India Point in Lotteryville

"Four Papers" of the Westerly Historical Society found at Ancestry.com
link below

India Point in Lotteryville

For several weeks, I have been researching Capt. Lyman Hall and his son Palmer and you would not believe how much I have found considering that both men's names went searched for, yield results about "places" named Hall. Capt. Lyman Hall's pension record contains more genealogical information than I was expecting. (Fold3)

So, I turned to Frederic Denison's Westerly & Its Witnesses and learned that it was a land lottery and not a "gambling" lottery. Rev. Denison, being a Baptist clergyman, made that very clear in the text by stating, "Thus the place derived its singular and unfortunate name, --the evil of lotteries not then being comprehended as at present." [p. 186]

Col. (Capt.) Joseph Pendleton lost his brigantine vessel, with a heavy cargo of rum and molasses (in about 1749-1750) and since he had no insurance, couldn't pay his debts, The RI General Assembly made up a grant to sell off, in 126 house lots, his land reserving a small farm for himself. The money earned from the sale of the land, allowed him to pay up his creditors and to buy him a new vessel.

In the northeast point of land, Capt. Lyman Hall, a Revolutionary War veteran, made his home (abt 1787). According to the family that recently sold it, Capt. Palmer Hall, son of Capt. Lyman Hall called it "India Point" because directly beneath his feet in the house was straight down to India. (I love family history tales.)

Capt. Lyman Hall, was a tall and strong man and sailed to the East Indies as a young man, and he asked the captain of the vessel for better conditions for the crew. He lifted a cannon from the vessel and moved it and told the captain that if three men could not move it back he would "withdraw" his appeal. They couldn't do it, so more food and better conditions were won. (Old Time Lotteryville chapter, p. 7-9 in the "Four Papers" manuscript linked below.)

Nine of the house lots were built upon by captains of whaling ships and one was Capt. Lyman Hall. The house was torn down by his son, Capt. Palmer Hall and rebuilt about 1837. (The Bowler genealogy gives us this photo.) I love the turrent tower which is no longer there.

I immediately went looking, via Google Maps for this point of land (10 India Point, Westerly, RI) was was rewarded with a recently sold presentation by a real estate agent in the Westerly area. She put me in touch with the man who sold it and he is going to tell me more when he and his wife are settled in a new home.) It still amazes me how quickly these events did unfold.
From Lori Joyal, that real estate agent,comes this must-watch video presentation. It is an 8 bedroom, 4 and 1.2 bathroom house presented by Lila Delman Real Estate, 52 Bay St. Westerly, RI. Thank you for sharing it with me and for allowing me to use it in my blog.

copyright Lila Delman Real Estate

I want you to remember that for a period of time, my great grandfather was a servant in this amazing house!

Ancestry.com. Four papers delivered before the Westerly Historical Society of Westerly, Rhode Island : during the years 1915, 1916, and a lis [database on-line]. Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.
Original data: Four papers delivered before the Westerly Historical Society of Westerly, Rhode Island : during the years 1915, 1916, and a list of the members.. Westerly, R.I.: Utter Co., printers, 1916.