Our second speaker, John McNiff, aka Roger Williams, is a Rhode Island native. He is a historian, archaeologist, storyteller, and performer with a lifelong passion for uncovering and interpreting the hidden narratives of early New England. An historian with a flair for performance, a scientist with a storyteller’s soul. He doesn’t just tell history; he embodies it, bringing 17th-century New England to life for modern audiences with a blend of scholarship, showmanship, and grounded truth.
McNiff majored in history at Rhode Island College, worked as a commercial fisherman and in advertising sales, then earned an MA in anthropology at Binghamton University, and launched a career in archaeology. His fieldwork has taken him across New England, England, and Mexico, driven by a deep interest in the CSI-like investigation that archaeology provides, of how everyday people lived, worked, resisted, and adapted. For him, history is not just about dates, Kings, and wars.
For 27 years, McNiff served as a Park Ranger with the National Park Service, at the Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence, specializing in Roger Williams, European contact with Native inhabitants, and 17th-century New England history. He became the content expert for the National Memorial. His background in live theater, film, and video production enriched his ability to connect with audiences, making the complexities of the past both relatable and riveting.
An active historic reenactor since 1974, he has portrayed eras from the 17th through 19th centuries, beginning with a state-chartered militia, The Kentish Guard, and later joining private organizations. His heart, however, remains in the 1600s, a time of seismic transformation in both England and the Americas. It was a world of first contacts, cultural collisions, shifting languages, and philosophical upheaval, shaped by minds like Shakespeare, Bacon, Newton, Locke, and Milton, all echoed, reinterpreted, and sometimes resisted on the other side of the Atlantic.
To McNiff, history isn’t about dates and dust — it’s about people navigating change, leaving traces, and shaping the world we live in. And he’s been helping others see that world more clearly for over five decades.
McNiff retired from the National Park Service in 2023 after 27 years of service. He continues to tell the story of Roger Williams in public programs both here and abroad.
Members of RIGS can watch the recording in the member only section of the website