An exile from an English settlement founded Providence, Rhode Island.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony ( 1628 -- 1691 ) was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century around the Massachusetts Bay , the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of Massachusetts Bay . Providence, Rhode Island . Providence was founded by Roger Williams , a religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony . Providence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island .