Abstract Cambridge, Massachusetts, was fist settled in 1630 and the first meeting house was erected in 1632. Public worship began in 1633 with Thomas Hooker and the First Church of Cambridge was formally established in 1636 with Thomas Shepard as the first minister. In 1650, 1706, and 1757 the second, third, and fourth meeting houses were constructed. The Parish split in 1829 between Unitarians and traditional Congregationalists after the parish severed its contract with Abiel Holmes over his refusal...

Abstract Stearns Chapel was erected in 1863 and was located on Harvard Street, near Windsor; it was designed primarily as a Mission Sabbath School and operated for a number of years by the First and Second Congregational, Baptist and Methodist churches. The name was changed to Pilgrim Congregational Church of Cambridgeport in 1871. The collection includes church records, financial records, ministers’ records, membership records, auxiliary group records, historical information, orders of service and...