Thomas Angell
Encyclopedia
Thomas Angell was one of the five men who accompanied Roger Williams
in founding the settlement of Providence
in what would become the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
. Though he was a minor at the time of his arrival, his name appears on several of the early documents related to the settlement of Providence. In the early 1650s he became active in the affairs of the town, serving as commissioner, juryman, and constable. In 1658 he began his service as the Providence Town Clerk, and held this position for 17 years. He wrote his will in 1685, dying almost a decade later in 1694, leaving a widow and many grown children.
in the Plymouth Colony
, where they had spent the winter, to the upper reaches of the Narragansett Bay
, where they established the settlement that Williams named Providence
in the spring of 1636. Angell was a minor at the time, but the adult men in the group brought their wives and children with them. Angell was likely a relative of Roger Williams, and likely related to William Angell, a citizen and baker of London
, whose daughter married a first cousin of Williams.
Having been a minor upon his arrival in Providence, about 1637 he and 12 other men signed a compact as a master of a family, suggesting that he had now married at the time this (undated) document was signed. On 27 July 1640, he was one of 39 inhabitants of Providence who signed a document for a form of government, he signing by mark.
In 1652 Angell became involved in civic affairs, being selected as a commissioner, and in 1655 he was a juryman and also served as constable. Also in 1655, his name appears on a list of freemen
within the colony. Angell's greatest service to the town began in 1658, when he became the Providence Town Clerk, and he served in this capacity for 17 years, until 1675, just prior to King Philip's War
. His name last appears on a public record in 1685 when he and his son James were taxed. Angell wrote his will in May 1685, but he lived until 1694, when his will was proved in September of that year.
, England. Alice's sister, Mary, married Thomas Olney
, another Providence settler, and her brother James also came to New England
. Thomas and Alice had eight children. Their daughter Alice married Eleazer Whipple, the son of John and Sarah Whipple, and brother of Colonel Joseph Whipple
, and their daughter Margaret married Jonathan, another son of John and Sarah Whipple. Their son James married Abigail Dexter, the daughter of colonial President Gregory Dexter
.
ategory:1618 births]
ategory:1694 deaths]
Category:17th-century English people
Category:American colonial people
Category:American people of English descent
Category:People from Providence, Rhode Island
Category:People from Rhode Island
Category:Rhode Island colonial people
Roger Williams (theologian)
Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...
in founding the settlement of Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
in what would become the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
. Though he was a minor at the time of his arrival, his name appears on several of the early documents related to the settlement of Providence. In the early 1650s he became active in the affairs of the town, serving as commissioner, juryman, and constable. In 1658 he began his service as the Providence Town Clerk, and held this position for 17 years. He wrote his will in 1685, dying almost a decade later in 1694, leaving a widow and many grown children.
Life
Thomas Angell was one of the five men who accompanied Roger Williams from SeekonkSeekonk, Massachusetts
Seekonk is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Massachusetts border. It was incorporated in 1812 from the western half of Rehoboth. The population was 13,722 at the 2010 census. Until 1862, the town of Seekonk also included what is now the City of East Providence, Rhode...
in the Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
, where they had spent the winter, to the upper reaches of the Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
, where they established the settlement that Williams named Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
in the spring of 1636. Angell was a minor at the time, but the adult men in the group brought their wives and children with them. Angell was likely a relative of Roger Williams, and likely related to William Angell, a citizen and baker of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, whose daughter married a first cousin of Williams.
Having been a minor upon his arrival in Providence, about 1637 he and 12 other men signed a compact as a master of a family, suggesting that he had now married at the time this (undated) document was signed. On 27 July 1640, he was one of 39 inhabitants of Providence who signed a document for a form of government, he signing by mark.
In 1652 Angell became involved in civic affairs, being selected as a commissioner, and in 1655 he was a juryman and also served as constable. Also in 1655, his name appears on a list of freemen
Freeman (Colonial)
Freeman is a term which originated in 12th century Europe and is common as an English or American Colonial expression in Puritan times. In the Bay Colony, a man had to be a member of the Church to be a freeman. In Colonial Plymouth, a man did not need to be a member of the Church, but he had to be...
within the colony. Angell's greatest service to the town began in 1658, when he became the Providence Town Clerk, and he served in this capacity for 17 years, until 1675, just prior to King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
. His name last appears on a public record in 1685 when he and his son James were taxed. Angell wrote his will in May 1685, but he lived until 1694, when his will was proved in September of that year.
Family
Angell married Alice Ashton, the daughter of James Ashton of Saint Albans in HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England. Alice's sister, Mary, married Thomas Olney
Thomas Olney
Thomas Olney was an early minister at the First Baptist Church in America and a co-founder of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.-Immigration to New England:...
, another Providence settler, and her brother James also came to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. Thomas and Alice had eight children. Their daughter Alice married Eleazer Whipple, the son of John and Sarah Whipple, and brother of Colonel Joseph Whipple
Joseph Whipple
Joseph Whipple was a wealthy merchant in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and active in the civil affairs of the colony during the first half of the 18th century...
, and their daughter Margaret married Jonathan, another son of John and Sarah Whipple. Their son James married Abigail Dexter, the daughter of colonial President Gregory Dexter
Gregory Dexter
Gregory Dexter was a printer, Baptist minister, and early President of the combined towns of Providence and Warwick in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He was in New England as early as 1638 when he had a five-acre lot assigned to him in Providence...
.
See also
- List of early settlers of Rhode Island
- Colony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsColony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsThe Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
External links
- Rhode Island History from the State of Rhode Island General Assembly website. See Chapter 2, Colonial Era.
ategory:1618 births]
ategory:1694 deaths]
Category:17th-century English people
Category:American colonial people
Category:American people of English descent
Category:People from Providence, Rhode Island
Category:People from Rhode Island
Category:Rhode Island colonial people