Wollaston, Quincy, Mass. Wollaston Congregational Church records, 1874-1968.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains the records, correspondence, and programs related to the gathering and construction of Wollaston Congregational Church of Quincy, Massachusetts since its initial organization in 1874. Included within the records are the administrative and society meeting minutes and reports, financial records, and membership lists of the church. The records also document the formation and mission of the church's auxiliary groups such as the Ladies Benevolent Society, Wollaston Auxiliary, and Woman's Union through meeting minutes and personal correspondence. A scrapbook on the history of the first 75 years of the church, which includes photographs from the early twentieth century and a drawing from memory of the original meeting house, further contextualizes the materials.
Dates
- 1874-1968
Creator
- Wollaston Congregational Church (Wollaston, Quincy, 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.
Biographical / Historical
The land that is modern Quincy, Massachusetts is the historic seat of the Neponset Band of the Massachusett Tribe's leader Sac'hem Chickataubut and the seasonal, ancestral home of the Massachusett, Wampanoag, and Pokanoket tribes. The descendants of the Neponset Band of the Massachusett Tribe, the Ponkapoag people, inhabited the future site of the town before and during the first recording of the colonization of the area on September 30, 1621 under Captain Myles Standish of the Plymouth Colony. Quincy's present-day neighborhood of Wollaston paralleled colonial expansion in the area and developed as a European settlement after Thomas Morton, Captain Richard Wollaston, and a group of colonists parted with the Plymouth Colony as early as 1624.
On September 23, 1874, a meeting was called for the organization of a Congregational church in Wollaston, Quincy, Massachusetts. The resulting Wollaston Congregational Society met in local churches and member residences until the completion of the first meeting house, which was erected in 1875 and dedicated in 1876. Reverend Francis N. Zabriskee, D.D., acted as first regular pastor. The church was constructed on the corner lot between Lincoln Avenue and Winthrop Avenue in Quincy, Massachusetts in the neighborhood then known as Wollaston Heights. Specifications for the wooden Gothic Revival were made by architect Samuel D. Kelly of Boston with J.D. Rollins and D. R. Edgerton of Edgarton & Rollins contracted to complete the building on or before January 1, 1876. Wollaston Congregational Church was incorporated on November 15, 1898, effectively dissolving the Wollaston Congregational Society.
The Wollaston Congregational Church an acquired additional, neighboring property in 1900. A new parish house was built and dedicated on November 14, 1915. Discussions regarding the potential of a new meeting house arose in 1923 to accommodate increased membership. The eventual construction of a new meeting house began in 1925. The corner stone was laid on June 14 of the same year, and the building was dedicated on March 28, 1926.
The Wollaston Congregational Church maintained several auxiliary groups throughout its history. A meeting was held on February 17, 1875 for the organization Ladies Benevolent Society. The society outlined its constitution and bylaws on February 26, 1875. The Auxiliary to the Women's Board of Missions was organized in 1887 and merged with the Ladies Benevolent Society in May 1918 to form the Women's Union. Also included is the Congregational Men's Club, which was started in 1906 and renamed the Chester I. Campbell Men's Club in 1933.
Wollaston Congregational Church voted to join the United Church of Christ on January 29, 1960 and is still active today.
Extent
1.44 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
On September 23, 1874, a meeting was called for the organization of a Congregational church in Wollaston, Quincy, Massachusetts. The resulting Wollaston Congregational Society met in local churches and member residences until the completion of the first meeting house, which was erected in 1875 and dedicated in 1876. Wollaston Congregational Church was officially incorporated on November 15, 1898. Construction on a replacement for the first meeting house ended with a dedication on March 28 1926. Wollaston Congregational Church voted to join the United Church of Christ on January 29, 1960 and is still active today. This collection contains the earliest records of Wollaston Congregational Church and its auxiliary groups and includes financial records, membership lists, meeting minutes, reports, and correspondence. A church history, produced as a scrapbook in 1951, documents the first 75 years of the church.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series. Records in each series and subseries have been primarily arranged chronologically by start date, and secondarily by topic.
Acquisition Information
Materials were donated to the Congregational Library & Archives by Wollaston Congregational Church (Wollaston, Quincy, Mass.) in February 1962.
Bibliography
Native Land Digital. Native Land Digital, October 8, 2021. https://native-land.ca/.
"We Are the Descendants." The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag. The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, 2023. https://massachusetttribe.org/.
Processing Information
Processed by G McFarland, March 2023, using DACS Second Edition.
Creator
- Wollaston Congregational Church (Wollaston, Quincy, Mass.) (Organization)
- Title
- Wollaston, Quincy, Mass. Wollaston Congregational Church records, 1874-1968.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- G McFarland
- Date
- 2023-03-01
- Description rules
- 3
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Congregational Library & Archives Repository