Pardon Tillinghast was an early pastor of the First Baptist Church in America

First Baptist Church in America

The First Baptist Church in America is the First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island, also known as First Baptist Meetinghouse. The oldest Baptist church congregation in the United States, it was founded by Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island in 1638...

 and a public official in Providence, Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

.

Biography

In 1625 Tillinghast was baptized in Streat Parish Church, Streat

Streat

Streat is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located five miles south east of Burgess Hill and eight miles west of Lewes, on the northern slopes of the South Downs....

, East Sussex

East Sussex

East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...

, England. He may have been born in Seven Cliffs, near Beachy Head

Beachy Head

Beachy Head is a chalk headland on the south coast of England, close to the town of Eastbourne in the county of East Sussex, immediately east of the Seven Sisters. The cliff there is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, rising to 162 m above sea level. The peak allows views of the south...

 (now Eastbourne

Eastbourne

Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...

), Sussex, England. It is believed that he served as a soldier under Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....

 and participated in the battle of Marston Moor. Tillinghast settled in Providence, Rhode Island and on November 19, 1645 was admitted a resident and allotted a share as a proprietor. He served as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Providence without remuneration from 1678 until his death in 1717. He was the author of Water-Baptism Plainly Proved by Scripture to Be a Gospel Precept (Boston, 1689). In 1700 at his own expense, Tillinghast built the first meeting-house of the First Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist congregation in America. In 1711 Tillinghast deeded the building to the church and described the church as adhering to Six Principle Baptist principles. Tillinghast worked as a merchant and served as a member of the house of deputies (representatives), and in various official posts within the town of Providence. Tillinghast died in Providence, Rhode Island, 19 January 1718.

Family

Rev. Tillinghast was married twice and he was an ancestor of most persons in the United States with his surname. A little before 1654 he married a Miss Butterworth, whose given name may have been Sarah. They had 3 children. On 16 April 1664 he married Lydia Tabor, and they had 9 children.

His granddaughter Mary Tillinghast married Richard Ward, colonial governor of Rhode Island. Their son Samuel Ward was a delegate to the Continental Congress

Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....

. He was an ancestor of Julia Ward Howe

Julia Ward Howe

Julia Ward Howe was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet, most famous as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".-Biography:...

.

Nicholas Brown, Jr.

Nicholas Brown, Jr.

Nicholas Brown, Jr. , was a Providence, Rhode Island businessman and philanthropist who was the namesake of Brown University.-Biography:...

, for whom Brown University

Brown University

Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

 was named, was a great great grandson.

The name Pardon was Rev. Tillinghast's paternal grandmother's (Alice Pardon) maiden name.

See also

• First Baptist Church in America
  First Baptist Church in America
  The First Baptist Church in America is the First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island, also known as First Baptist Meetinghouse. The oldest Baptist church congregation in the United States, it was founded by Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island in 1638...