Pirates
1689-1717
Rhode Island’s long history of independence, strong commercial motivation, and plentiful coastline put it firmly into most Atlantic trade. This trade was both legal and illegal, depending on which government’s laws were being considered – and the interpretations were difficult when Rhode Island itself was issuing privateer commissions by the 1650s. Newport was the center of much of this as was, more conveniently offshore, Block Island.
John Rathbun (1628-1702)
Pirates could anchor and row ashore, but most commerce happened on a wharf. Newport’s Old Town Wharf, now called Long Wharf, first shows in the town records in 1685 and again in 1702 when it needed rebuilding. It connected town to Gravelly Point, which today is filled in and buried where the southern end of Washington St turns onto Long Wharf. Incidentally, and subsequent to the story below, Gravelly Point was the site of the execution of 26 pirates on July 19, 1723. The town offered the wharf to certain persons if they would repair it and keep it in order, with the right to collect the wharfage fees. John Rathbun is listed as a proprietor in 1702. Although he kept homes in Newport, his first home and most lands were on Block Island.
John was one of the original proprietors and settlers of the island in 1661, where he – in partnership with Edward Vorse – was allotted 480 acres divided between small landholdings in town and two larger lots, including Lot 4 lying on the northern neck south of Sachem Pond running across the island from between Balls North Point and Clay Head in the east to Middle Pond in the west, and Lot 10 which was the entire southeastern coast from Barlow’s Point and what is now Lakeside Drive extending east along Mohegan Trail to just north of Southeast Point. As John was not as wealthy as some of the other purchasers, this southern land was the most rugged and windblown portion of the island. John was admitted as a freeman of the Colony of Rhode Island in May 1664 by a committee on which sat Roger Williams. John represented New Shoreham in the Rhode Island General Assembly for five years, and was one of the Grand Jury in 1688. He was therefore a good target when pirates raided.
“In the year 1689, in the month of July, Mr. Rathbone had a very narrow escape from the French, who were then pillaging the Island. They inquired of some one or more of the people, who were the likeliest among them to have money? They told them of John Rathbone who was the most likely. The French proceeded to capture him, and demanded of him, as they supposed, his money. The captive denied having any besides a trifling sum. They endeavored to make him confess that he had more, and to deliver it to them, by tying him up and whipping him barbarously. While they were doing all this to an innocent man whom they mistook for the moneyed John Rathbone, the latter made his escape with his treasure. He indeed then had a son by the name of John, who, by bearing his father’s name, and by submitting to this terrible scourging, shielded his father and saved him from being robbed. This son probably lived in the house which stood near his father’s, as the locations are still known by the descendants of the first settler.” (source)
John Rathbun, Jr. (1655-1723)
John Rathbun, Jr., having had this unfortunate experience in 1689 with pirates on Block Island, shows up again in the town records in connection to a much larger story involving connections to some of the most famous pirates in the history of the trade: Sam Bellamy, Paulsgrave Williams, Benjamin Hornigold, Edward Teach (Blackbeard), and William Kidd.
BLOCK ISLAND, NEW SHORAM
Aprell ye 19th 1717
We the subscribers testifie and say that as we went on board of a large Sloop, Paulsgrave Williams Commander, as by some of his men’s Report, and he Likewise being on shore to get some refreshment in order as he said to go to Boston on sd day aforementioned, we and several other went on bord with him. After that we had been on board of him about an houre or two (being then in our Harbor Bay) we all came out of sd Sloop into our Boat without any molestation; but after that we were put off from the Sloop Some distance Rowing to make the Harbor we were immediately Comande on bord again, not knowing what their business was with us; as soon as we came along side of the Sloop three of our men that were in our Boat with us were forcibly taken from us and commanded to come on board of them, one of which was pulled out of the boat into the Sloop by violence and the other two commanded to go on boarde of them. After this manner were those men taken from us (viz.) George Mitchell, William Otesh, and Doctur James Sweete; and forthere Deponents say not.
THOMAS DANIELS
JOHN RATHBUN
THOMAS PAIN
The three persons within personally appeared before me one of his majesty’s Wardins or Justices of the peace of Block Island and took their Sollem Ingagements to the contents within mention as attest pr. Me.
JOHN SANDS, Dep. Warden
MAY ye 19th 1717
My Self being present on bord the boat when the men were taken out as within mentioned. (source)
At this time, John Jr. was 62 years old. The ship was the MARIANNE, captained by Paulsgrave Williams, who had stopped in Block Island to see his wife, Elizabeth, and his sisters.
Paulsgrave was born in 1676 and his parents were John Williams and Anna Alcock (1650-1723). Anna’s parents were Dr. John Alcock and Sarah Paulsgrave. John Alcock was also one of the 16 purchasers and settlers of Block Island. Paulsgrave’s father, John, was a freeman of Newport, a representative of Block Island to the General Assembly, and the Attorney General in 1686. Paulsgrave grew up in Newport, where he was a silversmith.
The family was already connected to piracy. One of Paulsgrave’s sisters, Mary, married Edward Sands and lived on Block Island. Years before, Sarah Kidd and her six year old daughter, Sarah, stayed at Mary & Edward’s house when her husband, pirate William Kidd, was being pursued in June 1699. Kidd was no stranger to Block Island and had addressed a letter to Lord Bellomont in Boston from his June 24 anchorage on the ST. ANTONIO off what is now Crescent Beach north of Old Harbor – then called “Block Island Roads.” He had also already deposited two cannon with the Sands family. Mary Sands even accompanied the Kidds when they sailed to Gardiners Island the next day on a mission involving Kidd’s treasure. They then sailed for Boston. After Kidd’s ultimate imprisonment in Boston, his shipmate, John Gillam, from Newport, was back on Block Island and it was reported that “Edward Sands carried Gillam away westward in a small boat from Block Island.” A letter from Peleg Sanford to Governor John Winthrop of Connecticut captures the event:
Newport on Rhoad Island Augst 12, 1699
Honble Sr
Haveing used my utmost endeavors for appreheding one James Gillam Some time belonging unto Capt Kid Just now received advice from Block Island by persons comed on purpose that Said Gillam comeing from Some part of long Island in a Small boat, with one block Island man meeting in the Sound with a dutch sloop being becalmed the master of Sd Sloop came on board, the said boat and informed Gillam that there was warrants out for to Seize him and that Capt. Coddington was sent on purpose to Block Island for that end comeing unto Block Island and they went both on shore, but the said Gillam left the man going into his house and said Gillam went back againe unto the canoe and went on board the boat which he ran away with; it is supposed that he came directly to Capt. Paines to cononocu where its reported he left mony and yesterday seene about point Judeh as its supposed, and so may not as yet be got on beyond Fishers Island, being alone when ran away, there was in the boat a Chest Six pound in mony Clothes wheat and some tobacco, being so well Stored its like may have increased his company honored Dr. please to extend forth your authority wish diligent search for apprehending of him it will be of great service to his majesty and a favour to the Earle, Sr please to give your assistance for the Spedy convayance the incloased the which will greatly obleidg yor most humb Svt.
-Peleg Sanford
Sr I have now accott that a small Boat was seene going Betwene Fishers Island and the maine land about 12 o Clock yesterday.
Gillam was captured in Massachusetts and sent to London where he was tried and hung.
Paulsgrave became friends with Samuel Bellamy while both were in Massachusetts. In 1716, they were together in the Caribbean and Bahamas with the intention of recovering the wrecks of a Spanish treasure fleet. They were unsuccessful, and made the transition from treasure hunting to piracy, where they soon joined a fleet under English pirate Benjamin Hornigold and his ship the MARIANNE. Loyally, Hornigold refused to attack English ships and for this his crew voted him out and elected Bellamy to be the captain of Hornigold’s MARIANNE. Hornigold, as well as crew member Edward Teach, more widely known as Blackbeard, sailed another ship back to Nassau – where Bellamy and Williams were also based. In February 1717, between Cuba and Hispaniola, Bellamy and Williams captured the slave ship WHYDAH from a former member of Sir Henry Morgan’s fleet. It became Bellamy’s flagship, and Paulsgrave was placed in command of the MARIANNE.
Paulsgrave and Bellamy sailed both ships along with a few others northward up the Atlantic coast, taking prizes along the way. They split near Rhode Island, where Paulsgrave went to visit Block Island and Bellamy cruised to Cape Cod. Both agreed to meet at Damariscove Island in Maine, an island named for an original member of the Popham Colony later charted by Capt. John Smith. While Damariscove was primarily a fishing outpost, and one that helped the fledgling Plymouth colony survive, it was intended by Sam Bellamy to become a pirate republic – the northern bookend of the same in Nassau.
Paulsgrave’s intentions while visiting Block Island related to family, but the record above relating to the seizing of John Jr. clearly shows that he was interested in augmenting his crew as well. It is unknown why John Rathbun and others “went on bord with him” and it’s not known whether the three that were subsequently taken out of the rowboat were due to the results of a fight or their physical position within the boat itself. What is known is that John was fortunately not one of them. Having been aboard Paulsgrave’s ship – and likely shaken his hand – was enough. This was the hand of a man who had met, drank, sailed and fought with some of the most famous pirates in the new world.
The WHYDAH was caught in a strong nor’easter with Cape Cod as a lee shore and was lost with most of her hands on April 26, 1717. The wreck is within swimming distance, just to the north off what is now Marconi Beach to the North of Nauset Lighthouse. Her treasure, 60 cannons, and all the implements of daily shipboard life went into less than 20 feet of water, where they were soon covered by a protective layer of sand. The crew was 146, and only two made it to shore alive. Cyprian Southack, a cartographer and representative of the Massachusetts government, sought to recover the treasure. He made the adjacent map, where he noted his burial of bodies he found on the beach when he arrived on May 2, 1717. He could still see an anchor sticking out at low tide marking the spot where the ship broke up, but the wreck was spread for a distance of four miles.
After leaving Block Island, Paulsgrave sailed the MARIANNE to Gardiner’s Island, New York, where he weathered the same storm that sunk the WHYDAH. He was in Maine by May, where he learned of the WHYDAH’s fate. After cruising by the location of the wreck, he sailed south to the Bahamas and eventually surrendered under the King’s Pardon in Nassau 1718 – before heading out with pirates William Moody and, once again, Olivier Levasseur, towards Africa. His ultimate demise is unknown. Had he sailed towards Maine with Bellamy, it’s highly probable that he also would have perished off the Cape Cod beach.
The WHYDAH is the only intact and authenticated pirate shipwreck ever found, discovered by Barry Clifford in 1984. As of 2022, its artifacts – and treasure – more than 200,000 pieces, continue to come up in a multi-year archaeological dig.