Jeremiah Dexter, who was born around 1731, was a member of the “North Providence Rangers,” a militia group from Rhode Island during the Revolutionary War. Dexter died in 1807.
Stephen “Coggeshall” Olney was born in North Providence in 1755. He entered the Revolutionary War in 1777 and participated in the battles of Long Island, White Plains, Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. He was wounded in the battles of Springfield and Yorktown. Olney died in North Providence in 1832.
The collection contains a transcribed typescript copy of a letter written by Stephen “Coggeshall” Olney, Captain of Second Rhode Island, Continental Line, whose battalion was commanded by Col. Israel Angell. The letter was written to Jeremiah Dexter on August 3, 1777, in Peekskill, New York. The letter is in response to one Dexter had sent and details some aspects of the Revolutionary War, including the retreat from Fort Ticonderoga and the need for clothing and supplies.
Researchers are advised to contact Rhode Island College Special Collections for questions regarding permissions to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise publish material from this collection. Although Rhode Island College has physical ownership of the collection, it does not necessarily hold literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
The collection is open for research.
Stephen Olney letter to Jeremiah Dexter, MSS-0102, Special Collections, James P. Adams Library, Rhode Island College.
The collection contains one item and therefore has no current arrangement.
Provenance of the collection is unknown. It was in the holdings of Special Collections prior to 2000.
The collection was described by Special Collections intern, Melissa Moniz, in 2023 under the supervision of Digital Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, Veronica L. Denison.
Works used in preparation of inventory:
“Stephen Olney.” WikiTree, 12 June 2022, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Olney-449.
Rhode Island College Special Collections also holds a letter written by Jeremiah Dexter’s grandson to Dexter’s granddaughter:
The collection is a transcribed letter of an original, however Special Collections does not have information on the location of the original.
This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact the Rhode Island College Special Collections.