Allen line: Daniel Eldridge 1659-1726

Daniel Eldridge fascinates me.  He is one of the few Allen ancestors we have in Rhode Island, for one thing.  For another thing, he seems to have belonged to at least two different denominations, or churches.  Whether that was because of geography, or because he had a religious conversion, I don't know.  But he at one time was part of the First Congregational Church of Stonington, Ct, and a few days before his death became part of St Paul's Episcopal Church in Narragansett, Rhode Island.  There is speculation that his parents were Baptists, so that makes the whole church situation even more intriguing.

Daniel was the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Miller Eldred or Eldridge, one of at least 7 children.  He appears to be perhaps the next to the last child, and as such, he didn't live in the many locations that his oldest siblings did.  Daniel was born in Kingston, Rhode Island in 1659 and died there or at Narragansett, RI on August 18, 1726.  Kingston and Narragansett are only about 9 miles apart now, but the town limits may have been smaller then and it could have been a longer journey between the two towns.  Or perhaps he actually lived on a border between the two communities.  He also lived for several years in Stonington, Ct, which was about 30 miles from Narragansett.  These were all towns on the coast line, so it leads one to wonder whether he was somehow involved in shipbuilding or in some sort of maritime trade.  I haven't been able to determine his occupation, although we know his father was a cordwainer.  As a younger son, he likely didn't follow in his father's footsteps.  

Daniel married Mary, usually identified as Mary Phillips, about 1687 probably in Kingston.  The couple had ten known children.  Daniel witnessed several deeds in Rhode Island, but by 1706 the family was in Stonington, where Mary owned the covenant in 1707 and several children were baptized at the Congregational Church in Stonington.  (Congregational indicates a Puritan heritage, with congregations choosing their own pastors, who were usually from New England).   A Daniel Eldridge owned the covenant there in 1716, but that may have been son Daniel. 

In town records of his death, he is referred to as "Captain Daniel".  I haven't been able to determine when he received this military title.  His father participated in King Philip's War and it seems likely that Daniel would have done the same, as he was above the age of 16 when the war broke out.  It's unlikely that he was a captain at this time.  It's also possible that he was involved in one or more of the wars that came later, such as Queen Anne's war or King William's war.   At any rate, Daniel as a teenager would have been greatly affected by King Philip's war as the family lost everything to an assault by the natives.  This may help explain why Daniel was 28 years old when he married. 

Daniel was a freeman in Kingstown in 1696.  He was referred to as captain when he purchased land in Narrangansett, Rhode Island in 1709, but apparently the family lived in Stonington longer, because he was a deputy from Stonington to the General Court at Hartford in 1709 and 1715.  He also served as justice of the piece for several years.  We see him back in Kingstown in 1719, where he was a member of the militia until sometime in 1725.  

I'm not sure when the couple went to Narragansett, but Daniel was "clinically baptized" by the pastor of St Paul's church there, and this was an Anglican church.  "Clinically baptized" was a new term to me, but it seems to mean that he was baptized on his sick bed or in this case on his death bed, as he died just three days later.  I've not found documentation for the death of Mary, but she is said to have lived until 1750.

I've also not found a will or estate papers for Daniel.  They would be most helpful in perhaps determining what economic status he may have had, and what his occupation was.  However, I'm more interested in this man's spiritual journey.  How and why did he go from being raised as a Baptist, to becoming a congregationalist, to a final baptism in the Anglican church?  Did he read books, was he persuaded by others, or was it simply a matter of geographic convenience, that he worshiped with the community where he resided?

The line of descent is:

Daniel Eldridge-Mary possibly Phillips

Daniel Eldridge-Abigail Fish

Sarah Eldridge-Thomas Chester

Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens

Betsy Havens-John Starr

John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley

Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott

Edith Knoth-Edward Allen

Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook

Their descendants