38 T/ze HAZARD FAMILY

men in the Colony, petitioned the General Assembly to grant them full powers to “ found, endow, order, and govern a College or University within this Colony. " ‘

The petition was granted, and Thomas Hazard, with ten others, were declared the “first and present Fellows and Fellowship, to whom the President, when here- after elected (who shall be of the denomination called Baptist, or antipdedo Bap— tists), shall be joined to complete their number.”

This college, then founded under the name of Rhode Island College, afterwards was changed in name, and is now known as Brown University.

Thomas Hazard entered Yale University, and for this reason was called “ Col— lege Tom,” a name by which he is distinguished from the other Thomas Haz— ards of his generation; he was not graduated from Yale, owing to the fact (as stated by Updike) “ that he had become so thoroughly indoétrinated in the faith of the Quakers, that he became conscientious respecting collegiate honors, and left the institution before the regular period of conferring degrees.” From the same authority is quoted, “ Mr. Hazard was comely in person, large in stature, . . and of great physical strength. He was a preacher of the Society of Friends for forty years before his death, and tradition speaks of him as a strong and forcible, argumentative speaker. He was deservedly popular in his denomi— nation, and was the first in his society that advocated the abolition of negro slavery. He travelled much as a public Friend, preaching emancipation among

his brethren.” In 1783, it was voted by the General Assembly “ that the draft of an act author—

izing the manumission of slaves, presented to this Assembly by the committee appointed to consider the petition ofa committee of the people called Quakers, be referred to the third day of the next Session for further consideration,” etc. Thomas Hazard was one of the signers of this petition, which was the opening wedge to the emancipation Aét passed February, 1784.2

Pleasant landmarks in the history of these prominent men of the olden time, are the houses they occupied. To know that one is walking over the fields their ‘ feet have so often trod, or to stand on their own hearth—stone, gives one a feel- ing of reality and close connection with the dead, but not buried, past. Thomas Hazard’s home was on Tower Hill, on the farm now owned and occupied by William Nichols; his homestead, or manor—house, as it was called in old deeds and wills, was standing a few years ago. Some authorities say that Hazard was buried on this farm. Others say that he was buried in the yard of the Quaker Meeting—House; but wherever buried, his spirit haunts the old home around which linger vestiges of his personality. It is not difiicult for the imagination to see the beautiful wife (for the women of the Robinson family were noted for their beauty) standing at the gate to watch her husband mount his horse and ride away on one of his frequentjourneys. On one of these occasions a relative, who was Visiting the Hazards, accompanied Mrs. Hazard to the gate. After

1 Col. Rec., vol. vi, p. 386. 2 R. I. Col. Rec., vol. ix, pp. 735—738. “ Cousm