Page:History of Barrington, Rhode Island (Bicknell).djvu/135

Rh, who wrote the above statement, was no other than the Rev. John Callender, whose Historical Discourse from which the quotation is taken, is a classic authority in Rhode Island history. He in turn quotes from Mr. John Clarke's Narrative as to Mr. Williams's advice in the matter. As Mr. Callender was the assistant minister of the Baptist Church in Swansea, 1728-30, and was practically living on the territory of Sowams, it is impossible that he could be mistaken when he says that Sowams was Phebe's Neck or Barrington, "The garden of the (Plymouth) Patent." It is unreasonable to believe that Roger Williams, who had been the guest of Massassoit at his village the winter before, could have been mistaken as to the location of Sowams, the residence of his host, that memorable winter, nor can it be possible that John Clarke and Rev. John Callender, who had visited the territory and were well acquainted with its limits, would locate the chief, his home, and his town on the west side of the river at Barrington, when his home was really reached by crossing the river to the site of the town of Warren. It is fortunate that Mr. Callender wrote his Century Sermon in 1739, while Barrington was a separate town so that there could be no misunderstanding as to the locality. Had he written in 1715, he must have said that Sowams was in Swansea and we should never have known on which side of the river the Indian village of Sowams was located.

After the purchase of Sowams in 1653, the lands were divided and sold to actual settlers and from that date on, we find the lands of Sowams in the hands of permanent white occupants. Mr. Willett and Mr. John Brown took large possessions al Wannamoisett and made their homes there while others settled on the north end of New Meadow Neck. From 1649, when Rev. Mr. Newman began the opposition to the Rehoboth Baptists, till 1663, the year of the arrival of Rev. John Myles, the people of the Baptist faith were scattered, some going to Newport, some to Boston, and others to Sowams, outside and south of Rehoboth, where the liberal leaders had established their settlement and