Little Compton, Rhode Island....Cradle of Grinnell's

Little Compton is a picturesque town located on the east side of the Sakonnet River and overlooking Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island.  The main "village" consists of the Commons, which is a beautiful triangular shaped lot filled by the United Congregational Church and the burial ground.  Around the roads that border the Commons are a mixture of historic Colonial and 18th century buildings.  The main "highway" is a road running north and south (from Fall River, MA to Little Compton) called "West Main" that is dotted with many historic homes of colonial era families that settled the area when it was still part of "Plymouth Colony."  Little Compton was the home to many of my Grinnell ancestors from the mid-1600's through the American Revolution and I have visited it a number of times and with each visit feel a spiritual connection to this land that my early American ancestors walked, lived, worked, worshiped, and were laid to rest.
    Last summer, when I last visited, I purchased Janet Lisle's First Light Sakonnet: The History of Little Compton, published in 2010 by the Little Compton Historical Society.  The time frame Lisle used for this volume is 1660-1820, pretty much the exact time that my ancestors called this place home.   I found this publication very worthwhile reading.  Although it is not a lengthy book, Lisle paints a lively picture of life in the community.  The book is filled with colorful reproductions of artworks depicting the town, which bring so much energy and imagination to her text.  Lisle utilized many primary sources to compose the narrative of life in Little Compton.  She used  pages of town records, diaries, and court records to uncover personal narratives of the inhabitants of this small town that were faced by trails and tragedies as the town transformed from a distant outpost to a thriving colonial settlement faced by political realities of the day.  The town struggled between the rule of Puritan dominated Massachusetts and separated itself from the confines of their laws to the more accepting (or perhaps libertarian) Rhode Island Colony.  During the War of Independence, Little Compton farmers found themselves arming themselves and creating organized militias to help defend themselves from British invasion, but also to keep a look out on the British who had occupied Newport and Aquidneck Island.
   There are many mentions of the Grinnell surname in the pages of First Light, perhaps none more heroic to me than the list of Patriots from the town who served in the Revolution bearing the name.  Overall, the book is an excellent short read (only 158 pages of text) for anyone wishing to understand the early life of a small and often isolated New England village.  My first read on this years summer vacation.