Guide to the Paul Campbell Research Notes, 1976-1985.

Rhode Island Historical Society
121 Hope Street
Providence, RI 02906
Tel: 401-273-8107
Fax: 401-751-7930
Email: reference@rihs.org

Published in 2009

Collection Overview

Title:	Paul Campbell Research Notes
Date range:	1976-1985.
Creator:	Campbell, Paul
Extent:	8 linear feet
Abstract:	In January, 1975, the Narragansett Indian tribe filed suit in federal district court to regain lands in southern RI which they claimed were illegally taken from them in 1880. In May, 1976, Paul R. Campbell and Glenn LaFantasie were hired by the RI Attorney General's office and the law firm of Tillinghast, Collins and Graham as historians for the defense, initiating research on the tribe which spanned over two years and several states. By the time their work for the court case was completed, the two historians had collected photocopies of over 9,000 documents dating as far back as 1524.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	Rhode Island Historical Society
Collection number:	MSS 369

Scope & content

This collection contains many of Campbell and LaFantasie's research notes for the Narragansett court case. It also includes research on Providence: A Pictorial History, the Providence Fire Department, and the Cranston Ore Bed. The notes consist mainly of photocopies of primary and secondary sources, trial documents, handwritten notes, drafts, and correspondence regarding publishing.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Arnold, James Newell, 1844-1927
• Campbell, Paul R., 1948-
• Conley, Patrick T., 1938-
• LaFantasie, Glenn

Subject Topics

• Cranston Ore Beds
• Firefighters and Fires in Providence
• Mashpee Indians
• Narragansett Indians
• Providence Fire Department - History

Geographical Names

• Charlestown (R.I. : Town) - Land records
• Providence (R.I.) - History
• Westerly (R.I.) - History

Subject Topics

• Rhode Island/Local Interest

Arrangement

• Series 1 : Narragansett Indian research
• Subseries 1 : Exhibit material for 1975 land claim trial.
• Subseries 2 : Trial documents.
• Subseries 3 : Providence College and other Narragansett research notes.
• Series 2: Pictorial History of Providence research notes.
• Series 3: Providence firefighter research notes.
• Series 4: Cranston Ore Bed.

Historical note

In January, 1975, the Narragansett Indian tribe filed suit in federal district court to regain lands in southern RI which they claimed were illegally taken from them in 1880. In May, 1976, Paul R. Campbell and Glenn LaFantasie were hired by the RI Attorney General's office and the law firm of Tillinghast, Collins and Graham as historian for the defense, initiating research on the tribe which spanned over two years and several states. By the time their work for the court case was completed, the two historians had collected photocopies of over 9,000 documents dating as far back as 1524. Campbell and LaFantasie's work also provided the material for papers they co-wrote in 1978 about the Narragansetts, Narragansett Indians Land Controversies and Narragansett Country; for an undergraduate course which they co-taught at Providence College in 1977; and for a lecture series with the Rhode Island Historical Society in the spring of 1978. LaFantasie relied heavily on these materials to prepare annotations for The Correspondence of Roger Williams, 2 vols. (1988), which he edited for the Rhode Island Historical Society while serving as Editor of Publications from 1979 to 1985.

In other historical areas, Campbell co-wrote two books with Rhode Island author Patrick Conley: Providence: A Pictorial History (1982) and Firefighters and Fires in Providence (1985). Campbell served as Library Director at the Rhode Island Historical Society from 1979 to 1987.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access.
Use of the materials:	Researchers are advised that express written permission to reproduce, quote, or otherwise publish any portion or extract from this collection must be obtained from the Rhode Island Historical Society.
Preferred citation:	Paul Campbell Research Notes, MSS 369, Rhode Island Historical Society
Contact information:	Rhode Island Historical Society 121 Hope Street Providence, RI 02906 Tel: 401-273-8107 Fax: 401-751-7930 Email: reference@rihs.org

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	Campbell and LaFantasie donated the Narragansett notes jointly in late 1978 or early 1979, after the completion of the court case but before Campbell's appointment as RIHS library director. These papers were initially housed in administrative storage at the Aldrich House, and were not formally accessioned or made available to the public until 1990. The Cranston Ore Bed material (which was also jointly assembled from research done by Campbell and LaFantasie) was similarly transferred to the library in 1991. For the remainder of the collection, the accession information is unclear, but probably is the same.
Processing information:	In the Narragansett series, much weeding for duplication among photocopied sources was done. However, due to the amount of photocopied material present, some duplicates may remain.Much of the Providence and firefighter material has been kept in original folders, and all Cranston Ore Bed notes were kept in original folders and order.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Robin Flynn 1997 April.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Mark Chepkwony 2009 June 30
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

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