James A. Cole was born in 1840 in Scituate, RI, the son of James B. and Eliza A. (Tennant) Cole. In 1860 he was living in Coventry Centre with his parents and worked as a farmer. He enrolled from Coventry on Nov. 11, 1861, and mustered in Dec. 2, 1861. He was a Corporal in Battery C 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. On Sept. 18, 1862, at the age of 21 years 11 months 23 days old he died of Chronic Diarrhea at Fortress Monroe, Virginia. There is a gravestone in Coventry Historical Cemetery #109 Section E, Pine Grove Cemetery, in Coventry which was purchased by his father in 1863. His brother…

  Willard P. Wilcox was born in West Greenwich and was the son of Varnum P. and Martha Wilcox. In 1860 he was a resident of Summit where he worked as a laborer. Willard enrolled September 5, 1861, and mustered in October 30, 1861, as a Corporal in Company B 4th Rhode Island.  He was 25 years 4 months old when he was killed in action at Antietam on September 17, 1862. Willard is buried in the Antietam National Cemetery, Sharpsburg, Maryland.  Six other Coventry Men served in the 4th Rhode Island in the Civil War – John Matteson, Edward McDonald, Samuel Myrick, Cromwell P. Myrick, Josiah and …

  James H. Horton was born in Thompson, CT, the son of Andrew and Mary Horton. He was married October 25, 1861, to Abbie F. Hawkins, daughter of Philip Hawkins and Sarah Ann Weaver. They were married by Charles C. Shippee, Minister of the Gospel.  Abbie was a cousin of Richard S. Hawkins who also died in the Civil War. At the time of his enlistment James was a resident of Coventry and his occupation was a Sawyer. He was enrolled as a Private on December 2, 1861, at Providence and was mustered in December 21, 1861, in Company G 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. In July 1862 he was hospitalized…

  James B. Jordan was born in Coventry in 1832 and was the son of Mary Jordan but at the time of his enlistment he was a resident of Warwick. James enrolled and mustered in June 5, 1861, in Providence by Colonel Loomis as a Private in Company A 2nd Rhode Island. He served with Samuel P. Sweet and Peleg W. Card who were also soldiers from Coventry, who died while serving in the Civil War. According to the history of the regiment, he died on June 25, 1862, the first day of the Battle of Oak Grove in Virginia at the age of 30 years old. However, other sources say he died of disease contracted in…

  Samuel Myrick was born in Pawtucket, MA, which is now Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the son of Joseph and Eunice (Jencks) Myrick. He was married to Sarah E. Hopkins, daughter of Elisha and Wealthea (Tillinghast) Hopkins, in Cranston on November 27, 1851, by Elder John Tillinghast. He worked as a painter before the Civil War and lived in the village of Washington in Coventry. He enrolled September 5, 1861, and mustered on October 30, 1861, into the 4th Rhode Island Infantry Company B with his brothers Cromwell and Solomon. He was killed in action March 14, 1862, in the Battle of New Bern in North…

  This Memorial Day took place 47 years after the end of the Civil War so there were still veterans left to honor the memory of soldiers, sailors and marines who served and died during it.  In the Pawtuxet Valley, the Grand Army of the Republic McGregor Post #14 located in the Temple of Honor Hall in Phenix, RI, organized the celebration for  Sunday, May 26th, to honor Dr. John McGregor for whom the McGregor Post was named.  The parade formed at Post Hall on Phenix Square and Quartermaster John Burdick, Officer of the Day, led it to Parker Hill where a ceremony was held at the grave of Dr. …

  In the mid to late nineteenth century the town of Coventry was home to a female artist named Phebe Ann Low Hammett. She was the daughter of Alexander R. Hammett and Eunice Ledyard and was born in Coventry around 1821. The Rhode Island American newspaper published the marriage of Alexander and Eunice on Feb. 27, 1820, in Warwick. Some of Phebe's ancestors were the founding families of Coventry and Warwick, such as the Hammett, Stone and Gorton families. Her father owned a large farm and was a member of the Coventry Town Council. The wealth and status of her parents gave her the opportunity …

  Slavery in Rhode Island was common up until the end of the revolutionary war when it was abolished by the Rhode Island General Assembly and both Boston Carpenter and Christopher Greene had served as slaves in homes and on farms in Rhode Island. One received his freedom by enlisting in the American Revolution and the other was granted his freedom by the Town Council of Coventry. The age and birth place of Boston Carpenter is unknown; however, as his death is listed as 1814 at the age of 66 that, one could estimate his birth date to 1748. As African Americans had not received their freedom in…

  Peleg W. Card was born December 18, 1841 in Coventry, married Mary, worked as a house carpenter, and was a member of the Kentish Guards before the war. He was the son of Gideon B. Card (mentioned in Spring Lake article) and Sophia A. Tarbox. Peleg was enrolled and mustered in as a Private on June 5, 1861, in Company H the 2nd Regiment Rhode Island Volunteers*. According to his death certificate he was 20 years, eight months and three days when he died July 21, 1861, from wounds received at the 1st Battle of Bull Run, Virginia. This was the first engagement that he was involved in. His death…

  As we celebrate the Christmas season I thought I would see how the people of Coventry celebrated Christmas one hundred years ago in December 1911. Going to Church was important. Reverend Daniel L. Bennett preached the Christmas Story at Knotty Oak Baptist Church located at the corner of 116 and 117 in the village of Anthony. On December 23 1911, the Church held a Christmas concert with two large trees and presents. Carols of the time would have been "On Christmas Night", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Holly and the Ivy", "the Wassail Song", "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" and "Silent Night…

  When I began this series of articles, I was under the impression that the Joseph Taylor that is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Coventry was the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. However, during my research I learned that the Joseph Taylor who earned the Congressional Medal of Honor is actually buried in Edson Cemetery in Lowell, MA.  The Joseph Taylor that received the Congressional Medal of Honor was from Burrillville, RI, when he enlisted on August 11, 1862, not Coventry. He was not even quite 15 years old when he enlisted but lied and said he was 18 after his father, …

  The next Coventry recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor was Archibald Malbourne who was 22 when he enlisted as a Private in Battery C, 1st Regiment RI Light Artillery. He was born on May 3, 1840, in West Greenwich, the son of John and Huldah Malbourne. Sometimes the spelling of his last name was changed to Malbone or Molbone Malbourne was from Coventry when he was enlisted on August 13, 1862, by Major Sanford in Providence and was transferred from Battery C on orders dated December 23, 1864, to Battery G, 1st Regiment RI Light Artillery where he was promoted from Corporal to …

Of the four Coventry men who received the Medal of Honor for their action during the siege of Petersburg, VA, on April 2, 1865 the next was: George W. Potter, whose military record reads: Private, Battery G, 1st Regiment RI Light Artillery – Res.: Coventry, RI. February 26, 1862 enrolled; March 4, 1864 reenlisted as a Veteran Volunteer.; September 1864 teamster, Artillery Brigade 6th Army Corps. And so borne until December 1864; February 1865 absent on Furlough; April 2, 1865 wounded in Battle before Petersburg, VA, and borne as absent sick until May 1865; June 24, 1865 mustered out. George W…

The American Civil War began when the southern troops fired upon the Federal garrison known as Fort Sumter, SC, in April 1861. That year, Iowa Congressman James W. Grimes introduced Bill #82 to create a medal to promote efficiency in the Navy. This bill was passed and the Navy Medal of Honor was created "which shall be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen and marines as shall distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action and other seamanlike qualities during the present war (Civil War)."   In 1862 Massachusetts Congressman Henry Wilson introduced a bill to create an Army …

Everyone is familiar with Ocean Spray and the cranberry bogs of Massachusetts but I wonder how many of us know about the cranberry bog in Coventry. American Cranberry Bog is located just three miles south of the village of Greene near the border of West Greenwich in an area that was known as the Great Cedar Swamp. This bog was begun in the mid 1850s by a gentleman named Abiel T. Sampson, a resident of North Providence. Sampson operated a company known as Abiel T. Sampson & Co where he employed neighborhood men and their teams to dig a long ditch beginning in the east at a place called the …

With the increased travel along the North Road (see Village of Rice City), Thomas Whaley settled into the area and operated a saw mill; thus the name Whaley’s Hollow came into existence. Thomas Whaley’s home still stands today on Maple Valley Road.  Around 1747 Waterman’s Tavern was built by John Waterman.  As you will recall from the Rice City article, taverns were established as a place for food and rest. This Tavern was also used for town meetings until the new Town House was built in 1835 at the intersection of Maple Valley Road and Matteson. (The Town House was later moved to Coventry …

The village of Washington was established in the 17th century, burned down during the King Phillip’s War (1675-1676), and then named Braytontown in the 18th century after the Brayton Family who settled there. It wasn’t until 1810, when the Washington Manufacturing Company was established, that the name was changed to Washington. The Brayton family resided in what is known today as the Paine House. The Paine House is the oldest surviving building in the village of Washington and was once a Tavern. This house was built in 1748 by Francis Brayton. Today the Paine House is home to the Western …

Like the village of Greene, the railroad brought this village into being.  The name Summit came about when the Providence, Hartford and Fishkill railroad was laid out because the village was located at the top of a ridge. The village consisted of a saw mill, grist mill, blacksmith shop, comb factory, depot, church, library and seven houses. The railroad company built a depot along the south side of the rail line and a storehouse along the north side.  Giles M. Nichols moved into the village with his family and established a store, and with the arrival of the railroad, served as the railroad …

The land where the village of Spring Lake was eventually established was owned by the Johnson Family. In 1818 Ezra Ramsdell bought property from the family and built a cotton mill along the banks of the Spring Lake River, also known as Mishnock River.  As a result of the cotton mill, houses were being built for the workers and the village of Spring Lake was constructed on both sides of the highway, leading from Washington Village to the Maple Root Meeting House.  Warp thread, used in the weaving process was manufactured in this mill and it operated until 1830 when it suffered the fate of many…

On Saturday, July 9, 2011, a group of six volunteers from the Coventry Historical Cemetery Commission continued their clean up of Historic Coventry Cemetery #54, Colvin Cemetery.  The section of Coventry where this cemetery is located is known as Colvintown, which received its name because the area had been settled by James Colvin and many of his descendants lived or still live in this area. James Colvin’s house still stands alongside Colvintown Road. In 1812 Amy Colvin sold a piece of land to her children, her brothers and her sisters for use as a cemetery. It was a common practice in early …