Richard Smith (settler)
Richard Smith | |
---|---|
Born | 1596 Gloucestershire, England |
Died | 1666 |
Spouse | (name unknown) |
Children | Richard, James, Elizabeth, Joan, Katharine |
Richard Smith (1596–1666) was the first European settler in the Narragansett country (later
Smith had his establishment in the Narragansett lands which were highly contested by several colonies, and he wanted his properties to fall under the jurisdiction of the Connecticut Colony. Conflicting claims to the area resulted in it being put directly under the governance of the English crown and being called King's Province for a while, but this still didn't end the disputes. It wasn't until 1726 when the Narragansett lands were put under the governance of the Rhode Island colony by royal decree.
Smith's neighbor
Life
Richard Smith had come from
As Roger Williams later related, the wilderness arrangement in which Smith lived was suitable to him for being "instrumental under God in propagating the gospel among the natives, who knew not God as they ought to know him," and Smith took great pains in this regard until his dying day.[1] Until Williams built his trading post nearby, the closest English settlers to where Smith built his home were at Pawtuxet, nearly 20 miles away.[1]
Beginning in the 1650s, Smith, now with extensive land holdings, sought to have his lands put under the jurisdiction of either the
There were so many parties interested in the valuable Narragansett lands, that the fragile agreement made by Clarke and Winthrop did not hold, and disputes leading into violence erupted. The Crown, tired of dealing with the constant claims and counter claims, turned the Narragansett country into a separate royal province known as King's Province in March 1665.
Smith wrote his will in 1664, and it was proven in late 1666. Following his death,
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Austin 1887, p. 185.
- ^ Bicknell 1920, p. 469.
- ^ a b Bicknell 1920, p. 472.
- ^ LaFantasie, Glenn W., ed. The Correspondence of Roger Williams, University Press of New England, 1988, Vol. 2, p.723, 727.
- ^ Bicknell 1920, p. 470.
- ^ Bicknell 1920, p. 473.
- ^ Austin 1887, p. 272.
- ^ Arnold 1859, p. 272.
- ^ a b Arnold 1859, p. 282.
- ^ Austin 1887, p. 338.
- ^ a b Bicknell 1920, p. 471.
Bibliography
- OCLC 712634101.
- ISBN 978-0-8063-0006-1.
- Bicknell, Thomas Williams (1920). The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Vol. 2. New York: The American Historical Society. pp. 467–74.
External links
- Rhode Island History from the State of Rhode Island General Assembly website. See Chapter 2, Colonial Era.
- [1] This early history of Kingstowne has significant material on Richard Smith and his house.