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ОглавлениеCHARTER
OF THE RHODE-ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Whereas Jeremiah Lippitt, William Aplin, Charles Norris Tibbitts, Walter R. Danforth, William R. Staples, Richard W. Greene, John Brown Francis, William G. Goddard, Charles F. Tillinghast, Richard J. Arnold, Charles Jackson, and William E. Richmond, have petitioned this General Assembly to incorporate them into a society, by the name of the Rhode-Island Historical Society: Therefore,
Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, and by the authority thereof it is enacted, That the aforesaid persons, together with such others as they shall hereafter associate with them, and their successors, are hereby constituted, ordained and created a body corporate and politic, by the name of The Rhode-Island Historical Society, for the purpose of procuring and preserving whatever relates to the topography, antiquities, and natural, civil and ecclesiastical history of this State; and by the name aforesaid shall have perpetual succession; and by the same name are hereby made able and capable in law, as a body corporate, to have, hold and enjoy goods, chattels, lands and tenements, to the value of five thousand dollars, exclusive of their library, cabinet and historical collections and antiquities, and the same at all times to dispose of; to have a common seal, and the same at pleasure to change and destroy; to sue and be sued, to plead and to be impleaded, to answer and to answer unto, to defend and to be defended against, in all courts of justice and before all proper judges; and to do, act and transact all matters and things whatsoever, proper for bodies corporate to do, act and transact; and to establish and enact such a constitution and such by-laws as shall be deemed necessary and expedient, provided that they be not repugnant to the laws of this State, or of the United States; and to annex to the breach of those laws such fines as they may deem fit.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the said corporation be further authorized and empowered to elect and qualify such officers as may by them be deemed necessary; to be chosen at such time, and to hold their offices for such period, as the constitution of said corporation shall prescribe; and to appoint and hold such meetings as shall be thought proper.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That said society shall establish two cabinets for the deposit and safe-keeping of all the ancient documents and records illustrating the history and antiquities of this State; one of said cabinets in the town of Newport, for the safe keeping of the records of the early history of the southern section of the State, and the other in the town of Providence, for the safe-keeping of the historical records of the northern section thereof; and that the anniversary of said society be holden in said Providence.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That Jeremiah Lippitt be authorized and empowered to call the first meeting of the corporation, within three months from the granting of this charter, giving public notice of the same.
CONSTITUTION.
Article 1. The Rhode-Island Historical Society shall consist of resident and honorary members, the former of whom shall be resident in the State of Rhode-Island.
Art. 2. The annual meeting of the society shall be holden at Providence on the 19th day of July, in every year: And provided, That when that day shall fall on a Sunday, the meeting shall be holden on the Tuesday following: other meetings of the society shall be called at any other time by the President, or other senior officer in the society, by giving notice of the same in at least one public newspaper in Providence and Newport, fourteen days previous to the time proposed, upon application of five members in writing.
Art. 3. The officers of the society shall be—a president, two vice-presidents, a secretary, treasurer, two cabinet-keepers, one for the northern and one for the southern section, and thirteen[1] trustees, of whom the president, two vice-presidents, and treasurer, shall be four.
Art. 4. All the officers of the society shall be chosen at the annual meeting of the society, and shall hold their offices for one year, and until others be elected in their stead: Provided, That when the society shall not meet on the day of their annual meeting, they may elect their officers at any other meeting called pursuant to the article preceding: And provided also, That when any vacancy in any office shall happen during the year, the society, at any such meeting, may fill the same.
Art. 5. It shall be the duty of the trustees to receive donations, and to manage and superintend all the concerns of the society; they shall hold meetings as often as occasion shall require, any five being present, public notice being given by the secretary fourteen days previous in a public newspaper of the time and place of meeting, and shall have power to fill any vacancy in their board until the next meeting of the society; they shall at the annual meeting make report in writing of their doings, to the society: the president, and in his absence the senior officer present, shall preside at all meetings of the society and board of trustees: the secretary shall keep a record of all the proceedings of the society, shall be ex officio secretary of the board, and as such, keep a record of their doings, and shall be the organ of communication of the society: the cabinet-keepers shall safely keep all books, papers, ancient memorials, and every thing else belonging to the society, relating to the objects of the society, in such places as may hereafter be designated by the society or board of trustees; they shall also keep catalogues of all donations to the cabinets of the society, with the donor’s name affixed to each, unless otherwise requested by the donor himself; they shall also report in writing at the annual meeting, at which time, the treasurer shall report the state of the treasury.
Art. 6. The society shall have power to lay such taxes on the members as may be requisite, provided that they do not exceed the sum of three dollars per year.
Art. 7. No person shall be admitted a member of this society unless by ballot, at the annual meeting, by a majority of the members present, and unless he shall be recommended by the board of trustees.
Art. 8. Seven resident members, including either the president, one of the vice-presidents, the secretary or treasurer, shall constitute a quorum for doing business.
Art. 9. No alteration or amendment whatever shall be made to this constitution but by vote of two thirds of the members present at the annual meeting, which alteration or amendment shall be reduced to writing by the mover before it shall be acted upon.
The Society would call the attention of members and correspondents to the following subjects:
1. Topographical sketches of towns and villages, including an account of their soil, agriculture, manufactures, commerce, natural curiosities and statistics.
2. Sketches of the history of the settlement and rise of such towns and villages, and of the introduction and progress of commerce, manufactures and the arts, in them.
3. Biographical notices of original settlers, revolutionary patriots, and other distinguished men who have resided in this State.
4. Original letters, and documents, and papers illustrating any of these subjects, particularly those which shew the private habits, manners or pursuits of our ancestors, or are connected with the general history of this State.
5. Sermons, orations, occasional discourses and addresses, books, pamphlets, almanacs and newspapers, printed in this State; and manuscripts, especially those written by persons born or residing in this State.
6. Accounts of the Indian tribes which formerly inhabited any part of this State, their numbers and condition when first visited by the whites, their general character and peculiar customs and manners, their wars and treaties and their original grants to our ancestors.
7. The Indian names of the towns, rivers, islands, bays and other remarkable places within this State, and the traditional import of those names.
8. Besides these, the society will receive donations of any other books, pamphlets, manuscripts and printed documents; with which any gentleman may please to favor them.
OFFICERS
OF THE
RHODE-ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
ELECTED JULY 19, 1826.
His Excellency James Fenner, Esq. President.
Henry Bull, Esq. 1st. Vice-Pres.
Hon. Theodore Foster, Esq. 2d Vice Pres.
William R. Staples, Esq. Sec’ry.
John Howland, Esq. Treasurer.
Albert G. Greene, Esq. Cabinet Keeper of the Northern District.
Stephen Gould, Cabinet Keeper of the Southern District.
Hon. Job Durfee, John B. Francis, John Pitman, Richard W. Greene, Philip Crapo, William E. Richmond, Christopher E. Robbins, Nathaniel Bullock, Hon. Tristam Burges, Hon. William Hunter, Esq’s. Rev. David Benedict, and William G. Goddard, Esq. Trustees.
Publishing Committee.
John Howland, William G. Goddard and William R. Staples, elected by the Trustees Feb. 7, 1827.
