Welcome Arnold (1745 - aft. 1798)

Born 25 Mar 1745 in Smithfield, Providence, Rhode Island

Ancestors

Husband of Patience (Greene) Arnold — married 11 Feb 1773 in Providence, Rhode Island

Descendants

Died after 29 Sep 1798 after age 53 in Providence, Rhode Island, United States

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Biography

1745 Welcome Arnold was born 25 March, 1745 in Smithfield, Rhode Island to Jonathan Arnold and

1772 In 1772 he was elected a Deputy to the Rhode Island Assembly from Smithfield, at which time he was also appointed a justice of the peace.

1772 On XXX, the HMS Gaspee was burned in Narragansett Bay. As many Rhode Islanders know, this was the first act of civil disobedience against the British Crown, three years before the Boston Tea Party. It is not known, but much suspected, that Welcome Arnold was one of the plotters, along with John Brown and Caleb Greene.

"The Gaspee went aground off Namquid Point; and, as the tide was ebbing, Captain Lindsey know that she could not get under way again until early the next morning. Lindsey hastened to Providence, and there told the story, which brought about the meeting in Sabin Tavern. Welcome Arnold and John Brown were among the leading men of the gathering."^[1]

" In the decade before the Revolutionary War, the British were enforcing revenue laws by stationing maritime law enforcement vessels in Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay. In 1769, Newport citizens burned the British sloop Liberty in protest of violations of their rights. Meanwhile, the particularly aggressive British schooner Gaspee forced every vessel to strike its flag and allow boarding for customs inspections. On June 9, 1772, Captain Benjamin Lindsay of the packet Hannah refused to strike the flag and be boarded. The HMS Gaspee fired upon the Hannah then pursued her towards Providence. Captain Lindsay, with extensive knowledge of the bay sailed close to Namquid Point (since renamed Gaspee Point). The Gaspee, while trying to cut her off, ran aground. The Hannah continued on to the town wharf in Providence. Once the Hannah reached Providence, Captain Lindsay informed John Brown, Welcome Arnold and others of the confrontation. "A drum was beaten through the streets accompanied by a crier, calling on all Sons of Liberty to join in this meeting" at James Sabin's Tavern, South Main and Planet Streets. The angry crowd consisted mostly of the merchants and sea captains harassed by the Gaspee. In the dark of night, eight longboats embarked from Fenner's Wharf across the street, and sailed to the grounded Gaspee. The British were surprised, they did not even have time to get their guns. The colonists fired shots and quickly boarded the schooner. The British were transferred to land and the Gaspee was burnt. "They set her men upon the land. And burnt her up we understand." The colonists returned to Providence before daybreak, and by the next day "nobody knew who did it." This act of defiance outraged the British. King George III issued a reward to persecute the perpetrators and established a commission to investigate. However, no colonist would cooperate; possible witnesses were either supposedly too ill to testify or the weather conditions were too poor to travel to court. Even though up to 60-100 men participated, not one of Providence's 4,300 people could identify them."^[2]

1772 According to map research conducted by Leonard Bucklin, ^[3]Arnold and his eight siblings were living at Main Street in Providence. It is noted that this was a short four streets north of the intersection of Planet Street with South Main Street, the location of the Sabin Tavern at which was planned the Gaspee Raid.

11 February, 1773 Welcome married Patience Greene^[4] in the Warwick house of her uncle, William Greene, the Governor of the colony of Rhode Island. "Welcome, noted as one of five gentlemen in Providence who owned a carriage with horses, was a suitable choice for Patience.

Welcome and Patience would have 14 children, but only four lived to maturity.

1778 In 1778 he was elected representative to the Assembly fromProvidence along with known Gaspee raiders Paul Allenand John Brown, and fellow suspect Theodoere Foster. He was biannually reelected up untilhis death in 1798.

1785 Built home at Planet Street (now 21 Planet Street) in the federal style. This 2.5 story house features an open gable roof with modillion detailing.

"When it was built, it was just up the hill from the Sabin Tavern. It may have been built to house Arnold's large family, servants, or guests." Over 230 years later, the house is still standing, but just barely and its current owner is trying to get approval to demolish it.^[5]

Currently, sadly, there is little left of the historic house.

1788 Invested in a rum distillery - at Providence's Fox Point neighborhood. Suspicion is that Arnold, like fellow Gaspee raider John Brown, dabbled in the triangle trade of rum for slaves for molasses for rum.

1798 Died, age 53, leaving Patience a widow. He and Parience are buried in the Old North Burial Ground in Providence (site of internment for many other Gaspee raiders).

Revolutionary War Service

Welcome Arnold performed Patriotic Service in Rhode Island in the American Revolution.

Welcome Arnold is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A003327.

Arnold, Welcome DAR Ancestor A003327 Served with Patriotic Service, Rhode Island as a member of the General Assembly. Birth: 2-25-1745 Smithfield, Providence, Rhode Island. Death: 9-30-1798 Providence, Rhode Island. Spouse: 1) Patience Greene.^[6]

Research

Welcome appears as head of household in Providence in the 1774 census of Rhode Island^[7]. His household distribution and inferred attributions are

• two white males over 16: Welcome and unknown
• two white males under 16: unknown
• one white female over 16: Patience
• one white female under 16: daughter Mary

Patriot: One of the "Sons of Liberty" involved in the notorius Gaspee Affair Parents: . Jonathan Esq. Arnold (1709 - 1796) . Abigail Smith (1714 - 1801)

Marriage: . Patience Greene, 11 Feb 1773

Buried

North Burial Ground Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island, USA Plot AD-1752 Memorial ID 19109657

• Fact: Military Service (May 1771) Rhode Island, United States
• Fact: Military Service (May 1772) United States
• Fact: Burial (1798) Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
• Fact: Other
• Fact: Occupation patriot
• Fact: Residence Smithfield

Sources

1. ↑ *Old Providence: A Collection of Facts and Traditions relating to Various Buildings and Sites of Interest in Providence. Merchants National Bank of Providence: Providence, 1918, Page 12
2. ↑ *As noted on www.gaspee.org, the hostorical marker erected nearby the original location of Fenner's Wharf, along Water Street in Providence has this inscription.
3. ↑ *http://gaspee.org/Prov1770TaxList.htm
4. ↑ "Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F829-7RD : 22 January 2020), Welcome Arnold, 1773.
5. ↑ *http://guide.ppsri.org/property/welcome-arnold-house
6. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 6 June 2018), "Record of Arnold, Welcome", Ancestor # A003327.Meehan-411
7. ↑ 1774 Census

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 17 July 2022, 00:10), entry for Welcome Arnold (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:K63X-LS5 ); contributed by various users.

• Arnold, James N. Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850 (Narragansett Historical Pub. Co., Providence, R.I., 1891) Vol. 2 Providence County, Page 83

• Clarke, Louise Brownell. The Greenes of Rhode Island (Knickerbocker Press, New York, 1903) Page 289

• 1774 Rhode Island Census, Providence, Page 1, Entry 35 -- Welcome Arnold; citing transcription by Cherry Fletcher Bamberg in Rhode Island Roots 31 p.70, June 2005.

• http://gaspee.org/Prov1770TaxList.htm

• Old Providence: A Collection of Facts and Traditions relating to Various Buildings and Sites of Interest in Providence. Merchants National Bank of Providence: Providence, 1918.

• As noted on www.gaspee.org, the hostorical marker erected nearby the original location of Fenner's Wharf, along Water Street in Providence has this inscription.

• http://guide.ppsri.org/property/welcome-arnold-house

To check out:

http://guide.ppsri.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/Welcome-Arnold-House-for-PPS-copy-S.-Gleason.pdf

• *https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19109657/welcome-arnold