First Church (Ipswich, Mass.)
Dates
- Existence: 1634 (date of establishment)
- Usage: 1922 - 1971
Biography
Ipswich, first known as Agawam, was settled by John Winthrop and his twelve companions in 1633 and the town was officially incorporated a year later. The town name was chosen to honor the merchants of Ipswich, England who were financial supporters of the Massachusetts Bay Company. In 1634, the first meeting-house was built and the Reverends Nathaniel Ward and Thomas Parker were settled. At the time, it was the ninth church in Massachusetts. The towns of Newbury, Boxford, Hamilton, Essex and Topsfield were later incorporated from lands once a part of the town of Ipswich.
In 1702 the third meeting house of the First Church was built on the north green. In 1740 “The Great Awakening” arrived in Ipswich and in 1747, a group of parishioners living on the South Side withdrew from the First Church on the north green and built their own meeting house, later named the South Church, on the school green. In 1749 the parishioners of the First Church built a new meeting house on the north green, although their membership had been reduced due to the schism. Both parishes worked together congenially on several joint endeavors. In 1773 the First and South Parishes jointly purchased a burial ground on the south side of town, and in 1804 they offered to build an engine house for a vehicle to be bought by subscription. As of 1984, the First Church has had six different meeting houses.
The First Church in Ipswich had four daughter churches. The Second Church in Ipswich, originally called the Chebacco Parish, is now the Congregational Church of Essex and was organized on September 6, 1681. The Third Church in Ipswich, embodied October 27, 1714, is now the First Congregational Church of Hamilton. The Linebrook Church, first called West Farms Parish, was organized on November 15, 1749. The South Church continued until 1922, when it united again with the First Church to form “The First and South Congregational Church.” The First or “Old North” Church was retained as the house of worship and the South Church became the Parish House.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Ipswich, Mass. First Church records, 1724-1898.
John Rogers papers, 1689-1714, undated.
John Rogers was born on July 7, 1666. He graduated from Harvard College in 1684. In October of 1692, he was ordained as the junior minister of the First Church in Ipswich; he officially became minister of the church in 1704. He served as minister until his death in 1745. This collection includes manuscript sermons written by John Rogers, a courtship proposal written by John Wise, and John Rogers' final Will and Testament.