COMING TO AMERICA
It is not known what ship Tobias sailed on. Nor exactly when he came. He first came to Massachusetts and became a member of the First Military Company of Taunton in August 1643. (According to their records)
"All the males able to bear armes from XVI years old to 60 years"
In 1649 and 1650 he worked for the Saugus Ironworks and lived in the home of Lawrence Turner at the Ironworks.
By 1655, being tired of the Puritans, Tobias was in Newport, Rhode Island.
In 1661 he formed a company with several others. They included ROBERT BURDICK, JOSEPH CLARKE Jr, and ELDER JOHN CRANDALL(The first Baptist Minister in Western Rhode Island).
Also, in 1661, he married MARY PECKHAM in Newport. Daughter of JOHN PECKHAM AND MARY CLARKE
With the permission of the Colonial Legislature, they purchased a tract of land called "MISQUAMICUT" from the Indian Chief, SOSOA, head of the Narragansetts.
This piece of land extended fifteen miles northward from the ocean and ten miles from the Pawcatuck River. It was dense with forests, the soil was very sandy and stony. There were plenty of Indians all thru the area.
This area eventually covered the towns now known as Westerly, Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton.
When they purchased this land, they knew it was being disputed by Massachuetts and Connecticut.
In 1662 Robert Burdick and Tobias both declared their alligiance to Rhode Island and were arrested by authorities from Massachuetts and taken to Prison in Boston.
They remained there for about year when Roger Williams (the original founder of Rhode Island) collected enough money to pay 40 pounds for their release and give security in the amount of 100 pounds for future good conduct.
A year later, they were then arrested by Connecticut.
In 1663 the Rhode Island men responded by tearing down a house built by a Connecticut man from Stonington on the eas tof the Pawcatuck River(which would be the Westerly side.
When a Deputy Marshall from Suffolk Massachuetts arrived to investigate he was taken and imprisoned for eleven months.
Connecticut got into the act by imprisoning John Crandall and others at Hartford in 1671 in a similar border dispute.
Joseph Clarke Jr. had been imprisoned in Hartford, Connecticut and Elder John Crandall had been imprisoned in Boston for his Baptist Beliefs.
Tobias, Robert Burdick and Joseph Clarke, Sr. were the first of the purchasers to occupy the land: then Elder John Crandall came along.
The first buildings put up were one room log cabins with wide fireplaces.
Some of the cabins were half buried in the earth. Later they built stone walls around their farms.
Eventually, Tobias built a larger house. His place was on Post Road and known as "MOUSE HILL".
Robert Burdick and Tobias were under so much pressure because their lands were on the border of both Massachusetts and Connecticut. There was constant fighting and bickering. The Indians were bothered by all this and they became pesky and troubled them for 20 years.
In 1669 Westerly was incorporated as a town. The Seventh Day Baptists had their first church in Newport, but set up a meeting place in Westerly. It ws set off as a church of it's own in 1708.
The battle with Connecticut and Massachuetts continued for 65 years until 1728 when a settlement was finally reached and a border established.
In 1738, a portion of Westerly was set off and designated as "Charlestown". It was in this area that Tobias had his farm.
If it had not been for the steadfastness of these men, Rhode Island would have never held up. It would have been divided between Connecticut and Massachuetts.
NOTE: I would like to thank the Seventh Day Baptist Assn and Don Sanford for their help in this information. To understand the struggles of this Church you should read the book by Don Sanford entitled "A CHOOSING PEOPLE: A HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH DAY BAPTIST CHURCH".
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Circa 1643 Tobias Saunders sailed for America.
It is not known what ship Tobias sailed on. Nor exactly when he came. He first came to Massachusetts and became a member of the First Military Company of Taunton in August 1643. (According to their records)
"All the males able to bear armes from XVI years old to 60 years"
In 1649 and 1650 he worked for the Saugus Ironworks and lived in the home of Lawrence Turner at the Ironworks.
By 1655, being tired of the Puritans, Tobias was in Newport, Rhode Island.
In 1661 he formed a company with several others. They included ROBERT BURDICK, JOSEPH CLARKE Jr, and ELDER JOHN CRANDALL(The first Baptist Minister in Western Rhode Island).
Also, in 1661, he married MARY PECKHAM in Newport. Daughter of JOHN PECKHAM AND MARY CLARKE
With the permission of the Colonial Legislature, they purchased a tract of land called "MISQUAMICUT" from the Indian Chief, SOSOA, head of the Narragansetts.
This piece of land extended fifteen miles northward from the ocean and ten miles from the Pawcatuck River. It was dense with forests, the soil was very sandy and stony. There were plenty of Indians all thru the area.
This area eventually covered the towns now known as Westerly, Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton.
When they purchased this land, they knew it was being disputed by Massachuetts and Connecticut.
In 1662 Robert Burdick and Tobias both declared their alligiance to Rhode Island and were arrested by authorities from Massachuetts and taken to Prison in Boston.
They remained there for about year when Roger Williams (the original founder of Rhode Island) collected enough money to pay 40 pounds for their release and give security in the amount of 100 pounds for future good conduct.
A year later, they were then arrested by Connecticut.
In 1663 the Rhode Island men responded by tearing down a house built by a Connecticut man from Stonington on the eas tof the Pawcatuck River(which would be the Westerly side.
When a Deputy Marshall from Suffolk Massachuetts arrived to investigate he was taken and imprisoned for eleven months.
Connecticut got into the act by imprisoning John Crandall and others at Hartford in 1671 in a similar border dispute.
Joseph Clarke Jr. had been imprisoned in Hartford, Connecticut and Elder John Crandall had been imprisoned in Boston for his Baptist Beliefs.
Tobias, Robert Burdick and Joseph Clarke, Sr. were the first of the purchasers to occupy the land: then Elder John Crandall came along.
The first buildings put up were one room log cabins with wide fireplaces.
Some of the cabins were half buried in the earth. Later they built stone walls around their farms.
Eventually, Tobias built a larger house. His place was on Post Road and known as "MOUSE HILL".
Robert Burdick and Tobias were under so much pressure because their lands were on the border of both Massachusetts and Connecticut. There was constant fighting and bickering. The Indians were bothered by all this and they became pesky and troubled them for 20 years.
In 1669 Westerly was incorporated as a town. The Seventh Day Baptists had their first church in Newport, but set up a meeting place in Westerly. It ws set off as a church of it's own in 1708.
The battle with Connecticut and Massachuetts continued for 65 years until 1728 when a settlement was finally reached and a border established.
In 1738, a portion of Westerly was set off and designated as "Charlestown". It was in this area that Tobias had his farm.
If it had not been for the steadfastness of these men, Rhode Island would have never held up. It would have been divided between Connecticut and Massachuetts.
NOTE: I would like to thank the Seventh Day Baptist Assn and Don Sanford for their help in this information. To understand the struggles of this Church you should read the book by Don Sanford entitled "A CHOOSING PEOPLE: A HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH DAY BAPTIST CHURCH".
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