William Remington

Notes:

This date of death is found in the Cranston Town Council meeting notes. It belongs to "William Remington of Cranston, schoolmaster." I am not sure that it belongs to this particular William, but at this point I merely am attempting to reconstruct a possible lineage for these individuals. Research is ongoing to determine the actual relationships among these Remington family members.

The will of William Remington, of Cranston, schoolmaster, is dated 2 Apr 1768 and was proved 1 June 1768. It mentions daughters Elizabeth Remington and Anne Vial, deceased; grandson John Vial son of dtr Ann deceased. Also mentioned is Waite Abbot dtr of Mary Abbot (no relationship specified). Executor was friend Dr. William Aldrich; witnesses were Benjamin Wescot Jr., William Burton, and Nils Higinbotham.

It is known that the William Remington who married Mary Manton was a schoolmaster on Jamestown, probably Prudence Island, and possibly elsewhere. Therefore it is a reasonable assumption to construct this family as I have done.

I have estimated the date of marriage based on the will of Mary's father, which implies that she was still single in 1723.

See notes for William (Sr). It has not been determined that this (Jr) is the William Remington who married Mary and had these three children, Elizabeth, Stephen, & Abigail, born in Little Compton but registered in Providence. He may or may not be the William Remington who married Mary Manton. Research is ongoing to sort out the data on the William Remingtons of RI.

The births of Elizabeth, Stephen, & Abigail, to parents identified as William & Mary (m.n. unknown), were recorded at Providence, but there is a notation that the first two were born at Little Compton and the third at Providence (source: microfilm at RI State Archives). See previous paragraphs -- I am not sure that these three children belong to this particular William.

From Portsmouth land evidence:

WR of Po bought and sold land from/to John Allin, s/o Wm, of P.I., 6 Jan 1738/9 and 3 Feb 1738/9; this WR was a schoolmaster; he also witnessed three other deeds on 6 Jan 1738/9, along with Caleb Hill & William Havens; also witnessed three other deeds on 3 Feb 1738/9, along with Caleb Hill, John Allin, William Havens, & Giles Slocum. It appears that he bought and sold the same 50 acres, land bordered on three sides by three Allens (by John Allin - my own land, William Allin my honoured father, and my son William Allin) and on the fourth by the sea. WR bought 50 acres and a house in Jan, pd 750 pounds, witnessed by Caleb Hill & John Ingraham; and sold 50 acres in Feb., witnessed by Caleb Hill & Wm Sanford. No wives mentioned.
(Po Land Ev Bk 4 p 142 & 195)

WR witnessed deed of land sale from Ebenezer Allen to John Remington, laborer,
3 or 30 June 1744. This was JR "late of Warwick, now of P.I." He paid 400 pounds for 20 acres. No wives mentioned. (Po Land Ev Bk 4 p 359)

From Portsmouth Town Council records:

8 Aug 1743: William Remington schoolmaster ordered to depart this town (Bk 3 p 292)

8 Oct 1744: William Remington school-master (and three others) ordered to depart town with their respective families (Bk 4 p 4)

12 Oct 1744: Caleb Bennett was "served with warrant to remove William Remington, keeper of the school in the Southermost School-house belonging to this town, out of this Town" (Bk 4 p 7)

8 Dec 1746: William Remington, school-master, given certificate for himself and family to reside in Providence (Bk 4 p 19)

13 Nov 1752: William Remington served with order to draw 5 pounds old Tenor out of Town Treasury towards his support and relief; also served with certificate to reside in Town of Coventry (Bk 4 p 72)

12 Mar 1753: William Remington and family served with certificate to reside in Town of Coventry (same as above, with added words to include family); the following year on 9 Sep 1754 another schoolmaster of PI named Celly was warned out of Po, so perhaps this suggests that the family of William Remington, schoolmaster, finally left for good. (Bk 4 p 74)

From Warwick Town Council Records (courtesy of Cherry Fletcher Bamberg):

10 April 1749: William Remington and his family presented a certificate from Portsmouth and were accepted as inhabitants.

7 February 1749/50: William Remington, who had come to town with his family from Portsmouth was to be notified to appear.

William married Mary Manton Abt 1726. Mary (daughter of Edward Manton and Elizabeth Thornton) was born Abt 1702; died Bef 2 Apr 1768. [Group Sheet]

1. Thomas Remington was born Abt 1727.
2. William Remington was born 17 Jun 1729, Prudence Island, Portsmouth, Newport Co., RI; died 30 Jun 1812, North Kingstown, RI.
3. Elizabeth Remington was born 5 Jan 1730/31, Little Compton, RI.
4. Stephen Remington was born 26 Apr 1732, Little Compton, RI.
5. Abigail Remington was born 9 Jun 1733, Providence, RI.
6. Ann Remington was born Abt 1735; died Bef 2 Apr 1768.

Notes:

(If you use any portion of these notes, please give credit to me, Lois Sorensen, and to other sources as noted herein.)

William Rimington witnessed the will of Philip Sweet on 12 Dec 1709.

First of all, I am not at all sure that William is the father of our ancestor Joseph. At this point it is a possibility, placed here as a working model and subject to change. Research is ongoing to link together the Rhode Island Remingtons. Most of the Remingtons on this family tree are properly linked with documentation noted. However, in the case of a few families, a best-guess scenario is being used until further evidence comes to light. That is the case here.

The four names of the children have been chosen because they appear as names (not identified as siblings) in the Portsmouth town records. I am placing them here simply as a working model.

According to their father's will, William and his brother Thomas must have been at least 21 in 1710, with William receiving most of the property and designated as joint executor along with his mother; this might suggest that the two older sons were born c1687 and 1689. However, Torrey's "New England Marriages Prior to 1700" says the first child of record was born 1682, and that is the date assigned to Thomas in several reputable genealogies. Consequently, I have given William the birth year of 1682 as the oldest son. However, this means that if he is the one who married Mary Manton, he was at least 43 when they married. This opens up four possibilities: his birth year actually may be later, such as 1687; or, he married later in life; or, he married someone else first and Mary Manton was his second wife; or, he isn't the William who married Mary Manton, in which case he may have an unknown marriage c1700 and a son William Jr. who married Mary. This last idea is the one I have used here, for the time being.

William Remington of Warwick was made a freeman of the colony on 1 May 1711 (Bartlett, Records of RI, 4:114). He registered an earmark for his cattle "and other Creatures" on 1 Jan 1712/13 (Early Records of Warwick, p. 10). From this one might assume that William's birth year could not have been after 1690.

According to Oliver Payson Fuller's "The History of Warwick, RI," in 1712 William sold his share of the Remington farm, located on the northwest corner of Post Rd. & Cowesett Rd., but reserved the burying ground where his father and grandfather are interred. Portions of the Remington land were later bought by Thomas Jones Spencer & Thomas LeValley.

Where did William live after this land sale? I speculate that he may have gone to Prudence Island, where his mother's family resided, and where William himself may have been born.

I was informed of a reference to a couple named William & Abigail Remington in the East Greenwich Town Council records of Jan 1742/3 (source: Cherry Fletcher Bamberg, compiler & editor of "RI Roots" and "Gleanings.") Therefore, I have made a tentative assumption that this may be William, the son of Thomas & Mary, and that his wife is the Abigail referenced in the East Greenwich records. Abigail and her family had come to East Greenwich from Prudence Island but did not have the official permission or the financial means to stay there. Her husband William was employed for a year as a servant of Philip Arnold of Warwick, so the East Greenwich Town Council ordered that Abigail and her family be taken to the Arnold home.

From Portsmouth Town Council records:

1729: William Remington of PI & family warned out of town of Po (Bk 3 pp 17 & 21)

1737: William Remington & family given certificate from Po to relocate to East Greenwich (Bk 3 p 260)

14 Feb 1742: William Remington of PI qualified with certificate for himself, wife, and children to reside in Warwick for 4-year term if Town Council there accept him (Bk 3 p 289)

20 Jun 1743: William Remington of PI qualified with certificate to reside at Providence with wife and children for 7-yr-term if Town Council there accept them (Bk 3 p 291)

Some or all of the above notes from the town records could refer to his (possible) son William who married Mary Manton.

SK land evidence, Jan 1722: William Remington witnessed documents of Ebenezer & Mary Smith, regarding bequeathing two negro children named Primus & Dinah. Could this William be the son of Thomas & Mary (Allen) Remington, of Warwick? It is in the correct time frame. However, he might be the individual mentioned in the last paragraph below, who was "of Jamestown" in 1733 (h/o Mary Manton). (I have placed that other William, schoolmaster, as possible son of this William.)

At the funeral of a William Remington on 3 March 1764, Elder John Gorton preached on the text John 5:25. I am not sure if that was this particular William Remington, but for the time being I am using that date here, pending further research. (source: Bamberg, Cherry Fletcher. Elder John Gorton and the Six-Principle Baptist Church of East Greenwich, RI. Greenville, RI: RI Genealogical Society, 2001; p. 53)

In addition, there was a William Remington, of Jamestown, who was a schoolmaster in 1733. He was most likely the same William Remington who was a schoolmaster at Prudence Island. He married (after 7 Aug 1723) Mary Manton, of Edward, and had several children, including Elizabeth & Anne (m. Vial, had a son John). He is possibly the William Remington who died at Cranston 21 Apr 1768. These two Williams could easily be confused, since apparently they lived during the same time. Could they be father and son? That is my assumption here for the purpose of linking them to the family tree. (needs more research to determine and confirm relationships)

William married Abigail UNKNOWN Abt 1703, RI. Abigail was born Abt 1685; died Aft Jan 1742/43. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Her name may have been Abigail; this is an idea deduced from observing the reoccurrence of this name among the descendants.

Some time after entering the above note, I was informed of a reference to William & Abigail Remington in the East Greenwich Town Council records of Jan 1742/3 (source: Cherry Fletcher Bamberg, compiler & editor of "RI Roots" and "Gleanings.") Therefore, I have made a tentative assumption that this may be William, the son of Thomas & Mary, and that his wife is the Abigail referenced in the East Greenwich records.

Notes:

(If you use any portion of these notes, please give credit to me, Lois Sorensen, and to other sources as noted herein.)
According to Oliver Payson Fuller's "The History of Warwick, RI," published in 1875, Thomas Remington in 1692/3 bought Cowesett farm # 1 consisting of 240 acres for the price of 57 pounds, from John Warner & Philip Sweet. As nearly as I can determine, this property was at the northwest corner of Post Rd. (Route 1) and Cowesett Rd. The next farm westward, bordering Route 2, was later purchased by the Remingtons -- probably Thomas Remington, Jr., who married Maplet Gorton.

According to the early town records of Portsmouth, RI, "Thomas Rimmington of Prudence is Admitted a freeman in this town" at a Town Council meeting held 6 June 1692 at William Corey's house (also William Allin of Prudence at the same meeting). Later that same year, the records of a Town Council meeting held on 22 Aug 1692, again at William Corey's house, show that three men were chosen to serve on the next Jury of Tryals at Newport: John Vaughan, Thomas Rimmington, & Joseph Sheffield.

These references likely refer to our ancestor, if in fact he was at Prudence Island and a freeman of Portsmouth in the early 1690s. If this is so, then he must have bought property in Warwick shortly after this and later settled there (possibly c1704 -- see note below). His wife was of Portsmouth, so it is reasonable to assume that this is our ancestor and that they were married at Portsmouth.

In 1701, Thomas Remington was Constable on Prudence Island.

Similarly, genealogist Armand Lariviere says that Thomas initially settled on Prudence Island, Rhode Island, then relocated to Warwick, where he purchased farm #1, the Cowesett Plot, containing 240 acres, in 1693, for 57 pounds. He was deeded land in Haverhill, MA, by his father John in 1695 & 1709. Thomas became a freeman of Warwick in 1704.

Sources for information on this family:
"Gorton Family Genealogy"
"New England Historical and Genealogical Society Register," Vols. 29, 42, 43
"The History of Warwick, RI" by Oliver Payson Fuller

Thomas's will mentions his "dearly beloved wife Mary"; names eight sons, six of whom were under age 21 on 20 May 1710; and his two daughters, both under 18. Thomas gave all his lands to sons Thomas, Jr., William, & John -- they to pay legacies to the other children. Based on this will, I have estimated the birth years for his children. Wife Mary and son William were co-executors.

John, still under age 21, received 40 acres, and would pay his brother Thomas 10 pounds when Thomas reached age 21. Thomas received 1/2 of all the remaining land, across the north end, and he is to pay 11 pounds to five of his brothers when they reach age 21 -- Daniel, Joseph, Stephen, Matthew, and Jonathan; he also is to pay his sisters Mary and Prudence 7 pounds each when they reach age 18 or earlier if they marry younger than 18. William received the mansion house with the remainder of lands; he is to pay to each of the 5 brothers 11 pounds each at age 21 and the two sisters 7 pounds each at age 18. All the rest of the estate is left to dearly beloved wife Mary and well-beloved son William who are appointed joint executors. Thomas signed his will with a capital R -- the mark of "Tho Rimington." It was witnessed by Samuel Gorton, Edward Earle (his mark), and Elizabeth Gorton (her mark). On 26 Sep 1710 the witnesses appeared before the Town Council of Warwick and made oath that they saw Thomas Rimington sign and seal the will.

According to Oliver Payson Fuller's "The History of Warwick, RI," William sold his share of the farm in 1712, but reserved the burying ground where his father and grandfather are interred. Portions of the Remington land were later bought by Thomas Jones Spencer & Thomas LeValley.

His gravestone has the inscription T R 23 July 1710. Although recorded by James N. Arnold in 1893, in 1996 the cemetery could not be located. Supposedly, there were four graves -- Thomas and his wife, and son John and his wife. James Arnold described the location as "north of the David Bennett Lot in open pasture without any protection one tomb two graves at feet that of Thomas Remington and his wife and his son John and his wife." The David Bennett Lot is 1400 feet south of Cowesett Rd. across from Hardig Road and west of I 95.

Thomas married Mary ALLEN Abt 1681. Mary (daughter of William ALLEN, I and Elizabeth Unknown) was born Abt 1661, Prudence Island, Portsmouth, RI; died Abt 1710, RI; was buried , Historical Cemetery WK14, Remington Lot, Cowesett Rd., Warwick, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

The Allen family were of Prudence Island, according to "Representative Men of Old Families of Southeastern MA," V. I, p. 173.

I have estimated Mary's year of birth, assuming that she was about 20 when she was married, and that none of her children were multiple births. Martha Benns gives her year of death as 1710, the same as for her husband Thomas (see Remington book at Rhode Island Historical Library). She is called Marie in her father's will (William Allin, 2 June 1685 Portsmouth, RI), but Mary in her husband's will (1710 Warwick, RI).

It is unclear exactly where she was born.

Notes:

According to the book "New England Marriages Prior to 1700" (by Clarence Almon Torrey, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1985), their first child on record was born in 1682; Mary's year of death is given as 1710+. Places of residence were Portsmouth and Warwick, RI.

Notes:

(If you use any portion of these notes, please give credit to me, Lois Sorensen, and to other sources as noted herein.)
According to Boyd Scott Remington's genealogy chart at RIHSL, John, Jr. was born in 1633 in Rowley, England. He defended Jamestown against the Indians on 28 August 1669, and was granted land in East Greenwich in 1677. He resided in Haverhill and Rowley, MA, and Jamestown & Warwick, RI.

According to Carl Boyer III in "Ancestral Lines Revised," and genealogist Gordon L. Remington, John Remington II was born 1623-1624. However, a more recent article by Gordon L. Remington places John's birth c 1630 (source: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 147, p. 371).

Alden G. Beaman's article "A Line of Descent from John Remington of Jamestown and Warwick" (RI Genealogical Register, Vol. 20, p.39) gives his year of birth as c. 1625.

According to genealogist Armand Lariviere, "John Remington, the founder of the Rhode Island branch of the Remington family, first settled in Haverhill, MA, and became a citizen of Portsmouth, RI in 1669."

In Haverhill, MA, in 1661 when 53 lots were drawn, John Remington is listed among the names. He is also among the recipients of land in July 1667, when he received 4 acres in Haverhill. (source: "History of Haverhill Since Settlement in 1640" pp. 92 & 106; on Family Archive CD #502)

Some of the following information is from:
Paul Remington's web site: http://www.uftree.com/UFT/WebPages/Paul-Remington/REMFAM/
"Some History and Genealogy on the Remington Line in England and America" by J. W. Remington
"History of Warwick" by Oliver Payson Fuller (at Rhode Island Historical Society Library)
"Early Settlers of Rowley, Massachusetts" by Blodgett & Jewett

John Remington II, eldest child of John Remington I, was probably born about 1630 (ref: Gordon L. Remington). This John Remington is our ancestor. Boyd Scott Remington's ancestry chart gives his birth year as 1633. John, Jr. was with his family in Newbury in 1637 and in Rowley in 1638. In Rowley records he is mentioned as "junior" and in deeds as "carpenter." He most likely remained there with his father until 1649, when he married Abigail Acie/Acey, and then about 1654 he removed to Andover, where there is a record of him from 1654 to 1656. Around 1661 he settled in Haverhill, MA, but did not remain there very long, because shortly after 1664 he was identified as a member of the colony of Jamestown, RI. Later, in a deed dated June 2, 1670, he described himself as "of the Island of Quanonagutt" (probably phonetic spelling for Conanicut, native name for Jamestown, RI) in the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." This deed transferred a parcel of land in Rowley to Anthony Crosby.

[The record states that] "On August 28, 1669, he (John Remington) and two others (John Holmes & Michael Kelly) were named as Conservators of the Peace, and ordered to assemble the inhabitants of Conanicut Island, to consider what may be most suitable for their defense and preservation against any invasion or insurrection of the Indians."

Also, in 1677 it was ordered that a certain 5,000-acre tract of land in the East Greenwich area be divided into 100-acre lots, to accommodate inhabitants of the colony as needed. "And further this Assembly do enact, order and declare, for the services rendered during King Philip's War, the persons here named" . . . There follow the names of fifty persons [to receive land] among which is that of John Remington. [Note: likewise our ancestor Capt. Benjamin Gorton, whose daughter Maplet later married Thomas Remington, Jr., grandson of John Jr.] On 6 Sept 1687, John Remington, Junior is on a list for taxes under Gov. Andros, assessing estates of the Towne of Rochester in the King's Province. (Rochester is a former name for North Kingstown, RI.) My observation -- this John Remington could be his son, who married Abigail Richmond and lived in South Kingstown.

Around this time [John Remington II] removed to Warwick, RI, where he on Aug. 13, 1709 confirmed an earlier deed of May 24, 1695 in which he had given to his son Thomas Remington of Warwick "all my right which I had at Haverhill, Mass. and [said deed being somehow damaged and nearly illegible], being willing gift, should stand, therefore for love, etc." His son Thomas received a house and town lot at Haverhill containing four acres, also two orchards and 40 acres called "Fishing River." [Note: this son Thomas is our ancestor.] John Jr. died in 1709 in Warwick, RI. Many of his descendants remained in this spot five or more generations later.

Like his father John the first, John Jr. was a carpenter. His eldest son, John, was born 12 March 1651 in Rowley, MA; he resided in Newport and Kingston, RI, and died in Jamestown, RI (not sure about this). [This son John (the third) married Abigail Richmond. His brother, John Jr.'s third son, named Thomas, married Mary Allen; this couple are our ancestors.]

According to Carl Boyer III, in "Ancestral Lines Revised," p. 337, John II married second to Martha (Unknown).

See also:
http://www.bugthorpe.eril.net/Bugthorpe%20Village.htm
http://www.bugthorpe.eril.net/churches_in_the_garrowby_hill_group_of_paris hes.htm
"The Remingtons of Utah, Their Ancestors and Descendants," by Ward J. Roylance

John — Abigail ACIE. Abigail (daughter of William ACIE, Jr. and Margaret HAITON) was born Abt 1628. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

This marriage is listed in "New England Marriages Prior to 1700" ( by Clarence Almon Torrey, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1985), which gives the year of the birth of their first child as 1650, and locations of record as Rowley/Haverhill/Andover.

Notes:

A "William Allin" was baptized in the town of Wales, Yorkshire, England, on 19 August 1640. This "is almost certainly the William Allin who emigrated to America in 1660." (source: "Genealogy of the Stone Family Originating in Rhode Island" by R. C. Stone)

The location of William's birth and baptism should not be confused with the country of Wales in the British Isles. Rather, Wales, England, is a town in the West Riding of Yorkshire, about nine miles from Sheffield, the largest town in the area. The West Riding of Yorkshire is where our immigrant ancestor John Remington is believed to have come from, so it is possible that these families had common culture and roots, and even the same reasons for coming to the New World. (source: "Some Prudence Island Allens" by Devere Allen, at the RIHSL)

William served as constable of Prudence Island and was surveyor of cattle. In addition to his land on the island, William also owned land in the East Bay area, probably what is now Barrington or West Barrington, RI, but was originally part of Swansea, MA. This land, purchased from Captain Thomas Willett of Swansea, had originally been sold to Captain Miles Standish by the Indian sachem Wamsutta. This land was described as being on both sides of the Seven Mile River; this river now forms approximately the border between Providence Co., RI, and Bristol Co., MA. However, the location may have been different as described in the 1600s. His land in the East Bay area totalled about 600 acres. (source: Cole's "History of Washington and Kent Counties")

The name on his will (dated 2 June 1685, proved 29 June 1685) is "William Allin." In the will he mentions his wife "that now is" Elizabeth (implying she was not his first wife), four sons, three daughters, and two friends. William, Thomas, John, & Matthew were all under 21; Mercy & Sarah were under 18; daughter Marie Remington was already married at this time. Appointed as executors of the will were Elizabeth Allin (wife), son William, and eldest daughter Marie Remington (Mary, my ancestor).

According to notes in the Mary E. Rice Collection, William Allin died in West Barrington, RI; he was married aft 1660 to Elizabeth; and his first child, Mary (who married Thomas Remington, s/o John & Abigail), was born c1664.

According to Charles Gregory Maytum in his book "Paragraphs on the History of Prudence Island" p. 16, William's children were born of his first (unknown) wife. He was a close friend of John Paine, who lived at the northern end of Prudence Island. William was a large owner of cattle and also had hundreds of sheep. In 1669 he was admitted freeman of Prudence Island (along with John Paine). He was tax rate assessor of PI in 1671; also that year he was constable of PI, as well as in 1678, 1679, 1680, 1682, 1683, & 1691. (Maytum's book is at the Newport Historical Society.)

This book also recounts how in 1680 William Allin moved his house from PI across the frozen bay to West Barrington, with the help of Indians and using three large trees made into a sled pulled by oxen.

A note from Cynthia Joly, as found in the PI Cookbook: "William Allin . . . who came to Prudence in 1660 as a tenant farmer for John Paine. He later built his own home along what is now known as Allen Lane."

William married Elizabeth Unknown Abt 1660. Elizabeth was born Abt 1640; died Aft Jun 1685. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Elizabeth was probably not William's first wife, as implied by the wording in his will. He may have married Elizabeth after 1660 (see notes for William).

William's children may have been by his first wife.

A posting on a message board (L-Sweet) suggests that Elizabeth later married Philip Sweet. I have not yet seen evidence of this, so more research is needed.