History of Lonsdale, (Providence County) Rhode Island United States of America

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William Blackstone, pioneer, was born in England about 1590-'95. He was educated at Emanuel college, Cambridge, and ordained a priest of the church of England. He is described as a man of marked decision of character, and of great intelligence, who came to the colony soon after the landing of the first pilgrims, to escape the domination of Archbishop Laud, though he lived and died a member of the church. He was as averse to dictation and arbitrary creeds in the new world as in the old, so he separated himself from the colonists and settled on the peninsula of Shawmut, now Boston. Here he planted gardens and orchards, and is said to have raised the first apples produced in Massachusetts. He was the sole proprietor of an area of eight hundred acres until the arrival of Winthrop in 1630. Though Shawmut was included in the grant held by the governor and company, they paid Blackstone a quitclaim of thirty pounds as the prior possessor. His aversion to the dictatorial and arbitrary methods of the Puritans led him to vacate his clearing and move "west" to "Wawepoonseag," R. I., on a spot about two miles north of Pawtucket, near that now occupied by the railroad station at Lonsdale. He built himself a house which he called "Study Hill." Here he was again the first white settler, and planted an orchard, raising the first apples grown in Rhode Island. His solitude was broken by the advent of setters, but, though he took no part in the founding of the colony, and was inimical to the principles of Roger Williams, he lived on peaceful terms with those about him, and was in the habit of preaching to the people of Providence. The Blackstone river takes its name from him. The well he dug and the cellar he stoned could still be seen in 1897. though his once well-tilled garden was dotted by oaks over a hundred years old. He was buried near his house in a lot with his wife, his own grave being marked by a round white stone. The Lonsdale company's mill was built on this site, and in making the excavations for the foundations the body of Blackstone was exhumed, May 6, 1886. He died in 1675.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Lonsdale, (Providence County) Rhode Island

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