William Royall (settler)

[4] A Portland Magazine article, "Muddy Waters," has prompted a conversation about whether or not the river should be returned to its original name, considering the Royall family's ties to slavery in Antigua.

Sir Ronald Sanders, Ambassador for Antigua and Barbuda to the United States, says, "Heinous crimes of this nature have been celebrated in the name of this river.

Daniel R. Coquillette, co-author of On the Battlefield of Merit,[5] says, "Isaac Royall Sr. was a brutal man, even by the standards of his time.

"[6] Royall emigrated from England (where he was a cooper) to Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in July 1629,[7] aboard the Lyon's Whelp.

Following in his grandfather's footsteps, some eighty years after the fact, Isaac's brother, Sam Royall (1696–1784), moved to North Yarmouth sometime after 1724.

His son, Isaac Royall Jr. (1719–1781), who played a crucial role in the founding of Harvard Law School, was born in Antigua.