Barrington, Bristol Co., Ri, Biographies, Part 2
Extracted From
A History Of Barrington, Rhode Island
Thomas Williams Bicknell
Providence: Snow & Farnham, printers.
1898
[Transcribed by Coralynn Brown]
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BIOGRAPHIES of LEADING CITIZENS
SAMUEL BOSWORTH
Son of Joseph, Jr., and Anne (Low) Bosworth; b. May 19, 1744; d. May 4, 1824; cooper by trade; residence at The Ferry; m. Elizabeth Joy.
children:Anna, Joseph, Samuel, Pearce, Mary, Elizabeth, Lydia, Pearce.
Mr. Bosworth was an active patriot, and was captain of the battery manned by townsmen, in the defence of the town and colony. His descendants have been among the most useful citizens of the town, and are the best evidence of a worthy ancestor.
KENT BROWN
son of William and Alathea Brown, in the fifth generation from John of Plymouth; b. Dec. 27, 1765; d. Aug. 10, 1822; shoemaker by trade; was a man of large influence in the town; town treasurer from 1814 to 1822; Deacon of the Cong. Church for many years; lived at the Brown house; married:
(1) Betsy Cole
children:
(2) Eunice Allen
children:
Asa, Allen, William, Lyman and Samuel.
JONATHAN ALLEN
b. North Swansea, Nov. 16, 1815; made home in B. in 1858; in 1872 helped to organize the Methodist Church at Drownville, and, with his family, was an earnest supporter of its interests; was Overseer of the Poor for twenty years, and postmaster at Drownville sixteen years; was a blacksmith by trade, but kept a store the last years of his life. Mr. Allen was a warm hearted, public spirited citizen.
GEORGE T. BAKER
son of George and Mary Ann Baker, was born in Providence, June 25, 1842; received his education in Providence public schools; married:
Harriet Carpenter Wightman, Oct. 8, 1873.
children:
Osgood Carney, Emma Lester, Russell Wightman, and Louis Forestall.
Mr. Baker moved from Providence to Drownville, Dec. 1878, his present residence; former business, grain and flour merchant; present business, real estate; Mr. Baker and his wife are members of the Cong. Church, Barrington; he has been treasurer of the Cong. Society since 1892; was a member of the School Committee; has been a trustee of the Public Library; was a senator to the General Assembly from 1890 to 1894; is a member of the State Board of Education for Bristol County; his record as a soldier is as follows:
Sgt. Co. B, 10th Reg. R.I.V.; res., Providence, R.I.; May 26, 1862, enrolled; May 26, 1862, mustered in; Aug. 11, 1862, promoted to Sgt. from Corp.; Sept. 1862, mustered out.
Mr. Baker is one of the most useful, respected, and honored citizens of the town. Mrs. Baker is of good Barrington stock.
NATHANIEL BROWN
son of Kent and Betsey (Cole) Brown; b. Aug. 20, 1796; d. March 3, 1868; shoemaker and farmer; m. Martha T. Kinnicutt, April 12, 1821.
children:
Mary E., William R., Albert C., William R., Henry C., Helen M., Julia F., Harriet A.
Mr. Brown was a member of the school committee, and a delegate to the Convention to form a State Constitution. He was an intelligent and an active man, and helped to promote all good enterprises in the town and church.
JOHN L. DRAPER
b. in Attleboro, Mass., in 1833; common school education; clerk in the firm of Earl P. Mason & Company, drugs, chemicals and dye-stuffs, of which he became a member. The firm was succeeded by that of Snow, Clafin & Co., and finally the business was done under the name of Rice, Draper & Company. Mr. Draper was connected with the business up to his death.
Mr. Draper m. daughter of Nathaniel F. Potter, of Nayatt, by whom he had one child, Harriet.
He was possessed of a sterling character, and his upright manner and honorable way of doing business won him many admirers. His dispositon was sunny and cheeful and his benevolence was marked.
ALFRED DROWN
son of Jeremiah Scott Drown and Betsey (Kent) Drown, b. August 7, 1797; m. Frances Humphrey, November 18, 1818;
children:
Almira Scott, Benjamin Franklin, Frances Elizabeth, Julia Ann, Mary Jane, Sarah Maria, Helen Almira, and William Henry.
Mr. Drown was a farmer and bought a farm at Drownville, a part of the land of the Allin estate. By his industry and prudence he earned and saved a handsome property, and by his honesty of life, and excellences of character won the highest respect of all who know him.
Mrs. Drown was a noble woman, and a devoted wife and mother and their long and useful lives illustrted the methods of temperate and Godly living. Both were members of the Congregational Church; of both it may be said they had "that which should accompany old age, as honour, love, obedience, troops of friends."
HIRAM DROWN
son of Jeremiah S. Drown; b. Dec. 13, 1799; d. Nov. 27, 1866; farmer; m. Emeline Drown.
children:
Samuel M., Ann Frances, Charles E., William A.
Mr. Drown was an honest and upright man and a faithful citizen.
WILMARTH HEATH
Son of Nathaniel and Rebecca (Brown) Heath; b. Aug. 31, 1787; d. Oct. 3, 1862; common school education; farmer; m. Mary Humphrey, Sept. 18, 1814.
children:
Diana Brown, m. William Carter.
Jerusha Wilmarth, m. George S. Thurston.
Eliza Ashley.
Mr. Heath was a highly respected and useful citizen. Third generation from Rev. Peleg Heath.
REV. SETH CHAPIN
Grad. of B.U., 1808; m. Mary Bicknell, dau. of Joshua and Amy; studied theology at Andover, grad. in 1811. Jan. 1, 1812, ordained a Congregational minister; was settled as pastor at Hillsboro, N.H., where his two sons were born, removed to Rowley, Mass., where he occupied the pulpit from 1816 to 1819; pastorate Hanover, Mass., fron 1819 to 1824; acting pastor at Hunter, N.Y., 1825 to 1827 and afterwards at Attleboro, Mass., and preached at West Greenville, Mass., 1833 to 1835. He resided in Providence during the latter part of his life.
JOSEPH PECK BICKNELL
Son of Joshua and Amy; b. April 19, 1801; d. Nov. 18, 1885; farmer; m. Louisa Allen.
children:
Henry, George F., and Louisa A.
His life was that of a true friend, an upright citizen, and an honest man.
REV. NORMAN PLASS
Came to the pastorate of the Barrington Congregational Church September the 18th, 1896; prepared for college at Hudson Academy, and entered William College 1878; grad. of B.A. 1882; studied theology at Yale University and in 1886 received his degree of B.D. from Yale, and M.A. from Williams.
Mr. Plass has held pastorates at Lincoln, Neb., at Detroit, Mich., and at Medina and Cincinnati, Ohio. He has also been general missionary of the Congregational Churches of Ohio, with residence at Cleveland. Mr. Plass is a frequent contributor in prose and poetry in the leading religious journals, east and west. He has recently published a book of his poems, entitled "Buds that Bloom on Bonnie Banks."
CHARLES JOSPEH MAURAN SMITH
Son of Joseph Smith; was a prominent and highly esteemed citizen of Barrington, who greatly endeared himself to a large circle of friends by the kindness of his nature and the cheerfulness which was so marked a feature of his character; he was a consistent member of the Warren Methodist Episcopal Church over 40 years.
RUFUS BABCOCK, D.D.
Born in Colebrook, Ct., Sept. 18, 1878; grad. at B.U., 1821; was a tutor in Columbian University, Washington, D.C.; in 1823 was ordained pastor of the Baptist Church in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; m. Olive Bicknell Smith, 1824.
children:
Eveline, Emily, and Harriet.
Emily m. Horatio Gates Jones, of Philadelphia.
Harriet m. James H. Weeks of Poughkeepsie, N.Y
[transcriber's note: not sure just who the following material pertains to, as it comes right on the heels of James H. Weeks. My guess it's about Rufus Babcock.]
was pastor of the First Baptist Church in Salem, Mass., fron 1826 to 1833, resigning the latter year to accept the presidency of Waterville College (now Colby University), Maine, which he retained nearly four years. Subsequently he had pastorates in Philadelphia, New Bedford, and a second time in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
After he retired from active duties in the ministry, he devoted much of his time to benevolent and literary work. Bowdoin College, Maine, in 1834, conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
ADAM ALLIN (colored)
was a descendant of one of the slave families of the Allins, probably the son of Pero Allin. His early life was spent at sea, where his feet were frozen and his legs amputated below the knees.
He married "Becky," and lived in a small house on the west side of Annawomscutt Brook. He earned a living by the sale of tautog and scup caught in the Bay, and by the cultivation of his garden. Adam kept his boats in Bullock's Cove, and walked to and from the Cove, every day, trundling a small wagon with his fishing tacke, bait, lunch, etc. He knew where to find the big tautog on the ledge at Nayatt, and it was a lonesome day to the old fisherman when he did not haul a six to ten pound fish.
Adam and "Becky" were the last of the Allin family in Barrington. They lived honest, industrious lives, were useful and respected in the neighborhood, and sleep in the Allin Burial Ground. This simple story is told to perpetuate the memories of these true friends of my boyhood.
"Ritty," or Henrietta Allin, was Adam's sister and lived in a little cottage on the east bank of Bullock's Cove. She was a useful washerwoman and died suddenly, alone in her humble home. She also sleeps near the families of her ancestors and their owners, and in the resurrection whose souls will be the whitest?
JOHN B. ALLEN
son of John, of Swansea, and a descendant of the first John, of Swansea; b. Nov. 24, 1830; occupation, merchantman, Providence; m. Ann Eliza S. Humphrey, Oct. 18, 1855.
children:
Annie Martin, Albert Humphrey, John Emerson.
was a member of City Council from First Ward prior to 1898; was Councilman-elect at the date of death, Dec., 1897. Mr. Allen was an active and successful business man, and bore an honorable part of the duties of public life.
GEORGE F. BICKNELL
Son of Joseph P. and Louisa (Allen) Bicknell; b. May 4, 1830; m. Angenette Wilmarth, Dec. 31, 1854.
child:
Business, gold-plater, and insurance; was in Civil War. See record, with the following facts to be added:
Served in defences of Baltimore in 1863, during battle of Gettsburg; recruiting officer for 3d R.I. Cavalry; served in camp at Canonicut Island, and at New Orleans; was in Red River campaign in command of a detachment which advanced Gen. Franklin's lines to the extreme point on the Texas road; guerilla hunting at Bayou La Fourche to end of war; was on court-martial duty at New Orleans, and Provost Marshal in Louisana until his resignation from the army, June 29, 1865.
ZECHARIAH BICKNELL
Son of John and Mary (Porter) Bicknell; born at Weymouth, Mass., Feb. 7, 1668; m. Hannah Smith, of Swansea, Nov. 24, 1692; moved to Swansea about 1705, and bought the lands on the west bank of Barrington River, north of Prince's Hill. Mr. Bicknell's house stood on land north of the present parsonage, fronting on the river; was influential in the establishment of the Congregational Church and in the separation of Barrington from Swansea; town meetings were often held at his house, and the records show him to have been a valuable citizen.
His children were:
Joshua, Hannah, James, Mary, Peter.
CHARLES F. ANTHONY
A descendant of the distinguished Anthony family of western R.I.; cousin of Hon. Henry B. Anthony, and son of Charles Anthony; was born at Richmond, R.I., 1841; moved to Providence in 1851; attended Grammar School, and two years at the High School; has been in the employ of the Pomroy and Hopkins Coal Co. since leaving school; has resided in Barrington, at Drownville, since 1877; married Harriet A. David of Providence, 1864;
children:
was elected to the Town Council of the town, 1896, '97, and '98, of which body he was elected to the presidency, April, 1898.
ORRIN S. ANTHONY
B. in Providence, Nov. 1, 1852; son of Charles and Hannah A. (Tillinghast) Anthony; educated in Public Schools, and at Mowry and Goff's Private School, Providence; entered business at the Providence Custom House, 1868; 1870-1875 was with the Providence and New York Steamship Co., as Receiving Clerk, and as Freight Clerk on one of the passenger propellers, and was one of the fortunate survivors of the Steamer Metis, lost off Watch Hill, August 30, 1872; was Passenger Agent of the New England Railroad Co., at Providence, 1878-1879; 1880 engaged with the American Screw Co., Providence, where he is its Purchasing Agent; removed to Drownville 1886; was member of Barrington Town Council during years 1890-1891; took an active interest in the Rural Improvement Association, and was its Secretary, Treasurer and President, 1895-6.
LEONARD S. BOSWORTH
Mr. Bosworth was one of the best representatives of the New England type of character that Barrington has produced. He was a thorough going American, both parents being of the old Plymouth stock. His father was Pearce Bosworth, and his mother was Celinda Martin. He was born June 20, 1821, and died March 15, 1888, at the age of 67 years. His public education was limited to the public schools of the early day, but his active mind gained strength and discipline throughout his busy and useful life. He established himself in business as a lumber and coal merchant, and his success was secured by strictly honest dealing, genial manners, and a Christian character. He was a member of the Cong. Church, and interested in all its home and missionary work. In town affairs he was always true to principles and convictions and was honored by election to the School Committee and the Town Council. He also collected the town taxes several years.
Mr. Bosworth married Laura Dunn, Aug. 10, 1848; children:
Caroline S.
Leonard P. Bosworth.
Mr. Bosworth left a well established and growing business at the Ferry, at Barrington Centre Depot, to be promoted by his son who has worthily succeeded him.
OTIS G. HARRIS
Son of Edwin H. Harris; b. Aug. 21, 1828; high school education in Providence; m. Louisa Allen Bicknell, Nov. 21, 1855; children:
Charles F.
Annie Louise.
Mary Dexter
Caroline Allen
He was a vestryman of St. John's Church, a member of the School Committee, and a good citizen.
He died Jan. 6, 1895.
JABEZ HEATH
Son of Maj. Peleg Heath and grandson of Rev. Peleg Heath; was born in Barrington March 14, 1781. Was a farmer by occupation. Married Mrs. Elizabeth Champlin, to whom two children were born:
Mr. Heath was a man of strong individuality, and unflinching courage. He had the Puritan qualities of character and might easily have been taken for one, in his simplicity of dress and manners and his uncompromising devotion to conscience. He studied the Bible as a daily textbook and his austere habits of thought and life seem to have been copied from the old prophets.
He read the Bible through forty times in course, as well as the general reading of it. He joined the Congregational Church in Barrington with six others in 1813, and was never absent, from choice, from church services and prayer meetings, until deafness and other infirmities prevented in his old age. When sleepy in the church services, he would stand erect as an arrow in his pew until the drowsiness had passed off, when he would resume his seat.
He died in June, 1870, at the good age of 90 years. He was a man whose public and private character were above fear and reproach.
MRS. AMY HORN
Dau. of Gen. Thomas and Amy (Bicknell) ALLIN: b. in Barrington, Nov. 7, 1773; m. Capt. John Horn Feb. 20, 1796. He died Dec. 18, 1796. One child, John, born 1796, died Dec. 26, 1800. Mrs. Horn died Jan. 25, 1816.
Mrs. Horn had an accomplished education for a woman of that day and was preceptress of Bristol Academy after her husband's death. Her pastor, Rev. Samuel Watson, wrote the following obituary:
"On the 27th ult., died at Barrington, Mrs. Amy Horn aged 42 years, widow of the late Capt. John Horn, was one of the daughters of the late General Thomas Allin. Without panegyric, Mrs. Horn claims a tribute grateful to her memory. She was sincere in his attachments, faithful in her principles and undisguised in her affections. She early professed the Christian Faith and verity, pursued the paths of righteousness and peace, and by a life devoted to God and to the honour of her sacred engagements, evidenced the reality of the religion she professed. She met her last enemy, death, with a becoming fortitude, under the strongest assurance that her 'Redeemer liveth.'
At the moment of her departure, with a pious resignation, she called on her surrounding friends to join her in singing a parting hymn which was religiously performed."
"Her soul has bid adieu, life's scene is o'er;
But hark! what music on the happy shore."
DAVID HOWELL
A distinguished scholar, lawyer, and judge; was a resident of Barrington for several years from 1799. He purchased the estate of the heirs of Matthew Allin, since known as the Drown estate at Drownville, and lived in the old house, built of William Allin before 1670.
Judge Howell set out many elm and cherry trees, built a very heavy wall along the road, east of his house, and otherwise improved the property.
JOHN B. HUMPHREYS
Son of Emerson and Huldah; born Feb. 9, 1824; received, as he says, "the commonest of common school education"; spent seven years in Calfornia from 1849 to 1856; m. (1) Mary A. REED of Pawtucket, 1848; one child, Mary E., born May, 1853; (2) Ellen F. RICHMOND, 1873; no children.
Since 1871 Mr. H. has been engaged as harness manufacturer at Providence, his present residence; was a member of Barrington Town Council from 1864 to 1872, and its president five years; was senator for B. in 1871; was an efficient moderator of town meetings several years, a member of the Centennial Committee in 1870, and in all points and honorable and useful citizen.
WILLIAM ALLIN
Son of Gen. Thomas and Amy Allen, was born 1768; graduated from B. U. in 1790, in a class of twenty two members, of which Moses Brown and Asa Messer were members. After graduation, Mr. Allin went to Alexandria, Virginia, and, on recommendation of President Manning, "for his sobriety and good abilities in the line of busines," obtained a private school at Falls Church, Fairfax Co., VA., which he taught till November, 1791, when he engaged in surveying for the winter.
In a letter to his father he writes for "Webster's Spelling Books, and English Grammars," three of each, and, if the season has been fruitful, "1 or 2 barrels of your best late made cyder and a barrel of apples."
Mr. Allin returned to Barrington, studied law, and was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar as counsellor at law. He practised law and attende to business affairs of the farm, taking an influential and honorable position in town affairs.
On the death of his father, in the year 1800, he succeeded him as associate manager with Joshua Bicknell of the Barrington Meeting House Lottery, to which he gave much time and energy. He was chairman of the committee for carrying the free school act into operation in the year 1800. He was elected as a Representative to the General Assembly for the years 1805, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21. He was also town clerk of the town during the years 1816-17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24-25-26, 29.
Mr. Allin was also a justice of the peace and held other minor town offices. He was a capable and faithful public officer, and sought in all his relations to serve his townsmen and state honestly and efficiently. He was a good surveyor, and many of the lines of farms and highways in the town were located by him. He died Jan. 4, 1827, in the 59th year of his age, and was buried at Drownville, in the Allin yard.
MATTHEW ALLIN
Son of Matthew and Ruth Allin, and brother of Gen. Thomas Allin, was born in Barrington in 1745, and, like his brother, Thomas, was an active and energetic man, interested in public affairs; was a member of the Barrington Militia Company, with so good a military training that, at the opening of the Revolution, he was chosen Captain Lieutenant (the rank of Captain) in Gen. Nathaniel Greene's brigade, Col. Church's regiment of the Army of Observation. He marched to Boston, and was in camp and service at Roxbury and Cambridge until the evacuation of Boston. His letters breathe spirit and devotion of the most heroic men of 1776. Captain Allin continued in the militia service for a considerable part of the war, but was occupied principally with personal and public business. He represented the town in the General Assembly in the year 1788.
Capt. Allin died May 10, 1794, in the 50th year of his age. His widow, Bathsheba, died Sept. 19, 1789. Both are buried in the Allin yard.
WILLIAM EDGAR COLLEY
Son of Thomas and Mary E. Colley; b. Providence, Aug. 16, 1859; on father's side from Thomas, of the War of 1812; and Thomas, of the Revolution; on mother's side from Gov. John CRANSTON; educated in public schools and at Mr. Cady's; engaged in Y.M.C.A. work at age of nineteen; attended training school at Harrisburg, Penn.; Gen. Sec. of Y.M.C.A. at Worcester; and at Salem, Mass., 1880; while there, m. Ruth W. SMITH, dau. of W. H. and Martha Smith of Barrington; in 1883 was made Secy. of Y.M.C.A. of Bridgeport, Conn.; while there, raised $200,000 for a building for the society; was made State Y.M.C.A. Secy. for Conn., and over $500,000 was added to the Y.M.C.A. property of the State Association while he held office, showing his ability and fitness for that work.
He has spoken in the interests of young men in all the large cities of the country. Mr. Colley resigned Y.M.C.A. work to engage in banking business at Bridgeport, and later came to Providence, where he is doing a successful business.
He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, of the I.O.O.F., and the A.O.U.W.; is connected with several business associations, and is an able agent of financial corporations.
Children: Richard Sayford, Robert House, and Dwight Townsend. Address, Providence, R.I.
JOSIAH KINNICUTT
Son of Daniel and Hannah (Kent) Kinnicutt, was born in Barrington, April 2, 1765; occupation, farmer and tavern keeper; married Rebecca TOWNSEND, dau. of Solomon and Martha (Bourne) Townsend, by Rev. Solomon Townsend, Nov. 8, 1787; Daniel Kinnicutt, Josiah's father, built and lived in a house at Happy Hollow, north and east of the present Town Hall. Josiah Kinnicutt bought the house and land near the Barrington River, about one-fourth of a mile north of Cong. meeting-house, and made it a house for public entertainment. After the Revolution, the sign on the tavern post bore the picture of an American eagle with outstretched wings.
The first post-office in Barrington was opened in this house, with Mr. Kinnicutt as postmaster, who held that office until his death, March 25, 1838.
Mr. Kinnicutt brought the first anthracite coal into the town from Providence. It was called "stone coal," and was placed on top of the wood fire to burn. The chunk was so large, however, that it would not ignite, and the neighbors decided that hickory wood was good enough for them, and that they would not adopt "stone coal" for their fuel. This was in 1827.
In 1825 Mr. Kinnicutt was chosen by the town to have charge of the hearse and house, a duty that was performed by him and his son George, as long as the town owned such a carriage. He was chosen to represent the town in the General Assembly for the years, 1834, 35 and 36.
NELSON A. MILES
Soldier; b. Westminster, Mass., August 8, 1839; academic education; mercantile pursuits in Boston; enlisted for the war, Sept. 9, 1861, as lieutenant in the 22d Mass. Infantry; was commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel of the 61st New York Vols., May 31, 1862; made Colonel Sept. 30; was made Brevet Brigadier-General for the gallantry at Chancellorsville; was advanced to full rank May 12, 1864; was made Major-Gen. Oct. 11, 1865; General Miles fought in all the battles of the army of the Potomac, save one, until the surrender of Lee.
From 1869 to 1887 he was engaged in the West against hostile Indian tribes, with remarkable success. He now holds the highest rank as Major-General of the U.S. Army, and is in command of the land forces in the war with Spain.
Gen. Miles is a direct descendant of Rev. John Myles, the founder of the Baptist Church of Swansea, in Barrington.
HUGH COLE
Born about 1627; son of James and Mary Cole, Plymouth; was registered at Plymouth in 1643 among "the males that are able to beare Armes from XVI Yeares old to 60 Yearse;" was admitted a freeman of the town of Plymouth in 1657, and of Swansea in 1670; married (1) Mary FOXWELL of Scituate, Jan. 8, 1654.
children:
James, Cole, b. Nov. 3, 1655.
Hugh Jr., b. March 8, 1658.
John, b. May 15, 1660.
Martha, b. April 16, 1662.
Anna, b. Oct. 14, 1664.
Ruth, b. Jan. 8, 1666.
Joseph, b. May 15, 1668.
Ebenezer, b. 1671.
Mary.
Benjamin, b. 1678.
Married (2) widow, Elizabeth COOKE, Jan. 1, 1693; m. (3) widow MORTON, 1698; held offices as selectman, deputy, juryman for several years; was an accomplished land surveyor and a ship builder, and a large land owner.
In 1669 Philip sold to Hugh COLE and others, 500 acres of land in Swansea. This tract was on the west side of Cole's River, which took its name from Mr. Hugh Cole, who resided thereon previous to 1675. At the breaking out of the Indian war, two sons of Hugh Cole were made prisioners by the Indians and taken to Philip at Mount Hope. Philip, from his friendship for their father, sent them back with a message to Mr. Cole that he did not wish to injure him, but, as his younger warriors might disobey his orders, advised him to repair to Rhode Island for safety. Mr. Cole immediately made ready and started with all his family in a boat, when he beheld his house in flames.
After the war, 1677, Mr. Cole returned and located on the east side of Touisset Neck, on Kickemuit River in Warren. The farm he owned and the well he dug in 1677 are yet in possession of his lineal descendants. Mr. Cole was a member of John Myles's Church and was an influential man in town and church.
He died Jan. 26, 1699, leaving a large descent to perpetuate the name and good qualities of their distinguished ancestor. Miss Asenath W. Cole, a descendant, lives on the ancestral land, and is loyal to the Cole history. I am indebted to her for other valuable historical material, which may be used later.
HORATIO GATES JONES
Son of Rev. Horatio Gates Jones and Deborah (LEVERING) Jones, was born Jan. 9, 1822; graduated from Univ. of Pennsylvania in 1841; was a lawyer by profession; married Caroline V. BABCOCK May 27, 1852; no children; was deacon of a Baptist Church in Philadelphia; trustee of Crozer Theolog. Seminary; manager of Baptist Publication Society; was chosen senator to State Senate (Penn.) in 1874, and re-elected in 1876 and 1878.
He died March 14, 1893, in the room in which he was born, in the house in which he had lived all his life at Roxborough, Philadelphia, Penn.
Mr. Jones was a man of rare natural gifts, which received excellent training and were consecrated to the noblest uses. In his profession, in social and church life, in politics, in business, and in official relations he was an active, benevolent, manly, Christian citizen. As Mr. Jones spent a considerable time of each year in Barrington, was deeply interested in all the interests of the people, and as he married a lady of Barrington descent, this brief biographical note is appropriately inserted.
SYLVESTER ALLEN
Son of Samuel and Ruth Allen; b. Sept. 16, 1778; m. Nancy LUTHER, Feb. 15, 1807. Lived at the Allen homestead until 1830, when he moved to Providence, where he died Nov. 15, 1832, at the age of 54.
children:
Martha Watson, b. 1809.
Samuel, b. 1811.
Joseph L., b. 1813.
Cyrus.
Ezra Stiles, b. 1819.
Nancy.
SAMUEL ALLEN
While Gen. Thomas Allin was the most distinguished military character that Barrington produced in the Revolutionary period, Samuel Allen was the most prominent and useful to town and state in civil life. He was born in Barrington in 1739 and lived in the house near Barrington River, now occupied by Mr. Benson Bean.
He belonged to one of the most influential families of the town, and early took an active interest in public affairs. In March, 1774, Mr. Allen was appointed on the Committee of Correspondence, and was in constant repsponsible service for his town and country during the war. In 1778 he was elected as a deputy from Barrington to the General Assembly, continuing in office until 1790. He was also elected as one of the five justices of the Court of Common Pleas for Bristol County, serving in that office 1778 - 1782, and as chief justice of the County Court of Common Pleas in 1790-1792. In 1790 Mr. Allen and Gen. Thomas Allin were members of the Convention which adopted the Federal Constitution. The two votes of Samuel and Thomas Allin made the majority of two by which this state became on of the United States. The vote stood 34 in favor to 32 against. Had either voted "no" the Constitution would not have been adopted.
Mr. Allen continued to serve the town as one of its most useful citizens and was the town clerk from 1794 to 1808. His tombstone at Prince's Hill bears the record that Mr. Allen "passed a life of useful labors both in public and private vocations."
He died Oct. 22, 1808, in the 70th year of his age. His widow, Ruth, (VIALL) Allen, died Nov. 7, 1811, aged 74 years.
children:
Asa Allen, b. 1760, d. 1805.
Joseph Viall Allen, b. 1762, lost at sea in a hurricane, Oct. 8, 1780.
Rachel Allen, b. 1765, d. 1847.
Samuel Allen, b. 1768, d. 1827.
Sylvester Allen, b. 1770, d. 1776.
James Allen, b. 1772, d. 1774.
Eunice Allen, b. 1775.
Sylvester Allen, b. 1778, d. 1832.
James Allen Jr., b. 1780, d. 1789.
JOHN BROWN
The ancestors of the Brown families lived in the south and west of England, and emigrated to Boston and Plymouth between the years 1620 and 1692.
Peter Brown, the first comer, was of Puritan stock, and came in the Mayflower in 1620. He was young and unmarried at the time of his arrival, but before 1633, the date of his death, had married two wives, and two children had been born of each. Peter settled in Duxbury.
John Brown became acquainted with the Pilgrims at Leyden, prior to 1620. The year of his arrival in America is unknown, probably about 1630, as we find him elected a freeman in 1634, and in 1636 an assistant, an office which he held by annual election for seventeen years. He was at this time between forty and fifty years of age, as we find his son, James Brown, admitted as a freeman in 1636. Mr. Brown was a man of large intelligence, great energy of character, and deep and earnest piety.
He was a grand pioneer in the settlement of the towns on the west of old Plymouth. In 1636 he was a resident of Duxbury. We find his name among the purchasers of the tract of land called Cohannett, or Taunton, in 1637, and he with Miles Standish erected bounds around the purchase in 1640. Thither he had probably removed with his family before 1643, for among the fifty-four males subject to military duty in that year, his name stands first, followed by those of his two sons, John Jr. and James.
During the same year he was one of the company to purchse Rehoboth, and his interest in that township was the largest of any, amounting to 600 pounds.
Prior to June 9, 1645, he had removed to Rehoboth, for we find his name first, with six others, who were chosen to order the prudential affairs of that town for six months. His son James removed from Taunton with him, and his son John followed in 1647.
In December, 1645, Mr. Brown Sr. became sole proprietor of the section known by the Indians as Wannamoisett, and Wannamoisett Neck (now Bullock's Point and Riverside), which originally included a portion of the present towns of Rehoboth and Swansea, with a large portion of Barrington, and the south part of Seekonk and East Providence. His name appears on all of the important committees of the town. Now he was chosen to carry on a suit at the Court, - afterwards "to make diligent search to find out the most convenient way between Rehoboth and Dedham," - then he, with Mr. Peter Hunt, were ordered to go to Plymouth, "to make agreement about the Indian complaints," and various other records of public duties, which indicate his prominence and ability as a citizen of the town and of the colony.
His liberal sentiments on religious affairs were positive, and, as a colonial magistrate, he expressed his scruples as to the propriety of coercing the people to support the minister, and offered to pay all delinquencies from his own estates.
In 1643 the colonies of Plymouth, Massachsetts, Connecticut and New Haven united in a confederacy, styled the United Colonies of New England, for their common defence and welfare. Mr. John Brown represented Plymouth colony for twelve years, and was associated in these deliberations with such men as John Winthrop, Gov. Haynes, Mr. Eaton, Mr. Bradstreet, and Gov. Winslow. In this body he exercised a large influence, and served the colony wisely and faithfully.
Mr. Brown died at Wannamoisett, April 10, 1662. An obituary notice is given of him by Morton, in his New England Memorial, pp. 295, 296, 297:
His burial place is probably in what is now known as the "Viall Burial Ground," on the Little Neck, in Wannamoisett, at the head of Bullock's Cove. My reasons for this belief are these: The locality is within the limits of Wannamoisett, which he purchased of the Indians, and also within the bounds of Ancient Swansea, which included a large portion of that purchase. It was upon his own estate, where family burial grounds were often located.
His widow, Dorothy Brown, was buried there; she died at Swansea, Jan. 27, 1674, aged ninety years.
His daughter Mary and her husband, Capt. Thomas WILLET, with other descendants, were buried in this ground, and the locality was formerly known as "Brown Burial Ground."
Mr. Brown left three children-
Mary, who married Capt. Thomas Willett.
John Jr., who settled with his father in Rehoboth, and
James Brown, who was one of the most influential men in the founding of Swansea, as well as one of the leading members of Mr. Myles's church.
THOMAS WILLIAMS BICKNELL
Son of Allin and Harriet Byron (KINNICUTT) Bicknell; b. SEpt. 6, 1834; named for Rev. Thomas Williams; Barrington schools till 1850; grad. Thetford Academy, Thetford, Vt., July, 1853; Amherst College, Freshman year, 1853-4; grad. B.U. 1860, degree A. M.
Teacher.
Seekonk, 1852-3; Rehoboth, 1853, 1855, and 1856-7; principal public schools Elgin, Ill., 1855-6; principal Bristol High School, 1860 - Feb., 1864, and May, 1867 to May, 1869; principal Arnold St. Grammar School, Prov. R.I., from February, 1864 to May, 1867; Commissioner of Public Schools for Rhode Island June, 1869 to Jan., 1875; editor and publisher, Boston, from Jan. 1875 to 1893.
Editor
R. I. Schoolmaster, 1865 to 1875; founder and editor of The Journal of Education, New England and National; of the Primary Teacher, of Good Times, and the magazine, Education; editor and owner of The Dorchester Beacon, 1875 - 1893.
Presidencies
R. I. Institute of Instruction, 1866-68; New England Pub. Co., 1875 to 1886; American Institute of Instruction, 1878-79; organizer of National Council of Education in 1880, and its president 1880, 81, 82, 83; National Education Association, 1884; Interstate Commission on Federal Aid to Education; R.I. Cong. S.S.Ass'n, 1872-75; Boston Sunday School Supts. Ass'n., 1880-82; Mass. Cong. S.S. Ass'n, 1882-86; International S.S. Convention, 1884; Bicknell Family Association, and various other bodies.
Representative
Elected from Barrington to the General Assembly of R. I. 1859-60; elected from the 24th Suffolk District, Boston, to the General Court of Massachusetts, Nov., 1888, and Nov. 1889, serving two years.
Published works
Life of William Lord Noyes, 1863; six annual reports as Commissioner of Public Schools, 1869-1875; editorial and other matter in R.I. Schoolmaster, Bristol Phenix, The Journal of Education, Primary Teacher, The Magazine Education, The Dorchester Beacon; educational addresses on School Supervision, Federal Aid to Education, Civil Service Reforn in Education, School Journalism, National System of Education, etc. etc.; historical addresses on John Myles and Religious Tolderation, dedication of Town Hall at Rehoboth, also of Barrington, Historical Notes of Barrington, 1870; addresses at Bicknell Association, at Rehotobth, 250the anniversary celebration, 1894, etc. etc.; The History of Barrington, 1898.
Travels
The United States, Alaska, Asia Minor, Austria, Bulgaria, Canadas, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey.
Titles
A. M. from Brown University, 1860; A. M. honorary, Amherst, Mass., 1878; L.L.D., Drury College, Mo.
ALLIN BICKNELL
Oldest son of Joshua and Amy Bicknell; born in Barrington, April 3, 1787; joined the Congregational Church in Barrington, with about 70 others, 1820, and maintained a consistent Christian character for more than fifty years; succeeded his honored father, Judge Bicknell, as a deacon of the Congregational Church; was Captain of the Barrington Infantry and Lieutenant-Colonel of the Bristol County Reg.; was a member of the town council for several years; was a representative of the town in the General Assembly for the years 1842, 46, 49, and a senator from 1850 to 1854.
Married (1) Harriet Byron KINNICUTT, daughter of Josiah and Rebecca Kinnicutt.
Married (2) Elizabeth W. ALLEN, daughter of Gen. Thomas and Amy Allen.
He was industrious, generous, died Aug. 22, 1870, aged 83 years, 4 months, 7 days.
children:
Joshua, George Augustus, Daniel Kinnicutt, and Thomas Williams.
His biographer, Dr. Babcock thus speaks of him:
"For several years he was chosen to represent the people in both branches of Legislature, and performed these duties in a manner highly acceptable and useful. But public life was by no means his choice. His honest integrity, and his quiet, unobstrusive, healthy tone of life rendered him the admiration and delight of the private circle where, without ostentatious parade or pretentiousness of any kind, he won the full confidence and esteem of those most intimate with him. His prudent and temperate care in the exercise of godly virtues, bore him on the even tenor of his way, and carried him beyond the bounds of fourscore years."
PAUL MUMFORD
Was the most distinguished citizen of Barrington, not of native stock. He came from Newport with his family and purchased the Hooker Low estate, in 1774, at B. Centre. He held the offices of town deputy, Colonial Commissioner, Justice and Chief Justice of the Sup. Court, Governor's Assistant, a delegate to the Colonial Congress, and lieutenant governor from 1803 to 1805.
Two members of the Mumford family were buried at Prince's Hill, a son, William, b. Feb. 3, 1770, and d. Nov. 24, 1776, and Mrs. Mary Mumford, his wife, b. Aug. 12, 1737; d. June 22, 1779. She was the daughter of Rev. John and Ann MAYCLEAN, and was a woman of fine social qualities and great executive ability, conducting the affairs of the farm and dairy as well as her large household during her husband's absence. Judge Mumford sold his property in Barrington and returned to Newport about 1800.
IRVING M. SMITH
Son of Nathaniel C. and Sally (BOWEN) Smith, b. July 15, 1852; drug business; m. Caroline W. KITCHUM; children, Kenneth Valentine, Nathalie Church; d. Dec. 1, 1895.
Mr. Smith was one of the most active, useful, and unselfish men Barrington has produced, and his early death may be traced to excessive labors in local affairs, added to the cares of family and business. He was a natural leader and reformer and engaged in new projects with unbounded zeal and faith in their success. He counted difficulties and opposition as naught compared with the gains of successful plans. The town of Barrington was his idol, and he worshipped its history and traditions, and worked without stint for its advancement. He led in the organization of the Barrington Rural Improvement Association, and was its leading spirit until his death. Through this association he led the way in securing the recognition of Arbor Day as a state holiday. The Rhode Island Business Men's Association owes its life to him and he was chosen its first president in recognition of his labors. The same is true of the R. I. Rural Improvement Association. His example was contagious and inspired all to larger efforts, and there is scarcely a feature of the physical features of the town that has not in these busy years of his life felt some benefit therefrom.
The present History of Barrington was undertaken at his urgent suggestion, endorsed by the town Improvement Association. His life work may be said to have been suggestive, administrative, and inspirational. His ambitions lay along the line of public service, and his name and reputation are secure.
JOSHUA BICKNELL (Zachary, John, Zechariah, Joshua, Joshua.)
Son of Joshua and Jerusha (HEATH) Bicknell, was born at the house known as The Kinnicutt Tavern, in Barrington, Jan. 14, 1759. Amy BROWN, his wife, was born at "The Ferry House," Aug. 1, 1762. Married April 18, 1782.
He entered public life when but a youth; was a soldier in the Revolution. During a long life served the town, county, and State in various official positions. He was a senator or a representative in the General Assembly of Rhode Island from 1787 to 1799; 1802 to 1805; 1807, 08; 1823 to 1826. He served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island from 1794 to 1837.
The purity of his life, the integrity of his motives, and the justice of his opinions and decisions gave him the merited soubriquet of "Old Aristides." He was plain in his domestic habits, and, when unoccupied with public affairs, devoted himself to his farm, and especially to fruit culture, in which he took great pleasure. He united with the Congregational Church in Barrington, Nov. 5, 1805, and held the office of deacon for many years. He was also Treasurer of the United Congregational Society from its formation in 1797 until his death in 1837, a period of forty years.
His biographer says of him: "But very few men have been better known throughout the State, and perhaps none survived him who possess more historical and statistical knowledge of the State, from the commencement of the Revoltuion to the present time. of no man may it be more justly said, he has lived devoted to the best interests of Rhode Island. No man more ardently loved his country."
JAMES BROWN
Son of John, Sen., and Dorothy, admitted freeman at Plymouth, 1636, at Taunton, 1643, and at Rehoboth, 1658; m. Lydia HOWLAND, daughter of John Howland of the Mayflower; was liberal in civil and religious matters, and an ardent friend of Rev. John Myles; was fined 5 pounds, with Mr. Myles, for setting up a Baptist meeting in Rehoboth, in 1667; was one of the seven constituent memebers of the Myles Church; opposed the union of church and state, as did his father, John, and believed in individual freedom as to church support and religious belief; was Assistant to the Governor, 1665, 1666, and from 1673 to 1683, when he refused to serve longer; was a deputy from Swansea, 1666, 1669, 1671; was allowed 20 pounds for cattle killed in the Narragansett country in Philip's War; went twice, on June 14 and 15, 1675, to Philip to persuade him to be quiet, but at both times found his men in arms, and "Philip very high, and not perswadable to peace;" his son James, was admitted a freeman in 1681; he probably lived at Wannamoisett, on his father's large estate, and is buried at Little Neck.
THOMAS CHAFFEE
Son of Nathaniel and Experience Chaffee; his father was freeman in Plymouth in 1658, and in Rehoboth in 1681; Thomas was born in Swansea; from Nathaniel has sprung a large descent of families, bearing the name and the honorable character of the ancestor, who was an influential citizen, and a large land holder in this section; Thomas was one of Sowams proprietors, and owned lands in Barrington. The family lived in the Peck neighborhood, near Barrington River, and burials were made near the river.
DESIRE KENT
One of the oldest monuments in the Tyler's Point Cemetery stands in memory of Desire Kent, wife of Samuel Kent, of Barrington. The inscription says she "was the first English woman's grand-daughter on New England." This statement has been interposed to mean that Mrs. Kent was the grand daughter of Mary Chilton, to whom tradition gives the honor of being the first woman of the Mayflower band to land on Plymouth Rock.
The genealogical history of Mary Chilton and her descendants disproves this theory, however pleasing it may be to Mrs. Kent's descendants, of whom the writer is one.
A more probable theory is that Desire Kent's maiden name was Desire CHUSMAN, daughter of Thomas Cushman and Ruth Howland, and grand-daughter of John Howland and Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland, both of whom came in the Mayflower. If this theory is true, the lithographic statement may mean that Desire was the grand-daughter of one of the Mayflower Company, in the first immigration "on New England." There is a probable error on the tombstone as to her age. The stone says, "Aged about 94 years." A MSS. book of Genealogical notes, made by Dr. Turner, an able and accurate historian and genealogist, has the following record:
"Kent, Desire, died Feby. 8, 1763, aged 89, on Tuesday. Would have been 90 the next day." This date makes Desire's birth to occur in 1673.
SAMUEL BOSWORTH
married Elizabeth JOY of Joseph and Mary Joy (Pearce) (Low), about 1767 or 8; children, Anna, 1769; Joseph, 1771; Samuel, 1773; Mary, 1779; Elizabeth, 1782. Fought in the Revolution.
JOHN ROGERS
"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church" is the pith of an old truth and familiar to all, but the people of Barrington may not be acquainted with the fact that possibly the blood of the martyrs lies buried in the sacred soil of Prince's Hill. In the old part of "God's Acre," south of the ravine, is an old tombstone, bearing the name of John Rogers. His patenal grandfather, Thomas Rogers, came in the Mayflower in 1620, and died at Plymouth the first winter of the arrival. This Thomas is said to be a lineal descendant of the celebrated martyr, John Rogers, of Smithfield, England, of Mary's time. John 3rd, son of John 2nd, and the grandson of Thomas(1), married Elizabeth PABODIE, daughter of William and Elizabeth Alden Pabodie, and Elizabeth Alden Pabodie was the daughter of John and Priscilla (Mullens) Alden, both passengers on the Maylfower.
John 3rd was a merchant, lived in Duxbury, Boston and Barrington, successively, and died in our town in 1732, at the ripe old age of 92 years. The blood of John Rogers runs in the veins of the Richmond and other families of Barrington.
THOMAS ROGERS
was a passenger in the Mayflower; children:
ABIGAIL SALISBURY
Barrington had heroines as well as heroes during the Revolutionary period. The women of the town must have encourged and nursed the patriotic spirit with true devotion, or the husbands, fathers and sons could not and would not have made so heroic a record. In addition to the ordinary work of the women of the household, which was very arduous and exacting in the early day, the care of the farm, the stock, and the business of the exchange of farm produce for household needs, were added. We must also add the making of blankets and clothing for the soliders, and the care of men, sick and wounded in the service.
Among the most distinguished of the number, among Barrington housewives, was Abigil Salisbury, wife of George Salisbury, who was a sergeant of a guard stationed at Rumstick, and who saw other service during the war. Benjamin Cowell, author of "The Spirit of '76 in Rhode Island," says of Mrs. Salisbury:
"She was another choice specimen of female patiotism. She was one hundred years old when she applied for a pension, was married fifteen years before the war, and she too took an active part in the struggle for Independence, and knit stockings for the whole guard. She showed the writer a pair of stocking she knit after she was one hundred years old."
Mr. and Mrs. Salisbury lived on the west highway in Barrington, on land now owned by E. F. Richmond. It is related of Mrs. Salisbury that she read the Bible through each year, during the last thirty years of her life. One who knew her say, "She had a fair complexion, a full, bright eye, and was short and thickset in body. Her mind was active to the close of life."
She was born May 26, 1738, died Aug. 30, 1839, at the age of 101 years and three months old, and with her huband was buried at Prince's Hill Cemetery.
NATHANIEL POTTER
Son of Earl C. and Hannah Potter; contracting builder, and brick maker; at the age of twenty-one he built the Groton monument in Conn., the Unitarian Church on Mathewson St., and many brick residences on High St. After the great fire in Charleston, S.C., he, together with his brothers, engaged in the reconstruction of much of the burnt district, including the Charleston hotel.
In 1847 he started the Brick Works in Barrington, which grew into a large business through his energies. Nayatt Point at that time attracted his attention, and he became the owner of the original farmhouse with many acres of land, to which he added, establishing the Hotel known for many years as the Bay House. He beautified the place by planting hundreds of trees, which have now grown, and stand as a monument to his efforts, and also did much in making roads in the town of Barrington.
N. J. SMITH
Born Providence, R.I., March 31, 1838; grad. of H.S.; banking and jewelry from 1855 to 1875; Junior partner in H. M. Coombs & Co.; had valuable military experience in connection with the F.L.I. and other bodies; resides at Barrington Centre; is Treas. of the B.R. Improv. Association, and is deeply interested in all town matters.
REV. LUTHER WRIGHT
Born at Acton, Mass., April 19, 1770; was ordained a Congregational minister at Medway, Mass., 1798; m. Anna, dau. of Rev. Josiah BRIDGES; preached at Medway seventeen years, and was installed at Barrington, Jan. 29, 1817, where he labored in the gospel ministry four and one-half years. "The Great Revival" occurred during his pastorate, and more than eighty persons united with the church. The Congregational Sunday School was established during Mr. Wright's ministry, and the Church Creed was adopted.
The last generation of Barrington people remembered Mr. Wright's work with great satisfaction. He died at the ripe old age of eighty-eight years, at Woburn, Mass., June 1858.
GEORGE W. WIGHTMAN
Son of Daniel and Charlotte Wightman; b. May 10, 1821; m. Lydia Bosworth SMITH, May 10, 1843; childlren:
Harriet Chace, Annie Wilson, Walter Russell, George Henry.
died Feb. 24, 1893.
Mr. Wightman spent his early years on a farm in Barrington, but the most of his active life was devoted to the development of system and proper organization in benevolent, charitable, and correctional institutions, for which he had remarkable fitness and adaptability.
His first experience as an executive officer over charitable work, was in the office of Overseer of the Poor in Providence, where he made a wise administration from 1857 to 1889. In June, 1869, at the organization of "The Board of State Charities and Corrections," Mr. Wightman was chosen the Agnet and Acting Superintendent of the Board, continuing in office until his death. An Overseer of the Poor of the City, and Agent of the Board for many years, Mr. Wightman had a fullest opportunity to exercise his remarkable talent for the work, and in the study of the needs and care of the dependent classes, he learned and applied wiser and more humane methods of treatment.
His large acquaintance with men and institutions outside the State, made him an authority in charity and correction management. His tender sympathies, good judgment, and wise counsels brought him into close contact with the people he was called on to aid, and the officials, responsible for their care. The unfortunate of all classes and conditons found in Mr. Wightman a true friend as well as a faithful officer, who was in touch with their infirmities and sorrows. He had the strength of will and magnetic energy that gave strength and courage of the weak and erring, and cheered the hopeless to hopefullness. At his death, the Board, whose Agent he had been for twenty-four years, said:
"During this long period, Mr. Wightman had the fullest confidence and esteem of the Board, and they desire to record here their appreciation of him, as a true and able man, and an honest and efficient officer. Mr. Wightman was a man of marked and masterful individuality, and it was not at first interchange of relations with him that he always estimated at his true value; but when the relations became closer few failed to find him a man of strong intellect, excellent judgment, and kindly and sympathetic feeling."
MOSES TYLER
Was a prominent citizen of the town of Barrington, and was descended from an honorable English ancestry.
His great grandfather was Thomas Tyler, who came from England soon after the Pilgrims and settled in Boston. His great grandmother was Miriam SIMPKINS, daughter of Pilgrim Simpkins of the Mayflower party.
He was the son of Moses Tyler and Hannah (LUTHER) Tyler of Boston. He was born Nov. 26, 1734, and in early manhood came to Rhode Island. He married Elizabeth ADAMS and settled in Barrington near Duncah Kelley's ferry, the place of crossing the main or post road between the towns of Bristol and Providence.
Inheriting the thrifty habits of his Tyler ancestry, he became in early manhood a freeholder and at middle life was one of the largest owners of real property in the town.
The tract of land on which he resided extended between Palmer's River on the east to Barrington River on the west and has ever since been known as "Tyler's Point." On the upland of this land is one of the old burying grounds of the town and is known as the "Tyler Burial Ground."
The sturdy virtues and independence of character of his Pilgrim ancestors were prominent in Moses Tyler's life, and while yet a young man he took an active interest in the affairs of the town, and was always to be found in favor of all measures that had for their object the general welfare of the people. He noted with concern and anxiety the disposition of the British Parliament to enact measures of oppression toward the American Colonies, and was among the first to raise his voice and exert his influence in resisting them. He never hesitated to affirm that "the instincts of freedom are inherited from the Creator, and the oppressive edict of a tyrant King and his Parliament must be resisted even to the sacrifice of life and fortune." At a town meeting called by the people of Barrington on March 14, 1774, to consider the action of Parliament in placing a duty upon all tea exported to the American Colonies, he took an active part, and at a subsequent meeting held March 21st, he was appointed a member of a committee of seven citizens to correspond with similar committees appointed by the other towns in the different colonies to arrange for concerted action in opposition to receiving or using from any source or under any circumstances any of the "dutied tea."
He was elected a deputy to represent the town of Barrington in the General Assembly in 1776-77, and served his constituents faithfully and acceptably. He was also a member of the town militia and appointed a lieutenant, and elected by the General Assembly a justice of the peace.
Moses Tyler died Sept. 16, 1811, aged 77.
EMERSON HUMPHREY
Son of John and Elizabeth (BULLOCK) Humphrey; b. Oct. 24, 1792; farmer; member of Town Council 1826, 1834, 1838-45; president for 8 years; moderator of town meetings from 1839 to 1836, lacking one year; was a captain in the town militia and commanded the Barrington Company of 32 men in the Dorr War; was a member of the state convention to frame a Consitution in 1841; was elected Senator to the General Assembly for the years 1845 and 1846; while through his long life he took a deep interest in local and state affairs, and was ever ready by his example and with his means to promote all enterprises for the improvement of the interests of this town.
He was married in 1819 to Huldah PECK, daughter of Ebenezer and Huldah (BROWN) Peck, who survived him four years, dying in 1869. By her he had six children, five of whom survive him. He died in 1865, after a most painful and distressing illness of more than a year's duration, aged 72 years.
DAVID A. WALDRON
Born Bristol, R.I., May 10, 1828; learned tailor's trade and conducted business in Bristol, then engaged in clothing business in Ohio; purchased the Chapin estate at Drownville about 1870; m. (1) Mary A. SIMMONS of Bristol; children:
a son, Walter, and Mary Marcia (who m. Walter A. Potter)
Mr. W. m. (2) Mrs. Mary J. D. BOWEN, of Warren.
He conducted a real estate business for twenty-five years in Providence and was well known throughout the state. He held many offices, civil and military, among which were the presidencies of the trustees of the town library, of the Antiq. Society, of the United Cong. Soc.; was the efficient superinetendant of the Cong. Sunday School for many years, was actively interested in Y.M.C.A. work, in church work, and was devoted to the various matteres, which promoted growth of Barrington. His ministries to the sick and needy were constant and generous, and in all his social and benevolent work he had a sympathetic and wise counsellor in Mrs. Waldron, both of whom were very useful members of the religious society and community.
REV. CHARLES PEABODY
Born July 1, 1810; grad. Williams College 1838; pastorates, Biddleford, Me., Barrington, 1843-46, Ashford, Conn., Windsor, Mass. and Pownal, Vt.
Mr. Peabody's pastorate was a useful one, but was disturbed by a division in the church over matters relating to the parsonage, which was a bone of contention for many years. He was a genial, peacemaking man, earnest and devoted to his ministerial work, and had it not been for troubles in the church and community, his labors would have been richly blessed.
JOHN KELLEY
Son of Dunkin and Abigail Kelley; b. Dec. 3, 1799; miller and toll-keeper; m. (1) Lois MARTIN, children: John Edward, George Henry, Esek Brown, Anna C., Charles D.
Married (2) Sarah JONES, children: Sarah, William Winslow.
He was of a family of ferry keepers and managed the affairs of the ferry and mill well, and left the reputation of a kind husband, a good neighbor, and an honest man. He died Nov. 22, 1860.
REV. WILLIAM HOUSE
Born Dec. 24, 1826, in New York; grad. Princeton College 1854, and Seminary 1858; m. Frances SAVAGE, 1859; pastorates in Londonderry, N.H., 1858-1873; and Barrington 1873, 1886.
Among the results of a successful ministry, over 90 were added to the church, benevolences were increased, and the life of the church elevated and quickened; later labors in Providence in the Union and Beneficent Churches. Mr. House was a true, pure, sincere, unselfish, conscientious, courageous man and minister.
He died in 1898, leaving a widow and four children in life.
REV. FRANCIS HORTON
Born in Boston; grad. B.U. 1828; pastor of churches at West Brookfield, Mass., 1832-1841; West Cambridge, 1842 to 1856; Barrington, 1856-1872. During his ministry in B. 136 were added to the church.
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