Erick and List: I got this email from David O'Dell who has given his permission for me to forward it to the list. It makes a lot of sense to me and while the Revolutionary War soldiers who came back to this area may account for some of the settlement of Rhode Islanders in the Taconic Valley, this should be seriously considered. Subj: Rhode Islanders Who Came To Rensselaer County Date: 01-04-23 14:16:05 EDT From: eastwood@frontiernet.net (David E.P. O'Dell) To: MHoff12140@aol.com Dear Marie, Your Sunday discussion about all of the Rhode Islanders who settled in Rensselaer County just caught my attention. While some of settlers may have come because they saw the locale during the Revolutionary War, there were other more specific reasons, as well. The Patroon Stephen Van Rensselaer and some of his people went around Rhode Island praising the merits of his estate, and encouraging families to relocate to New York. 'They could have far more land than they had in Rhode Island,' he told them. 'All they had to do is clear the forest and pay him rent on the land they cleared.' The struggle inherent in paying that rent, year after year, never really dawned on them at the time. Eventually, it escalated into the 'Anti-Rent War' of the early 1800's, which in parts of the Hudson Valley actually resembled guerilla warfare, complete with killings and burning farms. The other (but now generally forgotten) reason for migration from Rhode Island involved dozens of families representing the Seventh Day Baptist (SDB) Church. They wanted a settlement where they could observe the Sabbath on Saturday, without harassment by members of other churches. (Rhode Island was not as tolerant as its historians make out.) The SDB's came after the war, and Mr. Sweet's family was part of that group, along with my own family and countless others. As a matter of fact, there's still an active Seventh Day Baptist Church in the village of Berlin. You'll find detailed accounts of both of these great events in any comprehensive historical study of the founding of the state. Almost every public library has 'A History of New York State' by David M. Ellis et al (Cornell University Press, 1967). Thank you for exploring the topic on the Internet, because it's certainly an important one to many, many New Yorkers. Cordially, Prof. David E.P. O'Dell / RIT Public Relations Program Faculty Publicity Advisor to the NY State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution >>>>>>>