First Report of Record Commissioners Relative to the Early Town Records e-bog

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. A copy of this document is annexed, marked Ap pendix B. It is to be regretted that certain of the books and papers contained in these lists or schedules are not to be found in the possession of the city, hav ing doubtless been lost, as too little care was exercised in the preservation of Old papers in the early years Of the town. The late John Howland, a man of intense fondness for antiquarian research in Rhode Island history, often lamented the recklessness with which the papers of the early settlers of Rhode Island had been destroyed. From a quantity thrown into the street, which he gathered up and carried to his place of business, he recovered several original letters of Roger Williams, a fact painfully illustrating how lit tle the value Of these ancient papers and documents was regarded in years gone by.