Located on Lyndon Street in Warren, this gambrel roofed Georgian home contributes to the large collection of pre-Revolutionary homes in the neighborhood. Built around 1751, the home later was occupied by Governor Josias Lyndon (1704-1778) as his refuge. Lyndon grew up in Newport and spend most of his career as the Clerk of the Assembly. After nearly four decades of working as a Clerk, Lyndon was elected as Governor for a one-year term. Most of Lyndon’s year (1767-1768) as governor was spent in correspondence with a representative of the King of England, expressing concerns of the colony over the unjust taxation brought about by the Stamp Act. Lyndon had at least one slave, Cesar Lyndon, who apparently assisted with many business dealings as Governor Lyndon had no children. During his time as a slave, Cesar wrote a diary, which is believed to be the only slave diary that exists to this day. When the British forces invaded the Colonies and occupied Newport, Lyndon fled to Warren, where he resided until his death in 1778 from a smallpox outbreak. The home eventually became the rectory of the nearby St. Mark’s Church.
In 1774, the Rhode Island census shows that Josias Lyndon owned 4 people. When he died in 1778 in Warren there were three enslaved people willed to his wife— Cesar, his wife Sarah and their son Cesar. They were all taken back to Newport by Mrs. Lyndon.
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Thank you for this addition and all that you are doing! I’d love to collaborate and highlight the work you are doing!
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