New England's Hidden Histories.
Subject
Subject Source: Local sources
Found in 71 Collections and/or Records:
Abington, Mass. First Church records 1714-1949.
Collection
Identifier: RG4969
Abstract
The First Congregational Church of Abington, MA was established in 1711 and in addition to the 1st Church there were three additional churches founded in the same town: 2nd church of south Abington, now Whitman, 3rd church of east Abington, now Rockland, and 4th church at North Abington. The First Church in Abington also housed a Sunday school that was established in 1818 and is thought to be one of the oldest Sunday schools in the country. The motto of the church is "None too old to study...
Dates:
1714-1949
Adonijah Bidwell sermons, circa 1754-1781.
Collection
Identifier: MS5153
Abstract
Adonijah Bidwell (1716-1784) was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1716 to Thomas and Prudence Bidwell. He attended Yale, graduating in 1740. In 1750 he settled in Tyringham (now Monterey), Massachusetts, as the first pastor. Adonijah Bidwell died in 1784. The collection contains sermon notes and scriptural references for sermons preached by Bidwell at Tyringham.
Dates:
circa 1754-1781
Barnstable, Mass. West Parish Church records, 1639-1853.
Collection
Identifier: RG5285
Abstract
The history of the West Parish Church in Barnstable, Massachusetts, dates back to 1616 with the formation of the non-conformist Southwick Church. In 1634 the leader of the church and many of its members traveled to Boston and in 1639 settled in the newly incorporated Barnstable where they formed the first church in Barnstable. In 1717 the town of Barnstable was split into a West and East Parish; the West Parish Church was the successor church to the earlier Barnstable church. Construction of...
Dates:
1639-1853
Berkley, Mass. Congregational Church records, 1737-1949.
Collection
Identifier: RG1061
Abstract
The First Church of Christ was first gathered in 1737 in the newly incorporated town of Berkley, Massachusetts. In 1737, the town agreed to settle Samuel Tobey, a young graduate of Cambridge. In 1788, Thomas Andros, a self-taught veteran of the American Revolutionary War, was settled in Berkley. The Berkley, Mass. Congregational Church records document the early history, administration, and life of the church and its members. The collection includes financial records, church and parish...
Dates:
1737-1949
Boston Massacre sermon, circa 1770.
Collection
Identifier: MS0818
Abstract
The author of the manuscript sermon in this collection is unknown and there is no provenance information associated with the collection. The instigating incident behind the writing of the sermon was the Boston Massacre, also known as the Incident on King Street, which occurred on March 5, 1770. The event was widely reported on and further increased tensions between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain. This collection consists of a single manuscript sermon written and includes a...
Dates:
1770
Bradford, Haverhill, Mass. First Church of Christ records, 1682-1915.
Collection
Identifier: RG4843
Abstract
The First Church of Christ was established in 1682 with Rev. Zechariah Symmes Jr. as its minister. Meeting houses were constructed in 1670, 1706, 1751, 1834, and 1849. In 1810 the church hosted the meeting of the General Association and the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions came from that meeting. This collection includes records of vital statistics, financial reports, church meeting minutes, and ecclesiastical council reports.
Dates:
1682-1915
Braintree, Mass. First Congregational Church records, 1697-1871.
Collection
Identifier: RG5302
Abstract
The Mount Wollaston Parish Meeting House was established in 1639 in the present-day Quincy Area, and by 1640 the town was renamed Braintree. This Meeting House was the site of the original church, which first gathered on September 10, 1707. In 1708, old Braintree was divided into the North Precinct (Quincy) and the South Precinct (Braintree). When Quincy became an official town in 1792, the 1707 church was designated as the First Church in Braintree. The records in this collection include...
Dates:
1697-1871
Brockton, Mass. First Parish Congregational Church records, 1738-1980.
Collection
Identifier: RG0037
Abstract
The First Parish Congregational Church in Brockton was originally founded as the Fourth Parish Church in Bridgewater in 1737 and formally gathered as such in 1740. The name of the church changed, in 1823, to First Parish Congregational Church to reflect the incorporation of the town of North Bridgewater. In 1827 a portion of the church's membership left to form the South Congregational Church and in 1850 another portion left to form the Porter Evangelical Congregational Church. In 1874 the...
Dates:
1738-1980
Brunswick, Me. First Parish Church records, 1735-1829.
Collection
Identifier: RG5236
Abstract
The township of Brunswick was incorporated on May 3, 1717. Until 1747 the town was served by temporary missionary ministers. In 1747 the First Parish Church was actually split into two buildings, one following Congregational polity and the other following Presbyterian polity. In 1772 both groups agreed to follow Congregational polity and in 1808 both groups physically merged into a single meeting house. The church had close relations to Bowdoin College and Harriet Beecher Stowe found...
Dates:
1735-1829
Danvers, Mass. First Church records, 1672-1845.
Collection
Identifier: RG1309
Abstract
The First Church of Danvers was founded in 1672 when a group of farmers who lived quite a distance from the Salem meetinghouse of which they were members petitioned for permission to erect one of their own. This collection contains the early records of the Danvers church, including records pertaining to membership, vital statistics, and church meetings. Of particular note are records pertaining to the confession and trial of Martha Corey (alternatively spelled Kory and Cory) in regards to...
Dates:
1672-1845