' • * ' x 
 
"Ki. 
 
 
 
 
CELEBRATION 
 
 TWO -HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY 
 
 Settlement of the Town of Bristol 
 
 UHODE ISLAND, 
 
 Skptkmbku 24x11, A. 1), 1880. 
 
 " A people which takes no pride in the noble :ichit\ e- 
 luents of remote ancestors, will never acliieve anythiuf? 
 wortliy to be remembered with prirle by remote descend- 
 ants."— MAOAri.AY. 
 
 COMPILED BY/ 
 
 WILLI^IVI J. MILLER,. 
 
 
ritlNTKI) HY THE PHOVIDKXCK PRKSS COMPANY, 
 PUOVinKN't E, K. I. 
 
 3'" 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 The compiler of this book was content to let it pass to the reader, 
 without comment. A preface was not contemplated. But as the last 
 pages are passing through the press, suddenly, almost without warning, 
 the hand of death has ftillen upon Prof. J. Lewis Diman. As to him— his 
 acceptance of the post of " Historian of the Day," and his matchless 
 address— so large a share of credit is due for the great success of our late 
 Bi-Centennial celebration, the writer feels impelled to make note of the 
 sad event. Few who saw and listened to Prof. Diman as he delivered the 
 address on the 24th of September last, will forget that radiant face. His 
 whole soul was engrossed in his theme and the occasion, and the writer 
 knows that the day was to him a most enjoyable one. 
 
 It is hard to realize that he is dead— inexpressibly sad to think that his 
 useful life, so full of promise for good to the world, has ended. His 
 death will be felt as a personal bereavement by thousands not of his " kith 
 and kin." 
 
 The following notice of his death — a portrayal of his pure life and 
 transcendent merits — was published in the Providence Journal of Friday, 
 February 4th. 
 
 Bristol, R. I., February 7th, 1881. 
 
 "PEOF. J. LEWIS DLMAN. 
 
 " It is not often that such a thrill of surprise and sorrow is experienced 
 in our community as was felt last evening, when the sad tidings passed 
 from mouth to mouth that Prof. Diman was no longer numbered among 
 the living. A few days ago, he walked amongst us, full of life and vigor, 
 cheering us with his pleasant face, enlivening us with his genial talk, 
 edifying us with his stores of rare and useful learning; and now, in the 
 very bloom of life, when there seemed so much left for him to do,— which 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 no one else amongst ns could do so well as he, — the hand of death has sud- 
 denly sealed his lips. 
 
 " The shock of this bereavement has come upon us so unexpectedly, and 
 with such overwhelming weight, as to entirely unfit us for doing anything 
 like justice to his character. No man living in this city or State could be 
 counted his superior. On great occasions, when we were called to revive 
 the memories of the past, or to be informed in respect of current events, 
 it was to Prof. Diman that we instinctively turned as the man best fitted 
 for the work. Of late years, it has seemed as though no event in the 
 records of Rhode Island could be duly commemorated unless he was will- 
 ing to tell the story and ' adorn the tale.' He was distinguished abroad as 
 well as at home, not only as a consummate master of history, but also as 
 one of the profoundest philosophical thinkers of the day. His lectures in 
 Boston and Baltimore attracted the attention and respectof the thoughtful 
 and the learned of all classes, and brought honor not only to him, but to 
 the State of which he was so distinguished an ornament. There was 
 hardly any class of subjects which he was not competent to handle. He 
 had read a great deal, and carefully digested all that he read. His 
 resources were always at command; his thoughts never lacked utterance ; 
 his style was compact, clear as crystal, and adorned with chaste and appo- 
 site illustration. He used no superfluous words, and yet never failed to 
 make himself intelligible, no matter how recondite the subject that he 
 treated. The college students to whom he lectured, the private classes 
 which he met from week to week, the smaller band of personal and inti- 
 mate friends who crossed weapons with him in the social circle, will all 
 remember his words and cherish his memory when the flowers of many a 
 summer have bloomed and withered over his grave. 
 
 " His character was known and read of all men. He was transparent as 
 the day, and no deceit or guile was found in him. He was constitutionally 
 incapable of a mean or dishonorable or selfish act. He never appeared to 
 be in the slightest degree conscious of his own mental greatness, and 
 never showed the faintest indication of personal vanity — not eveu by self- 
 depreciation. He could not help knowing of what he was capable, but he 
 did not look down upon others because they were his inferiors. He was 
 willing to learn anything which the humblest man was competent to teach 
 him. 
 
 " Holding, as he did, very positive opinions of his own, and always 
 X'eady to give his reasons for the belief that he had adopted, he was sin- 
 gularly tolerant of those who difiered from him. He had a very broad as 
 well as a very accurate mental vision; and if he ever seemed to be incon- 
 sistent in his views, it was because he took in a larger sweep of the hori- 
 zon than most men. He was a very generous-minded as well as generous- 
 hearted man, and looked under the surface, to find the grains of truth that 
 might lie concealed beneath forms and formulas which he I'ejected. Honest 
 error he could abide, while he despised mere sham and pretense. His 
 sunny face was an index of the bright and genial soul that he carried in 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 liis bosom. He was, in the best sense of the words, good company. It 
 was a pleasant tiling to meet him on the sidewalk, as we did only the other 
 day, and have him propose a long stroll, which, under the spell of his 
 presence, was sure to seem very short. He Avas a sympathetic companion, 
 and entered heartily into the views and experiences of those with whom 
 he mingled. 
 
 "There were few important stations in society which he could have 
 failed to occupy with honor. If he had given himself to statesmanship, 
 his power would have been felt throughout the land. If he had confined 
 himself entirely to what is called polite literature, what he wrote, 'the 
 world would not willingly have let die.' If he had adhered exclusively to 
 the profession for which he was bred, he would have taken rank Avith our 
 most accomplished and influential preachers. ' Whatever he touched, he 
 adorned,' and he laid his hand upon a great many rich and rare depart- 
 ments of knowledge. 
 
 " Prof. Diman was a true and sincere follower of his Master, Christ, not 
 a very rigid dogmatist, not a hide-bound ecclesiastic, not a man to hurl 
 anathemas at the heads of those who did not in all points think as he did, 
 but he had the loving, gentle, kind and charitable spirit of Him whom he 
 served from his early youth, and in whose arms we believe he now rests 
 in peace. How we shall all miss him ! He leaves a void that will not soon 
 be filled. It is hard to conceive that one, in whom there was so much of 
 life, has now so suddenly ceased to live. ' We cannot make him dead.' 
 And he Is not dead. He has only left the earthly tabernacle, in which he 
 dwelt, and passed on to a higher and grander existence. Such men can- 
 not die. He lives here on earth in the work that he has done, and in the 
 noble impressions he has made upon the lives of those who were brought 
 within his influence. But it is very sad to think that we shall see him no 
 more in our daily rounds and hear his words no longer. We feel that not 
 only has a great man fallen in Israel, but that we have lost a friend and a 
 brother. In many a household tears are shed to-day as the tidings come 
 to them that he has passed away. A dark shadow lies across the 
 threshold of the dwelling, which, for many years, was made so bright and 
 cheery by his presence, and the widow and the orphan mourn ' with a 
 grief too deep for tears.' " 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF PKOF, DIMAN. 
 
 [The following sketch, which we believe had received the approval of 
 our lamented friend, we are permitted to use, through the courtesy of the 
 representatives of the National Biographical Publishing Company, at 
 whose instance it was prepared.] 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 Prof. J. Lewis Diman, D. D., second son of Byron and Abby Alden 
 (Wight) Diman, was boru in Bristol, May 1, 1831. In his early youth he 
 enjoyed superior advantages for mental culture and discipline, which he 
 diligently improved. He was prepared for college by the Kev. James N: 
 Sykes, a Baptist clergyman settled in the place, and at the age of sixteen 
 he entered Brown University. From this institution of learning he was 
 graduated with honor in 1851, having assigned to him for Commencement 
 the " Classical Oration." Soon afterwards he went abroad, travelling 
 extensively on the continent, and spending several years at the universities 
 of Halle, Heidelberg and Berlin. Returning he entered the Theological 
 Seminary at Andover, Massachusetts, where he was graduated in 1856. 
 In the fall of this year he was settled as pastor of the First Congregational 
 Church in Fall River, and again in I8(;0, as pastor of the Harvard Church 
 in Brookline. Mass. In 18G4 he was appointed Professor of History and 
 Political Economy in Brown University, tilling a vacancy occasioned by 
 the resignation of Prof William Gamraell, LL. D. Here he has distin- 
 guished himself by his devotion to his work and by his rare scholarship 
 and attainments. In 1870 he was honored with the degree of Doctor of 
 Divinity conferred upon him by the Board of Fellows of the University. 
 In 1873 he was elected a corresponding member of the Massachusetts 
 Historical Society. Mr. Diman has often been called upon to deliver ser- 
 mons, addresses and lectures on important occasions, many of which have 
 been published. Among these may be mentioned a sermon, delivered 
 October IG, 18G7, in the Chapel of Brown University, at the request of the 
 Faculty, in commemoration of Rev. Robinson Potter Dunn, D. D., for 
 many years Professor of Rhetoric in the University ; " Historical Basis of 
 Belief," one of the Boston Lectures, delivered in 1870; " The Alienation 
 of the Educated Class from Politics," an oration before the Phi Beta 
 Kappa Society, at Cambridge, Mass., delivered June 29, 1876; An Address 
 delivered at Portsmouth, R. I , July 10, 1877, at the Centennial Celebra- 
 tion of the Capture of Gen. Prescott by Lieut. Col. Barton. This was 
 afterwards published with notes, forming No. 1 of Rider's Rhode Island 
 Historical Tracts. An address delivered October 16, 1877, upon the occa- 
 sion of the dedication of the monument in commemoration of the life and 
 services of the venerated founder of the State, in Roger Williams Park. 
 An address at the dedication of the Rogers Free Library, at Bristol, deliv- 
 ered January 12, 1878. Twenty lectures on the Thirty Years War, deliv- 
 ered in 1879, before the professors and students of Johns Hopkins 
 University, Baltimore, Md. Twelve lectures before the Lowell Institute, 
 Boston, delivered in the spring of 1880. He delivered the address at the 
 two hundredth anniversary of'his native town in the fall of 1880, which 
 address has since been published with the ju-oceedings. Mr. Diman has 
 also furnished leading articles for the Providence Journal, North American 
 Beview. and other papers and periodicals. His article entitled, " Religion 
 in America, 1776-1876," published in the January number of the North 
 American Review, uttvixctQiX universal attention. He edited "John Cot- 
 ton's Answer to Roger Williams," in "Vol. 2 of " Publications of the Nar- 
 ragansett Club," and also "George Fox Digg'd out of his Burrowes," 
 constituting Vol. 5 of the same " Publications." He also furnished one 
 of the sketches in the memorial volume entitled " Brown University in the 
 Civil War." 
 
 Mr. Diman married May 15, 1861, Emily G. Stimson, of Providence, 
 only surviving daughter of John J. and Abby M. (Clarke) Stimson. Four 
 children are the fruits of this union. 
 
BT- CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 THE DATE SELECTED. 
 
 The Mount Hope lands, so called, which were incorporated 
 into the township of Bristol, covered the southern portion of 
 Mount Hope Neck and the peninsular of Poppasquash, and 
 were first known to the English settlers of New England by 
 the beautiful Indian name of Pokanoket. 
 
 The " Great Deed " of conveyance from Plymouth Colony 
 to the four original proprietors, was made on the fourteenth 
 day of September, 1680, "and in the thirty-second year of 
 the Reigne of our Soveraigne Lord King Charles the Second, 
 over England," etc. 
 
 The contracting parties were, "Josiah Winslow, Esq., Gov- 
 ernor of his majesty's Collony of Ncav Plymouth, in New 
 England; Thomas Hinckley, Esq., Deputy Governor, Wil- 
 liam Bradford, Esq., Treasurer, all of the aforesaid Collony, 
 on the one part ; and John AValle}', Nathaniel Oliver, Nathan- 
 iel Byfield, and Stephen Burton, all of Boston, in the Collony 
 of the Massachusets in New England aforesaid. Merchants, 
 on the other part." The consideration was "Eleven hun- 
 dred pounds of currant money of New England." And for 
 this sum the parties of the first part "by these presents .doe 
 fully, freely, clearly, and absolutely give, grant, bargaine, 
 sell, aliene, enfeoffe and confirm unto the said John AValley, 
 Nathaniel Oliver, Nathaniel Byfield and Stephen Burton, and 
 to their heyres & assignes forever, all that tract or parcell of 
 
2 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Land, situate, lying and being within the aforesaid Collony 
 of New Plymouth, commonly called and known by the name 
 of Mount Hope Neck & Poppasquash Neck, with all the 
 Islands lying neare or about the said Neckes, not exceeding 
 five acres, and not already legally disposed of." 
 
 The date of the "Great Deed" (September 14, 1680,) was 
 accepted as the beginning of the settlement of the town, and 
 its two hundredth anniversary, September 24, 1880, (changed 
 from the old to the new style of reckoning time) , was desig- 
 nated as "the day we celebrate." 
 
 In the Town Clerk's otfice, in Bristol, is an old folio book, 
 bound in leather, and showing marks of age, Avherein is 
 recorded a copy of the " Great Deed," from which the fore- 
 troino- extracts are taken. The book also contains other 
 deeds and conveyances, covering common, ministerial, and 
 school lands, and the streets of the town, together with arti- 
 cles of agreement, and contracts between the first settlers, 
 which are of deep interest. In it also may be found a record 
 of the proceedings in town meeting from the first settlement 
 to the close of the year 1718. At the end of the proceed- 
 ings of the last recorded town meeting, is the following : 
 
 "Thus endeth the First Book of Records,* of the town of 
 Bristol; Faithfully transcribed by Richard Smith, who was 
 chosen and duly authorized for that purpose by the Freeman 
 of said Town. 
 
 "Bristol, April 27th, a. d. 1826." 
 
 Mr. Smith adds this on the following page of the Book ; — 
 
 " MEMORANDUM. 
 
 "Richard Smith, the First Recording Town Clerk for the 
 Town of Bristol, was born in the city of London, in the year 
 1643. In the year 1673, came over to New England with his 
 
 * These Records were copied from a small book that is still in existence in the Town 
 Clerk's office, and is doubtless the first record book of the town. It is very much worn, 
 and fragments are missing from many pages. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 6 
 
 little Family, and settled in Boston, and from thence with his 
 Family to Bristol, Nov. 9th, 1(J80, where he erected a dwell- 
 ing House at the South AVest corner of the eight acre square 
 bounding West on Hope street, and South on Constitution 
 street, in which he resided until his Death, which was in the 
 3'ear 1696. 
 
 "Samuel, Son of Richard, was Born June 2-4th, 1683. 
 Died November 18th, 1766. 
 
 "Richard, Son of Samuel, was Born May 25th, 1720. 
 Died February 6th, 1813. 
 
 "Richard, Son of Richard, 2d, was Born April 16th, 1753. 
 
 "Samuel, Son of Richard, 3d, was Born Oct. 8th, 1787. 
 Died June 23d, 1801. 
 
 " All the above named, excepting the ancestor (Richard 
 Smith), was l)orn in Bristol, within the space of five Rods 
 square, and all of them died in the same space, excepting 
 Richard the 3d (the transcriber of this Record Book) , who 
 is still living, this 16th Day of April, 1827, and has left a 
 blank, to be hereafter filled up by some Friend." 
 
 Then follows this : 
 
 "Richard Smith the 3d, the transcriber of this Book, died 
 October 17th, a. d. 1832, in the 80th year of his age. And 
 the ' Friend' who has filled up this 'Blank ' is William Throop, 
 who, perhaps, wall never perform a similar ofiice for a more 
 worthy Citizen. 
 
 "October 17, 1832." 
 
 Col. William Throop w\as appointed Town Clerk in 1832, 
 and gave many years of faithful service in that office. In 
 1847 the present careful and efficient Town Clerk, Peter 
 Gladding, Esq., succeeded him, and has served continuously 
 in that capacity to the present time. Mr. Gladding could 
 very appropriately add a similar endorsement to the worth 
 of his immediate predecessor, the late William Throop. 
 
4: BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 INITIAL, MOVEMENT FOR A CELEBRATION. 
 
 The first movement for a due observance of the two hun- 
 dredth anniversary of the settlement of the Town, was a pre- 
 liminary meeting held at the office of S. P. Colt, Esq., on 
 the evening of March 15th, 1879. 
 
 Quite a number of citizens were present, and after organ- 
 izing and exchanging views on the subject, a committee 
 was appointed to confer with the Town Council, at their 
 meeting on Monday, March 17th, and request them to call a 
 meeting to consider the subject of a celebration of the day. 
 
 William J. Miller, Samuel P. Colt, Chas. A. Greene, 
 Isaac F. Williams, Bennett J. Munro and Le Baron B. Colt, 
 constituted the committee. 
 
 The action of the Council, as appears of record, was as 
 follows : 
 
 "Town Council, Monday, March 17th, a. d. 1879. 
 
 "Upon the representation of William J. Miller, and others, 
 asking that the Council call a meeting of citizens, to take 
 steps to lay before the town a method of celebrating the 
 two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of the town : — 
 The Council voted to call such a meeting at the Town Hall, 
 on Tuesday, March 25th, at 8 o'clock in the evening, and 
 that said meeting be advertised in the Bristol Phenix. 
 
 " A report of the meeting in ToAvn Hall is copied from the 
 Bristol Phenix of March 29th, as follows : 
 
 " Last Tuesday evening a ' Citizens' Meeting ' was held in 
 Town Hall, in pursuance of a notice given by the Town 
 Council, in the Phenix of last Saturday, ' for the purpose of 
 taking into consideration the appropriate celebration of the 
 coming 200th anniversary of the settlement of the town.' 
 The meeting was called to order by Wm. H. Spooner, Esq., 
 President of the Town Council, at 8 o'clock. Le Baron B. 
 Colt, Esq., was elected Chairman, and Wm. T. C. Wardwell, 
 Esq., Secretary. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 "William J. Miller, Esq., after explaining the object of the 
 meeting, and expressing himself as being very much inter- 
 ested in the matter, suggested that a committee be appointed 
 to draft resolutions to be presented to the citizens at their 
 next annual town meeting, held for choice of town officers 
 and other business of the town. 
 
 " On motion of Mr, Edward S. Babbitt, it was unanimously 
 voted as the sense of the meeting, that the 200th anniversary 
 of the settlement of the town, which will occur in the autumn 
 of next year (1880) , be celebrated in an appropriate manner. 
 
 " II was also voted that a committee of seven be appointed 
 to draw up a series of resolutions relative to the proposed 
 celebration, and lay the whole matter before the town meet- 
 ing, which will be held on Saturday, April 12th, requesting 
 the town, in its corporate capacity, to take action thereon. 
 The committee chosen consisted of Messrs. W. T. C. Ward- 
 well, Le Baron B. Colt, Wm. J. Miller, Edward W. Brun- 
 sen, James M. Gifford, J. Russell Bullock, and Augustus O. 
 Bourn. 
 
 "Brief and appropriate remarks were made by Messrs. 
 Wm. J. Miller, Charles H. Spooner, Le Baron B. Colt, 
 Edward S. Babbitt, Isaac F. Williams, W. T. C. Wardwell, 
 Samuel P. Colt, Wm. H. Spooner, John H. D'Wolf, Augus- 
 tus O. Boum, and Rev. James P. Lane. 
 
 " There was a large attendance at the meeting, a consid- 
 erable interest manifested in the proposed celel^ration, and 
 the proceedings throughout were quite spirited and very 
 harmonious." 
 
 "In Tovrs Meeting, April 12th, 1879. 
 " The following resolutions on the celebration of the two 
 hundredth anniversary of the settlement of the town of 
 Bristol, were presented by Le Baron B. Colt, Esq., Avhich, 
 after some pertinent remarks by him, were unanimously 
 adopted : — 
 
b BI-CENTENXIAL OF BKISTOL. 
 
 "Whereas, the year 1880 will mark the two hundredth 
 anniversary of the settlement of the town, and, 
 
 " Whereas, the great deed of sale of the tract of land then 
 commonly called and known by the name of INIonnt Hope 
 Neck and Poppasquash Neck, from Plymouth Colony to John 
 Walley, Nathaniel Oliver, Nathaniel Byfield and Stephen 
 Burton, the four original proprietors of the town of Bristol, 
 bears date September 14, 1080, O. S., corresponding to 
 September 25, N. S., and 
 
 "Whereas, at a public meeting called bj^the Town Coun- 
 cil, of the citizens of Bristol, in the Town Hall, on the 25th 
 day of jNIarch last, it was unanimously resolved, that the 
 town should celebrate, in an appropriate way, the approach- 
 ing two hundredth anniversary of its foundation, and in 
 furtherance of this object, the said meeting appointed a com- 
 mittee of seven, to draft resolutions and present the subject 
 to the next annual town meeting for such action as it might 
 deem proper to take, now, therefore, 
 
 ^'Resolved, That we, the citizens of Bristol, in Town Meet- 
 ing assembled, mindful of the goodl}^ heritage received from 
 the fathers, and desirous of keeping in grateful remembrance 
 the wise forecast and sterling qualities of the men who 
 founded here a town, and laid it out in all its fair propor- 
 tions, do hereby set apart the 25th day of September, a. d. 
 1880, to celebrate the bi-centennial of its settlement, and do 
 hereby constitute and appoint an executive committee of 
 forty-five, to take the whole matter into consideration ; the 
 committee to have full power to take such preliminary steps 
 as may be found necessary and expedient, and to report such 
 action as they have taken and such plans as they have agreed 
 upon to the next annual Town Meeting. 
 
 ^'Hesolved, That we cordially invite the co-operation of all 
 the citizens of the town in this undertaking, that we may 
 have a celebration worth}^ of the descendants of the men who 
 founded it, and of its whole past history." 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 The committee of forty-five was duly elected as follows 
 
 William H. Spooner, 
 William T. C. Wardwcll, 
 Henry Goff, 
 Isaac F. Williams, 
 Charles A. Greene. 
 John B. Pearce, 
 Edward W. Briinsen, 
 Le Baron B. Colt, 
 Messadore T. Bennett, 
 Benjamin L. West, 
 Josephiis Gooding, 
 Nehemiah Cole, 
 Otis Munro, 
 Jonathan D. Waldron, 
 Samuel W. Church, 
 Solon H. Smith, 
 J. Howard Manchester, 
 A. Sidney D'Wolf, 
 Charles D'W. Brownell, 
 James M. Gifford, 
 Seth Paull, 
 
 Charles H. R. Doringh, 
 Robert S. Andrews, 
 
 Lemuel A. Bishop, 
 Samuel M. Lindsey, 
 Lemuel W. Briggs, 
 Samuel S. Drury, 
 Benjamin R. Wilson, 
 Ambrose E. Burnside, 
 J. Russell Bullock, 
 Thomas F. Usher, 
 John Collins, 
 Charles F. Herreshoff, 
 Bennett J. Munro, 
 Joseph B. Burgess, 
 Augustus O. Bourn, 
 Horace M. Barns, 
 William Bradford, 
 Herbert M. Howe, 
 Samuel Norris, 
 Samuel P. Colt, 
 William J. Miller, 
 Edward S. Babbitt, 
 James Lawless, 
 William R. Ta^dor. 
 
 The first meeting of the " Bi-Centennial Committee of 
 forty-five," was held at Town Hall, on Saturday evening, 
 June 28th, 1879, and steps were taken for a permanent or- 
 ganization. Frequent meetings were held during the year, 
 and several entertainments were given in Town ILall in aid 
 of the bi-centennial fund. 
 
 At the annual town meeting held April 10th, a. d. 1880, 
 the report of the committee upon the bi-centennial celebra- 
 tion was presented, read, and ordered to be recorded, as fol- 
 lows : 
 
O BI-CENTEKMAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 "The committee ui^on the bi-ccntennial celebration, ap- 
 pointed at the last annual town meeting, in compliance with 
 the resolution empowering them to take such preliminary 
 steps as may be found necessary and expedient, and to report 
 such action as they may have taken, and such plans as they 
 may have agreed upon, to the next annual town meeting, 
 beg leave to report : 
 
 "^'That soon after their appointment the committee met 
 and organized by the selection of the following officers and 
 sul)-committees : 
 
 " President — Le Baron B. Colt. 
 
 "Vice Presidents — Samuel W. Church, Jonathan D. 
 Waldron, William R. Taylor, James Lawless, James M. 
 Gifford. 
 
 " Treasurer — Henry Goff. 
 
 " Secretary — William H. Spooner. 
 
 " Executive Committee — Chairman, AYilliam J. Miller ; 
 Secretary, Edward S. Babbitt ; meml)ers, Messadore T. 
 Bennett, Edward W. Brunsen, Samuel P. Colt, John Col- 
 lins, Charles A. Greene, Wm. H. Spooner, Solon H. Smith, 
 William T. C. Wardwell, Isaac F. Williams. 
 
 "Committee on Correspondence — Chairman, Bennett J. 
 Munro ; members, Charles D'W. Brownell, J. Russell Bul- 
 lock, Edward W. Brunsen, Edward S. Babbitt. 
 
 " The committee took early action upon the subject of an 
 historical address and poem for the occasion, and they have 
 invited Prof. J. Lewis Diman, of Providence, to deliver the 
 address, and the Rt. Rev. M. A. D'W. Howe, Bishop of 
 Central Pennsylvania, to deliver the poem. Both gentle- 
 men have responded favorably to the invitation. 
 
 " The committee also took early action in regard to rais- 
 ing funds, and they have succeeded in accumulating a fund 
 of about $270, the same being the proceeds of the various 
 entertaiments kindly volunteered for this object. 
 
 " The committee after carefully considering the sul^ject of 
 the due observance of the day, at the various meetings held 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. V 
 
 during the year, agreed upon and recommend a celebration 
 which shall eml^ody substantially and in brief .an historical 
 address, an historical poem, tents upon the common, in 
 which appropriate exercises are to be held, and dinner served 
 to in\'ited guests, the ringing of bells, national salutes, 
 music, a procession, decoration and illumination of the town, 
 and an exhibition of ancient portraits and relics connected 
 with the history of the town. 
 
 "In order to carry out the above plans, your committee, 
 after carefully considering the probable expense of the same, 
 estimate that they will require from the town an appropria- 
 tion of $1,500, and recommend that the same ])e made ; and 
 to this end the delegation in the General Assembly from the 
 town have had an enabling act passed covering the said 
 amount. 
 
 "Your committee take pleasure in acknowledging the 
 interest manifested generally by the citizens of the town 
 and State in the proposed celebration, and especially the ex- 
 pression of hearty good will and pledge of active co-opera- 
 tion on the part of the Rhode Island Historical Society. 
 
 Respectfiilly submitted, 
 
 Le Baron B. Colt, 
 
 JF'or the Committee." 
 
 The following resolution was presented by Charles F. 
 HerreshofF, Esq., and adopted : 
 
 ^'Resolved, That the sum of $1,500 be, and the same is 
 hereby appropriated, for a due observance of the two hun- 
 dredth anniversary of the settlement of this town ; and that 
 Friday, the 24th day of September next, be, and the same 
 is, hereby designated as the day for such celebration." 
 
 After the action of the citizens in town meeting, making 
 the liberal appropriation asked for, the committee moved 
 2 
 
10 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 forward with confidence. Sub-committees for the various 
 objects in view were appointed, and an increased interest in 
 the proposed celebration was manifested on the part of the 
 citizens generally. 
 
 At a meeting of the committee on the 5th of May, vacan- 
 cies caused by the death of Dr. S. S. Drury and A. Sidney 
 D'Wolf, and the resignation and removal from town of 
 Lemuel A. Bishop, were filled by the appointment of Peter 
 Gladding, John Howland Pitman, and Charles H. Spooner. 
 
 It was voted that the planting of four trees upon the Com- 
 mon, in memory of the first four proprietors, be referred to 
 Edward S. Babbitt, Josephus Gooding, Henry Goft', C. H. 
 R. Doringh and S. P. Colt, with full power to carry out the 
 same. 
 
 Sub-committees were appointed as follows : 
 
 On Instrumental Music — C. A. Greene, T. F. Usher, J. 
 B. Burgess. 
 
 On Tents and Dinner — C. F. Herreshoft', J. M. Giflbrd, 
 Henry Goff, H. M. Howe. 
 
 On Procession— I. F. Williams, W. T. C. Wardwell, 
 Wm. H. Spooner, N. G. Herreshofl', J. B. Burgess, G. O. 
 Eddy, C. A. Waldron. 
 
 On Vocal Music— W. T. C. Wai-dwell. 
 
 On Odes— Wm. J. Miller. 
 
 On Decorations — C. A. Greene, T. F. Usher, J. B. Bur- 
 gess. 
 
 On Transportation — J. B. Burgess, T. F. Usher, C. H. 
 Spooner. 
 
 On Police— E. S. Babbitt, W. H. Spooner. 
 
 On Platfonn and Seats in Tent — John Collins, E. S. Bab- 
 l)itt, W. T. C. Wardwell. 
 
 On Carriages and Eeception of Invited Guests — R. S. An- 
 drews, H. M. Howe, H. M. Barns, J. Lawless, W. J. Mil- 
 ler, E. W. Brunsen, W. T. C. Wardwell, J. B. Burgess, E. 
 S. Babbitt, C. D'W. Brownell, T. F. Usher. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 11 
 
 On Loan Exhibition — Wm. J. Miller, John Collins, C. F. 
 Herreshoff, E. S. Babbitt, John H. D'Wolf, John H. Pit- 
 man. 
 
 Col. C. A. Greene, of the Phemx, was appointed a com- 
 mittee to provide suitable facilities for the members of the 
 press, and to see that they were properly entertained, but 
 being confined to his house by severe illness. Col. J. B. Bur- 
 gess was designated for the purpose, and discharged his 
 duties in the most satisfactory manner. 
 
 Charles H. Spooner was appointed a committee to ask of 
 the trustees of the several churches in town, that they be 
 open for the inspection of the public on the day of the cele- 
 bration. 
 
 Messrs. S. H. Smith and E. S. Babbitt were appointed a 
 committee to arrange for the proper seating of the audience 
 in the main tent. 
 
 E. W. Brunsen was appointed to distribute badges and 
 dinner tickets to visiting Sons and Daughters, and to arrange 
 for sale of same, with power to appoint assistants. 
 
 E. S. Babbitt was appointed a committee for floral deco- 
 rations on dining tables. 
 
 By request of the general committee, the school commit- 
 tee ordered the public schools closed on Thursday and Fri- 
 day, the 23d and 24th, and arranged for the Byfield school 
 building to be open to visitors on Friday and Saturday, 24th 
 and 25th of September. 
 
 Thursday, the 23d of September, was appointed for the 
 illumination of the town, and the citizens generally were in- 
 vited to illuminate their residences on that evening. 
 
 Arrangements were made for lighting the main tent by 
 electric lights, and for a promenade concert by the bands, 
 as the closing exercises of the day. 
 
 Early in July a communication was received tendering the 
 room of the B. Y. M. Christian Association in Rogers Free 
 Library building, for the use of the general and executive 
 
12 BI-CENTEXNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 committee, which was accepted with thanks, and thereafter 
 used and made general headquarters. Before that time the 
 committee had used the Town Hall and Council Chamber for 
 their meetings, through the courtesy of the Town Council. 
 The Town Council also kindly placed the Town Hall in pos- 
 session of the Loan Exhibition Committee from INIonday, 
 September 20th, to Tuesday, 28th, inclusive. 
 
 It comino; to the knowledo-e of the committee that the Prov- 
 idence Light Infantry Veteran Association contemplated 
 visiting Bristol on September 24th, it was voted that the 
 chairman of the committee be requested to communicate to 
 said Association that the committee would be much pleased 
 to have them join in the procession on that day, and to accept 
 such courtesies upon the occasion as might be in the power 
 of the committee to extend to them. 
 
 The mansion house of Mrs. Julia S. Perry, at Silver 
 Creek, was the first, or one of the first, houses built in the 
 town, and in the southwest parlor the first religious meeting 
 was held. A note from Mrs. Peny was received by the 
 committee, kindly offering to open her house for the recep- 
 tion of such visitors as might desire to call on the day of the 
 celebration. Notice of this invitation was given in the Bris- 
 tol Phenix. 
 
 The following circular was prepared and sent to every 
 absent Son and Daughter whose name and address could be 
 ascertained by the committee on correspondence : 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 13 
 
 1680 ^ ^\l(mk?Ai 1880 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF THE TOWN OF BRISTOL. 
 
 The Town of Bristol, having determined to celebrate her Two Hun- 
 dredth Anniversary, has set apart Friday, the 24th day of September, 1880, 
 for such commemoration. 
 
 One pleasant and highly interesting feature of the day will be the 
 Reunion of the Sons and Daughters of Bristol. As one of them, you are 
 cordially invited to be present, and unite with us in making the occarsion 
 •worthy of the Town and of its history. A warm and hearty Avelcorae will 
 greet you. 
 
 In behalf of the Bi-Centennial Committee. 
 
 Le Baron B. Colt, 
 
 President. 
 
 Many matters of detail were refeiTed to the Executive 
 Committee, such as the order of exercises in the main tent, 
 and at the dinner table, the audit of bills, all printing, the 
 preparation of suitable badges, the selection of invited guests, 
 etc. They were also requested to obtain the names of visit- 
 ing Sons and Daughters. 
 
 A list of about one hundred names of invited guests was 
 prepared and accepted, and a copy of the following circular 
 sent to each : 
 
14 
 
 EI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 1680 
 
 1880 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF THE TOWN OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Bristol, R. I., September 1st, 1880. 
 
 The Town of Bristol having set apart Friday, the 24th day of Septem- 
 ber, 1880, to celebrate the Two Hundredth Anniversary of its settlement, 
 the Committee appointed for the purpose, have the honor to invite you to 
 be present on that day as the guest of the Town. 
 
 A favorable and early reply will oblige, 
 
 Very Respectfully Yours, 
 
 Lr Baron B. Colt, 
 WiM. J. Miller, 
 Edward S. Bahbitt, 
 
 Committee. 
 
 The Committee on Instrumental Music, early reported 
 that they had engaged the services of the Bristol Cornet 
 Band, and the Boston Brigade Band. The same committee 
 also arranged for the salutes and ringing of bells. 
 
 The Committee on Vocal Music reported that through the 
 courtesy and hearty co-operation of the School Committee, 
 about three hundred pupils of the public schools were, under 
 the supervision of Mrs. S. B. Spinning, practising several 
 original odes to be sung on the day of the celebration. 
 
 Mr. Babbitt, from the Committee on Badges, reported 
 with samples, which were adopted, and the Committee was 
 instructed to procure the number required. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 15 
 
 The Committee on Tents and Dinner reported that they 
 had contracted for two tents, to be set up on the Common, 
 near the line of State street. The main tent for the literary 
 exercises to be 80 by 200 feet, with seats for 5,000 persons, 
 and a platform for the seating of the committee and invited 
 iruests. The dinner tent to be 50 by 300 feet. They 
 further reported that they had contracted with L. A. Tilling- 
 Inist, the well known caterer of Providence, to furnish din- 
 ner for one thousand persons. 
 
 The Committee on Decorations reported, that they had 
 contracted with the veteran decorator. Col. William Beals, 
 of Boston, to decorate the public buildings of the town. 
 
 Arrangements were made with the Chief Engineer of the 
 Fire Department, to have the several Fire Engine Houses 
 and Pumping Station open to visitors. 
 
 All these reports were accepted and approved by the 
 Executive and General Committees, and as the day ap- 
 proached, all matters were in a forward state of preparation. 
 
 The large number of strange faces to be seen on the streets 
 of the town indicate how promptly and heartily absent sons 
 and daughters have responded to the call to return to the old 
 hearth stone. Hearty greetings are exchanged on every 
 hand, and many incidents of early life and childhood sports 
 are rehearsed. Oh ! how the old days come back with all 
 their precious memories. The intervening space of ten, 
 twenty, thirty, fort}^ aye fifty years, seems but a dream 
 now, and we are children again, and in the dear old home. 
 
 On Wednesday, Septenjber 22nd, the Loan Exhibition in 
 Town Hall was opened to the public, and attracted gi-eat 
 interest. To John DeA^^olf the credit is due for the large 
 number of portraits and other interesting relics gathered, 
 and the good taste displayed in their grouping and arrange- 
 ment. 
 
 Thursday, September 23rd, opened bright and mild, and 
 during the day many visiting Sons and Daughters airived 
 by boat and tmin. A more beautiful evening for the illu- 
 
16 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 mination could not be desired. It was so calm that a lighted 
 taper could have been carried through the streets. The 
 decorations and illuminations were general — almost universal 
 — so much so, that to mention any without naming all, seems 
 almost invidious. 
 
 The Providence Journal of September 24th, contained the 
 following article on 
 
 " Bristol's bi-centennial. 
 
 " GRAND ILLUMINATION AND ELABORATE DECORATION OF THE TOWN. 
 ENTHUSIASTIC GATHERING OF HER SONS AND DAUGHTERS. 
 
 " Ye ancient towne of Bristol is stirred to its utmost depths 
 on the occasion of its two hundredth anniversary, and a visit 
 to the usually staid and unobtrusive old town yesterday 
 afternoon and evening, would have convinced a stranger 
 within its gates that the bustle and excitement that pervaded 
 its streets and places of business, betokened its metropolitan 
 character and enterprise. The trains and steamboats brought 
 loads of people, as well as vehicles of all descriptions, from 
 the surrounding country, and it was estimated that at even- 
 tide, in addition to a majority of its six thousand inhabitants, 
 there were upwards of two thousand strangers and natives 
 upon the streets and in the town. The applications for 
 badges and dinner tickets, by sons and daughters, reached 
 three or four hundred during the day, and the latch-strings 
 on the outside of dwelling houses were remarkably numerous. 
 There has been a wide-spread and hearty response to the in- 
 vitations extended by the committees and townsmen, and the 
 exercises of to-day will attract many thousands. 
 
 "illumination of the town. 
 
 " The obsei-vance of the bi-centennial anniversary began last 
 evening with a magnificent and extensive illumination and 
 decoration of the town in patriotic dress, and residents vied 
 with each other in the elaborateness and brilliancy of their 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 17 
 
 displays at their residences and places of business. Col. 
 Reals, of Boston, and J. Harry Welch, of Providence, lent 
 tJioir experience and good taste in the combination of colors 
 and appropriate designs, and it was noticeable that excellent 
 laste and discrimination in the arrangement and selection of 
 material Avas shown by the townsmen. Where the display 
 on all of the public thoroughfares was so brilliant and im- 
 posing, it would require unlimited space to particularize even 
 the most prominent and artistic demonstrations of public 
 spirit and pride. Hope street, which may be termed the 
 'Broadway' of the town, was radiant with the glow of 
 myriads of lanterns and transparencies, while colored lights 
 and bonfires were shown on the corners of the intersecting 
 streets in lavish profusion. The residences of James DeWolf 
 Perry, Philip Bourn, and Col. C. A. Greene, of the Phenix, 
 shone gayly in their dress of national colors in bunting, with 
 lanterns and transparencies prettily arrayed, and the Hydrau- 
 lion Engine Company displayed an elaborate fire scene in 
 front of their house, with lanterns and bunting, and ' Wel- 
 come,' in gold lettering. On Franklin street, from High to 
 Hope street, long lines of lanterns, bunting and transpar- 
 encies, greeted the eye. Mrs. Babbitt made a handsome 
 display of colored lights and transparencies, and Captain 
 ( Collins transformed his house and glrounds into a national 
 garden, with its rows of lanterns across the piazza, and flags 
 of all descriptions suspended about the i)remises. Wm. J. 
 Miller and J. Howard Manchester made handsome displays, 
 and at the Rogers Library lights gleamed from every win- 
 dow, while shields, bunting and festoons were gracefully 
 arranged in its front. In front of the elegant residence of 
 (Jol. S. Pomroy Colt, a dense crowd was assembled, and one 
 involuntarily paused to admire the magnificent display. A 
 large flag floated from a pole on top of the house, and a 
 golden eagle was poised on the roof, holding in her beak the 
 streamers and bunting which completely enveloped the front 
 3 
 
18 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL.- 
 
 of the house. A ciystal refractor emitted prismatic lights 
 from its station on the piazza-roof, and the pillars were en- 
 twined with tri-colored streamers. Two knights in full 
 armor stood on either side of the portal, and a revolutionary 
 soldier in a medallion frame stood above the State seal, with 
 Hags on both sides of the entrance. The grounds were bril- 
 liantly illuminated with lanterns, and over the postern was 
 the inscription, 'Welcome, our Governor.' Locomotive 
 head-lights turned their full radiance on the building, and 
 colored fires added to the superb efiect of the scene. Capt. 
 Norris, corner of Plope and State streets, made a pretty dis- 
 play, and the Bristol Hotel was gayly trimmed and illumi- 
 nated. The post office was dressed from roof to basement 
 in festoons and streamers, held in the beak of a noble eagle. 
 The residence of Edward W. Brunsen was greatly admired, 
 tjie stars and stripes and scores of lanterns making the 
 grounds and interior singularly beautiful. Capt. Lawless 
 illuminated his handsome residence, and displayed mottoes 
 and bunting, while the dazzling lights of locomotive head- 
 lights made the grounds of Col. A. C. Eddy as bright as 
 day, and set off his decorations to the best advantage. The 
 h'ght of colored fires was reflected on the waters of the har- 
 bor and the craft anchored therein, and produced a charming 
 scene. Hon. Augustus O. Bourn and Le Baron B. Colt, Esq. , 
 illuminated their residences, and the latter made a splendid 
 display of flags and bunting. W. H. Manchester's store, 
 and the house of the Dreadnaught Hose Company, with its 
 triple row of torches, emitted a brilliant light. At the By- 
 tield School the decorations were beautifully arranged, a 
 hu-ge picture being stationed over the porch, w^ith mottoes, a 
 figure of the goddess of liberty, streamers and bunting. 
 The Thompson Brothers made a brilliant showing, and on 
 the east side of the Common strings of lanterns were observed 
 reaching its ent^ire length. The Court House was finely 
 decorated, the greeting, ' We greet the present and remem- 
 ber the absent,' being conspicuously posted over the en- 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 19 
 
 trance, and a profusion of tri-colorcJ streamers and flags 
 prettily draped. At Masonic Hall the flags and emblems of 
 the Order were suspended across the street. The residence 
 of the Town Clerk, Peter Gladding, was elaborately dressed 
 and brilliantly illuminated with lanterns. It was utterly 
 impossible to hire a conveyance in Bristol or Warren dur- 
 ing the afternoon, and the stable keepers turned away hun- 
 dreds of applicants to house their teams. A continuous 
 stream of vehicles of all descriptions passed along the 
 road between Providence and Bristol during the afternoon 
 and evening, and an extra train was run from Warren to 
 Bristol to accommodate the excursionists. It was a gala 
 night for Bristol, and it will live long in the memories of the 
 oldest inhabitant and risins: generation, as the o-randest dis- 
 play of public spirit and enthusiastic pride in its ancient and 
 honorable history." 
 
 The Providence Press account, from their regular Bristol 
 correspondent, describes "the scene on Hope, State and 
 Bradfords streets, as very beautiful. Colored fires, burning 
 barrels, and fireworks of all descriptions, with the brilliant 
 illuminations, called forth the warmest praises from the 
 assembled thousands on the streets. As we passed down 
 Hope street, the New York Store, John G. Sparks, propri- 
 etor, attracted much attention from the very elaborate deco- 
 ration and the magnificent display of lanterns, while the 
 large show window contained the goddess of liberty, very 
 artistically and elaborately dressed. This store attracted 
 general attention from all passers. Thompson's boot and 
 shoe store looked finely, as did the Boston Store and others. 
 The humble cottage of the widow, with its one light placed 
 in the window^ to show her interest, though but a mite as 
 compared with the outlay made by those near by, was appre- 
 ciated by all who passed that way." 
 
 The Town Hall was decorated on the outside with flags 
 and streamers, but the great attraction was the relics gath- 
 ered within its walls. 
 
20 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 The Post Office and Custom House building was also 
 elaborately dressed in flags and streamers. The Pre.s.<t 
 names other places illuminated as follows : — "King Philip 
 Steam Fire Engine House, No. 1, Hugh Holmes' market, 
 George H. Farrington's store, and the residences of Dr. 
 Canfield, William Pierce, William B. Kimball, and the 
 Misses Codman." 
 
 In addition, the Bristol Pheiiix gives the following list of 
 residences decorated and illuminated : 
 
 "James M. Giflbrd, Dr. L. W. Briggs, Mrs. R. D. Smith, 
 Mrs. Henry Wardwell, James A. Miller, George W. Easter- 
 brooks, Otis Munro, Rev. Dr. W. V. Morrison, Col. E. M. 
 Wardwell, Baptist parsonage, William H. Spooner, N. S. 
 Burnham, Bennett J. Munro, Charles A. Johnson, Horace 
 M. Barns, Isaac F. Williams, Edward S. Babbitt, Andrew 
 R. Trotter, Henry R. Cooke, Benjamin B. Morris, JohnW". 
 Munro, Frederic A. Easterbrooks, Ozro C. Barrows, George 
 H. Farrington, Miss Sarah Cutler, Samuel B. Spinning, 
 Robert N. Church, Major Henry Goft", Augustus N. JSIiller, 
 Dr. T. S. Shipman, James D. Wardwell, Jesse Wilson, and 
 the stores of Richard Dunbar, Samuel Corwin, Charles A. 
 Johnson ; the Phenix office, the stores of J. H. Young & 
 Co., George W. Easterbrooks, Misses Thompson and Hun- 
 newell, Benjamin M. Lincoln, Frederic A. Easterbrooks. 
 Thomas C. Church, David A. Pierce, Louis Kunze, John 
 Connery, John Lake, Benjamin L. West, Wm. Fred. Fish. 
 William H. Buffington, William H. Bell, and Allen M. 
 Newman." 
 
 The correspondents of these papers worked industriously 
 and gave very full reports, but many places deserving of 
 notice doubtless escaped attention. 
 
 The morning of the 24th, the eventful day which had 
 been so long anticipated, broke bright and clear, with a 
 mild, genial air, and throngs of people were early astir to 
 join in the festivities. 
 
 At sunrise,' a national salute of thirty-eight guns was 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 21 
 
 tired on the common, by the Bristol Train of Artillery, un- 
 der the direction of Col. R. B. Franklin. Bells of the 
 cKurches were rung for one hour, commencing at the time 
 of firing the salute. 
 
 The steamer from Newport was one of the first arrivals, 
 and landed about one hundred and fifty persons, and throngs 
 continued to arrive by boat, train and other conveyances, 
 until, at the time fixed for the procession to form it was esti- 
 mated that there were fully six thousand strangers in the 
 town. The Town Hall was early filled with interested 
 visitors, and continued to attract large crowds throughout 
 tlie day and evening. 
 
 THE PROCESSION. 
 
 At 10| o'clock A. M., the procession was formed on High 
 street, in front of the Court House, right resting on State 
 street, in the following order : 
 
 Police skirmishers. Platoon of Providence Police. 
 
 Chief Marshal— Col. S. P. Colt. 
 
 Aids — Capt. John Collins, Mark A. DeWolf, Frederick F. 
 Gladding, James A. Renwick, Benjamin L. West, Capt. 
 Charles Norris, Col. T. F. Usher, James C. Church, Henry 
 M. Gibson, J. Howard Manchester, Wilfred H. Munro, 
 Charles Paull, Robert D. Andrews. 
 
 FiusT Division. 
 
 Marshal — Col. George O. Eddy. 
 
 Aids — P. L. Garrett, Orrin Wilson, W. Fred Williams, 
 William H. Munro. 
 
 Bristol Cornet Band, James Allyn, leader ; C. H. Straight, 
 dnim major ; 22 pieces. 
 
 Bristol Train of Artillery, Col. Richard B. Franklin, 
 commander; Lieut. -Col. Henry F. Card; Capt. William B. 
 Burnham ; Lieut. Frisbie ; 50 men. 
 
 National Band, Providence, W. E. White, leader; 2.') 
 pieces. 
 
22 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 First Light Infantry Veteran Association Band, of Provi- 
 dence, Benjamin P. Robinson, leader ; 8 pieces. 
 
 First Light Infantry Veteran Association, Providence — 
 Col. W. W. Brown, commanding ; Adjt. Dan. Remington ; 
 75 men, in three companies — two in uniforms and one not 
 uniformed. 
 
 First Company — Capt. Eddy; Lieuts. Greene and Brad- 
 ford. 
 
 Second Company — Capt. Potter; Lieuts. Anthony and 
 Bradford. 
 
 Third Company — Gen. William R. Walker. 
 
 Bristol Light Infantry — Capt. Michael Cahill ; Lieuts. 
 Dwyer and Brunnell ; 25 men. 
 
 Second Division. 
 
 Marshal — Col. George T. French. 
 
 Aids — Edward F. Lucas, Maj. Wm. P. Merritt, Edward 
 Coward, A. L. Howe. 
 
 Company of gentlemen dressed in ye ancient [)ilgrim cos- 
 tume, formed in a hollow square, in the centre of Avhich was 
 borne the flag presented to the town by Colonel Byfield in 
 the year 1710. Color-bearer — A. B. Corthell. 
 
 Twenty carriages containing President and members of 
 Town Council of Bristol — C. A. Greene, A. J. Trotter, 
 Henry Gofl*, Samuel M. Lindsey, Hezekiah W. Church ; 
 His Excellency, Governor Littlefield ; Ilis Honor, Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor Fay, Adjutant General Barney and LeBaron 
 B. Colt, Esq., Chairman of the Bi-Centennial Committee; 
 Hon. Joshua M. Addeman, Secretary of State; Hon. Sam- 
 uel Clark, General Treasurer ; Hon. Joel M. Spencer, State 
 Auditor; Hon. Thos. B. Stockwell, Commissioner of Public 
 Schools ; Hon. Thomas W. Bicknell, former Commissioner of 
 Public Schools ; Cols. Pierce, Littlefield, Clarke and Francis, 
 of the Governor's personal staflf; Quartermaster-General Den- 
 nis and Col. J . C. Seabury ; Surgeon-General Budlong, Assist- 
 ant Adjutant-General Turner, and Assistant Quartermaster- 
 
BI-CENTENKIAL OF BRISTOL. 23 
 
 (xeiieral Nickerson ; Prof. J. Lewis Diman, of Providence, 
 orator ; Rt. Rev. Bishop Howe, of Central Pennsylvania, 
 poet; Rev. George L. Locke, chaplain; Hon. Henry B. 
 Anthony ; Hons. Nelson W. Aldrich and L. W. Ballou, 
 Representatives in Cong-ress ; Hon. JohnH. Stiness, Judge 
 of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island ; Col. T. W. Hig- 
 ginson, Senior Aid of the Governor of Massachusetts ; Rt. 
 Rev. T. M. Clark, Bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island 
 an .1 Chaplain of the First Light Infantry Veteran Associa- 
 tion of Providence ; His Honor H. K. Oliver, Mayor of 
 Salem, Mass., a descendant of Nathaniel Oliver; Hon. 
 Francis Brinley, of Newport, a descendant of Nathaniel 
 By field ; Hon. Zaohariah Allen, of Providence, President of 
 the Rhode Island Historical Society ; Hon. Amos Perry, 
 Secretary of the Rhode Island Historical Society ; Rev, S. H. 
 Webb, Chaplain First Battalion Rhode Island Militia ; Ex- 
 Governor Van Zandt ; His Honor Thomas A. Doyle, Mayor of 
 Providence ; His Honor Stephen P. Slocum, Mayor of New- 
 port ; Ex-Lieutenant Governor Charles R. Cutler, President 
 of the Town Council of Warren ; Henry F. Drown, EzraM. 
 Martin and George Smith, of the Town (^ouncil of Warren, 
 and Nathaniel Peck and Mark H. Wood, of the Barrington 
 Town Council ; Rev. Dr. Robinson, President of Brown 
 University ; Hon. Rowland Hazard, of South Kingstown ; 
 Prof. Jencks, of Brown University, and Rueben A. Guild, 
 liibrarian of Brown University ; Hon. Rowland G. Hazard, 
 of South Kingstown ; Prof. William Gammell, of Provi- 
 dence ; Hon. William Goddard, of Providence ; Rev. Joel 
 Mann, of New Haven, Conn. ; Rev. Francis Peck, of Balti- 
 more, Md. ; Rev. Thomas F. Fales, of Waltham, Mass. ; 
 Rev. James P. Lane, of Hyde Park, Mass. ; Rev. Mark 
 Ti-apnell, former rector of St. Michael's Church, Bristol ; 
 Rev. Benjamin B. Babbitt, of Columbia, S. C. ; Rev. C. B. 
 Peny, associate rector of Mount Calvary Church, Baltimore ; 
 Rev. W. J. Tilley, of Middletown, Vt. ; Rev. Dr. W. V. 
 Morrison, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Bristol ; Rev. 
 
24 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 J. H. Johnson, rector Trinity Church, Bristol ; Rev. H. 
 Crocker, pastor of the Baptist Church, Bristol ; Lewis T. 
 Fisher, Sheriff of Bristol county ; II- H. Luther, Town Clerk 
 of AYarren ; Peter Gladding, Town Clerk of Bristol ; William 
 R. Taylor, Deputy Town Clerk ; Hon. Charles H. Hardy, 
 of Warren, State Senator; John C. Burrington, Esq., of 
 Barrington, Representative in the General Assembly ; Wil- 
 liam H. Spooner, Esq., Representative in the General As- 
 sembly, from Bristol, and others. 
 
 Four trees, which were subsequently planted on the com- 
 mon, to the memory of the four original proprietors of the 
 town, on a carriage prej^ared for the purpose. 
 
 Thikd Division. 
 
 Marshal — Isaac F. Williams. 
 
 Aids — Charles Hosmer, W. Russell Bogert, John H. 
 Smith, Charles A. Waldron, Preston E. Day. 
 
 Boston Cadet Band, J. Thomas Baldwin, leader ; 26 pieces. 
 
 Chief Engineer of the F^ire Department — J. Howard 
 Manchester. Assistants — Charles FI. Allen, George W. 
 Simmons. 
 
 Hydraulic Engine and Hose Co., No. 1, Capt. Eugene 
 Rounds ; 25 men and their machine. 
 
 Progress Fire Company, of New Bedford, Mass., Charles 
 S. Paisler, Foreman. 
 
 King Philip Steam Fire Engine Co. No. 1, Robert Lawder, 
 Acting Foreman ; 15 men with the machine. 
 
 Dreadnaught Hook, Ladder and Hose Co., No. 1, Charles 
 E. Card, Captain ; 25 men, with the hose carriage. 
 
 FoiTHTii Division. 
 
 Marshal — Charles V. Perry. 
 
 Aids — N. R. Middleton, James Gooding, Lewis DcWolf, 
 Ricardo D. B. Smith. 
 
 Bristol Bi-Centennial Drum Coi-ps, Capt. George Warren ; 
 8 drums. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 25 
 
 Sons and djuigliters of Bristol, under charge of Col. E. 
 M. Ward well. 
 
 Cavalcade of citizens, in which conspicuously appeared 
 (Jen. A. E. Burnside, under command of Chandler H. 
 (bo'ffeshall. Aids— Wilfred H. Munro, Frank J. Gladding. 
 
 FiFTji Division. 
 
 Marshal— Hon. William T. C. Wardwell. 
 Aids— James D. Wardwell, Jr., Edward Anthony, Jr., 
 James M. Usher, Charles F. Chase. 
 
 trades' puocession. 
 Team of Boston Store, T. T, Allan, proprietor, a line dis- 
 play of goods ; wagon of Adams Express Company tilled 
 witii boxes, trunks, etc. ; team of W. T. C. Wardwell, con- 
 taining lumber of all kinds, doors, blinds, etc. ; team of the 
 Reynolds Manufacturing Company containing cotton in all 
 processes of manufacture ; Singer Sewing Machine team ; 
 M. A. Card's local express wagon, with boxes, packages, 
 etc. ; N. N. Cole's display of coal, flour, grain, hay, vege- 
 tables and all sorts of produce, wdth flags and national bunt- 
 ing ; market Avagon of Hugh Holmes, full of provisions ; 
 display of the Herreshotf Manufacturing Company, com- 
 pound engines, boilers, etc. ; paints and oils, display by 
 William H. Spooner ; grocery w^agon of Thompson Brothers ; 
 large wagon of boots and shoes, from C. H. Thompson ; 
 wheelbarrow, from the market of W. Fred Fish, as showing 
 how the business was conducted wdien he started in business 
 in 1869, follow^ed by a wagon well filled with orders as 
 showing hoW' the business is conducted to-day ; two wagons 
 containing dry and fancy goods, and clothing, from J. G. 
 Sparks ; wagon containing stoves, from Richard S. Glad- 
 ding ; wagon of F. A. Geisler, containing a blacksmith's 
 forge, anvil, etc. ; and showing the different processes in 
 the manufticture of carriages; team of William Johnson, 
 harness maker, with a good display of trunks, harnesses, 
 4 
 
26 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 etc. ; boat on wheels, gaily trimmed with national colors and 
 evergreen, containing several young ladies and a display of 
 millinery trimmings, from Misses Thompson and Hunne well ; 
 display of drugs, perfumery and fancy goods, from J. H. 
 Young & Co.'s ; stoves, pumps, etc., from J. Howard 
 Manchester, dealer in stoves and tinware ; a small house on 
 wheels made of national bunting, with doors, windows, 
 blinds, etc., from Marshall Prarie, contractor and builder; 
 two large wagons, finely decoi-ated, from the National Rub- 
 ber Company, well filled with a variety of goods of their 
 make ; farm wagon filled with all sorts of farm produce, H. 
 M. Gibson ; two ice carts and a milk wagon, from J. Good- 
 ing. All the teams were more or less decked with flags and 
 l)unting in the national colors. 
 
 The procession commenced to move about 11 1 o'clock. 
 
 The line of march was as follows : High street to Franklin, 
 Franklin to Hope, Hope to Walley, Walley to High, High 
 to Church, Church to Wood, Wood to State, State to the 
 tent on Common, where the exercises in the tent were held. 
 
 The tent was reached about one o'clock. Most of the 
 prominent guests from the carriages took seats on the plat- 
 form. The Town Committee of Arrangements were also 
 seated upon the platform, forming, with the invited guests, 
 a group of some two hundred persons. As the exercises 
 were about to commence, the venerable and Rt. Rev. Benja- 
 min B. Smith, Senior Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church, of the United States, a native of Bristol, came in and 
 was seated upon the platform. His very presence was a 
 benediction. 
 
 More than five thousand people filled the tent to over- 
 flowing. 
 
 T'he exercises were as follows : 
 
 ORDER OF EXERCISES. 
 
 " Overture to William Tell," by the Boston Cadet Band. 
 Prayer, by Rev. George L. Locke. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 27 
 
 Le Baron B. Colt, Esq., President of the Bi-ccntenniul 
 Committee, made an addi-ess, as folloAvs : 
 
 ADDRESS of WELCOME. 
 
 It is my pleasant duty, on behalf of the town, to welcome 
 you, one and all, sons and daughters of old Bristol, invited 
 guests and friends. This is the native town of most of you, 
 the adoi)ted town of others, the loved and respected town of 
 all ; and here upon this, her two-hundredth birth-day, in 
 honor of her long life, of what she has been and is to all of 
 us, you come from far and near to join us in laying these 
 offerings of affection at her feet. 
 
 Her history, her early and romantic past, the circumstances 
 of her settlement by our ancestors, the story of her life dur- 
 ing two eventful centuries, her rapid and prosperous growth 
 at the beginning, the commercial importance she once at- 
 tained, the calamities by wars, tire and tempest she has suf- 
 fered, this and much more will be told you in prose and verse 
 from the lips of her most distinguished children. It only 
 remains, therefore, for me to welcome you to all the enjoy- 
 ments of this day — to the sight once more of these goodly 
 Mount Hope lands, these pleasant waters, this beautiful 
 prospect, these broad streets, with their archway of noble 
 trees, these old churches and homesteads, with the many 
 memories they call back into life. May your stay among us 
 be as happy as you anticipate. May you find the town as 
 fair as when you left her, and her people as worthy of her. 
 
 The dwellers upon this territory have always regarded it 
 with a peculiar devotion. The AVampanoags of old returned 
 to this spot with pride and pleasure, cherished it beyond all 
 others, made it their kingly seat, clung to it until conquest 
 and death, and we in the same spirit of devotion have met 
 to-day. 
 
 The Chief Executive of the State, those who represent us 
 in the councils of the nation, the representatives of our cities, 
 
28 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 colleges and historical societies, and other distinguished gen- 
 tlemen from neiMiboring States and from our own, have hon- 
 ored us with their presence upon this occasion. To all these 
 we extend a cordial greeting. May the exercises of this day 
 serve to deepen our attachment for the town, our reverence 
 for its history, and make us better and more worthy citizens. 
 
 Two hundred and fift}'^ children of the public schools, 
 under the direction of Mrs. S. B. Spinning, then sang the 
 following invocation ode, written for the occasion l)y Abby 
 D. Munro : 
 
 INVOCATION ODE. 
 
 Oh, Thou, within whose bouutoous hand. 
 The circling years in order stand, 
 A thousand years within whose sight. 
 Are as the watch of one lone night; 
 
 To thee our tribute now we bring. 
 Let every tongue thy praises sing. 
 "While homage to thy name we pay, 
 For this returning festal day. 
 
 When first our fathers sought a home. 
 Thy blessing on their choice was shown. 
 Thou mad'st the wilderness they chose. 
 To bud and blossom as the rose. 
 
 What wonders has thy goodness wrought ! 
 What changes has thy wisdom brought ! 
 Who has made these blessings to abound. 
 And all these years with plenty crowned. 
 
 Our Father, and our father's God! 
 Oh, be thy glorious name adored ! 
 Now, and through each succeeding age, 
 For such a goodly heritage. 
 
 The following congratulatory telegrams were received : 
 "Received at Bristol, R. I., 8.42 a. m. Sept. 21th, 1880. 
 To Bi-Ceritennial Committee, Bristol, Rhode Island: 
 With best felicitations. 
 
 Dim AN. 
 Lisbon." 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 29 
 
 " Santa Fe, N. M., Sept. 23rd, 1880. 
 Received at Bristol, R. I., 8.40 a. m , Sept. 24th. 
 To Le B. B. Colt: 
 
 Regretting distance prevents attendance, I send greetings from the far 
 Southwest. 
 
 L Brauford Pri>'ce." 
 
 The first telegi-am was from Henry Wight Diinan, Esq., 
 United States Consul at Lisbon, Portugal. He has been in 
 Europe eighteen years. 
 
 Mr. Prince is Chief Justice of the United States Court of 
 New Mexico. 
 
 Prof. J. Lewis Dimax, the orator of the day, delivered 
 the following address : 
 
HISTORICAL ADDRESS. 
 
 We have met to commemorate the founding of this ancient 
 town. Two hundred years have fled since the hearths of our 
 fathers were pLmted here. Well nigh seven generations 
 have completed their mortal term since these broad streets 
 were opened, since this spacious common, on which we are 
 gathered, was set apart for public use. As we enter upon 
 the third century of our history, we pause, for a brief space, 
 to confess the debt which every community that has done 
 anything worthy of remembrance owes to itself, and which 
 no community swayed by generous sentiments, and mindful 
 of its own best interests, can refuse to pay. There is no 
 more becoming impulse than that which brings us hither. The 
 most elevated instincts of our nature are enlisted in such a 
 service. The deep and wide-spread interest which this occa- 
 sion has awakened, this great multitude before me, afford 
 convincing proof that we are not insensible to the obligations 
 which our connection with a community like this imposes. 
 We have gladly heeded the summons to this festival ; we 
 have trodden with willing feet these familiar paths. It is a 
 festival in which we cannot join without emotion. It has 
 for all of xis a meaning which no ordinary festival can have. 
 Amid the ringing of bells, and the inspiring strains of music, 
 we can none of us forget that we have come to a spot hal- 
 lowed by our most affecting memories. Here we were born ; 
 here by the lireside we heard the first accents of affection : 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 31 
 
 liere in the school-room we learned our earliest lessons ; here 
 in the house of God we were taui^ht the consolinir truths that 
 alone compensate for the losses Avhich a day like this brings 
 so vividly to mind. A eloud of witnesses, invisible to mor- 
 tal eye, look down upon us. Everything around us invests 
 tliese services with an exalted and religious sentiment. 
 There are no ties more sacred than those of which we are now^ 
 reminded. "We have come to the home of our childhood ; to 
 the graves of our fathers. The words of Holy Writ leap un- 
 bidden to our lips : "If I forget Thee, may my right hand 
 forget her cunning ; if I do not remember Thee, may my 
 tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth ! " 
 
 The circumstances under which we meet may well call for 
 our heai-tfelt gratulation. We have come to a spot beautiful 
 for situation, lovely indeed at all times, but never more lovely 
 than at this season, when lingering summer bathes the land- 
 scape in the pensive beauty that so well befits the strain of 
 thought in which we cannot help indulging. We have come 
 at a time when w' e may turn without effort from our common 
 avocations and cares, a time of great prosperity, when our 
 land is teeming with abundant harvests, when, after years of 
 weary depression, commerce and industry show everywhere 
 signs of healthy revival, wiien our public credit is restored, 
 when peace reigns in all our l)orders. No dreg of bitterness 
 poisons our overflow ing cup. Nor should the fact that we are 
 now engaged in one of the great periodical contests which 
 determine the political character of our government, when 
 throughout its length and breadth the land is stirred with 
 the eager strife of conflicting pai-ties, lessen in the least our 
 interest in these services. To one who rightly apprehends 
 the nature of our political system, and who correctly esti- 
 mates the real sources of its strength, they will seem invested 
 with additional significance. For even amid the excitement 
 of a national election, and Avith the inspiring spectacle before 
 us, of fifty millions of freemen choosing their chief magistrate 
 under the wise and regulated restraints of constitutional law% 
 
32 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 we may well turn our gaze, for a few moments, to those an- 
 cient sources from which the broad stream of our national 
 life has flowed ; we may well remind ourselves that our local 
 institutions form, at once, the foundation and safeguard of 
 our federal system ; that from the broad supi^ort of number- 
 less scattered municipalities like this, whose founding we 
 commemorate to-day, springs the splendid arch that gilds 
 with promise the future of American civilization. Let us 
 never forget that American liberty had its cradle in towns ; 
 that here the earliest lessons of self-government were learned. 
 And let us rest assured that long as the traditions of these 
 local rights are zealously cherished, American liberty will 
 never be subverted. 
 
 Nor can I count it inopportune that our services so nearly 
 coincide, in point of time, with the great and splendid com- 
 memoration, which, during the past week, has concentrated 
 the gaze of the entire nation upon the chief city of New En- 
 gland. At first sight, indeed, it may well seem that our 
 modest festival cannot fail to suffer from too close proximity 
 to another so similar as to provoke comparison, and yet so 
 much more impressive in its historical associations, and so 
 much more elaborate in its attending circumstances. Still 
 even this seeming disadvantage, when we reflect a moment, 
 gives additional meaning to our celebration. There is a 
 peculiar fitness in having one so soon succeed the other. 
 For it serves the more forcibly to call attention to that fea- 
 ture in our early history which gave this town its distinctive 
 character, and drew the broad line of distinction between 
 this settlement and the earlier settlements upon the shores of 
 the Narragansett. It reminds us that Bristol was the off- 
 spring of Boston. At the ripe age of fifty years the sturdy 
 Puritan mother gave birth to this beautiful child. It was 
 the sagacity of Boston merchants that first saw" the admirable 
 adaptation of this commodious harbor to the purposes of 
 commerce, it was the public spirit of Boston merchants that 
 reserved for a remote posterity the ample provisions of these 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 33 
 
 streets and squares, it was the intelligence and piety of Bos- 
 ton merchants that planted T)y this shore the institutions of 
 education and religion which their Puritan training had taught 
 them to reverence, and which they brought with them to 
 their ncAv home, as their most precious heritage. Here, so 
 far as their circumstances would permit, they sought to build 
 another Boston ; and surely as they gazed on the fair sur- 
 roundings of this fiwored spot, as they surveyed the gentle 
 slope of the ground, as they followed the graceful course of 
 the silver bay, as they pictured, perchance, the possil)le suc- 
 cess that might attend their enterprise, they may well have 
 been pardoned if they sometimes exclaimed, 
 O matre pulchra filia pulchrior ! 
 Two hundred years do not cover a long period when we 
 reckon the centuries of the world's history, j^et two hundred 
 years carry us back to a time when much that now seems 
 majestic and venerable, existed only in the womb of futurity. 
 The faded banner that was borne in our procession to-day, 
 ppecious as the gift of one of the first proprietors, is the, 
 symbol of a municipal organization that went into operation 
 more than a century before our Federal Constitution was 
 adopted. When this town was founded, the kingdom of 
 Prussia had not been established, the empire of Russia had 
 !iot become a European power. Charles the Second was still 
 degrading the crown of England, the fierce contest caused by 
 the Exclusion Bill was rajjinff, the ofreat revolution had not 
 taken place which drove the Stuarts from the throne. Our 
 town government is, therefore, older than the English con- 
 stitution as it now exists, older than the Bill of Rights, older 
 than the Act of Settlement, older than the great division of 
 parties that ran through the reigns of Anne and the Georges, 
 olderthan the England of Bolingbroke, of Walpole and of Pitt. 
 Two hundred years of the quiet annals of a neighborhood 
 like this do not, it is true, appeal to the imagination like 
 two hundred years of the history of a famous State. The 
 
34 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 stage is small, and the interests seem trivial, the actors are 
 not heroes and statesmen and kings. But it is, after all, a 
 history that touches us more nearly than the plots of rulers, 
 or the devastating march of armies. It is the history of the 
 human life which we all are leading. And when we reflect 
 what two hundred years of the history of a community like 
 this really represent, when we consider the inestimable ben- 
 efit difiused by a well ordered social system, the wholesome 
 restraints of law, the sweets of domestic life, the elevating 
 influence of education, the priceless blessings of devout re- 
 ligious instruction, the influence of good example transmitted 
 from o-eneration to jjeneration, we shall feel that two hun- 
 dred years of history like this are as worthy of our study as 
 much that fills a larger and more pretentious page. 
 
 When the first houses were built upon this spot, two of 
 which still remain to attest the solid workmanship of our 
 fathers, there already existed four settlements on Narragan- 
 sett Bay. Forty-four years earlier Roger Williams had un- 
 dertaken, upon the banks of the Mooshausic, the unique and 
 memorable experiment of founding a community upon the 
 principle of obedience to the civil magistrates only in civil 
 things. A little later the great antinomian controversy had 
 driven to the island of Aquidneck another company, who, 
 planting themselves just at the northern end, had afterwards 
 removed to the unrivalled harbor which excited the admira- 
 tion of the Florentine navigator, Verazzano, more than a 
 century before ; and almost directly opposite, upon the 
 western shore of the bay, that singular enthusiast, Samuel 
 Gorton, after coming into collision with the authorities both 
 at Providence and Newport, had founded Warwick. In the 
 year 16 03 the three settlements had been imited under the 
 charter of Charles the Second. 
 
 The course of events which reserved this territory for a 
 later occupation, and for a diflfcrent jurisdiction, forms one 
 of the most interesting chapters in the history of New En- 
 gland. The neck of land on which this town was built, called 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 35 
 
 by the English Mount Hope, but known to the Indians as 
 Pokanoket, was the last recognized possession of the abo- 
 rigines in this portion of the country. Here was their final 
 refuge ; here began the great struggle which resulted in their 
 overthroAV ; here was witnessed the last tragic act in the 
 bloody strife. I shall not transgress the proper limits of 
 my subject if I glance briefly at events which were directly 
 connected with the founding of the toAvn, and which explain 
 the distinctive characteristics of its early history. It is only 
 from a review of these events that we can understand how 
 this community presented, at the outset, such marked contrast 
 to the other settlements upon our bay. 
 
 Whether, as has been claimed by enthusiastic Scandina- 
 vian scholars, the Northmen ever visited these shores, is a 
 question we need not discuss. There seems, indeed, no rea- 
 son to doubt the substantial truth of the narratives which 
 describe the adventurous voyages of Biorne, and Leif and 
 Thorfinn ; we may accept without hesitation, the claim that 
 they discovered Greenland, that they cruised along the coast 
 of Labrador and Nova Scotia, that they pursued their dan- 
 gerous navigation as far south as Cape Cod and Narragansett 
 Bay. But when we seek from au}^ of their own statements, 
 to determine the precise localities they visited, we are in- 
 volved in insuperable difficulties. The attempt from a pas- 
 sage of doubtful meaning respecting the length of the day 
 at Vinland, where they wintered, to identify its latitude with 
 Rhode Island, can hardly be accepted as conclusive. The most 
 that we can safely say, is, that they may have been here ; that 
 there is nothing improbable in the supposition that they may 
 have found in this bay their winter refuge. But if they did 
 they left no trace behind them. Their daring enterprise had 
 no influence whatever upon subsequent events. To sup- 
 pose, as some have done, that the name of the neighboring 
 summit is the corruption of the Norse word with which they 
 marked their resting place, and that it was preserved in the 
 traditions of an alien race for more than six hundred years, 
 
36 Bl-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 is to carry credulity beyond the limit of common sense. We 
 may please ourselves with the fancy that the dark barks 
 which arrested the troubled graze of Charlemao;ne, which at a 
 later period carried terror to the coasts of France, and 
 pushed up the Seine to the very gates of Paris, may have 
 anchored in these waters ; a halo of romance will surround 
 these shores if we connect them with those adventurous 
 vikings ; but the course of events that claims our serious at- 
 tention belongs to a far later period. Let us leave these 
 obscure legends and pass to the region of unquestioned fact. 
 We shall tind enough here to invest this familiar region with 
 a sino^ular and endurinfi: interest. 
 
 At the beginning of the authentic history of our town, 
 we are confronted with the most venerable figure among the 
 aborigines of New England. When the Pilgrims landed at 
 Plymouth, they were told that the desolate region around 
 them belonged to the great sachem, Massasoit, whose sway 
 extended from Cape Cod to the shores of the Narragansett. 
 With him their first treaty was concluded. In an unfinished 
 building near Plymouth, the floor spread with a rug and 
 cushion to give dignity to the proceedings, were conducted 
 the simple negotiations which are memorable as the begin- 
 ning of American diplomacy. The treaty was one of alli- 
 ance, and not one of subjection, and the sachem was assured 
 that "King James would esteem him as his friend and ally." 
 In the following summer, the first passed by the Pilgrims in 
 New England, envoys were sent by the colonists to visit the 
 sachem at Pokanoket. The narrative of this visit, the earli- 
 est ever made by Englishmen, of which any account has 
 been preserved, while it presents a vivid picture of the 
 squalid surroundings of the Wampanoag chief, furnishes at 
 the same time, abundant evidence of his hospitality and 
 kindness. It is impossible to read it without recognizing in 
 Massasoit a genuine courtesy. His guests came upon him 
 unexpectedly, and "he was both grieved and ashamed that 
 he could no better entertain them." In this visit the com- 
 
 i 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BKISTOL. 37 
 
 pact already concluded was renewed, and the relations be- 
 tween the two races thus established upon a permanent 
 basis. For more than fifty years it was faithfully observed. 
 Long as Massasoit lived no charge was made that its stipu- 
 lations were either broken or evaded. He lived to see his 
 territories melt away before the steady inroad of the whites, 
 till at length at the close of his long reign, he found himself 
 shut up to the narrow peninsula of Pokanoket. But he re- 
 mained to the last true to the compact he had made. And 
 when we remember on what flimsy pretexts the most Chris- 
 tian kings of Europe, Charles II, and Louis XIV, violated 
 their most sacred engagements, shall we withhold some 
 tribute of respect to this pagan chief? 
 
 With the death of the kindly and faithful Massasoit, 
 we pass to the most tragic chapter of our story. The causes 
 of the bloody struggle which, fifteen years later plunged' 
 New England into mournino- and wrested this, their last 
 refuge, from the Wampanoags, still remain obscure. From 
 his first accession to power, Philip, for some reason, seems 
 to have excited the suspicion of the Plymouth authorities. 
 He was summoned before them, and though he earnestly 
 protested that he knew of no plot nor conspiracy against 
 them, he was compelled to sign an instrument l)y which he 
 acknowledged himself a subject of the King of England. 
 When more positive charges were brought against him, five 
 years later, he repeated with great fervor his protestations 
 of innocency and of faithfulness to the English. And when, 
 after four j'ears more had passed, new apprehensions were 
 awakened, he desired to renew his covenant with his ancient 
 friends, and freely engaged to resign to the government of 
 New Plymouth all his English arms. As Philip was still 
 accused of evading this agreement, he was once more sum- 
 moned before the authorities and compelled to acknowledge 
 himself not only subject to the King of England, but to the 
 government of the Plymouth colony. It is not difficult to 
 conceive how this increasing pressure of a foreign authority 
 
38 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 must have affected a haughty spirit. The long established 
 relation between Massasoit and the English was now com- 
 pletely reversed. Massasoit had been treated as an equal ; 
 Philip was reduced to the condition of a subject. Massasoit 
 had been regarded with confidence ; Philip, whether justly 
 or unjustly, was viewed with constant distrust. That the 
 sachem, doubtless ignorant of the full force of the submis- 
 sions he had made, and only conscious that a net was being 
 skillfully woven about him, was wholly free from blame, no 
 one would venture to affirm, but that the authorities of Ply- 
 mouth were pushing matters with too hard a hand, was the 
 manifest opinion of their Massachusetts brethren. These 
 doubted whether the engagement of Philip imported more 
 than "a friendly and neighborly correspondency." 
 
 In the cabinet of the Rhode Island Historical Society there 
 is preserved a curious paper which purports to give the sub- 
 stance of a reply made by Philip to his friend, John Borden, 
 of Portsmouth, who sought to dissuade him from engaging 
 in the war. The statement was not committed to writing 
 till many years after the sachem's death, and cannot claim 
 the authority of an historical document. Yet undoul)tedly 
 it preserves the tradition respecting the causes of the war 
 that lingered in Philip's own neighborhood, and among those 
 who kncAV him best. While the language belongs to a later 
 period, the general representation may bo accepted as cor- 
 rect. In this reply the sachem contrasts the reception which 
 his father had extended to the English, with the ungenerous 
 treatment to which he had been himself subjected. Un- 
 founded charges had been brought against him, and he had 
 been compelled to part with his territory to make restitution 
 for injuries that he could not prevent. Thus tract after tract 
 was gone till only a small part remained. " I am deter- 
 mined," said he, "not to live till I have no country." 
 
 That the Indians, in the main, were unfairly treated, there 
 is, indeed, no evidence. Where the Pilgrims landed the 
 territory had been depopulated by a pestilence, and they 
 
BI-CENTKNNIAL OF BRISTOL. 39 
 
 interfered with no rights by bringing once more under culti- 
 vation II desolate and deserted tract. The subsequent acqui- 
 sitions of the settlers were made by purchase, to which the 
 natives, for the most part, gave their free consent. And in 
 their transactions the authorities took special care to guard 
 the Indians from imposition. Yet the policy Avas avowed of 
 crowding them upon narrow peninsulas, and they saw their 
 territory continually wasting away. And it may be ques- 
 tioned how far the chiefs had authority to alienate the lands 
 of their tribe, and how far they understood the full meaning 
 of the transfer they made. Still less could they comprehend 
 the nature of the allegiance which they were compelled to swear 
 to a sovereign who lived three thousand miles away. Added to 
 this was the unconcealed suspicion and contempt Avith M'hich 
 they were regarded, and which led the Avhites to insist stren- 
 uously "on the distance which is to be observed betAvixt 
 Christians and barbarians." 
 
 It is an interesting fact that Ave find the most favorable 
 representations of Philip's character in the region Avliere he 
 lived, and among those Avho had the best op])ortunity for 
 judging him. Thus the earliest historian of Rhode Island, 
 Callender, tells us that Philip entered reluctantly upon the 
 war, and that he shed tears when he heard that the first 
 blood was spilled. To the same effect is the tradition of his 
 gi-ateful treatment of the Leonards. Though his ordinary 
 residence AA-as at Mount Hope, in the summer time he fre- 
 quently found his way to Taunton. Here he became ac- 
 quainted Avith this family, and received many acts of kind- 
 ness at their hands. When the Avar broke out, his gratitude 
 saved Taunton from destruction. "You have made him 
 ready to die," said one of his men to the English commander, 
 "for you have killed or taken all his relations." It has been 
 urged against him as a reproach, that, when his prospect 
 darkened elscAvhere, he did not join himself to the Eastern 
 Indians ; but is it not a touching trait in his character, that 
 
40 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 when wife and child had been taken from him, he turned 
 back to die in his own home ? 
 
 It is claimed b}^ some that Philip of Pokanokct is simply 
 a hero of romance ; that fancy has arrayed with tictitious 
 majesty a squalid savage, whose dwelling was a sty. No 
 doubt many of the representations of his character are 
 incorrect. It is folly to speak of him as a great warrior, a 
 penetrating statesman, a mighty prince. Such exaggerated 
 language does him gross injustice, for it applies to him the 
 standards of a wholly different social state. There is no 
 proof that he was at the head of a great conspiracy, or that 
 he possessed the capacity of inflaming his race with a com- 
 mon impulse. But we are equally wide of the mark when 
 we picture him, in the coarse epithets of Church, as "a dole- 
 ful, great, naked, dirty beast." In spite of all detraction, 
 he remains the most picturesque and striking figure in Indian 
 history. His tragic fate lends a sad interest to yonder 
 mount. We are standing on soil that was wrested from him ; 
 we arc enjoying privileges which were purchased by his 
 ruin ; but can we pass a harsh judgment on this hero of a 
 lost cause, who fell, in an unequal fight, by a traitor's hand, 
 and whose corpse was insulted by an ungenerous foe ? 
 
 By the overthrow of Philip, the Mount Hope lands were, 
 for the first time, thrown open to the occupation of the 
 English, but the question was yet to be determined in Avhom 
 the title to the newly-conquered territory was vested. The 
 manner in which this question was settled forms the most 
 curious episode in our early history. We can hardly fancy 
 a more striking contrast than between the wilds of Pokano- 
 ket and the sumptuous palace of Whitehall, between the 
 stern, resolute men who were here laying the foundations 
 of a new English empire, and the gay and dissolute throng 
 who formed the court of Charles the Second. Our story 
 carries us to the Privy Council chamber where the dull 
 routine of business was at this time so often lighted up by 
 the wit of Shaftesbury. Among those whose occupation it 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 41 
 
 was to amuse the King, was a dramatic poet named John 
 Crowne. He is said to have been iirst brought to the notice of 
 the Queen through the dislike which Rochester cherished for 
 Dryden, and to have gained the favor of the good-natured 
 monarch by a mask which had been performed before the 
 court. Reckoning on this favor, Crowne came forward with 
 a petition for the Mount Hope kuids. His fiither, who had 
 purchased an estate in Nova Scotia, liad been impoverished 
 by the cession of that province to the French, and upon this 
 circumstance the poet based his claim to restitution. The 
 matter was brought before the Privy Council, who directed 
 that, before any action should l)e taken, inquiries should be 
 made respecting the title to the territory. Plymouth claimed 
 the lands as lying within her patent, and in this view the 
 agents of Massachusetts concurred. The two Rhode Island 
 agents, on the other hand, maintained that the tract, up to 
 the recent war, had belonged to the Sachem Philip, and that 
 no corporation in New England had any title to it. Although 
 the Plymouth authorities had sought to gain the favor of the 
 King by sending to him the greater part of the ornaments 
 and treasures of Philip, the Privy Council adopted the 
 Rhode Island view. But, at the same time, they recom- 
 mended that the lands be granted to Plymouth, reserving 
 onl,y to the Crown, by way of quit rent, seven beaver skins 
 to be paid yearly at Windsor Castle. No other lands in the 
 colony were held upon this tenure. 
 
 The title to the newly conquered lands having been thus 
 confirmed to Plymouth, measures were at once taken to dis- 
 pose of them. The most powerful reason which had led the 
 Plymouth authorities to claim the territory was that it " was 
 well-accommodated for the settlement of sea-port towns." 
 The evident advantages which it possessed as a commercial 
 mart could not long remain unnoticed. On the fourteenth 
 of September, 1680, corresponding, if we allow for the dif- 
 ference of style, to the day selected for these services, and 
 in consideration of the sum of three hundred pounds, the 
 
42 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Mount Hope lands were conveyed to four citizens of Boston, 
 John Walley, Nathaniel Byfield, Stephen Burton and Na- 
 thaniel Oliver. By the terms of the sale, a " town for trade " 
 was to be at once established. To promote this end, extra- 
 ordinary privileges were granted, and most liberal provisions 
 were made. The four proprietors reserved to themselves an 
 eighth each, and proceeded to dispose of the remainder. 
 The new settlement was exempted from all colonial taxes 
 for five years, the privilege of sending deputies to the Gen- 
 eral Court was conceded to it, a local court was established, 
 and it was provided that it should be the shire-town of a 
 new county to be established. The tract was laid out on a 
 plan of which up to this time there had been no example. 
 In contrast with the crowded streets of Boston, it presented 
 these broad and regular avenues, but like Boston it had a 
 public common reserved in the centre of the town, while six 
 hundred acres, in addition, Mere devoted to the general 
 improvement. It is impossible to glance at these provisions 
 without recognizing the fact that the first proprietors of this 
 territory were men of liberal views and large public spirit. 
 While engaged in an enterprise which their own private 
 advantage had no doubt suggested, they scorned to look at 
 it in the light of mere private and selfish interest. The 
 generous conception which they formed of their undertaking 
 received its reward. The best class of settlers was attracted, 
 and in five years, where liad been a wilderness, there stood 
 the most flourishing town in the colony. 
 
 The great purpose which they had in view was intimated in 
 almost their earliest corporate act. On September 1, 1681, 
 the people assembled together and agreed that "the name of 
 this town shall be Bristol." The only reason that can be 
 assigned for such a proceeding is that at this time Bristol 
 was, next to London, the most important seat of maritime 
 commerce in the mother coimtry, and in founding their new 
 port of trade, the settlers of this town wished to borrow 
 some of the associations of such a famous mart. We may 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 4H 
 
 derive a natural satisfaction from the reflection that their 
 confidence in the experiment they had undertaken gave us 
 even this trifling connection with a city which, though 
 stripped in part of its commercial eminence, is still one of 
 the most beautiful in England, the city from which Sebastian 
 Cabot sailed on the voyage that resulted in the discovery of 
 the American continent, the city which Edmund Burke 
 represented in Parliament, when he vindicated, in strains of 
 unsurpassed eloquence, the rights of the colonies. In 
 several striking particulars, a resemblance between the towns 
 might be traced. The distinctive character of the new en- 
 terprise, that which marked it so strongly from the earlier 
 settlements upon the bay, is expressed in this proceeding. 
 The founders of Bristol were not, like the settlers of Provi- 
 dence and Newport, exiles for conscience' sake, smarting 
 with sense of wrong, and cherishing a bitter feeling of 
 resentment against the community from which they had been 
 driven ; on the contrary, they were men of wealth and 
 standing, of high consideration in the colony which they 
 voluntarily left, for which they cherished the most afiection- 
 ate attachment, and whose institutions they zealously labored 
 to perpetuate. In coming here they were not seeking for 
 any larger religious liberty, for that they already enjoyed 
 in as great a measure as they deemed consistent with their 
 own good ; they were not aiming to emancipate themselves 
 from any restraints of law. They came here under due 
 authority, to establish a town for trade, and they sought, 
 from the outset, to surround themselves with all the sanc- 
 tions of social order. 
 
 Every community is stamped with the impress of its 
 founders. Who, we naturally ask, were the men to whom 
 Bristol owes its origin? The four original proprietors, with 
 one exception, were actual settlers, and became earnestly 
 identified with the interests of the town. Mr. Oliver sold 
 his share to Nathan Hay man, another leading merchant of 
 Boston, who soon after died. The names of the remaining 
 
44 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 three are wi-itten in enduring characters on our early annals. 
 Of Stephen Burton less is known than of the others, but he 
 is said to have been bred at Oxford, and as recording ofiicer 
 of the county, he filled a responsible position until his death 
 in 1692. John Walley, whose name stands first on the 
 Grand Deed, was the son of an English clergyman, and held 
 high rank in the Massachusetts Colony. While devoting 
 himself with success to mercantile pursuits, he was called at 
 various times to discharge important public duties. He was 
 a member of the Council, a Judge of the Superior Court, and 
 had command of the land forces in the expedition of Sir 
 William Phipps. These great trusts were executed with an 
 ability and fidelity which gained him universal respect. 
 During his residence in Bristol, he stood always among the 
 foremost in promoting every public interest. His substantial 
 dwelling still remains among us. Near the close of his life 
 he returned to Boston, where he died in 1712. But the 
 most prominent and influential of the original proprietors 
 yet remains to be mentioned. Nathaniel By field was also 
 the son of an English clergyman, a member of the famous 
 Westminster Assembly. His mother was sister of the up- 
 right and courageous Bishop Juxon, who attended Charles 
 the I. upon the scaffold. He landed at Boston only six 
 years before the purchase of the Mount Hope lands. Com- 
 ing to this town with the first settlers, he remained here for 
 nearly half a century, choosing for his home the beautiful 
 peninsula on the opposite side of the harbor, the greater 
 part of which belonged to his estate. Like Walley, he re- 
 turned to Boston in his old age, and died there in 1733. 
 His remains rest in the old Granary Burial Ground. When 
 Bristol Avas incorporated, it was a part of Plymouth Colony, 
 but after the union of Plymouth with Massachusetts in 1690, 
 an ampler field was opened to its citizens. Colonel Byfield 
 was several times elected Speaker of the House of Eepresen- 
 tatives ; for many years he was a member of the Provincial 
 Council ; for a long period he presided in the County Court ; 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 45 
 
 from no less than three English sovereigns he received a 
 commission as Judge in Admiralty. In the notice called 
 forth by his death, he is described as a man of great courage, 
 vigor and activity; of plain and instructive conversation, 
 and of unquestionable faithfulness and honesty. Nothing is 
 more to his credit than the fact that during the Witchcraft 
 delusion, which remains such a dark spot upon the fame of 
 Massachusetts, he had the courage to oppose and denounce 
 it. He was a man of strong convictions ; he was engaged in 
 bitter controversies ; and he did not escape the aspersions 
 which were as freely lavished in that day as in ours. But 
 when his long and useful life was ended, his character and 
 public services called forth unqualified eulogium. In this 
 community his memory has always been gratefully cherished. 
 To no one has Bristol been so much indebted. To him, more 
 than to any other, we owe these broad and beautifid streets ; 
 to him we are indebted for this common on which we stand ; 
 to his foresight and generosity was due the early provision 
 for schools, which has been such a material aid in the cause 
 of public education. Fitted by his eminent abilities for the 
 highest positions in the colony, he was never unmindful of 
 his obligations to the community in which he lived. And 
 with great appropriateness, when the High School was 
 erected, a few 3"ears ago, the town decided that it should 
 bear the name of Byfield. No nobler memorial can be 
 erected to the dead than a memorial like this which is a per- 
 petual blessing to the living, and no more worthy example 
 can be held up to the generations of children who shall receive 
 their training there, than the example of one who in the pur- 
 suit of his private interests never neglected the public good. 
 Well may we be proud to enroll such names as Walley and 
 Byfield among our founders ! 
 
 I have called attention to the fact that the settlement of 
 Bristol was essentially a commercial enterprise. At first 
 sight, no doubt, this feature in its history seems to detract 
 from the significance of the undertaking. Especially in 
 
46 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 comparison with the neighboring towns, it seems to lack 
 those characteristics whicli awaken the most enthusiastic in- 
 terest. We cannot claim that on this soil, so dear to all of 
 us, any novel truth was evolved, or any great principles de- 
 fended. The fame which justly belongs to Providence and 
 to Aquidneck, does not belong to us. Our early records do 
 not bear the names of any martyrs for conscience, of any 
 pioneers in the vindication of spiritual truth. We have no 
 Roger Williams Upon whose statue Ave can gaze with rever- 
 ence, we have no Anne Hutchinson, whose clear perception 
 of first principles may extort our admiration, and Avhose 
 pathetic fate, after so many years have passed, must excite 
 our warmest sympath3^ We are forced to confess the ab- 
 sence, in our local annals, of those elements which lend to 
 history its highest and most absorbing charm. But there is 
 another side to all this Avhich we must not overlook. In the 
 complex system under Avhich the human race is Avorking out 
 its destiny, it seems to be the rule that an advantage in one 
 direction is always purchased by the sacrifice of some cor- 
 responding advantage in another. There are tAvo great prin- 
 ciples that control the movements of society, the principle- 
 of progress, and the principle of order. If Ave reckon it a 
 blessing to enjo}^ an unchecked liberty, if Ave count it a priv- 
 ilege to dwell in a community Avhere there is no restraint 
 upon the expression of opinion, Avhere CA^ery one is free to 
 follow his own course, and to attain the largest measure of 
 individual development and of individual action, we must, 
 on the other hand, admit that there is some advantage in an 
 orderly society, some benefit to be derived from connection 
 with a community Avhere the common interests are not dis- 
 regarded, Avhere mutual obligations receive full recognition, 
 and where the claims of positive truth are not forgotten in 
 the assertion of the rights of private judgment. 
 
 It is impossible not to contemplate Avith admiration the 
 early history of the State of which, for near a century and 
 a half, we have been a loyal part ; not to gaze with reverence 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 47 
 
 :it the little community which, in an adverse age, had it in 
 its heart " to hold fortli a lively experiment that a most flour- 
 ishing civil State may stand and best he maintained with a 
 full liberty of religious concernments ;" and Mdiich in an age 
 when toleration was hardly known, boldly afhrmed that not 
 toleration merely, but comi)lete religious freedom, was the 
 right of every human being ; but it is impossible to read the 
 history of Rhode Island and not to recognize the fact that 
 those who drank of this great cup of liberty w^ere compelled 
 to pay a heavy price. When the}' threw their doors wide 
 open to the distressed in conscience of every name, when 
 they held out so boldly the alluring bait of exemption from 
 all external restraints, they drew together elements so in- 
 congTuous, so inharmonious, so discordant, that even the invin- 
 cible patience of Roger Williams at length recoiled from 
 "such an infinite liberty of conscience." The extremely 
 democratic basis upon which the body politic w^as rested, 
 while it reduced the functions of government to the very nar- 
 rowest limits, at the same time left the control of aflairs in 
 the hands of the least intelligent portion of the population. 
 While it cannot be said that the lirst settlers were insensible 
 to the importance of education, still education never received 
 any generous public support. The complete separation 
 effected betw^een church and state, b}^ remitting the support 
 of religious institutions to a community divided, beyond all 
 previous example, in religious sentiment, deprived them of 
 the inestimable benefit of an educated clergy. In the town 
 which Williams founded, and to which he gave a name ex- 
 pressive of his reliance upon divine help, no place of public 
 worship existed until the beginningof the following centur}'. 
 Freedom, of every kind, prevailed in unexampled measure, 
 but an enlarged pu])lic s[)irit, an intelligent appreciation of 
 the higher interests of the social body, a recognition of what 
 was due from the individual to the connnunity of which he 
 formed a part, were not then traits of Rhode Island char- 
 acter. 
 
48 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 The Puritan colonies of Plymouth and Massachusetts, Imt 
 more especially the latter, stood in striking contrast with all 
 this. Firmly knit in religious faith, making no pretence 
 whatever of toleration, often harsh in their treatment of dis- 
 senters, they were eminent for public spirit, and showed the 
 characteristics of homogeneous and highly organized com- 
 munities. Led by their peculiar theory to invest the State 
 with the largest powers, and ally it with all the supreme 
 concerns of life, they regarded no political duties as more 
 sacred and more imperative than those connected with the 
 promotion of education and the maintenance of pure religion. 
 The public support accorded to religious institutions secured 
 for every town the services of a well educated minister. 
 On the other hand, this close alliance of church and state 
 gave additional import to civil obligations. Public functions 
 were held in high esteem, magistrates were regarded with 
 reverence, and even the ordinary duties of the citizen were 
 discharged in a religious spirit. Equally in civil and relig- 
 ious things the Puritan viewed himself as living unto God. 
 
 Coming, as they did, from a Puritan colony, the founders 
 of Bristol did not seek in their new home to throw off the 
 Puritan traditions in which they had been trained. They 
 walked with undeviating steps in the faith to which they had 
 been accustomed. They came to establish a town for trade, 
 but they did not for a moment forget the higher conditions 
 on which the welfare of every community depends, and 
 without which material prosperity can only prove, in the end, 
 a curse. Though engaged in a commercial enterprise, all 
 their proceedings evinced a noble and conscientious recogni- 
 tion of the fact that society is bound by ol^ligations which 
 transcend all private and selfish interests. I have already 
 alluded to the liberal provision, made at the settlement of 
 the toAvn, for the promotion of education. Almost their 
 first care Avas to secure the services of "air able school- 
 master." And by a subsequent vote, by which a small addi- 
 tional fee was exacted from children who studied Latin, it 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 49 
 
 appears that the course of study was not confined to common 
 branches, but embraced the chissics. But still more charac- 
 teristic was their concern for the support of religion. When 
 the town was laid out, lands were set apart for the support 
 of the ministry, and in the articles of agreement between the 
 original proprietors and the settlers, it wajs expressly stipu- 
 lated that each should pay his proportion for erecting a meet- 
 ing-house, and a home for the minister. At the very first 
 town meeting, before their own dwellings had been closed 
 against the winter Mind, they voted to carry the latter part 
 of this agreement into effect. For a short time they wor- 
 shipped in a private house, a house whose sturdy frame, solid 
 and unyielding as the creed of its builders, still defies decay. 
 Soon as arrangements could be completed, they proceeded 
 to erect a meeting-house. The massive timbers were cut 
 from the common about us. It stood on the site of yonder 
 Court House, and in it, for a hundred years, our fathers as- 
 sembled to worship God. Around it were the graves of the 
 first settlers, the most hallowed associations gathered about 
 it, and we can but marvel at the stupidity which sacrificed that 
 sacred and commanding site. According to well authenti- 
 cated tradition, the building was square in shape, having 
 two rows of windows, with a roof rising to the centre, and 
 surmounted by a cupola and bell. The interior w^as sur- 
 rounded by a double row of galleries, and the floor was cov- 
 ered, as time went on, with square pews, through the rounds 
 of whose oaken doors the children sought relief from the 
 tedium of the protracted services. I know it is the habit of 
 «ome to express contempt for the old-fashioned New England 
 meeting-house. But if the principle laid down by the highest 
 authorities on architecture is right, that all genuine and noble 
 buildins: has its origin in actual needs, and finds the measure 
 of its excellence in its adaptation to the use intended ; if the 
 Grecian temple, the Gothic minster, the feudal castle, derive 
 their charm from their conformity to this fimdamental law, 
 then our Puritan fathers built wisely and well. The}^ built 
 
 7 
 
50 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 according to their means, and with reference to their wants. 
 Their phiin meeting-houses harmonized with their simple 
 worship. To the eye of taste they are far more venerable, 
 and far more interesting, than the more ambitious structures 
 with which they have so often been supplanted. 
 
 The men who made such liberal provision for the support 
 of public worship, were not likely to be indifferent to the 
 ministrations under which they sat. Exalting the pulpit to 
 such supreme rank, they cherished a not less exalted ideal of 
 religious teaching. Accustomed to accord the minister the 
 first place in the community, they exacted, in return, the 
 highest qualification. After one unsuccessful experiment, 
 they secured for their first settled pastor, a renowned scholar, 
 who brought to the infant settlement the ripest discipline of 
 the old world. Son of a wealthy London citizen, he received 
 his early training at the famous St. Paul's school, which John 
 Colet, the friend of Erasmus, founded ; the school in which 
 Milton acquired the rudiments of his matchless scholarship. 
 Proceeding at the early age of fifteen, to Oxford, he won a 
 distinguished rank, and was rewarded with a fellowship at 
 Wadham College. A conscientious non-conformist, he came 
 to this country in 1686. It was said of him by one well 
 qualified to judge, "that hardly ever a more universally 
 learned person trod the American strand." It is true that he 
 remained here but a short time, but we may safely infer 
 something respecting the character and intelligence of a 
 community which, even for a short time, could command and 
 appreciate the ministrations of such a man as Samuel Lee. 
 
 Here let us pause. I have narrated the circumstances that 
 led to the founding of this town, I have sketched an outline 
 of its distinguishing features. I repeat that no such halo 
 surrounds our early history as that which illumines the be- 
 ginnings of the neighboring settlements. We have no claim 
 to the distinction which Providence and Newport boast. But 
 we may justly claim praise of a different kind. We may 
 claim that here was planted a town which illustrated the ad- 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 51 
 
 vjintages of social order ; which Avas enriched, beyond ordi- I 
 najy measure, with the best conditions of social progress ; | 
 which entered on its career with high and generous appre- 
 ciation of social obligations. It had no rude beginnings. It 
 is not too much to say that few rural neighborhoods in the 
 mother country could boast the educational and religious 
 privileges which they enjoyed who followed the wise lead of 
 Walley and Byfield to these untrodden wilds. 
 
 Two hundred years have passed since the work which I 
 have described was done. The dream in which our fathers 
 indulged, when they borrowed for their little settlement the 
 name of the famous English mart, has not been realized ; in 
 the main object they had in view the course of events has 
 not corresponded with their expectations. The transfer of 
 the town from Massachusetts to Rhode Island, which took 
 place two generations later, lessened its importance ; the 
 hard struggle with the mother country bore heavily upon it ; 
 and not even the extraordinary enterprise of its merchants, 
 during the half century that followed, could withstand the 
 inevitable tendency of trade which c6llected foreign commerce 
 into a few great centres. Bristol shared the fate of so many 
 famous New England seaports. The harbor is deserted 
 which was once crowded with vessels from every clime ; the 
 wharves are rotting where, within my own memory, were 
 piled the costly products of the tropics, the Mediterranean, 
 and the Baltic. The jargon of strange races is heard no more 
 in our streets ; the bustling port is tranformed into a summer 
 watering place. Yet I cannot doubt that the best work of 
 the founders remains. The mark they made on the character 
 of the town, the impulse they gave to its higher interests, the 
 deep lines they cut upon its moral foundations, — these have 
 not passed away. There is not one of us here, to-day, who 
 is not better for the work they did. We trace their benefi- 
 cent influence in the conservative character which has always 
 been the just boast of this community, in the regard for social 
 order which has made it alwa3^s prompt and unswerving in its 
 
52 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 support of authority and law. \ We trace it in the generous 
 support of public institutions, of which there are so many 
 striking proofs around us ; in the churches, where, under 
 dirterent forms, the God whom they worshipped, is adored ; 
 in the noble school, which, bearing the name of Byfield, 
 shows that his spirit is not extinct ; and in the most recent 
 ornament of our town, the lieautiful Library, the gift of one 
 who still survives, as an embodiment of the gentler and more 
 winning virtues of the olden time, virtues which find small 
 place on the page of history, but wliich form so large a part 
 of all that gives value, and happiness, and blessing to human 
 life. 
 
 Much that the fathers believed, we question ; much that 
 they deemed essential, we have put aside. But let us rest 
 assured that it remains as true in our dny as in theirs, that 
 reliijion and intelliijence are the foundations of a well-ordered 
 and prosperous community. The example they have given 
 us is an example which we cannot afford to forget. It is the 
 example of an enlightened public spirit, the lesson that we 
 are members one of another, that our individual concerns are 
 wrapped up in the general welfare, that we best promote our 
 private interests wiien we seek the common good. This, as 
 I read New England history, was the great and admirable 
 feature of Puritan character ; this it was that made them 
 strong, and prosperous, and honored. Let this be the lesson 
 w^hich we carry from these services, that in a community 
 like this every member must do his part ; that no matter how 
 small its size, no matter how local and limited the interests 
 involved, we have no right to hold ourselves aloof from its 
 concerns. The possession of large means, of superior cul- 
 ture, only adds to the obligation. This, I repeat, is the 
 great lesson the fathers teach. May we so ponder it that 
 when another two centuries have passed, when seven gener- 
 ations more have been laid in their silent graves, we ourselves 
 may be asgratefuUy remembered as we, to-day, have remem- 
 Ijered them I 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BKISTOL. 53 
 
 Tlie following ode, written by Miss A. J. Coggeshall, was 
 sung ])y the .school children. Tune — Keller's American 
 Ilvnni : 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL ODE. 
 
 Hail to thee, Bristol ! Our time-honorea town : 
 Fair iu thy robes of rejoicing arrayed ; 
 Twice o'er our shores has a century rolled, 
 Since by firm hands thy foundations were laid ; 
 Proudly we greet thee, our beautiful home. 
 
 Kicli are our valleys iu song and romance; 
 We roam the hills by the Norsemen roamed o'er ; 
 Stand by the rock with their rude symbols carved. 
 Long ages past when they moored near our shore ; 
 Sons of the North land ! The mystical North. 
 
 Kegal in rich robes of crimson and gold. 
 Mount Hope stands silent beside the still bay ; 
 Stately as when iu the days long ago 
 Sons of the forest held unquestioned sway ; 
 Home of King Philip ! We cherish thy fame. 
 
 On thy lone summit the chieftain once stood; 
 Th' proud Indian chieftain undaunted and brave: 
 His realm th' dim forest that skirted thy side. 
 No spot in thy broad lands could grant him a grave; 
 Noble King Philip ! We moan thy sad fate. 
 
 Here stood th' lodge of renowned Ma.s.sasoit, 
 Staunch friend of th' Pilgrims, unchanging and true; 
 On famed Pokanokethis couucil-flres blazed,— 
 Th" home of Wamsutta and proud Weetamoe,— 
 Th' bold, haughty princess; how daring in war! 
 
 Blue Narragansett ! whose bright waters gleam 
 liound lovely Aquidneck's and Poppasqua's side. 
 No more where thy countless sails whiten th* wave. 
 Til* bark of the red man will silently glide ; 
 Fairest of waters ! Our isle-dotted bay ! 
 
54 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Closely our heart strings around thee entwine ; 
 We love thy broad streets and o'ershadowing trees, 
 Thy dark ivied churches, thy mansions so fair, 
 Tliy harbor whose blue waves dance in the breeze; 
 Sweet Peace attend thee, our sea-girdled town ! 
 
 Home of our fathers ! While centuries last. 
 God whom they trusted, from danger defend! 
 Glad Plenty crown thee with rich golden sheaves, 
 And th' bow of His promise in love o'er thee bend! 
 Hail to thee Bristol ! Our time honored town. 
 
 lit. Rev. Mark A. DeW. Howe, D. D., Bishop of the 
 Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, poet of the day, delivered 
 the following poem : 
 
HISTORICAL POEM. 
 
 When life was fresh, and pulse beat full and strong, 
 Free fancies came, and wove themselves in song : 
 But age has checked the currents of the heart, 
 And care constrained its day-dreams to depart. 
 The chords unstrung which once attuned my lyre ; 
 The hand its skill has lost; — the soul its fire; — 
 The broken shell lies voiceless on the shore ; — 
 The fickle muses heed my suit no more; 
 And yet I strive by simple force of will, 
 With quavering voice to chant in numbers still. 
 For 'tis a gala day, joy rules the hour. 
 Young men and maids from happy homes outpour : 
 Their hastening feet trip light upon the green, 
 And music lends enchantment to the scene. 
 From distant marts and climes beyond the main, 
 The wandering exiles childhood's haunts regain. 
 In glad Thanksgiving, round th' ancestral board, 
 The living generations sit, restored. 
 They come to greet the mother of us all. 
 Whose bonds of love our willing hearts enthrall : 
 Whose years by centuries may now be told, 
 While spot nor wrinkle shows that she is old. 
 More fruit in age. her vigor still brings forth. 
 And spreads her teeming offspring South and North. 
 To-day, each filial heart its tribute brings. 
 And at her feet the roseate garland flings. 
 And witness, — stiffened age attempts to glean 
 Its withered chaplet; — fields no longer green. 
 Supply autumnal flowers in colors gay, 
 Fragrant no more, like blossoms of the May. 
 
56 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Sauntering along this ancient town, 
 Its tasteful homes, its busy streets, 
 
 Its cross-crowned turrets shadowing down, 
 Its sea-board girt with white-sailed fleets, 
 
 We dream not of their bold emprise 
 Who here, two centuries agone. 
 
 Saw, forest-clad, with prescient e5'es, 
 The choicest spot for homes' hearth-stone. 
 
 Four stalwart men, alike prepared 
 To quell the foe, or till the ground, 
 
 (Heroic dames their fortunes shared) 
 Amid these wilds a refuge found. 
 
 They felled the wood, the log-house piled, 
 They burned the bramble from the sod. 
 
 And sense of loneliuess beguiled, 
 With research in the Book of God. 
 
 The stealthy wolves from jungles swoop. 
 And howl about their cots at night; 
 
 Or, wakened by the Indian's whoop. 
 They see the torch's lurid light. 
 
 The snow four times the vales had filled. 
 Four summer suns dissolved the frost. 
 
 Since the great Metacom was killed. 
 His braves dispersed, his fastness lost. 
 
 The treach'rous savage, fierce with hate. 
 Sought vengeance for his people's wrong : 
 
 Skulking where once with pride elate 
 He strode the sun lit heath along. 
 
 Watching to light the vengeful fires. 
 To steal the wife, to slay the child ! 
 
 Such were the foes our gallant sires 
 Encountered in the forest wild. 
 
 Where we, their sons, luxuriate. 
 In homes with peace and plenty stored, 
 
 They wrestled with beleaguering fate, 
 
 Armed with the plowshare and the sword. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL, OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Alas ! for that evanished race 
 That once pursued the eager chase 
 
 Along these hills and dales ; 
 Or o'er the tide with light canoe 
 Clave the white-crested billows through, 
 
 Now spangled thick with sails. 
 
 Born to this princely heritage, 
 
 They sojourned here from age to age ; 
 
 Who knoweth Avhence they sprung? 
 Though errant as the winds they roam, 
 Their hunting-grounds to them were home. 
 
 To these dear haunts they clung. 
 
 Helics of their heroic sires — 
 Withheld from the funereal fires 
 
 Which wrap far India's dead— 
 As waiting warriors calmly rest 
 In all their savage armor drest, 
 
 With trophies rich bestead. 
 
 And dear to them that honored dust. 
 As where, in Christian hope and trust, 
 
 We lay our dead to sleep. 
 Sacred — until the white man came 
 To obliterate their tribal name, 
 
 Their souls in grief to steep. 
 
 When, tempest-tost, the pilgrim stood 
 On the cold margent of the flood. 
 
 The Indian grasped his hand ; 
 Bade him to rove the seas no more, 
 But bring his treasures to the shore 
 
 And share the rugged land. 
 
 But soon before the favoring breeze 
 Came other laden argosies 
 
 Astir with Saxon bands; 
 Invaders on the shore grew bold. 
 As wave on wave successive rolled, 
 
 O'erspreads the shelving sands. 
 
 Victims of violated troth, 
 
 The Indian chiefs with vengeance wroth, 
 
 Uprose to stay the flood. 
 Where'er the intruder chose his way. 
 The savage hordes in ambush lay, 
 
 And deluged him in blood. 
 
 57 
 
58 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 But ah ! the pebbles ou the shore 
 Cannot repel the sea's uproar, 
 
 Though countless as the stars ; 
 The feathered shaft, the uncertain bow, 
 Are powerless 'gainst a steel-clad foe 
 
 In panoply of Mars. 
 
 Vanquished in light, yet undismayed, 
 In a yet deeper everglade. 
 
 The sachem found retreat ; 
 There plumed again his savage horde. 
 And from his lair in wrath outpoured 
 
 The unguarded host to meet. 
 
 At length the Chief, by foes sore-pressed, 
 Here, at his mountain-home sought rest. 
 
 In counsel with his braves. 
 Before,— the bog with brambles grown, 
 Defies approach like wall of stone, 
 
 Behind— the ocean laves. 
 
 In order, round his rocky throne. 
 High-canopied with vine-clad stone. 
 
 The solemn conclave meet ; 
 The spring from out whose limpid edge 
 They quafi" in nature's wine their pledge, 
 
 Flows placid at his feet. 
 
 Alone upon the mountain's head, 
 
 Where woods, and plains and seas outspread 
 
 In beauteous prospect lie. 
 The sentry stands with search intent 
 Graven on every lineament 
 
 And flashing from his eye. 
 
 He sees the hostile scouts afar, — 
 The heralds of advancing war. 
 
 Stretching from shore to shore. 
 The serpent's coil in deadly ring, 
 The doomed chiefs encompassing, 
 
 To crush them evermore. 
 
 Instant adown the dizxy steep, 
 
 More swift than startled reindeer's leap, 
 
 Tlie faithful sentry sped; 
 His hurrying step the chieftains heard, 
 Nor paused to catch the warning word, — 
 
 To the deep thicket fled. 
 
 i 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 59 
 
 In the black mire immersed they lay, 
 Eluding then the fierce foray, 
 
 Each in his grim retreat. 
 But the keen huntsman knew his game, 
 (Descendants bear his honored name 
 
 In this, his chosen seat.) 
 
 He lingered through the live-long night 
 Till, passed away their wild affright. 
 
 They lit the wigwam fire : — 
 Brought forth their scanty stores forlorn 
 All in the twilight of the morn, 
 
 To sate their hunger dire. 
 
 Then tracked them to the tangled fen, 
 As beasts are baited in their den, 
 
 And set his marksmen round. 
 And one, in that fierce hunt took part, 
 With vengeful hand and trait'rous heart, 
 
 A Wampanoag hound. 
 
 His recreant arm the death-shot sped, 
 Brought to the dust that royal head, 
 
 The peerless Metacom. 
 The last and foremost of his race !. 
 Where erst he sought a resting-place, 
 
 Our fathers found a home. 
 
 Doubtless it was the will of Heaven, 
 That o'er the coasts where once was given 
 
 Welcome to pilgrim band. 
 Their sons, as forest leaves are strewn, 
 Should spread ; assuming as their own 
 
 Dominion of the land. 
 
 The}' brought intelligence and skill 
 The seas to span, the earth to till, 
 
 To wave the magic rod — 
 Transforming quick the desert wild 
 To home, for Heaven's elected child, 
 
 A Paradise of God. 
 
 Yet lives there one with heart so sere 
 That from his stony eyes, no tear 
 
 On Indian graves may fall? 
 No pity for an outcast race 
 Upon whose camping-ground, through grace. 
 
 We hold our Festival? 
 
60 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BKISTOL. 
 
 With foothold on th' Atlantic strand, 
 The Briton strove, on every hand, 
 
 New conquests to secure. 
 The Indian tribes were backward borne, 
 Still struggling with their fate forlorn. 
 
 Still fated to endure ! 
 
 O'er stream and mountain-top afar. 
 Pursued by unrelenting war. 
 
 They took their westward way; 
 Still following the setting sun. 
 The remnant of the race march on 
 
 To the oblivious sea. 
 
 Swiftly the tide of time has run 
 Since from this coast to Oregon, 
 
 The red men ruled the land ! 
 Say if two centuries more will leave 
 One living representative 
 
 Before our sons to stand? 
 
 Here in dim days of yore- 
 Six centuries before 
 Saxons sailed these waters o'er ; 
 
 Norsemen found haven ! 
 Tread we historic ground, 
 Where, on the shores arouud. 
 Records of them are found 
 
 On the rock graven. 
 
 From the bleak Norway coast. 
 Soon in grey twilight lost. 
 On the seas tempest tost, 
 
 Launched the bold seamen ! 
 Fear in each bosom slept ; 
 Forth from the strand they swept, 
 While, on the shore, there wept 
 
 Children and women. 
 
 Neath the cold Polar star. 
 Mount they the waves afar. 
 As on triumphal car, 
 
 Rides the proud hero. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 61 
 
 Down from the crystal seas, 
 Sweeps the chill uorthern breeze, 
 Frosts on the voyager seize. 
 Cold— cold below zero! 
 
 Still on their westward way, 
 
 Lit by pale astral ray, 
 
 b*er the wild waste they stray 
 
 Groping for Greenland. 
 Veered by the polar wind, 
 Down these coasts forest-lined. 
 Here clustering grapes they find, — 
 
 Name the shore Vinhind. 
 
 Skirting this shining bay, 
 Vines spread their rich array, 
 'Neath thtm, his roundalay 
 
 Sang the gay sailor. 
 Over the biting frost — 
 O'er the seas tempest-tost, 
 O'er the stern rock-bound coast. 
 
 Sang the prevailer. 
 
 Who, 'neath the circling sun, 
 Hath their bold voyage outdone. 
 Brave hundred fifty-one— 
 
 Thorfin their Viking? 
 He with that Corsair crew 
 O'er the far waters blue 
 Gudrid, the princess, drew. 
 
 Maid of his liking. 
 
 Under his own roof-tree. 
 Sped the time cheerily. 
 In the dark forest, she — 
 
 Heart's troth unbroken — 
 On her breast, undeflled, 
 Bare the lone Norseman child- 
 Flower of the desert wild- 
 Love's precious token. 
 
 Thrice had the pallid sun 
 Stooped o'er the southern zone, 
 Thrice from his height shed down 
 
 Summer's soft burning — 
 When, tired of Skraelling strife. 
 Weary of exile life, 
 Norsemen, 'mid perils rife. 
 
 Launch forth returning. 
 
62 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BEISTOL. 
 
 Yet, o'er the Arctic maiu, 
 Ships came and went again, 
 Crossing in prond disdain, 
 
 Seas that dissever 
 Our Vinland's balmy clime 
 From Iceland's mantling rime ; 
 But, since that primal time, 
 On this coast maritime, 
 
 Norsemen dwelt never. 
 
 So has it fared, from age to age : 
 
 Race has supplanted race ; 
 New names are writ on history's page, 
 
 The new the old replace. 
 
 Into the cities Canaan stored. 
 
 The ruthless Hebrews came; 
 The Turk now holds them by the sword 
 
 In false Mahomet's name. 
 
 Etruscan soil, Imperial Rome 
 With power and wealth o'erspread; 
 
 The Goths despoiled the lofty dome, 
 The crown from Caesar's head. 
 
 Saxons and Normans trod, in turn, 
 
 Britannia's sea-girt shore; 
 The Druids gone, their altars burn 
 
 With mystic fires no more. 
 
 Under the crust of present life 
 
 A buried past lies hid. 
 As 'neath fiiir fields with verdure rife. 
 
 The cities of the dead. 
 
 We dream that we have reached the goal 
 
 For man's achievement set, 
 And scout the thought that a long roll 
 
 Of nations follows yet. 
 
 May there not rise some nobler stock 
 To stand where we have stood. 
 
 To leave memorials on the rock. 
 Of still trausceudant good? 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 63 
 
 To touch the harmonies that wait 
 
 In nature's depth, concealed, 
 Till science shall reverberate 
 
 Religion's truth revealed ; 
 
 To know no law save that of love, — 
 
 The law that rules in Heaven; 
 To glow in sunlight from above, 
 
 Through Christ's effulgence given? 
 
 To stand in pristine form restored 
 
 God-like in soul and mien ; 
 At set of sun to meet the Lord, 
 
 As friends meet on the gi-een? 
 
 The heroes of the golden age 
 
 No pen may now portray ; 
 We may not read th' unwritten page — 
 
 I chant an humbler lay. 
 
 Dear shrine of my heart, bright realm of my childhood ! 
 
 Where thro' the long vista my memory strays — 
 The shells on the beach, the flowers in the wildwood, 
 
 The boat on the billow, bring youth's halcyon days. 
 
 Unknown to the nations that 'yond the broad ocean 
 In peace or in conflict long ages had passed. 
 
 Till, bent on adventure, with saint-like devotion. 
 This fair land the Norsemen discovered, at last. 
 
 Here flowed the free rivers ; the primeval forest 
 O'er valleys and mountains its banner unfurled. 
 
 Till voyagers, who sought from their wand'ring no rest, 
 Ope'd the gates of a continent wide to the world. 
 
 Since in. these waters that compass our dwelling. 
 The first sail was furled, the first anchor let fall, 
 
 Rebuke not the pride in our bosoms now swelling. 
 That we live on the shores most historic of all. 
 
 No sprite of the Indian, no wraith of the Norsemen, 
 Confronts us in darkness or vexes our sleep ; 
 
 We trust in the God whose chariots and horsemen 
 Eucompass'd the prophet on Dothan's dark steep. 
 
64 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 By the arm of the Lord we rest iu these borders, 
 Pioneers of religion, advancement and right; 
 
 The dominion is ours, while, true to our orders, 
 We fulfil our errand and " walli in the light." 
 
 See signs of his presence where erst the bold Briton 
 Drave out the rude savage and planted his home ; 
 
 The dwellings, the churches, the Common we meet on, 
 The raiment we wear, and the fields that we roam. 
 
 King Philip again on the crest of his mountain. 
 Surveying the realm he commanded of yore, 
 
 Might see the broad bay— might drink from his fountain- 
 All else he once looked on would greet him no more. 
 
 To poets of old the rare instinct was given 
 To forecast the future, portray it in song. 
 
 To your rhymster, alas ! less favored of Heaven, 
 Just the shades of the past and the present belong. 
 
 What glories may crown this fair spot by the sea, 
 When the dial of time shows a century more, 
 
 I wist not, I care not, since never to me. 
 Can it boast of a lustre it wore not before. 
 
 Could the raeu, and the beasts, and trees of the wood, 
 Once spell-bound by Orpheus, be held by the Poet, 
 
 No scene should be changed, no new-fangler intrude, 
 He would crystallize Bristol just as we know it. 
 
 No rock should be smitten, no landmark removed. 
 The gray moss on the walls, green sedge on the shore. 
 
 All, all should remain in the guise we have loved. 
 Mementoes of Eden, preserved evermore. 
 
 Generations that crowd on our footsteps, all hail ! 
 
 We vacate the homestead, our leasehold expires ; 
 If our counsels may guide, or our prayers may prevail. 
 
 You'll on the old hearths keep alive the old fires. 
 
 Moutaup looketh down on a landscape serene ; 
 
 'Tis a garden the Master entrusts to your care. 
 Your art may embellish, yet not supervene 
 
 This perfection of nature iu earth, sea and air. 
 
 I 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 65 
 
 The stream from Helicon runs low : 
 The winged horse is jaded now : 
 The Sisters nine have tripped away, 
 And left me halting and astray: 
 Folding his wings on life's far shore, 
 The Cj'gnet dies, and sings no more ! 
 
 1. The patent under which Bristol was held was given to four men, John Walley, 
 Nathaniel Oliver, Nathaniel Byfield, and Stephen Burton. These were joined in the course 
 of the year 1680 by twelve other men. 
 
 2. Massasoit, the chief Sachem of the Wampanoags, whose range extended from Ply- 
 mouth to Narragansett Bay, was, from the first, very friendly to the English immigrants, 
 and maintained peace with tlieni all his days. At his death he was succeeded by his eldest 
 son, " \Vamsutta," to whom the Colonists gave the name " Alexander." In a few months 
 after his accession, rumors reached the English that he was plotting with the Narragan- 
 setts, a large tribe, or nation, on the west of the bay. An armed escort was sent with a 
 summons calling him to appear before the Plymouth authorities. He went, unresisting. 
 In Hubbard's history of Indian wars, it is reported that as he returned to his people, his 
 spirit was so chafed with the indignities to which he had been subjected, that he fell into a 
 fever, of which he died before reaching his destination. The suspicion obtained among his 
 people that he had been poisoned by the whites. Under such circumstances his younger 
 brother, " Metacom," commonly known as King Philip, became the Sachem of his tribe. 
 For a while he bore himself peaceably towards his foreign neighbors. But a sense of 
 wrongs, real or imaginary, was all the while rankling in his breast. And at length a tierce 
 war of extermination was commenced, in which Philip enlisted other tribes besides his 
 own. After repeated disasters, he fell back with a few of his braves, to Mount Hope, his 
 natural fortress, that he might take counsel with them in regard to future operations. His 
 purpose of hostility to the whites and their encroachments, is said to have been so deter- 
 mined, that, when one of his counsellors advocated concession and peace, Philip slew him 
 on the spot. Meanwhile Capt. Benjamin Church, who had already large experience in In- 
 dian warfare, had knowledge of his retreat, and, with a chosen band, drew near to attempt 
 his capture. He might have failed in his effort, had not a brother of the man whom Philip 
 slew for differing from him, bent on revenge, allied himself witli Captain Church, and 
 piloted him and his company to the Sachem's hiding place. This occurred on the 12th of 
 August, 1076, four years before the settlement of Bristol. King Philip was killed in the 
 edge of the swamp Into whicli he was fleeing. His seat and spring on tlie other side of the 
 Mount is familiar to most persons who have visited the locality. 
 
 Philip's death was the end of the great war. but his dispersed followers lurked around 
 the white settlements ready for any kind of mischief, for which they might find opportu- 
 nity, and keeping the Colonists in .continual alarm. 
 
 3. In the archives of Copenhagen is a manuscript book called " Codex Flatocensis," a 
 skin book which was finished in 1387. A carefully printed copy of it is to be found in the 
 Library of the University of Wisconsin. In this is contained a detailed account of the voy- 
 ages of the Norsemen,— their settlement in Iceland, their compiest of Norway, their dis- 
 covery of Greenland and of Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and in the year 1000 of 
 Vinland, under Leif, son of Eric the Red. Tlie authenticity of these histories is recog- 
 nized by Von Humboldt and Malte Brun. In 1007, Thorfinn and Gudrid, his newly mar- 
 ried wife, set oft' to colonize Vinland, a region which had been so named by Lief Erick- 
 son, because he had found grapes along its shores. The expedition consisted of 151 men, 
 and 7 women. They made their settlement, it is believed, on the shore of Mount Hope 
 Bay. The description of the coast and the way of approach, indicate that tliis was the 
 
 9 
 
66 BI-CE^'TENNIAI. OF BRISTOL. 
 
 spot; and the impression is confirmed by a singular liieroglyphic inscription on a rock at 
 the head waters of Mount Hope Bay. It is known as the " Dighton Rock," and Scandina- 
 vian schohirs have interpreted the inscription as signifying, "Thorfiun with 151 Norse sea- 
 faring men took possession of this land." At the lower corner of the inscription is a figure 
 of a woman and a cliild, with the letter (S) near at hand, answering to the historic fact 
 that Gudrid, while in Vinland, gave birth to a son, whose name was " Snorre." 
 
 After three years continuance on these shores, they were so much worried by the na- 
 tives, whom tliey called " Skraellings," that the whole party abandoned tlieir settlements, 
 and returned to Norway. 
 
 See " Historical Sketch of the discovery of North America by the Norsemen in the tenth 
 centurj', by K. 15. Anderson, A. M., University of Wisconsin." 
 
 An inscription in characters, apparently of the same period and race, is found on a rock 
 on the shore just north of Mount Hope. 
 
BI-CENTENXIAL OF BEISTOL. 07 
 
 The Boston Cadet Band then gave some selections from 
 " NelMK'hadnezzar." 
 
 This Avas followed by singing b}^ the school children, of 
 several verses of " Our Century Plymn," written for the occa- 
 sion, by John H. Wardwell, Esq., of NeAv York, a native of 
 Bristol. The music was also arrano-ed for the ode. 
 
 OUR CENTURY HYIMN. 
 
 We celebrate our natal da}', 
 
 Two luiudred years have flown, 
 While God our King has led the way. 
 
 Whose guardian care we own. 
 Through many years of gloom and night, 
 
 We come to this foir morn ! 
 And peace and love with emblems bright, 
 
 Our banners now adorn. 
 
 We gather here on this glad day. 
 
 One Family in love; 
 While we our willing homage pay. 
 
 To Him who reigns above 
 And standing on our native soil, 
 
 Breathing our native air ; 
 We recognize our parents' toil 
 
 And their unwearied care, 
 Which gave us health and courage, too. 
 
 To fight life's battles o'er ; 
 And taught us children how to do 
 
 What they had done before ; 
 And never in our cause to yield 
 
 The right ! what'er the cost ; 
 Although on bloody battle-field. 
 
 For this our lives are lost. 
 
 Freed by their acts, from fear of kings. 
 
 And on their native sod ; 
 They gave ns what our birthright brings. 
 
 Freedom to worship God. 
 
68 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Thus pilgrims from a foreign sliore, 
 
 From mountain, or from plain, 
 Find welcome and an open door, 
 
 To all our broad domain. 
 And never more through future years. 
 
 Ma}' fratricidal strife, 
 With war's alarms, break on our ears. 
 
 To rob us of our life. 
 But art and science joined in hand, 
 
 Winged like celestial dove; 
 Spread their rich fruits o'er all our land. 
 
 Combined with truth and love. 
 
 God of our fathers ! hear our song 
 
 We lift on high to Thee this day ; 
 Be Thou our God ! our life prolong 
 
 While we our grateful homage pay 
 To Him, who rules the World by love. 
 
 And by omnipotent command 
 The nations live ! while from above 
 
 He guides them with His gracious hand. 
 
 The last stanzas, commencing, "God of our fathers," was 
 sung- in the tune of " Old Hundred," the vast audience rising 
 and joining in the song, the Band leading. 
 
 THE BENEDICTION, 
 
 pronounced by Rev. W. V. Morrison, D. D., pastor of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, closed the exercises in the tent. 
 
 I 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 69 
 
 THE DINNER. 
 
 After the close of the literary exercises, about 3 p. m., 
 dinner was served in an adjoining tent, plates having been 
 laid for one thousand persons. 
 
 Le Baron B. Colt, Esq., President of the Committee, 
 called the assembly to order, and the divine blessing was in- 
 voked by Bishop Clark. 
 
 The company were then invited to partake of the viands 
 spread before them, of which the following is the 
 
 MENU. 
 
 
 FISH. 
 
 
 
 Salmon, 
 
 Mayonaise Dressing. 
 
 
 tnTT 
 
 MEATS. 
 
 
 
 Beef, 
 
 Tongue, 
 
 Ham 
 
 
 SALADS 
 
 
 
 ^obster Salad, 
 
 
 Chicken Salad. 
 
 Currant, 
 
 Citron, 
 
 Pound, 
 
 ICES. 
 
 Sponge, 
 
 Jelly Roll. 
 
 Vanilla, 
 
 Strawberry, Lemon, 
 
 Coffee, Chocolate, Italian. 
 
 Pine Apple Sherbet, 
 
 Orange Sherbet, Lemon Sherbet. 
 
 
 FRUIT. 
 
 
 Bananas, 
 
 Pears, 
 
 DRINKS. 
 
 Grapes. 
 
 Coffee, 
 
 Tea, 
 
 Lemonade 
 
70 BI-CEXTEXNIAL OF BKISTOL. 
 
 POST PRANDIAL EXERCISES. 
 
 At about 4 o'clock, dinner being over, President Colt 
 called to order, and introduced Senator Burnside as the toast- 
 master of the occasion, who, on rising, said : 
 
 REMARKS OF SENATOR BURNSIDE. 
 
 Mr. Pve.'^klent and Ladies and Gentlemen: — It has l^een 
 rightly said that I have a great aflection for Bristol. More 
 than thirty years ago I first placed foot upon its soil. Soon 
 after that I became a resident, and I have, notwithstanding 
 the vicissitudes of my life since then, considered this as my 
 home, at all times. I have passed all the time here that I 
 could, and when I have been away I have longed to return 
 to 3'ou. I feel very much gratified at having been called 
 upon to preside as toastmaster at this meeting. I consider 
 it very complimentary to me, and I am very proud of the 
 honor done me. I shall proceed at once with my duties. 
 
 The first regular toast is : 
 
 The State of Rhode Island. I have the honor to call upon 
 one of Rhode Island's distinguished citizens, now its Chief 
 Magistrate, to respond to this toast. I take pleasure in in- 
 troducing to you His Excellency Governor Littlefield. 
 
 SPEECH OF GOVERNOR LITTLEFIELD. 
 
 Ml'. Toastmaster, Ladies and Gentlemen: — In behalf of 
 the State, I extend to the town of Bristol cordial greetings 
 on this, its two hundredth annivcrsai-y. Though venerable 
 in years, it is by its adoption, one hundred and thirty-three 
 years ago, into our family of towns, one of the youngest sis- 
 ters in the goodly company. But in its beauty of situation 
 and lay-out, in its record in the past and in the enterprise 
 and intelligence of its citizens, it may well claim to be the 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 71 
 
 peer of any town in the State. We can well understand and 
 appreciate the regret of our friends of the old Bay State 
 (turning to Colonel T. W. Higginson, of Gov. Long's staflf) , 
 that a territory so attractive should have been severed from 
 their Commonwealth ; but it may be a gratification to them 
 to see how well it has thrived under our care. The founders 
 of the town of Bristol displayed a foresight and enterprise 
 Avhich has not been surpassed in the early history of any of 
 our towns. One very gratifying result we see in the spa- 
 cious thoroughfares, laid out with such convenient regularity 
 and shaded with stately and beautiful trees. With the com- 
 mercial prosperity of Bristol in former times we are all famil- 
 iar. Its enterprising merchants sent their ships to the four 
 quarters of the globe, and its wharves, laden with products 
 of distant climes, were the scenes of varied and stirring in- 
 dustry. Its commercial importance has, owing to changes 
 bej^ond its control, been superseded by the claims of other 
 and, perhaps, less meritorious ports ; but the beautiful har- 
 bor, in which great navies might ride at anchor, remains 
 awaiting, let us hope, at no distant day, a return of that pros- 
 perity Avhich it witnessed in the past. Among the many 
 pleasant characteristics of your town, I may be permitted to 
 note a few in which it holds an exceptional position. Within 
 its borders it has the only mountain of the State, the place 
 so identified with the career and fame of the. brave Philip of 
 Pokanoket. Though the tow^n is no longer a place of meet- 
 ing of the General Assembly, yet here alone are the electors 
 of the President and Vice President authorized to meet, as 
 soon they will again do, to cast the vote of this State for 
 those important officers. And in one industry, at least, the 
 enterprise and capital of your citizens have developed a busi- 
 ness whose products are found and used throughout the land. 
 The prominent features in the history of the town have been 
 so ably presented by the accomplished orator of the day, and 
 will be set forth in so much detail by the able gentlemen who 
 will in the course of the celebration address you, that little 
 
72 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 remains for me except to congratulate you on the success of 
 this occasion, and to wish for the town so ancient in time, 
 but so youthful and vigorous in appearance, a continuance of 
 the prosperity which has attended it in the past ; and to hope 
 that future g-enerations will maintain that high standard of 
 patriotism, that sturdy devotion to virtue, morality and relig- 
 ion, which their fathers have displayed, and on which rests 
 to so great a degree the success of any community. 
 
 Senator Burxside. The second regular toast is : 
 The State of Massachusetts. 
 
 A letter from His Excellenc}^ John D. Long, Governor 
 of that State, will now be read. 
 
 [The letter was in answer to the letter of invitation written 
 by one of the Committee, in which he refeiTed to the early 
 connection of Bristol with the State of Massachusetts.] 
 
 Governor Long's rejily, read by Mr. Miller, was as follows : 
 
 commoxavealth of massachusetts, ^ 
 
 Executive Department, > 
 
 Boston, Sept. 11, 1880. ) 
 
 Wm. J. Miller, Esq., Bristol, R. I. : 
 
 I am in receipt of your kind invitation to be present at the 
 celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the settle- 
 ment of the town of Bristol. I am engaged the same day at 
 ^Marlborough, in this Commonwealth, and am therefore 
 unable to accept. If possible, one of my staff will be present, 
 who will convey the congratulations of Massachusetts to this 
 one of her daughters, who has gone out from the parental 
 roof and taken up her abode in a neighboring State. If we 
 must part with one of our towns, it relieves our regret that 
 l)y its prosperity and good character it reflects so much credit 
 upon us. 
 
 With best wishes for the occasion, I am. 
 
 Very respectfully, yours, 
 
 J. D. Long. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL, 73 
 
 General Burnside then added : Although the Governor of 
 Massachusetts is not able to be with us to-day himself, he 
 has sent a representative here, a member of his staff, — a gen- 
 tleman distinguished in literature, distinguished for gallantry 
 in the field, and above all distinguished for his great patri- 
 otic love of country. I take great pleasure in introducing to 
 yon Col. T. W. Higginson, 
 
 SPEECH OF COLONEL T, W, HIGGINSON. 
 
 Mr. President and Fellow Citizens : — I have the honor to 
 appear here, as you have been told, as in a manner the rep- 
 resentative of "the elder generation," — the generation of 
 Massachusetts, whose child, according to your Chairman, the 
 town of Bristol is, and whose grandchildren, consequently, 
 you all are — and you cannot help yourselves. (A voice : 
 " We don't want to.") And if the daughter, as General 
 Burnside has said, has married and left the paternal home, we 
 can at least have the satisfaction of thinking in the old home- 
 stead that she has already done credit to the paternal stock 
 by adding very largely to the family. Massachusetts sends 
 you greeting, cordially and most heartily. You are very 
 unfortunate in the fact that Gov. Long is not here himself to 
 present that greeting. Nobody here has reason to be glad 
 that he is not here except myself, and I am very glad, partly 
 because it gives me the opportunity of being here, and partly, 
 perhaps, because when I have the good fortune to go to the 
 same place with the Governor, I sometimes have to make a 
 speech after him,^and if you had ever tried it, you would 
 know how hard a thing that is. If Gov. Long were here 
 himself to address you, and if I, or anybody else were to 
 speak after him, you would remember, perhaps, that account 
 in the Irish newspaper of a celebrated duel, where, it said, 
 " two shots were fired at the unfortunate gentleman ; the 
 first shot killed him; the second shot, however, was not 
 fatal." That is the case with any shot or any speech that 
 10 
 
74 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 comes after our Governor. (Laughter and applause.) He 
 has at this time so much of that sort of sharp shooting to do 
 — so many towns are at this time having their anniversaries, 
 and so many counties their cattle shows, that I am afraid if 
 there ever was a time when he did not covet a single square 
 inch outside of Massachusetts, that time is now. His State 
 is quite large enough for him to have to speechify in, as it is. 
 The time has long passed, I trust, when any such spirit of 
 coveting exists. And I know this morning, speaking as a 
 somewhat new-fledged citizen of Massachusetts, and a some- 
 what recent exportation out of Rhode Island, I found myself 
 not absolutely coveting for Massachusetts anything which is 
 now the possession of Rhode Island, unless it be the elo- 
 quence, the grace, and admirable candor of the orator of the 
 day. 
 
 After all, ladies and gentlemen, this is one-half a Massa- 
 chusetts occasion. At the time of that great Indian war, 
 which was undoubtedly the greatest era in New England 
 before the revolution — at the time of the death of King 
 Philip (which took place by a singular coincidence in 1676), 
 this was Massachusetts soil. Philip himself, if I remember 
 rightly, began and ended the great scenes of his war within 
 the limits of what is now the town of Bristol. But at any 
 rate, it was Massachusetts then, and it was so eminently 
 Massachusetts that I believe one of those four founders — ^that 
 quartette of heroes who were celebrated this morning — I be- 
 lieve that Judge Byfield himself was somewhat criticised in 
 Rhode Island for being too aggressive on the subject of the 
 boundary line, and trying to get for Massachusetts more 
 than belonged to her. After you had annexed to Rhode Isl- 
 and, I believe there was no complaint of anybody's being 
 aggressive. It was all right then. The heroes of that day 
 were heroes of the two States conjointly ; and Colonel 
 Church himself, undoubtedly the greatest military character 
 in the New England Colonies, after Miles Standish, and down 
 to the time of the revolution — Colonel Church himself 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 75 
 
 divided his life with singular impartiality between these two 
 Colonies, first colonizing Little Compton, then coming here 
 to live when Bristol was a part of Massachusetts, then going 
 to Fall River to live ; and finally concluding that Little 
 Compton was a good place to die in, he went back and died 
 and was buried there. Thus closely during that period were 
 the two commonwealths united. Thus closely may they al- 
 ways be united. Never, after that noble oration of to-day — 
 so delicately discriminating what each of the early settle- 
 ments contributed to the common civilization of New En- 
 gland — never after that oration may the old jealousies revive 
 again. And lest they should revive, ladies and gentlemen, 
 let me at least do justice to the character of Massachusetts, 
 and of my chief, by not being tempted to talk to you too 
 long. We have a saying up there, among the Governor's 
 staff (I don't know how it is in the State of Rhode Island) , 
 that the real meaning of the word aid-de-camp is that each 
 should be prepared to decamp as soon as possible when there 
 is any fighting or talking to go on — and that is what I pro- 
 pose to do. 
 
 Senator Burnside. The third regular toast is : 
 
 The Town of Bristol. 
 
 This will be responded to by one of Bristol's most eminent 
 citizens, a man well posted in all her history, as he is, in- 
 deed, in all history. He needs no introduction. I will sim- 
 ply present to you Hon. William J. Miller. 
 
 SPEECH OF WILLIAM J. MILLER. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen : — In this presence you will pardon 
 me if I feel a diffidence in responding to this sentiment. I 
 think, perhaps, that Bristol to-day needs no one to speak for 
 her, — that she speaks for herself in the gay attire that she has 
 assumed ; that she speaks for herself in her sons and daugh- 
 ters who have returned to greet her on this her natal day ; 
 
76 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 that she speaks for herself in the eminent guests who are here 
 with us. But it seems to me very proper that for the mo- 
 ment that is allotted me to respond to this toast I shall glance 
 at her early history. I naturally go back to the time when 
 the earliest settlers came here — when they became fomiliar 
 with these "Mount Hope lands," this "Pokanoket," this home 
 of the red men — of Massasoit, the great sachem of the tribe, 
 of whose good faith they had learned ; and of his son, King 
 Philip, whose vengeance they had felt. I want to talk to 
 you of this " Mount Hope neck," heavily wooded, as it then 
 was, so heavily wooded that they had to cut down sturdy 
 oaks to make a place for the first meeting-house that was 
 erected here, which stood, as you have been told this morn- 
 ing, where our Court House now stands. That building- 
 stood just one hundred years, and when it was taken down 
 the timber was sound, and some of the same timber was put 
 into that second house of worship ; and that second church 
 has been used for nearly one hundred years, and is now our 
 Town Hall, where we have gathered the relics of the past, 
 and that timber is as sound as when it was put in ; and we 
 may imagine that those oak trees had a good growth when 
 the Pilgrim Fathers lirst landed in Plymouth. With these 
 links connecting the present with the past, it seems but a 
 span, and that we have only to put forth an arm, in order to 
 reach and clasp hands with the fathers and mothers who 
 landed from the May Flower. 
 
 When the four proprietors laid out this town for " a port 
 of trade," the}^ invited in their friends. I want to read to 
 you the names of a few of those men. Richard Smith, the 
 first Town Clerk of Bristol, who came here at the very be- 
 ginning of the settlement of the town. On the 9th of 
 November, 1680, Richard Smith came here, and from that 
 date to the present, there has been no time in its history 
 when there has not been a resident Richard Smith in Bristol, 
 a descendant of the first Richard. His descendants are as 
 thick, almost, as the leaves of autumn. Then there were 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BKISTOL. 77 
 
 Benjamin Church, Isaac Waldron, Nathaniel Reynolds, Wil- 
 liam Ingraham, Nathaniel Paine, John Finney, Jabez Gor- 
 ham, Hugh Woodljury, Jabez Rowland, John Gary, George 
 Waldron, William Hoar, Nathaniel Bosworth, John Glad- 
 ding, Samuel Woodl)ury, Uzal Ward well, Benjamin and 
 Edward Bosworth, John Wilson, William Throop, and many 
 others ; every one of those I have named having descendants- 
 to represent them here to-day at this two hundredth anniver- 
 sary celebration . Some of us can claim descent from half a 
 score of them. These were the men who settled Bristol. 
 " Their lines have gone out into all the earth," and their de- 
 scendants are a great multitude. 
 
 For almost a hundred years, Bristol prospered and in- 
 creased in population and wealth. Then came the war of 
 the revolution, and she was baptized in fire. In the first year 
 of the war the town was bombarded by a British fleet, and, 
 in May, 1777, British troops marched through the town and 
 burnt many dwellings. Every family that could, left, and 
 her streets became desolate. After the war, most of her 
 children returned, and the waste places were restored. Our 
 growth fi-om the beginning has been a slow, conservative, 
 New England growth, up to the present time. To-day, 
 "we raise our Ebenezer — hitherto, God has helped us." 
 Never before in our history have there been so many happy, 
 virtuous homes within our borders. Never before was 
 wealth so nearly equally distributed. Never before were her 
 people so well fed and clothed. Never before in her history 
 have they enjoyed all the privileges of civilization as they do 
 to-day. And 1 onl}^ ask, that in the future, as in the past, 
 we may — guided by the motto on our town seal — be virtu- 
 ous and industrious, and so humbly claim the protection of 
 Divine Providence. 
 
 I will close by reading an ode written by a daughter of 
 Bristol, now one of the teachers in our public schools, Miss 
 A. eT. Coggeshall : 
 
78 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 BRISTOL, 1680—1880. 
 
 Our native town! whose homes within, 
 Old friends are gladly meeting, 
 
 We ring thy happy birthday in, 
 With joyous bells of greeting. 
 
 Many to thy loved homesteads come. 
 
 To live their boyhood over, 
 And once again in thought, to roam 
 
 The wide fields sweet with clover. 
 
 September brings his golden sheaves, 
 And fruits for his bestowing, — 
 
 Within his crimson crown of leaves, 
 The purple grapes are glowing. 
 
 Steadfast and bright upon our hills, 
 
 The golden rod is shining; 
 The aster by our laughing rills. 
 
 His dainty wreaths is twining. 
 
 The golden sheaves of time are ours ; 
 
 We hold in holy keeping. 
 The sacred gifts of mind and powers. 
 
 Of those who low are sleeping. 
 
 The holy dead ! to them we owe 
 The freedom of their earning; 
 
 Honor to their blest names ; the glow 
 Of Heaven is round them burning! 
 
 We hail the day with mirth and song ; 
 
 But 'mid this feast of gladness, 
 My thoughts revert to scenes that long 
 
 Have passed — dread scenes of sadness. 
 
 Old times return ; I see once more 
 The grand old forest, rounding 
 
 In wavy curves from shore to shore, 
 With woodland echoes sounding. 
 
 Adown its pathless depths I hear 
 Plaintive-voiced Autumn singing; 
 
 O'er vale and hill, afar and near, 
 His gold-edged mantle flinging. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 79 
 
 On Mount Hope's wooded side I see 
 
 The council fire's red gleaming; 
 O'er wild war-dance and revelry, 
 
 Their lurid lights are streaming. 
 
 Once more King Philip's famous reign, 
 
 Makes English hearts to tremble ; 
 On Pokanoket once again, 
 
 His painted braves assemble. 
 
 I see his rocky covert near, — 
 
 His haunt for wily scheming; 
 While at its foot the waters clear 
 
 Of Philip's spring are gleaming. 
 
 I hear the fearful war-whoop rend 
 
 The night with sounds appalling; 
 While, where no timely hands defend, 
 
 The red man's wrath is falling. 
 
 I see the dauntless forest king. 
 
 From Mount Hope's summit glancing. 
 Where sun-lit isles their shadows fling. 
 
 And gladsome waves are dancing. 
 
 O waters blue ! no fairer bay 
 
 Srniles 'neath the light of heaven ; 
 No rosier waters stretch away. 
 
 Beneath the skies of even. 
 
 Whether above thy western tide. 
 
 More bright than dream or story, 
 The hands of Sunset open wide 
 The golden gates of glory ; — 
 
 Or by the moonlight silvered o'er. 
 
 Thy waves of light are sleeping : 
 While the hushed town along thy shore 
 
 Her silent watch is keeping. 
 
 Fair Bristol ! keep thy glad watch still. 
 
 By Narragansett's waters, 
 And welcome with a right good will, 
 
 Returning sons and daughters. 
 
 God grant that through the coming years. 
 
 Over thy harbor streaming, 
 Their eyes may see through smiles, or tears, 
 
 The lights of " Sweet Home" gleaming. 
 
80 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Senator Burnside. The next regular toast is : 
 The Day We Celebrate. 
 
 This toast is to be responded to by my colleague in the 
 United States Senate, who needs no introduction to you. 
 
 speech of HON. HENRY B, ANTHONY. 
 
 Mr. Toastmaster : — The day we celebrate is a proud day for 
 Bristol, a great day for Rhode Island. On this day, the old 
 town opens wide her doors, and invites her scattered children 
 to come home to the parental mansion. She calls them from 
 the fields of labor, from the workshops of toil, from the marts 
 of trade , from the halls of study. From every part of the coun- 
 try and of the world, wherever they have wandered, she calls 
 them and folds them in her maternal arms. This is a memorial 
 period in our history. The Republic has just completed the 
 first century of its existence, and the glad event has been 
 celebrated with joyous congratulations, commencing with an 
 international exhibition of the arts and industry of the world, 
 in which our own country vindicated republican institu- 
 tions, by an exposition that compared fiivorably with that of 
 the older countries, and in some departments, notably in in- 
 ventions and processes in the useful arts, taking the first 
 place. The centennial anniversaries of great events that fol- 
 lowed the immortal declaration which proclaimed our exis- 
 tence as a nation, have also been commemorated with due 
 and patriotic pomp, and the valor and patriotism, the wis- 
 dom and virtues of our fathers, who flourished a hundred 
 years ago, have been duly held up to the grateful admiration 
 and the emulation of the present and the rising generations. 
 
 It would be strange, indeed, if the ancient town of Bris- 
 tol, whose corporate existence antedates, by near a century, 
 the independence of the country, should not join in this gen- 
 eral jubilee of commemoration. Her history is rich in mem- 
 orable events, her traditions, of romantic interest, stretch 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 81 
 
 back to the colonial and to the Indian period. Among her cit- 
 izens have been men of the highest distinction in commerce, 
 in politics, in jurisprudence, and in statesmanship, and men 
 who haA-e made liberal benetactions to religion, to learning, 
 and to charity. She has contributed her fidl share of the 
 renown which the State has added to the renown of the na- 
 tion. She has taken her position in the advance line of civi- 
 lization, and has marched steadil}^ on, keeping even pace 
 with its advancing steps. She has a right to survey the past 
 with an honest pride ; to congratulate herself on the condi- 
 tion of the present, and the prospects of the future. Her 
 citizens have taken up the matter with their usual spirit and 
 enterprise, and with the thoroughness that distinguishes 
 every thing wdiich they undertake. They have marked the 
 day by a commemoration, Avhich wall render it doubly mem- 
 orable in her annals. The history of her origin, her founda- 
 tion and her progress, and of the virtues of her earlier citi- 
 zens, has been recited by one of the most eminent of her 
 living sons, and her praises have been rendered by the muse 
 of another. I can add nothing to the eloquent w^ords and the 
 diligent research of the first, who, having made the history 
 of all nations his study, has brought his power of generaliza- 
 tion and of the selection of striking detail especially to the 
 illustration of that of his native town ; and it is given to few, 
 certainly not to me, to " build the lofty rhyme." There is 
 something more than sentiment ; there is a real value in com- 
 memorations of this kind. We cannot understand the pres- 
 ent, nor provide for the future, without studying the lessons 
 of the past. One of the greatest thinkers in Rhode Island, 
 and many men eminent for thought in various departments 
 of human study, have flourished in our borders ; a man who 
 lived just across the narrow water that divides the State, 
 said : " Would to God that men would learn something from 
 history ! But it has been well observed that we ever place 
 the lantern at the stern, and not at the prow. It sheds its 
 11 
 
82 BI-CENTEXNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 light only on the tumultuous billows of the past. We there 
 see the wreck of nations that have committed themselves to 
 anarchy, tossing and heaving on the stormy surge. Yet on 
 we go, exulting in our superiority over our predecessors, 
 heedless of the rocks beneath the 1)0W, until the billows on 
 which we are borne sink beneath us and dash us into frag- 
 ments." I apprehend that this graceful, elegant passage is 
 not strictly accurate in feet ; for we are told that history con- 
 stantly repeats itself. The light that illumines the past also 
 sheds its reflected rays upon the future, and gives its warning 
 and its encouragement, by example. 
 
 Two hundred years ago ! What mighty changes have taken 
 place on the ftice of the globe since that time. France was 
 then the leading power of Europe. Louis XIV., with his 
 army of two hundred thousand men, and his fleet of one hun- 
 dred men-of-war, was dreaming of the continental supremacy 
 which was accomplished by his successor, the great Napoleon ; 
 Charles II., the purchased vassal of Louis, was holding high 
 and dissolute revel at Whitehall ; Russia was emerging from 
 barbarism under Peter ; the Turks, — if I have not got the date 
 with entire accuracy, I deprecate the criticism of my learned 
 friend, the orator of the day — but it was at about that time, 
 that the Turks were thundering at the gates of Vienna, and 
 John Sobieski was hastening to the relief of the Cross, sorely 
 beleagued by the Crescent. The interior of the American con- 
 tinent was quite unexplored. A narrow line of adventurous 
 colonization fringed the Atlantic coast ; but all beyond was 
 a pathless wilderness. The vast prairies that are now the 
 granary of the world, that feed the millions of both hemis- 
 pheres, where rise the palaces of luxury, the centres of com- 
 merce, the seats of learning, were the pastures of the buf- 
 falo, which shared them with the savage beasts and the 
 scarcely less savage aboriginees. The great rivers and lakes 
 that now bear the commerce of an empire, were disturbed 
 only by the sound of the paddle that drove the Indian's light 
 canoe. Of the changes mighter than those of geographical 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF liUISTOL. 83 
 
 discovery and mutations of power, the changes Avrouglit by 
 science and art, I do not venture to speak. To touch ever 
 so lightl}^ on these would open a discussion which wouhl ex- 
 haust your patience, and far exceed the limits of time allotted 
 to me. 
 
 Shall those avIio will stand here tAvo hundred years hence, 
 and review the proceedings of this day, have such a record 
 of progress to look back upon ? Will the race advance as it 
 has advanced in the two centuries gone ? or will civilization 
 turn back and lose itself in darkness ? No ; the wonderful 
 discoveries that have been made, in modern times, in the 
 laws of nature and their application to the wants and uses 
 and elevation of mankind, forbid the idea. The wildest 
 flight of the imagination cannot reach the heiglit that will be 
 attained in the conditions of humanity in the next two hun- 
 dred years. Things that do not now enter into the dreams 
 of enthusiasm will have become accomplished facts. From 
 the vantage ground of the present, the future will start to 
 liigher aspirations and to nobler accomplishments. 
 
 Let us so improve our advantages that the generations 
 that come after us shall hold our example in the reverence 
 that we hold those wdio have gone before us ; that they may 
 look upon a country, not only teeming with population and 
 (Miriched by labor and art, but richer in public virtue and in 
 united patriotism. 
 
 Senator Buiinsidk. Tlio next regular toast is : 
 William Bradford. 
 
 This will be responded to by a distinguished citizen of 
 Rhode Island, who has always been a great favorite in Bris- 
 tol, and is identified with the town in a marked way through 
 his ancestors. I have the })leasure to introduce to you ex- 
 Governor Van Zandt. 
 
84 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 SPEECH OF EX-GOVEKNOR VAN ZANDT. 
 
 Mr. Toastma.ster and Ladies and Gentlemen : — I have been 
 for some time wondering exactly where an ex-Governor be- 
 longs ; and since this is the iirst occasion of this sort that I 
 have attended si)ice I laid aside the emblems of office in favor 
 of my excellent friend, who now tills the executive chair, I 
 was affected with some curiosity to know whether or not, 
 having been through all the offices in the State, I was now 
 expected to begin anew and go all over them again. And I 
 can onl}^ account, sir, for my being called upon at this some- 
 what early period in our festivities, by the fact that my name is 
 linked with that of the great and the good man in whose honor 
 this sentiment is proposed. But before I proceed to scatter, 
 in my poor way, a few flowers over his grave, you will per- 
 mit me to allude, generally, to the festivities of this occasion. 
 It seems to me that for the last six or seven years, the air of 
 the great republic, from the North to the South, and from the 
 East to the West, has been filled with the sweet fragrance of 
 its blossoming century-plants. In every State, in every 
 town, and in almost every village, the hundredth or the two 
 hundredth anniversary of some great event — or some event 
 at any rate great to the people who celebrate it, has rolled 
 around, and this morning the whole flower opened and the 
 whole air Avas fragrant with its perfume. And this is the 
 second time, my friends, that your dear old aloe has blos- 
 somed in your lovely old town ; and I come here to keep the 
 anniversary with you. 
 
 I am, as my friend has said, nearly identified with every- 
 body in Bristol. If the toastmaster would allow it, I think I 
 should take the liberty, even now, ])efore I leave, of putting 
 my arm around Bristol neck. (Laughter.) As I rode 
 through your streets, embowered in greenness and rich with 
 rainbow decorations that were hung out all along, I saw the 
 smoke curling \\\> from the grand old house on Mount Hope 
 
BT-CKNTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 85 
 
 that stands just by the side of the place where my great- 
 grandfather builded and lived. I passed the mansion that his 
 hand had erected in your streets. I paused, in my heart, 
 even if the procession did not stay its steps, in front of the 
 house that my grandfather erected, and where my mother 
 was horn ; and is it strange that I came here now^ if not the 
 son of Bristol, her grandson and her great-grandson — or per- 
 haps I had better say that if not her son, I am her most con- 
 stant lover ? 
 
 And you propose a sentiment to the memory of William 
 Bradford. So rapidly does time move on, and so fast do 
 events tread, one upon the heels of another, that we are too 
 apt to forget the great men in the early days of the republic. 
 But who was AVilliam Bradford? lie came from old Ply- 
 mouth, in Massachusetts, a lineal descendant of the Plymouth 
 Governor Bradford, w^ho landed with the Pilgrims. He w^as 
 for eighteen years, Mr. President, the Speaker of the House 
 of Keprcsentatives in our State. He was a member of the 
 Continental Congress. He was a Senator in Congress, and 
 he was for three years Lieutenant Governor of this State. 
 
 And since this is the day of memories, you will pardon me 
 for being a little personal, and painting for you, just for one 
 moment, in my poor way, a picture of my childhood. I 
 remember sitting by my grandmother — and she was blind, 
 but now she sees — and hearing her tell, when she was nearly 
 ninety years old, of the old days of Bristol, when it was 
 bombarded b}^ the British fleet, and many of the people fled 
 from the town, or the then village, up to Mount Hope for 
 refuge and • for safety ; of how Washington visited this fair 
 town and passed a week at the Mount with Governor Brad- 
 ford ; of how she sat at the table Avith him and heard him 
 talk; of how the two, clad in that beautiful, old-fashioned 
 attire of black velvet — dressed very much alike — Avitli ruftles 
 around their wrists and at their bosoms, and with powdered 
 hair, promenaded the piazza and talked together hour after 
 hour. And so as she went on, and I drank in her sweet 
 
86 BI-CENTEKNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 words like a bee resting on a flower, I could see the whole 
 picture before me, and it was more vital and real to me, un- 
 doubtedly, than if I had seen it m_yself. She told me of the 
 good words that Washington spoke. She showed me letters 
 yellow with age — and some of them I now have — that he 
 wrote William Bradford after he left here. She showed me 
 a lock of his hair, and a lock of that of her father, William 
 Bradford, of your own town. She suffered me to read 
 curious letters of life in Philadelphia, when Gov. Bradford 
 was a member of the Senate, and at the time he was in the 
 Continental Congress — describing most graphically the polit- 
 ical and the social life of that early period of the Republic. 
 And so, drinking in words like those, when I Avas a child, 
 remembering them ever since, I have come to love Bristol 
 for M'hat she then was. And since I have been in public 
 life, I have received so many favors and honors at her hands 
 that my affection has l)ecome a real and a personal one, for 
 the kindness and the honor which the town of Bristol and her 
 citizens have done me. 
 
 Senator Burnside. Our excellent friend. Bishop Howe, 
 will now present to you a curious manuscript book, and will 
 read a poem by Richard Smith, his ancestor, written in 1680. 
 
 Bishop Howe then made a few remarks, introducing the 
 literary curiosity referred to, which excited much interest. 
 He also read a paper prepared by the venerable Bishop 
 Smith, presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church 
 of the United States, who was present at the morning exer- 
 cises, but was unable to attend nt the dinner. 
 
 MANUSCRIPT OF BISHOP SMITH. 
 
 Friends and Fellow Totvnftmen: — Fearing, from my ex- 
 treme old age — more than eighty-six — that I shall not be 
 able to deliver, in person, what lam about to write, I entrust 
 it to the care of my beloved nephew, better known to you as 
 Bishop Howe, to read it on your festival day. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 87 
 
 (A. ) First, you will naturally desire to know what records 
 and traditions have been brought down to our times of those 
 of our ancestors, who were amongst the first settlers of the 
 town of Bristol, Richard Smith, and Deacon Nathaniel Bos- 
 worth. This, being personal, may not be worthy of being 
 read, but might perhaps be thought deserving a place in 
 your printed record. 
 
 (B.) A larger and less questionable place may be allowed 
 for the memorable attack upon tlu; town, and the burning of 
 no inconsiderable part of it, by the British troops in 1777. 
 
 (C.) The question before us of much larger and more 
 enduring interest is, the testimony which the founder of the 
 State, Roger Williams, bore to the great principle of perfect 
 freedom of conscience in all religious matters. 
 
 To return to our first item, the Smith and Bos worth fami- 
 lies amongst the first settlers. Bishop Howe will show you 
 a little manuscript volume, given to me by the last Richard, 
 of the original stock. It mainly consists of brief outlines 
 of Puritan sermons, listened to by the stone mason, Richard 
 Smith, for several years, about 1672. The double effs, in- 
 stead of the single, the odd shaped ees, and the many abbre- 
 viations, make the reading of it rather difficult. Several 
 pages show that a little poetic blood flowed through his 
 veins, perpetuated and highly improved amongst several of 
 his descendants, down to this very time. On one page he 
 commemorates a favorite son, Benjamin. On another, there 
 is a distich. Of course, these are not at all to be compared 
 with the higher flights of one of his contemporaries, a certain 
 John Milton, l)ut they shine rather conspicuously along side 
 of another, one John Bunyan, and are very devout, which is 
 far better : — 
 
 " Close then, my soul, Oh close with Christ, and be 
 '• Secure from evil for eternity." 
 
 There is a tradition in the family, that the first child born 
 in Bristol would have been his, had he not been ol)liged to 
 
^8 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 send his wife over to Rhode Ishiiid, in order that she might 
 have the necessary medical attendance. 
 
 There is another tradition, concerning onr other ancestor, 
 which I fear the records disprove, that Deacon Nathaniel 
 Bos worth was one of the six first proprietors of the original 
 six thousand acres. At any rate, in point of social position 
 he belonged to the same class with the first proprietors. In 
 proof of which we find amongst his children, or grand-chil- 
 dren, the Rev. Bellamy BosM^orth, a Puritan Divine, as his 
 name shows, but of no marked zeal or fiery eloquence, as is 
 proved by his never having had a settlement. But this anec- 
 dote shows that he was not lightly esteemed by his brethren, 
 for, it is related, that having to go to New York, he started 
 on horselxick with a pistareen (twenty cents) in his pocket, 
 and timing his stops at night to tlie distances of the Con- 
 necticut clergy, he returned safely, with the same coin on 
 hand. For, in those days, the clerg}^ had free passage over 
 the many ferries and the few bridges. 
 
 My dear mother has often told me of her visits to his 
 study, adorned, where a cornice should he, by a row of old 
 wigs ; he mounted a new one every year. 
 
 (B.) My father, Stephen Smith, and my uncle, Samuel 
 Bosworth, were in the service of their country at the time of 
 General Sullivan's expedition, when a corps under Lafayette 
 was stationed on Fort Hill ; the former a Commissary, the 
 latter as his Secretary. I am not informed at Avhat period, 
 whether before or after this, a fleet of war vessels entered 
 Bristol harbor, and, as a punishment for not complying with 
 a requisition for cattle and other stores, commenced sweep- 
 ing the narrow neck, at the north end of the town, with 
 grape shot, completely preventing ingress or egress by that 
 route, and occasionally discharging shells and l^alls over the 
 town. I have often heard my uncle describe the events of 
 that time ; such, at least, as he himself witnessed, or heard 
 discussed on the streets, at the time or afterwards. One 
 cannon ball passing over my father's house, went through 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BKISTOL. 89 
 
 Governor Bradford's town house, which stood somewhat 
 above it. His old colored servant, witnessing it, immedi- 
 ately took up his stool and placed it before the hole, grum- 
 bling as he went, " no two balls ever go through the same 
 hole." It is matter of conjecture whether the rush of another 
 ball close by the head of the Rev. John Burt, the minister 
 of the Congregational Church, was the cause of his death, 
 but it is a fact that he was (after the bombardment) found 
 dead, in a lot, back of his house. 
 
 A small detachment of troops, Hessians, marched through 
 the town, burning the Episcopal Church, and several houses, 
 and amongst them that of my father, on the very spot, where, 
 after it w^as rebuilt, less than twenty years later, I was born. 
 
 A colored man, sexton of the Episcopal Church, for safety, 
 had run off. Returning, he was told that the Church had 
 been burnt. "Oh, no!" said he, "that cannot be. They 
 would never burn our Church ; besides, I am sure it is not 
 true, for I have the key in my pocket !" 
 
 (C.) We come now to the graver and most important 
 part of our record, not so much for the benefit of Bristol, or 
 Rhode Island alone, as for that of all the nations upon earth, 
 to the end of time — what Roger Williams, the founder of 
 our State, did, for the cause of free thought and free wor- 
 ship, in a free State. 
 
 He fled from the severe intolerance of the National Church 
 of England, only to encounter the rough intolerance of the 
 Established Cong-reo-ational Church in Massachusetts. He 
 hoped to find the perfect freedom of conscience he longed for 
 among the Baptists. For its sake he became an exile, and 
 in time the founder and father of our small free State. 
 
 Towards the close of his eventful life, either from dissatis- 
 faction w^ith their organization, or their w^ant of it, or for 
 lack of more perfect concord or sympathy with his brethren, 
 he seems to have withdrawn himself somewhat from them, 
 preferring the title of a seeker. 
 
 12 
 
90 BI-CENTEXXIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 All this time the tire burned within him of an intense 
 desire for soniethinii^ better than toleration, however generous 
 and free. He did not write, but he intensely felt the words 
 I aiu about to quote of a distinguished author, whose name I 
 have entirely forgotten : " Toleration, what is it? The very 
 word is a badge of bye-gone slavery ! What does it mean? 
 Why, that /, your supreme ruler and master, have a sover- 
 eign right to compel you to believe, in all religious mat- 
 ters, as I believe, and to worship God, as I worship Him; 
 but, out of mere condescension and pity, I allow you to 
 believe and to worship as you like ! " 
 
 The response was very slow to come even from ]Massachu- 
 setts and Connecticut, which is hard to believe, now, when 
 there is not a State in the Union of whose very constitution 
 it does not form a part. 
 
 If my memory serves me aright, the original Charter of 
 Rhode Island was so very liberal in all these respects, that, 
 whilst all the other States were adopting new constitutions, 
 Rhode Island remained quite satisfied to live under her old 
 charter, granted in (1063) until (1843), when the present 
 constitution was adopted. 
 
 Soon after my ordination, in the fall of 1818, I had occa- 
 sion to pass through a portion of Connecticut. I found many 
 people greatly excited over the downfall, as it was expressed, 
 of the Standing Order (Congregationalism), brought about 
 (in a way that rather shocked me) by the united vote of all 
 other denominations, and all the misbelievers and unbelievers 
 in the State. And yet I could not but rejoice, for it was 
 the triumph of free thought and free worship. A marked 
 incident is thought to have contributed in no small degree to 
 In-inging it about. An intelligent and substantial Baptist 
 farmer, it is said, for twenty successive years, bought a new 
 Bible, which was regularly handed over to pay the enforced 
 assessment for the established minister's salary. 
 
 Taking all the nations upon earth, there are but few who 
 have accepted this grand idea. One of the first iron-bound 
 
BI-CEXTEXNIAL OF BRISTOL. 91 
 
 governments which accepted it was Sweden. The few Bap- 
 tist missionaries who have been laboringr there with sinoTilar 
 wisdom, patience, and faithfulness, have recently received 
 permission to exist from a Protestant government. Even 
 Russia has relaxed its severity, by acknowledging the exis- 
 tence of a body of pious Separatists. 
 
 Most wonderful of all, Itah% of all the European States, 
 has come nearest to solving the problem of a Free Church in 
 a Free State. There is entire and strict equality, both in a 
 ci\al and religious sense. In France, civil freedom is ^^ell 
 secured, but toleration, instead of equality, for the present, 
 rules the hour. 
 
 In the more enlightened States, Germany and England, 
 and especially in England, toleration has become and is 
 becoming so very expansive, as hardly to be covered by that 
 almost obsolete tenn. 
 
 Oh ! for the coming day, when the Christian's Charter of 
 Freedom, an open Bible in the hands of an enlightened peo- 
 ple, shall make glad all the waste places of the earth. 
 
 It seems to be the gracious puq^ose of our Heavenly Father 
 that America shall bear no secondary part in hastening the 
 coming of that day, and God forbid that dear Rhode Island, 
 small as she is, should be behind the very chief of all her sis- 
 ters, in efforts to perfect the diadem with which Christ, at no 
 distant day, let us hope, shall be crowned King of Nations, as 
 weH as Kinor of Saints ! ! ! 
 
 Senator Burxside. The next regular toast is : 
 Brown University. 
 
 AVe are fortunate in having with us to-day, the President 
 of this time-honored institution. I have the honor to present 
 to vou the Rev. Dr. E. G. Robinson. 
 
92 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 SPEECH OF PIJESIDENT ROBIXSON. 
 
 Mr. President and Ladies and Gentlemen: — There is, per- 
 haps, a fitness in the recognition of Brown University here 
 to-day. The light of that institution first fell upon this State 
 from 'the immediately neighboring town of Warren. That 
 light of course fell upon the streets and homes of Bristol. 
 The light was both of a restraining and of a stimulating in- 
 fluence. It was restraining. There is an incident in the 
 history of Bristol to which the orator of the day did not 
 allude. Soon after the founding of this town, it protected 
 itself against evil doers by the erection of stocks and a 
 whipping post. During the five years of the continuance of 
 Brown University — then " lihode Island College " — in War- 
 ren, the stocks fell into disuse, and the whipping post decayed 
 and disappeared. Immediately after the removal of Brown 
 Universit}^ to Providence, which took place in the year 1770, 
 the Town Meeting in 1771, ordered John Rowland to re-erect 
 stocks and a whipping-post. It was evident that the restrain- 
 ing influence of Brown University had been removed. Its 
 influence has been felt among the distinguished men of this 
 part of the State for the last century. The most distinguished 
 sons of Bristol were graduates of Brown University. Its 
 clergy and its gentlemen of other professions I need not 
 enumerate. To Brown University is due not a little of the 
 credit of the elegance, the eloquence, the philosophical spirit 
 of that admirable oration to which you listened to-day. To 
 Brown University is due the imagination, the rhythm, the 
 rhyme of the admirable poem to which we listened. I need 
 enumerate no others. Brown University is closely allied to 
 Bristol. Bristol has to-day shown its appreciation of that 
 institution. 
 
 Pardon me for a word personal. I have a personal interest 
 in this celebration of the town of Bristol. The first of my 
 own American ancestors that I know an3i;hing of was a resi- 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BEISTOL. 93 
 
 dent of the nci<>liboriiio- town of llehobotli. He was stimu- 
 
 o o 
 
 lated, with others, by the example of those Boston merchants 
 who purchased this hind, wrung from King Philip. They 
 purchased what w^as called " The Rehoboth North Purchase," 
 out of which were divided the town of Attleboro', in which I 
 w^as first permitted to see the light, and the town of Cumber- 
 land, which belongs to the State of Rhode Island. But for 
 the example of those Boston merchants, I should very likely 
 have first seen light on the fair hills of Pappoosesquaw^, or 
 some other part of this town. I feel in some sense related 
 to the descendants of the first settlers of Bristol. 
 
 But, gentlemen, I have thought to-day several times : 
 What did Nathaniel Byfield anticipate as he looked down 
 the centuries ? Had he the remotest thought of what w^e to- 
 day see, of what this town has accomplished and is to-day 
 accomplishing? We have excelled the brighest promise of 
 their futurity. 
 
 " Good which they dared not hope for we have seen ; 
 A State whose generous will through earth is dealt; 
 A State, which balancing herself between 
 License and slavish order, dares be free," — 
 
 all attributalde to the principles of those from whom w^e 
 descended. 
 
 I have felt, as I have to-day turned my thoughts backward 
 and forM^ard, how^ w^e ought to prize the conviction!^ of the 
 Puritans. It is easy to criticize them. It is easy to speak 
 of their acrid spirit, of their controversies. I tell you, 
 friends, it is something to have convictions. It is something 
 to be proud of, to l)o descended from men who believed, and 
 because they believed, dared to do. And all belief, and all 
 daring, is troublesome — troublesome to those who hold the 
 convictions ; they quarrel w ith one another, do 3^ou say ? But 
 out of their quarrels came strength, and beauty, and order. 
 We have entered into their heritage. And I have thought it 
 is well for us to remember, on such a day as this, that in our 
 
94 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 spirit of calm judgment, of criticism, of deprecation of the 
 animosities of the past, we ma}' fail to remember that there 
 are truths to-day endangered, as there were truths endan- 
 dered in the times of the Puritans, and it is well for us to 
 ask. What are the perils ? What are the convictions — there 
 are some views, some thoughts, some principles, political, 
 personal, and even religious, which it is worthwhile to think 
 of and suffer for, and if need be, to emigrate and die for. 
 We are in danger of forgetting them. The founders of this 
 town believed, among their first principles, in education. 
 Their first provision was for the school-master and the min- 
 ister — the meeting-house and the school-house — primary 
 education, education for the child, education for the youth, 
 education for the young man. The school, the high school, 
 and the college are indissolubly allied. To encourage one, 
 is to encourage the other. 
 
 Let me beg you, therefore, cherish the primary school, 
 cherish the high school, cherish your college. Brown Uni- 
 versity is the college of Rhode Island, and it relies upon the 
 sympathy, the support, and the friendship of the sons of 
 Rhode Island. As an immediate neighbor of Rhode Island 
 by birth, I feel that in a certain sense I am a Rhode Islander. 
 Standing in my old homestead, as I almost l)are one foot in 
 Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island, and I stretch out the 
 hand, rejoicing that I was born in Massachusetts, and equally 
 rejoicing that I was born so near to the State of Rhode Isl- 
 and. So that all that belongs to the distinguished history of 
 Rhode Island and Massachusetts — admiral^ly blended in this 
 town of Massachusetts origin and of Rhode Island history — 
 we alike may cherish all that is good and praiseworthy in 
 education and in religious teaching. 
 
 Senator Burnside. The next toast is : 
 
 " The Providence Light Infantry Veteran Association : — 
 We honor them for the interest they manifest in historic 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BKISTOL. 95 
 
 matters. Their participation in our celebration to-day, is 
 cause for ofratulation." 
 
 This toast will be responded to by a distinguished divine, 
 who has been a great favorite in Bristol ever since he came 
 to Rhode Island. I present to you lit. Rev. Bishop Clark. 
 
 SPEECH OF BISHOP CLARK. 
 
 M)'. Toastmaster and Ladies and Gentlemen : — It is natu- 
 ral that our A'^eteran Association should manifest an interest 
 in historic matters. We ourselves are beginning to be his- 
 torical, and yet we hope the time is far distant, when it will 
 be said of us, 
 
 " Superfluous lag the veterans on the stage." 
 
 We are glad that we were not so far advanced in years, 
 as to prevent us from participating in this delightful celebra- 
 tion. We have marched with you through your pleasant 
 streets, and seen how the old town of Bristol still continues 
 to glow with the life and joy of youth. You have inherited 
 a goodly legacy from your fathers. 
 
 I have been asked on this occasion just "to say a word." 
 That I consider equivalent to a request that I shall not make 
 a speech. I am very glad it is so. It seems to me some- 
 what of an impertinence for an3d3ody who has not had the 
 good fortune to be born and bred in Bristol to make any 
 appearance on this occasion. After such indications of trans- 
 cendent talent and complete culture as have been presented 
 to us to-day, both by the orator and the poet, and by others 
 who have spoken, it seems becoming in all outsiders to keep 
 silence. 
 
 There is one thing about Bristol which is not so peculiar 
 to this place. It belongs to all these decayed seaboard 
 towns, in one of which I had the good fortune to be born and 
 bred — the old town of Newburyport, Massachusetts, which 
 was a kind of fac-simile of Bristol. It is a peculiarity of 
 
96 ■ BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 these places that all their children seem to cherish a very 
 special attachment to their birth-place. Wherever they go 
 — and they have the faculty of going almost everywhere — 
 their motto seems to be always : " My heart imtravelled, still 
 turns," — w^ell, to Bristol, or Newburyport, or wherever the 
 place may be. And so, to all Bristol people, Bristol is the 
 centre of all things, the centre of their affections, the centre 
 of the land, the centre of the world, and in some sense the 
 centre of the universe. 
 
 Now this is a feelino^ w^orth cherish ing; ; for a man who 
 does not care about the place where he was born, cannot be 
 good for much. To be sure if it had been our fortune 
 to be born in the centre of one of the great flat prairies of 
 the West, where there is nothing of mountain or valley, or 
 forest, or brook, or stream, to vary the landscape, it might 
 be difficult to get up any attachment to our birth-place. 
 But with such surroundings as you have here, there is no such 
 difficulty. And even the old mouldering peculiarities of 
 the place — the quiet streets, the ancient, weird sail-lofts down 
 on the wharf, and the little relics that remain of a past com- 
 mercial prosperity, have their peculiar charm, and they hold 
 us as with an iron grasp. We never get away from the 
 influences and associations of our native town. 
 
 I rejoice to have been here to-day. I rejoice in the fact 
 that so many of the sons and daughters of Bristol have come 
 home to their old mother to do her honor. And if any of us 
 are so fortunate as to live to meet our successors here on the 
 next centennial, I hope that we shall cherish the memory of 
 those who have addressed us to-day, and who have left an 
 impression upon our minds which is indellible. 
 
 Senator Burnside. The next regular toast is : 
 
 The Rhode Island Historical Society. 
 
 This will be responded to by one of Rhode Island's dis- 
 tinguished and venerable citizens, President of the Historical 
 Society, Hon. Zachariah Allen, of Providence. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 97 
 
 SPEECH OF HON. ZACHAEIAH ALLEN. 
 
 Mr. Pretiident and Ladies and Gentlemen : — The members 
 of the Rhode Island Historical Society join, with others, in 
 cordially congratulating the good people of Bristol on the 
 two hundredth anniversary of the planting of their pleasant 
 town*. They all unite also in praising the hospitality they 
 have received, and in complimenting the distinguished citi- 
 zen who has enlightened them by presenting some of the 
 historical details, to the study of which he has been devoted 
 professionally during his entire life. Still his allusion, in 
 the course of his remarks, to the good old Massasoit, has 
 opened a field which deserves further investigation concern- 
 ing the merits of that noble chief, and concerning the friend- 
 ship which existed for many years between him and the 
 founder of the State of Rhode Island. Having investigated 
 this subject for some time past, I have become convinced 
 that had it not been for the befriending of Roger Williams by 
 Massasoit, and his hospitable reception of him when he was 
 expelled from Massachusetts and fled into the wilderness, he 
 would have been sent away from Boston on board the vessel 
 then waiting in the harbor, and transported back to England, 
 precisely as the two brothers Brown had been transported 
 l)ack to England, for their opinions in matters of religion. 
 He had, however, some place to flee to, sure friends to receive 
 him during those cold, bitter days of winter ; otherwise he 
 must have been carried across the water, and could not have 
 been the founder of the State of Rhode Island. I look upon 
 it, therefore, as owing especially to the friendship of Massa- 
 soit, that Rhode Island now^ exists. There M^ould not have 
 been any Rhode Island had it not been for that friendship ; 
 for the Massachusetts people w^ould have al^sorl^ed this State 
 as they soon afterwards absorbed the other little colonies, and 
 amalgamated them into one. There would have been no 
 establishment here of religious liberty, or of a constitutional 
 
 13 
 
98 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 basis of a free State. I hope that the discussion of this theme, 
 which has been opened by the historian to-day, may be 
 further pursued, and that due justice and credit may be 
 awarded to Massasoit in this regard. 
 
 The following poem is from the pen of a son of Bristol 
 " b}' adoption," his wife being a native : 
 
 POEM ON THE BI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, 
 BY E. W. ROBBINS, A. M. 
 
 Two hundred j'ears have come and goue — 
 
 Of sunshine and of shade, 
 Since on this memorable spot, 
 
 In faith and prayer were laid 
 The first foundations of this town, 
 
 Distinguished in our State, 
 Whose annals at the old hearth-stone, 
 
 To-day we celebrate ! 
 
 ' Tis well at this convivial board 
 
 We should their deeds recall — 
 Immortal founders of the race. 
 
 In our home festival — 
 Walley, and Byfield', Oliver, 
 
 And Burton, with their peers. 
 (Whose names these trees* perpetuate) 
 
 Of the two hundred years — 
 
 Descendants of the Pilgrim sires, 
 (Sprung from no common stock). 
 
 Who trod the May Flower's wintry deck, 
 And hallowed Plymouth Rock — 
 
 1. The Byfield School— so called in honor of Hon. Nathaniel Byfield, this early ben- 
 efactor to the town— is his latest, and, perhaps, best monument. The late Rev. Dr. 
 Shei'Ard, pastor of the Congregational Church, whose portrait hangs side by side with 
 that of Judge Byfield, in the above building, was no less devoted to the cause of education. 
 
 2. Referring to the planting of four memorial trees on the Common, in honor of the four 
 founders of the town. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 99 
 
 Howland' and Buadford''— him renowned 
 
 Alike witli sword and pen, 
 Of Plymoutli Colony the chief— 
 
 A princely man of men. 
 
 Nor in this brief review forg:ot, 
 
 (Perchance left in the lurch) 
 The brave Miles Standish of his time, — 
 
 Heroic Captain Church,^ 
 Who eminent in Church and State, 
 
 An added laurel wore, — 
 Who slew the Warapanoag's pride. 
 
 And its dread Sagamore! 
 
 Two hundred years have come and gone— 
 
 And Bristol sits to-day. 
 Nor yet like Venice— discrowned Queen, 
 
 By her bright, beauteous bay. 
 Still musing on her splendors past, 
 
 Which this gay sight recalls, — 
 On her rich freighted Argosies, 
 
 And her Armada walls,— 
 
 (Save, where invaded by the foe^ 
 
 In scene of ruthless strife, 
 The flaming fire-brand'' was applied 
 
 To desolate her life;") 
 In factory and dock-yard, now, 
 
 Once more the stranger greets 
 The hum of active industry 
 
 Resounding in her streets. 
 
 1. Jolin Howlantl, (a lineal descendant of whom, Mrs. Rebecca Smith, has lately de- 
 ceased at the great age of nearly 99 j'ears). From him are derived the Howlauds of New- 
 port and Bristol. 
 
 2. Hon. Wm. Bradford, second Governor of Plymouth Colony, was both a military 
 leader and an historian. His son, Wm. Bradford, was Deputy Governor of the same Col- 
 ony. Governor Wm. Bradford, of Rhode Island, was his lineal descendant; also. Major 
 Wm. Bradford. These still are represented by their descendants, living in Bristol. 
 
 3. Capt. Benjamin Church, a son of Richard Church, was born in Plymouth, Mass., 
 and married Alice Southworth, the granddaughter of the distinguished wife of the first 
 Governor Bradford. He was at the head of the party by whom King Philip was slain in the 
 swamp at the foot of Mount Hope. 
 
 4. Bristol was invaded by tlie combined forces of the British and Hessians, May 25, 
 1777, resulting in the burning of a part of the town, and the taking of some prisoners. 
 Before this, in 1775, a British squadron fired on the town. 
 
100 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Nor yet unfitting in tliis place 
 
 Their praises just, to speak, 
 Tlie proof of wliose munificence 
 
 We liave not far to seek- 
 Yon graceful structures late proclaim, 
 
 Which to our view appear — 
 Religion, Education, both 
 
 Have found their patrons' here! 
 
 Then, to haud down to future times 
 
 The glories of this day. 
 Let the historian'^ weave his web — 
 
 The poet''' sing his lay — 
 As rises near yon eminence. 
 
 With its green, beckoning slope. 
 One backward glance to— Memory— 
 
 The future trust to— Hope ! ^ 
 Kensington, Berlin, Conn., September, 1880. 
 
 1. The Memorial Chapel of the Congregational Church, and the Rogers' Free Library, 
 will long perpetuate— the former, the memory of the munificent donors, Miss Charlotte 
 DcWolf, and Mrs. Maria DeWolf Rogers, whose modesty is equalled only by their benevo- 
 lence — the latter is the gift of Mrs. Rogers, iu memory of her deceased husband, Mr. 
 Robert Rogers. 
 
 2. The historian, and poet, of this occasion. 
 
 3. Mount Hope. To those not " to the manner born," it will be enough to say, that it 
 is a picturesque and romantic height in Bristol, R. I., and noted as being the residence 
 of Philip, the Chief Sachem of the Wampanoags. 
 
 Senator Burxside. The next regular toast is : 
 
 The Honoi^ed Dead. 
 
 This toast will be responded to by the Hon. J. Russell 
 Bullock. 
 
 SPEECH OF JUDGE BULLOCK. 
 
 Mr. Toastmaster, Ladies and Gtntlemen: — In responding 
 to this sentiment, it will not be expected that I should speak 
 of the many men, now gone, who in their day and generation 
 filled important official stations among us, and exercised a 
 controlling influence both in the councils of the town and of 
 the state. There was Simeon Potter, and Governor Brad- 
 ford, and after them Judge Bourn, and James D'AVolf ; all 
 stalwart men, eminent in their various callings, and the im- 
 press of whose lives remain among us, even unto this day. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 101 
 
 I shall come down to a later generation, and speak of one 
 whom I knew, and who, descending from an early settler of 
 Bristol, was himself born here, passed here the three-score 
 and ten years allotted to life, and was here gathered to his 
 fathers ; and who, so far as I know, has been the only native 
 of Bristol ever chosen to the office of Governor of the State. 
 I refer to Byron Dim an. 
 
 After receiving the usual academic education of his day, 
 Governor Diman entered the counting-room of the late 
 James D'Wolf as a clerk, and remained there many years, 
 and until the death of that eminent merchant. During the 
 latter part of Mr. D' Wolf's life, Governor Diman became 
 his confidential adviser, and was entrusted by his employer 
 with large and responsible business duties. After his death. 
 Governor Diman was intimately associated with the acting 
 executors of Mr. D'Wolf's will, in the care, management, 
 and settlement of his large estate. This embraced extensive 
 and complex landed, commercial, and manufacturing inter- 
 ests, in different States, and in a foreign country. 
 
 This service to the family of his late friend and early pa- 
 tron, no one else could render as he could ; but he rendered 
 it cheerfully, and in some measure without a compensation 
 adequate to its value, and often under circumstances of em- 
 barrassment and disadvantage to himself ; for there was no 
 streak of avarice in his composition. 
 
 In person, Governor Diman was tall, well proportioned, 
 erect in mien, and of a commanding presence. 
 
 In character, he was Avhat I call a large-hearted man, hos- 
 pitable, a good neighbor, public spirited, generous, charit- 
 able to the poor of every sect, loving his friends, and not 
 hating his enemies. 
 
 In politics, Governor Diman was a Henry Clay AVhig, 
 and a Puritan of the Plymouth Rock school in his religion. 
 He early imbibed these principles, and whatever change of 
 name these principles underwent through the mutations of 
 time and parties, he still adhered to them, or what he believed 
 
102 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 to be the representative of them, to the close of his life. 
 Strong and sincere as he was in these his beliefs, he was 
 ever tolerant of the opinions of others. 
 
 Governor Diman was the most observing man I ever knew. 
 When business called him, as it often did, away from his 
 home, he saw everything, and appreciated and remembered 
 everything that he saw. His power in this respect was 
 remarkable. And this knowledge so acquired did not lay 
 loose in his mind. He analyzed it and weighed it, and 
 applied it to use in life. In conversation he would often 
 draw from this store-house, much to the amusement and 
 instruction of his friends. 
 
 For many years it was my good fortune to sustain intimate 
 personal, political and professional relations with Byron 
 Diman. I never knew him to harbor an unworthy motive, 
 or be guilty of an ignoble act to others. 
 
 He served his town and state in many public trusts. He 
 was often elected to represent Bristol in the House of Repre- 
 sentatives, several times in the State Senate, for three suc- 
 cessive years he was chosen Lieutenant-Governor, and in 
 184(5 was chosen Governor. His official duties he discharged 
 with uniform ability and fidelity. His official honors he wore 
 with becoming modesty. 
 
 The traditions and early history of his town, Governor 
 Diman was quite familiar with, and he loved to dwell upon 
 them. He took a deep interest in whatever promoted its 
 well being and prosperity. 
 
 In our past annals may be found men more successful as 
 merchants, more distinguished as legislators, more eminent 
 and highly gifted as public speakers ; but no grave in that 
 ancient cemetery near by us, or in those on yonder hills, 
 holds the mortal remains of a more devoted son of Bristol, 
 or of a truer Rhode Islander, than the grave of Byron Diman. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BKISTOL. 103 
 
 The "feast of reason " at the table ended all too soon, 
 leaving much unsaid that would, otherwise, have been 
 spoken. There were many honored guests present, other 
 than those who had spoken, to whom it would have been a 
 delight to listen, had time permitted. Notably of this number 
 we take i)leasure in naming the venerable Rev. Joel jNIann, 
 of New Haven, Conn., who, albeit in his ninety-second year, 
 was able to make the journey from New Haven to Bristol 
 unattended. He rode in the procession, and was present at 
 the table. Mr. Mann came to Bristol in 1815, and for 
 twelve years was associated with the late Rev. Henry Wight, 
 D. D., grandfather of the historian of the day, in the pasto- 
 ral charge of the Congregational Church. He resigned in 
 1827, and removed from Bristol ; yet, during the more than 
 half a century that has since elapsed, he has kept up his inter- 
 est in the town and its people, and made frequent visits here. 
 
 But the " low declining sun " admonished that the " flow of 
 soul" must cease, and our distinguished Toastmaster was 
 reluctantly compelled to close the exercises in the tent, in 
 order that the " Tree Planting " might be proceeded with on 
 the Common. 
 
MEMORIAL TREES. 
 
 The planting of four ^SIemouial Trees, to the memory of 
 the original proprietors of the town, came immediately after 
 the exercises in the dining tent. 
 
 The committee having charge of this matter, had in early 
 spring placed this number of trees in large casks, and after 
 they had formed a part of the public procession of the day, 
 were then each put in their intended places. 
 
 The one north from the centre of the Common was first 
 planted. 
 
 Mr. Babbitt, the chairman of the committee, in introduc- 
 ing the subject, spoke as follows : 
 
 REMARKS OF EDWARD S. BABBITT. 
 
 Fellow Citizens, Sons and Daughters of Bristol, and 
 Visiting Friends : — We have come to the concluding and 
 most important part of our celel)ration. What we have 
 listened to with so much profit and pleasure will soon be 
 forgotten, and, if desired, must be sought from between the 
 covers of a book ; and the remem1)rance of the feast from 
 which we have just risen "svill soon be lost with our 
 departure. But the result of that which we now propose to 
 do will continue on for ages to come. While the wide- 
 spreading branches of these trees catch the heat and moisture 
 of heaven, and their deep-reaching roots draw from the earth 
 their strength to put on each year their livery of green, they 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 105 
 
 Avill ever be honoring the memoiy of those who formerly 
 owned the very ground from which they draw their life. 
 Let us hope that all who follow us, as they see these evi- 
 dences of our appreciation of the work done by the original 
 })roprietors of the town, will be inspired to keep green in 
 their memory the names of those whose wide views and gen- 
 erous impulses gave us this ample Common, our wide, tree- 
 lined avenues, and stamped upon the town that which now 
 renders it so inviting to all who visit it. By this act of ours, 
 we say all honor to the memory of Byfield, Walley, Bur- 
 ton and Oliver. Let their names have a living existence in 
 these trees. 
 
 The Nathaniel Oliver Tree. 
 
 The tree now planted is to keep alive the name of 
 Nathaniel Oliver, and his successor, Nathan Hayman. We 
 are most fortunate in having with us to-day a direct descend- 
 ant of Nathaniel Oliver, and separated from him by only 
 three removes. Gen. Henry K. Oliver, now Mayor of Salem, 
 Mass. 
 
 REMARKS OF GEN. OLIVER. 
 
 After In-ief introductory remarks, expressive of his gratifi- 
 cation at participating in the ceremonies of the day. Mayor 
 Oliver said : In the year 1632, there came from England to 
 Boston (and, for satisfactory reasons, it is believed from 
 the old city of Bristol, whence, perhaps, the suggestion 
 of the name of your town), an emigrant Puritan bearing the 
 name of Thomas Oliver. He was a " chimegeon " (surgeon) 
 by profession, and brought with him his wife Anne, and 
 seven children, they coming in the ship Lyon, with the fam- 
 ily of Governor Winthrop, the Governor having himself pre- 
 ceded them, and landing at Salem in 1630. Thomas Oliver 
 appears to have been greatly respected and beloved in the 
 young town, and I find that by a vote of the people in 1646, 
 
 14 
 
106 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 it was declared that no horses should be kept on Boston 
 Common among the seventy cows allowed to pasture there, 
 " except that the horse of good Elder Thomas Oliver may 
 continue there." He was Ruling Elder of the First Church 
 of Boston, " distinguished as an apt scholar, occasionally 
 preaching, and highly esteemed for his gentleness of temper, 
 generous heart, pure life, and liberal public service." Very 
 many of his descendants have been graduates of our colleges, 
 and many distinguished in professional, mercantile, and pub- 
 lic life. Of forty-five Olivers who are alumni of Harvard 
 and Dartmouth, up to the present date, thirty-six are known 
 to ])e his descendants, and there are very many more from in- 
 termarrying families, l>earing, of course, other names ; among 
 them being Brattles, Hutchinsons, Lyndes, Bradstreets, 
 Wendells, Prescotts, Vintons, and Appletons. 
 
 Of the seven children of Thomas Oliver, one of them, 
 Nathaniel, was, in 1633, most unfortunately, most sadly, 
 and suddenly killed by the fall of a tree, which he, then a 
 lad of fifteen years of age, was felling, whilst his father was 
 at work near by. The sadness of that event, and the tender- 
 ness of heart which ensued, caused the name of Nathaniel to 
 be perpetuated for the coming generations, and it has been 
 continued down to the present day. 
 
 The Puritan Thomas had a son Peter, a Boston merchant, 
 Mho, by his wife Sarah Newdigate, had a son, Nathaniel 
 Oliver, whom I will call your Nathaniel Oliver. Born in 
 Boston, in 1652, he there married (in 1677) Elizal)eth, 
 daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Tyng) Brattle. This 
 Nathaniel, by his wife Elizabeth (Brattle), had, in 1684, a 
 son Nathaniel, who, graduating in 1701, at Harvard, became 
 a Boston merchant, marrying, in 1709, Martha Hobbs, a 
 rich heiress, b}^ whom he had a son Nathaniel, in 1713, — 
 who, graduating at Harvard in 1733, became a lawyer in 
 Boston, where he married, in 1741, Mercy, daughter of Hon. 
 Jacob "Wendell, their son, Nathaniel, born in 1744, dying in 
 1750. Another son, Rev. Daniel Oliver, born in 1753, and 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 107 
 
 graduated at Dartmouth in 1785, had, also, by his wife, 
 Elizabeth Kemble, a son Nathaniel K. G., born in 1790, a 
 graduate of Harvard in 1809, brother of the present speaker. 
 He was a lawyer and teacher, dying in 1832, and leaving a 
 son, by his wife Anne T. Hunt, named also Nathaniel 
 ( Cordis ) , born in 1 830 , and dying unmarried in 1 8 63 . There 
 thus appears a sequence of eight Nathaniel Olivers, and there 
 were others in other branches of the family. Your Nathaniel 
 Oliver was a Boston merchant, and a most sagacious, most 
 successful, most thoughtful, most highly accomplished and 
 entei-prising gentleman. He achieved a fortune, which for 
 those days was considered simply enormous, namely, a sum 
 something near £5,000 sterling, the purchasing power of 
 which at this day would be upwards of $200,000. In con- 
 nection with the gentlemen whose names have been repeated 
 to you very often to-day, he joined in the projection of this 
 town. Seeing its very great beauty now for the first time — 
 seeing the beauty of its streets, the intellectual beaming of 
 the faces of its men and the beauty of its women, I regret that 
 he did not come here to live, that I, his great-great grandson, 
 might have been born here within your limits, and perhaps, 
 an owner of some of his fair possessions. It is a remarkable 
 thing and a very sad thing to their remote generations, that 
 great-great grandfathers never think much of their great- 
 great grandchildren. And it seems to me that ought not to 
 be so ; for why should not a reasonable man of ordinary 
 aspirations desire to own two or three acres down here in the 
 middle of your town, for instance — which might have come 
 to my share if my great-great grandfather had only thought 
 of me? My friend. Col. Higginson, in a speech which he 
 delivered a while ag^o in behalf of Gov. Lono^, on the two- 
 hundredth anniversary of the landing of Winthrop, said that 
 he wished his ancestor had let him have Salem Neck, and I 
 really wish that I had some such share of my great-great 
 grandfather's property here ; but he sold it to Nathan Hay- 
 man, as I understand it ; so that I was entirely cut oft', and it 
 
108 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 don't strike me as just the fair thing. Cannot you correct 
 the ])lunder? (Laughter.) By the way he was about 
 twenty-eight years of age when he entered into this enter- 
 prise, but I learn that although selling out, he never lost his 
 interest in the town of Bristol. He kept it alive all his days, 
 and he presented to you in those earl}^ years a bell which, as 
 you were then a small people and had not the benefit of a 
 tall steeple, was swung up in some tree which my records 
 tell me was on the northwest corner of State and High 
 streets, within sight and sound, I l)elieve, of this place. It 
 was swung in a tree — and that suggests to me some incidents 
 in the history of my own town of Salem, where in 1662 cer- 
 tain bells of another kind, sometimes called beldames, were 
 hanged upon trees. It is pretty well known that our good 
 old town is renowned for the persecution of persons alleged 
 to have been wizards and witches, who were accused, tried, 
 condemned, and hanged. And not only did they hang the 
 he-witches, but they hung she-witches, including one Mrs. 
 Bridget (Oliver) Bishop, one of our tribe ; and it is on record 
 that they squeezed to death a certain Goodman Giles Corey, 
 by enclosing him between mother earth and a stone-laden 
 plank, as tliough it were possible to exterminate witchcraft 
 by neck-roping, or by killing weight. Why, my friends, 
 the witchery of Salem women has been transmitted all along 
 its subsequent history, and prevails in full force to this day, 
 and there is no respectable young man who reaches the age 
 of twenty years, without being " bewitched " as I was sixty 
 years ago. I know it is so, and bear personal testimony to 
 the fact. Now the later and latter witches, distinguished 
 for intellect and for beauty, and practical common sense, 
 have never objected to the process of squeezing, if performed 
 with a reasonable degree of pressure, the squeezers gently 
 tempering the force to the squeezees, and not overdoing the 
 thing. 
 
 Well, your Nathaniel Oliver also appeared in behalf of 
 your town at the General Court of Massachusetts, and re- 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 109 
 
 mained during all his life (dying in 1707) a fast friend of the 
 town of Bristol. Moreover he was a man of energetic pluck. 
 There was no cowardice in him — no shrinking from princi- 
 ples. He was of just that class which the President of Brown 
 University so admirably portrayed at to-day's dinner, and 
 when that tyrant Androsgotto be very obnoxious, Nathaniel 
 Oliver, with his brother-in-law. Col. John Eyre, and eleven 
 others (thirteen in all) drew up a protest and demanded a 
 surrender by Andros of all power that he held under the 
 Crown. Sir Edmund had to take refuge within the fort at 
 Boston. Nathaniel Oliver, with his brother-in-law, bore the 
 summons for his surrender, presented it to him, and he suc- 
 cumbed. He yielded, and resigned the Governorship of 
 Massachusetts. Now I like to think of an ancestor who 
 would do a thing of that sort without fear or favor. If you 
 feel any gratitude toward him, I feel a great pride in him. 
 Let me say to you, if you have any pleasure in it, that the 
 family of Oliver in the eastern part of Massachusetts has been 
 connected by relationship and historic association w^ith all the 
 ancient families of that commonwealth. 
 
 Nathan Hayman, to whom Nathaniel Oliver sold out, came 
 here, lived here, and died here, leaving no issue, as far as I 
 can learn. He lies buried about six feet from the east wall 
 of the Eastern Cemetery, and buried there, his grave-stone, 
 I understand, was found and turned to account as a useful 
 point by which to verify the location of the avenues and 
 streets of your Ijeautiful town. 
 
 So, then, in memory of your and my Nathaniel Oliver, 
 and in memory of Nathan Hayman, I dedicate this tree and 
 plant it. Ma}^ the dews and waters of heaven, the warmth 
 of a genial sun, and the blessing of a divine Providence, 
 cause the tree to take root and grow, and live to shelter 
 those of your descendants who may take refuge beneath its 
 boufrhs. 
 
110 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 At the conclusion of the address and whilst the earth was 
 being placed about the roots of the tree, a selection of music 
 was rendered by the Boston Cadet Band. 
 
 The Stephex Bukton Tree. 
 
 The tree east of the centre of the Common was next 
 planted . The chairman introduced the speaker as follows : 
 
 We have been unable to find any descendant from Stephen 
 Burton to dedicate this tree to his memory, but would intro- 
 duce to you our townsman, Wilfred H. Munro, who has 
 kindly consented to speak to us in his behalf. 
 
 ADDRESS OF WILFRED H. IIUXRO. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: — As the name of 
 Stephen Burton is pronounced, there rises before my eyes 
 the figure of a tall and slender man, whose appearance is in 
 marked contrast with that of his two more prominent asso- 
 ciates. He does not show the intense vitality and the impe- 
 rious will which every action of Byfield proclaims ; neither 
 does he possess the great executive ability which is manifest 
 in the easy bearing of Walley. His brow is seamed with the 
 lines of anxious thought ; his foce is pale and thin ; his bent 
 head and stooping shoulders indicate the scholar rather than 
 the man of business, while his restless eye and sallow cheek 
 hint at the existence of some trouble which he is vainly seek- 
 ing to avoid. 
 
 The rays of the setting sun warn me that I must attempt 
 only the briefest possible sketch of the career of Mr. Burton. 
 He was the most scholarl}^ man of the four proprietors, and 
 is said to have been educated at the University of Oxford. 
 Beyond this we know almost nothing of his life in England 
 and in this country, until his name appears as one of the pur- 
 chasers of the Mount Hope lands. He was the first record- 
 ing officer of the county of Bristol. In his office of Clerk of 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BlilSTOL. Ill 
 
 the Peace, he exercised the functions which are now divided 
 among several different officers. He was at the same time 
 Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, Register of Probate, 
 and Register of Deeds. The care with which he performed 
 the duties of his position is indicated in his clear and beauti- 
 ful handwriting, and the fact that he was five times chosen 
 to represent the town at the General Court of Massachusetts, 
 shows how highly he was esteemed by his fellow townsmen. 
 Quiet and retiring in disposition, he seems to have had no 
 share in the disputes in which his associates were often in- 
 volved. Against the mental disorder which was preying 
 upon him, he struggled manfully until the last year of his 
 life, but ])eing at last unnerved by its constant attacks, neg- 
 lected his business and became only the wreck of his former 
 self. Death came mercifully to his relief before his reason 
 gave Avay under the terrible strain. He died on the 2 2d ot 
 July, 1693, the only one of the four original proprietors who 
 ended his days in Bristol. Byfield, Walley and Oliver all 
 died in Boston. His house stood upon Burton street, until 
 it Avas burned by the British troops in 1777. 
 
 The elm which is here planted to his memory fitly typifies 
 his character. Symmetrical is its form, and fair appears its 
 promise, but ere long its limbs will begin to droop as did the 
 spirit of him whom it commemorates, under the weight of 
 the trouble which at last wore his life away. It will not 
 command our admiration and respect, as will the massive 
 strength of the Byfield oak, but its slender limbs will ever 
 appeal touchingly to us for sympathy, even as the gentle 
 nature of Burton appealed to the kindly feelings of our ances- 
 tors two hundred years ago. 
 
 The John AV alley Tkee. 
 
 The tree south of the centre of the Common came next in 
 turn. As in the former case, the committee was unable to 
 obtain the services of any descendant of John Walley for this 
 
112 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 interesting duty, being disappointed in their hopes that Hon. 
 "Wendell Phillips, orHenshawB. Walley, of Boston, as such, 
 would be present ; but sickness prevented, and the duty of 
 the occasion was discharged by William J. Miller, of Bris- 
 tol, R. I., as follows : 
 
 ADDRESS OF WILLIAM J. MILLER. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: — The proprie- 
 tor in whose honor we plant this tree is John Walley. 
 Mr. Walley was an earnest co-worker with Bytield and 
 his associates in the settlement of the town, and took a 
 leading part in the affairs of both church and State. His 
 father was Rev. Thomas Walley, of London, at one time 
 rector of St. Mary's, Whitechapel, and who, with seven other 
 divines, arrived at Boston, from London, in the " Society," 
 Capt. Pierce, on the 24th of May, 1663. He died March 
 24th, 1678, aged 61 years. 
 
 John came to this country before his father, and settled 
 in Boston. He removed from Boston to Bristol in 1680. 
 The substantial structure that he built, and in which he 
 resided, is still standing on the north side of State street, and 
 is known as the Walley House. While a resident of Boston 
 he was successfully engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was 
 for a time Judge of the Superior Court of Massachusetts, 
 and a memljer of the Governor's Council. In 1690, ten years 
 after he had become a resident of Bristol, he commanded the 
 land forces in the expedition of Sir William Phipps against 
 Canada, and published a journal of the same. In the latter 
 part of his life he returned to Boston from Bristol, and died 
 there on tlie 11th of January, 1712, aged QS years. 
 
 His biographer says : " The high trusts imposed by his 
 country were discharged with ability and fidelity. To 
 his wisdom as a councillor and his impartiality as a judge, 
 he added an uncommon SAveetness and candor of spirit, and 
 the various virtues of the Christian. His faith was justified 
 by his integrity, his works of piety and charity." 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 113 
 
 The Nathaniel Byfield Tree. 
 
 The tree west of the centre of the Common was next in 
 turn, and in this case the committee Avas as fortunate as in the 
 first phmtecl. They had secured the services of Hon. Francis 
 Brinley, of Newport, five removes from Nathaniel Byfield, 
 who, in the following address, dedicated the tree to his 
 ancestor : 
 
 ADDRESS OF HON. FRANCIS BRINLEY. 
 
 When in the gladsome days of youth I used to contem- 
 plate with honest pride the old family portrait of Judge 
 Byfield, it never flitted across my mind that I should be 
 invited to participate in ceremonies designed to commemorate 
 the settlement of this ancient town, of which he was one of 
 the original founders. Yet such is the curious mutation of 
 human events, that here I stand environed by the sunny 
 landscape, and the sparkling waters, whose combined charms, 
 two hundred years ago, attracted his observant eye, and 
 induced him to make this picturesque spot his chosen home. 
 Here I am almost in sight of the place where stood his modest 
 mansion, and of the secluded grave in which he reverently 
 laid the loved and the lost. 
 
 I am aware of the necessity of reducing to shape compact 
 what I have to say in regard to Nathaniel Byfield. I will 
 endeavor to comply with the proprieties of the occasion, and 
 content myself with but little more than an enumeration of 
 some of his distinguishing characteristics, and of his public 
 honors. 
 
 He was born in England in the year 1653. His father was 
 the Rev. Richard Byfield, the laborious, faithful pastor of 
 Long Dutton in Surrey, and one of the divines of the famous 
 "Westminster Assembly." His mother was of the noted 
 family of the Juxons. He was the youngest of twenty-one 
 15 
 
114 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 children, and one of the sixteen who, on bright and cahn 
 Sabbath mornings, followed their pious parents to the house 
 of public A\^orship. How irresistably spring to mind the lines 
 of Coleridge : 
 
 " <>, sweeter than the marriage feast, 
 'Tis sweeter far to me, 
 To walk beside thee to the kirk 
 With a goodly coinpanj'; 
 To walk together to the kirk 
 And all together pray. 
 While each to his Great Father bends- 
 Old men, and babes, and loving friends, 
 And yonths and maidens gay." 
 
 I have not been able to detect even a glimmering of the 
 motives which prompted him to leave the delights of the 
 domestic hearth for the hardships of a residence in this west- 
 ern world. Probably it was the early manifestation of that 
 activity and spirit of enterprise which were so strikingly 
 exhibited in his subsequent career. He arrived in Boston in 
 the year 1G74. About a year thereafter he married Deborah 
 Clarke, an estimable gentlewoman of Boston, with whom he 
 lived most happily for over forty years. She died much 
 lamented in 1717. 
 
 Judge Bytield was married twice, his second wife being 
 (to use a phrase applied to her) " the honorable and devout 
 daughter " of Governor Leverett. 
 
 By his first wife there were five, his only children, three 
 of whom died when young ; the other two lived to be mar- 
 ried, the younger one to Lieut. -Gov. Tailer, and the other 
 to Edward Lyde, Esq., of Boston. A daughter of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Lyde married Col. Francis Brinley, of Roxbury, my 
 o-reat-o-randfather. 
 
 o o 
 
 Not long after the termination of King Philip's war, the 
 General Court of Massachusetts appointed a committee to 
 sell the Mount Hope lands, and on the 14th of September, 
 1680, they were conveyed to John Walley, Nathaniel By- 
 field, Stephen Barton, and Nathaniel Oliver, all of Boston. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 115 
 
 Byfield removed to this place the year of its incorporation as 
 the town of Bristol. Here he lived until the year 1724, 
 when, by reason of his advanced age, he concluded to return 
 to Boston, his first home, Avhere he died on the 6th of June, 
 1733, in the 80th year of his age. 
 
 He was a devout Christian. The lo^e of religion, which 
 was impressed upon him in youth b^^ his exemplary parents, 
 was never eifaced. It guided him through his long life, and 
 will account for the respect and confidence which his very 
 presence inspired. 
 
 Before the tapering spires of churches invaded the blue 
 sky of Bristol, the doors of his house were always open to 
 those who wished to worship God in sincerity and truth. 
 When a Congregational Society was duly organized here, he 
 presented to it a communion service, which is yet preserved 
 for the sacred use for which it was intended. 
 
 On the return of Judge Byfield to Boston, he joined the 
 Society of which the Rev. Charles Chauncy and the Rev. 
 Thomas Foxcroft Avere the joint pastors. The former 
 preached a sermon on the death of Judge Byfield, which was 
 printed in 1733, together with a valuable prefix by Mr. Fox- 
 croft. Both of these clergymen testify to the profound relig- 
 ious character and the diffusive benevolence of Judge Byfield, 
 who made it a rule for forty years, annually to give away, or 
 pay, as he preferred to say, a certain portion of his income 
 for charitable purposes. 
 
 Byfield, like the eminent author of the Decline and Fall of 
 the Roman Empire, showed by his example that he consid- 
 ered a citizen soldiery the cheapest and safest defence of nat- 
 ural freedom. Gibbon, in his autobiography, states with 
 apparent satisfaction, that the information he obtained as a 
 member of a militia company enabled him to comprehend, 
 appreciate, and describe the complex organizations of the 
 vast armies of Imperial Rome. It is most proljable that the 
 habits of order, regularity and exactitude which Byfield 
 acquired in the ranks, or as an officer up to the rank of Col- 
 
116 BI-CEXTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 onel, were carried by him to the performances of all official 
 duties, and to the management of his private affairs. So 
 wisely did he conduct the latter, that he accumulated a hand- 
 some estate, for those days, which he liberally used. It may 
 be said of him, as Gibbon states of Antoninus Pius, "he en- 
 joyed with moderation the conveniences of his fortune, and 
 the innocent pleasures of society." 
 
 Colonel Byfield, as an additional proof of his high estimate 
 of the citizen soldiery, presented to the first military com- 
 pany of Bristol a costly stand of colors, to this day carefully 
 preserved with the archives of the town. 
 
 He was an ardent, active and efficient politician of conser- 
 vative principles. But he was not so rigid and exclusive as 
 to prevent him from accepting a new idea, or fresh sugges- 
 tion, merely because it did not present itself in an antique 
 garb. He was conservative, but reasonably progressive. 
 For several years he represented Bristol in the General 
 Court, and was elected Speaker of the House of Representa- 
 tives. He enjoyed a similar honor when a Representative 
 from Boston. He was a patriotic and experienced states- 
 man. 
 
 It should always be passed to his credit that he deprecated 
 the witchcraft delusion, and denounced those who were active 
 in the trial and conviction of the unfortunate accused. 
 
 His judicial career was most remarkable. For thirty-eight 
 years he sat as Chief of the Court of Sessions of the Peace 
 and Common Pleas for the county of Bristol, as he did two 
 years for the county of Suffolk. From 1702 to 1710 he was 
 Judge of Probate for the county of Bristol. He received five 
 several commissions as Judge of the Vice Admiralty, from 
 three sovereigns of England — from King William, from 
 Queen Anne, and from King George II. So that for years 
 he was Judge of Probate, Judge of the Court of Common 
 Pleas, and of the Admiralty at the same day. 
 
 In those days the community was not overwhelmed by 
 that cataclysm of Law Reports which now so cruelly affects 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 117 
 
 both the bench and the bur. Hence very little is preserved 
 of his judicial opinions. I chance, however, to possess one 
 of them in his own clear hand-writing, attested hy his signa- 
 ture, which, for perspicuity of style and legal acumen, would 
 not discredit any jurist. 
 
 Not one of his decrees was overruled by appeal to the 
 home tribunals. 
 
 Finally, in my judgment, one of the most valuable of his 
 varied excellences was his early and energetic labors as an 
 advocate of public schools, or popular education. He be- 
 lieved, and acted on the conviction, that if the youth of a 
 commmiity were shrouded in intellectual darkness, the result 
 would be as detrimental to the common weal as the destruc- 
 tion of the spring would be fatal to the year. In grateful 
 recognition of his important services on this interesting sub- 
 ject, a parish, or precinct, in the county of Essex, in Massa- 
 chusetts, was named for him. "The Byfield Academy," 
 there established, is still a valuable seminary of learning. A 
 similar memorial to his merit is the tasteful Bytield school- 
 house of Bristol. 
 
 Hjs generous anxiety for the prosperity of this town was 
 not limited to the laying out of spacious, commodious, and 
 ornamental streets, or the giving of ample grounds for the 
 public convenience or necessities, but was illustrated by his 
 liberal donation of lands for educational purposes, the benefits 
 of which stand confessed to this hour. 
 
 I cannot do better than to repeat the lines which were 
 inscribed on his tombstone in the Granary burying ground, 
 Boston, and which were composed by the Rev. Matthew 
 Byles. They are an epitome of his life, and a rare specimen 
 of elegiac composition : 
 
 " Byfield, beneath, in peaceful slumber lies ; 
 Bj^field, the good, the active and the wise ; 
 His raauly form contained an equal mind, 
 Faithful to God and generous to mankind. 
 High in his country's honors long he stood, 
 
118 BI-CEXTENNIAL OF BKISTOL. 
 
 Succour'd distress aud gave the hungry food. 
 
 Injustice steady, in devotion warm, 
 
 A loyal subject and a patriot firm, 
 
 Through every stage his dauntless soul was tried — 
 
 Great while he lived, but greater when he died." 
 
 May the trees we plant here to-day, as a sylvan tribute to 
 the memory of the founders of Bristol, sink their roots deep 
 into its soil, and as the}^ advance to the maturity of luxuriant 
 foliage, may their whispering branches become inspired like 
 the sacred oak of Dodona, and oracularly predict the perpe- 
 tuity of the principles and institutions of the fathers, and the 
 permanence of this, "The Beautiful Gate" of the glorious 
 State of Rhode Island. 
 
 The chairman concluded the ceremony by explaining that 
 the first three trees planted were native elms, and the last 
 an oak grown from an acorn that fell from a tree planted by 
 Nathaniel Byfield, under whose shade he had passed many 
 an hour as he sat at his own door and looked across the 
 water to our side of the harbor. 
 
 At the close, and while the final act of planting was being 
 done, the evening salute and ringing of the town bells began. 
 No more appropriate act could have been suggested ; for with 
 the loud voiced cannon and glad sound of bells, we committed 
 to the God of nature our ofierings to the memory of the orig- 
 inal proprietors of the town, that in their growth we may 
 ever have a reminder of those who first planted this beautiful 
 town. 
 
 CLOSING OBSERVANCES. 
 
 Scarcely had the guns of the Bristol Artillery " thundered 
 forth their reverberating benediction," ere the Common was 
 deserted. Gov. Littlefield and staff were escorted to the 
 mansion of Col. S. Pomroy Colt, and other distinguished 
 guests took carriages for the depot, to take the Providence 
 train. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 119 
 
 The Light Infantry Veterans, Avith the National Band, 
 after having spent the day at the pleasant seaside residence of 
 Col. A. C. Eddy, "Avhose generous hospitality and assiduous 
 attentions to their inner comfort stamped him as a princely 
 entertainer and glorious conn-ade," (says the correspondent 
 of the Providence Journal, and to which, all who have 
 enjoyed the hospitality of Col. Eddy, and his estimable lady, 
 will most heartily subscribe), marched to the depot, and 
 embarked for home. 
 
 In the evening, many of the residences of citizens were 
 again illuminated, fire-works were displayed, and large 
 crowds filled the streets of the town. Soon after eight 
 o'clock the mammoth tent on the Common, which was bril- 
 liantly lighted with "Electric Lights," was thronged with 
 people, to hear the grand concerts of the Boston Cadet and 
 Bristol Bands. 
 
 The programme of selections by the organizations, who 
 played alternately to the great gratification of the appre- 
 ciative audience, was as follows : 
 
 BOSTON CADET BAND. 
 
 1. Overture— Stradella Flotaw. 
 
 2. Potpourri of Favorite Airs Henry. 
 
 3. Tuba Solo— Graf Artluir Graf. 
 
 4. Selections from Nabuco Verdi. 
 
 5. Concert Waltzes— Wiener Kinder By Strauss. 
 
 6. Grand Selections from II Trovatore Verdi. 
 
 7. Piccolo Solo, andante with scliezo movement— De Carlo . . August Daun. 
 
 BUISTOL COKNET BAND. 
 
 1. Colliugwood Quickstep Pettee. 
 
 2. Schottische— Dancing in the Barn J. B. Claus. 
 
 3. Waltzes— Sounds from the North Zikoff. 
 
 4. Overture— Luspiel Keler Beler. 
 
 5. Galop— Phonograph Fox. 
 
 6. Selection— Linda Donnizetti. 
 
 7. Qickstep— To the Front Newton. 
 
120 BI-CENTENNIAL Or BRISTOL. 
 
 During the evening elegant receptions to Gov. Littlefield 
 and staff, and distinguished guests, were held at the residences 
 of Cols. S. Pomroy and Le Baron B. Colt, "and Col. A. C. 
 Eddy, and those gentlemen vied with each other in the elab- 
 orateness of their collations, and generous welcome to their 
 guests." 
 
 AVe may be pardoned if we add the following closing com- 
 ■ ments of the Journal on our celebration : 
 
 "It is a fact that, notwithstanding the presence of nearly 
 twelve thousand people in the town during the day, but a 
 single case of drunkenness was reported, and no unseemly dis- 
 turbances or serious accidents occurred, which certainly speaks 
 volumes for the residents, as well as the strangers attend- 
 ing the celebration. The 10. 15 p. m. train for Providence left 
 the depot with fourteen heavily-loaded cars, many standing on 
 the platforms, but all were safely carried to their destination. 
 And so ended the memorable observance of Bristol's natal 
 day, and Old Bristol has earned a reputation for public spirit 
 and lavish hospitality which the lapse of years can never 
 efi'ace from the memories of her non-resident sons and daugh- 
 ters, and those who visited the beautiful and historic town for 
 the first time." 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 121 
 
 The following ode, from the pen of Mrs. T. DeW. Colt, 
 was written to be sung by the school children on the day of 
 the celebration, but was received by the committee too late 
 for the purpose : 
 
 FOR THE BI-CENTENNIAL. 
 
 A grand old sturdy race, 
 
 Were our forefathers dear, 
 In council firm, in battle bold. 
 
 Unmoved by doubt or fear. 
 
 Inured to pain and toil, 
 
 Where duty calls they go; 
 Their strong right arm could rend an oak, 
 
 Or fell an Indian foe. 
 
 Their houses rude and bare, 
 
 Soft luxury disown, 
 No modern elegance was their's. 
 
 Not e'en a telephone. 
 
 Strong in defence of right, 
 Tho' sometimes hard and cold, 
 
 Our fathers bravely fought the fight 
 In the dark days of old. 
 
 And to their children left 
 
 A heritage secure, 
 Founded on reason, faith and love, 
 
 And morals sweet and pure. 
 
 Then let each voice to-day. 
 
 In song triumphant rise 
 To the Great Father, who bestows 
 
 All blessings that we prize. 
 
122 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Our lives from danger free, 
 Our bodies warmed and fed, 
 
 Our minds enriched by Icnowledge from 
 The living and the dead. 
 
 But let us now beware 
 The " serpent" of our time; 
 
 Disguised in fairest form, he throws 
 On us his filthy shine. 
 
 Through pleasure, powe!" and ease, 
 He lures us from the road. 
 
 The only safe and narrow path 
 That leads straight up to God. 
 
 Then let us not forget 
 The truths our Withers owned. 
 
 But hold them with a firmer grip. 
 Till Satan be dethroned. 
 
 Tear down the idol Self, 
 Forswear " the calf of gold," 
 
 Wrong not our neighbor by a word. 
 But win with love untold. 
 
 For lux'ry is no sin, 
 So that the heart be pure. 
 
 And every land that God reveres 
 For ages may endure. 
 
 Then let us keep a guard 
 
 Stationed at " helm and prow," 
 
 That children's children may us bless 
 Two hundred years from now. 
 
 Linden Place, September 8th, 1880. 
 
BADGES. 
 
 The Badges furnished by the Committee, and worn on the 
 day of the celebration, were of seven different patterns. 
 They w^ere 61 by 2% inches in size, on ribbon of satin finish 
 face, and gros grain back, and bound across the top with 
 gold bullion, one-half inch wide. In describing them we 
 designate them by numbers as follows : 
 
 JVb. 1. The Badge of the Toivn Committee. This badge 
 was Cardinal Red in color. The corners of the lower end 
 were turned under to form a point, from which was pendant 
 a gold tassel. The printing on the badge, in gold letter, was : 
 
 COMMITTEE. 
 
 1680. 
 
 1880. 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL, 
 
 September 24, 
 1880. 
 
124 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 jVo. 2. The Badge of ViKiting Somi and Danghters. 
 This budge was " old gold " in color. The lower end was 
 cut to form points at the outer corners. The printing, in 
 black, was : 
 
 SONS AND DAUGHTERS 
 
 ov 
 
 BRISTOL, R. I. 
 
 1680. 
 
 1880. 
 
 WELCOME HOME, 
 
 September 24, 1880. 
 
 N'o. o. The Badge of Invited GaestK. This badge was 
 white, and the lower end cut to form points at the outer 
 corners. Tlie printing, in black, was : 
 
 INVITED GUESTS. 
 
 1680. 
 
 ^^ 1 880. 
 
 lil-CENTENNIAL, 
 BRISTOL, R. I., 
 
 September 24, 1880. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BKISTOI. 
 
 12/ 
 
 JVo. 4. The Badge of the Committee on Belies. This 
 badge was lilac in color. The lower end was trimmed with 
 gold fringe, two inches deep. The printing, in black, was : 
 
 COMMITTEE. 
 LOAN EXHIBITION. 
 
 1680. 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL, 
 
 September 24, 1880. 
 
 1880. 
 
 JVo. 5. The Badge of the Marshals. This badge was 
 white. The lower end trimmed with gold fringe, two inches 
 deep. The printing, in black, was : 
 
 DEPUTY MARSHAL. 
 
 1680. 
 
 1880. 
 
 lil-CENTENNIAL, 
 
 September 24, 1880. 
 
126 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 JVo. 6. The Badge of the School Children. This badge 
 was of light pink, and the lower end cut to form points 
 at the outer corners. The printing, in black, was : 
 
 BICENTENNIAL 
 CHORUS. 
 
 CHILDREN OK THK 
 PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 
 1680. 
 
 ^T^ 
 
 1880. 
 
 BRISTOL, K. I., 
 
 September '24, 1880. 
 
 JSfo. 7. The Badge of the Drum Corps. This badge was 
 of light blue, and the lower end cut to form points at the 
 outer corners. The printing, in black, was : 
 
 1680. 
 
 1880. 
 
 DRUM CORPS. 
 
 (TOAVN Seal — OBLONG.) 
 BI-CENTENNIAL, 
 
 September 24, 1880. 
 
 This was a company of eight boys, who formed an organ- 
 ization, and gave much time during the summer months pre- 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 127 
 
 ceding the celebration, to practice — Mr. George Alger kindly 
 volunteering to teach them. They provided themselves 
 with drums and unifomis. The uniform was a l)lack cap, 
 with gold bullion band, and vizor ; jacket of scarlet flannel, 
 with white flannel trimmings, and brass buttons; and dark 
 pants. Their names are George William Warren, leader, 
 aged 12 years; John Henry Bartlett Mott, aged 16 years; 
 Frederick Smith Waldron, 14 ; William Nelson Miller, 14 ; 
 AVilliam Henry Remington, 14 ; Charles Gardner Sisson, 
 14 ; Arthur Emmons Card, 12 ; Charles Luther Miller, 12. 
 They acquitted themselves with credit, and were a pleasant 
 feature of the procession. 
 
LOA]^ EXHIBITION 
 
 The relics of the past — an ilhistrated history of the town — 
 were on exhibition in Town Hall. This building was form- 
 erly the Congregational Meeting-house. It was built in 
 1784, and dedicated on the 5th of January, 1785, the day of 
 the ordination of the Rev. Henry Wight, as pastor. Its 
 location was in Bradford street, a little east from the line of 
 Hope street, with its front to the west. It was used as a 
 house of worship until the fall of 1856, when the new stone 
 edifice of the Congregational Church was finished. The first 
 meeting-house was built in 1684, on the Common, the site of 
 the present Court House, and stood one hundred years. 
 Some of the oak timbers which were originally hewn from 
 trees growing upon the Common, were put into the second 
 meeting-house. This second house has stood almost one 
 hundred years, and those oak timbers are sound to this day. 
 It was given to the town in 1857, and in the summer of that 
 year was moved out of the street to its present site on the 
 north side of Bradford street. The next year it was fitted 
 up for a Town Hall, and has been used as such to the present 
 time. 
 
 In this building, so identified with the town almost from 
 the very beginning of its settlement, was appropriately gath- 
 ered the relics of bygone times. The citizens of the town in 
 this, as in all other features of the celebration, manifested a 
 commendable interest, and generously responded to the 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 129 
 
 wishes of the committee, by loaning their treasures — many 
 of them replete with precious and sacred memories — for the 
 exhibition. As has before been stated, to John DeWolf is 
 the public mainly indebted for the large and interesting col- 
 lection, and the good taste displayed in their grouping. 
 
 The following is a list of the articles on exhibition : 
 
 PORTRAITS IN OIL. 
 
 Gov. Byron Diman, loaned by Mrs. E. A. Diman; painted in 1844. 
 
 Mrs. Abby Alden Diman, wife of Gov. B. Diman, 1. by Mrs. Clara 
 T>. DeWolf. 
 
 Gov. Francis M. Dimond, 1. by Mrs. Samuel Norris. 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Dimond, " " " " " 
 
 Royal Dimond, " " " " " 
 
 Lt.-Gov. Nath'l Bullock, taken at the age of 80 years, 1. by Hon. J. 
 R. Bullock. 
 
 Geo. Howe, 1- by Mrs. Hope Blake. 
 
 John Howe, 1- by M. A. DeW. Howe. 
 
 Maj. Jacob Babbitt, Sr., 1. by Mrs. Abbey E. Babbitt. 
 " Jacob Babbitt, Jr., " " " " " " 
 
 Benj. B. Bosworth, " " " " " " 
 
 Mrs. B. B. Bosworth, " " " " " " 
 
 Rev. Henry Wight, D. D., 1. by Mrs. Susan Gladding. 
 
 Mrs. Henry Wight, wife of Rev. Dr. Wight, with her granddaugh- 
 ter, G. A. Alden, 1. by Mrs. Clara D. DeWolf. 
 
 Rev. C. H. Alden, 1. by Miss A. Fanny Alden. 
 
 Mrs. C. H. Alden, " " " " 
 
 Rev. Thos. Shepard, D. D., from Byfleld Hall. This portrait was 
 painted by Miss Jane Stuart, daughter of Gilbert Stuart, the cele- 
 brated portrait painter. 
 " James McSparran, 1718, 1. by P. Skinner. 
 
 Mrs. James McSparran, " " " " " 
 
 Rt. Rev. Alexander Viets Griswold, 1- by Miss Mary Heath. 
 
 Rev. John Bristed, 1. by M. A. DeW. Howe. 
 
 Wm. Rogers, Chaplain in Revolutionary Army, and the first 
 graduate of Brown University. 
 
 Hersey Bradford, 1. by Miss Mary Baylies. 
 
 Geo. H. Peck, 1. by V. G. Peck. 
 
 Capt. John Gladding, 1- by Mrs. Susie Richmond. 
 
 Mrs. John Gladding, 1. by Mrs. Lizzie Gladding. 
 
 Capt. Wm. H. Gladding, 1. by Mrs. Lizzie Gladding. 
 
 Mrs. Wm. H. Gladding, " " " 
 17 
 
130 BI-CENTEKNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Ambrose "Waldron, 1. by Billings Waldron. 
 
 Hannah Waldron, " " " " 
 
 Parents of the oldest male inhabitant to-day. Dying they left 9 sons, 2 
 
 daughters, and G7 grandchildren. 
 
 Mason W. Pierce, 1. by F, G. Bovven. 
 
 Mrs. Mason "W. Pierce, and her son, Henry Parker Pierce, 
 1. by F. G. Bowen. 
 
 James P. Pierce, 1. by F. G. Bowerr. 
 
 Capt. Cory WilHston, 1. by F. G. Bowen. 
 
 Wm. Pearse, 2nd, born 116 years^ago, L by Mrs. W. A. Richmond. 
 
 Wm. Pierce, 1- by Geo. H. Peck. 
 
 Mrs. Lemuel C. Richmond, Senior, and her son Isaac, l- by 
 Mrs. AVm, A. Richmond. 
 
 Capt. Martin Bennett, I- by Mrs. Robert Peck. 
 
 Eliza T., wife of Martin Bennett, 1. by Mrs. Robert Peck. 
 
 Benjamin Tilley, 1- by Benj. Tilley. 
 
 Mrs. Benjamin Tilley, 1. by Benj. Tilley. 
 
 Col. Samuel W^ardwell. This portrait is interesting from being 
 taken in the old uniform of the Bristol Artillery, organized soon 
 after the War of the Revolution, and maintained as an independent 
 organization ever since. L. by W", T. C. Wardwell. 
 
 Capt. John Ward'well, 1. by Mrs. Mary E. Munro. 
 
 Mrs. John Wardwell, " " " " " " 
 
 Capt. John Smith, 1. by Mrs. H. B. Smith. 
 
 Mrs. Anne Pratt Smith, 1. by Mrs. H. B. Smith. 
 
 Capt. James Miller, I- by Augustus N. Miller. 
 
 Le Favour Howland, 1- by Mrs. nioebe H. Vickery. 
 
 Mrs. Le P. Howland and Child, 1- by Mrs. Phoebe H. Vickery. 
 
 Samuel Sparks, 1. by Albert Sparks, 
 
 Col. Samuel Wardwell, 1. by Chas. H. H. Wardwell. 
 
 Mrs. Samuel Wardwell, Sr.., 1. by Chas. H. H. Wardwell. 
 
 Deacon Wm. B. Spooner, 1. by Mrs. John AVatson. 
 
 John Gardner, I. by Geo. W. Easterbrooks. 
 
 Mrs. J. Gardner, 1. by Geo. W. Easterbrooks. 
 
 John R. Gardner, 1. by Mrs. Clarissa Gardner. 
 
 This portrait is three-quarters length, and life-size. It is very finely 
 
 painted, and remarkably life-like. 
 
 Golden Dearth, 1. by Mrs. J. Gooding. 
 
 Mrs. Samuel Smith, 1. by Mrs. J. Gooding. 
 
 Mrs. Josiah Gooding-, painted by C. Giovanni Thompson, in his best 
 style in 1832; 1. by James Madison Gooding. 
 
 Mrs. Ann Fletcher, 1 by Mrs. N. Warren. 
 
 Miss Bosworth, l. by Walter H. Munro. 
 
 Jeremiah Ingraham, 1. by Mrs. Eliza DeWolf. 
 
 Mrs. Ing-raham, " " " " " 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 131 
 
 Capt. Leonard G. Bradford, 1. by Mrs. Harriet Coggeshall. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah Bradford, 1. by Mrs. Harriot Coggeshall. 
 
 Capt. Daniel Gladding, taken about 1805, 1. by Wm. O. Gladding. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah Gladding, " " " " " " " " 
 
 Ambrose Waldron, 1 by Mrs. Wm. H. West, 
 
 Mrs. Hannah Waldron, 1. by Mrs. Wm. H. West. 
 
 Crawford Easterbrooks, Jr., 1. by C. L. Kasterbrooks. 
 
 Josiah Smith, 1- by Miss M. E. Bourne. 
 
 Allen Bourne, *' " " " " 
 
 Benj. P. Bourn, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 
 Mrs. Benj. P. Bourn, 1 by Mrs J. DeW. Perry. 
 
 Mrs. Priscilla Allyn, daughter of Royal Paine. 
 
 "Capt. Tom Jones," Commander of Privateers during war of 1812, 1. 
 
 by Capt Geo. H. Munro. 
 Capt. Allen Munro, son of William and Hannah, died on a vo5'age 
 
 from the coast of Africa; 1. by A. M. Newman. 
 Nathan Bardin, painted about 1800, 1. by Nathan B. Fenuer. 
 Mrs. N. Bardin, 1. by Mrs. Nathan B. Heath. 
 Nath'l Cog-geshall, 1. by Mrs. Harriet Coggeshall. 
 Mrs. N. Cog-geshall, 1. by Mrs. Harriet Coggeshall. 
 "Tom Jones," 1 by Jas. D. Wardwell. 
 Mrs. Tom Jones, 1- by Jas. D. Wardwell. 
 
 "Tom Jones" commanded the renowned privateer " Yankee," which 
 made so many captures during the last war with England. 
 Abigail DeWolf, wife of Mark Antony DeWolf, Sr., ancestress of all 
 
 the DeWolf family in Bristol, R. I., 1. by Mrs. Eliza DeWolf. 
 Charles DeWolf, Sr., 1. by Mrs. Theodora DeWolf Colt. 
 
 Painted by Jarvis, and considered by some judges the finest painting in 
 the collection. Remarkable for the naturalness of the flesh tints, and life- 
 like appearance. 
 
 Gen. Geo. DeWolf, 1. by Mrs. T. DeW. Colt. 
 Mrs. Geo. DeWolf, " " " " " 
 Hon. James DeWolf, 1. by H. M. Howe. 
 Wm. Henry DeWolf, 1. by Mrs. Wm. B. DeWolf. 
 Francis Le Baron DeWolf, 1. by Mrs. Wm. B. DeWolf. 
 James DeWolf, Jr., " " " " " 
 
 Catharine DeWolf, " " " " " 
 
 Hon. William DeWolf, 1. by Mrs. M. DeW. Rogers. 
 Mrs. William DeWolf, 1. by Mrs. Rogers and Miss C. DeWolf. 
 Wm. DeW^olf, Jr., " " " " " " " 
 Abby DeWolf Davis, " " " " " " " 
 Charlotte DeWolf, " " " " " " " 
 Maria DeWolf, 1. by Mrs. M. Rogers and Miss C. DeWolf. 
 Henry DeWolf, 1. by Fitz Henry DeWolf. 
 Mrs. Henry DeWolf, 1. by Fitz Henry DeWolf. 
 Prof. John DeWolf, 1. by Brown University. 
 
132 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth J. De'Wolf, wife of Prof. DeWolf, 1. by Winthrop 
 
 DeWolf. 
 Charlotte DeWolf, 1. by Miss C. DeWolf. 
 Rob't Rogers, painted by Head, 1. by Mrs. M DeW. Rogers. 
 Mrs. Rob't Rogers, painted by Healy, 1. by Mrs. M. DeWolf Rogers. 
 Nathaniel B3rfield., from Byfleld Hall. This portrait is a copy from an 
 original portrait in the possession of Hon. Francis Brinley. of New- 
 port. The copy was made by Miss Jane Stuart, and is remarkable for 
 its truthfulness. 
 Gen. Andrew Jackson, (visited Bristol in 1833), 1. by S. Pomeroy 
 Colt. 
 When Gen. Jackson visited Bristol, in June, 1833, he had just entered 
 upon his second term as President of the United States. He was accom- 
 panied by Martin Van Buren, Vice President of the United States; Lewis 
 Cass, Secretary of War ; Levi Woodbury, Secretary of the Navy; Major 
 Donalson, and Ool. Earle, of the President's suite. He landed from steam- 
 boat Boston, Capt. Wm. Comstock, from Newport, at Long Wharf, foot 
 of Church street, and walked, with his hat in his hand, through a shower 
 of rain, up Church street and along Hope street, to the Bristol Hotel on 
 State street. Capt. James DeWolf was conspicuous in his efforts to hold 
 an umbrella over "Old Hickory's" head, to keep the rain off. At the 
 hotel, a few citizens had an opportunity to be introduced to the Presi- 
 dent, and shake his hand. The distinguished party almost immediately 
 re-embarked on the steamer for Providence, where they arrived at 10 
 o'clock, A. M. 
 
 Davis, ancestor of Church and Wardwell families, brought from 
 
 England in 1680, and then over fifty years old. Wonderfully painted 
 and well preserved. Considered by many the finest painting and most 
 interesting relic in the collection. L. by Mrs. H. E. Coggeshall, Fall 
 River. 
 Geo. "Washington. 
 Martha Washington. 
 
 These remarkable portraits were painted by the elder Peale, of Philadel- 
 phia, for Washington, and by him were presented to John Brown, of Prov- 
 idence. They represent this illustrious couple at a much younger age 
 than most of their portraits. Washington is taken in the uniform of a 
 Colonel in the Virginia militia, and these pictures were probably taken 
 about the time of Braddock's defeat. L by the Misses Herreshoff 
 Her Gracious Majesty Queen Carohne, wife of George II., King 
 of England. This curious old portrait was brought from England, 
 with several others, by Rev. John Usher, the first minister of St. 
 Michael's Church, in 1720. It was torn from its frame and much in- 
 jured by the Americans during the Revolutionary War. It is now in 
 the original frame of carved oak. L. by Mrs. M. Luther Simmons. 
 Com. C. H. Perry, l- by Mrs. James DeW. Perry. 
 Geo. H. Reynolds, 1. by Mrs, John Burgess, Jr. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 133 
 
 Capt. James Usher, 1- l^y Mrs. John Burgess, Jr. 
 
 Mrs. James Usher, " " " " " " 
 
 Benj. Franklin. This portrait was painted from life, and is very much 
 thought of by artists. It is taken with fur cap and spectacles. It 
 was formerly owned by the late Prof. A. D. Bache. L. by Mrs. H. W. 
 Bachc. 
 
 MINIATURES ON IVORY. 
 
 Gen. James M. Varnum, painted in 1770, 1. by Miss Betsey Bourn. 
 
 Mrs. James M. Varnimi, " " 1770, 1 by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 
 Mary Ann DeWolf Sumner, daughter of Hon. James DeWolf, 
 painted by Miss Ann Hall, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 
 Bishop Griswold, 1. by John Allyn. 
 
 Hon. Wm. DeWolf, painted by Malbone, 1. by Mrs. Rogers and Miss 
 C. DeWolf. 
 
 Capt. John DeWolf, 1- by Mrs. Clara D. DeWolf. 
 
 Mrs. John Norris, with her father and mother in shadow, taken in 
 1817, 1. by C. H. Norris. 
 
 Capt. Daniel N. Morice, 
 
 Madame Theresa Morice, and a beautifully painted miniature of an 
 aunt of Capt. Morice, name unknown; all three 1. by Mrs. Edward S. 
 Babbitt. 
 
 Golden Dearth, 1- by Willie Bradford. 
 
 Capt. Fletcher, 1. by T. W. Easterbrooks. 
 
 Capt. John Norris, painted in 1825, 1. by Capt. C. H. Norris. 
 
 Mrs. John Norris, painted in 1825, 1. by Capt. C. H. Norris. 
 
 Wm. Cog-g-eshall, 1. by Mrs. H. E. Coggeshall. 
 
 Mrs. Wm. Cog-g-eshall, 1. by Mrs H. E. Coggeshall. 
 
 Mrs. Prudence Richmond, 1- by Mrs. Rebecca Simmons. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah W. Shepard, 1. by Miss Shepard. 
 
 Gen. George DeWolf, 1. by Mrs. T. DeW. Colt. 
 
 Henry Good"win, " " " " " " 
 
 Mrs. Le B. Goodwin, " " " " " " 
 
 Mariana DeWolf, " " " " " " 
 
 Judge Joseph Russell, by Eraser, one of the finest miniatures in the 
 United States, 1 by N. R. Middleton. Joseph Russell was a son of 
 Rev. Jonathan Russell, the minister of Barnstable, Mass., and the 
 grandson of Rev. John Russell, who for more than fifteen years con- 
 cealed in his house at Hadley, Mass., Generals Whaley and Goffe, two 
 of Cromwell's Judges who condemned Charles I. to the block. 
 
 Silhouette of Mrs. Sally Sandford, 1. by Miss Lizzie Simmons. 
 Mrs. Hannah Norris, 1. by Mrs. Morgan. 
 " John Howland, cut sixty years ago. 
 
 Hon. Benj. Bourn, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 
134 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Silhouette of Nelson Miller, 1. by William J. Miller. 
 
 This profile was cut more than fifty years ago. and is a striking likeness. 
 Mr. Miller was a Revolutionary soldier and pensioner, having been in the 
 service six of the seven years of the war. Fifty or more years ago, the 
 writer remembers to have heard his grandfather relate an incident that 
 transpired at Valley Forge, while the American army was encamped there 
 in the winter of 1777-78. As he has never seen it in print, he ventures to 
 give it here. It was the scene when Washington made known to the 
 army the " Conway Cabal." His description of the event, although so 
 many years have elapsed since the writer heard it from his lips, is still 
 vivid in his memory. It was, he said, on a mild, pleasant Sunday morn- 
 ing, (probably in the latter part of February, or early in March, 1778). 
 The entire army was mustered, and Washington, surrounded by his ofti- 
 cers, addressed the army, and told them of the conspiracy to supersede 
 him. He then, with deep feeling, vindicated his motives and course of 
 action, and closed with a most earnest appeal to the army — officers and 
 men— to remain true to the great cause in which they had all suff"ered and 
 sacrificed so much. When the writer heard him relate the incident, it was 
 more than half a century after the event; and yet he well remembers, 
 child as he then vpas, how visibly the old man was afl'ected, as he described 
 it. He said it was one of the most impressive scenes that he ever 
 witnessed, and one that he should never forget, — officers and men wept 
 like children. His position in the line was near where Washington sat 
 upon his horse, and he heard distinctly every word he spoke. 
 
 Two Miniatures, Capt. Daniel Gladding- and "Wife, 1- by Wil- 
 liam H. Gladding. 
 
 John Biollock, one hundred years old when taken, 1. by Miss Mary 
 Bullock. 
 
 nCTURES. 
 
 Oil Painting of Venus and Cupids. 
 " " Diana at the Bath. In this, Acteon is represented 
 
 undergoing transformation into a stag, with Diana and her attendant 
 nymphs, dogs, game, etc. These pictures were brought from England 
 by Rev. John Usher in 17i;0. L. by the Misses Usher. 
 
 Abraham Sacrificing Isaac, a very old painting, unfortunately indis- 
 tinct and much injured; 1. by Mrs. Thomas J Usher. 
 
 Painting of Ship " Joshua Mauran," 1. by Capt. Isaac Liscomb. 
 
 Privateer "McDonough," painted by Jonathan Alger, 1. by George 
 Alger. 
 
 A Flemish Entertainment, A Moderate Gale, A Brisk Gale, 
 A Calm, four Engravings, all over 100 years old, 1. by C. F. Her- 
 reshoff". 
 
 Apotheosis of "Washington, 1. by C. F. Herreshoff". 
 
 Gen. Jackson, 1. by T. L. Fisher. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 135 
 
 George Washington, 1. by George Smith. 
 
 Five Old Prints, 
 
 John Darhng, framed iind illustrated Eulogy, written by Gov. Charles 
 
 Collins, 1. by Capt. I. Liscomb. 
 Lorenzo Dow and Peggy Dow, 1. by James A. Miller. 
 Privateers, "Sea Pieces," etc., four curious old pictures of, 1. by 
 
 Mrs. Gideon Sherman. 
 Departure of Prodigal Son, a pi-int of 1735, 1. by Mrs. R. S. Andrews. 
 Prodigal Son, two old pictures, 1. by Mrs. Kebecca Simmons. 
 Triumph of Liberty, an engraving, 1. by Capt. George Coggeshall. 
 Engravings, 200 and 150 years old, 1. by Mrs. W. A. Richmond. 
 Old Talbee House. Drawing of house built by Col. Benj. Church in 
 
 Bristol in 1G90, 1. bj' the Misses Shepard. 
 Interesting copies of the coats of arms borne by the early settlers were 
 shown. The following were copies taken before the separation from the 
 mother countries : Usher, Dimond, Leonard and Ingraham 
 
 Families. 
 
 OLD SILVER. 
 
 Five Silver Spoons, all over 100 years old, 1. by Mrs. Clara D. DeWolf. 
 
 Cream Jug and Sugar Bow^l, formerly owned by Bishop Griswold, 
 1. by Mrs. R. S. Andrews. 
 
 Tankard, marked H. L., was brought from Plymouth by Hannah Lor- 
 ing, who married Jonathan Peck about 1731, 1. by George J. Adams. 
 
 Two Silver Chaffing Dishes, 1- by Mrs. Wm. B. D'Wolf. 
 
 Cup, " " " " " 
 
 Porringer, used for soup on board the ship " General Washington," 1. by 
 C. F. Herreshotr. 
 
 Plate, 1. by C. F. Herreshoff. 
 
 Two old Silver-Handled Forks, 1. by C. F. Herreshoff. 
 
 Silver Ladle, with a coin of the reign of Queen Anne, 1711, set into the 
 bottom, 1. by Mrs. C. F. Herreshoff, Jr. 
 
 Silver Chain and Pendant, formerly belonging to the grand-daugh- 
 ter of Col. Benj. Church, 1. by Miss Mary F. Norris. 
 
 Silver Paten, formerly belonging to Rev. John Usher, 1. by the Misses 
 Usher. 
 
 Curious Small Silver Spoon, 1. by Miss Rebecca Turner. 
 
 Eight Tea-Spoons, old fashioned marks and chasing, 1. by Ezra B. 
 Chadwick. 
 
 Silver Pitcher. This interesting relic was brought from France by 
 Gabriel Bernon, a French Huguenot, who fled from France upon the 
 revocation of the edict of Nantes, and came to this country and brought 
 this with a few other valuables. In 1738 it came to his granddaughter, 
 Esther Powell, and has been in the possession of an Esther Powell 
 
136 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 ever since, beiug now owned by the ninth of that name. It was 
 requested for exhibition at the Centennial Exhibition held in Phila- 
 delphia, but the then owners felt constrained to refuse. L. by Mrs. 
 Esther Powell Snow. 
 
 Silver Ewer and Basin, formerly used by Charles DeWolf, Sr„ 1. by 
 Mrs. T. DeW. Colt. 
 
 "Wine Tester. 
 
 Old Communion Service from Congregational Church. 
 2 cups, the gift of Nathaniel Byfleld in 1G93. 
 1 cuj), " " " Rev. John Sparhawk in 1718. 
 
 1 cup, the donor unknown, given in 1723. 
 
 2 cups, the gift of Hon. Nathl. Blagrove, in 1745. 
 Communion Service from St. Michael's Chvirch. 
 
 2 large flagons, the gift of Nath'l Kay in 1734. 
 
 2 double-handled cups, the gift of Nathl. Kay in 1734. 
 
 1 large chalice, " " " " " " " 
 
 1 large basin, the gift of Isaac Royal in 1747. 
 
 1 paten, the gift of Nath'l Kay in 1734. 
 Large Silver "Waiter and Candelabra, about 150 years old, 1. by 
 
 Mrs. C. L. H. Chesbro'. 
 Sugar Bowl and Creamer, formerly owned by Deacon Jeremiah 
 
 Diman, 1. by Miss Lizzie B. Dinian. 
 Tankard, " " " " " " 
 Pap Spoon, 200 years old, formerly owned by Col. Job Almy, one of the 
 
 original owners of the Pocasset purchase, 1. by Mrs. C. F. Herre- 
 
 shoff, Jr. 
 Eight Table-Spoons, owned by Siou and Sally Martiudale, 1756, 1. by 
 
 George J. Adams. 
 Sion Martindale was a successful ship master and merchant of Bristol 
 at the beginning of the war of the Revolution. The commerce of the 
 port had been destroyed by the restrictive acts of the British Parliament. 
 When the Rhode Island General Assembly, immediately after the afftiir at 
 Concord and Lexington, ordered the enlisting of troops into " the King's 
 service," Captain Martindale promptly came forward and raised a company 
 in Bristol and Warren for Colonel Thomas Church's regiment. He was 
 commissioned as captain of the company, and with the regiment, early in 
 June, reported for duty at Cambridge Some members of his company 
 were in the redoubt at the battle of Bunker Hill. When Washington 
 arrived from the South, early in July, to take command of the troops 
 around Boston, he took prompt steps to prevent supplies from reaching 
 the British in Boston. This was easily done inland. To cut off their supplies 
 by water three armed vessels were equipped, the first one put in commis- 
 sion being the brigantine Washington, of ten guns. Captain Martindale 
 was commissioned as commander. As seamen M'ere hard to be obtained, 
 so many of them having enlisted in the army, the soldiers were called 
 upon to volunteer, and Captain Martindale soon had a complement of 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 137 
 
 men— numbers of his own company going with him. Their cruise was a 
 short one, for they had been out only three days, when they were captured 
 in Boston bay by the British Ship Foy, of twenty guns. They were soon 
 transferred to the frigate Tartar, and carried as prisoners to Enghind. 
 Cream Pitcher, 167 years old, formerly belonging to Dr. John Cogge- 
 
 shall. Repousse work. L. by Miss Sarah Coggeshall. 
 Silver Nutmeg-Grater, about 200 years old, in the shape of a shoe, 
 
 1. by Mrs. M. J. Slade. 
 Pepper Box, in form of light-house, formerly belonging to the first 
 
 Mark Antony DeWolf, 1. by Mrs. M. DeW. Rogers. 
 Punch- Strainer, " " " " " " 
 
 Porringer, " " " " " 
 
 Fish Spoon, *' " " " " " 
 
 Tankard, " " " " " " 
 
 Sugar Tongs, " " " " " " 
 
 Cream Pitcher, " " " " " " 
 
 Tankard, 1. by Mrs. N. Russell Middleton. 
 
 Tankard, formerly used by Capt. John DeWolf, 1. by Byron D. DeWolf. 
 Sugar Bowl, 1- by Miss Annie F. Munro. 
 
 This sugar bowl is an exceedingly interesting relic. It had stamped on 
 the bottom of it, the letters S. P., and belonged to Capt. Simeon Potter, 
 who captured it, with other plunder, in 1744, when in command of the ship 
 Prince Charles of Lorraine, a Rhode Island privateer. War existed 
 between England and France— the " Old French War"— and Capt Potter 
 was cruising along the " Spanish Main," near Cayenne, in quest of French 
 merchantmen. Having occasion to land for water, they learned of Fort 
 d'Of/apoc, a French Jesuit Missionary station, near by, and determined to 
 capture it. There were but a few soldiers in the fort, and it was sur- 
 prised and captured without loss of life. The only person wounded was 
 Capt. Potter, who received a bullet wound in his left arm. Capt. Potter's 
 vessel was armed with ten cannon, twelve swivel guns, and had a crew 
 of sixty-two men. His clerk was Mark Antony DeWolf. A part of 
 the crew only lauded, and took part in the raid. An account of this 
 affair was published in the Overland Monthly of San Francisco, in April» 
 1874. The late Gov. Arnold received advance sheets of the article, 
 and read them before the Rhode Island Historical Society in Providence, 
 in March of that year. It was a translation from the French, by Bishop 
 Kip, of a letter from Father Fauque, the resident Priest at the mission 
 captured, to a brother Priest, and is dated, " At Cayenne, the 22d of 
 December, 1744." The Overland Monthly, in its prefiice to the letter, 
 comments as follows : "It contains a chapter in the early history of the 
 Rhode Island people, which has never before been published. Strange, 
 that, after being buried so long, it should now be unearthed— that, after 
 being locked up in the old French of the original writer for nearly 130 
 years, it should be brought to light for the benefit of a succeeding genera- 
 18 
 
138 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 tion ! Perhaps it may be a matter of interest to the descendants of Cap- 
 tain Simeon Potter, and of the others, who, in ' the Old French War,' 
 were together in the good ship Prince Charles of Lorraine, ' as they sailed 
 —as they sailed.' " 
 
 The spirit of the holy Father's letter is admirable. He begins as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " My Reverend Father : — The peace of our Lord be with you ! I will 
 make you a partaker of the greatest happiness I have experienced in ray 
 life, by informing you of the opportunity I had of suffering something for 
 the glory of God." 
 
 He concealed himself for a time outside the fort, for fear of being shot. 
 When captured and taken into the fort, he says: *'I saw every face 
 expressing the greatest joy, each one congratulating himself that they 
 had captured a priest." He describes Capt. Potter as follows: "The 
 first one who approached me was the Captain himself. He was a man 
 small in stature, and not in any respect differing from the others in dress. 
 He had his left arm in a sling, a sabre in his right hand, and two pistols in 
 his belt* As he was acquainted with some few words of French, he told 
 me ' that I was very welcome ; that I had nothing to fear, as no one would 
 attempt my life.'" He speaks kindly of Capt. Potter, and of his Clerk, 
 (DeWolf). 
 
 The capture of the fort was made on the 2d or 3d of November, and the 
 interesting fact is brought out that Capt. Potter and his crew celebrated 
 the " Gunpowder Treason Plot" on the fifth of November, Speaking of a 
 conversation he had with the Captain, he says : " He made me, after- 
 ward, a disclosure which was sufficiently pleasant. ' Monsieur,' he said 
 to me, 'do you know that to-morrow, being the fifth of November, the 
 English have a great festival?' 
 
 'And what is the festival?' I asked him. 
 
 ' We burn the Pope,' he answered, laughing. 
 
 ' Explain to me,' I said ; ' what is this ceremony? ' 
 
 ' They dress up in a burlesque style,' he said, ' a kind of ridiculous 
 figure, which they call the Pope, and which they afterwards burn, while 
 siuging some ballads, and all this in coumemoratiou of the day when the 
 Court of Rome separated England from its communion. To-morrow,' he 
 continued, 'our people who are on shore will perform this ceremony at 
 the fort.'" 
 
 The priest probably misunderstood the meaning of Capt. Potter as to 
 the event to be commemorated. He describes their manner of celebration 
 as follows : 
 
 " After a while, he caused his pennon and flag to be hoisted. The 
 sailors manned the yard-arms, the drum was beaten, they fired the cannon, 
 a"^id all shouted, five times, ' Long live the King ! ' This having been done, 
 he called one of the sailors, who, to the great delight of those who under- 
 stood his language, chanted a very long ballad, which I judged to be the 
 recital of all this unworthy story." 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 139 
 
 The ballad was, doubtless, the one so familiar to every Bristol boy 
 thirty or forty years ago, beginning : 
 
 " The fifth of November, 
 Let us all remember 
 The Gunpowder-Treason Plot " — 
 
 for, up to within twenty-five or thirty years, this singular festival was 
 celebrated in Bristol annually, probably from the very settlement of the 
 town. In fact, " Gunpowder-Treason Night " was as familiar to Bristol 
 people as 'Lection Day at Newport, or the Fourth of July. 
 
 The Prince Charles of Lorraine hailed from Newport, and her cruise 
 along the coast of Surinam was made the subject of inquiry before the 
 Court of Vice Admiralty, at Newport, in May, 1746. Monsieur Hop, the 
 Minister of the States General of the United Netherlands, made complaint 
 *' of several violences committed on the coasts of Surranam by an English 
 Privateer called the Prince Charles of Lorraine, Simeon Potter, com- 
 mander, in violation of the laws of nations, and desiring that the said 
 commander, and those of the crew that were guilty of such outrages, 
 might be puuished." After a lengthy investigation, covering the exami- 
 nation of Captain Potter; Daniel Vaughn, of Newport, First Lieutenant; 
 Reuben Shales, of Middletown, Conn., Second Lieutenant; Michael 
 Phillips, of Bristol, Pilot; Mark Antony DeWolf, of Bristol, Clerk; 
 Joseph Rodman, of Newport, Mariner, " being one of those people called 
 Quakers ; " and James Tucker, of Newport, Mariner — all members of the 
 company of said Prince Charles of Lorraine— the Judge (William Strength- 
 field) exonerated Capt. Potter, and his officers and crew from all blame. 
 His "Decree" closes as follows : 
 
 " It is undoubtedly true that Capt. Potter made a very extraordinary 
 attack upon the French settlement to windward of Surranam, laying 
 waste and destroying a whole country almost one hundred miles up the 
 river Wyapoke, taking the fort, carrying away their cannon, and destroy- 
 ing the town as well as country — doing the same in his going down as far 
 as Ceyane ; so that, considering the smallness of his force, perhaps no one 
 during the present war has weakened and distressed His Majesty's ene- 
 mies to the like degree. And it appears that he was commissionated from 
 said Colony of Rhode Island in the method there used in granting Com- 
 missions during the whole war, and herein acted according to instruc- 
 tions. But no act of hostilities appears to be done by him upon the terri- 
 tories of any of His Majesty's allies, or near 'em. 
 
 " And it being contrary to His Majesty's clemency and wise administra- 
 tion to admit of any his subjects being distressed without just cause 
 appearing, the said Simeon Potter is released, as also the said Daniel 
 Vaughn and Reuben Shales, for that nothing to me appeared worthy of 
 punishment or bonds. But in further submission and obedience to their 
 Lordships' commands, with this representation the examination and evi- 
 dences taken are transmitted. The said persons paying costs each one 
 should." 
 
140 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 At the time of the bombardment of the town by a British fleet, in 
 October, 1775, Col. Simeon Potter (he had been made Colonel of the 
 Militia) was a member of the Town Council. The British commander, 
 Wallace, made a demand for cattle and sheep, and threatened to bombard 
 the town unless it was promptly complied with. This demand the towns- 
 people, with more zeal than discretion, peremptorily refused. As soon as 
 the vessels of war opened fire — there were five of them, and they took 
 up positions along the entire water-front of the compact part of the town 
 — a great fear and horror seized upon the inhabitants — rendered all the 
 more terrible by the darkness of the evening. In the midst of the fire. 
 Col. Potter went down upon Warehouse Point, which was a gravelly blufl" 
 point of land, now covered by Long Wharf, at the foot of Church street, 
 and hailed one of the Avar vessels that lay a short distance ofl". After 
 great effort, he succeeded in making himself heard, and beseeched them 
 " for God's sake [to] stop firing!" They sent a boat ashore, and he was 
 taken on board, and, after agreeing to deliver the sheep the next morning 
 (they yielding the demand for the cattle), stopped the fire upon the town. 
 The forty sheep were delivered on board the next morning, and the enemy, 
 to the great relief of the inhabitants, sailed away out of the harbor. 
 
 CHINA, ETC. 
 
 The collection of china was large and interesting, some of it dating 
 from the early settlement of the town, and having interesting local and 
 historical associations connected with it. Some was imported many years 
 ago from India and China, and is to-day as beautiful as any that reaches 
 OS from those countries, albeit the decorations and shapes are now more 
 familiar since the opening of those countries to foreign trade. The dif- 
 ferent specimens were too numerous to be mentioned in detail, and we 
 can only give those more interesting from association. 
 
 Pickle Dish, used by Gen. Washington at the house of Gen. James M. 
 
 Varnum. Cream ware (Dolphins and Shells), 1. by Mrs. J. DeWolf 
 
 Perry. 
 Pair of Antique Majolica Pitchers, which formerly belonged to 
 
 Deacon Nathaniel Diman, 1. by Mrs. E. A. Diman, 
 Octagonal Plate, imitation of tortoise shell, about 125 years old, I. by 
 
 Capt. C. H. Norris. 
 Japanese Drinking Cup, brought from Japan by Com. Perry at the 
 
 signing of the first treaty with that country, 1. by Mrs. J. De W. Perry. 
 China Tea Caddy, used by Mrs. Gen. Varnum, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. 
 
 Perry. 
 Barber's Basin, over 200 years old, 1. by Mrs. Mary J. Slade. 
 Punch Bowl and Cvirious Old Pitcher, in the form of a man, 1. by 
 
 T. L. Fisher. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 141 
 
 Panola Bowl, owned by Rev. John Usher, cream color, with floral deco- 
 rations, 1. by Miss Lizzie Simmons. 
 China Cup and Saucer, which belonged to the wife of Capt. John 
 
 DeWolf, nee Reynolds, 1. by Mrs. A S. DeWolf. 
 Cup and Saucer, owned by Col. Benjamin Church 200 years ago, 1. by 
 
 Mrs. William Howe Church. 
 Large Blue and W^hite Punch Bowl, or Standard, with large 
 
 Salver, which belonged to Col. Benjamin Church, 1. by Gilbert Norris. 
 Tea Pot, formerly used by Col. Simeon Potter, 1. by Mrs. B. B. 
 
 Coggeshall. 
 Shaving Basin, used by Mark Antony DeWolf, 1. by Mrs. Maria D'W. 
 
 Rogers. 
 China Figurine, female figure carrying fruit and flowers, 1. by Mrs. H. 
 
 W. Bache. 
 Pitcher, with figures of children in relief, 1. by Miss M. G. DeWolf. 
 Square Platter, decorated with pictures of ship, 1. by Capt. Isaac Lis- 
 
 comb. 
 Cup and Saucer, owned by Bishop. Griswold, 1. by Miss Maria G. 
 
 DeWolf. 
 Punch Bowl, 120 years old, owned by Capt. Fletcher, 1. by T. W. 
 
 Easterbrooks. 
 Punch Bowl, with curious decorations inside, once owned by Rev. 
 
 John Usher, 1720, 1. by Mrs. M. Luther Simmons. 
 Blue and White Plate, conventional designs, brought to Bristol by 
 
 Rev. Samuel Lee, the first minister settled in Bristol in 1686, 1. by 
 
 Mrs. Clara D. DeV\rolf. 
 Two Very Old Pitchers, floral decorations, 1. by Mrs. B. B. Chad. 
 
 wick 
 Very Old Cup and Saucer, rose colored and white decorations, 1. 
 
 by Miss Rebecca Turner. 
 Punch Bowl, with figures of ships, and curious tea set, deep cream 
 
 color, with bright colored figures of animals, 1. by Mrs. Gideon Sher- 
 man. 
 Sugar Bowl, owned by Rev. John Usher, 1720, white, with colored 
 
 raised figures, very beautiful and rare, 1. by Mrs. M. Luther Simmons. 
 Sugar Bowl, over 100 years old, raised ornaments, 1. by Mrs. George W. 
 
 Simmons. 
 Old China. Interesting selections of old china were also received from 
 
 Mrs. Mary J. Slade, Mrs. Rebecca Simmons, Mrs. Viets G. Peck, 
 
 Mrs. R. S. Andrews, George Smith, Miss Annie F. Munro, the Her- 
 
 reshofl" family, Mrs. Clara D. DeWolf, Mrs. C. L. H. Chesbro', Mrs. 
 
 James White, Mrs. Augustus Richmond, Mrs. Wm. Simmons, Miss A. 
 Coy, and T. L. Fisher. 
 
142 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 GLASS, ETC. 
 
 The first Glass Lamp in Bristol, 1 by Mrs. B W. Darling. 
 
 Salt Callar, in shape of hat, and Night Lamp, both over 100 years 
 old, 1. by Mrs. George W. Simmons. 
 
 Wine Glass, with fine gilt ornamentation, 1. by Miss Lizzie Simmons. 
 
 Cruet, belonged to Sally Peck, wife of Sion Martindale, 1756, 1. by Geo. 
 J. Adams. 
 
 Large "Wine Glass, 180 years old, 1. by Mrs. Chas. Fales. 
 
 Jar Salts, HO years old, 1. by Miss M. E. Bourn. 
 
 Large Glass Sugar Bo"wl, (owned by Col. Benj. Church, who con- 
 quered King Philip, of Mount Hope), about 200 years old, 1. by Mrs. 
 Wm. Howe Church. 
 
 Tumbler, formerly owned by the great grandson of John Alden, now 
 owned by the eighth in descent, 1. by Mrs. Clara D. DeWolf. 
 
 Large Glass Tumbler, 106 years old, 1. by Thomas Easterbrooks. 
 
 W^ine Glass, more than 200 years old, buried for preservation at Green- 
 wich during the RevoluLion, cut glass, with gilt ornaments, 1. by Mrs. 
 J. DeW. Perry. 
 
 Cut Glass Liquor Set and Tray, mounted with brass (sea set), 
 1. by T. W. Easterbrooks. 
 
 FURNITURE. 
 
 Piano. The first one in New England, imported by John Brown for his 
 daughter Sarah, afterwards Mrs. Herreshoff. Imported about 1785. 
 It has a finely inlaid case, and is in every way in good order, every 
 key sounding. It has been in the Herreshoff house at Point Pleasant 
 during the present century. L. by the Misses Herreshoff. 
 Piano, one of the first made in America, for many years it was owned on 
 
 the Island of Prudence, 1. by Messrs. Cory Brothers, Providence. 
 Spinet, with maker's name, and dated, '-London, 1520." A family relic 
 brought to Bristol by Mrs. Henry Wight, 1. by Mrs. Alex Perry. 
 The correspondent of the New York Graphic, in referring to this instru- 
 ment, indulges in the following reflections: "This instrument bears the 
 inscription, 'Johannes Hitchcock, /ecif, London, 1520.' It is, you see, 
 three hundred and sixty years old. What a web of romance might be 
 woven out of its long history ! Where now are the pliant fingers that 
 awoke its sleeping harmonies when it was new? Where are the girls that 
 sang alto, and those that sang air to the accompaniment of its chords 
 when the plate with the maker's name on it flashed in brigiituess to the 
 light of the parlor fires in 'ye olden time?' Gone, all gone — dust centu- 
 ries ago, and forgotten. Heaven help us ! and here is the ancient spinet, 
 the forerunner of the piano of to-day — a wrecked musical ship whose 
 music has vanished with the hearts that enjoyed it when the world was 
 younger." 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 143 
 
 Large High Back Chair, with carved ornamentation, IGO years old, 
 
 1. by Mrs. C. L. H. Chesbro*. 
 Mahogany "As You Like it" Chair, witli claw feet, used by 
 
 Gen. Washington, 1. by Mrs. Chesbro'. 
 Small Bureau, made in Bristol in 1780, 1. by Miss A. F. Munro. 
 Small Table, 170 years old, formerly owned by Mrs. Potter, the mother 
 
 of Col. Simeon Potter, 1 by Miss A F. Munro. 
 Chair, made iu 1755, 1. by Wm. H. Mann. 
 Shoemaker's Bench, 1 by Richard S. Pearse, who received it from 
 
 his grandfather, Richard Smith, iu 1821, it being the property of his 
 
 father years before. Supposed to be about 140 years old. 
 
 First Communion Table used in the Episcopal Church in 
 Bristol, mahogany, with silk damask cloth, 1. by Wra. P. Munro. 
 
 Light Stand and Chair, formerly belonging to Rev. John Usher, 1. 
 by Wm P. Munro. 
 
 Chair, formerly owned by the Wdllcij family, 1. by William C. G. Cush- 
 man. 
 
 Fire Screen, worked in crewels, 100 years old, 1. by Mrs. Jacob Bab- 
 bitt. 
 
 Small Table, which belonged to Mark Antony and Abigail DeWolf, 
 more than 130 years old, 1. by Miss Abby L. DeWolf. 
 
 "As You Like It" Chair, once owned by Rev. John Burt, the Rev- 
 olutionary Parson, 1. by Mrs. E. A. Diman. 
 
 Card Table, made of Zebra wood, brought from the coast of Africa, by 
 Capt. John DeWolf, 1. by Mrs Clara D. DeWolf. 
 
 Mahogany 'Brass Bound Celaret, 1- by Mrs. W. B. DeWolf. 
 
 Straight Backed, Leather Covered Chair, once owned by 
 Nathaniel Byjield, 1. by the Misses Herreshofl". 
 
 Large Chest of Drawers on High Legs, inlaid, and with brass 
 
 mountings, 1. by Herbert H Bosworth. 
 Large Mirror, over 160 years old, from the old Sandford house ; very 
 
 heavy solid oak frame, with black and red ornamentation, 1. by Miss 
 
 Lizzie Simmons. 
 Chair, of set imported for the first Congress in Philadelphia, 1. by Mrs. 
 
 J. DeW. Perry. 
 Large Camp Chest, made of camphor wood, bound with brass, with 
 
 four brass handles and three spring locks, about six feet long, and 
 
 higher than an ordinary table. This was left behind, filled with 
 
 clothing and other property, by Gen. Prescott, commander of the 
 
 British troops on the island of Rhode Island, when he was captured 
 
 by Col Barton; 1. by Mrs. E. A. Diman. 
 Liquor Chest, " " " 
 
 "Warming Pan, " " " 
 
 Desk, made by Rev. Henry Wight, and used by him for writing sermons 
 
 on during his lifetime; 1. by Mrs E A. Diman. 
 
144 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 "As you like it" Chair, owned by Rev. John Burt, who died the 
 night Bristol was bomlmrded by Wallace, iu 1775; 1. by Mrs. E. A. 
 Dinian. 
 Chair, loO yrs. old, belonging to the Dimond family,!, by Mrs. Margaret 
 
 Taylor. 
 Shaving- Case of Col. Job Almy, now 200 years old, 1. by Darwin Almy. 
 Chair formerly owned by Rev. John Burt, 1. by Mrs. Sam'l White, Prov. 
 Chair lOO years old, high back, rush seat, 1. by Mrs. C. L. H. Chesbro'. 
 Large Heavy Table, with eight legs, dating from the first settlement 
 
 of Bristol. L. by Trinity Church. 
 Two very old high-backed Chairs, one with arms. 1. by Trinity 
 
 Churcli. 
 Brass Candlestick, 160 years old, once owned by Mrs. Hope (Power) 
 
 Brown, great-great-grandmother of the Herreshofl* family. 
 Table over 200 years old, 1. by Mrs. Maria M Hazard. 
 Pair of Andirons in the shape of dogs, over 150 years old, 1. by Miss 
 
 Cordelia Chase. 
 Lignum Vitse Sugar-Can and Cover, 180 years old, 1, by William 
 
 P. Munro 
 Pair of Andirons iu the form of Scotch Highlanders, very old and 
 
 curious, 1. by Leonard Sandford. 
 Tall Brass Andirons, 1 by Veits G. Peck. 
 Pair very large and tall Andirons, made of Queen metal, 1. by 
 
 Mrs. C. L. H. Chesbro'. 
 Pair of Brass Camp Candlesticks, 1- by Mrs. Gideon Sherman. 
 Pair of small old-fashioned Bellows, 1- by Mrs. N. Coggeshall. 
 Inkstand belonging to John Throop, 134 years ago, 1. by Mrs. H. W. 
 
 Bache. 
 Lignum Vitee Case or Casket, about 200 years old, 1. by Miss A. 
 
 F. Munro. 
 Pair of Andirons iu the shape of negro boys, once the property of 
 
 Mr. Hicks West, an old Revolutionary Pensioner; 1. by Miss Emma 
 
 E. Cary. 
 Brass Candlesticks and pair of Enamelled Ciirtain Knobs, 
 
 125 years old, 1. by Thomas Easterbrooks. 
 Large Mahogany Arm Chair, formerly owned by the Bradford 
 
 fiimily of Mass. L. by Miss Annie F. Munro. 
 Large Covered Arm Chair, brought from England by Rev. John 
 
 Usher in 1720, covered with different old-fiishioued chintzes; 1. by 
 
 Miss Lizzie Simmons. 
 Three-Cornered Table, with leaf and hidden compartment, from the 
 
 old Sandford house, 1. by Miss Lizzie Simmons. 
 Bronze Candlesticks, 200 years old, 1. by Mrs. Hope Blake, 
 Hard Wood Sugar Bowl, 200 years old, 1. by Mrs. Asha Card. 
 Iron Candlestick, 135 years old, 1. by Miss Abby F. Coy. 
 Foot Stove, used in the old Congregational Meeting House, 1. by Mrs, 
 
 Wm. B. Spooncr. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 145 
 
 Book Case, with drawers and glass doors, brass ornaments on top, 
 formerly owned by Col. Simeon Potter, 1. by Capt. John D. Diniond. 
 
 Stand, formerly owned by Col. S. Potter, 1. by Capt. John D. Dimond. 
 
 Mahogany Chair, carved with claw feet, one of the prizes captured 
 by a Bristol privateer 125 years ago, 1. by Mrs Clara D. DeWolf. 
 
 Very old Looking- Glass, 1- by Miss A. F. Coy. 
 
 Sand Box, made from large African nut, dated D. W., 1744, 1. by Her- 
 bert 11. Bosworth. 
 
 Old-fashioned Mirror, 1. by Herl)ert H. Bosworth. 
 
 Old-fashioned Brass Candlesticks, 1. by C. F. Herreshoff. 
 
 Old Mirror, beveled edges, with mahogany and gilt frame, 1. by George 
 B. Diman. 
 
 Bull's-Eye Window Glasses, 1- by George B. Diman. 
 
 Swift and two Spinning Wheels, for wool, 1. by Mrs. Mary E. 
 Slade. 
 
 Flax Wheel, 1. by Mrs. Clara D. DeWolf. 
 
 Old-fashioned Rocker Chair, 1. by T. L. Fisher. 
 
 Three-Legged Skillet, lined with bell metal. It belonged to William 
 Cox, whose father brought it from England, and whose house was on 
 the site of the Rogers Library. In May, 1777, the house was fired by 
 British soldiers, and burned to the ground. The skillet was found in 
 the cellar, where it had fallen. L. by Gilbert Norris. 
 
 Pewter Platter, Plate and Basin, dated 1730. Keg, 1745. Little 
 Bucket, 1765. L. by Capt. Peleg P. Rose. 
 
 Very Large Round Pewter Platter, over 150 years old, 1. by Miss 
 Sarah Coggeshall. 
 
 Collection of old Pewter Platters and Plates, 1- by John 
 DeWolf. 
 
 Tall Clock, that has been going over 100 years, 1. by Samuel Cogge- 
 shall. 
 
 Handsome Molucca Wood Table, and very old Round Top 
 Table, 1. by Mrs. E. B. Coggeshall. 
 
 Finely Carved Wooden Spoon and Bellows, mahogany and 
 ivory, 1. by W. C. Manchester. 
 
 Mahogany Liquor Case, with gilt bottles, 1. by Mrs. Clara D. 
 DeWolf. 
 
 Linen Tablecloth, 180 years old, 1. by Mrs. Mary Waldron Chase. 
 
 Large Chintz Curtains, over 100 years old, with quaint designs, cov- 
 ering the entire surface, 1. by Mrs. C. L. H. Chesbro'. 
 
 Elegant Silk and Gold Tapestry, with gold bulion woven into the 
 design, representing the waves of the sea, with dolphins and gold fish 
 swimming through them, brought from China about 1770. L, by Mrs. 
 C. L. H. Chesbro'. 
 
 Silk Bed-quilt, made by Alice B. Wight 60 years ago, from pieces of 
 dresses then over 100 years old ; 1. by Miss A. F. Alden. 
 19 
 
146 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Napkin, brought from France to Rhode Island by a French Protestant 
 about 190 years ago; 1. by Mrs. Esther Powell Snow. 
 
 Sheet, spun and woven by Mrs. Rebecca Smith before her marriage in 
 1801, from flax raised and prepared in Bristol, R. I. L. by Geo. J. 
 Smith. Mrs. Smith died a few months ago, in her 99th year. 
 
 Silk Brocade, for furniture covering, dark blue with large crimson and 
 gold flowers. Imported from India over 100 years ago. L. by Mrs. 
 C. L. H. Chesbro'. 
 
 Stand Cloth, 200 years old, 1. by Mrs. Priscilla Allyn. 
 
 A Pew Door belonging to the "Parson's Pew" of the first meeting- 
 house built in Bristol in 1684. It is made of oak wood cut on the 
 Common, and when made was for the only pew in the church Each 
 member of the church in those days built his pew at his own expense, 
 and the first one was built by the society for the use of the minister's 
 family. The " meeting-house " stood on the Common, near the site 
 of the present Court House. L. by the Congregational Society. 
 
 The "Window that was over the pulpit in the present Town Hall build- 
 ing when it was first built for a church nearly 100 years ago. L. by 
 Geo. B Diman. 
 
 Large turned Arm Chair, over 150 years old, 1. by Mrs. Clara D. 
 DeWolf. 
 
 Bed-quilt, made of pink, green and blue silks, and with the following 
 history:— In 1738, Esther Powell, a granddaughter of Gabriel Ber- 
 non, was married to James Helme. As America afforded but few 
 luxuries then, the parents of the happy bride sent to London for the 
 wedding trousseau. Those were the days of " short gowns and 
 petticoats," and garments of finest textures and lustrous hue came 
 from the mother country. J^ the course of years the clothes became 
 worn, and were transformed into this bed-quilt. On the occasion of 
 Gen. Washington's last visit to Newport, R. I., it was brought across 
 the Ferry from Narragansett to cover the bed on which his august 
 form was to repose. As yet it had never been finished; and when 
 tiie granddaughter of Ester Powell Helme was married in 1795, a 
 sempstress was hired to quilt it. The work occupied six months, 
 and the woman received her board and twenty cents per week as her 
 wages. The quilt has descended to an Ester Powell through each 
 succeeding generation, and is now in possession of one of the name. 
 L. by Mrs. Ester Powell Snow. 
 
 ARMS, CANES, ARMAMENTS, ETC. 
 
 Sword, formerly used by Capt. Benj. Church, one of the first settlers in 
 Bristol, who defeated King Philip, and carried by Church during King 
 Philip's war. Handsome silver handle. L. by Col. Peter Church. 
 " Benjamin Church is a prominent name in the early Colonial history. 
 
 Born at Plymouth in 1639, he married Alice Southworth, granddaughter 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 147 
 
 of the distinguished wife of Gov. Bradford. After the close of Philip's 
 war, he removed to this town. He purchased largely of the original pro- 
 prietors, and held for many years much landed estate. lie built the house 
 known as the " Old Talbee House," near the corner of Thames and Con- 
 stitution streets. He was frequently elected to offices of trust, was public 
 spirited, and contributed with great liberality for the support of institu- 
 tions of religion and education. Died, January 17, 1717-18, in Little 
 Compton, in the 78tli year of his age." 
 Flag-, presented to the town of Bristol by Nath'l Byfleld, in 1723. Made 
 
 of silk, with handsome staff, with silver pike and mountings, made in 
 
 1710. L. by the town of Bristol. 
 The lower end of the staff of this flag was thrust into the trunk of an 
 old, decayed mazzard cherry tree, to keep it in a perpendicular position. 
 There was a relevancy in this. This old tree is the last of a large number 
 imported by Byfleld from England soon after the settlement of the town. 
 They stood on both sides of the Poppasquash road, leading south from the 
 residence of Stephen T. Church. There are persons noAv living who 
 remember when some of these trees bore fruit. In the great September 
 gale of ISlo, numbers of these trees were prostrated, and those that were 
 left standing showed no signs of life afterward. The writer of this remem- 
 bers when a boy, that numbers of these knarled and twisted trunks were 
 standing spectres of a dead past, like so many mailed sentries, challenging 
 the new generation. This old trunk, the last of all its companions, has 
 been reverently kept by Mrs. Rogers and her sister, Miss Charlotte 
 DeWolf, and was sent over from Poppasquash, with other interesting 
 relics, for the exhibition. 
 Sword and Epaulets, worn by Benj. Wilcox during the war of the 
 
 Revolution, 1. by Benj. W. Davis. 
 Mr. "VVilcox was a revolutionary patriot and soldier, but died at a good 
 old age, a short time before Congress passed an act granting pensions. 
 British Musket, plowed up near Quaker Hill, Portsmouth, R. I , by 
 
 Isaac Anthony, about 1779, 1. by Edward Anthony, Jr. 
 Shot and Balls, lodged in the house of Hon. Benj. Bourne during the 
 
 bombardment of Bristol by Wallace, 1775, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 Iron Shot, four pounder, fired into the Walley house, on State street, 
 
 during the bombardment of Bristol, by Wallace, in 1775,1. by William 
 
 J. Miller. 
 Sextant, used by Capt. John DeWolf during his early voyages. 
 Compass, made in Lisbon, 1719, and used on board of the ship " San 
 I Jose," captured by " Tom Jones," in the brig "Yankee." L. by Mrs. 
 
 E. A. Diman. 
 Handcuff and Shackles, used on board old Bristol slave ships. 
 Camp Broiler, used during the Revolution, 1. by Mrs. R. S. Andrews. 
 Musket, (Queen Anne), 1745, 1. by Capt. Peleg R, Rose. 
 Brass Rstol, 1745, " " " " " " 
 
 Brass Mounted Sword, 1789, I. by Capt. Peleg R. Rose. 
 
148 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Cannon Ball and Grape Shot, fired by British, and plowed up on 
 
 the fnvm of Capt Wm. H. West, at Bristol Ferry, 1. by Wm. H. West, Jr. 
 Two Flint-Lock Muskets, 1 by Jesse Gladding. 
 Cartridge and Grape Shot, " " " '• 
 
 Wooden Lock, " " " " 
 
 Chopping- Knife, over 150 years old, 1. by Mrs. Asha Card. 
 Boot Jack, 1715, 1 by J. A. C.^ Gladding. 
 
 China Till, from the old Lee house, 1 by Mrs. Josephus Gooding. 
 Pewiier Plate, about 200 years old, 1. by Samuel Coggeshall. 
 Spinning "Wheel, I. by Jesse Gladding 
 Sword, used by first Colonel (Samuel Wardvvell) of Bristol Artillery, 
 
 1. by M. A. DeW. Howe. 
 Gentleman's Dress Sword, of last century, 1. by V. G. Peck. 
 Large Bombshell, fired by the British at the bombardment of Bristol 
 
 by Wallace, 1775, and found in the garden of Jonathan Russell, on 
 
 Hope street, 1 by J. R. Bullock. 
 Leg of Camp Bedstead, used in the Revolutionary war by Stephen 
 
 Smith, 1. by J. R. Bullock, 
 Bassoon and Drum, the latter used at Fort Dumpling in war of 1812, 
 
 1. by George Alger. 
 Canteen, used by Preserved Abell during the war of the Revolution, 1. 
 
 by Miss E. Morse. 
 Double-barrelled Fhnt-lock Pistol, 1. by Loring Coggeshall. 
 Pair of Flint-lock Duelling Pistols, 1- by Lewis H. DeWolf. 
 Scales, with six weights, for weighing gold dust, used by Capt. Levi 
 
 DeWolf on the west coast of Africa, 1790, 1. by Cordelia L. Allen. 
 Grape Shot, found on the shore of Bristol Harbor imbedded in a stone, 
 
 where it had worn a deep hole, probably by motion caused by the 
 
 tide. From the shape and size supposed to have been fired, by the 
 
 British. L. by Dr. J. C. Gallup. 
 Brass Camp Candlesticks, 1- by Mrs. G. Sherman. 
 Cup, made from part of man-o'-war Constitution, 1 by Mrs. J, DeW. 
 
 Perry. 
 Flag, flown by Star of the West, when attempting to re inforce Fort 
 
 Sumpter, April, 1860, and the first flag fired upon during the war of 
 
 the rebellion. L. by C. Evans. 
 Whaleboat, made by W. C. Manchester, 1. by W. C. Manchester, Jr. 
 Dressing Case, carried during the Revolutionary war, by Gen. James 
 
 M. Varnum, 1. by Mrs. James DeW. Perry. 
 Pin Case, of enamelled copper, belonging to the wife of Gen. Varnum, 
 
 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 Fans, of 100 years ago, 1. by Mrs J. DeWolf Perry. 
 Pan, about 150 years old, formerly owned by the wife of Prof. Winthrop, 
 
 of Harvard College, 1. by Mrs. R. S. Andrews. 
 Fans, of the olden time, 1. by John DeWolf. 
 "Woven Silver Garters, with Knee Buckles set with Stones, 
 
 worn by James Brown over 100 years ago, l.by the Misses Herreshofi". 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 149 
 
 FuU Set Silver Buttons, worn over 100 years ago, 1. by the Misses 
 Herreshoff. 
 
 Silver Buttons, 150 years old, 1. by Betsey 11. Chadvvick. 
 
 Buttons, jnade 120 years ago, from shells picked up on the shores of the 
 Mediterranean, 1. by the Ilerreshofts. 
 
 Shoe Buckles, Brilliants and Sapphires, formerly worn by Levi 
 DeWolf, 1, by Mrs. T. DeW. Colt. 
 
 Silver Shoe Buckles, owned and worn by Benjamin Miller as early as 
 1750. He was the great-great grandfather of the present owner. L. 
 by William J. Miller. 
 
 Old-fashioned Tortoise Shell Combs, 1. by C. H. Norris. 
 
 Silver Knee Buckles and Shoe Buckles, 1- by Mrs. Clara D, 
 DeWolf. 
 
 Silver Knee Buckles, set with stones and curious old gold ring, 1. by 
 Mrs. Viets G. Peck. 
 
 Carved Shell Comb, 1. by Miss Ida L. Munro. 
 
 Six Silver Buttons, 150 years old, 1. by Benj. Davis. 
 
 Very Old Silver 'Watch, 1. by Miss C. M. Khepard. 
 
 Interesting- Collection of Rings and Jewelry, worn by old Bris- 
 tol people, 1. by Mrs. Clara D. DeWolf. 
 
 Spectacles, 206 years old, 1. by Benj. Dawley. 
 
 Snuff Box, very old, formerly belonged to " Mann " May, 1. by Mrs. 
 Morgan. 
 
 Mourning Pin, over 100 years old, with gold setting, 1. by Mrs. Char- 
 lotte Goode. 
 
 Gold Suspender Buckles, worn by Capt. Daniel Morice, 1. by Mrs. 
 E. S. Babbitt. 
 
 Ring, set with Stones, formerly worn by Col. Sim. Potter,!, by Mrs. 
 M. J. Mason. 
 
 Two Gold Watches, enamelled and set with stones, 1. by Messrs. .1. 
 and B. D. DeWolf. 
 
 Pocket Book, 1748, 1. by Bennett J. Muuro. 
 
 Cane, of the Hon. Benj. Bourne, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 
 Cane, made from the flagship Lawrence, commanded by Com. O. H. 
 Perry on Lake Erie, in 1813, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 
 Cane, cut on the coast of Africa, by Com. M. C. Perry, when command- 
 ing the fleet to suppress the slave trade, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 
 Cane, made from the keel of the '• Gaspee," presented to the late John 
 Brown Herreshofi", by Col. Ephraim Bowen, in 1825, then the only sur- 
 vivor of the Gaspee expedition. The gift to Mr. Herreshofi" was in 
 honor of his grandfather, John Brown, who planned and headed the 
 expedition. L. by C. F. Herreshofi'. 
 
150 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 ARTICLES OF DRESS, ETC. 
 
 Piece of "Wedding Dress, worn by Esther Powell, daughter of 
 
 Gabriel Bernon, the French Huguenot, 1. by Esther Powell Snow. 
 Silk Dress, embroidered in colors, over 100 years old, formerly worn 
 
 by Mrs. Levi Lane, maternal grandmother of Mrs. C. F. Herreshoff 
 Piece of "Wedding Dress, of figured sill?, damask, of Prudence Miller, 
 
 who was married to Ebenezer Cole, January 9th, 1737, 1. by William 
 
 J. Miller. 
 Satin Vest, elegantly embroidered in delicate patterns, with silk and 
 
 spangles, formerly owned by James Brown, over 100 years old, 1. by 
 
 C. F. Herreshoff. 
 
 Piece of Silk Dress, formerly worn by Mrs. Simeon Potter, 1. by Mrs. 
 
 J. D. Mason. 
 Cotton Dress, a relic of 1765, 1. by Mrs. John Collins. 
 Brocade Silk Dress, with large brilliant floral pattern, presented by 
 
 Capt. James Gibbs to his daughter about 1730-40. 1. by Mrs. Rogers. 
 Very Old Gold Pin, 1. by Miss M. E. Bourn. 
 Perfume Bag, brought from abroad, 1756, 1. by George J Adams. 
 Pair of Curious Outside Stays, very finely stitched, worn over 150 
 
 years ago, 1. by Mrs. James B. White. 
 Very old Stitched Needle Book, 1. by Loring Coggeshall. 
 Wedding Vest, silk, with fine silk embroidery, 112 years old, 1. by 
 
 V^iets G. Peck. 
 Old-fashioned Reticule, and two Pieces of Embroidery, loO 
 
 years old, done in Kensington stitch, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 Two Figured Gauze Veils, one green, and one white, 1. by Mrs. 
 
 Morgan. 
 Two Samplers, one worked by Sarah Martindale, 1759, one by Nancy 
 
 Martindale, 1761, 1. by Mrs. Geo. J. Adams. 
 Piece of Embroidery, the work of Eliza Almy, great-granddaughter 
 
 of Col. Job Almy, of the Pocasset Purchase, 1. by Mrs. James Corthell. 
 Sampler, worked in 1785, by Hannah Drown, 1. by Miss H. B. Luther. 
 Mortuary Piece, 1. by Allen B Sandford. 
 Wedding Dress of Mrs. John Brown, great-great-grandmother of 
 
 the Herreshoff family, heavy white watered silk, 1. by the Misses 
 
 Herreshoff. 
 Silk Dress, worn by Mrs. Brown, gorgeous brocaded bunches of 
 
 flowers on light ground, 1. by Mrs. C. L. H. Chesbro'. 
 Wedding Dress of Abby A. Diman, wife of Gov. Byron Diman, 
 
 with mantle, and thread hice veil, all elaborately embroidered by hand; 
 
 satin shoes, lace, etc., 1. by Mrs. C. D. DeWolf. 
 Part of Wedding Dress of Mrs. Z. Leonard, 1750, 1. by Mrs. C. 
 
 D. DeWolf. 
 
 Old Silk Dresses, 1. by Miss C. DeWolf and Mrs. Rogers. 
 Traveling Bag and Child's Shoes, 1- by Daniel Tanner. 
 Framed Needlework, 1. by Mrs. Chas. F. Herreshoff, Jr. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 151 
 
 DOCUMENTS AND OLD PAPERS. 
 
 History of the "World, by Sir Walter Raleigh, published iu 1614, 1. 
 
 by Miss E. 15. Diinan. 
 Letter written by Gen. Washington to his "Wife, iiitroduciug 
 
 James Brown, uncle of C. F. Herreshoff, 1. by C. F. Ilerreshoff. 
 Bible, 200 years old, given by Mary Holmes to her daughter, Mrs. Benja- 
 min Taylor, now owned and loaned by Mrs. Asha A. Card. 
 Bible, belonged to the grandmother of Bennet J. Munro, presented by 
 
 her uncle on her 17th birthday, 1748, 1. by Miss Sarah B Munro. 
 Child's Picture Book of "Ye Olden Time," 1. by Miss Sarah B. 
 
 Munro. 
 Leaves, from the Pulpit Prayer Book used in St. Michael's Church 
 before the Revolutionary war, and torn up by the Americans at that 
 time, because of the prayers it contained for the King and Royal fam- 
 ily, 1. by Mrs. M. Luther Simmons, and Miss Lizzie Simmons. 
 Prayer Book, formerly used by Rev. John Usher, and containing sev- 
 eral services not now used, 1. by Mrs. M. Luther Simmons. 
 Subscription Paper, for starting the first Methodist Church in Bristol, 
 
 1. by Augustus N. Miller. 
 Public Document, Proceedings of R. I. Legislature, 1763, 1. by Mrs. 
 
 John Gravlin. 
 Commission of Jonathan Russell, first Collector of the port of 
 Bristol. This Commission is dated in 1804, and signed by Thomas Jef- 
 ferson, President, and James Madison, Secretary of State. L. by J. 
 Russell Bullock. 
 Book, The Fulfilling of the Scripture, published in 1671, once owned by 
 Hopestill Potter. It has been in Bristol siuce the early history of the 
 town. L. by Miss Annie F. Munro. 
 One Very Large Bible, 1. by John P. Simmons. 
 New Bng-land Primer, 1- by Miss Emily Morse. 
 Two Manuscript Sermons, by Rev. John Williams, 1. by Miss Emily 
 
 Morse. 
 Collection of Continental Money, 1 by Miss Emily Morse. 
 Life of Israel Potter, a Revolutionary soldier, 1. by Geo. J. Adams. 
 
 Israel Potter enlisted a private in Col. Patterson's regiment, one of the 
 first regiments raised iu this State. He was severely wounded in the bat- 
 tle of Bunker Hill. In July, 1775, he volunteered as a seaman on board 
 of the armed brigantine Washington, Capt. Sion Martiudale, and was cap- 
 tured and sent over to England a prisoner, where he remained iu exile 
 more than fifty years. He finally returned to this country iu his old age 
 with an only son, the sole survivor of a large family. 
 Diary of Rev. Henry "Wight, from 1721 until 1812, containing an 
 account of the "dark day," May, 1780, the earthquake iu New En- 
 gland, etc., etc., 1. by Mrs. E. A. Diman. 
 
152 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Almanac, 1C82, with notes, recipes, etc., in writing, 1. by Mrs. E. A. 
 
 Diniau. 
 Eight Sermons, preached bj' Rev. John Burt before the Revolution, 1. 
 
 by Mrs. E. A. Diman. 
 Deed, signed by John Walley, 1685, 1. by Mrs. E. A. Diman. 
 Book, containing a copy of the original constitution of the United States, 
 
 1. by H. Herbert Bosworth. 
 Deed, signed by the four original proprietors of Bristol, Nath'I Byfleld, 
 
 John Walley, Nath'I Oliver, Stephen Burton, 1. by S. Pomeroy Colt. 
 Copy of the Ne"wport Mercury, March 11, 1760, 1. by John DeWolf. 
 Copy of the N. Y. Gazette, November 15, 1773, 1. by John DeWolf. 
 Copy of Newport Mercury, the type for printing of which was set 
 
 by Benj. Franklin, 1. by Miss C. DeWolf and Mrs. M. DeW. Rogers. 
 A number of old New York and Boston Papers, sent to Bris- 
 tol subscribers, 1. by George B. Diman. 
 Commission of "Wilham Munro, as Justice of the Peace, 1748, 
 
 signed by ye Gov. Wm. Greene, 1. by Miss Annie F. Munro. 
 Manuscript Letter of Gov. William Coddington, 1718, to Wil- 
 liam Munro, 1. by Miss A. F. Munro. 
 Manuscript Letter of Nath'I Byfleld, 1720, 1. by Miss A. F. Munro. 
 Manuscript Bill from Dr. Tallman, 1721, 1. by Miss A. F. Munro. 
 An Appeal to the Court at Cambridge, from a judgment by 
 
 Nath'I Blagrove, Judge of Probate, by Nath'I Kay and William Munro, 
 
 1730, 1. by Miss Annie F. Munro. 
 Contract, between Christo. Hopkins and Simeon Potter, for the delivery 
 
 of a six-pounder carriage gun, 1759, 1. by Miss Annie F. Munro. 
 Very Old Newspaper, 1- by J. Gladding. 
 Old Deeds, 1. by Mrs J. R. Gardner. 
 History of Demonology, 1- by Miss M. G. DeWolf. 
 English Liberties, farewell Sermons, 1. by Samuel B. Coggeshall. 
 Judge Bourne's Commission, signed by John Adams, 1. by Mrs. J. 
 
 DeW. Perry. 
 History of Britain, 1C71, by John Milton, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 Boston Gazette, 1749, •' " " " " 
 
 Boston Evening Post, 1749, " " " " " 
 
 The Massachusetts Continental, 1788, " " " " " " 
 Funeral Sermon, on the death of Gov. William Bradford, by Rev. 
 
 Alexander V. Griswold, Bristol, 1808, 1. by William J. Miller. 
 Funeral Oration, tlelivered at R. I. College, 1775, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. 
 
 Perry. 
 Funeral Sermons, on old Bristol people, by Rev. H. Wight, I. by Mrs. 
 
 Clara D. DeWolf. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 153 
 
 INDIAN RELICS. 
 
 The committee knowing tliat many specimens of Indian stone relics 
 had been found at and near Bristol, desired to make a fine display of the 
 same, and requested Mr. Chaulks Gorton, of Providence, to place on 
 exhibition in the Town Hall, selections from his cabinet of Rhode Island 
 Indian stone implements. He cheerfully complied with the request, also 
 drawing attention to the following quotation he had made from Hutchin- 
 son's Massachusetts, from a copy In the John Carter Brown Library : " At 
 the beginning of Philip's war it was generally agreed that the Narragan- 
 sett tribe consisted of 2,000 lighting men. They were the most curious 
 coiners of the Wampurapeag, and supplied the other nations with many 
 pendants and bracelets, also with tobacco pipes of stone, some blue, and 
 some white. They furnished the earthern vessels and pots for cookery, 
 and other domestic uses." The following is a list of the specimens placed 
 on exhibition by Mr. Charles Gorton : 
 
 1. Steatite Pot, from the Angell, Johnston, Indian Quarry. 
 
 2. Pipe, found in a grave near Silver Spring. 
 
 3. Sinker, found on the Hon. S. W. Church farm, Bristol. 
 
 4. Two specimens of Bracers, found in a grave near Silver Spring, 
 
 5. Spindle Whirl, from a grave near Apponaug. 
 
 6. Slickstone, found in East Providence, near Fort Hill. 
 
 7. Two frames of Arrow Points, found for the most part on Warwick 
 plains, consisting of nearly all the varieties. 
 
 8. Lot of Borers, Awls and Drills, found at Wickford. 
 
 9. Amulet, found on the Armington farm. Kettle Point. 
 
 10. Four Pipes, found at Bristol, Quidnesset, Wickford and Poto- 
 womut. 
 
 11. Gouge, found in Coventry. 
 
 12. Skin Dresser, from Newport, 
 
 13. Chisel, from Pawtucket. 
 
 14. Roller, from Field's Point. 
 
 15. Pestle, found in an Indian grave at Swan Point. 
 
 16. Axe, found while excavating for the Rhode Island Hospital Trust 
 Company building, South Main street. Providence. 
 
 17. Stone Mask, found in 1873, at Field's Point, one of only three spec- 
 imens known in the United States. 
 
 18. Arrow Points, in process of formation, found near Old Maids' Cove. 
 
 19. Pipe, from Rumstick Point. 
 
 20. Hematite, or War Paint, found in a grave near Newport. 
 
 21. Two Copper Spoons, from a grave at Charlestown. 
 
 22. Spear Points, found on Point Judith. 
 
 23. Knife Blades, from difl'erent parts of the State. 
 
 24. Stone, used in Indian games, from Wickford. 
 
 20 
 
154 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 25. Scraper, used with metal to produce fire, from Prudence Island. 
 
 26. Harrow Points, from Charlestown. 
 
 27. Hatchet, fouud near Appouaug. 
 
 28. Polished Celt, from Charlestown. 
 
 29. Hematite Paint Cup, from East Providence. 
 
 30. Sling Stone, from Warwick. 
 
 31. One foot of Bone Money, fouud in a grave In a sand hill, near 
 Apponaug. 
 
 32. Seven feet of Wampumpeag, found on the farm of George W. 
 Greene, Bristol. 
 
 33. Five feet of Wampum, found on the Poor Farm, Bristol. 
 
 34. Four feet of Wampum, fouud on the Dyer farm, near Devil's Foot 
 Rock, Wickford. 
 
 35. Four feet of Wampum, fouud in a grave in a sand hill, on the Dyer 
 farm, near Wickford. 
 
 36. Arrow, showing the manner of attaching the point. 
 
 37. Iron Hatchet, showing imprints of blanket, from an Indian grave, 
 George W. Greene farm, Bristol. 
 
 38. Copper Cup, in which Wampumpeag was found in a grave on 
 George W. Greene's ftirm. 
 
 Mr. Gorton exhibited many other Indian Stone Relics of eqiial interest, 
 also a Deed of a Slave, dated at Newport, R. I., 1746; also an autographic 
 letter of Samuell Gorton, dated Warwick, R. I., 1649; also a package of 
 Colonial and Continental Currency. 
 
 Stone Tomahawk and Pestle, loaned by Mrs. Clara D. DeWolf. 
 
 Two large Stone Axes, 1. by C. F. HerreshoflF, Jr. 
 
 Two Stone Axes, 1. by Jesse Gladding. 
 
 Indian Hammer, " " " " 
 
 String of Wampum, 1. by. Jesse Gladding. 
 
 String of Wampum, 1. by George W. Greene. 
 
 Indian Pestle, 1. by " " " 
 
 Indian Pipes, " " " " " 
 
 Indian Stone Implements, 1. by Mrs. J. DeW. Perry. 
 
 Kernels of Charred Corn, picked up on the site of the old Indian For- 
 tress, in South Kingstown, the place of the Great Swamp fight, December 
 19, 1675, more than two hundred years ago— and yet they are well pre- 
 served, and some of the kernels quite perfect. Dug up August 19, 1873. 
 L. by William J. Miller. 
 
 A fact worthy of mention, connected with this Loan Exhibition, is, that 
 notwithstanding the large number of articles, and the freedom with which 
 many of them were handled, not a single article was broken or missed in 
 the entire collection. 
 
oorrespo:n^dexoe. 
 
 Newport, K. I., 8 September, 1880. 
 I am very grateful to the town of Bristol for doing me the honor of 
 inviting me to join in celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of its 
 existence ; and I regret exceedingly that it will not be in my power to be 
 its guest on that auspicious day. With the hope that its history for the 
 next two hundred years may be as beautiful and patriotic and happy as 
 for the last, 
 
 I am, most heartily. 
 
 Its greatly obliged well wisher, 
 
 GEO. BANCROFT. 
 
 Consulate of the United States, 
 Lisbon, Sept. 1st, 1880. 
 LeBaron B. Colt, Esq., President of the Bi- Centennial Committee of Bristol : 
 
 Dear Sir: — I have much pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of the 
 invitation of tlie Bi-Ceutenulal Committee of the town of Bristol, to be 
 present at the celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the settle- 
 ment of the town, on tlie 24th of September, 1880. 
 
 I regret very much tliat the long distance of my present residence from 
 my native town, and my official duties here, render it impossible for me to 
 be present, which would be to me a great pleasure. 
 
 I am proud to be a son of Bristol, and although I am separated from it 
 by three thousand miles of space, and eighteen years of time, yet my 
 interest in it is the same as ever. 
 
 During that time more than two thousand of the inhabitants of the town 
 have died, and among them many of my old friends and acquaintances ; 
 yet as a proof of the conservative character of the town, I find on your 
 committee of forty-five that all but three are old friends and acquaintances. 
 
 Descended, as I am, from the earliest settlers of the town, having cast 
 ray first vote as a landholder on land which had never been out of my 
 family since the original charter was granted, having been made a repre- 
 sentative of the town at a very early age in the legislature, and always 
 
156 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 having taken the greatest interest in the annals, local history, as well as 
 the prosperity of the town, you can well imagine the sympathy I feel in 
 the reiiuion you are about to celebrate. 
 
 With my best wishes for the good health and prosperity of you, and your 
 fellow committeemen, as well as all our fellow townsmen in the good old 
 town of Bristol, 
 
 I remain. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 HENRY W. DIMAN. 
 
 Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, Aug. 13, 1880. 
 Mr. LeBaron Colt, President of Committee : 
 
 Dear Sir: — lam in receipt of your invitation to attend, as a " Son of 
 Bristol," the two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of that town. 
 I regret that I shall be unable to accept, in person, but shall, in heart, be 
 with you all. I should be very happy to clasp the hands of old-time 
 schoolmates and friends, after an absence of thirty years, but the pleasure 
 is denied me. On the "day we celebrate," I will drink to " Bristol, its 
 sons and its daughters," hoping at some not far distant day, to meet and 
 
 greet them all. 
 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 GEO. T. BOURNE. 
 
 Chicago, Sept. 17, 1880. 
 Messrs. LeBaron B. Colt, William J. Miller and Edward Babbitt, Com- 
 mittee, etc. : 
 
 Gentlemen : — Your highly valued communication of the first of Sep- 
 tember inst., inviting me to unite with the sons and daughters of Bristol 
 on the 24th instant, in celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of the 
 settlement of our venerated town, was duly received. Among the lasting 
 regrets of my life will be that of not being able to have been with you in 
 person on that interesting occasion. But be assured I shall be there in 
 spirit, and on that day shall at least in imagination listen to the eloquent 
 words of Prof. Diman, as he calls up from the dim and misty past the 
 many events of interest in our town's history; and to Bishop Howe, who 
 will invest the stories of the past as only 
 
 " He best can paint tbem, who shall feel them most." 
 
 And now wishing you perfect success in your undertaking, hoping and 
 fondly believing that the future of Bristol maybe even more than the past, 
 I look in imagination down the vista of Time to that day 
 
 " When other men our lands shall till, 
 When other men our streets will fill, 
 And other birds will sing as gay, 
 As bright the sunshine as to-day. 
 Two hundred years from now." 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BKISTOL. 157 
 
 William J. Miller, Esq. : 
 
 My Dear Sir:— I duly received your Committee's note of invitation to 
 the Bi-Centeunial, and since then a similar one from your President, Mr. 
 Colt. To-day I reply addressing myself to the Committee. lean assure 
 you I am much grieved at the thought of not being with you on the 24th. 
 I have had no- time to prepare any proper expression of my thoughts fit 
 for the occasion, and can only, send my best wishes. 
 Yours with warm regard, 
 
 WILLIAM F. D'WOLF, 
 Chicago, 111., 226 Dearborn avenue. 
 
 Jerseyville, 111., September 18, 1880. 
 LeBaron B. Colt, Esq., Bristol, B. I. : 
 
 My Dear Sir : — Mrs Warren and I each received from you as President 
 of the Committee, your kind and cordial invitation to attend the Bi-Cen- 
 tennial Anniversary of the town of Bristol, and we desire to express to 
 you our thanks for your kindly remembrance of us, and our unfeigned 
 regrets on account of our inability to be present on that delightful occa- 
 sion. Although nearly forty-tive years have elapsed since I left the home 
 of my boyhood, and many new and strong ties now bind me to the West, 
 yet the very name of the dear old town of Bristol, awakens in my mind a 
 host of pleasant memories, and I long to revisit the place where the sunny 
 days of ray childhood and youth were spent, clouded only by the sad 
 bereavement I suffered in the death of my mother, whose dust now reposes 
 in your cemetery. I can conceive of nothing temporal in its nature, that 
 would afford my wife and myself so much pleasure as this contemplated 
 reiinion of the sons and daughters of Bristol, if we could be with you. It 
 seems to me that it would be a foretaste of the blessed reiinion of the 
 redeemed in the bright home above the skies. There are living in Bristol 
 many of our kindred whom we have never seen, and we should be most 
 happy to meet them and exchange fraternal greetings, and together trace 
 out our common lineage, and have our hearts bound with quicker pulsa- 
 tions as hand clasped hand in mutual recognition of the sacred ties of 
 blood binding us together. Time has also spared a few whose faces we 
 have seen and whose visages as they appeared in youth still sweetly linger 
 in our memories. Oh! what joy it would give us to greet them once 
 more on this side of the " river." I often think of your mother as I last 
 saw her in Bristol, in the bloom and beauty of her girlhood, and her 
 beautiful image is before me now as I write, and I grieve that I may not 
 see her again. Circumstances beyond my control prevent my leaving here 
 at this time, and I am compelled to forego the delight it would afford me 
 to be with you. A kind Providence has favored me since my removal 
 from Bristol. I came here a youth, and am now a. patriarch. I have eight 
 children, four sons, and four daughters, all married but one, and my 
 grandchildren now number seventeen. I have lost by death one child, and 
 
 i 
 
158 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 oue grandchild. My family are nil pleasantly situated, and if I should 
 briug them all with me to your Bi-Centeuuial, the number in attendance 
 would be very materially increased; and I don't think Bristol would feel 
 dishonored by the twenty-Jive lineal descendants of that son and daughter 
 of hers who left her pleasant shores and her shady streets more than forty 
 years ago, to seek a home in the " Prairie State." 
 
 With our kind regards to your mother, and our best wishes for the 
 health and prosperity of all our old friends in the dear old town, 
 I am very truly yours, 
 
 GEO. E. WARREN. 
 
 New York, Sept. 10th, 1880. 
 Mr. Wm. J. Miller, Committee, etc. : 
 
 My Deau Fellow Townsman : — The kind manner in which you have 
 communicated to me the inviatiou of your committee to be present at the 
 celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of Bristol, 
 the home of my ancestors; and the gratitude I feel for the honor con- 
 ferred upon me, will constrain me, if possible, to comply with your invita- 
 tion. If not, I shall endeavor to comply with the request to favor you 
 "with a letter embodying such thoughts as the occasiou may prompt"; 
 which, of course, will contain the greater part of my intended speech. 
 
 Should our descendants inherit, and copy, the integrity, energy and 
 piety of our forefathers, the sons of Bristol will already have made sure 
 the prayer for her " esto perpetna," which is fervently breathed for her by 
 the oldest of her surviving children, 
 
 BENJAMIN BOSWORTH SMITH. 
 
 Rev. John Burt Wight. 
 
 Wayland, Mass., Sept 21st, 1880. 
 To Mr. William J. Miller, Committee : 
 
 Dear Sir :— My father's hand trembles so much that it is quite impos- 
 sible for him to use it in writing, but at your request I will send you some 
 of the recollections of his early boyhood. 
 
 He says : " I have never kept a diary, and must in my account be guided 
 by definite impressions made on my mind by passing events. Bristol was 
 purchased and settled by four English gentlemen. They probably were 
 impressed by its commercial position and the remarkable beauty of its 
 locality. In my boyhood I went frequently to a house near Mt. Hope, 
 built by one of these gentlemen. It was then occupied by Governor Brad- 
 ford. The walls of oue room were hung with tapestry, representing the 
 story of Jephtha and his daughter, the figures of life size. The streets 
 were laid out with great regularity, and ornamented by hundreds of the 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 159 
 
 mazzard cherry trees, brought from England ; as these trees decayed from 
 age, they were replaced by the Lombardy poplar, 
 
 "My mother was in delicate health, and some gentlemen of my father's 
 society presented her with a chaise, which was the second covered wheel 
 carriage in town ; but in a few years chaises had become so numerous 
 that a party of gentlemen and ladies rode out to meet my father on his 
 return from his annual visit to Boston, and had a tea drinking at Warren. 
 
 " I went to school with other small children to Madam Burt, the widow 
 of the former clergyman. Afterwards Mr. Joseph Rawson taught a pri- 
 vate school in the Court House. He was a very able man, and a good 
 teacher. 
 
 " Then a spacious academy building was erected. It contained a hall, 
 used for occasional meetings of the Legislature, and other purposes ; also 
 a library room. This room was occupied by a Proprietors' Library. 
 
 "The town had been furnished with a few of the leading theological 
 works, which were kept in the meeting-house for the perusal of the peo- 
 ple who remained during the interval of religious services. The Proprie- 
 tors' Library consisted of miscellaneous books, the popular tales, histo- 
 ries, travels. At an early date Col. Simeon Potter, of Scituate, gave 
 several hundred dollars and a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica, in 
 twenty volumes, two with plates. These books were all imported from 
 London. The Library was called the Potter Library, in honor of Col. 
 Potter. 
 
 " Bristol, at an early period, was engaged in the slave trade. I recollect 
 seeing on the wharf long rows of hogsheads of New England rum, to be 
 sent to Africa for the purchase of slaves. My father took me with him to 
 see the last slave ship fitted out. It was owned by Philadelphians, and in 
 derision of scruples which were beginning to be felt, was called the 
 'Merry Quaker.' There were handcuffs hanging in the blacksmith's 
 shop. There were in town a number of Africans regarded as belonging to 
 particular families. These had special seats provided for them in the 
 upper gallery of the Congregational Church. They were headed by 
 Scipio Burt, the servant of the former minister. Scipio was generally 
 esteemed for his good nature and honesty, and was several years sexton 
 of the church. 
 
 "The neighboring ministers, acquaintances and friends of my father, or, 
 rather, some of them, were Drs. Hopkins and Patten, of Newport, Mr. 
 Watson, of Barrington, Mr. Pipond, of Taunton, Dr. Fobes, of Raynham, 
 Dr. Wilson, of Providence. My early years saw the discovery of electricity 
 by Dr. Franklin. There was much interest on the subject, and my father 
 gave fifty dollars for an electrical machine. The ladies came once a year 
 to visit at their minister's, each of them bringing two skeins of linen as a 
 present to his wife. There were two chimneys in the centre of the house, 
 and the doors could be opened all around. The favorite amusement was 
 to form a circle and receive an electric shock. 
 
 " The people of Bristol held funeral services on occasion of the death of 
 Washington. A coflin was carried in procession, an oration pronounced, 
 then the coffin was deposited in a tomb," 
 
160 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 My father is not quite as well as usual, and what I send you is the best 
 result I could obtain to-day. I do not know as it is at all what you want. 
 At eighty years my father would have been able to be in Bristol ou such 
 an occasion, but at ninety, of course he has failed in body and mind. 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 MARTHA B. WIGHT. 
 
 New York, Sept. 1, 1880. 
 LeBaron B. Colt, Esq., President: 
 
 Dear Sir : — I have received the invitation to attend the celebration of 
 the Bi-Centennial of the town of Bristol, and must thank the Committee 
 for the attention, wondering that I should, at this distance of time, have 
 been found out as one of her sons. 
 
 Believe me, I have not, without pleasure, written my birthplace as 
 Bristol, that sturdy little town, well known in the war of 1812, which then, 
 asserting her own, has not ceased to assert it to this hour. 
 
 The day for their first settlement at Bristol was chosen by our progen- 
 itors for good reasons doubtless ; probably for the best of all reasons, 
 necessity; but (what they could not be expected to foresee), its tvro 
 hundredth anniversary happens on a day when one of her sous, at least, 
 will be so engaged as to make it difficult, if not impossible, for him to be 
 absent from the home to which he has wandered. 
 
 It would give me great pleasure to visit my birthplace again. A town 
 two hundred years old may be proud of its antiquity in a country where 
 cities come to maturity in a decade, having hardly known infancy, and 
 quite ignorant of such an idea as childhood. 
 
 I trust the day may pass to the satisfaction and triumph of those present 
 sons and daughters of their venerable parent, who have had the courage, 
 as well as filial affection, to undertake to do her honor. 
 
 I would be glad, under such auspices, to look again on the places which 
 seem very distinct to my recollection, albeit the long shadows of nearly 
 sixty years intervene. I fear the remembered vastness of many of them 
 would diminish greatly on actual sight. There was the Common, on 
 which took place the general training, with the great cannon and the 
 masterly manceuvres of the sham-fight, the journey across which was too 
 great to be undertaken alone ; the mighty harbor, the voyage over which 
 to the opposite shore wa^ only to be made in fair weather, and on a calm 
 day; the lofty height of Mount Hope, reached with much climbing, 
 rewarded by a fine lunch ; the church, whose vast proportions were sel- 
 dom quite filled by the congregation. Ah, sir, I fear the pleasure of the 
 pictures would be destroyed by too great familiarity now. It is well, per- 
 haps, that I cannot come. 
 
 Wishing every success to the effort to make the day worthy of the occa- 
 sion, I am respectfully, 
 
 And cordially yours, 
 
 MARLBOROUGH CHURCHILL. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAJL OF BRISTOL. 161 
 
 Calvary Ciiukcii, Rkctory, Manheim Strket, 
 
 Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 22, 1880. 
 Messrs. LeBaron B. Colt, Wm. J. Miller, Edtvard S. Babbitt, Committee : 
 Dear Sirs : — Pardou my delay in replying to your gratifying invitation 
 bearing date of September 1. My apology is absence from home, enforced 
 by an inflamed knee joint, which disabled me and prevented my return 
 until yesterday. I am still unable to walk, and accordingly am compelled 
 to decline the invitation which you kindly extend to me, 
 
 I sincerely regret that I cannot participate in this anniversary of my 
 native town, to renew early compansionship, and to recall pleasant mem- 
 ories. Of these many cluster around the old Academy, which is now sup- 
 planted by the Byfield School, and from which I passed to our Rhode 
 Island college, having been prepared by him who is now in Paradise, 
 exchanging the knowledge which is in part for that which is perfect. His 
 diversified acquirements, and his marked abilities as a teacher, being 
 joined with retiring, studious habits and great humility, never received 
 that public recognition which they deserved. But those of his pupils who 
 knew him intimately and affectionately, will, I am confident, feel that the 
 name of the Rev. N. B. Cooke should have a grateful mention at this anniver- 
 sary, and that his years of faithful and wise instruction made an enduring 
 impression upon those Bristol youth, who were so fortunate as to come 
 under the influence of his honest scholarship and of his manly meekness. 
 
 Other features of the town now erased recur to me as I write, such as 
 the two old wind mills, standing like two sentinels at each end of the 
 town, challenging the Quixotic exploits of us boys, who, disposed "to 
 run amuck and tilt at all we meet," with the vandal spirit of youth, 
 hastened their overthrow and gradual removal. 
 
 Amid these pleasant paths of memory one might wander on to the point 
 of weariness. I will halt here, wishing God's blessing upon dear old 
 Bristol, and a complete success for its Bi-Centennial Celebration. 
 
 Were I so fortunate as to form one of your goodly company, I would be 
 disposed to otter some such sentiment as this : If Cowper said truly that 
 " God made the country and man made the town," then should the moral 
 architects and artizans of our community build in harmony with the design 
 and beginning made by the Divine Originator, building up its morality 
 pure and undeflled as the unpolluted waters which encircle the town for 
 its protection and purification,— fostering manners gentle and graceful as 
 the curving lines of her shores — maintaining the straight paths of virtue 
 as her streets stand four square to all the winds that blow ; and as her 
 shores are ever ringing with the echoes and ripplings of the boundless sea 
 beyond, so may the blending of thought and action, of earnest tongue and 
 honest toil be telling of a near and larger future, and form a chime to 
 
 " Ring out false pride in place and blood, 
 The civic slander and the spite ; 
 Ring in the love of truth and right, 
 Ring in the common love of good." 
 
 Yours very truly, JAS, D'WOLF PERRY. 
 
 21 
 
162 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Akron, O., Sept. 15, 1880. 
 LeBaron B. Colt: 
 
 Dear Sir :— I received the kind invitation of your Committee to attend 
 the Reunion of the Sons and Daughters of Bristol, and I sincerely regret 
 that I cannot be present to celebrate with you that happy occasion. 
 
 Years have passed since I walked the shady streets of dear old Bristol. 
 In fancy I stand once more beneath the waving branches of the elms that 
 shadow my childhood's play-ground, the grassy Common; again I linger 
 by the shore, looking out upon the sparkling waves of old Narraganse.tt, 
 and take one long, delicious draught of that cool, invigorating air. I 
 breathe again— alas, the vision has vanished, and the smoke and fumes of 
 bituminous coal are wafted to me on the evening air, reminding me that 
 I am far away from those delightful ocean breezes, in the neighborhood of 
 a busy, bustling inland town. 
 
 How gladly would I meet (were it possible) with the many deaf friends 
 and old acquaintances who will, on the twent^'-fourth day of September, 
 throng the streets of our ancient town. 
 
 Hoping that the occasion may indeed be a joj'ous one to all present, I 
 remain, 
 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 Mrs. O. S. WARNER. 
 
 Sylvania, Bradford Co., Pa., May 7th, 1880. 
 To B. J. Munro, Esq. : 
 
 Dear Sir :— Yours of 1st inst. traveled slow, for some reason or other, 
 only reaching me last evening, 6th. In reply, shall be pleased to give 
 you any information that I can. I am always pleased to hear from any 
 one in our •' Father land." You said in your letter that you were going 
 to have a Centennial Celebration to celebrate the two hundredth anniver- 
 sary of its settlement (Bristol), and that you were going to invite all her 
 sons and daughters to "come home "and join you in that celebration. 
 Certainly it must be a pleasure beyond expression to tliose who have been 
 long absent in other lauds to visit the home of their childhood again on 
 such a day, devoted to the recollections of the past. Will it not be one of 
 the grandest days in her history, for many a gray-haired old man, as he 
 returns to the home of his childhood to stand again upon his native soil, 
 to look again upon the waters of the beautiful Narragansett, and seek out 
 his playgrounds of fifty years ago, though long absent, not forgotten? It 
 will renew their attachment to old Bristol again, if anything were neces- 
 sary to do it; but I do not know as there is, for her children, wherever 
 they may wander or seek homes in far-off lands, will remember her with 
 the same affectionate regard as the captive Hebrew remembered his much- 
 loved Jerusalem. I send to you such names as occur to me now ; perhaps 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 163 
 
 I shall think of some more, and will send them to you. Shall be pleased to 
 answer any inquiries, and hoping to be able to join you in the reiinion on 
 the 24th of September next, I remain. 
 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 HENRY B. CARD. 
 
 New Haven, Sept. 13, 1880. 
 Messrs. Colt, Miller and Babbitt, Committee : 
 
 Gentlemen :— I thank you for the invitation to me to be present at the 
 Centennial Celebration of the settlemeut of the town of Bristol. It would 
 give me great pleasure on many accounts to be present on that interesting 
 occasion. I hope that if my health, which has been and still is quite im- 
 perfect, permit, I will comply with your kind invitation. Fifty-four years 
 have passed since I resigned my pastorate in that agreeable place of resi- 
 dence. Yet I have not lost my attachment to that town, and to its highly 
 favored people. 
 
 It was through the kind ordering of a wise Providence that I was asso- 
 ciated with the venerable, kind-hearted senior pastor, Dr. Wight, as col- 
 league with him for eleven years. This pastoral relation was very 
 agreeable and uniformly harmonious. He was willing to assist me in any 
 of the ministerial labors incumbent on us. For many years he had been 
 the sole pastor, and was capable of giving advice to his junior associate. 
 We were together as mutual laborers in the same field of spiritual culture. 
 
 With him and his family we enjoyed that pleasant intercourse which 
 becomes the household of faith. The memory of it has given me pleasure 
 to this day. 
 
 The year 1820 was signalized by a precious and powerful revival of 
 religion. It was a truly pentecostal season. It commenced in our con- 
 gregation, and soon spread into the other congregations of the place. 
 The whole population was aroused and deeply interested, and converts by 
 the power of the Holy Spirit were multiplied. A deep solemnity and 
 religious joyfuluess pervaded the whole community. Worldly business 
 was for a time laid aside as far as practicable. Stores and shops were 
 closed, and attention to ordinary affiiirs was suspended. Attending relig- 
 ious meetings from day to day became the most important occupation. 
 An aged wealthy man met me in the street, and said with surprise, "What 
 does all this mean? It seems as if the people did not want to do much 
 else than to attend religious meetings." It was even so. 
 
 May the God of all grace soon give you such another copious effusion of 
 the Spirit which shall occasion great joy in fair old Bristol, and also joy 
 among the holy beings in heaven. 
 
 I hope to be with you on the day previous to the celebration. 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 J. MANN. 
 
164 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Chicago, Sept. 16, 1880. 
 
 Gentlemex: — I have received your kind invitation to attend the two 
 hundredth anniversary of the settlement of Bristol. I regret very much 
 ray inability to attend. The name of the town, something of its history, 
 and legends, were made familiar to me in childhood by the conversation 
 of my father and mother, who were born in its neighborhood. 
 
 Certainly one of the most heroic and interesting characters in all our 
 Indian annals was the great Chief of the Warapanoags. I hope to see the 
 rocky heights of Mt. Hope crowned with a monument to King Philip. 
 
 The day you celebrate will be full of the memories of the past, and hopes 
 for the future; not only for your town and State, but for the great 
 Republic, which has grown so rapidly and become so great. You will 
 join with me in the prayer that our country may continue to advance 
 through other centuries, and that the principles of liberty, regulated by law, 
 and based on virtue and intelligence, of which your State furnishes so 
 bright an example, may extend over the whole continent of America. 
 
 With many thanks, I am, gentlemen, 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 ISAAC N. ARNOLD. 
 Messrs. Colt, Miller and Babbitt, Committee. 
 
 Providence, September 20th, 1880. 
 William J. Miller, Esquire, Bristol : 
 
 Dear Sir : — Your communication, accompanied by an invitation to be 
 present at the celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the town of 
 Bristol on the 24th instant, has been received. 
 
 I have waited thus long before replying, in order that I might be able to 
 determine whether I could accept the invitation. My time, as I am now 
 situated, is not my own. 
 
 It would give me great pleasure to be present on that occasion and revive 
 8ome pleasant memories of men and things in Bristol forty years ago ; 
 but my official duties will require my presence in this city on that day. 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 JAMES C. HIDDEN. 
 
 Bkown University, Providence, Sept. 21, 1880. 
 Messrs. LeBaron B. Colt, Wm. J. Miller, and Edward S. Babbitt, Com- 
 mittee : 
 
 Gentlemen : — I have delayed replying to your polite invitation, in the 
 hope that I might And myself able to accept it; but I regret to say at this 
 late hour, that my college engagements for the 24th inst. compel me to 
 forego the great pleasure of being present at the celebration of the two 
 hundredth anniversary of the town of Bristol. I thank you for the invi- 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 165 
 
 tation to be present on an occasion of so great interest and importance, 
 and I pray you to accept my hearty wish, that the heavens may smile upon 
 you on that day, and that all fortunate influences may conspire to make It 
 a great and a good day in the history of your town. 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 J. L. LINCOLN. 
 
 Providence, Sept. 18, 1880. 
 Gentlemen :— I am greatly obliged to you for your polite invitation to 
 take part in the forthcoming celebration of the two hundredth anniversary 
 of the settlement of Bristol. It would give me great pleasure to be present 
 on the interesting occasion, but the state of my health compels me, very 
 reluctantly, to decline. I have deferred replying sooner to your invitation 
 in the hope that I might give a favorable reply. 
 Yours very respectfully, 
 
 JOHN R. BARTLETT. 
 Wm. J. Miller, Esq., for Committee. 
 
 Providence, Sept. 24, 1880. 
 Messrs. Colt, Miller and Babbitt, Bi-Cefitennial Committee: 
 
 Gentlemen :— It is with deep regret that I find myself precluded the 
 enjoyment of participating in your festivities to-day ; but a form of disease 
 which has kept me within doors for several days, is not so far mastered as 
 to render it prudent for me to risk the fatigue and excitement incident to 
 the occasion. While, therefore, I cannot participate with the throng in 
 the pleasures of the Bi-Centennial of your town, I feel prompted to con- 
 gratulate you on propitious skies, the zeal with which the inhabitants of 
 Bristol have entered into the work of preparation, and the skill, taste, and 
 good judgment exhibited by the Committee of Arrangements in executing 
 their plans. Bristol has an honorable history, and can justly boast a long 
 line of noble representative men. In the Revolutionary struggle — a suc- 
 cessful struggle for national life— no town in the Colony was more patri- 
 otic, or resisted the assaults of the enemy with more firmness ; and from 
 the day that the late venerable President of our Historical Society, John 
 Howland — then a mere stripling— joined the Company of Capt. Pearce, at 
 the Battery, for the defence of the town against the apprehended attack 
 of Wallace, until the present day, the patriotism and public spirit of its 
 people have never been questioned. That the inspirations of to-day will 
 energize that spirit for time to come, I cannot doubt, and that the Bristol 
 inhabitants of 1980 will prove worthy descendants of worthy sires, the 
 commemoration of the third century of the town's life will unquestionably 
 make clear. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 EDWIN M. STONE, 
 
166 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Messrs. LeBaron B. Colt, William J. Miller, Edward S. Babbitt, Committee : 
 Gentlemex : — Your Bi-Centennial Celebration will take place during the 
 first week of the session of the Supreme Court in this county, which pre- 
 cludes my accepting the very kind invitation with which you have honored 
 me. 
 
 I have long been interested in the history of Bristol, and it would afi'ord 
 me great pleasure to receive instruction in its facts from its students, 
 who in its study have had the aid and inspiration which locality always 
 affords, and I very sincerely regret that this pleasure will be denied me. 
 Very respectfully and truly yours, 
 
 W. P. SHEFFIELD. 
 Newport, Sept. 3, 1880. 
 
 PiJOViDENCE, R. I., Sept. 14, 1880 
 Messrs. LeBaron B. Colt, Wm. J. Miller, and Edward S. Babbitt: 
 
 Gentlemen :— I am very sorry that previous engagements will prevent 
 the acceptance of your invitation to be present at your Bi-Centennial. I 
 cannot make arrangements to change them. I trust that it will be a glad 
 and glorious day to the people of Bristol, and that from it may spring an 
 inspiration to a grand and noble future for the old town. It has passed 
 the period of adolescence ; may its maturity be marked by perpetual fresh- 
 ness and vigor, and by steady advancement in intelligence, morality, 
 religion, enterprise, and all those elements of prosperity and excellence so 
 tersely summed up in the motto of the town— virtue and industry. 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 D. A. WHEDON. 
 
 24 West St., Boston, 18th Sept., 1880. 
 Messrs. LeBaron B. Colt, W. J. Miller, Edward S. Babbitt : 
 
 Dear Sirs : — I regret that engagements beyond my control will prevent 
 my acceptance of your very kind invitation to be present at the celebra- 
 tion of the two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of Bristol, and to 
 show my sympathy in an event so deeply felt by your community. 
 
 Hoping that the recollection and example of the good old times will not 
 fade from the memories of the descendants of the fathers of New England, 
 I remain, gentlemen. 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 WM. W. GREENOUGH. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 167 
 
 Boston, 14 September, 1880. 
 My Dear Sir : — I have delayed answering your note, hoping I might be 
 able to attend your most interesting anniversary. But I find the severe 
 illness in my family renders this impossible, and I am very reluctantly 
 obliged to decline the part you honor me with. 
 
 Let me remind you that Mr. Heushaw B. Walley, of this city, (45 Kilby 
 street, and Chestnut street), is the representative of the family, and will, in 
 all probability, be able to attend. 
 
 Cordially yours. 
 
 WENDELL PHILLIPS. 
 Mr. E. S. Babbitt. 
 
 Tamworth Iron Works, N. H., Sept. 21, 1880. 
 E. S. Babbitt, Esq., Committee: 
 
 Dear Sir:— Your letter of 15th inst., enclosing invitation, was forwarded 
 to me at this place. 
 
 I thank you most cordially for both, and regret exceedingly that ill 
 health must prevent me from being with you on Friday next. 
 
 I have delayed answering your letter till I conld hear from my brother, 
 W. P. Walley, as I greatly hoped that he might be able to represent the 
 family, but he writes me that he will be unable to go. 
 
 I have written my cousin, Wendell Phillips, requesting him to convey 
 the invitation to Mr. J. C. Phillips. If he cannot be present, I don't know 
 of any descendant who will be able to dedicate the Walley tree, which I 
 deeply regret. I hope, however, the tree will bear the name of Walley, and 
 that it may live and flourish for centuries, and I shall take great pleasure 
 in visiting your town as soon as possible, and becoming acquainted with 
 the place where my ancestor lived. I have long desired to do so. 
 
 There is an oil painting of General Walley taken when he was quite 
 young, in the possession of a relative in California. I have a large photo- 
 graph of this picture, which I shall be happy to loan you for your exhibi- 
 tion. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 HENSHAW B. WALLEY. 
 
 Letters acknowledging receipt of invitation, and expressing regret at 
 inability to be present, were received from Judges Potter, Burges and 
 Knowles; Hon. W. B. Lawrence, Bishop Ilendricken; Wm. H.Nelson, 
 Esq., Chairman Board of Selectmen, Plymouth, Mass. ; F. Walley Perkins, 
 a descendant of John Walley; Profs. Bancroft, Appleton, Davis, Packard 
 and Blake, of Brown University, and others. 
 
168 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 First Light Infantry Veteran Association. 
 
 Providence, R. I., Sept. 8th, 1880. 
 Col. L. B. B. Colt, Chairman : 
 
 Dear Sir : — At a meeting of the First Light Infantry Veteran Associa- 
 tion held last evening, it was unanimously voted to visit Bristol, September 
 24th inst., and participate in the celebration of the two hundredth anni- 
 versary of the settlement of the town, and the Association would be 
 pleased to accept such position in the column as may be assigned them by 
 your Committee. 
 
 The Veterans have received and accepted an invitation from Col. A. C. 
 Eddy, to make his house their headquarters during their stay in Bristol. 
 Respectfully, 
 
 CHAS. C. ARMSTRONG, Clerk. 
 
 The following is the Roster of the F. L. I. V. Association, as furnished 
 by Col. Staples. In the procession they were preceded by their own band 
 in the costume of the year 1800 -B. P. Robinson, leader; also by the 
 National Band, of Providence, R. I , W. E. White, leader. 
 
 roster of f. l. i. v. a. 
 
 Colonel— Major-General William W. Brown. 
 
 Lt.-Colonel — Colonel Henry Staples. 
 
 Major — Major-General A. E. Burnside. 
 
 Adjutant— Captain D. S. Remington. 
 
 Clerk— Lieutenant C. C. Armstrong. 
 
 Treasurer— Col. Henry Staples. 
 
 Quartermaster— Captain J. T. Pitman, 
 
 Commissary— Lieutenant H. J. Steere. 
 
 Paymaster— Captain Samuel H. Thomas. 
 
 Surgeon— F. L. Wheaton, M. D. 
 
 Chaplain -Rt. Rev. T. M. Clark, D. D. 
 
 In two Companies of about one hundred men, as follows : 
 
 first company. 
 Captain— Colonel A. C. Eddy. 
 First Lieutenant— Colonel A. Crawford Greene. 
 Second Lieutenant— Lieutenant W. E. Barrett. 
 
 second company. 
 Captain— Major I. M. Potter. 
 First Lieutenant— Lieutenant H C. Bradford. 
 Second Lieutenant — Lieutenant D. B. Anthony. 
 
SONS AI^D DAUGHTERS. 
 
 The following is a list of the Sons and Daughters of Bristol, to whom 
 invitations were sent. Those marked with an asterisk were present at 
 the celebration : — 
 
 A. W. Ai'Cher, Rlclimond, Va, 
 Hon. G. W. Allen, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 Samuel J. All.vn, Taunton, Mass. 
 *Mr9. J. A. Angcll, Proviileiice, R. I. 
 
 " Kate L. Anthony, Foidliam, X. Y. 
 Miss A. Fannj' Alden, Marietta, Ga. 
 *Mrs. F. E Abbott, Worcester, Mass. 
 Mark A. D'W. Allen, Elizabeth, N. J. 
 Charles H. Alger, Chelsea, Mass. 
 ♦George J. Adams. Providence, II. I. 
 George Ackermaii, New Rochelle, N. Y. 
 Frank AcUerman, " " " 
 
 *Mrs. Lloj'd Aspinwall, New York. 
 Dr. Charles H. Alden, Hingham, Mass. 
 Mrs. Charles M. Adauis, Ashland, Mass. 
 " Helen Arnold, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 *Mrs. Sarah Allen, Fall River, Mass. 
 Mrs. Kate M. Allen, Flushing, L.I. 
 Samuel N. Allen, Newark Valley, N. Y. 
 Mrs. B. T. Allen, Worcester, Mass. 
 *Charles Allen, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 Miss Julia Allyn, Taunton, Mas.s. 
 Miss Sarah Albro, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Miss Jennie Allen, Stonington, Conn. 
 
 * " Minnie Allen, " " 
 Mrs. Perry Asken, IJaylis, Pike Co., 111. 
 
 * " Smith Albertson, Providence, li. I. 
 
 * " Bridget Andem, " " 
 Isaac.!. Austin, Jr., " " 
 *Mr3. Samuel Allen, Wairen, R. I. 
 James Allen, Berkshire, N. Y. 
 
 Mrs. Jame>< Allen, " " 
 
 Charles E. Albro, Fall River, Mass. 
 Henry L. Arnold, Colorado. 
 *Mrs. Mary A. Andrews, Warren, R. I. 
 
 * " Enoch Adams, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 William Anthony, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Mrs. Irene E. Alexander, Prov., R. I. 
 
 22 
 
 *Earl P. Bo wen, Fall River, Mass. 
 Wni. J. Bowen, New Bedford, " 
 Mrs. Frink Blood, East Prov., R. I. 
 *Miss Anne E. Baker, Providence, R. I. 
 31rs. Elliot W. Brainard, S. Glastonbury, 
 
 Conn. 
 Loring Brown, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 *Martha Bowen. Barrington, R. I. 
 *Percy Brown, Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Susan A. Barlow, Fall River, Mass. 
 
 " William Bennett, Warren, R. I. 
 *Mrs. Susan E. Bailey, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Miss Anne T. Baars, Grand Rapids, Mh. 
 J. Fred. Baars, " " " 
 
 Mrs. .Jane Bassit, Peoria, 111. 
 *Sainuel B. Bullock, Providence, R. I. 
 
 Daniel Bradford, Courtland, N. Y. 
 
 Gershom Bradford, " " 
 
 Miss Eliza Babeock, Providence, R. I. 
 
 Increase Bosworth, Elgin, 111. 
 
 Henry Bryant, OlneyviUe, R. I. 
 
 *Mrs. Hattie Bliss, New Bedford, Mass. 
 Sydney Barker, Warren, R. I. 
 *Charles F. Barker, " 
 Clarence B. Barker, Orange, Mass. 
 *George B. Barker, Warren, R. I. 
 *Francis P. Barker, " " 
 
 Ellen B. Barker, 
 
 *Anne T. Barker, • " 
 
 Itia A. Barker, " " 
 
 Mrs. Abby Barker, " " 
 
 Uichard Blake, Baylis, 111. 
 
 William Blake, " " 
 
 Mrs. Surah Bullock, Brockton, Mass. 
 
 Henry T.Bullock, 
 
 William H. Bullock, •' " 
 
 *Mrs. Anne Burt, Taunton, Mass. 
 
 *Mrs. J. H. Blanchard, Boston, Mass. 
 
170 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 *Mr8. Marj' T. Bnnt, Warren, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. Mary R. DulterfluUI, Bakersfield, 
 Cal. 
 
 ♦Jonathan Bosworth, Little Neck, L. I. 
 
 Nelson Bosworth, " " " 
 
 Wra. G. Bradford, Sylvania, Pa. 
 
 Mrs. Harriet Bliss, Springfield, Pa. 
 
 ♦Horatio H. Bedell, Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦Harriet P. Bedel], " •' 
 
 ♦William H. Bedell, 
 
 Wm. J. Blake, Boyton, 111. 
 
 Richard A.Bagg, West Springfield, Mass. 
 
 ♦J. Crawford Brown, South Boston, " 
 
 Charles A. Bourne, Chicago, 111. 
 
 ♦Mrs. Henr3'G. Ballou, Woonsocket, R.I. 
 
 Lemuel A. Bishop, Attleboro', Mass. 
 
 ♦Mrs. L. A. Bishop, " " 
 
 Durfec T. Bradford, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 
 Mrs. Durfee T. Bradford, " " " 
 
 ♦L. C. Bunn, East Providence, R. I. 
 
 Leonard J. Bradford, Grand Rapids, Mh. 
 
 Robert N. Bradford, " 
 
 Charles H. Lirudford, •' 
 
 Clarence Bradford, " '■ " 
 
 ♦Mrs. W. K. Bonrne, Detroit, Mich. 
 
 Kate DeW. Budd, New York. 
 
 Daniel Bradford, 'id., Sylvania, Pa. 
 
 ♦James M. C. Barker, Warren, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. Gustavus Burbanks, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Frank N. Bush. Ithica. N. Y. 
 
 Charles Blake, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Mary J. Babcock, Richmond, R. I. 
 Mrs. Tulley D. Bowen, Providence, R. I. 
 Wm. C. Breed, Worcester, Mass. 
 ♦Charles Barker, Warren, R. I. 
 Alfred G. Barker, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 ♦Mrs. S. P. Burdick, " " 
 
 Mrs. Mary E. Barker, Newport, R. I. 
 Mrs. Frances P. Barker, " " 
 
 George T. Bourne, Paris, France. 
 ♦Nathaniel Bosworth, Norwood, R. I. 
 Mrs. Susan P. Bell, Liberty, Va. 
 ♦James W. Briggs, Boston, Mass. 
 Mrs. John R. Babcock, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Rev. Edward Brown, Troy, I'a. 
 ♦Ambrose Be Lois. Quiney Point, Mass. 
 Sylvanus S. Bowen, Nati(!k, Mass. 
 ♦John H. Barney, Providence, R. I. 
 Charles E. Barney, New Bedford. Mass. 
 James Barney, Virginia. 
 ♦Miss Sarah T. Bircne, Providence, II. I. 
 Frank P. Barney, Attleboro', Mass. 
 Benj. M. Bosworth, Warren, II. I. 
 ♦Susan F. Boyd, Portsmouth, R. I. 
 ♦Minnie E. Boyd, " " 
 
 ♦Julia E. Boyd, " " 
 
 Mrs. Mary B. Barker, Grand Uapids, Mh. 
 Mrs. Georgianna Baxter, " " " 
 
 ♦George B. Brown, Warren, R.I. 
 Wm. S. Brown, New Bedford, Mass. 
 
 ♦Cyrus Brown, Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦Williim Breek, Providence, R. I. 
 Charles Breck, " '• 
 
 Mrs. Jemima Bradford, Providence. R. I- 
 
 ♦Wm. J. Bradford, " 
 
 ♦.Mrs. Wm. J. Barker, Warren, R. 1. 
 
 ♦James C. Blake. " " 
 
 ♦.Mrs. Fred. A. Burgess, " " 
 
 Mrs. Geo. Blackman, Scio, N. Y. 
 
 ♦Mrs. C. F. Brown, Warren, R. I. 
 
 ♦.Mi'S. Lydia Bi amond, Brockton, Mass. 
 
 ♦Eben F. Bullock, Central Falls, R. 1. 
 
 ♦Wm. II. Bullock, 
 
 ♦Hattie L. Bullock, " " '• 
 
 George Barrett, Brookline, Mass. 
 
 Theo. Barrett, Boston, Mass. 
 
 Gerzelle Barrett, " " 
 
 Mrs. Olive Barrett," " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Joseph R. Burgess, Prov., U. I. 
 
 ♦Robert B. Buchanan, ■' " 
 
 ♦Jlargaret C. Bnchanan, " ' 
 
 Mrs Frank Bagnell, Stockton, Cal. 
 
 Wm. Bradford, Jr., New York, 
 
 ♦Nelson Bosworth, Glen Cove, L. I. 
 
 ♦Miss rienrietta Bofine, S, Boston, Mass. 
 
 Charles S. Beane, Lansingburgh, N. Y. 
 ♦Sullivan Ballou, Woonsocket, R. I. 
 Mrs Ann E. Bacon, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Wm. B. Bosworth, Glen Cove, L. I. 
 ♦James Bosworth, *' " " 
 
 ♦Miss Anne Bosworth, Great Neck. L. I. 
 ♦Wm, J. Bosworth, Little Neck. L. I. 
 ♦Royal Bosworth, Fall River, Mass. 
 Mrs. Isaac Braley, " " '• 
 
 Isaac L. Braley, " " '■ 
 
 Samuel G, Braley, Swansea, Mass. 
 Miss Ida M. Braley, Fall River. Mass. 
 ♦Hez. M. Bunn. East Providence, R. I. 
 Selic Burr, Denver City, Col. 
 ♦Miss Mary L, Booth, Providence, R. I. 
 Wm. J. Booth, Providenc, R. I. 
 Charles E. Barrus, Westport, New Zea- 
 land. 
 Jerome Barrus, Warri'ii, R. I. 
 ♦Daniel A. Barrus, " " 
 Arthur A. Bosworth, " " 
 ♦Arthur M. Burr, Melrose, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Thorn. Burlingham, Newport, R. I. 
 ♦Frank A. Barnard, Lynn, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. F. A. Barnard, " " 
 ♦Mrs, Mary A. Barnard. " " 
 Mrs. Jos. ButHiigton, Providence, R. I. 
 
BI-CEKTENNIAL OF BRISTOL 
 
 171 
 
 ♦Harriet Battey. Providenco, K. I. 
 *Josopliine I). Bowler, Stougliton, Mass. 
 Peleg Brown, Providence, U. I. 
 Mrs. Saml. Briggs, Independence. N. Y. 
 *Mi-s. John Brown, New Bedford, Mass. 
 Mrs. C. T. Brown, Warren, U. I. 
 Susan A. Barlow, Fall River, Mass. 
 Jonathan Browning, " ■' " 
 
 Miss (jienevieve Brown, Warren. R. I. 
 *Rev. Benj. B. Babbitt, Columbia, S. C. 
 Miss Rebecca Bosworth, Little Neck, L.I. 
 Hunt Bhike, New York. 
 *Geo. T. Bowler, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 James E. Baker, Providence, R. I. 
 *Mrs. Charlotte Barney, Warren, R. I. 
 *Rev. Shearjashub Bourne, Patti'rson, 
 
 N. J. 
 Mrs. Marj' E. Brownell, Newport, R. I. 
 Benjamin Bourn, Providence, R. I. 
 M. Toscan Bennett. Hoboken, N. Y. 
 Geo. F. Barnard, Lynn, Mass. 
 Win. H. Bennett, Topeka, Kansas. 
 *Benj. P. Bennett, Newport. R. I. 
 Henry Bishop, North Andover, Mass. 
 ♦Nathan Bishop, Lawrence. " 
 
 Russel Bishop, " " 
 
 *Mis. Sarah A. Burt, EastTaunlon, Mass. 
 Mrs. Samuel W. Brown, Fall River, " 
 Samuel E. Bunn, Otter River, " 
 
 *Nath'l F. Bunn, Warren, R. I. 
 *Lina Bush, Providence, R. I. 
 
 *George A. Bush, " " 
 
 *Mrs. Geo. A. Bush, " " 
 
 *Miss Julia A. Bush, " " 
 
 *Miss Minnie H. Bush, " " 
 
 Charles Burgess, Warren, R. I. 
 Miss Hattie Burgess, " '• 
 
 Erwin J. Baker, Jr , Providence, R. I. 
 *Mrs. Erwin J. Baker, Jr., " '■ 
 
 Mrs. Laura Buffington, Pawtucket, " 
 *Georgo Babcock, Barrington, •' 
 
 Wm. H. Baker, Crompton, " 
 
 Mrs. Susan M. Baxter, Providence, '• 
 Mrs. Anne R. Burrows, '• " 
 
 Samuel Butts, " " 
 
 Mrs. Samuel Butts. " " 
 
 ♦Henry B. Card, Sylvania, Pa. 
 Mrs. Charlotte Corbett, Jerseyville, 111. 
 Mrs. Capt. Henry T. Cobb, Dighton, Ms. 
 Stej'heu W. Church, Chicago, 111. 
 ♦Le Baron B. Church. Taunton, Mass. 
 ♦Hezekiah W. Church, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Wm. B. Church, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Hannah W. Chase, Fall River, Ms. 
 •Wm. B. Church, Taunton, Mass. 
 
 ♦John H. Church, Taunton, Mass. 
 Sylvester M. Copeland, Fall River, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Dr. Augustus Clarke, Cambridge- 
 port, Mass. 
 Mrs. Eliza Covell, New Bedford, Mass. 
 Mrs. B. M. Clcaveland, Marietta, Ga. 
 ♦Stephen B. Chafee, Middletown, Conn. 
 Wm. A. Church, Warren, R. I. 
 ♦Miss Emily Church, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Henry Cliureh, Annawan, 111. 
 ♦Mrs. Anne L. C. Chase, Nt^wport, R. I. 
 ♦George Chubbucks, Valley Falls, " 
 ♦Mrs. Ruby Cole, Warren, " 
 
 ♦Rowland T. Chase, Portsmouth, " 
 ♦Jolm Cane, Newport, •' 
 
 ♦liUlu Cox, Providence, >< 
 
 ♦Anne Capwell, Providence, " 
 
 ♦Charles IM. Chase, Portsmouth, " 
 ♦Marion W. Clarke, New Bedford, Mass. 
 ♦James T. Card, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Stephen Chafee, Jr., Middletown, Conn. 
 ♦George A. Chafee, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. George A. Chafee, " " 
 
 ♦Samuel R. Chafee, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Samuel R. Chafee, " " 
 
 ♦V\'m. Clarke Chafee, " •' 
 
 ♦Mrs. N. B. Cooke, Pawtucket, U. I. 
 Mrs. Amos B. Corwin, New Rochelle, 
 
 N. Y. 
 ♦Mrs. Henry T. Col well, Cambridge- 
 port, Mass. 
 Freeborn C. Coggeshall, Philadelphia, 
 
 Pa. 
 ♦Mrs. Wm. B. Cheney, Fall River, Mass. 
 ♦Luther Cole, Warren, R. L 
 
 ♦Nathan P. Cole, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Nathan P. Cole, " " 
 
 ♦John G. Cole, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs John G. Cole, " " 
 
 George C. Cooiner, " " 
 
 Mrs. Charlotte Coomer, " " 
 
 Henry R. Coggeshall, Boston. Mass. 
 ♦Edward L. Chase, Portsmouth, R.I. 
 ♦James E. Conley, Warren, " 
 
 ♦Miss Hannah M. Cooke, Prov., " 
 ♦Thomas D. Chafee, Taunton, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Anna C. Chafee, " " 
 
 ♦JIi's. Kate L. Chase, Fall River, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Sarah M. Cole, Warren, R. I. 
 Geo. M. Coit, North Sterling, Conn. 
 ♦Mrs. Alice Curtis, Warren, R. I. 
 Mrs. Henry F. Cobb, Dighton, Mass. 
 Mrs. Josiah Caldwell, England. 
 ♦Mrs. J. T. Cooper, Brooklyn, New 
 
 Vork. 
 ♦Mrs, Eliza Coit, Providence, R. L 
 
 ♦John Coggeslmll, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. John Coggeshall, " " 
 
172 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Dyer C. Coomer, Waircn, R. I. 
 
 Lewis Carr, " " 
 
 Thomas Coomer, •' " 
 
 George T. C. Church, " " 
 
 *Shubael n. Cole, " " 
 
 ♦Charles Cole, " " 
 
 *Mrs. Elizabeth Cole, " " 
 
 Mrs. Alfred B. Cornell, " " 
 
 *Wm. Henry Church, '• " 
 
 Mrs. Chas. C. Clarke, Scio, N. Y. 
 *Mrs. Alice Calvoort, New London, Ct. 
 Mrs. MarthaCopeland, Brockton, Mass. 
 *Mrs. Mary L. Collins, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Joseph Carnes, " " 
 
 Mrs. Virginia Chester, SpringfleUL III. 
 Mrs. Catharine Chester, " " 
 
 Mrs. Charlotte Corbett, Jersey ville, " 
 John Corbett, " " 
 
 ♦Henry Corbett, Tecumseh, Neb. 
 ♦Mrs. Laura A. Chase, Erie, Pa. 
 Mrs. Betsey Chase, " " 
 
 Mrs. Mary A. Condor, South Boston, Ms. 
 ♦John Connerton, Lowell, Mass. 
 John P. Cooke, Fall River, " 
 Mrs. Eliza. Crowell, New Bedford, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Eliza B. Cole. Stoniiigton, Conn. 
 ♦Almira Curren, Valley Falls, K. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Anne G. Cole, Providence, R. I. 
 Marlborough Churchill, New York. 
 Ellen F. Cole, Warren, R. I. 
 
 ♦George D.Cole, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs Mary Chase, " " 
 
 Frederick M. Chadwick, Prov., R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Bridget Carter, " " 
 
 ♦James F. Christee, Boston, Mass. 
 ♦Dan Callahan, New Bedford, " ^ 
 ♦Mary J. Callahan," " " 
 
 ♦John G. Connerton, I..owell, Mass. 
 ♦John F. Costigan, I-awrence, " 
 ♦Mrs. Lizzie W. Coanery, Pawtueket, 
 
 R. I. 
 Frank L. Camm, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 ♦Jose])h N. Collins, Warren, R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Emily Corey, Portsmouth, R. I. 
 
 " Maria Cooke, " '• 
 
 Edwin Church, Quincy, Mich. 
 Henry P. Church, Annawan, 111. 
 ♦Mrs. Wm. T. Chase, Auburn, R. I. 
 
 ♦ " Sarah Cunliflf, Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦ " Mary A. Curtis, " " 
 Miss Eliz. G. Coit.Batavia, N. Y. 
 
 ♦ " H. E. Coggeshall. Fall River, Mass. 
 Wm. T. Coggeshall, Lowell. 
 
 ♦Mrs. Robinson Chace, Fall River, " 
 " Almira Curiy, Providence, R. I. 
 " Sarah J. Chase, '• " 
 
 ♦Miss Martha Cole, Warren, " 
 
 ♦Miss Anne E. Cole, Warren, R. I. 
 Mrs. Martha Carr, Newport, " 
 " Charles S. Cross, Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦ " Joseph Cole, Woonsocket, " 
 ♦Thomas Cole, Warren, " 
 ♦George Coggeshall, " " 
 ♦Wm. N. Coggeshall, " " 
 ♦Mrs. Benj. Clarke, New Bedford, Mass. 
 Edward P. Clarke, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Marion W. Clarke, New Bedford, Mass. 
 George L. Chase, New Mexico. 
 Samuel Cables, Jamaica Plains, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Nathaniel Chadwick, Hornelsville, 
 
 N. Y. 
 Mrs. J. C. Calvert, New London, Conn. 
 " Laura Cooly, Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦ " Georgiana Chubbuck, Valley Falls, 
 R. I. 
 
 Henry W. Diman, Lisbon, Portugal. 
 ♦James Darling, Fall River, Mass. 
 Mrs. Alexander Dyer, Plainsbery, Cal. 
 
 ♦ " Sanil. W. Drown, Drownsville, R. I. 
 
 ♦ '' Joshua C. Drown, Warren, " 
 ♦John W. Diman, Fall River. IMass. 
 Wm. F. DeWolf, Chicago, 111. 
 Charles H. Dunbar, Newport, R. I. 
 ♦Byron D. DeWolf, New York. 
 
 Mrs. Mary T. Dean, Galveston, Texas. 
 
 Wm. B. DeWolf, New York. 
 
 ♦Wm. H. Doty, Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦Dr.John J. DeWolf, 
 
 ♦J. Halsey DeWolf, 
 
 ♦Prof. J. Lewis Diman, " " 
 
 Dr. James A. DeWolf, Port of Spain, 
 
 Trinidad. 
 ♦Mary M. Donahue, Warren, R. I. 
 ♦Nellie F. Donahue, " 
 
 Wm. Donahue, " " 
 
 *Johanna Donahue, " " 
 *Robert Dunbar, Providence, " 
 *Mrs. Mary Day, " " 
 
 ♦Henry B. Dearth, Waterbury, Conn. 
 Charles Dearth, " " 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Drown, Warren, R. I. 
 Mrs. Emily Devol, East Providence, R. L 
 Miss Ellen Devol, " " •' 
 
 Charles Devol, " " " 
 
 *Miss Ella F. Dorman, New London, Ct. 
 Francis M. Dimond, Providence, R. I. 
 John N.Dimond, " " 
 
 Wm. F. Dimond, '' " 
 
 *Miss Bridget Dougherty, WaiTen, It. I. 
 
 ♦ *' Sarah Abby Davis, East Smith- 
 fleld. Pa. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 173 
 
 Misa Eliz. B.Dcartli, Watcibnry, Conn. 
 Airs Thad. Davis, Ilochelli;, N. Y. 
 Charles C. Dimond, Boston, Mass. 
 *Miss Mary Douglass, Newport, U. I. 
 * " Mattie Douglass, " '• 
 
 *Mrs. Lyman D. Deane, Fall River, Mass. 
 Frank L. Diiiian, Providence, R. I. 
 Jonathan Drown, Killingly, Ct. 
 *Chas. W. Dunbar, Providence, R. I. 
 •Mrs. Clias W. Dunbar, " '• 
 
 Thomas Durfce, Uockville, Conn. 
 *Henry B. Diuian, Providence, K. I. 
 *Mary T. Dougherty, East Prov., R. I. 
 Wintbrop DeVVolf, Boston, Mass 
 *John M. Doty, Nowpoi-t, R. I. 
 *Peleg Dunbar, Wairen, R. J. 
 *Mrs. Charlotte Davenport, Newport, 
 
 R. I. 
 *Mrs. Eunice Dyer, Portsmouth, R. I. 
 
 " Wm, Dunham, New Bedford, Ms. 
 Nellie Davis, Providence, R. I. 
 *Mrs. Joshua C. Drown, Jr., Prov., R. I. 
 ♦Frank Dunbar, Newport, " 
 
 *.Mrs. L. T. Dodi?e, Providence, " 
 
 *Phebe M. Devol, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Susan R. Dennis, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 *Alfred Devol, Warwick, " 
 
 *Iniogene Dunbar, Providence," 
 *William Dyer, Warren, " 
 
 *Mrs. Ann Drown, " " 
 
 Geo. R. Easterbrooks, East Prov., R. I. 
 Clara Easterbrooks, Warren, " 
 
 T. R. Easterbrooks, Providence, " 
 *Abby M. Ellis, 
 
 Sarah S. Easterbrooks, " " 
 
 Giles Easterbrooks, Warren, " 
 
 Mrs. J. A. P. Eppinger, Georgia. 
 S. B. Eldridge, New Bedford, Mass. 
 *Benj. T. Easterbrooks, Newport, R. I. 
 Maraes A. Easterbrooks, '• " 
 
 Capt. Geo. T. Easterbrooks, Oysterville, 
 
 Wash. Ter. 
 Dr. George T. Easterbrooks, Oysterville, 
 
 Wash. Ter. 
 Mrs. George T. Easterbrooks, Oyster- 
 
 terville. Wash. Ter. 
 *Allen Easterbrooks, Providence, R. I. 
 *Mr8. Allen Easterbrooks, " " 
 
 *Jajnes H. Easterbrooks, " " 
 
 *Alfred Evans, " 
 
 Theodore R. Easterbrooks, '• " 
 
 *Wm. H. Easterbrooks, " " 
 
 ♦Stephen G. Easterbrooks, " " 
 
 Mrs. John C. Ellis, Newport, R. I. 
 
 Frank A. Easterbrooks, Boston, Mass. 
 
 *Mrs. Hannah Ellis, Providence, R. I, 
 
 Charles A. Edwards, •' " 
 
 *Wm. Easterbrooks, " " 
 
 *Mrs. Myra Eaton, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 " Thomas H. Eddy, Fall Kiver. Ms. 
 
 ♦Jloses P. Eastei brooks, Cambridge- 
 port, Mass. 
 
 Simeon A. Easterbrooks, Eagleville, Ct. 
 
 Daniel Easterbrooks, Fall River, Mass. 
 
 *Abby M. Ellis, Providence, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. Julia A. Eddy, '• 
 
 *Wm. Y. Easterbrooks, Warren, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. Wm. Y. Easterbrooks, " " 
 
 *Edward A. Fish, Wellsborough, Pa. 
 Francis R. Fish, Troy, Pa. 
 *JIrs. Ilattie A. Fish, Millford, Mass. 
 *Mary A. Fish, Fall River, 
 Adelbert Frisbrie, Grafton, Cal. 
 Mrs. Adelbert Frisbrie, " •' 
 Miss .Martha Foster, Newburg, N. Y. 
 Mrs. John N. Furnham, West Chester, 
 
 N. Y. 
 *Smitb B. Fales, Warren, R. I. 
 ♦Horace R. Fenner, Harmony, R. I. 
 Charles H. Fenner, Southbury, Conn. 
 *James H. Furgeson, Mlllbury, Conn. 
 Peter Furgeson, " '• 
 
 *John L. D. Furgeson, " " 
 
 Wm. C.F. Furgeson, " " 
 
 *Mrs. Mary S. Fletcher, New Bedford. 
 
 Mass. 
 Mi's. Nellie Fox, Southbridge, Mass. 
 *Mrs. E. J. Fairbanks, New Britain, Ct. 
 Samuel Fales, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 ♦Jeremiah Fenner, Lisle, N. Y. 
 Mrs. Eliz. F. Freeman, Wakefield, R. I. 
 Moseph H. Fish, Providence, " 
 
 *Mrs. Julia Frances, " " 
 
 Mrs. George Frapiie, New York. 
 Mrs. Addie J. Ferril, Boston, Mass. 
 ♦Lewis B. Fish, Brockton, Mass. 
 Mrs. George F. Foster, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 ♦Miss Ruth A. Fish, Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Ellen F. Field, Danville, Conn. 
 Chas. C. Fisher, San Francisco, Cal. 
 Mrs. Alice G. Fisher, Oakland, Cal. 
 Lucian Fitts, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Mary M. Freelove, Fall Uiver, Ms. 
 Martha B. Fenner, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦.Mrs. Mary E. Fletcher, New Bedford, 
 
 Mass. 
 Wm. C. Fales, Providence, R.I. 
 ♦Mrs. Wm. H. Fenner, " " 
 
174 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 *ratieiice I.. Fish. Warren, R. J. 
 Henry F. Fish, Milton Centre, Mass. 
 Win. A. Fish, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 *Isaac L. Fish, Portsmouth, R.I. 
 Lewis Felix, Boston, Mass. 
 Jainps Franklin, Portsmouth, R. I. 
 Emily E. Fairbrother, Providence, U. I. 
 *J. M. Fales, Warren, R. I. 
 *Mi8S Hattie L. Fisk, Millford, Mass. 
 *Susan C. Fish, Portsmouth, R. I. 
 
 Emily F.Greene, Warren. " 
 **.Stephen D. Grej', Providence, R I. 
 *Wm. H. (Jetty, Warren, " 
 
 *Mrs. Sophia F Greene, Leominster, Ms. 
 *George E. N. Gladding, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 *Mrs. Maria (irccne, Warren, R. I. 
 Allen J. Gladding, Oakland, Cal. 
 *Sarah DeW. Gardiner, New York. 
 Amos T. Gorham, Cincinnati, O. 
 ♦Charles A. Gladding, Baltimore, Md. 
 *Mrs. Abby M. Gooding, S. Vineland, 
 
 N.J. 
 Mrs. S. Dana Greene, Annapolis, Md. 
 *Sasan Gifford, Fall River, Mass. 
 *lrenus Gooding, Maiden, " 
 Miss Gertrude Gooding, " " 
 Mrs. 1). C. Grheme, New York. • 
 *George P. Gifford, " •' 
 *Mrs. Abby A. Greenman, Newport, R. I. 
 Thomas S. Gladding, Leavenworth, Kan. 
 John W. Gladding, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 Mrs. Etta N. Gifford, Fernandina, Fa 
 *Albert C. Greene, Newport, R I. 
 Henry C. Gifford, " " 
 
 *Henry W. Gladding, Warren, R. I. 
 *Mr3. Henry W. Gladding, " 
 *George T. Greene, " " 
 
 *Mrs. George T. Greene, •• '• 
 *Jeremiah I. Greene, Warren, R. I. 
 *Mrs. Dr. J. B Greene, Providence, R. I. 
 •J. B Greene, Jr., '• " 
 
 •Joseph W.H.Gayton, " " 
 
 *Gustavus T. Grey, " " 
 
 ^Stephen D. Grey, " 
 
 *Goorge E. Grey, •' " 
 
 Charles Grey, " " 
 
 EUery W. Gi-eene, Manitou Springs, CoL 
 *Mrs. John C.Greene, Leominster, iRiass. 
 »Mary G. Gardiner, Attleboro', 
 Mrs. E. S. Gove, Monmouth, Me. 
 *Mrs. Geo. H. Glidden, Springfield, Mass. 
 *.\Iabel D. Goff, Warren, R. I. 
 *Miss Martha J. Goff, Pawtucket, R. L 
 *= " Mary I. Goff, Warren, " 
 
 Miss Nancy Goff, Springfield, Mass. 
 
 •' Susan Goff, Pawtucket, R. L 
 *" Elizabeth Goff, Warren, " 
 Dr. Grafton W. Gardiner, Atlanta, Ga. 
 *John A. Godloff, Boston, Mass. 
 Mrs. Abby W. Gutman, Lewiston, Me. 
 Charles B. Gladding, Franklin, Mass. 
 Mrs. Mary Grant, Warren, R. I. 
 *Benj. M.Greene, Providence, R. I. 
 *Mrs. Benj. M.Greene, " " 
 
 ♦Beiij. M. Greene, Jr., " " 
 
 John Gladding, East Smithfleld, Pa. 
 Stephen Gladding, " " " 
 
 *Thoma8 C. Grant, Rehoboth, Mass. 
 *Mrs. Thomas C. Grant, " " 
 
 *MissRosaW. Grant, 
 *IIenry P. Grant, " " 
 
 *Mrs. Eliz. McGoval, Providence, R. 1. 
 John H. Gifford, Boston, Mass. 
 ISIrs. Ann II. Grey, New Bedford, Mass. 
 Rev. John Grey, Denver City, Col. 
 Mrs. Ann Gifford, Providence, R. I. 
 *Miss Rebecca Gorham, Wakc-fleld, R. I. 
 *Miss Nettie Gorham, " " 
 
 James Goff, Jr., Locust Yallej', L. I. 
 Mrs. Emma Goddard, Wallingford, Ct. 
 ♦John A. Godloff, Boston, Mass. 
 Mary H. Gifford, Newport, R. I. 
 Frederick Gladding, Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Wm. B. Gordon. Burlington, Iowa. 
 *Charles W. Greene, Warren, R. I. 
 Emma B. Goddard, Wauhegan, Conn. 
 Joseph W. Greene, Manitou Springs, Col. 
 Mrs. Joseph W. Greene, " " " 
 
 J. F. Gooding, Lowell, Mass. 
 *Joseph L. Gardiner, Calumet, Mich. 
 *Charles T. Gladding, Providence, B. I. 
 *Mrs. David W. Graffum, " " 
 
 *Liiian A. Grey, " " 
 
 Mrs. Sarah M. Gladding, " " 
 
 Walter N. Gifford, '• " 
 
 *Job Grey, Somerset, Mass. 
 *Wm. O. Gladding, Newport, R. I. 
 ♦Stephen Grego, Providence, " 
 *Frank 1. Gladding, Warren, R. I. 
 ♦Levvfis Gladding, " '• 
 
 *Mrs. A. M. Grunard, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Mis8 Henrietta Gladding, Warren, R. I. 
 *James U. Gladding, New Bedford, Ms. 
 ♦Joseph A. Gladding, Woonsocket, R. L 
 *Mrs. Stephen Grego, Providence, " 
 *George T. Greene, Jr., Warren, " 
 
 *Mrs. Andrew Gale, Providence, " 
 
 *Thomas Henderson, Providence, B. I. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 175 
 
 ♦Thomas O. Ilnlmos, Providence, U. I. 
 *P!ilienceC. Ililbnrn. " " 
 
 *Mary A. Hixon, Woonsock(;t, " 
 
 *Sariih M. Iliuidoen, Woodstock, Coim. 
 «Mary B. II ale-, Swansea, Mass. 
 »Joha \V. Hart, Taunton, " 
 ♦John n. [latch. Providence, R. I. 
 •Caroline R. Hyde, " " 
 
 »Eliza M. Hubbard, " " 
 
 Minor Hedges, Lamont. Mich. 
 Mrs. Henry Hall, Bloomfleld, Cal. 
 *Mrs. Martlia T. Hathaway, New Bed- 
 ford, Mass. 
 John B. P. Herreshoff, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 James B. HerresIiolT, Nice, France. 
 *John G. Harding, New Bedford, Mass. 
 ♦James H. Harding, " " " 
 
 Mi-s. James H. Harding, " " " 
 
 Wm. N. Hall, New Bedford, Mass. 
 
 Mrs. Hannah Hall, " " 
 
 *Nathan S. Hoard, Taunton, Mass. 
 
 ♦Gyrus Hoard, " " 
 
 »Mi:s. C. M. Hoard, 
 
 Mrs. Lydia T. Houghton, Boston, Mass. 
 Rosalie DeW. Hopper, New York. 
 
 Silas Holmes, Diamond Hill, R. I. 
 
 Jabez S. Holmes, Boston, Mass. 
 
 ♦Miss Rutli G. Hall, Warren, R. I. 
 
 ♦Rt. Rev. M. A. DeW. Howe, Reading, Pa. 
 
 H. B. Hubbard, New Haven, Conn. 
 
 ♦Patrick Hurney, Jamesville, Wis. 
 
 ♦Nathan B. Heath, Charlestowa, Mass. 
 
 Arnold B. Heath, Boston, '• 
 
 Alanson Heath, Rockville, Conn. 
 
 Mrs. Edwin M. Hill, Haverhill, Mass. 
 
 Mi-s. Dr. Wm. H. Uutton, Detroit, Mich. 
 
 ♦Mrs. Jemima Hathaway, Fall River, Ms. 
 
 N. E. ETarvey, East Providence, R. I. 
 
 George C. Hatch, Warren, It. I. 
 
 Mrs. George C. Hatch, " " 
 
 Mrs. E. N. Hartl y. Fall River, Mass. 
 
 Mrs. Caroline Hedges, Lamont, Mich. 
 
 Mrs. Jane Ilewlitt, Haverhill, Mass. 
 
 ♦John W. Hoard, Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦Mrs. Benj. Hall, Warren, 
 
 ♦Luther Handy, " " 
 
 •Mrs. Clara P. Humphreys, Cedar Grove, 
 R. L 
 
 iMrs. Henry Hall, Bloomfleld, Cal. 
 
 Wm. P. Hall, 
 
 •Mrs. Wm. B. Hubbard, Providence, R. 1. 
 
 ♦Isaac R. Hadwin. Somerville, Mas^. 
 
 Mrs. Loui.sa S. Hodges, West Maryland, 
 Conn. 
 
 ♦Mrs. Wm. II. Horton Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦John F. Husso, Fall River, Mass. 
 
 •John J. Holmes, Brockton, " 
 
 *Mrs. Mary E. Hayes, Hagerstown. Md. 
 Mrs. Eliz. Harvey, Thomaston, Me. 
 ♦(Jeorgo H. Harding, Providence, R. I. 
 Freeman C. Hincks, Pawtuckct, " 
 *Mvs. Julia Hixon, Millford, Mass. 
 Charles W. Hurst, Boston, '• 
 *Wm. R. Handy, Providence, R. I. 
 Charles Handy, " " 
 
 *JIrs. Joseph Handy, Barrington, R. I. 
 ♦Joseph Handy, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Emily Hoar, Warren, R. I. 
 Mrs. Mary Henshaw, Providence, R. I. 
 Edward Handy, Warren, " 
 
 ♦Manton E. Hoard, Pi'ovidence, " 
 Mrs. Manton E. Hoard, " " 
 
 ♦Mark A. Heath, '« 
 
 Rev. Leonard B. Hatch, Warren, " 
 ♦.Seth L. Horton, Providence, 
 *Mrs. Ann B. Hamm, " " 
 
 Mrs. Anne G. Holmes, '• " 
 
 *Mrs. Dr. Hemple, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 Mrs. Octavia A. Hustis, Auburndalo, Ms. 
 Mrs. Lewis T. Hoar, Warren, R. 1. 
 Mrs. Wilfred B. Hodgkiii, Tunbridge, 
 
 England. 
 Winfield G. Hubbard, South Lyndeboro', 
 
 Conn. 
 *Mrs. Alice G. Hancock. Providence, 
 
 R.I. 
 Minerva H. Hopkins, Providence, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. David Ingerson, Groton,Conn. 
 ♦Mrs. Eliz. Ingraham, Wellsville, N. Y. 
 ♦Miss Eliz. Ingraham, '• " 
 
 ♦Thomas U. Ingraham, " " 
 
 Wm. H. Interman, Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 ♦Smith M. Ide, New Bedford, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. John Ingraham, Swansey, " 
 ♦Alex. G. Ingraliam, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦John II. Ingraham, Baker City, Oregon, 
 ♦.Miss Lily R. Ide, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Anne R. Ide, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. D. H. Ingerson, Meriden, Conn. 
 Mrs. H. M. Ingerson, " " 
 
 •Mrs. Ann E. J.ackson, Fall River. Mass. 
 Charles W. Jones, N. La Crosse, Wis. 
 Mrs. Zora E. Jameson, Frosburgh, Ver. 
 Mrs. Henry B. Jackson, Boston, Mass. 
 Thomas W.Joy, Bordentown. N. J. 
 Jedidiah W. Johnson, San Francisco, 
 
 Cal. 
 Henry L. Jolmson, Uiica, N. Y. 
 
176 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Henry A. J. Johnson, Baltimore, Mil. 
 •Mrs. Julia Jennings, New Bedford, Ms, 
 Mrs. Fanny M. Jones. Warren, R. I. 
 Mrs. Nancy S. Johnson, Nar. Pier, R. I. 
 Mrs. Wm. H. Jennings. Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Henry B. Jackson, Roxbury, Mass. 
 Mrs Capt. Sandford Jones, Pasadina, 
 
 Cal. 
 ♦Mrs. Hannah Johnson, Staten Island, 
 
 N. Y. 
 
 Fi-e<lerick W. Kingman, Pascoag, N. Y. 
 Mrs. Frederick \V. Kingman, " " 
 Mrs. Dr. II. B. Kenyon, Towns Head, Ver. 
 Miss Louisa Kingman, Pascoag, N. Y. 
 Miss Florence C. Kella, River Side, Cal. 
 ♦William Kingsley, Providence, R. I. 
 George Kingsliy, '• " 
 
 Walter Kingsley, " " 
 
 Sandford A. Kingsley, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Hiram B. Kelly, Aj'er, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. J. Eliz. Keys, New York. 
 ♦Mrs. Debra Kelly, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Jolin Keith, Vallej- Falls, 
 ♦Mrs. Ida Kent, Providence, U. I. 
 *Chas. W. Kingman, '• " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Ann Loonies, Providence, R. I. 
 Miss Ellen M. Luce, New Bedford, Mass. 
 William Lincoln, Warren, R. I. 
 Gustave G. Lansing, New York. 
 ♦Mrs. Abby C. Liscomb, Fall River, Ms. 
 ♦Miss Julia Lake, East Providence, R. 1. 
 ♦Miss Anne E. Leonard, •' " 
 
 Henry Lowry, Fall River, Mass. 
 ♦Thomas Lowi-y, " " '« 
 
 Mrs. Sarah A. Ling. Grand Rapids. Mich. 
 ♦Edward Lanigan, Warren, R. I. 
 ♦Welcome Lawtoii, Fair Haven, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Welcome Lawton, Fair Haven, Ms. 
 Nathan Lawton, " •* " 
 
 Lorenzo Ludewissey, Waldoboro', Me. 
 ♦Mrs. Edward Lewis, Boston, Mass. 
 Marj' K. Livescy, Warren, R. I. 
 Mrs.Edwiird Lancaster, Hartford, Conn. 
 Edward Lancaster, " " 
 
 Lorenzo Ludwig, Danville, Mich. 
 ♦Mrs. Abby liscomb. Fall River, Mass. 
 Charles F. Liscomb, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 
 Mrs. Lydia P. Luther, Lamont, Mich. 
 ♦Gilbert R. Lawless, N. Swansej', Mass. 
 ♦William Lindsey, Fall Kiver, 
 ♦Nathaniel Lindsey, " " " 
 
 Abby F. Lucas, Hazelwood, N. Bedford. 
 
 Mi-8. C. DeW. Lovett, Springfield, Mass. 
 
 Mrs. John N. Lansing, New York. 
 
 Mrs. E. F. Lucas, " " 
 
 ♦Jlrs. Abbj^ Leonard, Pi-ovidence, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. E. P. Lette, Southburgh, Va. 
 
 Mrs Capt. John Y. Lawless, Galveston, 
 
 Texas. 
 Wm. B. Lawless, Galveston, Texas. 
 James A. Leet, Jr., Ipswich, Mass. 
 Mrs. Ida Little, " " 
 
 Miss Mary L. Leet, " " 
 
 Wm. S. Luther, South Boston, Mass. 
 ♦Joseph S. Luther, " " " 
 
 Benj. Luther, Lamont, Jlich. 
 ♦Miss Susan C. Lacy, Attleboro', Mass. 
 John Lutlier, Lamont, Mich. 
 Sylvester Luther, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 ♦Nathan Lawton, Fair Haven, Mass. 
 *Isaac F. Liscomb, Providence, R I. 
 *Wm. Littlefleld, 
 
 Benj. F. Lindsey, Attleboro', Mass. 
 ♦John Lindsej', FortNevarra, Nebraska. 
 James Lewis, New Haven, Conn. 
 John Luther, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 
 Mrs. Mary A. Luther. '• " " 
 
 ♦John Ludewissey, Wakefield, R. I. 
 Charles H. Luther, New York. 
 ♦Manton H. Luther, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Alfred E. Luther, " " 
 
 ♦Winfleld V. Luther, 
 Mrs. E. A. Loomis, " " 
 
 ♦Capt. John I. Liscomb, Boston, Mass. 
 Mrs. Lizzie Lyman, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 Horace Lawton, New Bedford, Mass. 
 Charles Lawton, *■ " " 
 
 M 
 
 George F. Manchester, Harpville, N. Y. 
 G. W. Markham, Atchinson, Kansas. 
 Peter Munro, Sylvania, Pa. 
 Bateman Munro, New York. 
 ♦Lewis S. Munro, Boston, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Lewis S. Munix), " " 
 Charles IL Mosher. Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 Mrs. Jonas Minturn, Plainsburg, Cal. 
 Thomas C. MintuTO, " " 
 
 James W. Minturn, " •' 
 
 Mrs Frank Molten, Boston, Mass. 
 Thomas F. Mason, New York. 
 ♦David Eddy Munro, Portsmouth, R. I. 
 Hezekiah U. Munro, West Philadelphia, 
 
 Pa. 
 Fiank A. Munro, Worcester, Mass. 
 Nathaniel Maxfleld, Whiteside, 111. 
 A. J. Maxfleld, Lyons, Iowa. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 177 
 
 William H. Maxfielcl, Wliiteside, 111. 
 
 Mrs. Wm. li. Morrison, " " 
 
 *MiS3 Susan J. Miixfleld, " " 
 
 Albert J. Maxflekl, Tampico. 111. 
 
 Mrs. Dr. Luther A. Martin, 111. 
 
 Willie B. Alartin, Atlantic City, 111. 
 
 Miss Abby B. Martin, Roebuck Junc- 
 tion, 111. 
 
 Mrs. riiilip C.Macomber, Fall River, Ms. 
 
 Wm. H. Munro, Yankton, Arkansas. 
 
 ♦Wm. H. Martin, Warren, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. Wni. II. Martin, " 
 
 Frank Manchester, Providence, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. Frank Manchester, " " 
 
 ♦George H. Munro, " " 
 
 ♦George Munro, Warren, R. I. 
 
 *James Munro, " " 
 
 *Mrs. John Maxfleld, Warren, R. I. 
 
 »R. Elliot McCartney, Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦Mrs, R. Elliot McCartney, " *' 
 
 Mrs. James H. Maxwell, Warren, R. I. 
 
 Wyatt Manchester, Altleboro', Mass. 
 
 Seabury Manchester, " " 
 
 Heniy R.Manchester, " " 
 
 Mrs. Eliza Marhle, " " 
 
 John W. Mutton, Toronto, Can. West. 
 
 Mrs. Edward Markham, Atchinson, Kan- 
 sas. 
 
 Rohert Manchester, Prov., It. I. 
 
 *Eliz. E. Miller, S. Swansey, Mass. 
 
 •Mary E. Martin, Warren, R. I. 
 
 *Cha8. Mason, ." " 
 
 J. Flaviel Manchester, Newport, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. Julia E. Manchester, " " 
 
 Wm. J. Munro, Boston, Mass. 
 
 *Mrs. Wm. H. Macomber, Prov., R. I. 
 
 •Miss Katy Malone, New Bedford, Mass. 
 
 *Wm. H. Munro, Edgartown, Mass. 
 
 ♦Jonatlian Munro, " " 
 
 Dr. George Munro, Mercer, Pa. 
 
 Mrs. Stephen W. Morgan, Philadelphia, 
 Pa. 
 
 Mrs. Mai-y A. Munro, Pottsville, Pa. 
 
 Mrs. Caroline Matthews, New Bedford, 
 Mass. 
 
 Mrs. LydiaD. Mason, Providence, R. I. 
 
 *Mrs. Anne McDougal, Uebronville, Ms. 
 
 *Benj. S. McDougal, " " 
 
 Herbert Manchester, Locust Valley, L. 1. 
 
 Jeremiah Munro, Boston, Mass. 
 
 ♦Miss Jennie W. Munro, Prov., R. I. 
 
 *Wm.H. Munro, " " 
 
 ♦Hugh Mulligan, Providence, R. I. 
 
 •Mary R. Morse, " " 
 
 Mrs. Horace E. Medbury, Barrington, 
 R. I. 
 
 Thomas P. Myers, New York. 
 
 Mrs. Ada B. Morton, Providence, R. I. 
 Ringold Mott, Locust Valley, L. I. 
 Miss J. Sophia Muenscher, Taunton, Ms. 
 Miss Laura Martin, Providence, R. I. 
 *.Miss Martha Martin, " " 
 
 ♦Miss Gertrude Martin, " " 
 
 Wm. Martin, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Russell Middleton, Charleston, 
 
 S. C. 
 Miss Alicia Middleton, Charleston, S. C. 
 •Mrs. James Madison, N'^wport, R. I. 
 Mrs. Har. F. Morton, Louisville, Ky 
 H. F. Marchant, Providence, R. I. 
 •Mrs. Horace Miller, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 ♦Stephen C. Munro, Portsmouth, " 
 •Mrs. Geo. W. Millard, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Miss Abby D. Jtfunro, West Pleasant, 
 
 S. C 
 Samuel N. G. Munro, Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Samuel N. G. Munro, " " 
 
 Samuel N. G. Munro, Jr., '• " 
 
 •Miss Amy Munro, " " 
 
 •Nath'l H. Munro, 
 
 •Charles Munro, '• " 
 
 •George T. Munro, " " 
 
 Fred. A. Manchester, " " 
 
 Mrs. Fred. A. Manchester, " " 
 
 Mrs. Jas. S. McO. Very, Portland, Me. 
 •Eliz. Munro, Providence, R. I. 
 
 •Wm. A. Munro, " " 
 
 •Mrs. Wm. A. Munro, " " 
 
 Bridget McDonald, Lawrence, Mass. 
 •Mrs. itosa McKenna, Boston, " 
 Joseph A. Monks, Norfolk, Va. 
 •George A. Munro, Ogdensburg, N. Y. 
 ♦Frank A. Munro, " " 
 
 •Mrs. Frank A. Munro, " " 
 
 •Mrs. Walter P. Munro, Providence, R. I. 
 Fred. H. Manchester, Warren, " 
 
 •Daniel G. Manchester, Providence, " 
 ♦Mrs. Mary F.Milliken, 
 Joseph H. Manchester, Pawtucket, " 
 ♦James C. Manchester, " " 
 
 Mrs. Sarah Martin, Providence, " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Alice R. Munro, Portsmouth, " 
 ♦Martin McNeal, Warren, " 
 
 John McSherry, " " 
 
 ♦Ellen Muldoon, Providence, " 
 
 Mrs. Eleanor Manchester, Prov., " 
 ♦Mrs. Ambrose B. Mason, VV^arren, " 
 ♦Miss Eliz. Mason, " " 
 
 ♦3Iartha E. Mason, " " 
 
 ♦Ellen McSherry, East Providence, " 
 ♦Mary E. Murphy, Fall River, Mass. 
 Chauncey E. Martin, Warren, R. I. 
 Wm. Martin, Chester, Vt. 
 Jas. Martin, Londonderry, Vt. 
 
178 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Nath'l L. F. Munro, Decatur, 111. 
 Jas. W. Munro, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Dr. VVm. McCaw, Warren, " 
 Mrs. Wni. McCaw, " " 
 
 James McCaw, Leadville City, Col. 
 Jas. Munro, Warrtn, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. Betsey Mason, " " 
 
 *Sarah H. Maxfield, " 
 Alex. G. Maucliester, Providence, R. I. 
 »Mrs. Mary A. Jlunro, Fall River, Mass. 
 Mrs. Chas. B. Mosher, Grand Rapids, Mh. 
 Russell Manchester, Newport, R. I. 
 Pliilip Manchester, Locust Valley, L. I. 
 Mrs. Randall H. Mole, Baltimore, Md. 
 James McCanny, Providence, R.l. 
 ♦Mary Ellen Murphy, Fall River, Mass. 
 Sarah E. Munro, Warren, R. I. 
 *Mrs. Susan E. Mitchell, N. Bedford, Ms. 
 Wm. II. Mitchell, New Bedford, Mass. 
 Samuel Mitchell, " " '* 
 
 ♦Edward Munro, Providence, R I. 
 *Dennis Mahoney, " " 
 
 Willard N. JIunro, " 
 
 Mrs. John Mulcahey, Newburyport, Ms. 
 *James Murphy, East Providence, R. I. 
 •Katie A. McLean, Fall River, Mass. 
 William W. Munro, Warren, R. I. 
 
 N 
 
 Mrs. Wm. H. Newman, Batavia, N. Y. 
 Alex. G. Noycs, Detroit, Mich. 
 
 Mrs. Alex. G. Noyes, " " 
 
 Thomas J. N()y«'S, " " 
 
 Mrs. Thomas .J. Noyes, " " 
 
 MissSaraphina Noyfs, " " 
 
 Wm. C. Norrls, New Yoik. 
 Henry L. Norris, Providence, R. I. 
 *Miss Kate Norris, " " 
 
 Louisa Noyes, " " 
 
 ♦Simeon Newman. " " 
 
 ♦David E. Munro, Portsmouth, R. I. 
 ♦Martha A. Munro, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Rebecca Mtison, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Susie Maeomber, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Abby M. Munro, Ilebronville. R. I. 
 ♦Frank A. Manchester, Locust Valley, 
 
 L. I. 
 ♦Reliance Meiggs, Warren, R. I. 
 ♦Abby Manchester, Fall River, Mass. 
 •Miss Ann A. Munro, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Lloj'd Marble, Attleboro', Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Betsey Mason, Warren, R. I. 
 
 *Miss Maggie O'Brien, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 
 Samuel P. Otterson, Davenport, Iowa. 
 ;Mrs. Hannah N. Otterson, Brockton, Ms. 
 Mrs. Mary E. Owen, New Haven, Conn. 
 John D. O. Mara, Boston, Mass. 
 Christian Oldenfleldt, Chicago, 111. 
 Mrs. Mary C. Osier, New Haven, Conn. 
 *Kate O'Hurney, Norwalk, " 
 
 Mary O'Hurney, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Bridget O'Leary, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 Mrs. Nellie O'llara, Springfield, Mass. 
 Mrs. Mar. O'Mara, Lowell, Mass. 
 ♦Michael O'Brien, Fall River, Mass. 
 Mrs. Mary E. Owen, New London, Conn. 
 ♦George Oxx, Providence, R. 1. 
 Miss Mary Ann O'Doncll, Warren, R. I. 
 Mrs. Nellie O'Brien, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Wm. O'Brien, Warren, R. I. 
 Wm. H. O'Rourke, Westerly, R. I. 
 
 *Mrs. Clinton Puffer, Woonsocket, R.I. 
 ♦Miss Hannah Peck, Providence, " 
 ♦Andrew Pitman, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 Mrs. Wm. D. Powell, Rochester, N. Y. 
 Mrs. Robert I). Pinckney, Charleston, 
 
 S. C. 
 *Wm. S. Perry, New York. 
 ♦Wm. G. Peabodie, Providence, R. I. 
 Rev. B. B. Peck, Auburn. R. I. 
 Geo. B. Peterson, Portsmouth, R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Hen. W. Parkhurst, Plattsmouth, 
 
 Neb. 
 J. B. Pearse, New Mexico. 
 Joseph C. Pearse, New York, 
 *Wm. G. Pearse, Warren, R. I. 
 Rev. Henry C. Potter, New York. 
 Wm. Peck, Troy, Pa. 
 Mrs. Jonathan Peck, Troy, N. Y. 
 Wm. D. W. Peck, Gonzales, Texas. 
 Mrs. Wm. H. Powers, Grand Rapids, Mh. 
 *Mrs. Hiram Perry, Barrington, R. I. 
 ♦Josiah K. Pitman, Newport, " 
 *Fitz H. Peabodie, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Mason W. Peirce, " " 
 
 Mrs. Anne Poole, Buffalo, N. Y. 
 Mrs. Henry S. Parker, Worcester, Mass. 
 Mrs. Chas. Potter, Newport, R. I. 
 Frank H. Peck, Boston. Mass. 
 ♦Charles H. Phelps, New York. 
 Charles B. Pearse, " •' 
 Fred. Pepper, S. Boston, Mass. 
 Fritz H. Pepper, " " 
 
 Mrs. Theodore Phinney, Newport. R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Hannah C. Perry, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Rev. Francis Peck. Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 Mrs. Rev. Francis Peck, " " 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 179 
 
 ♦George T. Pearse, Worcester, Mass. 
 ♦George C. Pearse, Providence, R. I. 
 Cornelius Pearse, " " 
 
 Edward T. Pearse, " " 
 
 *Henry C. Pearse, " " 
 
 Ezra B. Pearse, Pheiiix, R. I. 
 ♦Howard B. Pearse, Providence, R. I. 
 *George G. Pearse, Wakefield, " 
 Mrs. Josiah K. Pitman, Newport, " 
 *Josiah K. Pitman, Jr., " " 
 
 Charles L. H. Peirce, Baylis, 111. 
 Mrs. Eliz Pitman, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 Miss Jos. Pitman, " " " 
 
 *Cbarles C. Pitman, '' " '• 
 
 *Wm. H. Peirce, Swansey, Mass. 
 Mrs. Abby M. Palmer. Providence, R. I. 
 *Mrs. Mason W. Peirce, " " 
 
 *Mrs. Jeremiah Pidge, " " 
 
 Mrs. James Pidge, " •' 
 
 Mrs. Jane Pond, Franklin, Mass. 
 Mrs. Emily Pond, " " 
 
 Wm. Pearse, Jersey City, N J. 
 Rev. Jas D'W. Perry, Germantown, Pa. 
 *Rev. Calbraith B. Perry, Baltimore, Md. 
 *Raj'mond Peirce, Providence, R. I. 
 *Mr9. M. M. Pratt, Brooklyn, X. Y. 
 ♦George W. Peck, Boston, Mass. 
 Wm. Ellsworth Peck, Block Island. 
 *Miss Hannah Peck, Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Ashton Pillings, Baylis, 111. 
 ♦Henry P. Peirce, New Bedford, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Jennie T. Peck, Barrington, R. I. 
 Mrs. Ruth B. Perry. Locust Valley, L. I. 
 Isaac A. Pearse, East Smithfield, Pa. 
 George T. Peck, Galesborough, 111. 
 Mrs. George T. Peck, " " 
 
 Isaac G. Peck, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 ♦Walter Palmer, East Greenwich, R. I. 
 J. M. Pelton, New York. 
 ♦Samuel S. Paine, New Bedford, Mass. 
 *Geo. W. Paine, " " " 
 
 Mrs. Lucy Pease, Edgartown, Mass. 
 Paul Pilkey, Ogdensburg, N. Y. 
 Flora Pilkey, " 
 
 George Pitman, Newport, R. I. 
 Miss Sarah Pitman, " " 
 
 *Miss Lizzie Pitman, " " 
 
 ♦Alfred Peabodie, Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Wm. Peck, Barrington, " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Anne F. Pratt, Brooklyn N. Y. 
 Nelson Palmer, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Amelia Pearse, Fall River, Mass. 
 ♦Wm. S. Perry, New York. 
 Mrs. Geo. F. Peterson, Washington, D. C. 
 Mrs. Phinney, Warren, R. I. 
 Mrs. Louisa B. T. Perry, Locust Valley, 
 L. L 
 
 ♦Mrs. W. H. Plielps, Putnam, Conn. 
 ♦Ruth Ellen Pearse, Warren, R. I. 
 ♦Betsey P. Paine, Providence, " 
 Josiah II. Pitman, Fall River, Mass. 
 
 Mrs. Josiah 11. Pitman, " *• " 
 
 Samuel Pitman, " " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Abby W. Palmer, Central Falls, 
 
 R.I. 
 ♦Mrs. Nancy Presbey, Taunton, Mass. 
 Reginald Heber Palmer, Prov., R. I. 
 Walter Pearse, Hartford, Conn. 
 Mrs. Walter Pearse, " " 
 
 ♦Thomas M. Quirk, Fall River, Mass. 
 Patrick M. Quinn, " " " 
 
 ♦Dennis Quirk, Tiverton, R. I. 
 ♦Miss Ellen M. Quirk, Newport, R. I. 
 Miss Mary A. Quirk, Warren, " 
 
 ♦Samuel Reynolos, Boston, Mass. 
 ♦George T. Reynolds, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Francis B. Reynolds, " " 
 
 Betsey Reynolds, East Greenwich, R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Clara L. Rowland, Chicago, 111. 
 Mrs. Geo. Richmond, New York. 
 Joseph Reynolds, Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦Theodore Rutherford, " " 
 
 Mrs. John Roberts, •' " 
 
 .James Robbins, Nebraska. 
 ♦Miss Hattie R. Robbins, New Bedford. 
 
 Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Abby A. Rogers, New Bedford, Ms. 
 Mrs. Alone Robinson, Philadelphia, Pa 
 ♦Maude Richmond, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦James O. Reid, Fall River, Mass. 
 ♦Miss Sarah E.Reid, " •• " 
 
 Miss Sarah T. Russell, Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Eliz. Rich, East Smithfield, Pa. 
 ♦Mrs. John L. Ross, Pawtncket, R. J. 
 John Riley, Frankport, Me. 
 Mar. Riley, Manchester, Mass. 
 Mrs. Evylyn Rathburn, Albany, N. Y. 
 ♦Lydia G. Reynolds, Providence, R. I. 
 William Allen Reed, San Francisco, Cal. 
 ♦Charles H. Richard?', Providence, R. I. 
 ♦George L. Richards. Providence, " 
 Mrs. Joanna M. Rogers, Chicago, 111. 
 Mrs. Joel F. Rainsford, Meriden,N. H. 
 Mrs. Prudence Randall, Wlscasset, Me. 
 Wm. A. Rowland, Rockford, 111. 
 Elleiy W. Rich, Warren, R. I. 
 Isaiah S. Rich, Providence, R. I. 
 Frank H. Rich, " " 
 
180 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Joseph J. Ralph, Colchester, Conn. 
 Mrs. Susan G. Ralph, " " 
 
 John Robbing, Woonsocket, R. I. 
 Mrs. Frank Reynolds, Providence, R. I. 
 *Miss Ambrosia A. Rovelts, " " 
 
 S 
 
 (ieorge A. Starkey, Galveston, Texas. 
 
 Mrs. Eliz. Spencer, Providence, R. I. 
 
 George T.Smith, Newport, " 
 
 *Mrs. William Il.Stebbins, Swansey, Ms. 
 
 *Mi3S Snsan A. G. Sherman, Prov., R. I. 
 
 ♦Walter M. B. Sherman, " 
 
 *Henry M. Slocum " " 
 
 Charles A. Slocum, " " 
 
 Misis S. Seymour, Warren, R. I. 
 
 *Mrs. C. F. Stephens, M'orcetter, Mass. 
 
 *Bertha E. Slade, Newport, R. I. 
 
 *Cato Slocum, East Providence, R. I. 
 
 *Lizzie J. Sherman, Providence, " 
 
 *Mrs. Henry Smith, 
 
 Mary J. Sweet, " '• 
 
 *Abby Salisbury, Providence, R. I. 
 
 *Jnlia Simmons, Warren, R. I. 
 
 Wm. A. Swan, Taunton, Mass. 
 
 *Hattie G. Sheldon, Providence, R. I. 
 
 *Miss Emma Snively, " " 
 
 Mrs. Hannah Shepard, Mansville, N. Y. 
 
 William K. Reynolds, Providence, R.I. 
 
 *Benj. S. Simmons, East Providence, 
 R. I. 
 
 *Belle Simmons, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 
 Etta May Simmons, " " 
 
 Miss C. Seymour, Warren, " 
 
 *Frank Simmons, Pawtucket, " 
 
 *Edgar Simmons, " " 
 
 *"Erwin Simmons, " " 
 
 *William H. H. Swan, Providence, R. I. 
 
 *Cliarles H. Springer, Fall River, Mass. 
 
 *WilIiam S. Springer, " " 
 
 *Joseph T. Springer, " " " 
 
 *Benj. F. Smith, Warren, R. I. 
 
 *Charles H. Swan, Providence, R. I. 
 
 ♦Edward M. Springer, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 
 George B. Sandford, Camp Halleck, Ne- 
 vada. 
 
 *SoIonF. Smith, Grafton, Mass. 
 
 Josiah Simmons, Fair Haven, Mass. 
 
 *Wm. H. Springer, New Bedford, " 
 
 John Springer, " " " 
 
 *Isaiah R. Simmons, Boston, Mass. 
 
 John F. Specater, New London, Conn. 
 
 *Samuel R. Swan, Providence, R. I. 
 
 *Samuel B. Swan, " " 
 
 Madaline D'W. Smith, New York. 
 
 *Mary B. Smith, Sylvania, Pa. 
 
 Mrs. Rev. Wm. Stowe, Clyde, N. Y. 
 
 Davenport S. Simmons, Plainfield, Ct. 
 
 *Mrs. Allen Simmons, New Bedford, Ms. 
 
 ♦Robert Simmons, Fair Haven, " 
 
 *Allen Simmons, New Bedford, " 
 
 Mrs. Dr. Job Sweet, " " " 
 
 *Right Rev. Benj. B. Smith, New York. 
 
 *George P. Smith, Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
 *Mary Sigafoo, North Vinelanrt. N. J. 
 
 ♦Edward B. Southworth, Patterson, N.J. 
 
 *R. Simmons, Warren, R. I. 
 
 *Wm. M. Springer, New Bedford, Mass. 
 
 Mrs. Ansel J. Sears, Coventry, Vt. 
 
 ♦Jonathan Simmons, Warren, R. I. 
 
 ♦Mrs. Jonathan Simmons, " 
 
 ♦Gilbert R. Simmons, " 
 
 *Alex. G. Sandford, " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Alex. G. Sandford, 
 
 *George Smith, " 
 
 ♦Airs. George Smith, " 
 
 Mrs. Mary Sumner, Lamont, Mich. 
 
 *Edward M. Springer, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 
 *W. S. Simmons, Warren, R. I. 
 
 M'ing Spooner, New Bedford, Mass. 
 
 Josiah Simmons, Fair Haven, " 
 
 *Samuel B. Swan, Providence, R. I. 
 
 *Thomas Swan, " " 
 
 *Mrs. Thomas Swan, " " 
 
 *Joel M. Spencer, " " 
 
 *Orrin S. Spencer, " " 
 
 *Harvey Spencer, Coventi*y, " 
 
 Miss Eliza B. Swan, Providence," 
 
 Sheffield A. Swan, " " 
 
 John Swan, Bloomfleld, Cal. 
 
 *Heni-y F. Smith, Providence, " 
 
 Mrs. Sydney Smith, Hornelsville, N. Y. 
 
 *Samuel C. Smith, Jamestown, N. Y. 
 
 *Mrs. Allen C. Slade, Stonington, Conn. 
 
 Mrs. Rebecca J. Shannon, Toronto, W. 
 Canada. 
 
 *Mrs. Eliz. Seeling, Darien, Conn. 
 
 *Samuel J. Smith, Salem, Mass. 
 
 ♦William H. Smith, '• 
 
 Mrs. Anne Stocking, Waterbury, Conn. 
 
 *John T. Smith, Fall River, Mass. 
 
 James L. Smith, New York. 
 
 William J. Smith, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 ♦George M. Smith, New York. 
 
 ♦Harriet Simmons, Dighton, Mass. 
 
 Ellery Sandford. Tecumseh, Neb. 
 
 ♦Arthur B. Spink, Providence, R. I. 
 
 Mrs. Arthur B. Spink, " " 
 
 Mrs. Samuel Spink " " 
 
 ♦Christopher C. Simmons, East Provi- 
 dence, R. I. 
 
 ♦Lewis H. Snakenborger, New York. 
 
 ♦John II. Shay, Fall River, Mass. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 181 
 
 Mrs. Celia A. Santeana, N. Bedford, Mass. 
 Mrs Mary A. Smith, " " 
 
 Andrew Salisbury, Providence, K. I. 
 Mrs. Mary J. Smith, Worcester, Mass. 
 *Mrs. Margaret Studley, Providence, R.I. 
 *Mr8. VVm. Sayer, Hyde Park, Mass. 
 \Vm. Sayer, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Mary A. Stetson, Providence, H I. 
 *Miss Ella Stetson, '* " 
 
 P. J. Sullivan, fioston, Mass. 
 John S. Shurtz, New York. 
 Jason T. Simmons, Chicago, 111. 
 Jason T. Simmons, Jr., " " 
 Mrs. Jason T. Simmons, Quincy, 111. 
 Elnora Simmons, " " 
 
 Abbj' Simmons, " " 
 
 Mrs. Julia M. Sherman, Providence, R.I. 
 John H. Shay, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Miss Minnie Seymour, Warren, R. I. 
 *Mrs. Joseph Seymoui-, " " 
 
 *Mrs. Abraham B. Stillwell, Providence, 
 
 R. I. 
 Mrs. Joseph Simmons, Walnut Hill, 
 
 Mass. 
 *Mrs. George R. Shaw, Providence, R.I. 
 Osborn Swan, " " 
 
 *Thomas Swan, Jr. " •' 
 
 *Mary J. Sparks, East Providence, " 
 Mrs. James E. Swan, Providence, " 
 *Mrs. Emily Smith, Vergennes, Vt. 
 *Miss Ella Shaw, Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Hannah Smith, " " 
 
 *Edwin H. Tilley, Newport, R. I. 
 James Thompson, Williamsburg, Pa. 
 *Edward M. Tilley, Norfolk, Va. 
 Prof. Wm. E. Thompson, Sinia, N. Y. 
 Mrs. Dr. Sam'l Theobold, Baltimore, Md. 
 Mark A. DeW. Tanner, Bangor, Cal. 
 Mrs. Nelson B. Tanner, South Abing- 
 
 ton, Mass. 
 *Henry H. Tilley, Washington, D. C. 
 *Benj. Tilley, Norfolk, Va. 
 William P. Tilley, Portsmouth, Va. 
 Thomas C. Tilley, Norfolk, Va. 
 Lydia Eva Tilley, Williamsburg, Va. 
 Mrs. Lucy B. Tilley, Norfolk, Va. 
 Lewis W. Taft, Providence, R. I. 
 *Mrs Chas. Talbot, Martha's Vineyard, 
 
 Mass. 
 *Sam'l P. Thornton, Elizabeth, N. J. 
 *Char es H. Tilley, Newport, R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Henry H. Tilley, Washington, D.C. 
 *Rev. William J. Tilley, Middlebury, Vt. 
 Benj. F. Tilley, Annapolis, JId. 
 
 *J. B. Tallman, Syracuse, N. Y. 
 Mrs. Olive Twaddle, New York. 
 Timothy I. Tanner, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 Wm. II. Tanner, '• '• 
 
 John B. Tanner, " " 
 
 Benj. B. Tanner, " 
 
 Michael Thomas, Boston, Mass. 
 *Mrs. John Tweedale, Washington, D.C. 
 ♦Samuel Trenn, East Providence, R. I. 
 Peter Trenn, East Smithfleld, Pa. 
 Frank W. Tanner, NorthAbington, Mass. 
 ♦William R. Taylor, jr.. Providence, R.I. 
 *Frank L. B. Taylor, " •< 
 
 ♦Mrs. Wm. H. Teele, " " 
 
 Russell H. Teele. " " 
 
 ♦Henry Tanner, Buffalo, N. Y. 
 Cornelius E.Tanncr.Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 ♦Miss Ida C. Taft, Meriden, Mass. 
 B. C. Tillinghast, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 H. G. Tillinghast, 
 
 Mrs. Marion Townsend.Wareham, Mass. 
 Mrs. Mary C. Taylor, N. Bedford, Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Charles Tallman, Portsmouth, R.I. 
 Benj. Tripp, Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Sarah Thomas, Jersey City, N. J. 
 *Mrs. W^m. Tallman, New Bedford, Mass. 
 Mrs. Francis W. Tanner, Swansey, •* 
 William Toye, jr.. Providence, R. I. 
 
 Emily F. Usher, New Bedford, " 
 
 *Benj. B. Usher, Warren, R. I. 
 *Aaron F. Usher, Goodell, Pa. 
 *Miss Anne Usher, East Smithfleld, Pa. 
 George Usher, " " " 
 
 *John Usher, " " •' 
 
 William Usher, East Smithfleld, Pa. 
 Frank B. Upham, Boston, Mass. 
 *Nathaniel W. Usher, Scio, N. Y. 
 ♦John Usher, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Eliz. B. Usher, Warren, K. 1. 
 
 *Mrs. Sam'l J. Vickery, Pawtucket, R. I. 
 *Mrs. Giles F. Vernier, South Creek, Pa. 
 John W. Vernon, Providence, R. I. 
 *rhomas S. Vickery, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Samuel J. Vickery, Warwick, R. I. 
 Mrs. Lydia Van Zandt, Newport, K. I. 
 ♦Henry Van Doom, Providence, R. I. 
 *Mrs. C. D. Vosburgh, Grand Rapids, 
 
 Mich. 
 ♦Giles F. Vernier, South Creek, Pa. 
 ♦Joseph R. Van Doom, Quincy, 111. 
 William H. Van Doom, '* " 
 
182 
 
 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 *F. Vauglin, Providence, U. I. 
 Lydia Van Doom, Quincy, 111. 
 Mary C. Van Doom, " •' 
 John H. Vansburgli, New York. 
 ♦Mrs. Mary Verry, Woonsocket, R. I. 
 *Edward P. Van Doom, Providence, R.I. 
 Mary P. Van Doom, " " 
 
 •Lewis Vaughn, " " 
 
 Fred N. Viall, East Providence, " 
 
 W 
 
 *Mrs. H. B. White, Providence, R. I. 
 *Winiam H. White, 
 *H. S. Williamson, " " 
 
 *Mildred L. Williams, New York. 
 *Margaret E. Woodman, Fall River, 
 
 Mass. 
 ♦William J. Wilcox, Providence, R. I. 
 »Mrs Lydia F. Williams, Taunton, Mass. 
 *Alfred Wright, Warren, R. I. 
 *Miss Jane H. Walker, Somerset, Mass. 
 •Mrs. Elisha Watson, Wakefield, R. I. 
 *Wm. H. Waldron,Cambridgeport, Mass. 
 Mrs. Benj. T. Wilbur, Long Plains, " 
 Marion W. Wheeler, New Y'ork. 
 *James R. White, Newport, R. I. 
 Lewis F. Waldron, East Saginaw, Mich. 
 ♦Nathan G. West, Hartford, Conn. 
 Miss Martha G. White, Marietta, Ga. 
 Capt. Wm. Williston, San Francisco.Ual. 
 Mrs. P. L. Wells, Staten Island, N. Y. 
 D. West, " " " 
 
 Frank D. Waldron, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 Nelson Waldron, Queechy, Vt. 
 •John H. Waldron, " 
 Mrs. Mary A. Whitehead, Whiteside, 111. 
 Rev. John B. Wight, Wayland, Mass. 
 Joseph Waldron, Butterville, 111. 
 Allen Wood, Angelica, N. Y'. 
 Algenon Wood, " " 
 
 *David A. Waldron, Barrington. R. I. 
 •William H. West, 
 
 Mrs. Wm. G. Wilcox, Fall River, Mass. 
 Mrs. Sarah J. Wright, Providence, R I. 
 •Nathaniel Wilson, Newport, " 
 
 *John West, 
 
 •James R. White, •• " 
 
 George E. Warren, Jerseyville, 111. 
 Mrs. Mary Wheaton, Providence, R. I. 
 *Benjamin Wardwell, " " 
 
 •William Wilraarth, Warren, " 
 
 Miss Annie Wilmarth, " " 
 
 Mrs. Susan Warner, Ackron, Ohio. 
 Charles Wilkinson, New York. 
 Mrs. Isaac Washburn, Taunton, Mass 
 •Mrs. Mary M. West, Attleboro, " 
 
 Mrs. Annie E. Weeks, Mystic Bridge, Ct. 
 Mrs. Caleb Williams, Elizabeth, N. J. 
 John Waldron, Fair Haven, Mass. 
 .Joseph M. Wardwell, Warren, N. Y. 
 Miss Martha Weaver, Norton, Mass. 
 *John S. Weeden, Providence, R. I. 
 Miss Maria Waldron, Bariington, R.I. 
 Mrs. Louisa Walton, Providence, " 
 »Edmond M. Waldron, " " 
 
 Benjamin B. Waldron, Newport, " 
 Alfred Waldron, Providence, " 
 
 Mrs. Adelaide Wordell, Fall River, Mass. 
 *Emeline Wordell, Valley Falls, II. I. 
 Mrs. Hattie Williams, Providence, " 
 *Mrs. Emily Webster, " " 
 
 Miss Susan White, Warren, '• 
 
 Mary M. Wesson, Fair Haven, Ct. 
 Charles Wesson, " " 
 
 •William M. Wardwell, Monsville, N. Y. 
 Miss Abbie M. Wardwell, " " 
 
 *James H. Wright, Newport, R. I. 
 James M. Winslow, Warren, " 
 *Miss Jennie Winslow, " " 
 
 William P. Williams, Fall River, Mass. 
 James West, Plymouth, " 
 
 •Peter M. Williams, Fall River, " 
 Samuel R, Warren, Montreal, Canada. 
 *Benjamin White, Providence, R. I. 
 •Ellen P. White, " " 
 
 Mrs. Ann E. Warning, Burlington, Ct. 
 *William A. Wardwell, Providence, R.I. 
 *John H. White, 
 
 *Davis Wilson, " " 
 
 Amos C. Weeden, Rye Beach, N. H. 
 William B. Weeden, Providence, R. I. 
 •Alimon T. White, 
 Miss Hannah Wardwell, Watertown, 
 
 N. Y. 
 •Benjamin Wilson, Barrington, R.I. 
 Rev. Timothy F. Wardwell, Watertown, 
 
 N. Y. 
 Jonathan Wardwell, Watertown, N. Y. 
 William B. West, Newport, R. I. 
 Mrs. J. M. AVheaton, Lawrence, Mass. 
 •Mrs. Augustus Winship, Providence, 
 
 R.L 
 Mrs Frank D. Woodmancy, Fall River, 
 
 Mass. 
 •Mrs. Manuel Wilcox, Fall River, Mass. 
 Mrs. Samuel Wilcox, " " 
 
 Mrs. Samuel B. Wilcox, " '• 
 
 Miss Ardelia Wordell, •' " 
 
 Miss Emeline Wood, Valley Falls, R. I. 
 Mrs. Anne Wilkie, Jersey City, N. J. 
 Henry Wight, Cairo, Ga. 
 Mrs. Abby Wight, Cairo, Ga. 
 Samuel B, Wight, Albany, Ga. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 183 
 
 Jeremiah M. Wai-dwell, Corpus Christie, 
 
 Texas. 
 Allen Wood, Friendship, N. Y. 
 Algernon S. Wood, Friendship, N. Y. 
 Miss Sarah W^ood. " " 
 
 Mrs. Kebecea VV. Wood, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Lydia M. Warren, Boston, Mass. 
 *Cbarle8 D. Wliite, Warren, K. I. 
 *Annie R. WMliis, " " 
 
 *CharlesM. P. Wliite, " 
 William H. White, 
 Mrs. Almira 15. Williston, New Bedford, 
 
 Mass. 
 ♦Mrs. Benjamin Warren, Fall River, Ms. 
 *Mrs. Susan L. Wood, Providence, R. I. 
 Mrs. Sarah M. West, •' " 
 
 *Mrs. Lydia Worsley, " '• 
 
 Mrs. Clara II. Whiltemore, Cliarlestown, 
 
 Mass. 
 Mrs. Charlotte M. Williams, Taunton, 
 
 Mass. 
 *Mrs. Mary A. Waite, Middletown, R. I. 
 Miss Annie P. Waldron, Salem, N.J. 
 Mrs. Emma J. Weaver, Fair Haven, Ct. 
 Mrs. Chas. Williams, East Smithfield, Pa. 
 Mrs. Jane Waldion, " " " 
 
 *John B Wilson, Providence, R. I. 
 William W'est, " 
 
 Mrs. Henry Wilkins, " " 
 
 ♦Frank B. Wlii e, " " 
 
 *Ida E. Wright, Warren, 
 *Wm. J. Wright, " 
 
 Mary E.Whittemore, E. Providence, R.I. 
 *Louisa W^alton, Providence, U. I. 
 *Mary Y. Whiting, " «• 
 
 Joseph Winslow, Fall River, Mass. 
 Julia I. Weeden, Newport, R. I. 
 ♦Andrew J. White, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Elizabeth White, " " 
 
 *Miss Emma White, " " 
 
 ♦Willie G. White, 
 
 *Miss Sarah Warner, " " 
 
 William Waldron, East Smithfield, Pa. 
 ♦Harriet T. Willis, Providence, R. I. 
 William Whitaker, Seekonk, Mass. 
 *James Whitaker, " " 
 
 ♦Alfred B. Waldron, Troy, Pa. 
 *Horatio Waldron, Providence, R.I. 
 Tlieodore Waldron, Troy, Pa. 
 ♦William T. Wardwell, Stanford, Ct. 
 ♦Samuel Wardwell, Monsville, N. Y. 
 ♦Charles H. W^ardwell, " " 
 
 ♦Margaret E. Woodmancy, Fall River, 
 
 Mass. 
 ♦William J. Wilcox, Providence, R. I. 
 ♦Mrs. Lydia F. Williams, Taunton. Mass. 
 ♦Alfred Wright, Warren, R. L 
 ♦Jane H. Walker, Somerset, Mass. 
 Mrs. F. L. Williams, New York. 
 ♦Mildred L. Williams, New York. 
 ♦Henry S. Williamson, Pi-ovidence, R.I. 
 ♦William Henry White, " " 
 
 ♦Mrs. Henry B. White, " " 
 
184 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BEISTOL. 
 
 Memorandum of Receipts and Expenses, Bi-Centennial Committee. 
 
 Received from the town of Bristol, - - - . $1500 00 
 
 " " sundry entertainments furnished by 
 
 the Committee : 
 " " Pinafore exhibition, 
 
 " " lecture by Isaac N. Arnold, 
 
 •' " ladles' sale, ... 
 
 " " concert, .... 
 
 " " readings by Mrs. Charles Smith, (Fanny 
 
 Morant), ... 
 
 " " minstrels' concert, ... 
 
 *' for interest, ..... 
 " from members of the Committee, 
 
 Expenses for bands of music, 
 
 " " tents and putting up, 
 
 «' " platforms, seats, and dinner tables, 
 
 " '* carriages used in the procession, - 
 
 " «' exhibition of relics, 
 
 " " decorating public buildings, 
 
 " " dinners to invited guests, 
 
 " " " " band and police, 
 
 " " badges of all kinds, 
 
 " " printing circulars, programmes, etc. 
 
 " " procession, ... 
 
 " " electric light, ... 
 
 •• " postage, etc., ... 
 
 " * " advertising, - - - 
 
 " " salutes and bell ringing, 
 
 •' " fencing memorial trees, 
 
 " " children's choir, - - . 
 
 " " town seal, .... 
 
 $130 14 
 
 
 12 55 
 
 
 91 72 
 
 
 23 00 
 
 
 23 GO 
 
 
 I 55 
 
 
 
 282 56 
 
 - 
 
 11 23 
 
 - 
 
 - 35 03 
 
 
 $l,82S 82 
 
 $420 
 
 54 
 
 279 
 
 93 
 
 171 
 
 31 
 
 166 
 
 00 
 
 128 
 
 61 
 
 100 00 
 
 100 00 
 
 39 
 
 75 
 
 78 
 
 74 
 
 61 
 
 50 
 
 53 
 
 65 
 
 46 35 
 
 47 21 
 
 34 
 
 56 
 
 33 
 
 85 
 
 31 
 
 82 
 
 25 00 
 
 10 00 
 
 $1,828 82 
 
 334 50 
 
 There was an additional expenditure of - 
 .for the dinners given to the returning Sons and Daughters of Bristol, 
 made under the direction of the Committee, which amount was furnished 
 by members of the same, and other citizens of the town. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 185 
 
 The following lines, from the pen of a 
 Bristol," Miss Anne E. Cole, of Warren, blend in sweet 
 harmony with the grand refrain of our Bi-Centennial, and 
 most a])propriately close the record of the festal day. They 
 originally appeared in the Providence Journal a few days 
 after the celebration. They are now published with a slight 
 addition, having been revised by the fair author. We give 
 them — sweet echoes of a grand chorus : — 
 
 bi-centennial echoes. 
 
 We heard from afar a sweet refrain ; — 
 
 " Childreu, my cluklreu, come home again. 
 Come home, come home, a welcome will meet you, 
 
 Come to your birthphice, wherever you roam, 
 In festal adornments I wait now to greet you. 
 
 From the east and the west, my childreu, come home." 
 
 As Mercury fleet, 
 Ou swift-flying feet, 
 With white pinions neat, 
 
 The missives were sent; 
 And hundreds were polled 
 In the soft satin fold, 
 With the quaint letters old, 
 
 Past centuries lent. 
 
 In the councils of State, — 
 In the halls of the great, — 
 Where the humble ones wait. 
 
 The summons was laid. 
 And the message conned o'er, 
 They sped homeward once more. 
 As they never before 
 
 Their parent obeyed. 
 
 Steed, steam and wind, their powers combined 
 
 With favoring sun and air; 
 Tlie Inbound trains bore martial strains, 
 
 And cannon hailed them there. 
 
186 BI-CENTENNIAL, OF BRISTOL. 
 
 Badges displayed, — the grand parade, — 
 Th' adorned and bannered way, — 
 
 The joyful word of greeting heard, 
 Gladdened the centuries' day. 
 
 But abler pens than mine have traced 
 
 The festive hours along, 
 And loftier chords more sweetly swelled 
 
 The bi-centennial song. 
 
 The breath of devotion, and childhood's pure strain. 
 Blent o'er the thousands, home-gathered again ; 
 Through the rifts of the tent the soft breezes strayed, 
 And glints of warm sunlight in ambush there laid. 
 
 The grave historic muse was there, 
 Scanning each word with jealous care, 
 The massive pages musing o'er. 
 Lest Romance tinge the sober lore. 
 
 Legend and tale of Viking old. 
 Though traced in annals clear and bold, 
 Alike, the plain statistics shock, — 
 They antedated Pl^'mouth rock. 
 
 No earlier footprints here were found. 
 The red man held the primal ground. 
 And Plymouth next the treasure wins. 
 Rolled up in seven beaver skins. 
 
 Nor yea, nor nay, we said amen, 
 When listening to the Diamond pen 
 Which bore no tribute, gave no meed, 
 To hero of the mythic deed. 
 
 Good Massasoit, Philip too. 
 Some words of calm approval drew; 
 Some pen-marks few were made to trace 
 The history of the conquered race. 
 
 The story of the ancient town,— 
 The honored four of old renown, — 
 The wealth and commerce o'er the seas, — 
 The home-bound, freighted ai'gosies — 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BKISTOL. 187 
 
 The grand historic altar graced. 
 With many records I've not traced; 
 His moral then the Historian drew, 
 And o'er the rest Time's mantle threw. 
 
 Then Poesy awoke her sweetest lays, 
 
 And a full tone rolled forth in tuneful praise. 
 
 Not broken was that shell, nor still that lyre, 
 
 The " force of will " woke all the olden fire; 
 
 It streamed afar o'er the wild Norsemen's way, 
 
 And shed on Metacom a pitying ray. 
 
 We saw well nigh a thousand years of time. 
 
 By light electric of historic rhyme. 
 
 Those " chords unstrung," re-echoed through the wild, 
 
 Fair Gudrid's Norse-notes to her Vinland child. 
 
 In Montaup's shades we heard a nation's wail, 
 
 And saw the white man o'er the red prevail. 
 
 We met to-day with gleeful notes attune. 
 
 Fair as the May, and sweet as flowers of June. 
 
 And classic ground awhile we wandered o'er. 
 
 Then turned once more to bless our native shore. 
 
 The pain of sweetness, and the sweet regret 
 This poem chaste awoke, is lingering yet. 
 
 To this mind-feast we fain would tarry late, 
 But dinner calls us to its stern debate. 
 
 Sons and daughters come, 
 
 The moments are fleeting, 
 
 Receive the warm greeting, — 
 The fond welcome home. 
 
 Sons and daughters haste 
 
 While the garlands are bright. 
 
 Feast now in our sight. 
 Of the banquet now taste. 
 
 And there was spread a royal feast ; 
 From north to south, from west and east. 
 
 Was gathered a vast store. 
 The sea, the land, the realms of air. 
 The fattening stall, the fowler's snare, 
 
 Their varied tributes bore. 
 
188 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL, 
 
 The fruits of many a distant clime,— 
 The products of our harvest time, — 
 
 The luxury of cold, — 
 In viands rare, and richly wrought. 
 With golden woi'ds of welcome fraught, 
 
 Revealed their wealth untold. 
 
 We feasted at the gracious board, 
 Where Plenty its libations poured; — 
 
 The flying hours sped on. 
 We listened to the parting word. 
 The parting melody we heard, 
 
 Twas finished all too soon. 
 
 With music sounding to the breeze, 
 Were planted four memorial trees, 
 
 Just at the sun's last ray. 
 O'er hill and stream, through wood and dell. 
 The cannon thundered its farewell; — 
 
 Two centuries rolled away. 
 
 I pause beside the festal board once more 
 To hear those gracious words repeated o'er 
 By bard and scholar, statesman and the sage, 
 As each traced out the progress of the age. 
 Bright scintillations flashed from mind to mind, 
 And grace and feeling answered back in kind. 
 Each laid his tribute on the household shrine. 
 And sought some flowery wreath of love to twine. 
 There, too, upon home's olden altar-stone. 
 The light of thanks and filial homage shone. 
 At twilight hour we went with reverent tread. 
 To view the portraits of the honored dead. 
 We saw the worthies of the olden town, 
 Who reared this commonwealth of fair renown. 
 With busy care they wrought out far to-day. 
 Which in the coming centuries dimly lay. 
 We spanned these centuries,— saw the years along, 
 Telling their stories to the passing throng. 
 Each pictured face, in framework quaint and dark, 
 Held its lone post,— Time's silent finger mark. 
 Founder and preacher, ruler, statesmen too. 
 And far-famed beauties met the admiring view. 
 The wondering light of every moveless eye. 
 Thus mutely seemed to ask the passers-by ; — 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 189 
 
 ' By whose rude right have we obeyed tlie calls 
 Which tore us from our own familiar halls? 
 Yours is our heritage, — a fair bequest,— 
 Leave us our past, its silence and its rest." 
 And thus across two centuries green and ftvir. 
 Those vanished generations met us there. 
 
 From hallowed scenes, dim with the far away, 
 We turn again to our own bright to-day. 
 The evening time speeds on in light and song. 
 And joyous hearts the festive hours prolong. 
 Fair as its day, on History's page, appears 
 The Bi-Centenuial of the Bristol years. 
 
APPE^^DIX 
 
 The following account of the " High School Reunion," held on Saturday 
 evening, September 25th, was furnished by Henry H. Tilley, Esq., of 
 Washington, D. 0. : — 
 
 THE HIGH SCHOOL RE-UNION. 
 
 The reunion of the Bristol High School, in Byfield Hall, on Saturday 
 evening, was amost successful and enjoyable affair, and formed a pleasing 
 conclusion to the bi-centennial festivities of the week. The hall was 
 tastefully decorated, the walls showing appropriate mottoes, chiefly in 
 Latin, and the front of the platform being covered with plants in bloom. 
 When the meeting was called to order, at 8 p. m., an audience of over 
 two hundred were assembled, comprising the present pupils of the school, 
 with former ones from the time of its inauguration, in 1848. Henry H. 
 Tilley, of the Navy Department, Washington, D. C, presided, and called 
 upon Rev. J. P. Lane, for many years, and until his recent removal from 
 the town, a member of the School Committee, to open the meeting with 
 prayer. Mr. Tilley then made the following introductory address : 
 
 Ladies and Oentlemen, Teachers and Pupils, of the High School : 
 
 As one of the original members of the High School, I have been selected 
 to preside on this occasion, and in the name of the present school, to wel- 
 come the returning members. Although I have not the honor and satis- 
 faction of being a graduate, and at the time of my connection Avith the 
 institution it was yet in its infancy, I yield to none in my appreciation of 
 its importance and advantages, and have ever esteemed the influence of 
 the comparatively limited period which I was permitted to pass within its 
 walls, as among the most important upon my subsequent career in life. 
 And in this connection I cannot omit paying a passing tribute to the 
 memory of our first principal, the lamented Prof. Wm. E. Jillson, whose 
 firm and dignified, yet gentle and persuasive manner — so happily combin- 
 ing the suuviter in modo with the fortiter in re —was of more value to us, 
 by inspiring a love of learning for his, as well as its own sake, than the 
 actual instruction which he so lucidly imparted. Of my other teacher, 
 
192 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 the genial and polished Lafayette Burr— whose name is a decided misno- 
 mer, since if he ever had any such rough outside covering, he must have 
 shed it very early in life — I need not make further mention, as we still 
 have the pleasure of reckoning him, as well as Mrs. B , our former school- 
 mate and the daughter of Dr. Shepard, the earliest and firmest friend of 
 the school, among our living friends, and only regret that circumstances 
 did not allow of their being present with us this evening. 
 
 Those earl}'^ days, together with the venerable old Academy in which 
 they were passed, and, alas! with some of the old companions then so 
 dear to us, are gone. And many of those still living, scattered throughout 
 the world, are unable to be with us to-night To them we send a hearty 
 greeting, with the hope that we may, ere long, have the pleasure of once 
 more grasping them by the baud. But to us who look back with regret to 
 those happy days, and who only get a glimpse of the scenes amid which 
 they were passed once a year or less, it is a source of much gratification 
 that the High School, after all the vicissitudes through which it has 
 passed, not only still lives, but is located in snch pleasant and commo- 
 dious quarters as the Byfleld building, in which we are now assembled, 
 and that our places are occupied by such promising pupils — the sons and 
 daughters of our old schoolmates -as I saw there the other day, and most 
 of whom are with us this evening, prepared to cordially welcome their 
 predecessors of all the former years. In the light of my experience since 
 I left the school, I cannot forbear to impress upon them the importance of 
 improving to the utmost the advantages which old Bristol so generously 
 offers them, and which, in some respects, far exceed those that the 
 National Capital, where I now reside, is yet able to afford its school chil- 
 dren. With its population of over 150,000, and all its flue school edlflces, 
 Washington has no high school where, as here, pupils can be fitted for 
 college; nor, I may add, with all its literary advantages for scholars and 
 men of leisure, has it any free circulating library like the Rogers, Remem- 
 ber, then, my young friends, " of him to whom much is given, much shall 
 be required," and do not neglect the opportunities now offered you, or it 
 will prove a source of unceasing regret in after life. 
 
 And to my schoolmates and other former pupils of the school who, hav- 
 ing entered on the active duties of life, remain here at the old homestead, 
 and have taken the places of the fathers, who, in my boyhood, had the 
 direction of affairs, I would simply say, "Freely ye have received, freely 
 give"; and I urge you to see that the reputation which, as the orator of 
 the day and others informed us yesterday, the town has enjoyed even from 
 its foundation, for liberality on the subject of education, be not diminished 
 or obscured; and especially that the High School which, as President 
 Robinson claimed, formed so important a link in our State educational 
 system, and whose advantages you can appreciate, is not allowed to 
 decline or perish. But, as our time is limited, I am reminded tluit I was 
 not put here to make a speech, but merely to serve as a portico to the 
 temple. 
 
BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 193 
 
 The chair announced tliat the committee liad been disappointed in the 
 absence of Mr. Bnrr, the second principal of the school, to whom he had 
 already referred, and read a letter from him re^^retting his inability to be 
 present, on account of other engagements, and also the following extract 
 from a private letter to himself: 
 
 " I have no doubt that my ' boys,' most of whom are occupying positions 
 of trust and responsibility, will give a good account of themselves, while 
 the girls' ' cara} alumnaj ' will also be present, if the claims upon them as 
 wives, mothers, or teachers permit. They may not speak of what tliey 
 have accomplished in life, but their good deeds and true lives are known, 
 and their happy influence is felt wherever they may live. May God bless 
 them all, and long spare them to be good and useful men and women, and 
 when they all have crossed the flood, may our reiiuion in the spirit-land 
 be happy and complete." 
 
 Another disappointment was caused by the absence of Hon. T. W. Bick- 
 nell, a former principal, who had given the committee encouragement to 
 expect him, but telegraphed at the last moment that he was unable to 
 cancel a prior engagement in Boston. 
 
 Robert S. Andrews, for many years Superintendent of Public Schools, 
 being called upon, made a brief address, and en passant related an anec- 
 dote communicated to him by the poet of the bi-centennial (Bishop 
 Howe), of his early school-days in the old Academy. 
 
 Rev. Calbraith B. Perry, of Baltimore, Md., a comparatively young 
 graduate of the school, made a most amusing extempore speech, com- 
 mencing with an allusion to an item in a Baltimore paper, to the effect that 
 he had " gone to his native place to celebrate his bi-centennial, and would 
 stop in the house in which he was born, which loas still standing." He 
 adverted to the work in which he is now engaged among the colored pop- 
 ulation of Baltimore, describing one of his original pupils, styled the 
 "India Rubber Boy," and ended with some telling allusions to his early 
 school days, which brought down the house. 
 
 He was followed by Rev. Joseph Tfapnell, rector of St. Michael's twent}'- 
 flve years ago, when his children were pupils of the school, who gave 
 some excellent advice as to the true end of education. 
 
 Prof. Wilfred H. Munro, the historian of Bristol, and Chandler II. 
 Coggeshall, Secretary of the High School Association, gave entertaining 
 reminiscences of their school days, and Rev. W. J. Tilley, of Middlebury, 
 Vt., a former pupil, made a brief but spicy speech. 
 
 Hon. Wm. II. Spooner, one of the fli'st pupils, late President of the 
 Town Council, and member of the Legislature, being called upon, 
 expressed his gratification at the reiinion, but excused himself from a 
 speech, and oflered as a substitute Hon. Wm. J. Miller, he being a mem- 
 ber of the School Committee, and married to a High School girl. Mr. 
 Miller responded with some interesting reminiscences of the Bristol 
 schools fifty years ago, paying a high tribute to Otis Storrs, one of the 
 most efficient teachers of that day, who, he said, h.ad first taught him tiie 
 25 
 
194 BI-CENTENNIAL OF BRISTOL. 
 
 true end of school education, which was not so much the acquisition of 
 facts, as how to learn, which should be a life pursuit. 
 
 The literary exercises, which were agreeably diversified by vocal music 
 admirably rendered by the Zerrahn Quartette, Messrs. Burgess, Spinning, 
 Young and Liscomb, being bi'ought to a close, a portion of the seats were 
 removed, refreshments, provided in part by the ladies, were distributed, 
 and the true reunion commenced, a season of social intercourse between 
 the present and past pupils, many of whom now greeted each other for the 
 first time for many years. Many regrets were heard for those who had 
 passed aWay, particularly on the part of the pupils of Rev. N. B. Cooke 
 and Mr. Morley, two of the most highly-esteemed and successful among 
 the former principals. After the refreshments were disposed of. Prof. 
 John Tweedale, of the War Department, Washington, D. C, the husband 
 of a former pupil, read, by request, " Centeunial Bells," and' in response 
 to pei'sistent encores, gave several humerous selections in capital style. 
 
 The company separated about 11 p. m., with a general expression of sat- 
 isfaction with the happy occasion, and a hope that it might soon be 
 i-epeated. In conclusion, we may remark that it is a great source of grat- 
 ification to its friends, that the school, which had rather languished for 
 several years, is fast regaining its former prestige under its present 
 efficient Principal, J. E. Estee, who entered heartily into the project of 
 the reiinion, and to whom, with Miss A. B. Manchester, his assistant, its 
 success is largely due. 
 
 HK225-78 
 
MAY 
 OBKKEFPFq 
 
 PHESERVAIION TECHNOLOGIES LP 
 1 1 1 Thomson Park Dnve 
 Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
 (724)779-2111 
 

I 
 
 151