AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Rhode Island + NY. GEN T WESTCOTT, UNIQUE FAMILY HEIRLOOM!! 

FROM:  An old estate.  I actually acquired this piece with a couple of boxes of paper items, receipts, etc. and other miscellaneous items from an area antique dealer, Ivan Cherry, about 30 years ago.  My intention was to research some of the paper items when time allowed and now, in retirement, time permits!  

PRINTER:  Handwritten personal financial note from Elihu Rice to Elisabeth Pendleton (later Elisabeth Westcott) and Thomas 'General Tom' Westcott.     

Size:  The paper measures approximately 5 by 8 1/4 inches.    

Condition:  As you can easily see in the scans it is almost completely separated at the folds.  I have had this stored flat in a protective folder for well over twenty years.  The paper has a few light foxing spots.  The paper is age toned with some wear along the edges.    This would make a fantastic family display piece if properly framed.  Care should, of course, be taken when displaying to avoid fading to the ink.         

                This is almost 200 years old!!  

RELEVANT HISTORICAL INFORMATION:  Let me briefly provide some information on the lives of the people involved. 

First, probably the most noteworthy name, Thomas Westcott.  He was born on July 16, 1758 in Warwick, Kent County, RI.  He died there on September 22, 1838. 

To his credit and fame he holds the following claims: 

1)  Participant in the American Revolution.  He began his service in 1775 as a sergeant in Colonel Brewer's 9th Continental Regiment.  Colonel Jonathan Brewer was a veteran of the French and Indian War and a Revolutionary War Hero.  He led a regiment named after him at the famous Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775).  The regiment consisted of 397 men and was said to have "performed with excellence".  Col. Brewer and his Lt. Col. William Buckminster were both wounded at Bunker Hill during the battle for America's freedom.  It would appear that Sergeant Thomas Westcott was part of this action.     

2) After the American Revolution, Westcott stayed with the military and rose to the rank of Brigadier-General of the Rhode Island State Militia.  His nickname came to be "General Tom" and evidently stuck with him for the rest of his life.

3)  Before and after the war, he steered his professional career into the legal arena and became an Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. 

4) Thomas Westcott is a Direct Descendent of Stukely Westcott, immigrant ancestor, and one of the thirteen original purchasers of Providence Plantations.  Roger Williams, of course, was the original founder of Rhode Island.  He was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his views involving "freedom of religion" giving us all one of the founding principles of this great nation!  Stukely Westcott also was banished from Massachusetts and followed Williams to Providence Plantations.  Many volumes have been written about the significance of the actions and contributions of these colonists. 

5) Thomas Westcott was an outstanding family man with numerous descendents.  He was married twice, Elisabeth being his second wife.     First, Thomas Westcott married Marcy Arnold on February 4, 1781.  She was the daughter of Caleb Arnold and she was born in 1761.  She died on May 5, 1816 in Rhode Island.  Thomas and Marcy had eleven children:  Susannah, Lucy, Catherine, Jaheel, Thomas the 3rd, John, Samuel Arnold, Aribut, Augustus, Louisa, and Mercy.  From these children there were numerous descendents resulting in many,  many thousands of descendents alive today!! After the death of Marcy in  1816 he married Elisabeth.  There is more information about her below. 

6) He served as high sheriff of Kent County.  

and,

7) He was an area farmer of noteworthy success.  His farm was at Nausauket, a mile or so southeast of Apponaug, and fronting on Coweset Bay, where he and his wife and a number of their children are buried.  (Stukely Westcott, Vol. 1, pg 185, 1932). 

Second, Thomas' wife, Elisabeth has some interesting history of her own.  First, her maiden name was Elisabeth Low. 

Please note, it is interesting to see that the note is originally to Elisabeth Pendleton "For value Rec(eived)".  Two years after the date of the note her husband disappears as explained below.  Notice, also, that the original amount was to be repaid after four months.  Instead, it seems to be six years later after Elisabeth Pendleton has married Thomas Westcott.  Also interesting is that the note is paid by Joseph Rice, Elihu's brother, through a third party, Daniel Cook.     Elisabeth's parents were Stephen Low and Susanna Hathaway.  Elisabeth was born May 21, 1777 and died April 6, 1858.  She married John Pendleton in Exeter, RI, on April 7, 1805.  He was born to Jeremiah Pendleton and Susanna Sweet.  Together, John and Elisabeth had one child, Edwin Rhodes Pendleton, born June 23, 1805.  Edwin in turn married a Jane Morgan and had a child, William.  John Pendleton, as the story goes, left the house one day in 1817 and was never seen again!   In the 1850 US Census, it shows Elisabeth Low Pendleton Westcott living with her daughter-in-law and grandson.  A source indicates that Elizabeth may have been a slave owner at one time in the early days of Rhode Island. 

Third, the final party's signature, Elihu Rice, is an interesting person in his own right.  He has actually written his name twice.  One as a cover page when folded and the other acknowledging the agreement.  He was born July 27, 1785, in Coventry, RI, to Joseph Rice and Sarah Bowen.  On December 5, 1816, Elihu married Elizabeth B. Nott in Canandaigua, Ontario County, NY.  Elihu Rice died in Sardinia, Erie County, NY, on March 22, 1863.  During his life he was quite an active person, being one of the first settlers of Sardinia, NY.  He served in the War of 1812, quite possibly with a couple of different units.  He may have been a fifer for some of his service.  Also, he very possibly served in a Massachusetts unit in the early years and ended up with a New York unit towards the end.  After the war he stayed on with the New York militia and reached a rank of Brigade Major in Niagara County, NY.   His business connections seem to have been rather extensive including trading with China.  Also he seems to have been a very educated and active citizen being involved in the development of the Sardinia school as well as having connections with a number of officials in New York State government.  After Elihu and Elizabeth married, they traveled by horseback to Sardinia in Erie County, NY where Elihu purchased 556 acres of land (on August 14, 1819; Township 7, Range 5, Lot No. 2).  Elizabeth's brother, Ezra, had been one of the two original settlers in 1809.  Sardinia officially became a town in 1821, the year this document was paid off.  Elihu then sold 226 acres to his brother, Joseph.  Elihu and Elizabeth had eight children:  Cyrus, Edwin, Mary, Delos, Alfred, Martha, Charlotte, and Melinda.  There were a good number of offspring descended from them.

The following is the actual text of the note, both sides:

Side One:                                               " Warwick (RI)  Nov, 15th 1815

Four months after date I promise to pay to Elisabeth Pendleton or bearer Eleven Dollars and fifteen Cents For value Rec (eived).  If not then paid Interest will (be) paid. 

$11.15                                                                   Elihu Rice "

Side Two: 

" April 18th, 1821

Received of Daniel Cook Ten Dollars of the with in Note in behalf of Joseph Rice. 

                                                                                 Thos Westcott

June 15th  Received of Daniel Cook Seven Dollars & Ninety one Cts of the with in note  In full for the note. 

                                                                                  Elisabeth Westcott "

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