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PREFACE.

THIS Volume, prepared as time and opportunity offered, is a transcript of the records of Trinity Church, Newport, Rhode Island, from its infancy at the close of the Seventeenth Century, down to Easter Monday, 1821, and covers the most interesting periods in its history. With the text, which is given with fidelity, there are copious explanatory notes and short sketches of the men who, in their day and generation, were in some way connected with the Church.

In the earliest book of records there are gaps, the result of inexperience on the part of those who kept them, and which now cannot be filled. A more serious loss was that of a volume, covering the years just preceding the Revolution and the time the British troops were on the island. When the war broke out the minister was the Reverend George Bisset-a good and faithful pastor, who had evidently entered upon his duties as his life-work. In common with other clergymen of the Church of England in America, at that date, he held that allegiance was due to the king, and remained on the island when the enemy took possession, preaching to the troops as he had preached to his own people. When the British left he went with them. It is probable that not knowing with whom to leave the record book he took it with him for safe keeping, and in this way it was lost. The other records have been preserved. While they are of great value, particularly to those who have occasion to search for confirmation of marriages, baptisms and deaths, there does not appear. to be anything in them to warrant the printing of minutes of a later date than are here given.

The edition is limited to three hundred and fifty copies.

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