Roger Williams turned back the clock with an autobiographical speech at a recent Warwick Rotary Club meeting. Then looking forward he disclosed the possibility of a television series depicting Roger Williams’ famed endeavors.

Roger Williams, actually retired US Park Ranger John McNiff presented his knowledge of the Puritan with an enticing narrative, and concluded with a description of the possible television series to be filmed in Rhode Island.

Warwick native McNiff graduated from Rhode Island College in the class of 1979 with a BA in History and a minor in Anthropology. He later pursued Anthropology, specifically archaeology, and received his MA in Anthropology from SUNY Binghamton in 1990. In 1996 he began working with the National Park Service, and was stationed at Roger Williams National Memorial in 1997.

He retired in February after 27 years of service.

Of late McNiff  has worked as an advisor for a possible series about Roger Williams. The series on Williams’ life would be titled “Providence” and  produced by Wild Yak Productions. 

Wild Yak is “a London based independent production and general management company,” according to their website. They specialize in theater and live entertainment, and strive to bring international work to new audiences while developing their own writing. Some of their productions include Queens of Syria, A Warsaw Melody and Requiem for Aleppo.

The production team came to Rhode Island looking for people with strong knowledge of Roger Williams. After talking with the Roger Williams National Memorial and professors at Roger Williams University, McNiff was contacted..

The show is mapped out for three, ten episode seasons with an already finished pilot script. The team plans to speak with different tribes including the Narragansett Indians, Pequots and Wampanoags, to confirm the procession and accuracy of various events. 

“Good morrow,” McNiff welcomed his audience in his role as Roger Williams. Clad in a collared shirt, tail-coat like jacket, knicker pants and a top hat, the McNiff was the epitome of Old England. He even displayed the period’s defining facial hair and accent.

In his role as Williams, McNiff took listeners through English history and his quest for religious freedom. He was born 420 years ago in London, during the time of King Henry and the Roman Catholic Church. 

King Henry’s Catholic reign was harsh; he pursued a son with multiple wives to maintain his family heir. His first daughter, Mary I, took the throne after him and created a world of religious persecution and violence against non-Catholics, generating the infamous nickname “Bloody Mary.”

Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, brought back the Church of England; her successor, her cousin James IV of Scotland, became James I of England. He asked people for support in trade of no prosecution.

During this time, Puritans were persecuted for disobeying the Catholic Church; Williams noted that these so-called politicians “set the tone of the world” he grew up in. Upon attending Cambridge University, he became “enthralled” with Church reform.

He noticed politicians placed their needs over that of the Church, a tactic he believed to be unfair. And, despite the ongoing reform, nothing was changing. 

His solution: Leave. 

The speaker continued with a life-changing idea. “There was a place we could go, across the vast ocean,” he began. “There was this place called the New World.”

The following year, around 1630, Williams set sail for this “New World,” and ended up in present-day Boston. Finding Boston natives not so fond of him, he traveled to what he thought to be a more liberal place: Salem. At Salem, Williams still could not find peace; Bostonians gave ultimatum-like orders to Salem citizens to track him down. At last, he ended up in Plymouth.

At this point in his speech, McNiff offered a grand take on a pretty relevant issue. 

“When you learn a new language, you learn a new way of seeing the world,” he declared. Specifically with natives, Williams urged people to make deals with them, not take things from them.

Williams even wrote to King Charles saying that his actions, taking land from native people, were sinful. In October 1635, Williams was arrested for new and dangerous opinions.

“Dangerous to who?” he asked. “To them.”

Williams was allowed stay promising to not preach his ideals in church. Yet, in 1636 he was arrested again and was to be sent on the next ship back to England. Hearing this plan, Williams fled through the woods, ice and snow up to his hips.

He met with the Narragansett Indians and negotiated for pieces of land. He was on a mission to create a colony with no religious rules and a separation of church and state. 

“This place will be a lively experiment,” he said. No one would be punished for their beliefs, citizens would elect their own governor and general assembly, and it would obtain freedom unlike anywhere else. 

Williams said he has seen greed, selfishness and plenty of darkness in the world. He reminded Rotarians of their responsibility to maintain good in the world, as well as the responsibility of their children, their grandchildren, and so forth.

“All I wish is that you remember there is a candle that can be lit,” he said. The responsibility is to keep it lit.

A man of many tricks, McNiffis is an actor who has appeared in many colonial-style films. His theatrical skill-set and strong dedication to character did not go unnoticed during his address, unearthing wide eyes and an occasional chuckle from the Rotarians.

Time allotted for audience questions. Rotarian Gordon Wilmot asked how Williams was able to purchase land, in which the speaker replied that he held a “well established credit source” through trade.

Lara D’Antuono inquired on William’s journey, specifically its length. Williams said the trip lasted roughly two months, and expanded his answer into a riveting comparison.

“Think of all the drinks you’ve had from St. Patrick’s Day to now; pack them in wooden barrels and put them in the back of a ship,” he said. Williams described the same action for food, and added that travelers wore the same clothes for the entire trip, no matter how cold, wet or icy they became.

Williams made this daunting crossing five times. “Oh, and there’s a twenty percent chance you won’t make it,” he added. 

For many people, this journey cost them everything. They left everything they knew behind them, trading it for a world with scorching summers, freezing winters and bizarre animals.

Christine Harkins posed a question regarding William’s dictionary, in which he declared it more of a “travel phrase book” of New World language. The first chapter, for instance, teaches readers how to say “Hello.” The book includes names of things like animals and stars, and includes additional commentary from Williams – as well as a poem written by Williams at the end of every chapter. 

“It’s an amazing critique of the other English here,” he said. He noted that the English were hypocritical Christians, as opposed to the natives who took him in and provided him a home without question.

The printed book is available at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon and most other book-buying sites.

With many projects occurring, retirement for McNiff has been rather busy. He closed with a description of Williams’ death. Although Rhode Island records do not provide much detail, he died at 80 years old in 1683 of old age.