Wenham, Mass. First Church in Wenham Congregational records, 1643-1847.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains the earliest records of the First Church in Wenham and document the administrative history of the church and the major life events of its members. Included in the materials are meeting minutes, baptismal records, marriage records, records of death, membership lists, ministerial records, ecclesiastical council results, and early town records.
Dates
- 1643-1847
Creator
- Congregational Church (Wenham, Mass.) (Organization)
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
The town of Wenham, originally a part of Salem, was first settled in 1635 though land grants were not issued until around 1638. John Fiske, a wealthy minister and physician, moved from Salem proper to the Wenham area around 1641. He was instrumental in the establishment of a church in the community. In 1642 the first meeting house was constructed and in 1643 the General Court of Massachusetts recognized Wenham as an independent town. The Congregational Church in Wenham was established on October 8, 1644 after previous petitions to organize had been denied. Rev. Fiske was left Wenham to settle in Chelmsford in 1654 and seven other Wenham families followed him. The remaining members called Rev. Antipas Newman. In 1663, the second meeting house was constructed after a year of difficult planning. Rev. Joseph Garrish was called to be minister in 1673 and the town provided him with a parsonage to ensure he accepted the offer. He served as the minister for 47 years until his death in 1720. The third meeting house was constructed in 1688.
The fourth meeting house was constructed in 1748 on the same spot as the third meeting house. An informal Sunday school was established in 1815 and taught by Miss Elizabeth Shaw; the church formally established a Sunday school in 1822. The Congregational Parish and Society was established in 1833 following the formal separation of church and state in Massachusetts. The fifth and final meeting house was constructed in 1843 and this building was further enlarged a few years later in 1853. The church purchased an organ in 1851. This organ was replaced in 1910 with an Esty organ with the help of a small grant from Andrew Carnegie. This was also replaced in 1959 after the organ became inoperable in 1955. In 1925, the Parish and Society were dissolved and the First Church in Wenham Congregational was incorporated. The fifth meeting house underwent additional renovations and expansions in 1953 and 1986.
The First Church in Wenham Congregational, UCC, continues to serve the local community today.
Extent
0.28 Cubic Feet (1 box, 3 reels)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
In 1642 the first meeting house was constructed in Wenham and the church was established in 1644 with the Rev. John Fiske as its first minister. The Congregational Parish and Society was established in 1833 and remained active until the church was incorporated in 1925. This collection includes meeting minutes, vital records, ecclesiastical council results, and early town records.
Arrangement
Materials in this collection have been arranged in chronological order by the start date.
Acquisition Information
There is no acquisition information for the early town records. This collection's volumes were placed on permanent loan at the Congregational Library & Archived, May 2009, by the First Church in Wenham Congregational; Accession: 2009-11.
Technical Requirements
A microfilm reader is required in order to access microform materials. One microfilm reader is available to the public upon request.
To access digital user’s copies via online-interface, a java-enabled web browser is required. Internet Explorer 8.x and later, Firefox 5.x and later, Opera 12 and later, Safari 5.x and later, or any version of Google Chrome are recommended.
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
Redescribed by Sari Mauro, September 2013, using DACS Second Edition. Additional description by Robin Duckworth. Reprocessed by Zachary Bodnar, August 2018, using DACS Second Edition.
- Baptismal records.
- Church discipline.
- Church membership.
- Church records and registers.
- Congregational Church (Wenham, Mass.)
- Congregational Parish and Society (Wenham, Mass.)
- First Church in Wenham Congregational (Wenham, Mass.)
- Marriage records.
- Necrologies.
- New England's Hidden Histories.
- Wenham (Mass.) -- Church history.
Creator
- Congregational Church (Wenham, Mass.) (Organization)
- Congregational Parish and Society (Wenham, Mass.) (Organization)
- First Church in Wenham Congregational (Wenham, Mass.) (Organization)
- Title
- Wenham, Mass. First Church in Wenham Congregational records, 1643-1847.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sari Mauro, Zachary Bodnar
- Date
- 2018-08-30
- 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