John Rathburne

http://bijou36.tripod.com/RathbunGenealogy.htm

Rhode Island

His name first appears on American records 8/17/1660, listed with 12 Massachusetts men who met at the Roxbury home of Dr John Alcock to consider the purchase of BlockIsland, 12 miles off the coast of what is now Rhode Island. Alcock proposed that 16 families could share in the purchase and establish a plantation on the island. The group did expand to 16 and made plans to divide the 6720-acre island. Drawings were held to assign each a "great lot" in both the northern and southern sections of the island. Most agreed to purchase a full one-sixteenth share, two took double shares, and several, less affluetn, pooled their funds and bought half-shares. Among the latter were John Rathbone and Edward Vose (Vose never settled on the island, but sold his share to John's brother-in-law, John Acres). Their land in the southern section lay along the southeastern coast, encompassing what is now known as Mohican Bluff. That, with their northern lot, should have given them 420 acres. Within a few years, though, Rathbone realized that the original survey had been inaccurate. A second survey showed he and Vose had been shorted by 130 acres in their southern lot. An appeal to the Alcock estate (John Alcock having died) resulted in 1671 60 acres near the center of the island being given to Rathbone.

That surveying error proved to be a bonanza, for the correction gave him a strategically located piece of land in what became the most valuable part of the island-- stretching from near what is now the town center to the ocean on the east side. .

In 1674 Rathbun purchased 42 acres, and in 1680 he bought 12 1/2 adjoining acres. On 10/10/1680 he made the final payment for his share of the original purchase, as shown in this early land record:

"I, John Williams...executor of the estate of John Alcock...doe acquit John Rathbon from the payment of 30 pounds which hath been received....11 pounds five shillings by said Alcock...and the rest by Thomas Terry and myself...in full payment of a two and thirtieth part of Block Island...which said Rathbon bought of Mr Alcock as by an account upon the Block Island Book of Accounts..."

A down-payment of about 50%, and the balance paid in a system similar to today's 20-year mortgage plans.

Rathbone's home was in the central part of the island, which very early emerged as the town center. He also kept his south tract, where in April 1680 the town officers gave him permission to erect a fence

"across ye highway in ye south end of ye island and to hang and maintain a gate for ye liberty of ye inhabitants to pass to the sea when they see occasion."

For this privilege, Rathbone gave the town an acre of land.

Settler's Rock on the NE coast of Block Island marks the landing place of the first settlers in 1661. The site is known as Cow Cove because one of the settler's cows was the first to reach shore. There is a tradition that the cow belong to our John Rathbone. Settler's Rock Memorial is one of two memorials associated with John Rathbone:

"Settlers' Rock, re-dedicated for the tercentennial June 17th AD 1961.

"1661-1911 This stone was placed here September2d AD 1911 by the citizens of New Shoreham to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the purchase and settlement of Block Island, by the following named persons, who landed at this point:

"Original Settlers. Original Purchasers. Thomas Terry, John Clarke, William Jud, Samuel Dearing, Simon Ray, William Tosh, Tormut Rose, Wm Barker, Daniel Cumball, Wm Cohoone, Duncan Mack Williamson, John Rathbun, Edward Vorce, Jun, Trustrum Dodge, Sen, Nicholas White, Wm Billings, John Ackurs, Richd Billingum, Samuel Dearing.

The other memorial:

"RATHBUN near this spot lie the bodies of John Rathbun 1629-1702 and his wife Margaret Acres 1633--after 1716 Natives of Lancashire County, England emigrated to America about 1654 among teh first settlers of Block Island 1661 He was a member of the Rhode Island General Assembly 1681-1684.

On the opposite side of this stone:

"John and Margaret (Acres) Rathbun, their children 1.John 2.Thomas 3.Sarah 4William 5Margaret 6Joseph 7 Elizabeth 8Samuel

Their descendants spell the name Rathbun, Rathbone & Rathburn erected 1983 by the Rathbun Family Association."

Seven miles long, and three miles wide, Block Island was known for centuries by the Manissean Indians who lived there "Manisses" or "Isle of the Little God." Verazana first recorded sighting it in 1524, calling it Claudia in 1524. A Dutch fur trader, Adriaen Block, landed there in 1614 and gave the island its present name. Captain John Oldham, a Boston trader, was killed by the Indians in 1636, and Massachusetts Colonel (later Governor) John Endicot came to the island with 100 soldiers to punish them. They killed 14 braves and wasted the wigwams and cornfields. A year later, the island was declared part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Nothing was done until 1658 when the colony transferred title to Endicott, Richard Bellingham (another former governor), General Daniel Dennison and Wm Hawthorne (ancestor of famed author Nathaniel Hawthorne). They immediately offered the island for sale, and the Alcock story above is history. It was covered with oak, cedar and hickory forests, except for the open areas in the north, where the Indians grew corn, and scattered clearings in the south. Boulders and rocks, dating to the glacial ages, were collected and used to build 300 miles of stone fences. By 1720 most of the trees were gone. The islanders turned to peat for fuel and passed laws in a futile attempt to protect the few remaining trees. Food was no problem with cod, lobster, tuna and swordfish, oyster, clams and scallops, wild game and fowl.

And, of course, they brought their own animals and planted potatoes, carrots, corn, barley and beans. James Sands, a carpenter, built theisland's only stone house. He also erected a water-operated grist mill, where flour and meal was made. Sands' wife was the doctor and midwife. Peter George was "oatmeal-maker." Tristram Dodge (our direct ancestor also, a Newfoundland fisherman) was given three acres free as an inducement to settle on the island. William Harris, a blacksmith, was given four acres for the same reason. Thomas Terry was the military leader of the island. Simon Ray was lay preacher and chief magistrate. Our John Rathbun was farmer and shoemaker.

The relationship with the Indians was chaotic. Thomas Terry made a deal with the Indian chiefs purchasing all rights to the island, AND taking several Indians as slaves. There were 400 Indians on the island when these 30 settlers moved on. The Indians of course resented the clearing of the land, killing of the game and enslavement, coming to a head in the 1660's when the women and children were put in Sand's stone house for safety and 16 men and a boy, beating a drum loudly, challenged the Indians (who outnumbered them 10 to 1) to a fight. The Indians declined and the problems ended. John Rathbun Sr was certainly one of the men, and John Jr, then in his middle or late teens, was quite possibly the boy. Indians were forbidden to keep guns overnight, ordered to take them by dusk "to his master's house on whose ground he lives." Sale of rum to Indians was outlawed, and every male over 16 was required to "provide himself with a sufficient fire-lock gun and 2 pounds of powder and 4 pounds of shot and lead." Each man took a turn standing guard at night, excused only when "an easterly wind blows strongly, accompanied by rain or snow."

The French were more of a bother. French troops invaded several times. In 1711 a quota of 12 soldiers was assigned to the island by the Rhode Island (although originally a Massachusetts jurisdiction, they voted in 1664 to join Rhode Island, and in 1672 to name Block Island New Shoreham, its legal name today).

The original 60 acres given Rathbun in 1671 are near what is now Dodge Street, near the Old Harbor, not far from James Sands' home and gristmill. His Mohegan Bluffs was given to his son Thomas, whose sons later owned it. John Rathbun's third home was near the present island airport on the west side of Center Road.

John Rathbun also maintained a second home in Newport for a number of years, where his youngest son was born. Although he was elected to represent Block Island as deputy to the Rhode Island General Assembly for five years, although he apparently remained in Newport during this time, and his name appears on the Freemen's List there in 1683. He apparently considered Newport his primary home in his will, and refers to a "shop" there. 1702 record lists him as one of the proprietors of the Newport Town Wharf. Also, the contents of the Newport home included beds, clothing, a bible, pewter, and a gun, while the Block Island inventory consisted entirely of livestock-- 11 cattle and 70 sheep. His wife, Margaret, is listed as an owner of a lot in Newport, presumably the property left her in John's will. In March 1716 she made a deposition on Block Island regarding property she and her husband deeded to Joh Rathbun Jr. (No one is sure when Margaret died but this deposition shows she lived at least 14 years after John).