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- http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~legends/wightman.html
(5) John Wightman, born 16 April 1674 in North Kingstown, Washington Co., Rhode Island, died about April 1750 in Exeter, Washington Co., Rhode Island. He married Jane Bentley, born in 1683 in Kingston, Rhode Island. Jane was the daughter ofilliam Bentley, a currier, who had come from England on the ship Arabella, sailing from Gravesend on 27 May 1671. William died in 1720. Her mother's family name may have been Leithfield.
John Wightman, yeoman, lived on the so-called Great Plaine in the northern part of Kingstowne. His homestead, a tract of about three hundred acres, was inherited from his father under the latter's will, proved 2 February 1722, but he hady lived there since his marriage in 1700. Following the division of the town in 1722 into North and South Kingstown, this three hundred acre tract fell within the limits of the former; and when in 1742/1743 the western part of North Kingstown was set off as Exeter, the farm was crossed by the dividing line, the greater part lying in Exeter, being located about two miles northwest of the present [1939] station of Slocums. He acquired other parcels of land by purchase, and established his two oldest sons, John, Jr. and James on farms, the latter being taken off from the homestead.
The records show him serving office on the Town Council; he was Overseer of the Poor; and was Town Treasurer in North Kingstown from 1729 until the division of the town in 1743. In 1724 he was administrator of the estate of his brother, ightman, and was guardian of the latter's heir, a minor, as late as 1727. He also served for a time as guardian of the widow Sarah Wightman. "Guardian" in this context means someone charged with looking after the property rights of a minor, widow, etc., not a substitute parent as we might interpret the word today.
John Wightman was a Baptist, his name and that of Jane, his first wife, appearing in the membership of the rural Six-Principle Baptist Church, called Stony Lane Church, situated about five miles to the northeast in North Kingstown. He liee his second son, James, installed as pastor of this church about 1740, some ten years before John's death. He was one of the signers of a Petition from the Association of Baptist Churches meeting with this North Kingstown Church, 8 September 1729, praying the General Court in Connecticut for exemption from unjust taxation for the Baptist Churches there.
The 300-acre homestead passed to the oldest son, John, the farm of 112 acres taken off in 1732 and deeded to the second son, James, having been deeded back to the estate when the latter removed to East Greenwich. John sold this homesteo parts: the 112-acre tract to Samuel A. Boone, and 1688 acres to Ezekiel Gardner.
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