physical aud mental — Extract from autobiography — His bouse in Bristol — Expeditions to the eastward — Treatment from Massachusetts — Death, . Pages 80-86 CONTENTS. 9

Chapter XV

Other Early Settlers. — John Cary — Nathaniel Bosworth — Nathaniel Reynolds — Hugh Woodbury — William Throope — Nathaniel Paine — Samuel Waldron — Jabez Gorham — Christopher Sanders — William Brenton — Jabez Howland — Richard Smith, . Pages 91-93

Chapter XVI

How the Town was Laid out. — Abstract of the Grand Articles and explanation of the Deed of Highways — 128 house-lots laid out — 500 acres in small farms — Lands for public use — Forfeit for not settling — Signers — Four streets north and south — Niue cross streets — Commonages — Ministry lands and school lands, Pages 94-100

Chapter XVII

Some Old Houses. — The first houses — The Bosworth house — The Walley house — The two Byfield houses, . . Pages 101-109

Chapter XVIII

Gleanings from the Records of the First Half-Century. — Provisions for the minister — The Book of Marks — Duties of Selectmen and Constables — Rates made Dec. 22, 1682 — List of Freemen — Towns of Bristol County — Market Day — Town Shepherd — Decision of Mass. Governor respecting the Privileges of the town — Grist-mills, cattle, blackbirds, foxes, etc. — Births, marriages and deaths, 110-124

Chapter XIX

The First Church. — Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge — The meeting-house — Rev. Samuel Lee — Rev. John Sparhawk, . . 125-134

Chapter XX

The McSparran Difficulty. — James McSparran chosen minister — Dr. Mather's opposition — Town and church meetings — Goes to England and is ordained in Church of England, . . 135-140 St. Michael's Church. — Services in the Walker House — Petition to England — Subscriptions to church — Rev. James Orem — Imprisonment of Church of England people — Rev. John Usher — First vestry — Bell — Negro baptism — Kay bequest — Protest — Church burnt — Rev. Dr. Caner — New church — Rev. John Usher, Jr. —Rev. A. L. Clarke — Rev. A. V. Griswold, . 141-156

Chapter XXII

More Rkcokds. — Blazing chimneys — Fire and storms — Small-pox — Wharf built — Failure of grain — Prices of merchandise, etc. — Burying-grounds — Annexed to Rhode Island — First R. I. meeting — List of Freemen — Laws and Oaths concerning bribery — Banks — Rope-walks — Vendue masters — Ministers exempted from taxation — Bounties — Old Tenor bills — Commerce — Stocks and whipping-post, 157-166

Chapter XXIII

The Destruction of the " Gaspee." — The capture and burning of the "Gaspee" — Testimony of Aaron Briggs — Song by Capt. Thos. Swan, 167-174

Chapter XXIV

Simeon Potteb. — Early life — Rhode Island privateers — Father Fauque's account of the " Prince Charles of Lorraine " — Anecdote of Mr. Potter. — His life in Bristol — Protest against the taxable valuation of the town — Death, . . Pages 175-185

Chapter XXV

Census Statistics from 1748-1880.— General statistics — Census of 1774 Pages 186-192

Chapter XXVI

Correspondence, etc., before the Revolution. — Meeting concerning "Boston Tea Party" — Resolutions — Letter of town clerk — Subscription list— Letter of Wm. Bradford — Letter from Boston committee — Donations from Rhode Island — Proposals for altering the Constitution of Rhode Island, Pages 193-201 CONTENTS.

Chapter XXVII

The Bombardment.— The fleet of Sir James Wallace — Extract from letter of LeBaron Bradford in Newport Mercury — Poem — Incidents — Epidemic — Death of Rev. John Burt, Pages 202-208

Chapter XXVIII

The Burning. — The British land upon the Neck and descend upon Warren — They march to Bristol along the main road — Incidents — Enumeration of houses burnt — Conduct of the soldiers — Anecdotes, Pages 209-218

Chapter XXIX

/ The Congregational Church, 1720-1880. — Day of fasting and prayer appointed — Rev. Nathaniel Cotton, pastor — Rev. Barnabas Taylor — The throat distemper — Rev. John Burt — New church erected 1784 — Rev. Henry Wight — Letter concerning politics —Rev. Joel Mann — The " Blue Hall " — " The Hall" — The Sunday School — Rev. Isaac Lewis — Rev. John Starkweather — Rev. Thos. Shepard — Third church erected 1856 — Notice of Dr. Shepard from Providence Journal — Rev. C. P. Osborne — The Memorial Chapel — Rev. J. P. Lane — Officers, Pages 219-233

Chapter XXX

Days of Was and Days of Peace. — Conditions of towns of Narragansett Bay during the war — War measures — Intrenchments — Post Office established — Isaac Eslick's exploit — Blockade of the bay — Letter from Lord Percy — Row galley " Washington " — Distress of citizens — Storms — Lafayette — Winter 1779-80 — Polls and ratable property — General Washington's visit — The Mt. Hope farm — The Borland farm — The Vassal farm — Census of 17S5 — Fire engines — Paper money — Petition to Congress — Distilleries — Artillery Company formed — Tavern bill — Richard Darby — The Potter library — Death of Washington, Pages 234-252

Chapter XXXI

William Bradford. — Birth and early life — Character — Professional and political life, and public services, . Pages 253-257

Chapter XXXII

Benjamin Bourne. — Sketch by Nathaniel Bullock, Pages 258-260 The Methodist Church 1790-1880. — Rev. Jesse Lee — Rev. George Whitesield — First sermon in Bristol — First class — Early trials — Meeting-house built in 1S05 — Ephraim K. Avery — New church dedicated 1836 — Rev. Joseph Snelling — Rev. Asa Kent — Rev. Thomas W. Tucker — Father Taylor — Rev. Isaac Bonney — Rev. Dr. Morrison — List of ministers — Officers — Correction, Pages 261-273

Chapter XXXIV

The Voyage of "Norwest John." — Capt. John DeWolf sails from Bristol in the ship "Juno" upon a voyage to the northwest coast — Sells his vessel to the Russian American Company and comes home by the overland route through Siberia, Pages 274-279 CHAPTER -XXXV. Bishop Griswold and the Great Revivals. — Bishop Griswold's early life and ministry — Visits Bristol and accepts a call from St. Michael's Church — His style of preaching — Condition of P. E. Church in Rhode Island — He is elected bishop — The revival of 1812 — Dr. Tyng's account of the revival of 1818 — Bishop Griswold leaves Bristol — His literary work — Divinity school in Bristol — Epitaph, . . . Pages 280-294

Chapter XXXVI

The Baptist Church, 1811-1880. — Sketch by Rev. H. M. Jones — First Members — Bev. J. M. Winchell — The Stone Chapel erected — Lotteries — Rev. Barnabas Bates — Vote of Town — Succession of Ministers — Rev. J. N. Sykes — Rev. H. G. Hubbard — Rev. H. M. Jones — Rev. H. Crocker— Officers, Pages 295-301

Thb September Gales of 1815 and 1869, Pages 316-321

Chapter XL

James DeWolf.— Mark Anthony DeWolf —Early life of James DeWolf — His business capacity and success — His conduct in the war of 1812 — Political Honors, etc., . Pages 322-325 CHAPTER XL1. St. Michael's Church, 1830-1880. —Rev. John Bristed— New Church,lS34 — Rev. James W. Cooke — Rev. Joseph Trapnell, Jr.— Rev. William Stowe — Burning of Church — Fourth Church Consecrated 1861 — Rev. Dr. Balch — Rev. G. L. Locke — New Chapel — Officers, Pages 326-335

Chapter XLII

The Schools. — Town votes upon school matters — The Teachers — School Lands — Quotations from Miss Luther's Historical Sketch — Notices of Teachers — The Byfield School — Dedication Ode, Pages 336-347

Chapter XLIII

The Slave Trade. — The African business — Statistics from speech of Judge Smith of South Carolina, . . Pages 348-353

Chapter XLIV

The Roman Catholic Church, 1854-1880. — Rev. M. McCallion — Bishop Cheverus — Erection of church in 1855— Its enlargement in 1870 — Remarks of Bishop MacFarland upon the growth of the church throughout the diocese — Rev. C. J. Rogers Pages 354-357

Chapter XLV

The Roll of Honor. — List of Bristol soldiers and sailors, Pages 358-362

CHAPTER XLV

I. Trinity Church, 1875-1880. — Bequest of Mrs. Ruth B. De- Wolf — First services — First vestry — Rev. S. Moran — Church built 1878— Rev. J. H. Johnson — Officers, . Pages 363-365 Some Details Respecting the Commerce. — Early commercial ventures — Bristol customs district created 1801 — Amount of duties collected each year from 1801-1825 — The De Wolfs — Whaling vessels — Table of tonnage from United States Treasury Department, Pages 366-372

CHAPTER XLVIII.

The Principal Manufactures. — Ship-building — The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company — The cotton mills — The butt factory — The steam planing-mill — The oakum works — The sugar refinery — The firearms manufactory — The National Rubber Company Pages 373-375

CHAPTER XLIX.

Gleanings from the Last Fifty Years. — The Dorr War — Nathaniel Bullock — Byron Diman — Francis M. Dimond — J. Russell Bullock — Railroad — Steamboats — Loss of territory — Robert Rogers — Rogers Free Library — Press of Bristol — The South Christian Society — The Advent Society — The Bi-centennial Celebration, Pages 376-383

CHAPTER L

The Roll of Representatives, .... Pages 384-387