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THIS town is an agricultural township, but its
lack of easy communication with Narragansett bay
and its uneven surface have proved obstacles to
its growth and prosperity. The town is
about twenty-five miles southwest of the city of
Providence, and is bounded on the north by
Coventry, on the east by East Greenwich, on the
south by Exeter, and on the west by Connecticut.
The surface of this town affords a pleasing
diversity of hill and dale. There is one
eminence called Hopkins' hill, from the summit
of which the eye rests upon an interesting
landscape, interspersed with farms and hamlets
beautiful to behold. The principal places
of note in the town are as follows:
Villages - Nooseneck, West Greenwich Centre,
Escoheag, supposed to signify origin of three
rivers.
Hills - Hopkins', Nooseneck, Raccoon,
Weavers', Bald, Escoheag, Breakheart, Hanging,
Fisher.
Rivers. - Misnock, Nooseneck or Fry's, Congdon,
the three main branches flowing northerly into
the pawtuxet; Great, Muddy Brook and Hazard
Brook, main branches of Wood river flowing
southerly into the Pawcatuck.
Swamps. - Mishnock, Cedar, Willow, Bear,
Buffington, Ragged.
Rocks. - Rattlesnake, Threshing, Saddle,
Patience.
The singular feature in the water shed of this town is
that while the length east and west is three
times its width, yet a line drawn from north to
south dividing the town into two halves
Page 1141 -
will show that the general course of the
water in the easterly part of the town is toward
the north, while that in the westerly part of
the town is toward the north, while that in the
westerly section is toward the south. Thus
the branches of the Great river drain the entire
eastern section with the single exception of the
small territory around Mishnock pond, whose
waters flow north through the Spring Lake brook,
and the branches of Wood river the western
section.
There are no important public enterprises in the town.
No telegraph nor railroad, nor any very
extensive manufacturing establishments; no
secret societies, nor have any ever been
organized; no post office until 1846, no stately
town edifice in which the freemen assemble to
exercise their inalienable rights, and no town
asylum. The town has, however, facilities
for taking care of the poor according to the old
custom of letting them out to the lowest bidder.
There does not seem to be any need of further
consideration than following the old system in
vogue, as the overseer of the poor for the year
1888 reports but two cases needing attention.
The schools of the town are good. There
are twelve districts, and in each is a good
house and a commendable spirit prevails, the
results of a true education, that of the
sacredness of all financial obligations.
In 1888 the sum of $3,118.43 was paid out for
the support of the schools of the town.
In 1833 an effort was made to establish a banking
institution at Nooseneck to be called the West
Greenwich Farmers' Bank. The stock was
partially subscribed but not enough to warrant
the successful operation of an institution of
this character, and the project failed.
This portion of Rhode Island was not settled as early
as some other sections. It belonged to
what is known as the Vacant Land Tract. It
consisted of 35,000 acres and was sold for
£l,100. The purchasers of the town of West
Greenwich were all from the towns of Warwick and
East Greenwich. For the sale of the lands of
West Greenwich, June 30th, 1709, and for the
division of the same among the purchasers, the
reader is referred to the history of the town of
East Greenwich in this volume. The
following sketches of these purchasers, thirteen
in number, were prepared for this work by Mr.
Charles W. Hopkins,* of Providence, R. I.
---------------
* Valuable information has been obtained from "Austin's
Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island" in the
preparation of these sketches.
Page 1142 -
BENJAMIN BARTON
- Benjamin Barton's name appears first in
the list of the thirteen original proprietors of
the thirty thousand acres of land now comprised
in the town of West Greenwich. The deed
conveying this tract of land to them was
executed June 30th, 1709, and the sum to be paid
was £1,100.
Benjamin Barton was the son of Rufus
and Margaret Barton, and was born in 1645,
and married, June 18th, 1672, Susannah,
daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Gorton,
and resided in Warwick, His father came
from New York to Portsmouth about 1640, and
later removed to Warwick, where he died in 1648.
The early records show Benjamin Barton to
have been a man of considerable wealth and
prominence. He was a member of the
assembly either as assistant or deputy for many
years during the period from 1674 to 1717, and
speaker of the house of deputies 1703-4 and a
member of the committee on the boundary line
between the colonies of Rhode Island and
Connecticut. He died in 1720. In his
will he gave his daughters, Phebe and
Naomi, land in East, land in Greenwich, and
to his eldest son, Rufus all lands,
buildings and orchards not otherwise disposed
of. The inventory of his estate included
£503 silver money, plate and bonds, fourteen
cows, horses, sheep, swine, and a number of
Negro and Indian servants.
THOMAS FRY,
son of
Thomas and Mary (Griffin) Fry, was born in
1666, married, Feb. 1st, 1688, Welthian,
daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Barton)
Greene. She was a neice of
Benjamin Barton, the first on the list of
original proprietors of West Greenwich. He
was deputy from the town of East Greenwich, with
the exception of a few years, from 1696 to 1732;
justice of the peace from 1698 to 1704; in 1709
was appointed on a committee to run a boundary
line between Rhode Island and Massachusetts;
speaker of the house of deputies for a number of
years; was appointed, with Andrew Harris,
in 1715, by the assembly, to transcribe and
prepared the laws of the colony for the press,
and in 1727-28-29 was deputy governor. He
died Sept. 3d, 1748. His inventory
amounted to £22,309, viz.: silver, and plate,
£228; bonds,£1,390; groceries in shop,
apothecary wares, silk, & c., books, £20; 23
bbls. cider, cider mill, 4 Negro boys, £850;
Negro woman Juda and her three children,
£450; 40 sheep, & c. Each grandchild was
to have a Bible and silver spoon.
JAMES CARDER,
son of Richard and Mary Carder, was born
May 2d, 1655, and married Mary, daughter
of John and Mary
Page 1143 -
(Olney) Whipple. His father
was of the number who, in 1643, bought of
Miantinomo, for 144 fathoms of wampum, the tract
of land now comprised in the town of Warwick,
and later in the same year, with others, was
overpowered by the Massachusetts soldiery and
taken to Boston, where he was tried before the
court for heresy and sedition, imprisoned at
Roxbury, and finally released and banished the
colony. James Carder was for a
number of years deputy for Warwick, was
appointed on a committee to run the boundary
between Rhode Island and the colonies of
Massachusetts and Connecticut, and was appointed
in 1707, with John Mumford to survey
vacant lands in Narragansett. He died Apr.
25th, 1714. He is mentioned as "Captain
James Carder."
JOHN SPENCER,
son of John and Susannah Spencer, was
born Apr. 20th, 1666, and married Audrey,
daughter of John Greene, deputy governor,
and his wife, Ann Almy. John Spencer,
Sr., was one of the original proprietors of
the township of East Greenwich. John
Spencer was deputy from East Greenwich for a
number of years, and a portion of the time
speaker of the house. In his will he gave
to his son John the homestead and his
tanning utensils; to his son William a
farm in East Greenwich; to each of two grandsons
and two granddaughters, a house lot. He
died in 1743.
BENJAMIN GREENE,
son of John Greene, who removed from
Kingstown and became a resident of East
Greenwich about 1705, seems to have been the
Benjamin Greene who became one of the
original proprietors of West Greenwich.
His father, John Greene, came to
Narraganset about 1639, and lived with
Richard Smith at Wickford. Benjamin
Greene was, previous to his removal to East
Greenwich, a deputy to the general assembly,
surveyor of highways, member of town council,
and ratemaker. In his will he mentions his
wife, Humility, and twelve children.
To his five sons he gives the homestead and
other farms. He died in 1719.
PARDON
TILLINGHAST, born Feb.
16th, 1668, was the son of Elder Pardon
Tillinghast, who was for many years pastor
of the first Baptist church in Providence.
He bought land and settled in East Greenwich
about the year 1700. He was appointed
justice of the peace, represented the town in
the general assembly and died in 1743. He
was a man of wealth, and in his will made many
bequests to his children and grandchildren.
To his
Page 1144 -
grandson of Pardon, son of John,
the farm where he dwelleth, of 260 acres, a pair
of oxen, black mare, and negro Caesar for
six yers, and then to have his freedom. To
son Philip all the homestead, he paying
legacies. to well-beloved brethren of
Baptist church, under care of Timothy Peckham,
his silver cup, for their use forever, and
£25. His
inventory amounted to £3,089, viz.: his wearing
apparel, £49; bonds, £1,586; plate, £22; two
negro men, £120; cattle, cooper and carpenter
tools, etc. His grandson, Pardon
Tillinghast, son of John, known as "Molasses
Pardon," was a wealthy resident of the
eastern part of West Greenwich.
JOHN WATERMAN,
son of Resolved and Mercy (Williams)
Waterman, was born about 1666. His
mother was a daughter of Roger Williams.
He married Anne, daughter of Thomas
Olney, and received by deed of gift from his
grandfather, Richard Walterman, who was
one of the original purchasers of Warwick,
one-half of all the grantor's lands in Warwick.
He resided in Warwick, and was frequently
elected a member of the general assembly, either
as deputy or assistant, from 1706 to 1728.
In 1710 he sold to Edward Greene, of
Kingtowne, all his lands in the tract west of
East Greenwich. He died Aug. 26th, 1728.
Amount of inventory, £1,238, including 40 or 50
head of cattle, 17 horses, 160 sheep and lambs,
1,000 pounds tobacco, etc.
THOMAS NICHOLS,
son of Thomas, was born Aug. 6th, 1660.
He married Mercy Reynolds and resided in
East Greenwich. He was appointed deputy to
the general assembly from the town of East
Greenwich for a number of years, and died in
1745. His father was one of the number of
whom was granted 5,000 acres of land to be
called East Greenwich. In the will of
Thomas Nichols, Jr., the homestead was given
to his grandson Thomas, son of Thomas;
Joseph Edmunds, of Warwick, to be his
guardian, and to cause him to be learned to
read, write and cipher suitable to his degree.
Lands were also given to other grandchildren.
JOHN WICKES,
of Warwick, R. I., was born Aug. 8th, 1677.
He was the son of John and Rose (Townsend)
Wickes, and the grandson of John Wickes,
of Middlesex county, England, who with his wife
Mary, set sail from London in September,
1635, was a resident of Portsmouth in 1637, and
in 1643, with ten
Page 1145
-
others, purchased of
Miantinomo, Shawomet or Warwick, for 144 fathoms
of wampum. John Wickes, the
subject of this sketch, was for nearly thirty
years town clerk of Warwick, and for many years
represented the town in the general assembly.
His wife, Sarah Gorton, was the
daughter of Benjamin, son of Samuel
Gorton, of Warwick. John
Wickes. died Dec. 27th, 1742. The
inventory of his estate amounted to
£1,947, and
consisted of bonds, book debts, a number of
slaves, cattle, horses, sheep, etc.
JOHN NICHOLS,
of East Greenwich, was born Apr. 16th, 1666.
His father, Thomas Nichols, was
one of the number of persons to whom was granted
5,000 acres of land to be called East Greenwich.
John Nichols received from his
father in 1689, 1703 and 1708 deeds of land in
East Greenwich for love, etc. He was
appointed deputy to the general assembly, and
died in 1725, having bequeathed lands to his
sons, John, Thomas, Robert
and Joseph.
MALACHI RHODES,
a resident of Warwick, was the eldest son of
Malachi and Mary (Carder) Rhodes, and
grandson of Zachariah Rhodes, one of the
earliest settlers of Rehobeth, Mass., and later,
in 1646, a resident of Pawtuxet, R. I.
Malachi Rhodes married Dorothy Whipple,
daughter of John Whipple. He
received by will from his father all housing and
lands in Warwick, and represented that town as
deputy in the general assembly. He died
Aug. 17th, 1714, having by will distributed
lands in various localities to his wife, his two
sons and three daughters; his wife to bring up
the children and give them suitable learning.
JAMES GREENE,
of Warwick, was the son of James and
Deliverance (Potter) Greene and grandson of
John Greene, surgeon, who sailed from
Southampton, England, Apr. 6th, 1635, and
arrived in Boston on the 3d of June following
and two years later became one of the early
settlers of Providence. The subject of
this sketch was doubtless the James Greene
named as one of the purchasers of the tract of
land now comprised in the town of West
Greenwich. He was born June 1st, 1658.
He resided at Nausauket, where in 1687 he built
the old James Greene homestead, a fine,
historic building now standing near Buttonwoods
and owned and occupied by Henry Whitman
Greene, Esq., a descendant of John Greene,
the surgeon. James Greene was a
deputy to the general assembly and was appointed
a member of a committee on lands in
Narragansett. He died Mar. 12th, 1712.
He gave to his wife Mary one half of his
house and farm, which
Page 1146 -
after her decease was to belong to his son
James; the other half was given to his son
Fones Greene.
SIMON SMITH,
son of Benjamin and Lydia (Carpenter) Smith,
married Mary Andrews and resided at
Warwick. His father was a member of the
general assembly for nearly forty years and upon
his retirement from public life in 1704, his son
Simon was elected as his successor to
represent the town of Warwick in the general
assembly, which office he held until his death,
which occurred Mar. 4th, 1712. At various
times during this period he held the office of
clerk of the assembly, speaker of the house of
deputies and attorney general. He served
on the committee appointed to revise the laws
and was lieutenant and captain. By will he
gave to his son Christopher land at
Westquanaid, to his son Simon, land
Mashantatack, to his daughters Hester, Mary
and Phebe, land at Narragansett.
TOWN ORGANIZATION, ETC. - This town originally
belonged to East Greenwich and was incorporated
as a separate town in April, 1741. An act
for incorporating the west end of the town of
East Greenwich into a township, the same to be
distinguished by the name of West Greenwich, was
passed by the general assembly at its session in
April of that year.
"Whereas several of the inhabitants of the
aforesaid town of East Greenwich by petition to
this Assembly did set forth the great
disadvantage they labor under on account of the
great extent of said town; and as it is
conceived, it will be more for the ease and
benefit of all of its inhabitants in transacting
and negotiating the prudential affairs thereof
to have a division made.
"Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly and by
the authority thereof it is enacted that from
the westerly line of the old township unto the
Colony line, be set off and incorporated a
township and the same be distinguished and known
by the name of West Greenwich; and that the
inhabitants thereof from time to time shall have
and enjoy, the like benefits, liberties,
privileges and immunities with other towns in
this Colony according to our charter. And
be it further enacted by the authority
aforesaid, that John Spencer, Esq., a
justice of the peace living within the aforesaid
new town, remain in his office till the first
Wednesday in May next, and that he grant forth a
warrant to call the inhabitants of said town
together on the third Tuesday of this instant
April, to elect such town officers, as they
shall have occasion for and the law directs, and
to appoint the time of their
Page 1147 -
town meeting and the places, and to choose and
elect two deputies to represent them at the next
General Assembly and as soon as by the charter
is directed.
"And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid,
that said town shall send one petit juror to the
superior court of judicature, court of assize
and general jail delivery, and one grand and one
petit juror to the inferior court of common
pleas and general sessions of the peace.
And it is further enacted that there be two trustees
appointed for the said new town, for the letting
out of its proportionable part of the $20,000
order to be emitted, Voted and resolved that
John Spencer, Esq., and Mr. John Greene,
be committee men for the town of West Greenwich,
to let out their proportionable part of the bank
money."
Soon afterward a town meeting was held to perfect an
organization, at which meeting Ishmael Spink,
John Greene, John Case, Samuel Hopkins, Joseph
Vaughn and John Greene, Jr. were
elected councilmen; Benjamin Sweet, town
clerk and Henry Matteson, treasurer.
The first meetings were held at the house of
Joseph Nichols. Most of the town
meetings have been held at Nooseneck.
John Greene and Joseph Slocum were
the first deputies from this town to the general
assembly. In 1744, Jeremiah Ellis,
Joshua Spink, William Hall and Joseph
Case were appointed a committee to run out
the boundary between Exeter and East Greenwich.
Benoni Hall was surveyor.
The following list gives the names of the treasurers of
the town of West Greenwich beginning from the
organization of the town in 1741; 1741, Henry
Matteson, Jr.; 1753, Preserved Hall;
1766, Thomas Rodgers 1767, Preserved
Hall; 1777, George Dyer; 1778,
Jonathan Niles; 1780, Elisha Greene;
1784, Abel Matteson; 1786, Elisha
Greene; 1788, William Nichols 1792,
Elisha Greene 1797, Job Spencer;
1801, Levi Whitforde; 1806, Thomas
Manchester; 1809, Elisha Greene;
1818, Silas James; 1830, Christopher
Carpenter; 1835, Jason P. Stone;
1836, George Dawley; 1857, Thomas A.
Waite; 1859, John T. Lewis, 1860,
Thomas A. Waite; 1861, John T. Lewis;
1864, Vernum Weaver; 1865, John T.
Lewis; 1883, Pardon Hopkins, present
incumbent.
The following list gives the names of the town clerks
of the town of West Greenwich since the
organization of the town: 1741, Benjamin
Sweet; 1743, Joseph Slocum; 1744,
John Spencer; 1750, Griffin Sweet;
1761, Thomas Rodgers; 1763, Job
Spencer;
Page 1148 -
1775, Thomas Gorton; 1776, Jonathan
Dean; 1780, Gideon Waite; 1789,
Benjamin Johnson 1813, Benjamin Johnson;
1813, Benjamin Nichols; 1834, Benjamin
R. Hoxsie; 1838, John James; 1857,
Pardon Hopkins; 1866, William N. Sweet;
1867, Pardon Hopkins; 1879, William N.
Sweet, the present incumbent.
The town officers elected May 26th, 1888, were:
Moderator, Thomas J. Knight; town clerk,
William N. Sweet; town council,
Benjamin R. Hoxsie, John A. Brown, Thurston
Capwell, Orman E. Tarbox, Burrill
F. Hopkins; town treasurer, Pardon
Hopkins; town sergeant, Stephen H. Kittle;
justice of the peace, Charles F. Carpenter;
auctioneers, Searles Capwell,
Charles J. Matteson; assessors of taxes,
Charles F. Carpenter, Searles Capwell,
John Rathbun; overseer of poor,
William R. Matteson; town auditor,
Charles F. Carpenter; town sealer, Isaac
C. Andrews; constable, Benjamin H.
Shippee; collector of taxes, Samuel
Kettelle; school committee, Charles F.
Carpenter, 3 years; Charles S. Hazard,
2 years; John W. Rathbun, 1 year; pound
keepers, Harrison G. Nichols, at
Nooseneck; Benjamin F. Burdick, at
Escoheag; corders of wood, John T. Parker,
John W. Howard; fence viewers,
Benjamin F. Tarbox, Andrew B. Stone;
senator, Benjamin R. or Hoxsie;
representative, Alanson M. Albro.
INDUSTRIES. -
EDUCATION. - The pioneer school in this town was
kept at Kit's Corners, on the road north of
Nooseneck. Schools then and prior to that
time were held at private houses.
Jonathan Nichols, son of Judge Nichols
of Nooseneck, was among the
Page 1149 -
first teachers. His school at the Corners
numbered twenty-five pupiles. Wages at
that time were five dollars a month, the
teachers boarding "around". Each pupil was
supplied with a copying book, into which were
copied the examples as they were solved.
In 1828 there were eleven schools kept in the
town, and in May, 1829, the town was divided
into twelve districts, the present number.
In 1838 there was expended for school purposes
$575; in 1888 $3118.43 was expended for the same
purpose. The school buildings in this
town, as a general thing, will compare favorably
with those of other towns.
THEOPHILUS WHALEY.* -
Page 1150 -
Page 1151 -
Page 1152 -
Page 1153 -
Page 1154 -
PARDON HOPKINS.
- Among the early settlers of the tract of land
now comprising the town of West Greenwich the
Hopkins family was prominent and by its
enterprise and integrity of the town.
Joseph Hopkins, the ancestor of this branch
of the family, is believed to have been the son
of William and Hannah (Goffe) Hopkins,
residents of Roxbury, Mass., and members of
Reverend John Elliott's church at that
place. He married for his second wife
Martha Whaley, a daughter of the noted
Theophilus Whaley, of Narragansett, and
after a few years' residence at Kingston, R. I.,
removed about the year 1713 to the locality now
known as Hopkins' Hill, in the easterly part of
the town of West Greenwich, where he resided
until his death, which occurred May 15th, 1735.
Samuel Hopkins, the second son of Joseph and
Martha, was born in Kingston Jan. 6th,
1703-4, and died in West Greenwich Apr. 14th,
1790. He resided at the homestead on
Hopkins'
Page 1155 -
hill and was familiarly known as "Judge Sam."
In addition to his farming interests he was
actively engaged in public affairs. He was
at various times, from 1743 to 1767, elected a
member of the general assembly from West
Greenwich, and was for a number of years a
justice of the court of common pleas for Kent
county. President Stiles of Yale
College, who visited him Sept. 24th, 1785, for
the purpose of obtaining information concerning
his grandfather Theophilus Whaley, in his
"History of Three of the Judges of King Charles
I," speaks of him as follows: "I visited
in 1783 [5] Samuel Hopkins, Esq., aged 81
of West Greenwich, a grandson of Whaley and
living on his grandfather's farm. He was a
man of good sense and accurate information, had
been in civil improvement, a member of teh
assembly and Judge of the Court."
Samuel Hopkins married Apr. 23d, 1729-30,
Honor Brown, daughter of Alexander and
Honor (Huling) Brown, of North Kingstown,
and granddaughter of Beriah and Abigail (Phenix)
Brown and Alexander and Elizabeth
(Wightman) Huling, families of wealth and
influence. Beriah Brown was a
prominent member of the Society of Friends and
the Wightman's, according to tradition,
were the descendants of Edward Wightman,
who was the last to suffer martyrdom in England
in 1611.
Samuel Hopkins, Jr., the second son of
"Judge Samuel," as born Oct. 15th, 1734.
He also represented the town of West Greenwich
as deputy to the general assembly and was
appointed to fill various other town offices.
Rufus Hopkins, the eldest son of Samuel, Jr.,
was born 1773. He was one of the pioneers
in the manufacture of cotton goods in this
region of the state. His family of nine
children were somewhat remarkablefor their
vigorous constitution and long life, the
youngest having nearly reached the age of sixty
years before the first death occurred. The
average age of the nine children was
seventy-five years. Their names were:
Phebe, Layton, Halsey, David, Elizabeth,
Mercy, Samuel, Cynthia and Polly.
Layton Hopkins, the eldest son of Rufus and Amey
(Shippee) Hopkins was born Apr. 19th, 1793.
He was a farmer and resided in the eastern part
of the town of West Greenwich, where he was
widely known and respected for his excellent
judgment in business matters and for his kind
and social disposition.
Such was the ancestry of Pardon Hopkins, the son
of Layton and Elizabeth (Whitford) Hopkins,
who was born in the town of West Greenwich Feb.
12th, 1815. His early years were spent on
his father's farm and in acquiring the rudiments
of an education, such as the common schools of
those days afforded. Later in life he
learned the trade of a house carpenter. He
has, however, devoted the greater part of his
life to the public affairs of his native town,
which he has almost uninterruptedly and
faithfully served in one capacity or another for
nearly half a century. For twenty years he
was town clerk and was subsequently elected to
the office of town treasurer, which position he
now (1888) holds. He also officiated as
postmaster a number of years, and from time to
time has served his fellow townsmen in various
other offices pertaining to their government,
all of which duties have been performed by him
in a reliable and trustworthy manner, as his
frequent re-election to each office abundantly
testifies. Mr. Hopkins is an
enterprising, self-reliant man, retaining much
of the vigor and activity of his earlier years;
interested in the passing events of the day and
the welfare of those around him, and endowed
with those sterling qualities of mind and heart
which have won for him the confidence and
respect of a wide circle of friends and
acquaintances.
He married first April 2d, 1837, Lydia A.
Lillibridge, who died January 5th, 1843.
He married second Sept. 1st, 1844, Phebe A.
Palmer, who died Feb. 13th, 1857. He
married third Feb. 11th, 1858, Hannah C.
Bailey. He has two sons Charles W.
Hopkins, born Aug. 8th, 1839, now residing
in Providence, R. I., and William P. Hopkins
born July 10th, 1845, residing in Lawrence,
Mass.
THOMAS T. HAZARD, son of
John Hazard, was born Mar. 2d, 1792, and
died Aug. 1st, 1874. He was a man of
limited education but possessesd of good native
talents and ability. He was frequently
offered honorable positions by his fellow
townsmen, but invariably declined the favor with
a single exception, that of representing his
native town of West Greenwich in the general
assembly of the state, which position he
occupied either as senator or representative for
thirty-two years. He wa a member of the
senate of ten, elected with other state officers
during the Dorr war, under the new constitution.
He represented the town in the senate until he
withdrew from public life.
He ahs three sons: Jason P., born Feb.
21st, 1823; Robert
Page 1157 -
J., born Aug. 1st, 1826, and Alexander
L., born Jan. 25th, 1836. They all
have families.
Jason P. is located on the homestead in West
Greenwich, R. I., and has represented the town
in the general assembly. The other two are
in California.
CHARLES TILLINGHAST JAMES
WILLIAM N. SWEET
Page 1158 -
JOHN JAMES
Page 1159 -
BENJAMIN REYNOLDS HOXSIE
CHARLES TILLINGHAST
Page 1160 -
DEACON ALLEN TILLINGHAST
DAVID HOPKINS
Page 1161 -
the democratic forces, and from that time until
he left town Mr. Hopkins and his friends
remained masters of the situation. He
repeatedly filled town offices and represented
the town a number of times in the state senate.\
LYMAN RHODES HOPKINS
EDWIN W. HOPKINS
Page 1162 -
GEORGE T. BROWN
EZRA KNIGHT PARKER
Page 1163 -
NELSON E. CHURCH
Page 1164 -
CHARLES WYMAN HOPKINS
Page 1165 -
NOOSENECK - Nooseneck is a post office in West
Greenwich. There have been several
definitions given of this name, but the
following, by Sidney S. Rider of
Providence, R. I., is worthy of credence.
He says:
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WEST GREENWICH CENTRE. -
ROBIN HOLLOW is situated one mile west of
Nooseneck Hill. Lyman Hopkins
improved the privilege at this place in 1845 by
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CHURCHES -
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The West Greenwich Church, a free house,
was erected in 1825. Reverend William
C. Manchester was the first pastor, and
under his administration and one or two of his
successors the society was in a most flourishing
condition. He was succeeded by Elders
Daniel and William Slocum and John
Gardiner. From that time the society
has continued Calvinist Baptist. Elder
John Tillinghast was the first and only
pastor of this last-named society, and this
venerable preacher continued his labors for many
years, and until his death, which occurred March
10th, 1878. There is no pastor at the
present time. Deacon Pardon S. Bates,
a wwell known citizen of the town, is a
prominent member of this church.
The Advent Church is located at Escoheag Hill,
and was erected in 1870 by Jason P. Hazard,
a distinguished member of this denomination.
This society is flourishing and maintains the
usual and necessary organizations for spiritual
growth and for the moral welfare of the
community, which gives it a liberal support.
Elder Wood of Exeter officiates
occasionally for this people.
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