A Brief History of the Tow N. of Glocester, Rhode Island
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A B R IE F H IS T O R Y O F T H E . TOW N O F G LO C E ST E R , R H O E I S L A N D D , P RE C EDED B Y A SKET C H O F TH E T ERRITORY W H I LE A PART O F PROVI D EN C E . BY E LIZAB ET H A . PERRY . ’ ’ A x l v ' A l l u 3 \ h m 1 b U lVI I A LV ! r K lN L il/ Kb. A B R IE F H IS T O R Y O F T H E . TOW N O F G LO C E ST E R , R H O E I S L A N D D , P RE C EDED B Y A SKET C H O F T H E T ERR ITORY W H I LE A PART O F PROVI DEN C E . BY E LIZAB ET H A . PERRY . PROVIDEN C E ' PROV IDE N C E P RE S S C O M P AN Y , P R IN HE R S . 1886 . C P R E F A E . IN e the fo llo w in e the autho r e e e ee pr paring g pag s , has b n xc dingly d e sirous that a his to ry of the town of Gloce ste r might be pre s e n te d i n a e e e e e . A e f e e e conn ct d form , from its first s ttl m nt n fort has b n mad to e e . I e e e ffi stat things accurat ly , and on good authority t has b n v ry di cul t T h h to asce rtai n date s i n som e i nstance s . e source s wh e nce t e informa ’ tion is d e rive d a re various : Bartl e tt s Colonial Re cords ; Sch e dul e s of t he town pre s e n te d ye arly to t he G e n e ral Ass e mbly ; T own Re cords ; old n ewspap e rs ; private pap e rs ; reading of many books that had re fe r e e e the e nce to town matt rs ; trav lling ov r town , and information from ’ e ld e rly town s p e opl e . e e e e z e e Gloc st r has furnish d som citi ns of high p rsonal worth , and e w e e . honor to oth r to ns , stat s and countri s PROV IDE N C E . I 1886 . , Jan , I T R F L E R H S O Y O G O C STE . TH E I Burrillville town of Glocester, R . , including was r F 2 0 I I o ganized ebruary , V3 I t is bounded on the north by b Smit hfield Massachusetts , on the east y , on the south by b Scituate , and on the west y Connecticut . A brief sketch of the territory will be given previous to the time the town was taken from Providence . Its history , in some rude meas ure , is nearly coeval with the first settlement in Providence b y Roger Williams and his associates in the year 16 36 . This land was disposed of to Roger Williams and others by the sachems of several tribes of Indians , they receiving for the e same , payment that was satisfactory to ach tribe . Tracts of land were often granted for very little recompense . It is recorded that Uncas gave the first grant of land by deed . Sometimes grants of land were made to the whites for im portant services done for the sachems . The disposal of n n lands as to boundaries was very i defi ite , and sometimes An without date . y enterprise that promoted public good F or was considered payment for lands . instance , to settle a miller that would build a mill to grind corn and other grain a blacksmith or a sawmill built , a grant of land was often given . Sometimes the sachems disposed of hundreds of acres for very little consideration , also promising to assist in b the whites cases of emergency , y hastening with their warriors for their relief . The tribes had very little knowl edge of the value of land , or the worth of different forest trees . Through the kind influence of Roger Williams , the Indians generally had a strong attachment to the whites . The Nip muck Indians extended from Massachusetts and Connecticut as into the northwest corner of this State , found when first 6 HISTORY O F GLOCESTER . explored by the English . Their headquarters were at Oxford , l - l Mass . The sma l Pass Coag tribe roamed a litt e south of the 9K ‘ N i k n t l pmuc s . There is a small river ru ning through b t o me y the name of Nipmuck . These tribes were subj ec t Narragansetts until the time of King Philip ’s war with th e a English . The chiefs of the Nipmucks s aw that the s chem s of the Narragansetts had enough t o do to look out fe w home ’ own tribe at the time of King Philip s war , consequent called declared their independence . Some vestiges of these ) ure l _ y a eara x still remain . Portions of the land had the pp rn the ro win having been planted ; many young trees were g g p e of r c l< - . e o l deep in the ground bullets were found Within the _ h rm a n d tion of persons now living , a human skeleton was fou w eral feet belo the surface of the ground . When the bones o were put t gether it measured eight feet . Some of these I ndians were very tall . These tribes of Indians were , as far as is known , the first native owners of this land , a Provi - fill their vast hunting grounds . These forests were d War o t heg ur bears , panthers , wolves , red deer, foxes , and d High mals . Wolves and bears were so troublesome under the t 1736 that the inhabitants sought legislative enac ackn owl a reward of three pounds was offered for each bea land was 1 the colony . I n 739 this reward was much increase c rown of t Z on wolves , twen y shillings rats , three pence v e rprinted l . shil ings Mass , It u c The Indians seldom Spent the summer and ould ex e r u d e r same place . This fact will acco nt in some g q he must t o et hf great claims of land . They would cluster g Iuart erly t r e I o 0 ing their wigwams for protection against other ibs . T b . villages they surrounded y a fence of trees , logs and stakes The language of different New England tribes was so similar A that each tribe readily understood the other . rrows were The ' their early chief weapons of warfare . v w g lon y under strangers travelling ; would give to them t y ed by Charles ‘ W the h their igwam for the night , and best they jpt ed was a fa cn i u. N k e e if they went without themselves . They were t p * - Fre sh wate r Indians . HISTORY OF GLOCESTER . 7 t ell their promises . When the sun shone they had a mark to v it - da hen was mid y , and on clear nights they told the time t moon and stars . I n cloudy weather hey were , like t he Yank . ees , good for guessing All their tools were made of hard stone . Bows were made of sin e vs and twisted entrails of the deer and the moose Whe ln ahawk was a wooden club . Many bones of animals ' comm i - e d for special purposes . Corn and nuts were in the were I put in holes dug in the ground , lined and covered R O be rt‘ z rk . They did not eat regularly, but when hungry ; W iili w e n erall o n g y had but wi e , but could at pleasure on l e f Y fi‘w r side dissol ve their connection they had no ballads or fl " Sfi g§ f o perpetuate the traditions of the pas t ; their kn owl ‘ edge was very limited they exercised good j udgment in eat fish ing and drinking . The Indian men furnished the and fr c ame ; the wome n did the harvesting . They had orn and dm’e ’ hat they depended very much upon yearly to raise . hOId o‘ g s t“icles they could keep for cold winters and great houses . w when game would be very s carce . They had a s Oft e‘ land , iat a crow brought them a bean and a kernel of T e i hman C o wt an t o wit the place where their great god , , 7 cleared . though the crows did some harm , they seldom fell the tn t They also made ma s , baskets and stone vessels . wil term s fi te was i y , which they called wampum , made of dif did Indians r a which was their est blis hed currency .