| 1 |
Richard* WATERMAN, 9G Grandfather |
| Birth |
ca 1590, Nyland, Somerset, England106 |
| Death |
28 Oct 1673, Providence, Providence, RI197,4 Age: 83 |
| Burial |
Swan Point Cemetery4 |
| Immigration |
1629, Salem, Essex, MA Age: 39 |
| Occupation |
Wolf Hunter4 |
| Father |
Thomas* WATERMAN (1564-) |
|
Richard came to Salem, Mass. on June 29, 1629 with his wife Berthia (Waite), in advance of the Winthrop Fleet of 1630, and was one of the founders of Salem, MA. He was hired by the Massachusetts Bay Company as a hunter, to provide meat for the pilgrims as there was a severe shortage. The General Court at Boston on 4 Sept 1632 ordered that he be paid 40s "for killing a woulfe about 2 monthes since, in Salem Plantacon." At a court in Salem on 27 Sept 1632, he was one of those appointed to inspect canoes, evidently a safety measure, and he also served on a Petit Jury that date, as well as on 27 Dec 1636. After residing in Salem a few years, in good standing, he came under the influence of Roger Williams, whose religious ideas and belief in civil liberties were in conflict with those of the civil and religious leaders of the Colony. As a result, removal to Rhode Island was determined upon. On 20 Dec 1661, Roger Williams declared that in 1634 and 1635 he made treaties with the Narragansett Indians and bought land he called Providence, and "desired it might be for a shelter for persons destressed for Conscience....I Communicated my said purchase unto my loving ffriendes John Throckmorton, William Arnold, William Harris, Stickley West(cott), John Greene senior, Thomas Olney senr, Richard Waterman and others who then desired to take Shelter here with me...." Richard Waterman received a confirmation of land in Providence, 10 June 1637. He was one of the signers of the Contract at Providence 27 July 1640 proposing a form of government. He was buried on his land in Providence on what became the south east corner of Waterman and Benefit Streets. A granite monument erected to his memory in 1840 contains some errors of fact, such as dignifying him with the title of Colonel, and stating that he came from Bristol, England, with Roger Williams, in 1631, in the ship Lion.457
Came in the fleet with Higginson 1629, sent by the Gov. and Comp. as an expert hunter, and he k. a wolf in July 1632, had Nathaniel, bapt. 20 Aug 1637, and two other ch. in July 1638, whose names do not appear, as the f. had bec. heretic, and in Mar of that yr. had liberty to follow Rober Williams to Providene, and there was nam. the twelfth among the grantees of his settlem. Prob. Joseph, and certain. Resolved were also his s. and perhaps he had more; ds. were Mehitable and Waiting. Disagree. with some of Williams's friends, he join. from Miantonomo, planting place on the W. shore of Narraganset, now Warwick, and suffer. by monstrous injustice from Mass. in 1643. Yet, tho. some of his est. was confisc. at the Court in Oct. 1643, he got off better than most of his fellow misbelievers wh. narrow. escap. sentence of death, still he was bound to appear in May foll. See Winth. II. 146-8. At the Gen. Ct. in May next " being found erroneous, heretical, and obstinate, it was agreed that he should be detain. prisoner till the Quarter Ctt. in the 7th mo. unless five of he magistr. do find cause to send him away; wh. if they do, it is order. that he shall not ret. within this not ret. within this jurisdict. upon pain of death," as the Col. Rec. II. 73 says; as also Felt's Ann. II. 579; but in his Eccles. Hist. I. 558, the tender heart of the writer prevail. over his judgm. to suppress the last words. Yet even an Ecclesiast. Hist. should not be afraid of the truth. He was ch. offic. of the milit. call. col. and d. 28 Oct 1673. His wid. mo. of the ch. Bethia, d. 3 Dec 1680. Mehitable m. a Fenner. Of the tradit. of his coming in the Lion with Roger Williams Feb. 1631, no respect is felt, but its origin may easily be referr. to the subordinate truth that he was one of the first sett. at Providence, with R. W. tho. he was earlier than him at Salem.197, v4p432 |