William I CHAMPLIN

• General Notes
  • b. Newport, RI (alt. Westerly, RI)
    fought in King Phillip's War 1675-76
    elected 23 times to RI General Assembly
    granted land in CT in 1696
    d. Westerly, Washington, RI
    buried in Westerly Cemetery No. 3 (see note below)
    
    William Champlin, son of Jeffrey Champlin and Eulalia Garde, was born at Newport, Rhode Island in 1654. He died at Westerly, Rhode Island December 1, 1715.
    
    William joined the Connecticut campaign during King Phillip's War and took part in the "Great Swamp Battle" near the present site of North Kingston, Rhode Island on December 9, 1675. In the spring of 1676, William was at Black Point Garrison in what is modern day Scarborough, Massachusetts. He was serving under Captain Scottow in a unit raised in Boston.
    
    In 1696, he, and others, were granted (by the General Court of Connecticut) six square miles of land in the present town of Voluntown, Connecticut as a reward for their services.
    
    He took an active part in local and colonial political affairs throughout his life. Among the highlights of William's public career were these events:
    
    elected twenty three times to the Rhode Island General Assembly
    1679:  appointed to levy a tax in Westerly
    1681:  made a Freeman the Westerly Town Meeting was held in his home
    1683:  served on the jury
    1684:  served on the jury
    elected a member of the Westerly Town Council
    1685:  re-elected to the Town Council and for many years afterward served as the Moderator of the Town Meetings
    1687:   chosen to present a petition to Governor Andros for Westerly's Town Charter in charge of branding cattle and horses in Westerly
    1690:  appointed Captain of the Militia
    1690:  Deputy for Westerly at the General Assembly (also in               1691, 1696, 1698, 1699, 1700, 1703, 1705, 1706, 1708, 1710 and 1712)
    1693:  purchased 100 acres of land from Gershon Cottrell
    1694:  sold 50 acres to John Davis
    1695:  elected Conservator of the Peace
    1696:  elected Justice of the Peace serving until 1713
    1699:  one of six men (three from each colony) appointed to draw up the Connecticut - Rhode Island boundary line
    1703:  his home was designated as a recruiting station at the Council of War held at Kingstown
    1709:  At a Town Meeting held on April 7th, William was "voted to have the grant of 100 acres" of land and was empowered to agree with Ninecraft, sachem, for "a perpetual high road to the salt water from Queen's Rhoade".
    
    In 1674, William married Mary Babcock (see record). There are references in the literature that she was William's second wife but this is unsubstantiated and the name of his alleged first wife is unknown.  William and Mary had three children:  Mary (1675), William II (1677) and Ann (1678).
    
    On July 6, 1682 William Champlin of Westerly sold the sloop "Tryall" to James Robertson of the Barbadoes. The "Tryall" was built by John Lewis, shipwright, of New London and weighed 18-19 tons.
    
    note on grave from researcher Bob CHAMPLIN:
    His grave was "re-discovered" by Dwight C. Brown in what had been called the "Wilcox Lot" and is now known as "Westerly Cemetery No. 03". William's stone reads: "Here lyeth the body of William Champlin, who deceased in the 62nd year of his age December First 1715". This cemetery is located along Shore Road between Westerly and Dunn's Corners, just past the golf course. Driving west on Shore Road, the golf course is to your left. After this the road dips then curves left and uphill. Just before the next road leading off to the right, there is a small sign for the cemetery in the midst of a stand of bull briers, just behind a stonewall on the left side of Shore Road. Access to the cemetery now is by climbing over the wall. On May 5, 1995 I located this small cemetery. There are a number of small unmarked stones buried next to William's, one of which is likely that of his wife. All of the other stones seemed to belong to members of the Gavitt family.
    
    note:  King Phillip's War ended in 1677 with the defeat of the Pequots
    

Click here for details of William I's family with Mary BABCOCK

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