willia:.is
WILLIAMS
the Indians, he formed a colony npon the princi-
ple of "entire liberty of conscience," and in 1639
founded the religious organization afterward
known as the Fii-st Baptist church of Providence,
but with which he soon severed his own connec-
tion, believing baptism unavailing unless ad-
ministered by an apostle; he continued, how-
ever, to preach the Gospt4. Upon the claim
of the Massachusetts authorities to the new
settlement in Rhode Island, he visited Eng-
land in 1643. returning the next year with the
cliarter of Rliode Island, dated, March 14, 1644.
He was influential in securing peace between the
Narragansetts and Mohegans in 1645; declined
the office of deputy-president of the colony, 1649;
visited England a second time, 16r)l-')4, and upon
his return was made president or governor of the
colony, which position' he held until 1658. He
served as an assistant of Gov. ^Benedict Arnold
under Rhode Island's new charter, 1663 (which
cliarter was unchanged until 1842); was a com-
missioner to settle the eastern boundary question,
1663; and subsequently held various public
offices: being commissioned captain of militia in
King Philip's war, although his advanced age
prevented his active service on the field. His
extensive bibliography, published almost entirely
in London, includes: A Key into the Language
of America (1643); 3Ir. Cotton's Letter * * Ex-
amined end Answered (1644); The Bloody Tenant
of Persecution for Cause of Conscience (1644);
Queries of Highest Consideration (1644); The
Bloody Tenant yet more Bloody (1653); Hireling
Ministry Xone of Christ's (1652); Experiments of
Spiritual Life and Health (1652), and George Fox
digg'd oiit of his Bur-
rowes, being his fa-
mous debate with the
Quakers, Boston (1676).
See: Tyler's " History
of American Litera-
ture and Williams'
. ^ . r, .^ biography written by
^JjL^/f4 'H J. D. Knowles (1834);
^y^lVfil 1 11 ^^ William Gammell
(1845); by Romeo El- ton (1852), and by Henry M. Dexter (1876). The precise date of his death, which probably oc- • •urred at Providence, is not known, but it must have been early in 1683. His name is ROGER WILLIAMS. perpetuated in Roger Williams park, Providence. R.I., a part of his original estate, which was bequeathed to the city by his direct descendant, Betsey Williams,
on condition that the descendants of Roger
Williams should be allowed sepulture in the old
family burying ground; and a monument of
Roger Williams, also a condition of the will, was
dedicated, Oct. 16, 1877. Another monument
was erected on Prosjiect Hill, Providence, through
the will of his drsfciidaiit. Stp|)lien Kandall.
WILLIA-MS, Samuel Wells, sinologue, was born in Utica, N.Y., Sept. 22, 1812; son of Col. William (1787-1850) and Sophia (Wells) Williams: grandson of Deacon Thomas and Susanna (Dana) Williams, who removed to New Hartford, N.Y., 1790, and of Samuel and Dolly (Prentice) Wells, and a descendant of Robert Williams, who came from Norwich, England, and settled in Rox- bury, I\Iass., 1637. His father was a publisher of the Utica Patriot and Patrol, 1810-24; The Elii- cidator, a weekly, 1830, and wrote " Light on Ma- sonry " (1829). He also served in the war of 1812 and subsequently became a colonel in the Utica milita. S. Wells Williams learned pi'inting in his father's office; attended Rensselaer Polytech- nic institute, Troy, N.Y., 1831-33, and in the latter year, under the auspices of the A.B.C.F.M., went to Canton, China, where he printed and edited the Chinese Repository, 1833-51; removing to Macao in 1835 to finish the printing of Dr. W. H. Medhurst's Hokkeen dictionary. He also printed and contributed to Dr. Bridgman's " Chinese Chrestomathy," 1837-38, and having learned the Japanese language translated the books of Genesis and Matthew into that tongue. While residing in Macao, he pulMished: Easy Lessons in Chinese (1842); English and Chinese Vocabulary in the Court Dialect (1844); Chinese Topography (1844), and Chinese Commercial Guide (1844). He returned to the United States in 1845; was married, Nov. 25, 1847, to Sarah, daughter of Major John and Catherine (Bailey) Walworth of Plattsburgh, N.Y.. and until 1848 was engaged in lecturing on China throughout the country, in this manner obtaining sufficient funds for purchasing a full font of Chinese type. He returned to Cliina in 1848, and until 1856 in addition to his charge of the mission press at Canton, was engaged upon his Tonic Dictionary of Chinese Language in the Canton Dialect, with the exception of his service as interpreter to Commodore Perr}- in Japan, 1853-54. He also served as secretary and interpreter to the United States legation in China. 1855-76, frequently offi- ciating as charge d'affaires. He was influential in arranging the treaty of Tientsin, 1858; visited America, 1861-52, and subsequently designed and erected at his personal expense the LT.S. legation buildings at Peking. He made his final return to America. 1^76, and in the following year was called to fill the especially created chair of Chinese language and literature at Y^'ale, which he con-
