Friends of Anne Hutchinson Honor Town Founder

In a small gathering, members of the Friends of Anne Hutchinson met at Sunday afternoon to celebrate the 15th annual Anne Hutchinson Day.

The group consists of actual descendants of the famous settler, minister, herbalist and trailblazer.

One of those on hand was Michael Ford, an eleventh-generation descendant of Hutchinson.

Ford owns Apollo Herbs in Wyoming, RI, and says he carries her spirit. “I probably think being an herbalist is in my blood,” said Ford.

Ford spoke about Hutchinson, her followers, what effect they had on him, and what they gave to the nation.

“I feel their sprit of freedom and courageousness in my heart,” said Ford.

“My patriotism, personally, comes from my wanting to honor them for all the sacrifices that they made so we can have the freedoms, the Bill of Rights, the civil rights, and civil liberties that we enjoy today because they suffered for us to get that.

“They were noble people, who deserve to be honored. They were ahead of their time."

According to the Friends of Anne Hutchinson, she was born in 1591 in England to Minister Francis and Bridget Marbury.

She married wealthy merchant William Hutchinson in 1612 and came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634.

Before leaving England, she studied scripture and the sermons of Protestant minister and Puritan leader John Cotton. 

In Boston, she started her own bible study group, where as many as 80 members joined.

Some of the topics that were discussed in these meetings were fair business practices and religious tolerance. She became increasingly popular with her views of society. 

This threatened the status quo and power of the men in charge, particularly Governor John Winthrop, according to the group. Winthrop had her tried.

According the Friends, there was a two-day trial, where she defended herself, “skillfully matching biblical references and wits against Winthrop.

“I think she was much smarter than Winthrop and the men who tried her. That was a direct threat to them,” said one of the founding members of the Friends, Valerie Debcule.

In the end, she was banished from the colony and excommunicated from the church.

She and her followers made their way to Rhode Island and finally to Portsmouth with the assistance of Roger Williams in 1637.
                                                                                                                                                                                             “This is where true religious freedom and tolerance began. She and Roger Williams had a lot to do with Rhode Island’s development and reputation of a safe harbor for civil and religious liberties,” said Debcule.

“When you think about the outcast that settled in Rhode Island like the Quakers and the Jews, they were religious mavericks. They were left alone to practice their own religions. She had a lot to do with that,” Debcule went on to say.

Later in 1642, Hutchinson and 16 of her followers moved to what is now the Bronx and Lower Westchester, NY. 

She and her group perished in a Native American attack in 1643. Only here daughter, Susanna, survived, as she was out picking berries.

Susanna was captured and became the wife of Wampage, a Native American chief.

They had a baby together before she was ransomed and went back to England.

According to Gail Gardiner, a member of Friends of Anne Hutchinson, this baby was the ancestor of the late U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell.

Gardiner is also an eleventh-generation descendent of Hutchinson.

As of today, Hutchinson has been honored at the Massachuetts State House with two statues of her.

New York has places and highways named after her.

In Rhode Island, Roger Williams is well honored but Hutchinson is not, according to the group.

“For some reason Rhode Island has never officially commemorated Hutchinson,’” stated Debcule.  

She wonders why there seems to be an absence of any tribute to this important woman in Rhode Island history.

“They have certainly missed the boat," she said. "We couldn’t even get the new bridge being built here named after her. Maybe they are still afraid of intelligent women who are quick on their feet and nimble of wit.

“We need to remember women’s history and respect it. We also need to teach our daughters and granddaughters the important contributions women like Hutchinson made to the state and the nation."