Major Job Greene (24 August 1656 – 6 July 1745) was a colonial Rhode Island politician.

Early life

Greene was born on 24 August 1656 in

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

in the

Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was an English colony on the eastern coast of America, founded in 1636 by Puritan minister Roger Williams after his exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It became a haven for religious d ...

. He was a son of John Greene Jr. (1620–1708) and Ann ( Almy) Greene (1627–1709).

Career

Like his father before him, Greene "became one of the leading men of the town in colonial affairs", active from 1681 when he became a freeman of the colony until his retirement in 1744 shortly before his death. He served as Deputy (precursor to Representative) from Warwick to the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

beginning in 1696 for thirteen consecutive terms. He served as Assistant for nine years, and Speaker of the House of Deputies from October 1727 to April 1728. Sometime before 1700, Greene built a home and mill on his large farms, laying the foundation for Centerville, Rhode Island.

Personal life

On 22 January 1684, Greene was married to Phebe Sayles (1658–1744), daughter of John Sayles, who served in the House of Deputies, and Mary ( Williams) Sayles, and granddaughter of

Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...

, 9th President of the Colony of Rhode Island. Phebe's sister Elinor married his brother Richard and her sister Mary married his brother William. Together, they were the parents of: * Ann Greene (1685–1718), who married Thomas Stafford. * Mary Greene (1687–1783), who married Capt. John Greene. * Deborah Greene (1689–1763), who married Capt. Simon Ray, chief magistrate of

Block Island Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago in New England, located approximately south of mainland Rhode Island and east of Long Island's Montauk Point. The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham, Rhode Isl ...

. * Job Greene (b. 1692), who died young. * Phebe Greene (b. 1694), who married William Arnold. * Christopher Greene (b. ), who married Elizabeth Denmark. * Daniel Greene (b. ), who married Temperance Harris. After her death he married Bethiah ( Howland) Davis. * Richard Greene (1700–1700), who died young. * Catharine Greene (b. ), who married Maj. James Brown. * Philip Greene (b. ), a Judge who married Elizabeth Wickes. Greene died on 6 July 1745 in Pawtuxet, Rhode Island and was buried at Easton cemetery in Middletown, near

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

Descendants

Through his daughter Deborah, he was a grandfather of Judith Ray (wife of Thomas Hubbard, Esq. of Boston), Anne Ray (wife of Governor Samuel Ward), Catherine Ray (a literary companion of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

, who married her second cousin Governor William Greene Jr.), Phebe Ray (wife of John Littlefield, Esq. of New Shoreham). Through his youngest son, Judge Phillip, he was the grandfather of Col.

Christopher Greene Christopher Greene (May 12, 1737May 14, 1781) was an American legislator and soldier. He led the spirited defense of Fort Mercer in the 1777 Battle of Red Bank, and for leading the African American 1st Rhode Island Regiment during the American Re ...

(1737–1781), who led the defense of

Fort Mercer Fort Mercer was an earthen fort on the eastern shores of the Delaware River in New Jersey that was constructed by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The fort was built in 1777 by Polish engineer Thaddeus Kosciuszko und ...

in the 1777

Battle of Red Bank The Battle of Red Bank, also known as the Battle of Fort Mercer, was fought on October 22, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. A British and Hessian force was sent to take Fort Mercer on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River just s ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and was killed by

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

s in May 1781 at the

Battle of Pine's Bridge The Battle of Pine's Bridge was a minor engagement during the American Revolutionary War in the town of Yorktown, New York, on May 14, 1781. Loyalist forces under the command of James De Lancey surprised an American defensive position guarding the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Job 1656 births 1745 deaths People from Warwick, Rhode Island People from colonial Rhode Island Speakers of the Rhode Island House of Deputies