Tobias Saunders, of Westerly

Note that as of 1/18/2023, the parents of Tobias Saunders HAVE NOT been proven, and many people think that the Tobias Saunders who was baptized 6 Feb 1630 as the son of Tobias Saunders, of Amersham and his wife Isabel Wilde, would have been TOO YOUNG to be the immigrant Tobias Saunders.

• ALSO - His death date was sometime between 4 July 1695 and 23 Aug 1695 - NOT in September, due to the fact that he was a moderaater at the 4 July 1695 town meeting and they referred to him as "deceased" at the 23 Aug 1695 town meeting minutes.
• See Disputed origins comments on the Wikitree profile. A number of the sources are cited: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Saunders-35
• and discussion: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/979449/please-review-saunders-richard-...
• And also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobias_Saunders

the text below makes the (most likely inaccurate) assumption of the parentage. No edits were made 1/18/2023. beware if you haven't read Disputed Origins above.
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Surname has also been reported to be Sanders.

Date and place of birth have also been (erroneously?) reported to be:

• 1620 in probably England
• 1625 at Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts
• 1629 at an undisclosed location

Date of marriage has also been erroneously reported to be 1639.

Date and place of death have also been (erroneously?) reported to be August 1695 at Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island.

• Possible place of birth: Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England.
• Tobias Saunders came to America from England.
• He and three brothers came to America, date unknown.
• In 1643 he was living in Taunton, MA, and at Newport, RI in 1655.
• He was one of the purchasers and one of the first settlers of Westerly in 1661.
• He held a quarter of a share in the division of the land, in September.
• In Nov 1661 he was arrested with Robert Burdick and Joseph Clark and carried to Boston, examined, tried, fined and imprisoned until they should pay the fine and find sureties of the peace.
• He joined the Newport Seventh Day Baptist church and
  • the members living at Westerly frequently held meetings at his house before the meetinghouse was built. 17 Sep 1679 he took the oath of allegiance.
• He was Justice of the Peace and sometimes performed marriage ceremonies.
• His wife was Mary.
  • She was born in 1643 and was also a member of the Newport church.
• Tobias and John Crandall were appointed "conservators of his Majesty's peace" immediately after the incorporation of Westerly.
• Tobias was a member of the Town Council, and affixed his name or mark to town documents of the town of Westerly.
• His will was written 9 Aug 1688 and
• he died in 1695. The inventory amounted to F147 12s.
• Tobias lived just over the range of hills to the south of the old Westerly meeting house.
• He is supposed to have been buried in the Clarke burying ground near the old Westerly meetinghouse.

  ---

SOURCE 1 From: THE FIRST 100 YEARS-PAWCATUCK 7TH DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, Utter Co, 1940 pp 284-85. History

• Ancestor Rev Lawrence Saunders not a sabbath keeper.
  • Christian martyr burned to death outside the city of Coventry, England Sabbath Day, 9 Feb, 1555
  • He was a freeman in Newport 1655.
  • Arrested for buying land from Indians in Westerly, RI, imprisoned. Compromise reached over disputed territory in Westerly, RI.
  • Tobias was deputy to Gen Assembly of RI from Westerly many terms and was active in Newport church.
  • States strong man of his day who stood steadfast, endured persecution and imprisonment not only because of the land disputes but also on acct of their religious freedom guaranteed to the residents of RI, but not couch safe to the CT settlers where the Puritan church was to all intents the state religion.

SOURCE 2 Geneaology and History

• Spouse: 1) Peckham, Mary Clarke-[24317]
• Children:
  • Saunders, Elizabeth C-[23584]+
  • Saunders, John-[25395]+
  • Saunders, Edward-[24756]
  • Saunders, Mercy-[24847]
  • Saunders, Benjamin-[24771]
  • Saunders, Sarah-[24785]
  • Saunders, Susannah-[24828]
  • Saunders, Stephen-[35392]+

Saunders, Tobias-[24710] 1061

• Born: 1622, Amersham, England
• Marriage: (1): Peckham, Mary Clarke-[24317] in 1661 in Newport, Newport, RI
• Died: 2 Sep 1695, Westerly, Washington, RI at age 73
• Buried: Clarke Burying Ground, Westerly Meetinghouse

General Notes: AFN: 8NR5-0P

TOBIAS1 SAUNDERS1 was

• born Abt. 1622 in England2,3,4, 5 , and
• died August 1695 in Westerly, Washington, RI.
• He married MARY PECKHAM Abt. 1661 in Westerly, Washington, RI.

Notes for MARY PECKHAM:

• See article by Louise Prosser BATES in NEHGR Vol. 63, p 198 regarding the wife of Tobias SAUNDERS.
  • Mrs. Bates in this article shows by a series of probate records that Mary, wife of Tobias Saunders, was a niece of Rev. John Clarke, and that James Peckham of Little Compton, R.I. was uncle to her children. She, therefore, must have been a sister of James Peckham, and her other must have been a sister of the Rev. John Clarke.

Children of TOBIAS SAUNDERS and MARY PECKHAM are:

• i. ELIZABETH2 SAUNDERS, b. 1662, Westerly, Washington , RI; d. March 03, 1730/31.
• ii. JOHN SAUNDERS, b. Abt. 1669, Westerly, Washington , RI; d. 1746, Stonington, CT.
• iii. EDWARD SAUNDERS, b. Abt. 1672, Westerly, Washing t on, RI; d. Abt. January 1731/32, Westerly, Washington, RI.
• iv. MERCY SAUNDERS, b. Abt. 1677, Westerly, Washington , RI; d. Westerly, Washington, RI.
• v. BENJAMIN SAUNDERS, b. Abt. 1682, Westerly, Washington, RI; d. 1733, Westerly, Washington, RI.
• vi. SARAH SAUNDERS, b. Abt. 1684, Westerly, Washington , R I; m. (1) ISRAEL LEWIS; m. (2) ISRAEL LEWIS.
• vii. SUSANNA SAUNDERS, b. 1688, Westerly, Washington , RI; d. 1733, Westerly, Washington, RI.
• viii. STEPHEN SAUNDERS, b. Abt. 1690, Westerly, Washington, RI; d. November 1746, Westerly, Washington, RI.

Tobias Saunders came to America from England.

• He and three brothers came to America, date unknown.
• In 1643 he was living in Taunton, MA, an d at Newport, RI in 1655.
• He was one of the purchasers an d one of the first settlers of Westerly in 1661.
• He held a quarter of a share in the division of the land, in September.
• In Nov 1661 he was arrested with Robert Burdick and Joseph Clark and carried to Boston, examined, tried, fined and imprisoned until they should pay the fine and find sure ties of the peace.
• He joined the Newport Seventh Day Baptist church and
  • the members living at Westerly frequently held meetings a this house before the meetinghouse was built.
  • 17 Sep 1679 he took the oath of allegiance.
• He was Justice of the Peace and sometimes performed marriage ceremonies.
• His wife was Mary.
  • She was born in 1643 and was also a member of the Newport church.
• Tobias and John Crandall were appointed "conservators of his Majesty's peace" immediately after the incorporation of Westerly.
• Tobias was a member of the Town Council , and affixed his name or mark to town documents of the town of Westerly.
• His will was written 9 Aug 1688 and
  • he died in 1695. The inventory amounted to F147 12s.
• Tobias lived just over the range of hills to the south of the old Westerly meetinghouse.
• He is supposed to have been buried in the Clark e buryin g ground near the old Westerly meetinghouse.

Noted events in his life were:

1. Ancestry LDS: AFN: 8NR5-0P

• Marriage Notes:
  • Reference Number:6561
• Tobias married Mary Clarke Peckham-[24317] [MRIN:2349], daughter of John Peckham-[23607] and Mary Clarke-[15962], in 1661.
  • (Mary Clarke Peckham-[24317] was born in 1643 in Newport, Newport, RI and died in 1695 in Westerly, Washington, RI.)

SOURCE 3

1. English Origins of Tobias Saunders of Westerly, Washington Co., Rhode Island 1940 Vol. 29, No. 4, pp 583-588
2. 'CONNECTICUT NUTMEGGER: Vol. 29, No. 4, pp 583-588. Paul A. Saunders, The English Origins of Tobias Saunders of Westerly, Washington Co., Rhode Island.

The following information concerning Tobias Saunders is from The First Hundred Years -- Pawcatuck Seventh-day Baptist Church; Utter Co.; Westerly, R.I.; 1940; pp 284-85.

• 'Tobias Saunders first appears in the records of Taunton, Mass., in 1643 and is thought to have died in 1695, as his will was proved on the second of September in that year.
• Although he was a member of the first Seventh-day Baptist Church in America at Newport, his ancestor, Rev. Lawrence Saunders, was not known to have been a Sabbath-keeper. He was one of the Christian martyrs burned to death outside the city of Coventry, England, on Sabbath Day, February 9, 1555. Tobias Saunders was a soldier of the King in old England and at one time was one of the King's Life Guard. He was made a freeman in Newport in 1655 and on September 9, 1661, received a quarter of a share in the division of the land at Misquamicut, as Westerly was then called. Almost immediately he was in the midst of trouble as he, his father-in-law [NOTE: see notes for his wife, Mary Peckham, not Clarke], Joseph Clarke, and Robert Burdick laid claim to Southertown (Southertown included the later limits of the town of Stonington [CT] and much of Westerly) which both Connecticut and Massachusetts claimed as theirs. All three were arrested November 1, 1661, by William Palmer, constable, but Joseph Clarke was freed later. Saunders and Burdick were both placed on trial before Governor Endicott and associates November 14, 1661, in Boston. Their defense was that they had bought the land from the Indians by the authority of the Court of Rhode Island. Bonds were set at one hundred pounds each and in the absence of surety, they were committed to prison for trial in May 1662. At that time they were fined forty pounds each and Rhode Island was notified to send in the fines, but they were kept in jail two years. Later Connecticut was given a new charter giving Southertown to her and Massachusetts retired from the contest. Still later a compromise was reached in England whereby Connecticut relinquished her claim to the disputed territory in Westerly to Rhode Island. Tobias Saunders, Robert Burdick, Joseph Clarke, and John Crandall were a few of the strong men of their day who stood steadfast, endured persecution and imprisonment not only because of the land disputes but also on account of the religious freedom guaranteed to the residents of Rhode Island, but not vouchsafed to the Connecticut settlers where the Puritan church was to all intents the State religion. Tobias Saunders was a deputy to the General Assembly of Rhode Island from Westerly many terms and was active in the Westerly congregation of the Newport church ...' Lyle S. Saunders: Saunders genealogy; typescript @ Westerly Public Library. Charles Denison: 'Westerly Settlers -- No. 7'; typescript @ Westerly Public Library. NOTE: Three of his daughters died of small pox as adults. Member of the Sabbatarian Church, Newport, RI, From 1671 to 1836 Lived in Newport and Westerly, Washington Co., Rhode Island Savage Gen Dict - Tobias, Taunton 1643, removed to Newport there was one of freemen in 1655, and of Stonington 1669, yet on the RI side of the river now Westerly and had to sustain many years the claim against CT usurpation. His wife Mary is the daughter of the first Joseph Clark of Newport. NEGHR vol 14 p24 Tobias with Robert Burdick arrested by MA authorities for trespassing upon their jurisdiction in Boston until fine of 40 pounds was paid. vol 15 p64 Children: John, Edward, Stephen, Benjamin,Susanna, Elizabeth, Mercy. Will 9 Aug 1688. He was moderator of town meeting 4 Jul 1695 but at 23 Aug Meeting referred to as deceased. 'Founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony' by Sarah Saunders Smith, an early member of DAR. Published in Pittsfield, Mass. in 1897. 1638. Also came Tobias Sanders, one of the King's life guards, and brother of Christopher. He came to Boston, but 1643 settled at Newport, Rhode Island.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobias_Saunders - updated 18 January 2023

Tobias Saunders, of Westerly (c. 1620 – 1695) was a Deputy to the Rhode Island General Assembly (1669, 1671, 1672, 1680, 1681, 1683, and 1690),[1] a Conservator of the Peace (1669, 1678, and 1695)[2] and a founding settler of Westerly, Rhode Island.

Uncertain origins in England

Tobias Saunders, early immigrant to New England was probably born between 1620 and 1625 if he was old enough to travel (apparently independently) to New England and appear in military rolls in Massachusetts by 1643. While he has been described as the second son and fourth child of Tobias Saunders and Isabel(la) Wilde of the town of Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England this is virtually impossible based on records uncovered while researching the two "Richard Saunders" families of Amersham; one armigerous and one not. There was a Tobias Saunders, son of Tobias baptized in Amersham 6 Feb 1629/30[3] The paternal grandparents of that Tobias were Richard Saunders and Johanna Osburne. The proof that Tobias of Amersham was NOT the early emigrant to New England comes primarily from the record found specifying Tobias of Amersham as an apprentice with the London Grocer's Association in 1645 stating "Sanders Toby son of (the same) of Amersham, Buckinghamshire, innholder to James Hey 12 Nov 1645, Grocers' Company". This was two years after the older Tobias appeared on the 1643 military rolls of Taunton, Massachusetts.[4] Further, the Tobias of New England was at least 16 in 1643 so born 1627 or earlier, making him older than Tobias of Amersham. As far as "Sanders" vs. "Saunders", they are equivalent. Spelling was much less standardized in the 1600s than today and no independent "Sanders" family of Amersham with two generations of "Tobias" has been found while reviewing parish records, wills and court documents.

Old notes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobias_Saunders

Early life in England

• Tobias Saunders (Jr) was born between 1620 and 1625,
  • the second son and fourth child of Tobias Saunders (Sr) and Isabel(la) Wilde
    • of the town of Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England.
    • His father owned a coaching inn
  • His paternal grandparents were Richard Saunders and Johanna Osburne. and
    • his grandfather owned the mill for the Manor of Amersham.
• Before emigrating to America, Saunders was a soldier in England.
  • References indicate he was a Life Guard of Foote for King Charles I of England.[3][4]
• Saunders likely used his inheritance to pay for his passage to America after his father's death in 1642.[5]
• Tobias Saunders married Mary Peckham
  • (daughter of John Peckham and Mary Clarke and niece of Rev. John Clarke) in 1661.[25]
• ELIZABETH SAUNDERS (1663-1730/31)
  • Married Captain James Babcock (1664-1736/37) in 1687 and
  • was the mother of Joshua Babcock
• JOHN SAUNDERS (1669–1746)married 1. Silence Belcher, 2. Sarah _______.
  • Captain of the Block Island Trainband (1692)
  • Justice of the Peace for Westerly, RI (1710–1712, 1714, 1721–1723)
  • Deputy to the Rhode Island General Assembly (1707, 1718)
• EDWARD SAUNDERS (1672-1731/32) married 1, Sarah Bliss, 2. Hannah _______.
• STEPHEN SAUNDERS (1675–1746) married 1.Thankful Crandall, 2. Rachel Bliven.[26]
• MERCY SAUNDERS (1679–1736) married William Crumb.
• BENJAMIN SAUNDERS (1682–1733 )married Ann _______.
• SARAH SAUNDERS (1684-?)
• SUSANNA SAUNDERS (1688–1733) married 1. Peter Barker, 2. Peter Wells.

Early years in Colonial America

• Tobias Saunders first appears in the Plymouth Colony on the Company Rolls of Taunton in August, 1643. ** These rolls contain the names of all male persons between sixteen and sixty years, who were able to perform military duty.[6]
  • Between 1649-1650 Saunders lived in the home of Lawrence Turner, while working at the Saugus Ironworks in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.[7]
  • By 1654 Saunders and Turner were purchasing property in Newport, Rhode Island.[8]
• Saunders was recorded as a Freeman in the town of Newport in 1655.
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_(Colonial)
    • Freeman is a term which originated in 12th-century Europe and was common as an English or American Colonial expression in Puritan times. In the Bay Colony, a man had to be a member of the Church to be a freeman. In Colonial Plymouth, a man did not need to be a member of the Church, but he had to be elected to this privilege by the General Court. Being a freeman carried with it the right to vote, and by 1632 only freemen could vote in Plymouth.

Founding and settlement of Westerly, RI

• See above site for full story & Tobias Saunders' involvement.

Religious beliefs

• Tobias Saunders joined the Newport Seventh Day Baptist church and the members living at Westerly frequently held meetings in his home before the Westerly Congregation's meetinghouse was built.

References

• 1. ^ Peirce, Ebenezer Weaver, Peirce's colonial lists, Boston:A. Williams & Co. 1881. p. 138
• 2. ^ Smith, Joseph Jencks, Civil and Military Lists of Rhode Island 1647-1800, Providence:Preston and Rounds Co. 1900. p. 9, 12
• 3. ^ Smith, Sarah Saunders, The founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Pittsfield MA:Press of the Sun Printing Co. 1897 p. 39
• 4. ^ The First Hundred Years: Pawcatuck Seventh Day Baptist Church, Westerly RI: Utter Co. 1940 p. 284-5
• 5. ^ Saunders, Paul A., The Connecticut Nutmegger (Vol.29 #4), Glastonbury, CT:Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Inc. 1997 p.583-588.
• 6. 6. ^ Peirce p. 75
• 7. ^ Essex County Court Papers 1-112-1, 1-114-2, and 1-114-3
• 8. ^ Saunders p. 585
• 9. ^ Ronald Vern; Rhode Island 1800 Census, p. 6
• 10. ^ Archer, Richard, Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century, Hanover:University Press of New England. 2001. p134-135
• 11. ^ Archer, Richard, Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century, Hanover:University Press of New England. 2001. p135
• 12. ^ Archer, Richard, Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century, Hanover:University Press of New England. 2001. p135-136
• 13. ^ Allyn, James H.; Swamp Yankee from Mystic, p. 43.
• 14. ^ Archer, Richard, Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century, Hanover:University Press of New England. 2001. p137
• 15. ^ Archer, Richard, Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century, Hanover:University Press of New England. 2001. p137-138
• 16. ^ Indian Papers Vol.1 doc.16, Connecticut State Library, Hartford.
• 17. ^ Wheeler, Richard Anson, History of the town of Stonington, county of New London, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1649 to 1900: with a genealogical register of Stonington families, Baltimore:Genealogical Publishing Co. 2009. p166
• 18. ^ Archer, Richard, Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century, Hanover:University Press of New England. 2001. p138
• 19. ^ Archer, Richard, Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century, Hanover:University Press of New England. 2001. p138-139
• 20. ^ Archer, Richard, Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century, Hanover:University Press of New England. 2001. p139
• 21. ^ Winthrop Family Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.
• 22. ^ Winthrop Family Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.
• 23. ^ Leach, Douglas Edward. Flintlock and Tomahawk. Parnassus Imprints, 1992 p.146
• 24. ^ Thomas Stanton Letters, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.
• 25. ^ The American Genealogist, v.24, p. 72.
• 26. ^ "Genealogy of One Branch of the Peckham Family of Newport and Westerly", R.I. and its Allied Families. William Perry and John Earle Bentley, 1957, p. 126.

********************

According to The Clarke Families of Rhode Island, by George Austin Morrison, the Mary Clarke who died in 1695, daughter of Joseph, son of Thomas, son of John, son of John, married Tobias Saunders and bore, at least, the following children: John, Edward, Stephen, Benjamin, and Susanna. A note says, "Morgan Edwards states in his History of the Baptists, that Rev. William Peckham married ______ Clarke, niece of Rev. John Clarke. She must have been a daughter of Joseph, as John Clarke's other brothers had no children."

Similarly, according to Babcock and Allied Families, by Louis Effingham De Forest (who cites Morrison as one of his two sources), Mary Clarke, daughter of Joseph, son of Thomas, son of John, son of John, "was living as late as 1695. She married Tobias Saunders, probably before December 19, 1674, as a memorandum attached to the will of her uncle, Thomas Clarke, names her as one of Joseph's children living at that time, but her surname is crossed out, as though it had been changed." The same source says Tobias Saunders "married before December 19, 1674. His wife, Mary Clarke, who survived him and was living as late as 1695, was named as his executrix, and received all his movable estate." This source names a son John.

These lead me to believe that the parents of Mary, wife of Tobias Saunders (1630-1695), are not Sir John Peckham and Mary Peckham (Clarke), but Joseph Clarke and Margaret Clarke (Turner?).

GEDCOM Note

[3026504.ged] Tobias Saunders came to America from England. Before coming to America he was a soldier, one of the King's Life Guards. Charles H. Green says that he was a captain in Oliver Cromwell's army. He and three brothers came to America, date unknown. In 1643 he was living in Taunton, MA, and at Newport, RI in 1655. He was one of the purchasers and one of the first settlers of Westerly in 1661. He held a quarter of a share in the division of the land, in September. In Nov 1661 he was arrested with Robert Burdick and Joseph Clark and carried to Boston, examined, tried, fined and imprisoned until they should pay the fine and find sureties of the peace. He joined the Newport Seventh Day Baptist church and the members living at Westerly frequently held meetings at his house before the meetinghouse was built. 17 Sep 1679 he took the oath of allegiance. He was Justice f=of the Peace and sometimes performed marriage ceremonies. His wife was Mary. She was born in 1643 and was also a member of the Newport church. Tobias and John Crandall were appointed "conservators of his Majesty's peace" immediately after the incorporation of Westerly. Tobias was a member of the Town Council, and affixed his name or mark to town documents of the town of Westerly. His will was written 9 Aug 1688 and he died in 1695. The inventory amounted to F147 12s. Tobias lived just over the range of hills to the south of the old Westerly meetinghoue. He is supposed to have been buried in the Clarke burying ground near the old Westerly meetinghouse. "Tobias Saunders first appears in the records of Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1643 and is thought to have died in 1695, as his will was proved on the second of September in that year. Although he was a member of the first Seventh Day Baptist Church in America at Newport, his ancestor, Rev. Lawrence Saunders, was not known to have been a Sabbath-keeper. He was one of the Christian martyrs burned to death outside the city of Coventry, England, on Sabbath Day, February 9, 1555. Tobias Saunders was a soldier of the King in old England and at one time was one of the King's Life Guard. He was made a freeman in Newport in 1655 and on September 9, 1661, received a quarter of a share in the division of the land at Misquamicut, as Westerly was then called. Almost immediately he was in the midst of trouble as he, his father-in-law Joseph Clarke, and Robert Burdick laid claim to Southertown (Southertown included the later limits of the town of Stonington, Connecticut and much of Westerly which both Connecticut and Massachusetts claimed as theirs. All three were arrested November 1, 1661, by William Palmer, constable, but Joseph Clarke was freed later. Saunders and Burdick were both placed on trial before Governor Endicott and associates November 14, 1661, in Boston. Their defense was that they had bought the land from the Indians by the authority of the Court of Rhode Island. Bonds were set at one hundred pounds each and in the absence of surety, they were committed to prison for trial in May 1662. At that time they were fined forty pounds each and Rhode Island was notified to send in the fines, but they were kept in jail two years. Later Connecticut was given a new charter giving Southertown to her and Massachusetts retired from the contest. Still later a compromise was reached in England whereby Connecticut relinquished her claim to the disputed territory in Westerly to Rhode Island. Tobias Saunders, Robert Burdick, Joseph Clarke, and John Crandall were a few of the strong men of their day who stood steadfast, endured persecution and imprisonment not only because of the land disputes but also on account of the religious freedom guaranteed to the residents of Rhode Island, but not vouchsafed to the Connecticut settlers where the Puritan church was to all intents the State religion. Tobias Saunders was a deputy to the General Assembly of Rhode Island from Westerly many terms and was active in the Westerly congregation of the Newport church ..." [Research of Earl P. Crandall] "The First Hundred Years -- Pawcatuck Seventh Day Baptist Church"; pp. 284-5; Utter County; Westerly, Rhode Island; 1940 " . . . In 1660 a private company was organized in Newport for the purchase and settlement of Misquamicut. . . On March 21, 1661, eighty members of a company drew up and subscribed Articles of Agreement which were somewhat enlarged with "Acts and Orders" in July and September following. The deed and all other writings were kept in William Vaughan's house. The land was first held in six shares, by William Vaughan, Robert Stanton, Hugh Mosher, John Fairfield, James Longbottom and Shubel Painter. These sold to the other members of the company. The six original shares were valued at seven pounds each. The first occupants under the purchase appear to have entered upon the lands about the September 1, 1661. But of those who first meditated settlement in this month, "all failed except Toby Saunders, Robert Burduck and Joseph Clarke, Junior." Others, however, soon joined them. In the year 1669 the whole region then embraced by Westerly contained only about thirty families. These during this year in May 1669 by an act of the colony were incorporated and the township of Westerly received its name. Copying from the town records we find: "A List of the Free Inhabitants of the Towne of Westerle, May 18th, 1669: John Crandall, Edward Larkin, Stephen Wilcox, John Lewis, James Cross, Jonathan Armstrong, John Maxson, Jeffree Champion, Senior, John Fairfield, Daniel Cromb, Nicholas Cottrell, Shubel Painter, Tobias Saunders, Robert Burdick, John Randall, John Matkoon, John Sharp, Daniel Stanton, James Babcock, Sen., Thomas Painter, James Babcock, Jun., John Babcock, Job Babcock, Josiah Clark." "The History of Washington and Kent counties, Rhode Island, including their early settlement and progress to the present time; a description of their historic and interesting localities; sketches of their towns and villages; portraits of some of their prominent men, and biographies of many of their representative citizens"; by J. R. Cole; W.W. Preston & Company; New York City, New York; 1889 (974.501 W27C ACPL) Tobias Saunders bought Lot #17 in Westerly purchase. "Early Settlers of Westerly, Rhode Island"; by J.D. Champlin from the "Genealogies of Connecticut Families: New England Historical and Genealogical Register"; Gary Boyd Roberts; p. 673; Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc.; Baltimore, Maryland; 1983 (Gen 974.6 G3265 LAPL) (974.5 RI/Genealogy SCGS) " Two years later, in 1660, some inhabitants of Newport, acting upon the principle that Massachusetts' claim to the territory was without foundation, purchased from the Narragansett Sachems the tract of land between the Wecapaug and Pawcatuck Rivers, and began a settlement there. This tract, called by the Indians "Misquamicuck", was later named Westerly. The Bay magistrates immediately took action, and after sending a letter of protest to Rhode Island through the Federal commissioners, issued warrants for the arrest of the trespassers. Three were captured and brought to Boston, two of whom; Tobias Saunders and Robert Burdickwere fined and committed to jail for non-payment. To this summary act Rhode Island naturally took exception, affirming that the settlement was legally made and proposing to refer the whole matter to the King. ( . .The validity of the title to this tract depended upon whether the Narraganset, or Pequots owned the land before the Pequot War . . it is a question that can scarcely be settled at the present day, since the Indian witnesses furnished nearly the entire testimony.) The matter remained in abeyance for over a year, during which period the inhabitants on either side of the Pawcatuck kept up a virtual border warfare most injurious to the peace of the colony." "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation at the End of the Century: A History"; edited by Edward Field; 1:100; The Mason Publishing Company; Boston, Massachusetts; 1903 (974.5 RI/History SCGS) Tobias Saunders was a freeman of Newport in 1655 and an inhabitant of Westerly in 1669. His will was dated August 9, 1688. He was the moderator of a town meeting on July 4, 1695 and at a meeting August 23, 1688 it was noted, " . . that whereas Mr. Tobias Saunders is deceased . . ." "Early Settlers of Westerly, Rhode Island"; by J.D. Champlin from the "Genealogies of Connecticut Families: New England Historical and Genealogical Register"; Gary Boyd Roberts; p. 681; Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc.; Baltimore, Maryland; 1983 (Gen 974.6 G3265 LAPL) (974.5 RI/Genealogy SCGS) "Land Recorded of Lawrence Turner and Tobias Saunders. . . Lawrence Turner and Tobias Saunders both of. . . Newport Land in. . . Newport containinge in lenth sixty seven Rodds and in Bredth Fifty six Rodds. . . bounded on the East, and South by high-waies on the West by Land now in the poscssion of Thomas Waterman formerly belonging to mr William Jefferay. North by the Land of the said Lawrence Turner, by him purchassed of Richard Knight. . . together with Dwelling. . . rights. . . . According to a Law made in this Collony the 22th of May 1662 . . . Ratifyed . . . 29th Day of May 1673." "Rhode Island Land Evidences: Abstracts"; p.28; Rhode Island Historical Society; providence, Rhode Island; 1921 (974.5 RI/Land Abstract SCGS) Tobias Saunders appears on the membership role of the Sabbatarian Church in Newport, Rhode Island in 1692. "Sabbatarian Church (Seventh Day Baptist) Members, Newport, Rhode Island, 1671 to 1830" from "The Free Baptist Cyclopaedia, Historical and Biographical"; by Rev. G. A. Burgess. A. M. and Rev. J. T. Ward, A.M.; Free Baptist Cyclopaedia Company; 1889 "The English Origins of Tobias Saunders of Westerly, Rhode Island"; by Paul A. Saunders; 29:4:583-588; The Connecticut Nutmegger (CT Per SCGS) "Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island Comprising Three Generations of Settlers Who Came Before 1690"; by John Osborne Austin; p. 147; The Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc.; Baltimore, Maryland; 1978 (974.5 RI/Genealogy SCGS) (974.5 fA93 NYSL) (RI 38 SR)

Before coming to America, he was soldier, one of King's Life Guards, captain Oliver Cromwell's army.