Andrew was of Providence, Providence County, RI, at the time of his marriage to Mary.
Captain of a Rhode Island Company in the King Phillips War. He was granted land at the foot of the present Waterman St. in payment for his services.
He was keeper of the ferry where the present Red Bridge is located (now replaced). After his death, his widow continued the ferry with the aid of her oldest boy.
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The Narragansett Historical Register, James N. Arnold, published by the Narragansett Historical Publishing Company, Hamilton, RI, Vol VIII 1890, pp 274-283: The History of a Ferry, by Welcome A. Greene - After the King Philip's war it was deemed that a regular ferry was necessary to meet the public needs. On March 3, 1678-79, Captain Andrew Edmonds "preferred a bill" against the town "For his services done in the war time," and requesting "the accommodation" of a homestead of about 2 acres at the Narrow Passage (he there intending the keeping of a ferry). The townsmen willing to settle the bill in this way, granted him 4 acres of land and not exceeding that competence.
Capt. Edmonds established himself, built a house at the southern end of the lower stage of the bluff, planted fruit and shade trees, provided himself with a boat or boats, and stood ready at all proper times to convey passengers back and forth over the narrow passage for the proper consideration. It is interesting to see who was this Capt Edmonds, for he was one of the striking characters of the day. Where he was born and whence he came to Providence, we have no means of knowing. He reports himself as born in 1639. At Providence, in 1675, he married Mary Hearnden.
He seems to have been by nature a fighting man, one who in the expression of the olden time "loved to fight better than to eat."
Within a few months after his marriage he organized a company and was in active service against the Indians. On August 6, 1776, the town of Providence voted that Capt Edmonds and his company should have 1/2 of the produce of the Indians (being 35) brought in by them, and in his later life, he was always ready to leave peaceful pursuits for the more congenial one of fighting "salvages".
Capt. Edmonds quickly realized that 4 acres would not be large enough to cover the land to the north and south where a rival might set up another ferry. So he threw his fences out to cover all the points, and later, June 2, 1687, on the plea that the land was "very poor and mean and barren," induced the town to confirm to him the land he had so squatted upon, being an extenet of about 9 acres instead of the 2 orginally asked for.
Whilst living on and improving this estate and the appurtenant ferry, Edmond's wife, Mary, bore him three children and his estate increased in value so that on September 1, 1687, he was taxed 1 shilling and 3 pence, which made him one of the large tax payers of those days. In 1689, he went off upon the "wartrail" leaving Mary in charge of his infant family, estate and ferry.
So far as known he spent the period between 1691 until his death in 1695 at home, improving the estate and the ferry. At his death the ferry passed to his wife Mary who died a year later, then the ferry fell to Andrew, then in his fourteenth year, who continued to operate it till after he became of age.
