Frances Gorton

Othniel — Mercy Burlingame. Mercy (daughter of Roger Burlingame and Mary Lippitt) was born Abt 1673, Warwick, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Mercy (Burlingame) Gorton was mentioned in the 1719 Warwick will of her grandmother, Mary (Knowles) Lippitt. She was probably the daughter of either Thomas Burlingame or John Burlingame.

Notes:

John was a mariner or sailor. He received from his father all lands west of Warwick, including Cranston. In 1677 he was granted acreage in East Greenwich for service to Rhode Island in King Philip's War.

John married Margaret Weedon 25 Jan 1665/66. Margaret was born Abt 1642. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Her name is sometimes spelled Wootten or Wheaton.

Notes:

I don't know if he had any surviving children by his first wife, who died in England. His will, dated 26 April 1711, mentions his wife Mary; sons Roger, Peter, Thomas, & John; and "all my daughters" -- although he only names Marcy & Alice. He also mentions sons-in-law Thomas Arnold & Amos Stafford. It is not clear whether all these children are by his wife Mary. Therefore, I have estimated the birth years of some of the children.

Roger married Mary Lippitt 3 Oct 1663, Warwick, RI. Mary (daughter of John Lippitt, I and Martha Unknown) was born 3 Mar 1642/43, Providence, RI; died Between 1719 and 1720. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

She was his second wife. Also, she may have been Mary Lippitt Barlingstone, widow of William Barlingstone who drowned in the Bay about six weeks after their marriage March 23, 1661.

According to the Burlingame Manuscript by Nelson Burlingame (1986), Vol. 1, pg. 8, Mary's will was dated March 6, 1719 and proved Feb. 3, 1720. The Executor was her son Moses. The will reads: To son-in-law Thomas Burlingame & wife Martha,

Notes:

Samuell always signed his name with two "LL"s.

There is an excellent biographical sketch of Samuell by Thomas Gorton in his book "Samuel Gorton and His Descendants," published by Gateway Press. Also interesting is a book entitled "Warwick Neck," compliled by a Mr. Nixon, and published by the Warwick Neck Association. It is available in the reference section of the Warwick Public Library.

Samuell Gorton was a very intelligent free-thinker who was not bound by many of the entrenched conventions of his time. This brought him into conflict with others, especially those who were in positions of power and leadership. Samuell was not hesitant to speak up about what he believed was right, both in his own defense and on behalf of other individuals, and was known to be quite candid and sometimes even sarcastic in his confrontations. While some people of his day considered him to be a rabble-rouser, his political beliefs were vindicated in time, and his religious beliefs are held by many today. I daresay most of us would have strong words for the town fathers of Massachusetts Bay, if we had the opportunity to go back and confront them. Although Gorton has been criticized by some writers, he was greatly respected and admired by many in his own time, and can be credited, along with Roger Williams, for helping to obtain the rights enjoyed by the Colony of Rhode Island, freedoms which eventually spread to the rest of America and to other parts of the world.

There is no ambiguity about his motives in coming to America; his own words were: "I came to New England to enjoy libertie of conscience in respect to faith towards God, and for no other end." Samuell arrived in Boston in March of 1636 or 1637, at the height of a controversy already raging over doctrinal differences. He soon relocated to Plymouth, whose pastor at the time, Rev. Smith, was somewhat "lacking in gifts." As Samuell led his family in times of worship and Bible study at his home, which happened to be rented from the minister, others of the community began to join them. Before long there was jealousy, with some people taking sides. When Mrs. Gorton's servant was ordered to appear in court, supposedly over some inapproprate conversation but really because she had smiled in church, Samuell told her not to go and went to court in her stead to plead her case. Because the proceedings were handled unfairly and the so-called judge criticized by Gorton, the outcome was that he was told to leave the community, which he did. Moving to Portsmouth, RI, he was one of the group who in 1639 signed the second town compact, and was referred to as "Mr." Gorton, which at that time conveyed respect. A struggle over politcal leadership was going on, involving William Coddington and Anne Hutchinson. Of course Gorton freely expressed his opinion, again incurring resentment from certain individuals. A situation with a servant again was the reason for a visit to court, but it soon turned into barrage of accusations against Samuell by the officials, mostly because he had questioned their right to be in charge at all. He and those who spoke up on his behalf were told to leave, which they did, even though the town reversed this order a month later. Gorton and his family, along with his friends and their families, moved to Providence, where most of the town leaders agreed in principle with Gorton's views. However, some key differences in opinion caused tension, so the Gortonites moved south and settled in the area now known as Warwick Neck, adjacent to the settlement at Pawtuxet. A large tract of land was purchased from the Indians, with Roger Williams helping in the negotiations. However, their troubles were not over yet, because a group of Indians on Warwick Neck, the Shawomuts, refused to leave, even though the land had been fairly purchased by the settlers. Years of controversy ensued, during which Massachusetts and Connecticut tried to use differences between the Indian tribes as an occasion to gain control of the Rhode Island territory. At one time Massachusetts even sent a raiding party down to arrest Gorton and the other families. Finally, a charter granted by the King of England and facilited by Richard Rich, the Earl of Warwick, brought resolution to the situation. Samuell named the town Warwick after the Earl. However, the Indians on the neck continued to harass the settlers up until the end of King Philip's War. That such turmoil should prevail in such a beautiful location is a shame. However, in time Samuell Gorton and his family would enjoy the fruits of their labor and persistance.

Samuell, with the help of his sons, built a house at Warwick Neck in 1677, when he was 85 years old -- the year before he died. The house burned down in 1848, and another was built on the site in 1849. There is a stone marker at the lot, 190 Warwick Neck Avenue.

Bio here:
https://www.warwickhistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=476:samuel-gorton-15931677&catid=57&Itemid=130

Samuell married Mary MAPLETT Abt 1629, England. Mary (daughter of John MAPLETT and Mary Unknown) was born 12 Mar 1608/09, London, England; died Aft 1650, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

John was one of the original settlers of Providence, RI and one of those to whom was assigned a house and six-acre lot in 1638. John signed the "Agreement for a Form of Government" on 27 July 1640 and was chosen with nine others by the Town of Providence to meet with Commissioners from the other three towns to form a government under the Charter, 16 May 1647.

He is our direct ancestor through two of his children, Mary & Moses Lippitt. Moses' daughter Martha Lippitt and Mary's son Thomas Burlingame (first cousins) married each other and had a daughter Margaret Burlingame who married Joseph Remington, Sr. They are the ancestors of my dad, Norman Remington, through the male Remington lineage.

John married Martha Unknown Abt 1636, MA or RI. Martha was born Abt 1618, England. [Group Sheet]