USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Scituate > History and records of St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal Church, of Scituate, Mass., 1725-1811, of Hanover, Mass., 1811-1903, and other items of historical interest, being Volume II of the church and cemetery records of Hanover, Mass > Part 1
USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Hanover > History and records of St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal Church, of Scituate, Mass., 1725-1811, of Hanover, Mass., 1811-1903, and other items of historical interest, being Volume II of the church and cemetery records of Hanover, Mass > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14
Gc 974.402 Sc18b 1899054
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01095 5885
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historyrecordsof2172brig
HISTORY AND RECORDS
OF
ST. ANDREW'S PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH,
OF 1725-1903
SCITUATE, MASS., 1725-1811, OF
HANOVER, MASS., 1811-1903,
AND OTHER ITEMS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST,
BEING VOLUME II OF THE CHURCH AND CEMETERY RECORDS OF HANOVER, MASS., *
BY V. 2
L. VERNON BRIGGS,
MEMBER OF THE. NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY; BOSTONIAN SOCIETY; OLD COLONY HISTORICAL SOCIETY; ESSEX INSTITUTE OF. SALEM, MASS .; MAINE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY; HANSON, MASS,, LIBRARY ASSOCIATION; NEW HAVEN COLONY HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF CONNECTICUT; MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY; TRUSTEE OF THE PILGRIM SOCIETY, PLYMOUTH, MASS .; HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MACON, GEORGIA, LIBRARY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY; HONORARY MEMBER OF THE STATE OF KANSAS HISTORICAL SOCIETY; HONORARY MEMBER OF THE NEW LONDON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF CONNECTI- CUT; HONORARY MEMBER OF THE THEATRE OF ARTS AND LETTERS; - VICE PRESIDENT HANCOCK HIS - TORICAL SOCIETY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
I904
THAT22
1899054
ST. ANDREW'S PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH, HANOVER, MASS., 1904.
COPYRIGHT BY L. VERNON BRIGGS, 1905.
PRESS OF WALLACE SPOONER, 41. ARCH ST., BOSTON, MASS.
DEDICATED
TO
Horace Sylvester Comer,
A LIFE - LONG FRIEND
FAITHFUL AND TRUE.
-
ACT OF INCORPORATION.
AN ACT to incorporate the Wardens and Vestry-men. of the Episcopal Church of St. Andrew's in Scituate into a Society by the name of the Episco- pal Protestant Society of St. Andrew's Church in Scituate.
SEC. I. Be it Enacted by the Senate & House of Representatives in General Court Assembled & by the authority of the same that Charles Bailey & Thomas Barstow, junr, Church Wardens &. Stephen Bailey, Mordecai Ellis, Nathaniel Ellis, Clark Ellis, Nathaniel Stetson, Samuel Donnel, George Bailey, George Bailey junr, Benjamin Mann, Job Curtis, Levi Mann, Job Sylvester, Nathaniel Clark, Nathaniel Sylvester, Isaac Perry, Charles Stockbridge, Benjamin James, Benjamin James Junr and Abijah Otis, Ves- trymen, with the other proprietors of St. Andrews Church in Scituate, residing in Scituate, Hanover, Pembroke & in towns and places adjacent, & their Successors, together with their polls and Estates be and they hereby are incorporated into a Society or Body Politic by the name of the Episcopal Protestant Society of St. Andrew's Church in Scituate. . And the said Society are hereby invested with full power & authority to assess and collect of the Members belonging to said Society for the purpose of maintaining the public worship of God therein and for maintaining and supporting their Instructor of Piety, Religion and Morality and for repairing their house of public wor- ship from time to time, such monies as are or may be necessary for those purposes ; and they are hereby vested with all such powers, privileges & im- munities as Congregational Societies do or may enjoy by the Laws of this Commonwealth.
SEC. 2. And be it further Enacted by the authority aforesaid, that if any other person or persons may incline to join said Episcopal Society in Scituate aforesaid, by signifying such his or their desire in writing to the respective Clerks of the several Towns to which he or they may respectively belong, he or they, with his or their polls & estates shall be considered as belonging to the said Episcopal Society in the same manner as though he or they were incorporated by name in this Act. And whenever any Person or Persons belonging to said Episcopal Society shall incline to belong to the Congregational Society in the Town in which he or they may respectively reside, by signifying such his or their desire in writing to the Clerk of the Town in which he or they may then reside, he or they with his or their Polls & Estates, shall be discharged from said Episcopal Society & annexed to the Congregational Society in the Respective Towns in which he or they may then reside.
SEC. 3. And be it further enacted that Melzar Curtis, Esq., of Hanover be and he hereby is empowered to issue his Warrant, directed to some prin- cipal Proprietor of said Church, to warn the Proprietors of said Church to assemble & meet at some suitable time and place in the Town of Scituate to choose all such officers as other incorporated Religious Societies are empow- ered and required to choose at their Annual Meetings in the months of March or April Annually.
Approved February 23, 1797.
CHURCH AND CEMETERY RECORDS OF HANOVER, MASS.
VOLUME II.
PREFACE.
The first volume of the Church and Cemetery Records of Hanover was published in 1895. The following comprising mainly the records and history of St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal Church of Hanover is issued as the second volume of the set. It was not expected that nine years would elapse between the publica . tion of the two volumes, but as will be at once evident, the records were incomplete and the expectation that a systematic and diligent search might result at least in the recovery of some portion of them seemed to justify the delay. This expectation, however, has not been realized and apparently the prospect of success does not' become more encouraging. Eventually, no doubt, as has often happened, the missing records will be discovered, possibly in a libarry, a book shop, or in a forgotten place in some old-time house in the neighborhood. At present nothing has been found prior to 1780 and from that time until 1835, intermissions, either entire or par- tial, occur.
The Hon. Jedediah Dwelley is engaged in preparing a History of Hanover. It is indeed fortunate that among the residents of the town there is one so exceptionally fitted for that work. None, it may be asserted, has had a more intimate knowledge of local hap- penings, or a more extensive acquaintance among the townspeople, or can bring to the task a more intelligent and sympathetic interest. The confidence and appreciation of his fellow-citizens have been expressed by calling him more frequently than any other from among their number to serve them in offices of trust and honor, and every trust that has been reposed in him has been faithfully administered, and every enterprise he has undertaken has been successfully accom- plished. Respected and beloved by all, he is today the father of the town-its representative citizen-and the one above all others who should write its history. My sincere hope is that this volume and my previous modest efforts may be of some slight assistance to him in his work.
This volume contains the records only of St. Andrew's Parish. The Church has always filled a prominent place in the religious life of the communities in which it was located. It is not known what became of the first edifice, but a portion of that which stood on "Church Hill," Norwell, was used in the construction of the present house and a portion in the construction of what is now the residence of the family of James T. Tolman at the corner of Oakland Avenue and Broadway, Hanover, part of the pews being used for paneling and wainscoting the rooms.
vi
PREFACE.
"Church Hill " was without a house of worship after the removal of St. Andrew's until late in 1829 when Mrs. Mary Stetson, a mem- ber of the Bromfield Street Church, removed from Boston to South Scituate, occupying the house which was later the residence of Mrs. John Knapp. There services were held, " Mother Stetson," as she was affectionately called, taking up the carpets of the lower floor and converting her house into a Sanctuary. The earliest records of the Society are dated May 12, 1849. The minister was Reverend E. H. Hatfield and there was a membership of thirty, with a Sunday School class of eleven scholars.
The "Old School House on the Plains" had been bought and fitted up for a meeting house and called Union Hall. It is the same building now used by Mr. Melvin Little as his store and was moved to its present location by James Knapp, who for a time used it also for that purpose. In 1851, mainly through the efforts of Captain Talbot, the present Methodist Episcopal Church at South Scituate, now Norwell, was built.
The character and ability of the rectors can be regarded with pride and satisfaction by the friends and members of the Parish. All of them were men whose reputation extended beyond their immediate charges and some of them became prominent and influential in wider and more extended fields. Few country parishes have been. so favored and fortunate in this respect. Of those regularly settled, the Reverend Addington Davenport and the Reverend Samuel Par- ker became rectors of Trinity Church, Boston. The former was the first rector of Trinity, and the latter was afterward elected Bishop of Massachusetts. Of those who, though not regularly settled, officiated for a considerable time during vacancies in the rectorship, the Reverend Benjamin Bosworth Smith, after attaining distinction as minister, editor and author, became the first Bishop of Kentucky and was long President of the House of Bishops; the Reverend Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright after serving as rector of Trinity Church, Boston, and of churches in New York City, became Provi- sional Bishop of New York. He was for many years Secretary of the House of Bishops, and was widely known as an author and orator and was influential in many circles apart from his profession. Sketches of these eminent clergymen appear at the close of the last chapter.
'The continued serious illness of the Reverend Mr. Harraden, the present rector, is a source of sorrow to his friends and parish- ioners and their hope is that with health and strength renewed and restored, he may long be permitted to continue his labor of love and mercy in the parish he has so faithfully served for more than fifteen years.
During his pastorate a new parish house has been built and lately a new clock for the church has been presented to the parish
vii
PREFACE.
by Mrs. Edmund Q. Sylvester. Her sons Edmund Q. Sylvester and Joseph S. Sylvester, by their interest and efforts have done much to keep the society together and up to its present standard.
On the Parish rolls, too, have been distinguished names, pre- eminent among them that of Daniel Webster. Born in New Hamp- shire, January 18, 1782, he removed in June, 1816, to Mt. Vernon Street, Boston. In September 1825, at the suggestion of Mr. Samuel K. Williams he drove to the summer resort at Marshfield kept by Captain John Thomas. He came in a chaise, with his trunk strapped to the axle, accompanied by his wife Grace, daughter of Reverend Elijah Fletcher of Hopkinton, N. H., and his son Fletcher, then about twelve years of age riding behind on a pony. While here and enjoying the opportunities which the place afforded to indulge in hunting and fishing, he formed an attachment for Nathaniel Ray the son of Captain Thomas which remained unbroken until Ray's death in 1841. During his illness Mr. Webster was at his bedside day and night until the end came.
Mr. Webster continued to visit Marshfield each year, and in 1831 bought the Thomas homestead. Two years before, having been a widower for two years, he married Caroline the daughter of Jacob LeRoy of New York.
The Hon. William T. Davis, from whose writings the above facts have been taken, says that among his neighbors at Marsh- field he was regarded as a true, simple, transparent, tender-hearted man, their counsellor and friend, that he was a man of deep relig- ious feeling, and was as familiar with the Bible as with the Con- stitution of the United States ; that on Sunday morning he would gather his household for Scripture reading and an address on the duties of life.
And Mr. Davis further writes that he said that the view from the chamber which he occupied at his Marshfield home was the most beautiful he had ever seen, and that there at half-past three on a summer morning, he might have been seen sitting in an arm- chair by the window, waiting for what he considered the most im- pressive spectacle of life - the break of day. He wondered that so many persons in the world should neglect the opportunity of witnessing that daily but sublime exhibition.
In Salisbury, N. H., he joined the orthodox Congregational Church. In Boston, in 1816, he was attending the Brattle Street Church, but in 1819 became one of the founders of St. Paul's Epis- copal Church and occupied pew No. 25. On May 8, 1852, while driving from Marshfield to Plymouth the linchpin of his carriage. broke and he was thrown on his head and shoulder. Drs. J. Mason Warren and John Jeffries were in attendance, and though he par- tially recovered, he never regained his usual strength and spirit, , and died Oct. 24, 1852. The autopsy disclosed internal hemorrhage,
viii
PREFACE.
it also showed that his brain was thirty per cent. above the average and was only exceeded in weight by two, those of Cuvier and Dupuy- tren, the largest on record. Mr. Davis also says his belief in Christ as mediator and intercessor was shown by the prayer uttered by him in his last hours, "Heavenly Father, forgive my sins and receive me to thyself through Christ Jesus."
That the most extraordinary figure among all the many brilliant men of his day was a frequent worshipper within the walls of St. Andrew's is a fact in the Church history that is well-deserving of commemoration and preservation.
The use of the church has often been granted for lectures and for meetings in the interest of movements for the promotion of the moral welfare of the community.
Lucius Manlius Sargent, scholar, philanthropist, and author of " Three Temperance Tales " has lectured there on Temperance, and it is believed, too, that John B. Gough who was at the Centre Han- over Church also spoke at St. Andrew's.
The late Reverend David Barnes Ford of Hanover in a com- munication to a local paper some years ago gave his recollections of what he called "a large all-day gathering in the cause of education" held in the church in September 1838, at which Daniel Webster, John Quincy Adams, Horace Mann, and Robert Rantoul were pres- ent and made addresses. Mr. Ford wrote that the closing part of the address of Mr. Adams was delivered with great animation and that it had always remained in his memory and was in sub- stance as follows :
"There was one usage in the ancient Republic of Sparta which now occurred to him and which filled his mind with this pleasing idea that these endeavors of ours for the fit education of all our children would be the means of raising up a generation around us superior to ourselves. The usage was this-the inhabitants of the city on a certain day collected together and marched in procession, dividing themselves into three companies, the old, the middle aged, and the young. When assembled for the sports and exercises a dramatic scene was introduced and the three parties each had a speaker, and Plutarch gives the form of phraseology used in the several addresses on the occasion. 'The old men speak first and addressing those beneath them in age say
We have been in days of old Wise, generous, brave and bold.
Then come the middle-aged and casting a triumphant look at their seniors, say to them
That which in days of yore ye were We at the present moment are.
1
ix
PREFACE.
Last march forth the children and looking bravely on both com- panies who had spoken, they shout forth thus :
Hereafter at our country's call We promise to surpass you all."
The material contained in the closing chapter was not obtained until the first chapters had been printed and was considered of suf- ficient importance to warrant its insertion in that place in order that it might appear as part of the church history.
Necessarily a considerable portion of a work of this nature consists of extracts and compilations from previous writers, for there is little opportunity for original research, and of such assis- tance the author has availed himself freely, and to those writers, of whom mention is made in the text, he desires to make grate- ful acknowledgment of his indebtedness.
The arrangement of the data has been entrusted to others. To preserve and present the records has been my main purpose and I regret that the demands upon my time have prevented me giving but a meagre outline of what is an interesting history ; for in addi- tion to the duties of an exacting profession, there have been fre- quent calls for diversified service by reason of my interest and membership in the following enterprises and societies :
Member of the Staff of the Boston Dispensary.
The American Medical Association.
Massachusetts Medical Society.
Boston Medical Library Association.
President of the Alpha Kappa Kappa Society of the Dartmouth Medical College.
Massachusetts Audubon Society.
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
Treasurer of the Tyler Street Day Nursery Company, Boston.
President of the Lever Suspension Brake Company.
Director of the Georgia & Tennesee Copper Company.
St. Botolph Club, Boston ; The National Arts Club, and the Strollers Club of New York City.
Eastern Yacht Club, Marblehead, Mass.
Sepuit Club, Wianno, Mass.
Pilgrim Royal Arch Chapter of Masons, Abington, Mass.
New England Sportsmen's Association.
The Citizens Law and Order League of Massachusetts.
A Mate of the Nautical Historical Society of Scituate, Mass.
The result that has been accomplished in the preservation of a large part of the records of the Churches and Cemeteries in the two volumes will,. I hope, inspire some one to continue the search and make them more complete. L. VERNON BRIGGS.
December, 1904.
CONTENTS.
For Indexes of Names and Towns see end of Volume.
CHAPTER I.
Formation of the Church : Extracts from the Memorial Address of Rev'd W. H. Brooks, S. D. T. 1-14
Church History as contained in the four volumes of the Parish Records
1780-1812. 15-48
1872-1903
· 49-62
CHAPTER II.
Communicants of St. Andrews Church with the dates of admission to Communion and of First Communion, and Notes 63-71
CHAPTER III.
Marriages : St. Andrew's Church
1782-1806
72-73
1834-1903
.73-91
CHAPTER IV.
-
Baptisms : St. Andrew's Church
1790-1809
92-98
1819-1903
99-123 ·
CHAPTER V.
Deaths entered upon the Records of St. Andrew's Church
1834-1903
124-155
.
CHAPTER VI.
History of St. Andrew's Parish continued from Chapter I.
.
. 156-167
CHAPTER VII.
History of the Church concluded from Chapter VI. Items of inter- est from various sources obtained after the first chapters had gone to press . . 168-181
HISTORY OF ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH, SCITUATE AND HANOVER, MASS.
CHAPTER I.
FORMATION OF THE CHURCH : EXTRACT FROM MEMORIAL ADDRESS OF REV. W. H. BROOKS, S.T.D., AND THE CHURCH HISTORY AS CONTAINED IN THE FOUR VOLUMES OF THE PARISH RECORD.
O N Sunday afternoon, September 3, 1882, at the site of the church edifice opened for divine worship October 11, 1731, an historical address was delivered by the Reverend William Henry Brooks, S.T.D., at a service memorial of St. Andrew's Church, Scituate, which in 1811 became St. Andrew's of Han- over. The address was, by request, published, and extracts following in the order in which they appear in the original text form the material for the opening portion of this chapter and afford the reader a history of the foundation and development of the Church more complete and interesting than any which can now be presented in other terms or by another writer.
On Wednesday, July 28, 1725, the Rev. Dr. Timothy Cutler, Rector of Christ Church, Boston, at the request of several of the inhabitants of the town of Scituate, conducted divine service according to the liturgy of the Church of England and preached in the North Meeting House in Scituate, near the harbor : the house standing almost opposite the place where the Hon. George Lunt, the thorough scholar and true poet, lately resided.
.
2
ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH.
Dr. Cutler was ordained and installed pastor of the Congre- gational Church in Stratford, Conn., on the 11th of January, 1710.
He had a very high reputation as a preacher and was re- garded as one of the most influential clergymen in the Colony. In 1719 he became Rector of Yale College.
In November, 1722, he sailed from Boston to England, and in March, 1723, was ordained both deacon and priest by the Right Rev. Dr. Thomas Greene, Bishop of Norwich.
The University at Oxford and that at Cambridge both hon- ored him with the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
In November, 1723, returning to Boston, he began his labors as a missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, in Christ Church, which had just been established in that city.
About the year 1756 his labors were interrupted by an attack of illness from which he never recovered.
" After he had served his own generation by the will of God " in August, 1765, at the age of eighty two years, " he fell on sleep and was laid unto his fathers."
The Rev. Ebenezer Miller, S. T. D., who as missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts for Braintree, entered upon his ministry over that church (now Christ Church, Quincy) Dec. 25, 1727, at times conducted public worship for the people of the Church of England in Scituate in a private house, where he had as large a congregation as the house could well contain.
These people erected a church edifice on this spot, known as " Church Hill," now within the borders of the town of South Scituate (set off in 1849 from the town of Scituate), about a mile from the location, in the town of Hanover, of the present church edifice (the second) of St. Andrew's parish.
It was placed conveniently for the accommodation of the churchmen within several of the neighboring towns as well as for that of those in Scituate. The church was first opened upon the 11th of October, 1731, when Dr. Miller conducted
3
ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH.
the services and baptized eight children, thus receiving them into the congregation of Christ's flock. There were such numbers of people present that some could not get into the Church.
The building was of wood, churchly in style, had a bell-tower and a bell, and would accommodate about one hundred and fifty persons.
In 1699 the town of Scituate ordered a piece of land to be appropriated for a common, "surrounded with ways," etc. This was on the south side of the hill where St. Andrew's Church was erected.
In 1725 ten acres more were ordered to be laid out for a burying-place and a training-field. This was an enlargement of the same common.
On the 30th of the November following (1731), being the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (the patron saint of the parish), Dr. Miller officiated here again.
Although the weather was very cold and the church very .- open (not being finished), the building was almost full ; and the people present who before were unacquainted with the service of the church, seemed to be much interested in and pleased with it.
Dr. Miller offered, in case the Honorable Society should not think it best to send a missionary to Scituate, to continue with all readiness to serve the people here, as far as he could. He was the first rector of Christ Church, Braintree (now Quincy) and, after faithful and useful service as pastor of the flock in that place for more than thirty five years, died September II, 1763, at the age of sixty years.
He was received into holy orders as deacon at London, June 29, 1726, and ordained as priest by the Bishop of London, the Right Rev. Dr. Edmund Gibson, July 9, 1727.
In 1747 he was honored by the University of Oxford with the degree of doctor of divinity.
The church in Scituate having petitioned the Honorable Society to send, as missionary there, Mr. Addington Daven-
4
ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH.
port, who had just gone to England for holy orders, the peti- tion was granted ; and he became the first resident minister of the parish. His stipend from the society was sixty pounds per annum.
He received from the society a grant of books for libraries, and of devotional books for distribution among the poorer members of his mission.
November 10, 1735, he states that his services on the first and second Sundays after entering upon his work in Scituate were attended by large congregations, but that the other re- ligious teachers thereabouts persuaded many who had attended upon these services that the Church of England could not pre- vail without the destruction of their civil as well as that of their religious liberty ; so that, upon the first administration there by him of the Holy Communion there were but three recipients.
The Church people were compelled by law to pay public taxes for the support of non-Episcopal worship, or to suffer imprisonment, as did two of the church-wardens, who, for not paying their rate towards the Congregational Meeting House at Hanover (one of the towns in the Scituate Mission) were put in prison.
One of the church-wardens on his way to prison for non- payment of this tax was delivered by the constable's violent wresting of his money from him. One of the communicants, for not paying his rate towards the support of the non-Episcopal minister in Marshfield (a neighboring town) was brought in sight of the jail, but escaped it by the humanity of a gentleman who laid down the money for him.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.