USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 23
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 23
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 (link on the Part 1 page).
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 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63
No. 7. Owner, William Hayden, Sen., deed signed for him by Wm. Hayden,
1
.
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"The old edifice stood towerless through the summer of 1828, while the new temple was progressing by its side. On the 3d of October, as the latter drew towards its completion, the bell was drawn up from its summer position on the old roof to the cupola
Jr., attorney. Judge Thomas Boylston Adams, of H. U., 1790, son of Presi- dent John Adams, occupied it. He died 1832.
No. 8. Owner, George W. Beale, (see No. 85.) Occupied by John Briesler, merchant.
No. 9. Owners, Hannah Miller and her son Edward, of H. U., 1813, attorney. He died in 1842.
No. 10. Owner, Josiah Quincy. He owned, also, pew No. 34, and by a door connected the two for greater accommodation. This venerable statesman and true patriot. now in his 93d year, passed the last summer as usual, at his coun- try seat at Quiney, where his ancestors settled and worshipped more than two centuries ago.
No. 11. Owner, Capt. Oliver Jenkins from Quincy Point; died August, 1829. Occupants, Ebenezer Shaw and Perez Chubbuck, also of the Point.
No. 12. Owners, jointly and occupants, Benjamin and Job Faxon.
No. 13. 66 Joseph Brackett, and widow Jerusha Newcomb.
No. 14. Owner, James Hall. Occupants, Abner Willett, and Daniel French proprietor of the old tavern, afterwards called the Hancock House.
No. 15. Owner, Elijah Spear, who owned and occupied until his death, the house still standing near the head of the Quincy canal, in which Rev. Mr. Wi- bird lived, unmarried, through his ministry, then the estate of Thompson Baxter.
No. 16. Owner, Jonathan Beale, whose house was on the western border of Quincy, close upon the Milton line.
No. 17. Owners, Heirs of Samuel Spear. He lived at Houghs Neck, Quincy. The deed is signed by Daniel Baxter, Jr., in behalf of the heirs.
No. 18. Owner, Thomas Greenleaf, of H. U., 1784. He came from Boston in 1803 -thongh a temporary resident here from 1790. His house in which he lived more than fifty years, west, beyond President Adams's, once belonged to Rev. Dr. Charles Chauncy of First Church, Boston, who lived here a few months of several successive years. Mr. Greenleaf died Jan. 5, 1854, in his 87th year. His widow, Mary Deming, (Price, ) died Feb. 22d, 1856, in her 89th year. He was brother to the wife of Daniel, of pew No. 2.
No. 19. Owner, Capt. Josiah Bass, whose estate on Neponset turnpike con- nected with Hon. Josiah Quincy's.
No. 20. Owner, Deacon Daniel Spear. It was before owned by Theophilus Thayer; then by George his son. Josiah Brigham, merchant, occupied it.
No. 21. Owner, Oliver Jenkins, as of No. 11.
No. 22. Owner, James Mayo of Quincy Point. Deed signed by his widow Lucinda. It was occupied by Capt. Ezra Prior's family, also of Quincy Point.
No. 23. Owner, Edward W. Baxter's estate. Josialı Baxter signs deed for one-lialf of it. John Colman also occupied it.
No. 24. Parish pew for minister's family.
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RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
of the new church, without at all coming to the ground, leaving the old house ready to be taken down. Here the society gath- ered for the last time, for religious worship, on Sunday, October twelfth. In the afternoon, the pastor, Rev. Mr. Whitney, de-
No. 25. Owner, James Baxter, whose estate adjoined Thomas Greenleaf's.
No. 26. Owners and occupants jointly, Deacon Daniel Spear and Nedabiah Bent.
No. 27. Owner, Jonathan Baxter of Quincy Point.
No. 28. Owner, Bryant Newcomb, who also owned a pew in the east end of the south gallery where he always sat himself.
No. 29. Owner, Adam Curtis, occupied also by his brother Samuel, sons of Noah, and all extensively engaged in the manufacture of boots.
No. 30. Owner, Noah Curtis from Pain's Hill, town treasurer.
No. 31. Owner, Deacon Samuel Savil, occupied also by his son Josialı Savil.
No. 32. Owner, Ebenezer Crane, occupied also by his son-in-law, Josiah Nightingale.
No. 33. Owner, Wm. Baxter, Jr., occupied also by Paul Wild.
No. 34. Owner, Josiah Quiney, connecting with No. 10.
No. 35. Owner, Frederick Hardwick.
No. 36. Owner, Josiah Bass, as of No. 19.
No. 37. Owners, Edmund Billings' estate, by Lemuel Brackett administrator, one-third, - Jernsha and Mary Billings, each one-third.
No. 38. Owner, Daniel Greenleaf (as of No. 2), occupied by his sister Priscilla widow of John Appleton, and her son Alfred.
No. 39. Owner, George H. Apthorp. The deed is signed for him by Rev. Benjamin Clark Cutler, of the Episcopal Church, Quincy. Aaron Mason also occupied, of the firm of Chamberlin and Mason, wheelwrights.
No. 40. Owner, Lemuel Brackett, (see No. 54, ) occupied by Ebenezer Green.
No. 41. Owner, Lemuel Pope, from Squantum, north-east part of the town.
No. 42. Owner, John Savil, son of Deacon Samuel Savil.
No. 43. Owner, John Souther, shipwright at Souther's wharf, Quincy.
No. 44. Owner, James Hall, son of Capt. John Hall, former owner.
No. 45, Owner, Ezra Glover.
No. 46. Owner, Jesse Fenno. Deed signed by Daniel Spear, executor.
No. 47. Owners, Edward Glover, Polly Glover, administratrix, one-half each.
No. 48. Owner, General Thomas Taylor, from "the Farms."
No. 49. Owner, John Quincy Adams; deed signed as No. 1. John Spear occupied.
No. 50. Owners, Samuel and Ebenezer Rawson, one-half each.
No. 51. Owner, Deacon Josiah Adams, occupied also by his son Josiab, Jr. Deacon Adams died April 24th, 1844, aged 80. He and his brothers, of pews Nos. 67 and 77, were second cousins to President John Q. Adams. Deacon Adams' widow, Margaret, died Feb. 30, 1849, wanting 9 days of 75 years.
No. 52. Owner, John Bass, kindly remembered by many; living on Granite street to an advanced age, his sister Polly with him; both unmarried. Oceu- pied also by William Seaver, teacher, and Dr. Ebenezer Woodward.
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livered a farewell discourse, appropriate to the occasion, from the words of the Prophet Zechariah 1 : 5. 'Your Fathers, where are they ? and the Prophets, do they live forever ?'
" In the afternoon of the next day the old church was sold at
No. 53. Owner, Elisha T. Crane. Occupied also by Ebenezer Nightingale. This pew formerly belonged to Thompson Baxter, with whom Rev. Mr. Wibird lived.
No. 54. Owner, Lemuel Brackett. Belonged formerly to his father James, who died Angust 16th, 1825, in his 90th year, a constant attendant at church, and, in his latter years, sitting in the pulpit by reason of deafness. He is great- great-great-grand son of the original ancestor, Captain Richard Brackett, Dea- con, Boston, 1632,- who, with wife Alice, joined Braintree, now Quincy, First Church,- town clerk,-third captain of the town, which office, by reason of in- firmities he begged to lay down in 1684, and the court appointed Edm. Quincy to succeed him .. Richard gave a silver cup to the church which is inscribed with the initials of him and his wife, after the ancient custom, thus: R. & A.
B He died March 5th, 1690, aged 80.
No. 55. Owners, jointly, Capt. James Brackett, older brother of Lemuel, and Thomas Phipps as administrator. It was occupied also in the latter years of the church by the families of William Whall and Charles Park. Capt. Brackett kept a store by his house, which was on the north-east corner of Hancock and Elm streets. The old town hay scales, unlike what we see now, stood in front of this store. This house was built in 1794-5, by James, father of Capt. James, and was on the site of the old well-known Brackett tavern kept by James, grand-father of Capt. James. Capt. James Brackett removed from Quincy in 1825, to Philadelphia; and, after residing some years at Greenport, L. I., died at Philadelphia, April 18th, 1853, in his 86th year.
No. 56. Owner, Dr. Thomas Phipps, who succeeded his father, Dr. Thomas, of H. U., 1757, as physician in Quincy, and who fell dead, August 30th, 1832, from ossification of the heart, as he was leaving his house on School street, walking to the Town Hall to meet the officers of the regiment and resign his commission as its surgeon. He was at Cambridge commencement, with his family, seeming never in better health, on the day before, when his son Harri- sou Gray Otis Phipps, afterwards minister at Cohasset, took part on graduating. The first owner of this pew was Capt. Joseph Neal Arnold, who was named for old Deacon Neal.
No. 57. Owner, Capt. James Brackett, of No. 55. Lewis Baxter occupied it. No. 58. Owner, Henry Hardwick, who lived at the foot of Pain's Hill.
No. 59. Owner, Peter Keating. His son-in-law Lemuel Baxter, and Thomas Nightingale also occupied it.
No. 60. Owner, Elijah Spear of No. 15. Occupied by Moses Reed Marsh and Edmund, brothers, who carried on a boot factory on Hancock street, opposite house of L. Brackett.
No. 61. Owner, Elisha Marsh, who died April 17th, 1847, aged 65. His widow Lucy died Jan. 23, 1864, aged 81. Former owner, his father, Wilson Marsh,
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public auction by Deacon Daniel Spear; the tower, as we have seen, having been disposed of before. Its parts were separately sold and in the following order : The pulpit window, broad and handsome, with a semi-circular top, alone had inside blinds, and
who died July 7, 1828, aged 78. Wilson was great-grandson of the original ancestor, Lieut. Alexander Marsh, Freeman, 1654, who married, probably, Dec. 19, 1655, Mary, daughter of Gregory Belcher, and died March 7, 1698, aged about 70. Alexander's son John was father, probably, of John, of H. U., 1726. No. 62. Owner of one-half, William Newcomb. Occupied also by his sons.
No. 63. Owner, John Pray, who died at an advanced age; father of Lewis G. Pray, long engaged in business in Boston, now residing at Roxbury.
No. 64. Owners, jointly, Joseph Field from the foot of Pain's Hill, and Wil- liam Baxter, School street.
No. 65. Owners, jointly, Jedadiah and Peter Adams, brothers; from whose estate on Sea street, Rev. P. Whitney purchased land in 1801, on which to erect his house, and subsequently, in 1809.
No. 66. Owners, jointly, William Spear and Daniel Hobart, the latter being sexton for many years.
No. 67. Owner, Ebenezer Adams. He died June 10, 1841, aged 79 years, 1 month. His widow Elizabeth died Sept. 26, 1856, aged 81 years, 20 days. John Whitney, merchant, at Quincy Point, also occupied it, who died Jan. 2, 1850, in his 65th year. He was brother, and the wives of Ebenezer Adams, of Dea- con Josiah Adams, and of Lemuel Brackett, were sisters, of Rev. Peter Whit- ney. Mr. Adams bought this pew of the estate of Gen. Palmer, who lived at Germantown.
No. 68. Owner, Lewis Bass, son of Deacon Jonathan Bass, former owner.
No. 69. Owner, Wm. James, jr. Hannah Bent and mother also occupied it.
No. 70. Owner, John Greenleaf, formerly Judge Richard Cranch's pew, whose danghter Lucy he married April 4, 1795. His estate was the ancient Cranch estate on School street. He was son of Sheriff William Greenleaf of Boston. Rev. Dr. Lunt, in the appendix to his sermon after the death of Hon. Thomas Greenleaf, says: 'there were two sheriffs of Suffolk at that time, and what is remarkable, they were brothers, one a Tory, Stephen Greenleaf, and the other, William Greenleaf, an ardent Whig.', A sister of Mr. John Greenleaf, Nancy, married his wife's brother, Judge William Cranch of Washington. Mr. Greenleaf died March 29, 1848, aged 84 years, 6 months. His wife died previ- ous-Feb. 18, 1846, aged 79 years. Her mother and President John Adams's wife were sisters-the daughters of Rev. William Smith of Weymouth. Dr. Innt concIndes his excellent sermon on Mr. Thomas Greenleaf in these words: 'And may it be our felicity, when our earthly work shall be ended, to leave be- hind us as untarnisehd a name, and as distinct, as unequivocal and as reliable, evidences of a useful and honorable life, as have been left behind him by the venerated friend, fellow-townsman and fellow-worshipper, upon whose grave I lay this humble tribute of affectionate respect.' And of Mr. John Greenleaf Dr. Lunt writes, as follows: ' This venerable man had been blind from his youth; but the care which his condition required was an office of love, and never a
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was sold first, to Isaac Dodge, for $3.00; then the stove, stand- ing on the north-west side, opposite the tower door, was sold, with its appurtenances, to David Riddle, Esq., for $42.50. The pulpit and pews below were also sold to him for $53.00. The residue of the building was sold to Ebenezer Adams, for $202.
burden, through his uniform cheerfulness and christian goodness. Mr. and Mrs. Greenleaf were among the excellent of the earth; and the memory of their qniet worth is cherished in many hearts.' Mr. G., we may add, though blind, was a constant attendant at church. Ho was likewise proficient on the organ and other musical instruments.
No. 71. Owners, Peter Brackett, one-eighth; Betsey Brackett, one-fourth and two-tenths; Mary P. Adams, one-eighth; Frances Spear, Mehitable and Saralı Nightingale, one-tenth each.
No. 72. Owner, Daniel Spear. John Billings and Mrs. Faxon also occupied it.
No. 73. Owner, William Wood, master builder of the new stone church. The family of Thomas Crane also occupied it.
No. 74. Owner, Peter Bicknell from Germantown, south-east part of Quincy.
No. 75. Owners, Horatio N. Glover, one-half; Nathaniel Glover and Thomas Adams, one-quarter each.
No. 76. Owner, Jonathan Marsh, son of Wilson, of pew No. 61. He was much interested in historical and genealogieal research. He endured a long and painful confinement in christian patience and hope, and died December 10, 1861, aged 74 years, 8 months, 5 days.
No. 77. Owner, Thomas Adams, whose estate was on Neponset Turnpike. He was brother of Deacon Josiah and Ebenezer.
No. 78. Owner, Solomon Nightingale. James Green also occupied it.
No. 79. Owner, Adam Hardwick.
No. 80. Owners, Jonathan Cook and Daniel Spear.
No. 81. Owner, William Wood. George Veasie occupied it. Deacon Elijah Veasie, his father, formerly.
No. 82. Owners, Oliver Billings, one-half; George M. Gibbens, one-quarter; George B. Billings, one-quarter.
No. 83. Owner, John Dwelle from Pain's Hill. Henry, brother of William Wood, also occupied it.
No. 84. Owners, Luther Spear, two-thirds; Frances, widow of Seth Spear, one-third.
No. 85. Owner, George W. Beale. He fell dead in his yard, of disease of the heart, Nov. 19, 1851, aged 69. His father, Captain Benjamin Beale, former owner, died in 1825, at a very advanced age. Their large and beautiful estate adjoined President Adams's on the west.
No. 86. Owner, Peter Boylston Adams, brother to President John Adams. He died at a very advanced age. The deed is signed by Peter Turner as Guar- dian of Peter Boylston Adams, for one-third; Mary Turner, for one-third; and Davis Boardman for one-third. Elisha Turner also ocenpied it.
No. 87. Parish pew for town's poor.
32
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The stone underpinning and steps were sold to Cotton Pratt for $82.50. Total, $383.00.
" On the 28th of March, previous, the tower had been sold at auction, together with the underpinnings and door-steps con- nected with the same, to Mr. John Spear, for $70.00. The vane and ball on the eupola were purchased separately, by Mr. Henry Wood, for $3.25. The net proceeds of the old church, including the tower and vane, were $456.25.
" On the Sth of April following, the bell was moved from the cupola to the north-west end of the roof; and on the 14th, in the presence of a large number of spectators, the cupola was thrown to the ground with a loud crash.
" In the course of ten days after the sale of the church, it was wholly taken down and the spot graded, there having been no cellar beneath the building. The society worshipped in the Town Hall on three Sabbaths previous to the dedication, relig- ious services being suspended on the first Sabbath after the destruction of the old church edifice."
In 1826, the question was agitated in reference to the building of a new edifice. April 11th, a committee was appointed by the parish, to whom was referred the subject of constructing a stone church. This committee reported, Nov. 6th, in favor of such a house, and their report was nearly unanimously accepted.
A building committee was chosen, viz :- Thomas Greenleaf, chairman, Noah Curtis, John Souther, Lemuel Brackett and Daniel Spear.
The cellar was commenced April 9th, 1827, and on the 11th of June, the corner stone was laid with appropriate solemnities. A prayer was offered and an address made by the pastor, Rev. Mr. Whitney. Hon. Thomas Greenleaf, chairman of the building committee, made some interesting remarks and read the inscrip- tion1 on the plate, which was deposited in a lead box, together with the several deeds of land presented to the town by the late President Adams.
The new church was located on the north-west of the old,
1. The inscription is as follows: " A temple for the public worship of God, and for public instruction in the doctrines and duties of the Christian religion. "Erected by the Congregational Society in the town of Quincy; the stone
BANK
UNITARIAN CHURCH.
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and immediately contiguous; so close indeed were the corners of the two buildings, that in order to complete the right end of the stone portico, it was necessary to remove the tower of the old church.
The new church was dedicated to the service and worship of the one living and true God, on Wednesday, Nov. 12th, 1828. Rev. Dr. Gray offered the introductory prayer; Rev. Mr. Brooks read selections from the Seriptures ; Rev. Dr. Lowell offered the dedicatory prayer; the pastor of the church, Rev. Mr. Whitney, preached from Genesis XXVIII : 17; Rev. Dr. Porter offered the concluding prayer.
The church is built of granite, with a pediment in front, sup- ported by four Dorie pillars, the shaft of each being a single bloek. It contains one hundred and thirty-four pews on the lower floor and twenty-two in the galleries. According to the report of the building committee, contained in the parish rec- ords, the work included in the original estimate made by the architect, was performed at a cost of $3000 within that estimate. The total cost of the building with the improvements around it, was $30,488.56, to which must be added the sum of $4350 voted to be paid to the proprietors of pews in the old meeting-house, and the cost of the furnace. The debt incurred by the erection of so costly an edifice, was finally, in the year 1833, wiped off.
taken from the granite quarries given to the town by the Hon. John Adams, late President of the United States.
This stone was laid June 11th, 1827, in the fifty-first year of American Independence. The Rev. Peter Whitney, Pastor of the Society. John Quincy Adams, President of the United States. Levi Lincoln, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. John Whitney, Daniel Spear, John Souther, Selectmen of the Town of Quincy.
Building Committee, -Thos. Greenleaf, Chairman; Noah Curtis, John Souther, Lemuel Brackett, Daniel Spear. Alexander Parris, Architect. William Wood, Master Builder. Memoranda:
The population of the town, estimated at 2000. That of the United States, at 13,000,000. Engraved by Hazen Morse."
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It has been said that the stone for this church was all taken from the quarry given by Mr. Adams for this purpose, which is somewhat of a mistake, as the large columns and caps were taken from the quarry now worked by Jesse Bunton & Co., formerly called the Rattle-snake Hill quarry. They were the first large shafts quarried in Quincy.
Under the portico of this church, lie in a granite tomb, the remains of President John Adams and Abigail, his wife. The remains of John Quincy Adams and his wife are also deposited under this edifice.
Feb. 16th, 1837, the parish granted permission to individuals to place an organ in the church, for the use of the worshippers. This organ had previously belonged to Trinity Church, in Bos- ton, and remained there until disposed of by the society for a better and more powerful instrument.
The following is a list of the sacred vessels belonging to the church, with the inscriptions they bear, namely :-
A small cup, having two handles, and marked on the bottom, " Joanna Yorke, 1685, B. C."
A small cup of the same form as the preceding, bearing a coat of arms on the surface and marked on the bottom, "B. C., 1699."
A small cup of the same form as the preceding, plain on the surface, with the following inscription :- "The gift of. Deacon Samuel Bass, Wm. Veasey, Jno. Ruggle, David Walesby, 1694."
A high cup marked below the rim, "The gift of William Needham to Brantry Church, 1688."
A high cup without mark or date, but apparently very old.
A high cup marked, " The gift of Mrs. Mehetable Fisher to the First Church of Christ in Braintree, 1741."
A cup marked, "The gift of the Hon'ble Edmund Quincy, Esq., to the First Church in Braintree, Feb'y 23d, 1737-8."
A tankard marked, " The gift of the Hon'ble John Quincy, Esq., to the First Church of Christ in Braintree, 1767."
A tankard marked, " The gift of Mrs. Sarah Adams (Relict of Mr. Edward Adams, late of Milton) to the First Church in Braintree." There is no date added, but the church records fix the time Nov. 4, 1770.
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RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
Four large-sized flagons, marked as follows :- " Presented by Daniel Greenleaf to the Congregational Church in Quincy, 1828."
Three plates, marked thus :- " Presented to the First Congre- gational Church in Quincy, by Deacon Josiah Adams, Deacon Daniel Spear and Deacon Samuel Savil, 1828."
A baptismal vase having this inscription :- " Presented to the Congregational Church in the town of Quincy, by Mrs. Eliza Susan Quiney, 1828."
The two volumes of Scriptures, used in the pulpit, contain the following :- " To the Church and Congregational Society of the Town of Quiney, this Bible, for the use of the Sacred Desk, is respectfully presented by Josiah Quincy. Boston, Oct., 1808."
" New bound and divided into two volumes, Oct., 1828."
The following is a list of the elergymen of the First Church, in the order of their settlement, pastorate and time of death :--
Name.
Age at ordination.
Pastorate.
Age at death.
Tompson,
41
27
68
Flynt,
32
29
61
Fisk,
30
36
66
Marsh,
25
16
41
Hancock,
24
18
42
Briant,
24
8
32
Wibird,
27
45
72
Whitney,
31
43
74
Lunt,
30
22
52
Wells,
25
15
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CHRIST CHURCH.
"It is commonly supposed that 1727 was the date of the par- ish's birth. But I have recently ascertained that its history goes far back of that. It is, I believe, with the exception, possibly, of Trinity Church, Newport, the oldest Episcopal parish in New England, now that King's Chapel has changed hands. In an answer of the Church of England, in Braintree, to a charge laid
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against them, bearing date, 1709, we read, 'Mr. Vesey, minister of the Church of New York, when he was a youth, can say that he, with his parents and many more, were communicants of the Church of England, and that in their family at Braintree, divine service was daily read, which things to mention, would argue great pride and vanity, were it not in our own defence; also, we leave it to your lordship to judge, how contrary to reason it is, that a fit of contradiction in us should last more than twenty years.' From which it appears that as early as 1689, a little company of church people held services here. In 1701, the charter of the society for the propagation of the gospel in for- eign parts was granted, and in March of the following year, quite a number of missionaries were sent ont. The earliest mention of a missionary in Braintree is made at this time, which I take from the only complete set of proceedings of the ven- erable society in this country, now in the library of Brown University, and is as follows :- ' Mr. William Barclay, the min- ister of the Church of England, at Braintree, in New England, had an annual encouragement of £50, and a gratuity of £25, for present occasions.' You will observe he is spoken of as already here. There is no record of the date of his coming. We do know that in 1679 there were two Church of England ministers in and about Boston, for King William granted £100 for their support. Whether Mr. Barclay was one of these, it is impossi- ble to say ; but we know certainly that he was here in 1702. In this year we have some words of a Col. Lewis Morris, of East Jersey, to Mr. Archdeacon Beveridge, which are interesting, as showing what was thought of this place at that time :- ' Braintry should be minded,' he writes ; 'it is in the heart of New Eng- land, and a learned and sober man would do great good and en- conrage the other towns to desire the like. If the church can be settled in New England, it pulls up schisms in America by the roots, that being the fountain that supplies, with infectious streams, the rest of America.'
" By 1704, we find Mr. Barclay has returned to England. The paper that gives us this fact is a very valuable one, as the earliest document attesting the organization of the church in Braintree, the original of which, the endorsement shows, was
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