The autumn salt air blowing off Narragansett Bay brought the familiar chill of late October 1677. Standing on a timber-littered hillside overlooking Cowesett Bay, Henry Matteson (our 9th great-grandfather) wiped sweat from his brow and adjusted his grip on the felling axe. Behind him lay the open blue waters that connected Rhode Island to the wider Atlantic; ahead lay dense, oak-choked wilderness that had never seen a European plow.
Henry had traveled far from Denmark—a long, treacherous journey across the Atlantic to Roger Williams’ colony of "Providence Plantations," where a man could worship as he saw fit and hold land in his own name. After the devastating fires of King Philip’s War had swept through the region just a year prior, the General Assembly in Newport had granted 5,000 acres to fifty men who were willing to settle and defend the frontier. Henry Matteson was one of those fifty.
Along with his young wife, Hannah Parsons, Henry built a modest timber frame home. Year by year, they cleared rocky fieldstone, planted Indian corn, and established a homestead that would anchor the Matteson name in Kent County for generations.
Fifty years later, Henry's grandson, Thomas Matteson Jr., stood in the doorway of a expanded homestead in East Greenwich. The wilderness his grandfather fought to clear was now a bustling township of stone-end houses, cider mills, and stone-walled pastures. Thomas looked out across the fields toward his son, young Jonathan, who was hauling firewood for winter.
Through strategic marriages with local families like the Spencers and Briggs, the Mattesons had woven themselves tightly into the civic fabric of Rhode Island—serving as freemen, grand jurors, and militia captains.
By the time Josiah Matteson cleared his own land in West Greenwich on the eve of the American Revolution, and his daughter Dinah later married into the Pearce family of Foster, the Mattesons were no longer Danish immigrants in a foreign land. They were Rhode Islanders—part of a six-generation legacy that helped carve a colony out of the wilderness.
Historical Context & Rhode Island Contributions
The Matteson family represents one of the foundational pioneer lineages of Rhode Island's interior. Arriving as a Scandinavian immigrant in a English-dominated colony, Henry Matteson and his direct descendants played a key role in settlement, agricultural expansion, local government, and military defense across Kent and Providence Counties.
Gen 1: Henry Matteson & Hannah Parsons
- The Founding Pioneer: Henry Matteson stands out as a rare 17th-century Danish immigrant in early New England. He arrived in Rhode Island during a period of religious tolerance championed by Roger Williams.
- East Greenwich Incorporation (1677): Henry was among the original 50 founders who received 100-acre land grants to establish East Greenwich following King Philip's War (1675–1676). The colony granted this land to men who pledged to build homes and clear land, creating a military buffer against regional Indigenous uprisings and border disputes with Connecticut.
- Civic Role: Henry took the oath of allegiance in 1671 and served as a Freeman, actively helping transition East Greenwich from wilderness into a functioning township.
Gen 2 & Gen 3: Thomas Matteson Sr. & Jr.
- Western Expansion: As East Greenwich grew crowded, the Mattesons pushed west into the rugged "Outlands" (later West Greenwich and Coventry).
- Prominent Allied Families: The Mattesons intermarried with prominent early Rhode Island lines—including the Briggs and Spencer families. The Spencers were prominent civic leaders and landholders in East Greenwich dating back to the town's initial 1677 founding.
Gen 4 & Gen 5: Jonathan & Josiah Matteson
- Revolutionary Era & Frontier Farming: Operating farms in West Greenwich and Coventry, Josiah Matteson came of age during the American Revolution. Men from West Greenwich served extensively in local militia units and Rhode Island regiments guarding Narragansett Bay and the western border.
Spencer and Briggs Foundational Families in Early Rhode Island
By marrying into these lines, the Matteson family connected themselves directly to the original 1677 founders of East Greenwich, early civic leadership, and royal-charter colonial lineage.
The Spencer Family Lineage
The Spencers were among the premier families of East Greenwich, arriving in the colony during the initial wave of 17th-century settlement.
[THE SPENCER LINEAGE]
John Spencer Sr. (c. 1638–1684) m. Susannah
[Founder & 1st Town Clerk of East Greenwich]
│
┌───────────┴─────────────┐
▼ ▼
Susannah Spencer (1681–1743) John Spencer Jr. (1666–1743)
m. Richard Briggs (Gen 3) m. Audrey Greene (Gen 4 line)
│ │
▼ ▼
Susanna Briggs (1707–1732) John Spencer (1698–1763)
m. Thomas Matteson Jr. m. Ruth Spencer (1702–1794)
│
▼
Sarah Spencer (1727–1824)
m. Jonathan Matteson (Gen 4)
Key Historical Details & Contributions:
- John Spencer Sr. (c. 1638–1684): John Spencer was one of the original 50 grantees who received a 100-acre lot to establish East Greenwich in October 1677 following King Philip's War. He was elected the first Town Clerk of East Greenwich in 1677 and served as Conservator of the Peace.
- Double Spencer Connection: Our Gen 4 ancestor Sarah Spencer (1722/27–1824) brings a heavy dose of Spencer lineage. Her father John Spencer (1698–1763) married his relative Ruth Spencer (1702–1794). Ruth’s father, Michael Spencer, was another early East Greenwich landowner and freeman.
- The Audrey Greene Connection: Sarah Spencer's grandmother was Audrey Greene (1667–1733), who connects this line to John Greene Jr., Deputy Governor of Rhode Island, and Surgeon John Greene, one of the 12 original purchasers of Warwick alongside Samuel Gorton.
The Briggs Family Lineage
The Briggs family was established in New England during the early colonial era, moving from the Plymouth Colony down into Portsmouth and East Greenwich.
[THE BRIGGS LINEAGE]
John Briggs Sr. (c. 1609–1690)
[Portsmouth, RI Pioneer & Freeman]
│
▼
Richard Briggs Sr. (1647–1692)
[1677 East Greenwich Founder]
│
▼
Richard Briggs Jr. (1675–1733) m. Susannah Spencer
│
▼
Susanna Briggs (1707–1732)
m. Thomas Matteson Jr. (Gen 3)
Key Historical Details & Contributions:
- John Briggs Sr. (c. 1609–1690): The immigrant ancestor arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630s before settling in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, in 1638. He was a Freeman in 1655, served as a Commissioner, and was an Assistant to the Governor in 1648.
- Richard Briggs Sr. (1647–1692): Like John Spencer Sr. and Henry Matteson, Richard Briggs Sr. was one of the original 50 grantees of East Greenwich in 1677. He cleared land in the western portion of the township and served as a local constable and surveyor.
- Richard Briggs Jr. (1675–1733): Married Susannah Spencer, merging the Briggs and Spencer families a generation before their daughter, Susanna Briggs, married Thomas Matteson Jr. in 1723.
Summary of Allied Impact on the Mattesons
Through these two marriages, our Matteson branch gained:
- Triple Founder Descent: Henry Matteson, John Spencer Sr., and Richard Briggs Sr. were all among the original 50 founders of East Greenwich in 1677.
- Civic & Political Influence: The Spencers provided local governance (town clerk, justices of the peace), while the Briggs brought deep roots in early Portsmouth and colonial defense.
- Land Holdings: Intermarriage with the Spencers and Briggs allowed the Mattesons to expand their land holdings westward into Coventry and West Greenwich as new farm plots were surveyed and divided among heirs.
Deputy Governor John Greene Jr. of Rhode Island, and his Colonial Leadership
Deputy Governor John Greene Jr. (1620–1708) was a central political figure, diplomat, and military leader in colonial Rhode Island. Serving in public office for nearly 50 consecutive years, he helped defend Rhode Island’s royal charter, secure its physical borders, and preserve its founding principles of religious freedom.
Key Historical Contributions & Public Career
- The Royal Charter of 1663: John Greene Jr. was one of the original named petitioners and Assistants in the landmark 1663 Royal Charter granted by King Charles II. This charter established the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and provided an unprecedented degree of religious freedom and self-governance that lasted until 1843.
- 14th Deputy Governor (1690–1700): Greene served as Deputy Governor for 10 consecutive one-year terms alongside Governors John Easton, Caleb Carr, Walter Clarke, and Samuel Cranston. He voluntarily retired from office at age 80.
- Military Leadership ("Major of the Main"): He held commissions as Captain and later Major (the highest military rank in the colony at the time), directing local defense forces through King Philip’s War (1675–1676) and border skirmishes with neighbor colonies.
- Diplomat & Charter Defender: Greene traveled directly to London on diplomatic missions to represent the colony before the English Crown, successfully defending Rhode Island's territorial boundaries against encroachment by Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut.
- Extensive Legal & Civic Roles: Throughout his life, he filled almost every key post in the government:
- General Recorder (Secretary of State, 1652–1654)
- Attorney General (1657–1660)
- General Solicitor (1655)
- Member of the Governor's Council and long-serving Assistant (Colonial Senator)
The Surgeon Father: Dr. John Greene Sr. (c. 1590–1659)
John Greene Jr.’s prominence was rooted in his father, Dr. John Greene Sr., a surgeon from Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, who emigrated aboard the James in 1635:
- Founding of Providence: After clashing with Puritans in Massachusetts over religious principles, Dr. John Greene joined Roger Williams in 1636, becoming one of the 12 original proprietors of Providence and a co-founder of the First Baptist Church in America.
- Founder of Warwick (Shawomet): In 1642–1643, Dr. Greene joined Samuel Gorton to purchase land from the Narragansett Sachem Miantonomi, establishing the settlement of Warwick. The family's ancestral farm estate, Occupassuatuxet ("Greene's Hold"), remained in the family for generations.
The Audrey Greene Connection to Our Matteson Line
Audrey Greene (1667–1733) was the daughter of Deputy Governor John Greene Jr. and his wife Ann Almy (daughter of early Portsmouth settler William Almy).
Through Audrey Greene’s marriage into the Spencer family, our ancestral line links directly back through Deputy Governor John Greene Jr. and Dr. John Greene Sr. This lineage connects our family to several notable American descendants, including Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene, colonial governors William Greene Sr. and Jr., and U.S. President Warren G. Harding.
Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy
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