March 24, 1638. John Clarke (a physician, Baptist minister), with Anne Hutchinson, William Coddington, Philip Sherman, and other religious dissenters settled on Aquidneck Island (thereafter known as Rhode Island), which was purchased from the local tribes. Clarke was the author of the charter, which founded Rhode Island on the principles of religious freedom. Roger Williams who was forced out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, founded Providence Plantation (now known as the city of Providence) as a free proprietary colony seeking religious and political tolerance. ABHS has records of First Baptist, Providence, dating from 1638-1903.
