Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-03-29

THE RHODE ISLAND FAMILY OF ERlcssoS.
Several biographical sketches Of Mr.. Ericsson
have been published, by which it appears that
lie Is Scandinavian by birth. The name.
consequently, is not now a common one in
this country, yet we are prOnd 10 say it figures
prominently yet i'll Rhode Island history, and
among lis earliest colonists. Our readers may
be little astOnIshed al our assertion, yet il ls
true. They may look back at our early colo.
MAJ records to See il The name appears with
those OF Roger Williams, Chad Brown, and
their associates who III tile year 1886 padded
over the Seekonk, aud set up Il government
which they called Providence bur it is not
there. Nor will they find it with those OF VIM.
Coddington John Clarke, and their seventeen
associates, who, TWO years later, did solemn
~, IN the presence OF jehovah INCORPORATE
themselves into bOdie pOiitck on the island
OF Aqridneck." Equally at loss will the Gu
rous reader he il he looks tDt the name among
the passengers Or crew Ul V,rdzzanu's vessel,
which, in the year 1924. ent, red what now
bears the name OF Ma raganselt Bay, and trat.
licked Tor two weeks with the natives. Going
further back among the annals Of Cynri.
or ancient Welsh, which make record of
an expedition under Madoc ap Owen Gwyn
meth, IN the tenth century To land far Oft
III lie western ocean, where they assert that
colony was granted, we l)Ok in VAN Tor the
name OF Ericsson. This, however. il not
surprising, as our hero was a scandinavian,
aud hladDc was Welshman and their resp,c.
1--WE countries were engaged in war at the De.
rlod mentioned. Besides this Rhode Island
never pretended that the Cymri ever set uu n
governments here, or even 50 much as trade d
with our ancient Narragansett peopIe. We
must look farther back into an,ioatv than
ttilS, and b|gA at the time when Euruueaus
hrst discovered the beauties of our bay and es.
tablshed colony Oh its shores, period long
anterior to the time OF Roger Williams, or the
"Old Stone Mill" or OF Verazz4no. Here we
have some hope, for Ericsson is a Scandinavian
name, and the ancient Mortimer or Scaud,na.
vans were the earliest coloDlstS of Rhode Isl
ana Ill the tenth century let us, therefore,
scan The ancient lcelanuic Sasas aud see what
clue we can find there 10 the probable origin
ot the inventor OF the "AIontor"
These venerable and reliable annals of early
events IN Scandinavian history tell US that
Eric. or "Erick the Red" lett his home i'm
Norway ana went to Iceland, where he mar
rled ana hal four children. The oldest of
these was named Lief, VINO was called Lief
Ericsson, or Erickson, which means the son
OF Eric. The voyages TO Greenland awakened
such an interest in Iceland that Liei Ericsson
fitted out an expedition for voyage of dis
covery 10 the southwest; when he coasted
along Labrador. Newfoundland and the shores
near Cape Col, until he reached Narrauansett
Bay, which he entered, and upon the shores
OF which lie landed. Here he built houses and
explored the country, which he called Vim
land. 1t is unnecessary to enter into further
particulars OF the history OF this early Erics-
son, the first European colonist in Rhode Isl
and.
IL appears that our hero married before
leaving Iceland and il il known thnf ,vo,,,