Nicholas Easton - Family and Legacy

Family and Legacy

The mother of all Easton's children was his first wife, Mary Kent, the daughter of Thomas Kent and Ellen Pile who were married at Over Wallop, Hampshire on 26 June 1585. Thomas Kent, who was the son of Richard Kent, died in 1605, after which Mary's mother Ellen married Peter Osgood. Easton had two sons who reached adulthood, both of whom came with him to New England. The older son, Peter, named for his mother's stepfather, married Ann, the daughter of President John Coggeshall. He was active in colonial affairs as sergeant, commissioner, assistant, treasurer and Attorney General. Peter's daughter, Mary, married Weston Clarke, a son of President Jeremy Clarke, and his daughter Waite married John Carr, the son of Governor Caleb Carr. Easton's other son, John was involved in colonial politics virtually his entire adult life, and served as governor himself for five terms between 1690 and 1695. Easton's widow, Ann, later married Henry Bull, who served as governor of the colony for two short periods during the 1690s. Easton's Point in Newport is named for Nicholas Easton, as is Easton's Beach, which was described by historian Thomas W. Bicknell as "a permanent monument in the honor of this earnest, faithful, honored founder of Rhode Island..."