Atherton Trading Company facts for kids

The Atherton Trading Company was a group of business people formed in 1659. It was led by Humphrey Atherton and John Winthrop, who was the Governor of Connecticut. This company was made up of merchants and investors. They bought and sold land, especially in the Narragansett area of Rhode Island.

Who Started the Company?

The Atherton Trading Company began in 1659. Its main leaders were Humphrey Atherton and John Winthrop the Younger. John Winthrop was also the Governor of Connecticut at the time.

Key Members and Investors

Many important people joined this company. Some early partners included Simon Bradstreet and Daniel Denison. Other investors were Elisha Hutchinson and Richard Smith. Boston traders like John Tinker, Amos Richardson, and William Hudson were also involved. By 1661, more investors from Plymouth joined. These included Josiah Winslow, John Brown, and Thomas Willet.

How the Company Acquired Land

The company's main goal was to buy and sell large areas of land. They were especially interested in the Narragansett region of Rhode Island. This land was already home to Native American people.

The Atherton Purchase

The company gained a large area of land near Kingston. This included about 5,000 acres on Boston Neck, close to Wickford. The Commissioners of the New England Confederation supported the Atherton Company. They worked with the company to get land from the Niantic tribe. This happened after the Niantic were fined for a tribal issue. When the Niantic could not pay the fine, the company took ownership of their land. This event became known as the Atherton Purchase.

Land Disputes with Rhode Island

In 1660, the New England Confederation helped the Atherton Company. They gave the company the right to land that belonged to a Native American leader named Pessicus. The company then took over this land. However, this land was inside the Colony of Rhode Island. Rhode Island believed this land transfer was against the law. They stopped the company from selling the land for several years.

Later Years and Land Sales

The company continued to deal with land claims for many years. The disputes over land ownership were complicated.

Changes in Ownership

One of the original partners, Thomas Willett, later became the first Mayor of New York City. The arguments over land claims were finally settled in 1679. This was after Humphrey Atherton had passed away. His son, Jonathan Atherton, tried to keep the land claims going. He sold his shares in 1676 to John Saffin and Thomas Dean.

Frenchtown Colony

The company later changed its name to "Proprietors of the Narragansett Country." They sold about 5,000 acres (20 km²) of land to Huguenot immigrants. These immigrants were from France and started a settlement called Frenchtown. However, in 1688, a special group called a Royal Commission decided that the Atherton Company's claim to the land was illegal. The Huguenots lost their land. Even after this, the land dispute continued until at least 1708.

Other Land Deals in the Area

The Atherton Trading Company was not the only group buying land in this region. Other merchants also made similar deals.

The Pettaquamscutt Purchase

John Hull and other Boston merchants bought land in 1657. This land was south of Wickford and was called the Pettaquamscutt Purchase. This area later became South Kingstown. This land deal happened before the Atherton Trading Company was formed. Other partners in this purchase included Benedict Arnold and John Porter. Like the Atherton claim, this purchase was also declared illegal by the Royal Commission in 1688. Some documents show that the land claims of the Atherton Company and the Pettaquamscutt Purchase might have overlapped.