>From the book "History of Washington and Kent Counties, Rhode Island" by J.R. Cole, published 1889, New York, W.W. Preston & Company. Beginning on page 483. [xxx] respresents either notes or the page number. "Historic. – Training Lot (Carter hung there, May 10, 1751), Hanging Lot (Thomas Mount hung May 27, 1791), Ministerial Lot, Ordination Oak, Indian Run Fort, Slave Pen, Tan Yard, Tucker's Fort (1842), Commodore Perry Place, Dorethea's Hollow, Wager Weeden's Fountain, Hand Poles, Dale Carlia, The Breach, Smelt Weir, Hazard's Castle, Memorial Tower, Druid's Dream, Site of the Great Swamp Fight, Dec. 19, 1675, The Bonnet, naval battle, 1814, E. A. Noyes homestead, former home of (Jemina [484] Wilkinson) Wilkinsonians, Gen. I. P. Rodman born at Rocky Brook, Aug. 18, 1822, died Sept. 30, 1862, R. F. Gardner's House, at one time Lafayette's Headquarters, Bull's Garrison House on Tower Hill, burnt by the Indians, December, 1676, Indian Burying Ground near White Pond, The Sewal School Fund, acquired from a grant of land made in 1695 by Judge Samuel Sewal (1652-1730) of Salem Witchcraft notoriety, the income once appropriated for the support of the Kingston Academy is now spent by the school committee of the town; a fund for the support of the Congregational church of the town was acquired in the same way. The history of this town has an intimate connection with the Pettaquamscutt purchase of 1658, provision for the maintenance of religion and education resulting therefrom. Soldiers' Bronze Monument, 1886 (Westerly Granite Pedestal). The house of John G. Clark, completed in 1886, is built of granite and finished in woods all obtained from his farm, which was included in a grant made by Kachanaquant, a son of Canonicus, in 1664." The earliest census report published of South Kingstown was in 1730, at which time it contained a population of 1,523; it now has a population of 5,549. The town of South Kingstown was set off from North Kingstown by an act of the general assembly February 26th, 1722-23. Pettaquamscutt, however, was first settled January 20th, 1657-8. On this date Quassuchquansh, Kachanaquant, and Quequaquenuet, chief sachems of Narragansett, for £16 and other considerations mentioned in the deed, sell to Samuel Wilbor, John Hull, of Boston, goldsmith; John Porter, Samuel Wilson and Thomas Mumford "all the land and the whole hill called Pettaquamscutt bounded on the south and southwest side of the rock with Ninigret's land, on the east with a river northerly bounded two miles beyond the great rock in Pettaquamscutt westerly bounded by a running brook or river beyond the meadow, together with all manner of mines, etc., they to have free ingress and egress on the sachems' lands." They also grant them all the black lead in a place called Coojoot. Witnessed by John Lawton and Philip Lang and signed only by Kachanaquant (2d Vol., page 147, Ancient Land Evidences). Quassuchquansh signed a similar deed, together with Kachanaquant, of the same date (see same record). Kachanaquant having agreed, January 29th, 1657, to convey to the same men another tract, confirms the former sale and conveys [485] a tract "bounded as followeth – beginning two miles from Pettaquamscutt Rock and runneth to the head of the great river 40 rood and goeth northerly from the Pettaquamscutt Rock and turneth north east and from said head goes north and north west by a river called Monassachuet ten miles and from that bound turns and runs west by south ten miles or twelve miles on a square and what it wants north to be made up etc. for £135, dated June 24th, 1660." Witnessed by William Wilbor, Mathew Wilbor, John Rounds, etc. (See same record as above.) Appended to this deed is a confirmation made several years after by three sons of Kachanaquant. Having purchased of Ninigret seven miles square, i.e., seven miles from Pettaquamscutt Rock, and all the land between said rock and the sea, March 20th, 1657, they were obliged to obtain a confirmation of the sale February 28th, 1661, from Wanomachin, another sachem, who also conveyed to them all his lands seven miles west and southwest of the Great Cedar swamp together with the swamp (page 150). About twelve years afterward the purchasers (of whom there were now seven, William Brenton and Benedict Arnold, having been admitted by them), obtained another deed from Wanomachin, who in the deed is called sachem of Nayhantic, conveying "a tract of land running south and west from the rock at Pettaquamscutt in that part of the said colony above mentioned, and containing and including all the land between the river Mustogage which runneth from the said rock to the sea south and southeast, and the river Saugotogkett, which lyeth west from the former river and runneth into the ocean" (page 153). Wanomachin had delivered siezin in the English form in April, 1661, and the certificate of it is witnessed by Anthony Low, John Tift, Eber Sherman (page 155). February 25th, 1661, they obtained another deed of Kachanaquant, consenting to have their lands laid out, and "what is wanting northerly at the head of the great river pond shall be made up westerly, or any part of my land adjoining, i.e. to say along the Great Cedar Swamp and all my lands in the northwest side of said swamp, as also beyond the second Indian path that goes to Pequot northwest of that path." This was to make up the twelve miles square. He acknowledges himself in debt to them "£13–15s. For 13 coats a pair of briches." In the Massachusetts records is found a protest made by some [486] of the Indians against the Pettaquamscutt purchasers. "Wemosit, otherwise Suckquansh, Ninicraft, Quequakanut, otherwise Gideon, chief sachem of the Narragansett and Neantick countries, having received much injurie by Samuel Wildbare and others of his companie, they pretending title to Point Jude and other lands adyouneing, and have indeavoured to possess themselves forceably of the same both by building and bringing cattell, we having given them warning to the contrary, and they not taking warning, nor endeavoured to drive their cattell from of the lande, but they resisted and one of them presumed to shot of a gun at us. Now we knowing we have not sould them any land there, and being thus injuriously dealt withal by them, we are forced to make our com – to yourselves, the Commissioners of the United Collonies, hereby protesting against the said Samuel Wildbare and companie for their so unjust actings, and crave that this our protest may be received by you and kept upon recorde with you as our acte and deede, and crave that it may not be offensive to any English if that Samuel Wilbare and his company will not come to any faire trial, either before yourselves or some other indifferent judges, if then we endeavour to drive your cattell away, or take any corse whereby we may dispossess them. That is our acte and deed we have put to our markes and seals in the presence of these witnesses this 9 Sept. 1662." This protest was made to the commissioner of the colonies, and they wrote to Rhode Island concerning it. (See Hazard's collection of state papers, II, 443.) South Kingstown was set off and incorporated as a separate town in February, 1722. No regular town meeting was held, however, until 1723. This meeting was held at the house of Ichabod Sheffield, probably in January, 1723. John Watson was chosen moderator and Robert Hannah was chosen clerk. John Watson and John Babcock were chosen representatives. The second meeting was held March 4th, 1723. Job Babcock, John Watson, Ichabod Sheffield, William Gardiner, Jonathan Turner and Isaac Sheldon were chosen councilmen; Peleg Mumford, Joseph Mumford and Benjamin Reynolds, constables; Ichabod Sheffield, town treasurer; Solomon Carpenter, town sargent. On June 10th, 1723, it was voted that a town house should not be built. On November 20th, 1723, Stephen Hazard and John Watson were chosen representatives to sit in the general assembly at Newport. The meeting was held at the house of Ichabod Sheffield. [487] The town of Narragansett was set off from the town of South Kingstown by an act of the legislature in the January session of 1888, but as all matters pertaining thereto are not as yet satisfactorily settled, we will only give Section 1 of that act, which reads as follows: "Section 1. All that portion of the town of South Kingstown and being within the following boundaries, that is to say, commencing in Narragansett Bay at the easterly point of the boundary line between the towns of North Kingstown and South Kingstown, thence running westerly on said boundary line to the center of the Pettaquamscutt river, thence southerly and southwesterly by the centre of said river and of Pettaquamscutt Cove to a brook which empties in said Cove, and which brook is the dividing line between the property of Edward W. Davis and the Narragansett Improvement Co.'s land, thence Westerly following the Northerly line of said Edward W. Davis' land to the highway, thence Westerly across said highway to the line dividing the property of the heirs of Jeremiah P. Robinson from the property of Samuel A. Strang, and following said line to the Silver Lake or Kits pond, thence following in a Westerly direction the Southerly shore of said Silver Lake to a line which divides the lands of the James B. Kenyon farm from the land of the heirs of Christopher C. Robinson, thence following in a Westerly direction to the Northerly line of said James B. Kenyon land to the Point Judith Pond, and continuing thence to the center of said Pond, thence Southerly through said Pond a straight line to a point midway between the Narrows, so called, thence Westerly midway through said Narrows to a point midway between Betty Hull Point and Cummock Island, thence Southerly through said Pond a straight line to a point midway between Gardner's Island and Beach Island, thence Southerly a straight line through said Pond to a point midway between Gooseberry Island and Little Comfort Island, thence a straight line to the center of the breach way and to the Atlantic Ocean, and thence following said Ocean and Narragansett Bay Easterly and then Northerly to the point of the beginning, is hereby incorporated into a District by the name of Narragansett, and the inhabitants thereof shall have and enjoy the like benefits, liberties, privileges and immunities and be subject to like duties and responsibilities as the several towns in this state generally enjoy and are subject to, except as is hereinafter provided." [488] The town clerks of South Kingstown have been: Robert Hannah, from June, 1723 to June, 1736; Benjamin Peckham, to June, 1743; Thomas Hazard, to June 1747; Samuel Gardner, to June 1753; Thomas Hazard, to June, 1749; Jeffrey Watson, to June, 1753; William Potter, to June, 1779; James Helms, to June, 1812; Silas Brown, to June, 1827; Thomas R. Wells, to June, 1853; Powel Helms, to January, 1858; John G. Perry, to June, 1887; Howard B. Perry, present clerk.