Rodman family.

John Rodman (d. 1686) was the first member of the Rodman family to emigrate to the new world, arriving in Barbadoes in the latter half of the 17th century. He had two sons, Thomas (b. 1640) and John (1653-1731), both born in England and raised in Barbadoes. The family became members of the Society of Friends after meeting George Fox in Barbadoes in 1671. Thomas moved to Newport, R.I. in 1675, while John arrived there in the 1680s. Thomas was a Quaker physician. When John settled in Newport, he purchased 700 acres of land on Block Island.

Thomas' descendents stayed in the Newport area and became prosperous merchants. Later generations, including Samuel Rodman (1753-1835) and Samuel, Jr. (1792-1876) were merchants and bankers in New Bedford, Ma.

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