This 1890s illustration shows Roger Williams (1603-1683) seeking refuge among the Indians. Williams was a Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island. in October 1635, the General Court tried Williams and convicted him of sedition and heresy and ordered that he be banished. In January 1636, he slipped away during a blizzard and traveled 55 miles through the deep snow, from Salem to Raynham, Massachusetts where the local Wampanoags offered him shelter at their winter camp., as seen here. Sachem Massasoit hosted Williams there for the three months until spring. .