Gloucester, Rhode Island

The first European settler in the area of Providence Plantation that is now Glocester was Abram Tourtellott. About 1706, he settled a mile south of Acote Hill, where he took up a large tract of the land that had originally been purchased by Roger Williams. He and other early settlers had abundant harvests, but the area is underlain by a granite formation and much of the soil is rocky.  As settlement increased, the fertility of the soil decreased and cultivation became difficult. However, several granite quarries were opened over the years, and the forests have provided resources for a number of saw-mills. The King family lived in Glocester for three generations.

In 1731, Providence was divided into four towns, one of which was Glocester. Originally, it included the territory that was later incorporated as the separate town of Burrillville.  Local industries evolved and grew inn Glocester during the eighteenth century. It was reported that John Waterman was manufacturing paper in town about 1750, and in 1767 Anson Winsor built a gristmill near Snake Hill Road. In the late eighteenth century, Daniel Owens found iron ore on his farm along the Chepachet River and built a water-powered triphammer to make the iron into various useful implements, such as ploughs, rims for wheels, and horseshoes. 

Three generations of our King family lived in Gloucester during this period. Jonathan King was married to his first wife, Hallelujah Brown, there and lived there until he moved to Cranston, Connecticut, and then to Douglas, Massachusetts in 1774, where he met and married Bethiah Garnsey. 

Glocester has a colorful history. The American Revolution left Glocester economically devastated. In 1783 the people petitioned the General Assembly because of their distressed condition, to “not lay taxes so fast and so often.” The economic plight of the people indirectly led to the rebellion of 1787, now known as Shay’s Rebellion. A group calling themselves “Reformation Men” refused to pay taxes or to fight. An officer was sent with helpers to seize cattle to pay the money owed. A mob arose, pursued them and reclaimed the cattle. The next day, several of the leaders were arrested, but a mob broke into the courtroom and freed them. The trouble spilled over into Douglas, Massachusetts, where Daniel Shay took command of the rebels, and created disturbances in several towns in Massachusetts,  until State Troops defeated him.  The rebellion contributed to the movement for a Constitutional Convention.

The Dorr Rebellion which led to the rewriting of the Rhode Island constitution to expand eligibility to vote, also began in Glocester in 1841.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glocester,_Rhode_Island
https://www.glocesterri.org/aboutglocester.htm 
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=glocester+ri 
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~rigenweb/articles/241.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorr_Rebellion 

Johnson Direct Line Ancestors who lived in Gloucester

Places to visit in Glocester