Genealogy
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> Rhode Island Rhode Island
Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams at present-day
Provindence. The name was dutch for "red island". The
colony was founded to allow religious exiles from other colonies,
most notably the Massachusetts Bay Colony, to pratice their beliefs
without persecution.
Most early settlers were from England, drawn to the colony with
the promise of religious freedom. Jewish and Quaker settlers joined
the disaffected Puritans soon after the colony was established.
Most, if not all, land in Rhode Island was purchased from the natives,
the Narragansetts, rather than taken by force.
While Rhode Island is the smallest state it has the longest official
name: "The State of Rhode Island and
Providence Plantations".
My ancestors that settled in Kent County -- that I have been able
to document to-date -- generally came from Massachusetts.
If the MATTESON and PHILLIPS connections are valid then that leads
to the WEST (WAST) family, which lived in Duxbury, Plymouth County,
RI before moving to East Greenwich in Kent County. Most researchers
appear to agree on these connections but I don't have all the paperwork
in yet.
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