Weston, Mass. First Parish Church records, 1709-1864.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains the early records of the First Parish Church in Weston and documents the administration of the church and the vital happenings of the members of the church. The collection includes baptismal records, marriage records, necrologies, meeting minutes, and a daily ministerial journal. Also included is a manuscript volume written by Edmund Hamilton Sears while attending the Harvard Divinity School which includes an autobiographical sketch, personal musings, a family genealogy, and poetry.
Dates
- 1709-1864
Creator
- Field, Joseph, 1788-1869 (Person)
Restrictions on Access
Access to this collection is unrestricted and open to the public.
Restrictions on Use
Items in this collection are subject to U.S. Copyright Law. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the copyright status of collection items and to secure any permissions necessary for their reproduction and publication. Requests for permission to publish material must be discussed with the archivist or librarian.
Digital Reproductions are protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use the Digital Reproductions in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the Congregational Library & Archives for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the Congregational Library & Archives. For additional information regarding copyright, please consult the Congregational Library & Archives' Digital Collections Copyright & Use policy.
Historical Note
In 1698, the area of Watertown that would later be named Weston, was set off as the "Farmers' Precinct" based around the newly established Church of Christ. By 1700 a meeting house had been constructed and finally in 1709 Rev. Joseph Mors was ordained as the first minister of the church. In 1713 the "Farmers' Precinct" was established as the town of Weston.
The first four ministers of the church were considered progressive and by the 1830s the theology of the church was beginning to shift towards Unitarianism. Unlike many Congregational churches during the 1830s, this gradual shift did not lead to a significant rift within the church community or the creation of an opposing Evangelical Congregational church. The shift towards Unitarianism was made official with the adoption of the 1867 church covenant which also renamed the church to the First Congregational (Unitarian) Church in Weston. The name changed again in 1991 to The First Parish Church in Weston. The First Parish Church in Weston remains active today and is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Extent
0.57 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
In 1698, the area of Watertown that would later be named Weston, was set off as the "Farmers' Precinct" based around the newly established Church of Christ. The first four ministers of the church were considered progressive and by the 1830s the theology of the church was beginning to shift towards Unitarianism. In 1867 a new church covenant was adopted that established the church as a Unitarian church. The collection includes vital records, meeting minutes, a daily ministerial journal, and early manuscript writings of Edmund Hamilton Sears.
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged in chronological order by the start date.
Technical Requirements
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Acquisition Information
Materials were loaned to the Congregational Library & Archives, June 2017, by the First Parish Church in Weston, Massachusetts; Accession 2017-09.
Accruals
Additional accruals are expected for this collection in the form of full-text transcription. There is no anticipated date for this accrual.
Bibliography
Processing Information
Collection processed by Zachary Bodnar, September 2018, using DACS Second Edition.
Creator
- Field, Joseph, 1788-1869 (Person)
- First Parish Church in Weston (Weston, Mass.) (Organization)
- Kendal, Samuel, 1753-1814 (Person)
- Sears, Edmund H. (Edmund Hamilton), 1810-1876 (Person)
- Woodward, Samuel, 1727-1782 (Person)
- Title
- Weston, Mass. First Parish Church records, 1709-1864.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Zachary Bodnar
- Date
- 2019-01-18
- Description rules
- Dacs2 2013
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Congregational Library & Archives Repository