Remembering Pamela Sweet Kenyon Cardin - Descendant of the Richardson-Arnold families

Pamela Sweet Kenyon
Class of '69

I have been meaning to write a post about my friend Pam for some time now. Honestly, it's been very difficult for me to find the words to share with the world just what a wonderful and true friend she was to me. I hope that by reading this post about my dear friend, that you will get to see just what a kind and caring person she was, and how much her family history meant to her.

First off, I didn't meet Pam until after I had done my research into the Conjuring House, debunking the false lore surrounding Bathsheba Sherman. In fact, I recall when I first met Norma Sutcliffe over 10 years ago, after she had provided me with information regarding the house, a few of the notes from Norma was email correspondence between herself and Pam.

Of course at that time I didn't want to just write her out of the blue and ask her questions, when I was literally a stranger. So, one day when I happened to be commenting on a Facebook post about the false history surrounding the Conjuring House, I noticed Pam had commented, too. I immediately took the opportunity to introduce myself and share with her my interest in sharing the truth about the house, which happened to be her ancestral home. We immediately hit it off, and became good friends shortly thereafter.

It was amazing to keep in touch with her for the few years that I knew her, getting to hear first hand about her memories at her grandparent's home, her research of her family genealogy and other stories surrounding the property and Burrillville itself, not to mention her family's opinion of the Perron family. With Pam's blessing, I started this blog "Deconstructing The Conjuring," to share the history to the best of my ability surrounding the genealogy of the families that lived on the farm, the history of the house itself, the stories of different owners who have lived there over the years, and everything else associated with the property, such as the false story behind Bathsheba Sherman.  My hope with this blog, which is a work-in-progress, was to share factual research surrounding this subject with the help of Pam, of course.

Over the time that we communicated, it was obvious she suffered from multiple health problems as she shared that she had developed Type 1 Diabetes in her early 50s, survived a diabetic coma, and was also breast cancer survivor, too. It was clear that Pam was a survivor, not a quitter; So, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine she would be taken from this earth so quickly. I have been very broken up about the loss of my friend for some time now, and that is one reason why I hadn't posted about her until today. 

Pamela Sweet Kenyon was born on July 8, 1951 in Harrisville, Rhode Island, to parents Earl Kenyon, Jr., and Marjorie Sweet Kenyon. Her grandparents, Sarah Butterworth and Earl Kenyon, Sr., owned and lived in the house on Round Top Road, where Pam's father also grew up. As a child Pam used to stay over at her grandparent's home and she loved visiting the farmhouse, and learning about her family history from her grandmother. 

Interestingly, Pam's ancestry on both sides were pioneer families local to the area. Not only did she descend from the Butterworth/Arnold/Richardson families who owned the farm the longest, but her mother's side of the family, the Sweet's, were also very well known throughout Burrillville/Harrisville area historically. Pamela attended school in town and was a graduate of Burrilville High School, class of '69. 

Pam is sitting on the 2nd row, 2nd seat (middle of photo) 

She also attended college and became an English teacher, and later on an Special Education teacher and she also along with her cousin, Joyce Remington McKenna studied to be a certified genealogist. She married Rick Cardin, and had daughter, Rhiannon (b. 1982) and son, Brian (b. 1984).  Pam loved her children so very much, and she often told me how difficult life was for her after losing her son, who passed away suddenly after an illness.

Besides the love she had for her family, Pam absolutely loved animals. If you knew her on social media, you would see she would often post about dogs and cats and her love for them, especially horses! She was big on horse riding when she was younger, and even rode in horse shows. She shared a photo of herself when she was child stating: 

"My two steadfast best buddies for most of my childhood -- Dusty, the pony with the iron mouth  and Rover, my father's collie who was my protector throughout most of my childhood. One vet thought Dusty was about 40 when he died. He was blind in one eye but that didn't stop him at all."--

It was clear by Pam's interest, she had a kind soul, but she also had an undying passion for history of her hometown.  As one of the founding members of the Burrillville Historical Society, Pam named their newsletter "The Historian," when she was the editor between 1982-1998. She also acted as secretary to the historical society for a time as well. 

Per Betty at the Historical Society, and their March 2024, "The Historian" newsletter, "Pam was always generous; she donated part of the former Sweet's Hill property to the Society to sell in order to raise (much-needed) funds. It was sold for about $9,000 to DEM and is now part of Black Hut Management Area. Early in 2008, Pam sold her house on Sweet's Hill and moved to Florida. Before she left, she let the Society scan her entire collection of Sweet's Hill photos and donated artifacts from the farm and several large framed photos. She also donated a whole room full of books which started out tradition of having book sales."--

In one of our email exchanges to one another Pam mentioned to me that although she was living in the south, the south was just not for her. She missed her home, and the only place she really considered home was Rhode Island. She often commented on her memories of living up there and wished she was back there, back to that time period, back to that place. It was obvious that the best memories of her life were in Burrillville, and her heart ached because of it. 

I never found out what exactly happened, as I knew she had taken a bad fall in November of 2023, and after that she stopped posting on social media and I never heard from her, and she never responded to any of my emails or letters. Eventually, I got the news no one ever wants to hear, that she had passed away in December of 2023.  

I wanted to honor her on this blog, since she was the inspiration for me to create it in the first place. I had already debunked the nonsense surrounding Bathsheba Sherman's false history that the Warrens and Perron family have perpetuated in the film, "The Conjuring," and the books "House of Darkness, House of Light," but with Pam, we were going to delve even deeper into the history of the home, the history of the families who lived there and expose the truth for the world to see -- that his house is just an old farm house that several families considered "Home Sweet Home," just the way Pam saw it.

Rest In Peace My Friend. --

Courtesy: Burrillville Historical Society

(Copyright 2025- J'aime Rubio www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Animosity Continues to Brew Between Former Owners of the Conjuring House

 

So, a little over a month ago, I was watching my friend the "Side Eye Guy's" video on "The Boys at the Conjuring House." I just so happened to make a comment on the video when lo and behold, former Conjuring House owner, Corey Heinzen jumps on to argue with me. It seems that every time I am mentioned on Youtube regarding the history of the Richardson-Arnold house (aka the Conjuring House) or even when I just comment on a video relating to the subject, Corey shows up out of nowhere with something to say. Because I have been dealing with some health issues this year, I haven't been online as much as I have been in the past, especially within the last month, so I didn't really have a chance to reply in detail. So, it’s a little late today, but better late than never.

Today, I will be addressing his original comments as well as touching on the animosity that continues to brew between former owner Norma Sutcliffe and Corey Heinzen, which is all based on alleged dishonesty and unethical behavior on the part of Heinzen at the time of purchasing the property from Sutcliffe.

Although a lot of people out there think the Heinzen's are nice people, my personal experiences with them from the very beginning have been anything but nice. In fact, after finding out about them purchasing the property back in 2019, I reached out to them via snail mail with a letter sincerely asking them to preserve the factual history of the home and not to jump on the bandwagon with all of the paranormal groups perpetuating the false lore that has been spread for many years. I also provided them with a copy of some of my thorough research debunking Bathsheba Sherman's false attachment to the home's history, as well as debunking several false claims about deaths at the home claimed in Andrea Perron's books, so they couldn't say they weren't aware of the facts.  I was immediately met with a threatening message from their friend, Bill Brock on Facebook on July 27, 2019, which showed that someone had taken a sharpie and wrote the expletive “Fuck Off!” on my letter that I had sent to the Heinzen's.

I actually spoke to someone who was there at the house when this event took place and this person told me that he saw when Bill Brock took my letter and sent this and that Corey Heinzen was okay with it, despite Corey's email to me on August 1, 2019  claiming he had no idea that Bill had done that. 

But going back to the video on SEG's channel last month, this blog will be to set some information straight so that the public will actually have a chance to know Norma's side of the story, not just a one-sided story by the Heinzen's.

In Corey’s comment to me he states: “So why was Norma on Ghost Hunters, Season 2, Episode 2? Or better yet, why does she talk about it with Andrea Perron on countless videos?”  Then he goes on to ask: “Strange, it didn’t stop her from having other teams in to investigate? Or having her “tea time with the spirits”? Or talking to her former staff at the daycare about the ghosts? Would you like for me to continue? I honestly don’t think you were given the complete story by her.”

Originally my first response to Corey on the Youtube thread was this: 

"First and foremost G.H. Season 2 was filmed between 2005 and 2006. When Norma bought the house she was told a previous family claimed that the house was haunted. She found it interesting even though she was more skeptical than a believer. The Perron's, upon meeting Norma made vague claims about the house in the beginning. It wasn't until years later that Andrea started showing up at the house wanting to share stories with Norma. (Some of which were recorded). At that point Norma didn't know a lot about the history of the house and so Andrea made claims and Norma politely listened. One of Norma's friends talked her into doing the G.H. episode hoping to debunk the rumors. She regretted it later. After Norma started researching the facts about the house she saw that all the so-called " history" Andrea had tried to spread wasn't based on documented facts and Norma even tried to confront Andrea at a local Paracon. That was when Andrea got upset, screamed at her and ran off stage because someone had called her out on her over embellishments. So there you go....."--- --- 

Going back to all the questions coming from Corey on the Youtube video's comment thread, I decided to go straight to the source and reach out to Norma myself for her answers to provide to the public. But first, my question to Corey is how do you live with yourself knowing you tricked an elderly lady, a widow nonetheless, into selling her property to you under the guise you were going to use the property for people and/or children with disabilities and animal therapy? When Norma was told that the house would be in no way used for anything paranormal, and yet the ink hadn’t even dried on the property sales documents, and you were already planning paranormal business on the property.

NORMA’S ANSWERS: 

"Hi. To answer the questions, the only reason I did the Ghost Hunters show was out of sheer curiosity to see what they would claim, long before the movie or the return of Andrea to the farm.  Also, the only other group I had allowed in the home to investigate was Keith Johnson because they called me.  Seeing that he was the original investigator, both groups came because I was very interested in what they would claim, none of which used critical thinking, as Kent Spottswood and I did. 

Why would I speak about facts if I wanted to believe or to make claims about having ghosts? They just used Perron's claims, and Johnson made the same claims in his book without an investigation into the facts.  I never said I believed in the paranormal. Even during the filming of the show.  At the end I said it was “interesting” and would have this to show in the future.  If I wanted that attention I would have done my own ghost tours.  People will believe what they want….. no matter what evidence is given.  The hard evidence against Perron’s claims is at the library and town hall and all the lies about who died at the farm.   I confronted her (Andrea Perron) at the paranormal event in Harrisville in front of her followers and I was booed and told to leave."--

Regarding Operating a Daycare and “Tea Parties”:

"I operated the first group home day care in the state.  I was part of the development of home day care rules and began the home day care association in Rhode Island.  I never told the staff of my daycare that I believed in ghosts. I told them about the Perron claims.  We joked at times about ghosts but only jokingly.  Also, I never spoke of the claims at my tea parties.  I was given a lot of publicity for my “teas.”  In national magazines, local magazines, the news and on local radio and I never mentioned any ghost claims.   Also, my daycare was in Rhode Island Monthly and on the TV news as a great example of childcare in Rhode Island. 

I spoke of visits from the Perron family and Warren’s visit.  May I remind everyone that the Warrens said the Perron family were the most dysfunctional family they had ever met.  The Warren’s told the children their mother was possessed and never to play with Ouija board.  Never had any issues. I was well respected. Licensed in 1975.  Retired. 2012, at age 62. My daycare was unusual because I had sheep, horses, a dog and cats.  Long walks in woods on trails, swimming in the brook, sledding on the hill, etc.   I also did cooking workshops and was featured in many magazines for that.   I was well known in town, and I never received a complaint by any parent."---

Regarding the alleged drawings of the "Crooked-Neck Lady" that was revealed after the Heinzen's purchased the home: 

"There were never drawings in the house like that.  No children ever went to the basement. I saw a photo of  the drawing; they claimed it looked like it was inside door of white cabinet in cellar." --  According to Norma, this drawing was placed after the home was sold, and did not exist prior to her selling the house.     

Regarding the sale of the house and the many items Norma left in the house (antiques):

"Corey lied about his intentions and the neighbors and town were infuriated about it.  They knew me and my husband, how we fully restored the house and farm buildings.  Another lie claimed by Cory that he had to restore the house.

Corey and Roxanne claimed their intention was to open a farm for special needs children with animals. Roxanne was to raise funds having afternoon tea.  Right after closing, Corey forced Roxanne out.  I confronted Corey of their intentions of purchasing the house if it were due to the movie, he just said nothing but moved his head "No."  

Well, Corey lied to me about his intentions. I confronted him about exploiting the farm, he never admitted to his plan.  If he had, I would not have sold it to him.

Roxanne was the main person I spoke to throughout the days before closing.  She was the partner who told me the intentions they had planned.  She did the walk through.  I only saw Corey twice, at the initial meeting and one more time without Jennifer.   We never discussed why I was leaving.  Only asked Roxanne what she would like if I left items.  She was the one who showed the most interest in the books the other items.  During the walkthrough I had to schedule another clean out but Roxanne said don’t bother.  She would do it.  So, I told her what items I was going to leave.  

I had a dealer come who I had hoped would take all antiques I left but did not want large items.  So, I told Roxanne that I would leave big pieces since they belonged in the house. And she had shown great interest in books and large tables; I never discussed anything with Corey.  Except I said to him directly that I assume you do not have plans to exploit this home because of movie. He said nothing.  I went on to say because not only would I be angry, but the neighbors would retaliate.     

Never talked to either Jennifer or Corey about items in the house. That is why I signed a document describing items I left for Roxanne.   She was at the closing sitting right next to Cory.  Next day Corey told her she was out.   She had a key I gave her.  She went back to the house and took whatever she could handle and got a lawyer.   She has emails I believe discussing with Corey the terms of plan once the purchase went through.

This all began with Cory Heinzen’s lies.  Had I known, I would never have sold it to them.  Who would buy the farm now?   I had wished someone would have loved it for its own beauty and peacefulness."---     

What Norma has to say to those continuing to spread false information about the history of the home:

“You are all destroying truth and have no real evidence. So, if you claim the house is so obviously haunted, then get the real scientists and skeptics in to do the research.   But you don’t dare!"--   

In ending, as you can see from Norma's side of things, she has reasonable explanations for her side of the story. There are always two sides to a story, and Norma really hasn't been at the forefront lately stating her side of the story to the public, so unfortunately it's the attention whores who want to remain relevant in the paranormal field that keep spouting out their nonsense without actually stating the truth. Please use critical thinking and common sense to sift between the bullshit and the truth, and come to your own educated and informed opinion.

---- 

(copyright 2025 -- J'aime Rubio -- www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Experienced Archaeologist Sets The Facts Straight About Alleged Burials At The Conjuring House

 

In the last few years, since Norma Sutcliffe sold the Richardson-Arnold House (and surrounding property) in 2019, there have been some insinuations by both the Heinzens and the new owner, Jacqueline Nunez making claims about human burials of people on the property. 

Thanks to the amazing work of Historian, Elise Giammarco Carlson, who has discovered a vintage 1939 aerial view of the farm (you can view the original maps on this site), she has confirmed with photographic evidence that some areas that have more recently been alleged to be the site of burials were actually sites of previous foundations for out buildings that were used for the farm. 

You have to remember, this was a farm, it had animals and it had other buildings, sheds, barns, etc., to house those animals at different times. So, besides Elise's amazing discovery, we also have first hand knowledge by someone whose family owned the property for over 200 years, Pam Kenyon-Cardin. 

According to my interviews with Pam back in 2023,  "The Arnold’s are buried (most of them) in the Arnold cemetery which is out in the woods at the corner of Sherman Farm Road and Brook Road about 3 to 5 miles from the house. There are Richardson cemeteries all over. Many in Massachusetts. I can pretty much account for all the burials that occurred in Burrillville. Like I said, the Arnold’s were a huge family and all related one way or another. There were a lot of them in nearby Massachusetts.

My great grandmother had cows so it’s probably Bessie. It could also be a dog, a horse, or the rooster my father hated because it would chase him. He wasn’t very old at the time but he never forgot it. When I left my home in R.I. I left the graves of my horses, too. Come to think of it, Uncle Freemont Arnold had a horse. They might be disappointed but they shouldn’t be surprised. It was a farm!"--

Besides consulting with Pam and Elise, I decided to reach out to an archeologist with experience in the field of Ground Penetrating Radar at burial sites, Dr. Robyn Lacy.  I discovered Dr. Lacy while doing my own research on GPR. Dr. According to her website, Dr. Lacy's research is focused primarily on "burial landscapes and community burial organization in the 17th century North America." In fact, she has a PhD in Historical Archaeology and is considered an archaeologist, death scholar and burial ground conservator. 

After reaching out to her and explaining the situation she provided me with the following professional opinion:

"Unless the visibility is really good and you can roughly tell the size of the burials, it is going to be extremely difficult to tell whether anomalies underground are for humans or animals. If it's a human vs a horse, you might have a better chance of comparing them, but something like a pig or goat vs a person's grave would appear relatively similar. If the potential human graves in question are a few hundred years old, they might not even have been buried in coffins, but might have just been shrouded instead....

Basically, there isn't a good way to confirm that they are animal graves or human graves without exhuming them, which would have to be done by an archaeologist under permit in case they are actually human. If family members of the original property owners are telling you that they are animals, and they remember animals being buried in that area, then I would be inclined to believe that, especially with the confirmation of subsurface anomalies identified using GPR....

I wouldn't expect those GPR anomalies to be human burials, especially with the family's oral history of having buried farm animals in that area. If they do want to do excavations and expect human remains, they'd have to have an archaeologist so those burials are probably pretty safe."-- 

So there you have it folks. Besides the spots that have been determined to have previously been structures on the property, the other questionable anomalies discovered are very unlikely to be anything but farm animals who passed away and their owners gave them the respect everyone deserves, a burial to rest in peace. 

In the future, instead of jumping to wild conclusions people should really try to use logic and find the most rational explanation before assuming the worst. This was a family farm for over 200 years. It would be illogical not to believe that animals were buried on the property. Where else would their bones have gone? 

(Copyright 2024- J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Thank you to Dr. Robyn Lacy, Elise Giammarco Carlson, Pamela Kenyon (RIP) and The University of Rhode Island Environmental Data Center.

The Conjuring House's Connection To The Legend of the Burrillville Giant

 

There have been legends of large skeleton's being unearthed all over the country for over a century. From the stories of giants remains found in caves in Lovelock, Nevada, to other stories of gargantuan skeletons found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. 

Even an 1892, edition of the Burrillville Gazette mentioned a giant skeleton, over nine feet tall had been discovered in Palermo, Sicily back in the 16th century, and a Native American skeleton unearthed near Antietam in 1897, which made news headlines at the time, too. These stories intrigue and mystify us all. 

There are even stories that date back to the 1800's in Burrillville about a giant man whose remains were found buried under the house of a local resident. 

According to Horace Keach's book, "Burrillville: As It Was, As It Is," published all the way back in 1856, he mentions this alleged giant and another name caught my attention. 

"A few years ago a discovery was made by one of our citizens which reveals the physical character of those with whom our ancestors had to contend. In 1836, Capt. Samuel White, in excavating beneath his wood house, found the remains of a human skeleton of proportions altogether unlike our moder inhabitants.

He called several neighbors to view it, and among them was Doct. Levi Eddy. The body was lying upon the side, with arms folded, head bent forward, and the knees drawn upward. It was exhumed, the bones were put together, and all parties were surprised at its gigantic height. After surveying it awhile the Doctor exlaimed, "He was a bouncer! he must have been as much as eight feet high!"

The author speculated on whether or not this was bones of some ancient Native American. but as he ends that story, "Tradition is silent, echo has no answer."  

Were they ancient native bones? Or could they have been the bones of earlier, larger inhabitants, possibly even ancient ancestors of the norsemen who were said to have explored North America long before anyone else from the European continent? Without the bones to examine, which seem to have been lost to the annals of time, we may never truly know for certain.

What we do know:

Samuel White was about 55 years old when he uncovered the remains of this mystery giant while digging under his home. Why was he digging? The only information given was that he was "excavating" under his home. Perhaps to work on his cellar?  

His neighbor, Doctor Levi Eddy was 61 years old at the time that he examined the alleged remains. I tend to believe this story, only because Doctor Eddy was a prominent figure in the area at the time. I don't believe he would have put his reputation on the line to push a false story for some publicity or fame.  

The connection this event has with the Richardson-Arnold house is simple. Doctor Levi Eddy was the father of Sally Margery Eddy Arnold, the wife of Stephan Arnold. Stephan would have inherited the farm sometime after his father, John Arnold passed away in 1837.  

Although nobody involved in this "giant" incident was living at the farmhouse, and Doctor Eddy certainly didn't live there at any point in time, it is still a fun fact to share, as it did happen in Burrillville.

Yes, there is a connection between the giant skeleton and the house via the Eddy family. Was that supernatural? No. Was that historical? Yes! 

(Copyright, 2024 -- J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

The Ancestral Genealogy of the Richardson-Arnold House (Part 2)

Painting of the Richardson-Arnold House
(Courtesy:Norma Sutcliffe) 

In my last post, The Ancestral Genealogy of the Richardson-Arnold House (Part 1),  I shared with you the earlier history of the family going all the way back to before the house was even built. We worked our way through the 1700's and 1800's all the way to Edwin Arnold's death in 1903. Now, we will continue on with the family genealogy at Edwin and Adeline's children: Abigail, John and Fremont.

Abby Arnold Butterworth

Abigail Frances Arnold was born in November 27, 1851, to parents Edwin Arnold and Adeline Caswell Arnold. As I stated previously in Part 1, according to marriage records, Abigail married her first husband, Sumner Walling on July 9, 1871. Sadly, according to Pam's family history, Sumner would die in a drowning accident in Douglas, Massachusetts, on May 27, 1874. Interestingly though, his actual death record notes that he died of "heart disease." 

Cause of Death for Sumner Walling

Was there a discrepancy with the records? 

In my research, anything is possible. I once researched a gentleman who had allegedly drowned in a reservoir here in California, but as it turned out, his heart had given out when he had dove into the water, and he died under the water, but did not actually drown. In fact, there was no water in his lungs when they examined the body, thus the doctor had come to the conclusion his heart had stopped first. 

Was that the case for Sumner? I will continue to research this part of the history and if and when I come up with more information, I will certainly add that to this blog.

Abigail and Sumner's infant son, Sumner Jr., was born on December 9, 1874, and only lived 8 days before passing away from a "hemorage." This is listed as happening in Burrillville, and was after the death of her husband, so it is more than likely Abby had moved home to her father's farm and so the birth and death of the child more than likely took place at the farmhouse. 

Sumner Walling, 8 days old

Burrillville, R.I. Sumner, Abby Walling, "Hemorage"

Pam Kenyon Cardin had stated that family records show that the baby died of a "disease," although she wasn't absolutely sure what disease it was. 

The idea that Abigail went through the loss of a child and a husband in the same year would be devastating for anyone. Abigail wasn't just anyone, she was a "tough ol' Yankee," according to her great-granddaughter, Pam. In fact, it was said that Abby worked all day outside on the farm while 9 months pregnant, and then went home to have her baby the same day, and back to work the next day. A tough ol' gal is right!  

Speaking of giving birth, let me just clarify something right now. The attic space upstairs in the farmhouse, was just that, attic space, for storage. It was not a "birthing room," as claimed by tour guides at the house. 

Going back to the story.....

According to marriage records, Abby would eventually marry again at the age of  42 years, on October 25, 1892, to William Butterworth. The two would have one child together, a daughter named Sarah May Butterworth on May 27, 1895.  (a later census record which would also cite her birthday as April 16, 1894).

May 27, 1895  Sarah May Butterworth , Burrillville

On October 15, 1899, when Abby and her daughter were riding around in their horse and carriage, they had an accident on the road. According to the Pascoag Herald & Burrillville News Gazette, dated October 20, 1899, "Mrs. Abbie Butterworth and little daughter May, while out riding last Sunday evening, were thrown from their carriage by the horse being frightened by a bicycle. They were miraculously saved from serious injury."

Thankfully a tragedy was averted in this instance and both Abby and her daughter were okay.

As mentioned in Part 1., Abigail's father Edwin died from exposure in the freezing weather while walking home in October of 1903, and his body wouldn't be found for nearly two months. Abby went through a lot in her lifetime, from losing her husband and her child in 1874, her mother in 1883, and then her father in 1903.

She would live through another terrible tragedy, which we will get to soon enough, the loss of her brother John, to suicide. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain and sadness she must have felt learning of such a horrible tragedy that happened just down the road near Tarkiln.

The 1905 Census shows Abby, William and Sarah living on the farm on "Douglas Road" which is the same road that would later be renamed to "Round Top Road."

1910 Census shows her, William and their daughter still living on the family farm, having been married for 17 years.

Abby's Death Record

In February of 1916, William Butterworth passed away**. It appears that sometime after her daughter eloped with Earl Kenyon in 1917, and left Burrillville, Abby must not have wanted to live at the farmhouse alone.

The 1920 Census shows that she had moved to live with Susan Esten and her brother E.R. Darling on High Street. The record states that she was their housekeeper, though Abby had been close to the Esten family for many years per old newspaper articles. 

It wasn't until about 1924/1925 that Sarah May, her husband Earl, and their young son, Earl Jr., moved back to the farmhouse. It appears that grandma Abby moved back to her home with them. Abby would live on the farm for the remainder of her life, as records indicate, with her passing away from "chronic nephritis" on April 25, 1930, and it appears that she did pass away at the farmhouse. 

(**William Butterworth died in February of 1916, at the farmhouse per the Pascoag newspaper (2/18/1916) **.  Originally I had mixed up the death records with another William Butterworth who passed away in 1917, at the Naval Hospital in Boston. **A big THANK YOU to Tyler West for reaching out to me about this as well.) 

John Allen Arnold

The 2nd born of Edwin and Adeline Arnold was John Allen Arnold who was born on May 11, 1855. He would live on the farm and work on the farm for most of his life, until he married in 1883, to Emily Frances Taft on March 11, 1883. A year later, they welcomed one son, Edwin Sylvester Arnold to their family on March 24, 1884. The 1885 Census has him listed as "head of the house" and a "Farmer," just one row below his father and Fremont, meaning he was probably in a dwelling just down the road.  He eventually moved to the east side of Burrillville, where he settled with his wife and son. 

John remained a farmer his entire life, and eventually he fell ill with health problems. The doctor didn't elaborate on what sort of ill health he had been going through, but mentioned that it had been ongoing for years and he felt that contributed to his harsh action to take his own life. 

John Arnold's Death Record

As the death record indicates, in state of despondency John took rat poison known as "Paris Green" and although a doctor was called to administer life saving treatment, the doctor knew there could be nothing done to save him. John Allen Arnold died at the age of 56 years, on November 19, 1911, in his home near Tarkiln. 

Fremont Arnold

Fremont Arnold was the baby of the family, at least Edwin and Adeline's immediate family, that is. He was born on May 16, 1857, and lived on the farm for most of his early life. By 1885, Fremont is living with his father Edwin, just the two of them. Adeline had passed away, and both Abby and John had went and married their spouses and moved out. At some point between 1885 and 1900, Fremont moved to Douglas and started working as a painter. He is recorded in the 1900 Census living in the John Walling household as a "boarder." 

It looks as though even though Edwin left the property to both John and Fremont, both sons chose to live elsewhere. This may be a reason Abby and William Butterworth chose to move back to the farm and remain there. 

Fremont Arnold's Death Record

By the 1910 Census, Fremont is living with an older woman, Sarah Smith, and working as a "hired man," performing farm labor on her property. He continues to do so for over a decade, as he is still listed as such in the 1920 Census as well.  

It could have been failing health that caused him to return back to the family farm, but by the 1925 Census, you can find him in the census living back at the farm, with Earl Kenyon, Sr., Sarah  Arnold, his sister Abby Butterworth, and a young, Earl Raymond Kenyon, Jr.

I could find no record of  Fremont ever marrying or having children, but he did go by the name "Uncle Fremont," a lot, according to Pam, his great grand niece. I do know that he liked to travel with his nephew, Edwin, and there are newspaper clippings mentioning them going off to travel. I also know he was very protective of his family and had a big shot gun that he wasn't afraid to use if necessary. 

I have often wondered whatever happened to Uncle Fremont's old shotgun? 

On August 16, 1938, at the age of 81 years, Fremont Arnold passed away at home from "arterial sclerosis with necrosis of the heart."  Fremont Arnold, the last Arnold to live on the property.

The next generation......

Sarah May Butterworth and Earl Kenyon, Sr. 

Now, I get towards the end of the line in the family genealogy of this beautiful and historic property. We have covered the Richardsons, the Arnolds, and of course the Butterworths, but now we will explore the history of the Kenyon family at this wonderful property. First things first, the house you know to be located at 1677 Round Top Road, Burrillville has gone through a lot of changes, even address wise.

At one time the home didn't have an actual address, it was just the Arnold Farm on Douglas Road. Then later on when the road was called Round Top Road, it was still just the Arnold Farm on Round Top Road. Later it would be 189 Round Top Road, and by the time Norma and Gerald purchased the home in the late 1980's, it was changed to 1677 Round Top Road.

Interesting to note, Sarah Butterworth has two recorded dates of birth. The Rhode Island Vital Records states she was born on May 27, 1895, yet Sarah reported her birthdate as April 16, 1894 in the 1935 Census.

Moving forward,  Sarah Butterworth was raised at the home with her mother and father at the farm. On June 12, 1917, Sarah and Earl Raymond Kenyon (Sr.) would run off to Bath, Maine to elope. When and where Sarah met Earl, I am unsure, but she fell madly in love with him and ran off to Bath, Maine, to be married.

Per Pam Kenyon, "My grandfather Kenyon came from the village of Pascoag, a few miles away but prior to that they had been in Douglas, MA. My great grandfather was a millworker and followed the work in the mills. I can also find a little of the Kenyon line in Connecticut. My great, great grandfather was in the sixth Connecticut volunteers in the Civil War. Until my grandfather and grandmother got together, the Kenyons were never involved with the farm at all. In fact, my grandmother went to Maine to get married. My grandfather ended up working for and retiring from Swift and Company.....

As for the Kenyon’s involvement with the house – that began with my grandfather. It doesn’t go back any farther than that. He was born in Bridgeton (Pascoag) to Frank James Kenyon who was probably (like many of the day) a millworker who followed available work...... I’m not sure if any of the other children besides my grandfather and possibly a couple of aunts were born in Bridgeton. My grandfather’s birth, though it occurred in the 1890’s, was not recorded in town records. When he went to apply for social security, his older sister, Laura, had to go with him to vouch for his birthdate. I have a listing of all my grandfather’s siblings but not where they were born.

There is a Kenyon Rhode Island, so one would think that it was easy to find the family. Nope. We’re not related to any of those Kenyons as far as I can tell. It has taken me literally decades to find anything beyond Frank’s father, Albert, who was with the Sixth Connecticut Volunteers in the Civil War. He was married to Lucy Burlingame. Again, (that side of the family) had nothing to do with the house nor ever lived there.

My grandmother – the Arnold connection – went to Bath, Maine to marry my grandfather. I guess she was really determined. But, as I say, my grandfather was the first Kenyon to actually live in the house. He didn’t want to leave, as I recall, but he was getting older and was having problems taking care of things. My father convinced him to sell it. My father wasn’t happy when he found out that the realtor involved was Bessie Lindenbaum..... My grandfather never said anything like “keep the lights on” or close to it. He wasn’t like that. He was a down to earth, practical New Englander."---

As mentioned above, Earl Kenyon was from Pascoag, and was born on January 23, 1893, in Bridgeton, Pascoag, Burrillville.  

One thing to note, when Pam told me that records would get confusing about the townships and such, she wasn't kidding. I have found the farm to be listed as Harrisville, Burrillville, Glocester and even Pascoag at different times in different documents, but each time, it was still the farm on the old Douglas Road (and later Round Top Road). It is odd, but it was what it was. 

By 1920, we see Sarah and Earl Kenyon living in Massachusetts, as a married couple. Their son hadn't been born yet. On May 12, 1921,  Earl and Sarah would welcome their baby boy, Earl, Jr., into the world. At this time they were living at  71 N. Holden Street, North Adams, Massachusetts.

By 1925, we find that Earl and Sarah have already moved back to the family farm on Round Top Road to be with Abby and Uncle Fremont, more than likely to help take care of them in their old age.

"Abigail’s daughter, my grandmother, married my grandfather in Bath Maine. Why Maine, I don’t know. My father said that she went to Maine to marry him and that’s what any family records say. For a time they lived in North Adams, Mass., where my father was born in 1921. They must have lived there until 1924/5 when they moved back to the farm and lived there for the rest of their lives. My father lived there until 1945 when he married my mother, except when he was serving in WWII. My grandfather lived on the farm alone from 1967 until he sold it in 1971, to the Perrons." -- Pamela Kenyon Cardin 

By the 1930 Census, we don't see Abby's name anymore. This is because she passed away just days before the census taker came to the house. So only Earl, Sarah, Fremont and young Earl, Jr., are listed as living there. Moving onto the 1940 Census, Uncle Fremont has since passed away by that time, so now it's just Earl, Sarah and Earl, Jr., living on the farm.  Earl is listed as working at a meat packing company as an accountant. Earl Kenyon, Sr., had worked for the meat packing company, Swift & Co, in Providence on Canal Street for a long time, and later by the 1950 Census, he was still there, as the office manager. He would later retire from this job.

Sarah and Earl Kenyon raised their son, Earl, Jr., who lived there most of his life, and eventually he grew up, went to college and eventually went off to war during WWII. He served as a Tech Sargent in the 8th Air Force. His enlistment date was on March 11, 1943, and he served until April 7, 1945. He was part of Burk's Crew, and is listed on the memorial at the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum.

According to Pam, "My father lived there from when he was about 3, to when he married my mother, save for the time he was overseas in WWII. He was also back and forth from college (URI) just before that. "-

Earl Kenyon, Jr. would go on to marry, Miss Marjorie Sweet, the daughter of a pioneer family that was just as widely known as the Arnolds, the Sweets. They would live in town, just on another property.

Sarah Butterworth Kenyon would pass away on December 10,  1967, and Earl Kenyon, Sr., would continue to live in the house alone until selling the property in 1971.

Earl, Jr., and Marjorie would go on to have a daughter, Pamela Kenyon, who I considered to be a very dear friend. She helped me so very much during my most recent in depth research into the history of the property. Her knowledge of her family ancestry, her own memories, and the history of the farmhouse on Round Top Road is an invaluable source that needs to be recognized for posterity.

Sadly, Pam passed away last December and so the direct ancestral line of the original owners of this farmhouse has ended with her. I plan on writing more about her on this blog in the future, as she deserves to be remembered. 

In ending this blog post, I hope that I have enlightened you with the ancestral history of the family that called this farmhouse "home." I spent a lot of time scouring the vital records of Rhode Island, from birth and death records, to marriage records, Census records and everything else I could find. In all of my searching I have not found any events to merit such ridiculous claims as those that have been made about the house over the last several years. As I post more on this blog, I will show you that there was nothing sinister about this home or the property, and that the fabricated stories that began in August of 1973, have forever tarnished this beautiful New England home. Let us remember the families who lived and died here, with love and respect, always.

(Copyright, 2024-  J'aime Rubio  -- www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

**All the content that is published on this site or any of my blogs under my profile J'aime Rubio or Dreaming Casually © is my property and is protected by all applicable Copyright Laws. No part of my work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from me, the publisher/author J'aime Rubio.-- jaimerubiowriter.com**

King Philip's War Wasn't Fought At the Conjuring House Property

Encyclopedia Britannica

In recent years there have been statements made by people representing The Conjuring House  (man, how I despise that name) regarding the history of the land. First and foremost, the area known as Harrisville, a small village within the confines of a much larger area known as Burrilville, did not really even begin to have settlers making homesteads until the 18th Century. With that being said, when the mention of  King Philip's War gets brought up, it is laughable to me that they would make the ridiculous claim that there were battles on the property where the Richardson-Arnold house is located. 

Number one, the parcel of land that exists today that is owned by the current owner of the Richardson-Arnold house is only 8.5 acres. The original land deed was well over 1000 acres. That is a tiny, itty-bitty fraction of the original property. When the King Phillip's War took place the majority of battles were in areas where there were a populace of settlers gathered together. 

The area where Harrisville was, was literally considered "not worth surveying for settlement purposes since these outlands are too far from Providence," according to the Blackstone Heritage Corridor's historical walking tour pamphlet.

Recently, in a Youtube video titled "Boycotting The Conjuring House," former owner Corey Heinzen tried to discredit my historical statements I made in a recent Youtube Video by "The Side Eye Guy." 

According to Corey, who gets really angry when mentioning me ( see the 32 minute mark of the video), he tries to turn everything around on me as if I don't know the history of the King Phillip's War.

Corey's statement: 

"J'aime Rubio went on, was it SEG's freakin' (unintelligible) and she was saying 'oh the King's Phillip's war wasn't fought there,'.... it was fought there!  She's, she was trying to narrow it down to a specific battle, there wasn't a specific battle fought there. The war was fought all over Rhode Island."

Actually, no I wasn't narrowing it down to a specific battle.  I was very matter of fact in the video, that there is no evidence that any battle(s), that's plural, meaning more than one, were fought there, period. A property cannot be mentioned as being haunted for being involved in the King Phillip's war when there are no records showing that it was. 

Fact, the war was fought in certain areas of Rhode Island, not ALL OVER Rhode Island. Again, if you were to do some rudimentary research you would know this.

Corey goes even further with, "and yet she's trying to narrow it down to, 'oh! it was fought right here on this property'  No Mother - - - - - -! (unintelligible). God No! People don't understand they think they do the research correctly, but they're not. They're just jumping to a conclusion. Now, does she have a lot of good points? Absolutely. However, not with that. And that's what aggravates me. Because it's like, so you're throwing out a total, which kind of makes sense, even though it's a theory, but you're just going to throw it out because you think, the battle was fought here."

Correction again -- No, I never said that. I didn't come up with some theory here. 

It has been implied by others that the property is haunted because of it having "survived" the King Philips war.

The property was literally forests during that time period, and had no one living on or near that site during that time period. People settled together in groups back then, because there was safety in numbers, to avoid being attacked by Indians.

My statement on the Side Eye Guy's video was to give folks a history lesson that the war was fought in OTHER areas of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, but not anywhere near the property. Something the average person wouldn't have a clue of.   

Let's take a look at a few maps, shall we? If you look below I have highlighted in red the area where the house on Round Top Road is located according to the map. Where the word or name Narrangansett is on the map, the area where the "a" is encased in red, that is the approximate area where the house is located. 

Now, remember, the house did not exist when the King Phillip's War happened between June 20, 1675 and April 12, 1678.  White settlers did not live in that area at that time, as it was considered an outland of forests. 

Per Historian Elise Giammarco Carlson, "This is one of several maps I found. Where "Narragansett" is spelled sideways....the house is on the line between R.I. and M.A., approximately where the "A" lies. You know, in the big, empty hole between settlements and battles." -- 

Do you see any black dots at or near the red square? No, you do not. Because there were no English settlements in that area, and no attacks were made near there. 

Let's take a look at some more information..... 

I have marked on the map below in a small red square where the Richardson-Arnold house is approximately. Do you see any battles within the red square? No.

You can see a orange arrow showing where English offensives traveled towards Nipsachuck, which we will delve into in just a moment. Looking at the areas on the map, you can plainly see there were no battles on or near the house.

Let's go even deeper into the history.....

According to the book, "Soldiers In King Philips War," by George Bodge, 1891. Bodge mentions briefly that "the English left their horses with a guard , and, with the Mohegans in the van, marched silently forward to a field, at a place called "Nipsachick" (said to be within the present town of Burrillville, R.I.)  The night being very dark, they were forced to wait for light. At dawn they made their attack upon what provide to be Weetamoo's camp. The Indians were taken by surprise and fled, leaving everything behind them. But the Mohegan's and English rushing forward found themselves confronted with Philip's fighting men entrenched behind trees and rocks ready for battle. Adopting the tactics of the enemy, the English and their allies engated them fiercely until 9 o'clock, when still fighting desparately, but with powder nearly spent, the hostiles sullenly retired, leaving many of their dead upon the field. Some twenty three of the enemy were killed, it is said, including a prominent chief Woonashum, called by the English, Nimrod. Of the English, two were killed and one wounded."--- Page 15.

In reality though, Nipsachick, or later "Nipsachuck," was not in Burrillville. 

The First Battle of Nipsachuck as it would later be called, took place on August 4, 1675 in North Smithfield, which is approximately 12 miles from the Richardson-Arnold House. The Second Battle of Nipsachuck took place at Mattity Swamp on July 2, 1676, which is still considered to be within the area of North Smithfield, and approximately 10 miles away from the house as well.

According to a direct descendant of the Richardson-Arnold house's original inhabitants, and certified genealogist, Pam Kenyon Cardin, no battles during the King Philip's War took place near her ancestral home on Round Top Road. In fact, Pam had made this remark when we discussed the accusations made about different types of events at her ancestral home's property. When she mentions the word "mess" she was speaking about the lies being told about the property's history, as she was keeping a record or notes on each allegation.

"Somewhere amongst the mess was a notation about the farm being an active site for King Phillip's war. No. Most of that took place in southern R.I. and in the Great Swamp. Also, in Bristol County, Mass. NOT IN BURRILLVILLE. There were certainly Native Americans living in Burrillville. Many, in fact. Hence why my great grandfather called the dairy "Indian Acres." We have many artifacts from their habitation. In a book Wallum Pond Estates, it gives a brief history of the Native Americans living in the area. I have no idea where the bit about King Phillip came from. Unless someone read various Native American names and somehow decided they must be connected. NOPE. Ah, what a little bit of research could have done for some of these people."--  Pam Kenyon Cardin, 2023.

According to the book, "Wallum Pond Estates," by Harry Lee Barnes in 1877, it states on page 8, that "Ten miles southeasterly of Wallum Pond in Nipsachuck, a place through which King Phillip passed in his flight westward to the Nipmuck country."  That is the only mention of that war in his book after that. And it correlates with the story in the other book, which took place in present day North Smithfield, not Harrisville, Burrillville. 

Fact, there are NO RECORDS or DOCUMENTATION whatsoever that prove ANY sort of battle between Native Americans and English Settlers or Soldiers took place in Harrisville, let alone at the property on Round Top Road. That is my point. Just because a war took place in various spots in Massachusetts and Rhode Island DOES NOT mean that every square inch of those states saw fighting between settlers and Indians. It was in specific documented locations. 

It isn't a THEORY, it is a FACT.  

Yes, there were battles in different areas in Rhode Island, but not on the land where this historic house is situated.

In ending this blog post today, I hope that you have walked away with a better understanding of the history of the property and the general area of that part of Rhode Island. It is easy to make statements when you do not have documentation to back up what you are saying. I do not make statements without having researched the subject before hand. I strongly recommend that anyone wanting to know the truth about the history of the area, to do thorough research on the topic before going on the record and making opinionated statements about it. 

(Copyright 2024 - J'aime Rubio  www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

 

The Ancestral Genealogy of the Richardson-Arnold House (Part 1)

Photo of the Arnold Family (late 1800's) original property of Arnold/Butterworth/Kenyon Family 

Join me today, as I take you back in time to revisit some of the former residents of the home and their ancestors. This will be the first of two blog posts regarding the ancestral genealogy of the family.  

The area which we know today as Burrillville, Rhode Island, consists of 14 villages spread over 55 square miles. The property the Conjuring House is situated on is within the village of Harrisville, which was named after Andrew Harris, who purchased the area in the early 1800's (which was earlier known as Rhodesville). Prior to that, the land encompassing Burrillville had originally been considered part of Glocester, which is actually about 6 miles south of Harrisville. 

It had been alleged that back in the 1600's, the land was "not worth surveying for settlement purposes since these outlands are too far from Providence," according to Blackstone Heritage Corridor's historical walking tour pamphlet. 

According to the genealogical records and research by Pamela Kenyon Cardin (a direct descendant of the original families who owned the property), the original homestead for what was believed to be the Richardson family was said to be closer to the Massachusetts border on what was the original land owned by the family. 

The genealogical lineage I have listed on this blog is in the proper order based on what Pam had mentioned was in her family Bible, her own research she did over the course of her life, and compared to my own separate research.  

Let me make this very clear, although Pam helped me by giving me a list of her familial ancestors, I spent a lot of time researching to put the pieces together by way of searching vital records such as birth, death, marriage, census records and old archived newspapers, including some old deeds as well.  Although I relied on the family's oral history to a point, I cannot stress enough the importance of doing your utmost to verify events based on documented records, if available. 

I have been able to verify a lot of the more recent information in the family history going back to the early 1800s at least, via my vital records research. Please note the pieces of history that I was unable to confirm by way of documentation (going further back in time), I rightly state upfront here and now that it is my belief or that it is more than likely, not matter of fact, because some of this much older information is unknown and might never be known.

Moving along.....

Going back to the early years, the property was said to have been a substantial amount of land, which is no longer part of the "Conjuring House" property today. Over time, parcels were broken up and sold off, and once the Perron's purchased the home, the land was significantly smaller than when the original families owned it. 

When it was that the Richardson's or Arnold's amassed that large of acreage is unknown.

Regardless of which of the Richardson's or Arnolds were the first to own the property, or to have built on the property, this is still a detailed ancestry and/or genealogical record of the family who lived there for well over 200 years, going all the way down to the last lineage of this family, the Kenyons (through Sarah Butterworth, when she married Earl Kenyon Sr.)

Per Pam Kenyon Cardin's own words:

"One of the major problems with looking up the very early stuff for Burrillville is that anything before 1806, is in Gloucester, RI. When my cousin and I attempted to find info on something else, we discovered that Gloucester’s records were in such a mess that we couldn’t find anything. We did try more than once to no avail. Houses are sometimes recorded on a deed and sometimes not, so that’s another issue.  

Frankly, I am not sure where they got the date of 1736 for the house. One of the dates I had was 1725. As I said, dating a structure on a piece of land is sometimes very difficult. If you have a will, that helps but may not be (and probably is not) when the house was built. A deed may well say something like ‘where he now dwells’ but is probably NOT when the house was built.

There were Arnold’s, Richardsons and Whipples in the vicinity from very early on. The farm was called the Arnold/Richardson place, so I believe that it was the Richardson family who first owned the property and built that house. Way out in the back on what I believe is Massachusetts land is the foundation of we presumed was a house. That is the one my grandfather referred to as the "Salem cellar." 

There is nothing more I can tell you about that. I couldn’t find it again for anything. I have no idea who built it or owned it originally. The Arnold’s owned a huge amount of land some distance away and where the Arnold cemetery is at the corner of Brook Road and Sherman Farm Road, way off the road in the woods. "---

**Please note this doesn't mean all of  these individuals listed below lived at the farm, just that they are the ancestors of those who would live on the farm as time went on.**

I. ISAAC RICHARDSON 

Records show that Isaac Richardson was born on May 14, 1643, in Woburn, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He married Deborah Fuller on June 19, 1667, in Woburn, Massachusetts. 

II.  JOHNATHAN RICHARDSON 

Johnathan Richardson was born on December 12, 1669, in Woburn, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was the son of Isaac Richardson and Deborah Fuller.  Johnathan married Mary Isaac Cutler, and the two of them settled in Glocester, Rhode Island. 

Johnathan and Mary went on to have at least three children that I could locate: Isaac, Johnathan and Miriam. 

There are ruins of a homestead close to the Massachusetts border of that original property as Pam had previously mentioned, which her family believed would have been the first home to be built on the Richardson land, it is just not certain just who built that earlier structure.   

It was my belief based on the records and research of Pam Kenyon Cardin, since her genealogical research dates the Richardson-Arnold house back to closer to 1725 (not 1736 as stated on a plaque at the house*), the more logical conclusion would be that the later structure, which is the home everyone refers to as "The Conjuring House" (have I mentioned before that I hate that name?) on Round Top Road was possibly built by or for Isaac Richardson, the son of Johnathan and Mary. 

Again, I cannot confirm this by way of records as there are not many records available, especially ones that detail this specific farm. So, this is just an educated guess based on the time frame that the home would have possibly been built, and the lineage of the family during that time frame. 

III. ISAAC RICHARDSON

Isaac Richardson was born in 1701, and married Sarah Aldrich in Glocester on July 17, 1732. At some point Sarah would pass away, as there are records showing Isaac Richardson remarrying to a Bethiah Woodward in 1758.  Isaac would then pass away around 1784. Isaac and Sarah had four children: Joseph, David, Deborah and Samuel.

IV. JOSEPH RICHARDSON

Next down the line in Pam's family tree would be Joseph Richardson. Joseph was born around 1733, to Isaac and Sarah Aldrich Richardson. Joseph married Susannah Smith on June 11, 1751 in Glocester.  They went on to have three children: Anne, Joseph Jr., and Sarah.  Joseph would pass away on September 29, 1764, at the young age of 39 years. His wife, Susannah would live to be 51 years old, passing away in 1775, in Providence. 

V.  ANNE RICHARDSON  &  NOAH ARNOLD, JR. 

It was said that through Anne, Joseph and Susannah Richardson's eldest daughter, that the property would eventually merge into the "Richardson-Arnold" estate, when Anne married Noah Arnold, Jr., on July 21, 1768.  

Was that the case?  

According to Researcher and Archeologist, Kenneth Hillyard, he stated that he found deed records showing that Noah Arnold, Sr., actually purchased the property from Isaac and Joseph Richardson.

Hillyard states that on "November 20, 1762, Noah Arnold Sr. purchased a parcel of land from Joseph and Isaac Richardson consisting of 50 acres, including a house and farm (with farm referring to the outbuildings and related structures)." -  Source: Glocester Deeds, 7:260, 265

As interesting as this is, it does show the land was once owned by Isaac and Joseph Richardson first, and was sold to the Arnold's, and there was a house on said property as well. 

Going back to Anne and Noah, Jr., their union would bring forth several children.  Kenneth Hillyard believes only half of the children were from Anne, and the rest were born after Anne passed away, when Noah remarried to Phoebe Aldrich. Let me make this clear, there is no record stating when Anne passed away, so we can only assume it was sometime around or before 1787.

According to Pam Kenyon Cardin's research,  Anne and Noah were said to have lived in the house that stands today, and raised at least 8 children, although Kenneth Hillyard believes that Noah's brother, Aaron, first inherited the property, and that later on Noah Arnold, Jr., came to own the land. Whether or not he actually lived there in his lifetime is unknown. Noah would later pass away on June 20, 1822.

VI.  JOHN ARNOLD

John Arnold was born around 1773. He married Abigail Cook Arnold, who was born on December 24, 1775, the daughter of Martha Hopkins and Sylvanius Cook, of Glocester in 1795. The couple had at least eleven children to my knowledge: Rosamond, Sally, Manning, Stephen, Sophia, Olive, Ellen, Elmira, John Jr., Mary and Smith. 

Did their children grow up on this property? I do not believe so.

According to John Arnold's will which was kindly provided to me by Kenneth Hillyard, we find that he mentions that his son, Stephen is living on the property at the time of his death in 1837, and he leaves the property to Stephen. 

John Arnold's Will (Courtesy: Kenneth Hillyard)

John Arnold also mentions that he leaves his "home farm" to John Arnold Jr., which we now know was located off of Brook Road, where the Wallum Pond Rod and Gun Club is located today. So we know that is the farm John and Abigail were living on, at least when he passed away. 

It appears that although Noah Arnold, Jr., did pass the property to his son, John prior to his death, more than likely John, already having his own farm, allowed his son, Stephen live on the property until it was later deeded to him upon his father's death.

Historian, Elise Giammarco Carlson found a juicy tidbit of information at the Burrilville Historical Society archives in regards to the other Richardson-Arnold House off of Brook Road, which was actually referred to as the Richardson-Arnold Duplex. 

"This house stood on land now owned by the Rod and Gun Club. The large house was occupied by two married couples who ran the large farm here, with cow and horse barns where the club and its parking lot are today. The original house was later divided by a central wall which even divided the staircase, making two very narrow stairways, because the wives became bitter enemies in a domestic squabble. Each half of the house had its own kitchen-ell, and the backyard was dividedby a high fence so the women could hang their washings without encountering each other." -- (source: compilation of stories about Burrilville, contributed by historical society members.) 

I would love to find out more about this family feud of sorts!

Moving along.....

As stated above, Stephen would inherit the farm, when John Arnold passed away on September 19, 1837 at the age of 64 years. His wife, Abigail Cook Arnold would pass away 32 years later on February 10, 1869, at the age of 93. 

VII. STEPHEN ARNOLD

Time rolls on, and later we find Stephen Arnold and his wife, Sally Margery Eddy Arnold running the farm. Stephen was born in 1805, just around the time that Burrillville was "established." He married Sally Margery Eddy, the daughter of  Doctor Levi Eddy and Prusia Aldrich. The pair had ten children that I could locate: Edwin, Prusia, Stephen Jr., George, Albert, Mowry, Emeline, Sarah, Abigail and Levi. 

According to Pam Kenyon Cardin, two children had passed away from Typhoid.*

It appears that of the ten children, all grew to be adults, except for Abigail and possibly Levi. It appears Abby passed away at the age of 5 years in May of 1848. Is it possible that Levi is the 2nd child death that was recorded in Pam's records, with him possibly passing away at the age of 14 in 1859? There's no definite answer. Pam Kenyon Cardin's family Bible stated two children of Sally Eddy died young, and their causes of death were mentioned in it, but the names were not mentioned to me.  

(*I had originally believed the children had died from Typhus but according to Pam, she believed it was actually Typhoid). 

According to Pam, Sally also passed away on October 3, 1844, from Typhoid as well. Interestingly enough, Sally passed away before her two children, so thankfully she didn't have to experience the heartache of losing any of her children while she was alive.  Stephen Arnold would pass away five years later, on October 25, 1849. 

VIII. EDWIN ARNOLD

Moving forward, it was Edwin Arnold who would later live at the property and run the farm with his family. Edwin was born at the farm on February 28, 1821. He was married to Adeline Caswell in 1851 in Burrillville. They had three children that I could find information on: Abigail Frances Arnold, John Allen Arnold and Fremont Arnold. 

The 1860 Census lists Edwin as a farmer, along with his wife Adeline, children: Abby (8), John (5) and Fremont (3), as well as Eunice Burlingame (7), Willis (3), Riley Barnes (50), and Eunice Caswell (69). It appears that Eunice Caswell was Adeline's mother, and the rest were obviously relatives, except for Riley, who was a farm laborer.

The 1870 Census lists Edwin again as a farmer, along with Adeline, children: Abby (18), John (15), Fremont (13), along with Riley Barnes (59), Sturbridge Taft (27) both listed as farm laborers, Prudence Taft (18) as a house keeper and Ednah (2). It is obvious that Sturbridge and Prudence were a married couple with their child, Ednah, living and working on the farm for the family.

On July 9, 1871, Abigail Frances Arnold would wed Sumner Walling in Douglas, Massachusetts. 

On May 27, 1874, Abby's husband, Sumner would die in Douglas, Worcester, Massachusetts, where he is also buried.  After the death of her husband, Abby moved back home to her parents farm in Burrilville. The couple would have one child together Sumner, Jr., who was born on December 9, 1874. This year would prove to be a difficult one for poor Abby, as the child would die only 8 days later.

The 1880 Census lists Edwin as a farmer, Adeline, their adult children: Abby (28), John (25), Fremont (23), Riley Barnes (72). All of the men are working for the family as a farmer laborers.

Edwin's wife, Adeline would pass away on December 18, 1883, from Tuberculosis. 

Please take note of the photograph posted at the top of this blog, which has been widespread over the years to perpetuate "The Conjuring" story, was more than likely taken sometime in the late 1800's, thus the people listed in the 1870-1880 census' are more than likely those within the photograph, along with relatives who may have been visiting or even possibly close friends from a neighboring property. 

The photo was taken on the property of the Arnold family, which was passed down through Abigail Butterworth down to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, eventually belonging to the Kenyon family. Per former owner, Norma Sutcliffe, "This was a picture that was taken, that was handed down from the Arnold family. I was given a copy of the original and, sadly, I gave it to Andrea Perron. This was all long before the movie."-- 

So we know now how that photo got circulated all over the internet with false information pertaining to the house and the erroneous story of Bathsheba Sherman.

Celebrating Thanksgiving with the Arnolds....

December 8th, 1894 (Pascoag Herald)

According to the local newspaper, the family celebrated Thanksgiving, with relatives and a neighbor, Mrs. Esten, visiting with the family for the festivities. Even Edwin and Albert's uncle, John Jr., attended. It appears that the Arnold family were a close knit family along with showing kindness to their elderly neighbor.

Going back to the history....

On October 24, 1903, while walking home one evening, Edwin disappeared. His body was located against a rock wall on Smith Aldrich's farm on December 17, 1903. Apparently, he stopped to rest due to exhaustion and he died from exposure from the cold. His body had missing for nearly two months. 

The newspaper clipping of the discovery read:

"FOUND AT LAST -- The Body of Edwin Arnold Discovered by a Hunter Yesterday Morning.

Yesterday morning about 7:25 o'clock the body of Edwin Arnold, who disappeared October 24th, was found by Frank Pierce beside a stone wall on the Smith Aldrich farm. Mr. Pierce was hunting in the vicinity and came upon the body suddenly as he approached a stone wall. The position of the body was such as would suggest that Mr. Arnold had sat down or reclined to rest and death overtook him before he was ready to go on."-- Pascoag Herald, 12/18/1903

It goes on to detail that he had been trying to take a short cut, by cutting through various farms, to avoid the highway, when he probably grew tired and stopped to take a rest, only to pass away in the freezing weather temperatures.

 "The funeral of the later Edwin Arnold was held from his residence on the Douglas Road last Saturday afternoon at 1 o'clock and was attended by many relatives and friends. Rev. Walter Ela, pastor of the Laurel Hill M.E. Church, officiated. the bearers were Smith B. Mowry, A.B. White, Sewell Chace and Horace Arnold. Interment was in the family lot in the Tassel Top Cemetery." -- Pascoag Herald, 12/25/1903

In ending, this first part of my ancestral genealogy blog post, we have learned that there have been many people who have lived and more than likely died on the property from old age perhaps and illness, but there are no records of any sort of foul play, accident or suicide on this property. Although Edwin died, he did not die on this property, and Sally Eddy and her two children died of illness. It is safe to conclude that there were many more deaths prior to and up to this point in the home's history, based on the fact that there were many generations who lived here and grew old here. Family took care of their elderly until they passed away, but that didn't mean anything negative took place on the property.

CLICK HERE TO READ  PART 2. The Ancestral History of the Richardson-Arnold House. 

* The plaque you see at the house that says the house was built in 1736 is not accurate. The date was etched in cement on a back step when Norma lived there. You must remember that cement wasn't readily available until the late 1800's and the early 1900's, so the date that was placed on the step had been done well over a hundred years after the home was built, perhaps even later. There is no way to know when the cement step was put in, and just who decided to add that date to it. 

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