THE IVORY SERIES
Each, 16mo, gilt top, 75 cents
AMOS JUDD. By J. A. Mitchell, Editor of “Life”
IA. A Love Story. By Q. [Arthur T. Quiller-Couch]
THE SUICIDE CLUB. By Robert Louis Stevenson
IRRALIE’S BUSHRANGER. By E. W. Hornung
A MASTER SPIRIT. By Harriet Prescott Spofford
MADAME DELPHINE. By George W. Cable
ONE OF THE VISCONTI. By Eva Wilder Brodhead
A BOOK OF MARTYRS. By Cornelia Atwood Pratt
A BRIDE FROM THE BUSH. By E. W. Hornung
THE MAN WHO WINS. By Robert Herrick
AN INHERITANCE. By Harriet Prescott Spofford
THE OLD GENTLEMAN OF THE BLACK STOCK.By Thomas Nelson Page
LITERARY LOVE LETTERS AND OTHER STORIES.By Robert Herrick
A ROMANCE IN TRANSIT. By Francis Lynde
IN OLD NARRAGANSETT.By Alice Morse Earle.
SEVEN MONTHS A PRISONER.By J. V. Hadley.
Other Volumes to be announced
IN OLD NARRAGANSETT
ROMANCES AND REALITIES
BY
ALICE MORSE EARLE
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
NEW YORK, 1898
Copyright, 1898, by
Charles Scribner’s Sons
TROW DIRECTORY
PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY
NEW YORK
[Pg v]
FOREWORD
Some of these stories of old Narragansettare familiar fireside tales to those who havelived in that picturesque land; some are butvague traditions, others summer dreams; afew are family chronicles; still others are outlinedin that interesting memoir, Thomas R.Hazard’s “Recollections of the Olden Times,”or in Updike’s “Narragansett Church.” OldNarragansett was, properly, all the landsoccupied by the Narragansett Indians at thecoming of the English. Narragansett is now,popularly, the coast sweep of the western shoreof Narragansett Bay from Wickford to PointJudith. In 1685 Narragansett was made aseparate government apart from Rhode Island,and was called the Kings Province. Whenreunited with Rhode Island this was changedto King’s County. For many years, and bysome old people to-day, it is called the South[Pg vi]County, but its legal name is WashingtonCounty, which was given it in 1781; Washingtonbeing a more agreeable and tolerablename at that date to loyal Americans thanKing’s. Narragansett was owned by a comparativelysmall number of persons, and estateswere large, one family owned a tract ninemiles long and three wide. Thomas Stantonhad a “lordship” four and a half miles longand two wide. Colonel Champlin owned twothousand acres, Thomas Hazard twelve thousandacres. Farms of five, six, even ten milessquare existed.
Thus the conditions of life in colonial Narragansettwere widely different from those ofother New England colonies. The establishmentof and adherence to the Church of England,and the universal prevalence of Africanslavery, evolved a social life resembling thatof the Virginian plantation rather than of thePuritan farm. It was a community of manysuperstitions, to which the folk-customs ofthe feast-days of the English Church, theevil communications of witch-seeking Puritanneighbors, the voodooism of the negro slaves,the pow wows of the native red men, all added...