USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 24
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 24
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doubtless placed on fin oun the Archive at Fulham, by Mr. Eb- enezer Miller, when he went wer fororders. It is an address to the Bishop of London, dated Apri. 02d, 1704, and signed by William Vesey and John Cleverly, church. wardens ; Jonathan Hayden, Samuel Tompson, John Sanders, Jo ..... Daniel, Benj. White, Moses Denniman, John Vesey, Solomon Vesey, John Bass and Josiah Belcher, vestrymen; thns showing what hereto- fore, I believe, has not been known, that there was an organized parish here at that early day. In October of the same year, they prove their official capacity, by giving their testimonial to Mr. Geo. Muirson, returning to England to receive holy orders, and beseech the Bishop of London to send them a minister. In 1709 the same officers answer to the charge referred to, and renew their request. No response is made until 1713; in February of which year, a Mr. Lambton, of Newbury, writes, 'there is not the least chance of reviving the church in Braintry.' Nevertheless, in August of the same year, the Rev. Thomas Eager is here, and writes a letter of considerable interest. He mentions two main impediments to the growth of the church : the taxing of the church people for the support of independent ministers, and the want of a place of worship, the people fearing censure as conventiclers, if they should attend service in a private house. ' The number of my hearers is uncertain,-sometimes thirty, sometimes fewer; but yet I am pleased to tell you that there are above twelve communicants who receive monthly. I make no doubt but that this people use their interest to break our little community, by sending home false reports of my people, and of myself in particular. But we rely on the wisdom of the hon- orable society to discover their little artifices, which, if taken notice of, will, I fear, prevent our church ever getting footing in Braintry. This town consists of one hundred and twenty families, and was divided some years since, into two districts, as I am credibly informed, to prevent a Church of England min- ister to come among them. This whole province has been very much disturbed on account of my coming to this place, and accordingly have not failed to affront and abuse me wherever they meet me. Atheist and papist are the best language I can get from them. The people are independents, and have a per-
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fect odium to those of our communion.' And now comes a sentence which I think ya will enjoy. It is to be hoped the title has lost its applica? ">=ty, if it ever had any. 'Had this province,' he says, cen called New Creet, instead of New England, it. had better suited ; for the people are very great strangers to truth, and I do really believe that I have not passed one day since my arrival without one false report or other being raised upon me.'
"But the people were not so untruthful as he represented them. Mr. Eager was anything but what he should have been. ' A sorrowful account I hear from everybody referring to Mr. Eager,' writes Gov. Dudley, 'and the church is greatly hurt by him. During the few months of his stay here he was frequently in quarrels and fighting, and sending challenges for duels, that at length the anditory at Brandry were quite ashamed and dis- couraged, and he is gone to Barbadoes without any direction or order, and the congregation without any minister.' His place was filled in 1715 by the Rev. Henry Lucas, who very shortly, however, went to Newbury. The record reads 1716, 'to the Rev. Mr. Lucas, at Newbury, a library to be removed from Braintree, whither a supernumerary one had been sent by mis- take,' which allusion makes this a proper place to mention, that in 1704, the library now on the shelves at the rectory, and num- bering about twenty volumes, was sent over for the perpetual use of the rector. The seal of the venerable society, on which this date appears, is a most curious design."
The above historical sketch of Christ Church was written by . their late rector, the Rev. Reginald H. Howe.
Up to 1725 no church had been erected. The land on which the first meeting-house was built was granted to them as a free gift, by William and Benjamin Vesey, August 26th, 1725, " for the building of a Church of England on, and no other purpose."
In August, 1725, Samuel Paine gave a bond to pay five pounds to Peter Marquand and other members of the com- mittee, for the erection of a Church of England in Braintree. As soon as sufficient funds could be procured, and definite arrangements made for its construction, the work was begun, and the meeting-house was completed in 1728. Dr. Miller,
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their first rector, has recorded that the first meeting in the church was held on Easter Monday, 1728.
Early in the year 1726, Henry Turner, Peter Marquand, John Vesey, George Cheesman, Benjamin Vesey and Samuel Paine, made an agreement with Mr. Miller, by which he was to receive one hundred pounds to pay his expenses while absent in Eng- land, preparing for the ministry.
This sum of money was to be returned to Mr. Turner and other members of the committee, with interest, in one year, if before that time he should not be appointed as a rector of the Episcopal Church in Braintree, by the honorable society for the propagation of the gospel in foreign parts. Dr. Ebenezer Miller was the second son of Samnel Miller, and was born on Milton Hill in 1703. He was prepared for college by Mr. Thacher, and graduated at Harvard College, Cambridge, as Master of Arts, in 1722, when he immediately commenced the study of divinity, and soon manifested a strong inclination for the Episcopal form of worship.
After his agreement with the church committee, he went to England, and was ordained Deacon by Edmund, Lord Bishop of London, June 29th, 1726, and received the order of Priest, July, 1727. He was made Master of Arts at Oxford, July 16th ; and was licensed to preach the gospel in Massachusetts, July 24th, 1727. He was appointed Minister to Braintree, in New England, August 26th; and Chaplain to the Duke of Bolton, September 28th, 1727. Soon after his return to New England, he commenced his ministerial duties over the church at Brain- tree. About this time there seems to have been a controversy with the State Government about taxing the society for the sup- port of the minister of the First Church.1
As far as we have been able to learn, Dr. Miller was the first native of the Puritan Province, who received holy orders in England to preach under the Episcopal form of worship. He returned to England again and received the degree of Doctor of
1. " To Col. Quincy, from the Lieut. Governor : April 7th, 1727.
SIR :- "I have received a memorial from some persons living within the North Precinct, in Braintree, who profess themselves of the Church of England, complaining of their being taxed for the settlement of your minister, of which
33
1
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Divinity, at Oxford, December 8th, 1747. His rectorship over the society continued thirty-six years.
In Nov., 1762, Rev. Dr. Miller received a paralytic attack, under which he continued until the 11th of February, 1763, when, to the great loss of the church, he departed this life, and was entombed in the church cemetery, on School street.
At the close of his ministerial duties a list of fifty families belonged to the congregation, and fifty members of the com- munion ; four hundred and eighty-eight infants and adults were admitted to baptism, during the same time. His African slave had a great and affectionate interest in him, as well as for the church, which was manifested by a silver cup being presented to the church for the sacrament, by his bondsman, which is still held in veneration by the society.
It will appear, from the following extracts, taken from Mr. Hancock's century sermons of the First Church, and some time contemporary with Dr. Miller, that the most friendly and chris- tian relations existed between the two societies; and especially commendable was the spirit exhibited by the First Church to the Episcopals, viz :- " In the vacancy before the Rev. Dr. Mil- ler received holy orders for this place, this church admitted to their communion, all such members of the Church of England as desired to have occasional communion with them, and allowed them what posture of devotion they pleased, and they received
you have a copy enclosed. I am surprised to find this matter driven to extrem- ity, especially, after the hopes you had raised in me, that your people were thoroughly disposed to make those of the Church of England amongst you easy in all these matters.
" I am not informed who are your parish committee, (tho' I suppose you are one, ) and therefore I pray that you would acquaint them with my desire that a meeting may be called to consider of the case of these memorialists, and that you would use your utmost influence that it may be with good effect, that those people may obtain the relief they look for, as I think common justice entitles them to, whilst they contribute to the settlement and support of their own min- ister. These are a matter of that weight with me, as I think highly to effect ye character and welfare of ye government. That I hope that it will not be passed over slightly by you and the people of Braintree, and therefore I hope to hear some good account of it from you in a very short time." (No signature) -Mass. Arch., Vol. II, p. 419.
William Dummer was then Lieut. Governor, but this Jetter is in the hand writ- ing (peculiar and difficult to decipher, ) of Secretary Willard.
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the sacrament standing. That though by virtue of communion of churches, Congregational churches admit to occasional fellow- ship the pious members of the Church of England, as well as of all other Protestant churches, without obliging them to own our covenant or submit to our government, yet it is the most known and avowed principle of Congregational churches from their original, that as the matter of christian churches is visible saints, so the form of particular churches which distinguishes them from others, is only the mutual covenant between their members, whereby they are especially bound and joined to each other in one society. Till, therefore, the members of other churches are received by covenant, we do not account them members of those churches they hold occasional fellowship with, nor enter them into our record of members, but account them members of those other churches, though they live ever so long, and have fellowship with us."
The following statements were made by the Rev. Mr. Han- cock, of the First Church :-
" Upon Mr. Miller's coming, this parish reimbursed (according to their own previous vote) to the declared members of the Church of England, their proportion of the charge of my set- tlement, and generously excused them from any further pay- ments towards my support. And this was done before ever any act of this nature passed in the government. The vote above referred to is in these words, viz :-
" 'BRAINTREE, North Precinct, May 29th, 1727.
"' John Vesey, Benj. Vesey, Henry Turner, Samuel Payne and Samuel Hayden, personally appearing at this meeting, and desiring that the case of their being lately taxed to the settle- ment and support of Mr. John Hancock, might be considered by the precinct, and that they might be relieved in the prem- ises.'
" The question was put by the moderator whether the pre- cinet will reimburse John Vesey, Benj. Vesey, Henry Turner, Samuel Payne and Samuel Hayden, the sum or sums they are or shall be assessed, and that shall or may be collected of them, for the ordination charge and settlement of our Rev. Pastor, Mr. John Hancock, when they shall have a minister of the
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Church of England settled and supported among them. It passed in the affirmative.
"A true copy, from Braintree North Precinct Records.
JOHN ADAMS, Precinct Clerk."
Dr. Miller was greatly devoted to his parish, and one of the earliest, as well as among the ablest, defenders of the Episcopal form of worship in New England ; this caused him to have been highly censured in Revolutionary times, and perhaps unjustly so. Sabine, in his work on the Royalist, gives the following account of this heated disputation :- " At his death, the project of sending a bishop to America had been agitated for some years, and the minds of the people were well prepared for an attack upon the Episcopal Church. His decease was unkindly noticed in one of the newspapers, which created a heated con- troversy ; and before the excitement was allayed, the dissenters found themselves arrayed on one side and the dependants of the Crown on the other. The writing which his labors and decease produced, are to be considered as a part of the Revolutionary dissension in Massachusetts."
The Miller family is now extinct in Quincy, in the direct male line of descent, Mr. Charles Edward Miller, the last male heir, having died in 1873, December 23d, aged fifty-four years and three months. The old Miller domain, which has been in the family a century and a half, has also passed out of the direct male line, into the hands of Mr. Bigelow, by inheritance, eldest son of Judge George T. Bigelow and nephew of the late Mr. Charles E. Miller.
The Rev. Edward Winslow succeeded Dr. Miller as the rector of Christ Church.
On the settlement of Mr. Winslow, the society and congrega- tion made an agreement with the society abroad, by whom he was appointed, to provide a decent glebe (or rectory) for his accommodation. February 25th, 1764, a subscription was com- menced for this purpose, the head of which closes as follows :- " For the use and benefit of the Episcopal minister forever, per- forming divine service according to the liturgy of the Church of England, at said Braintree." Among the subscribers were John Apthorp of London, forty-two pounds, and John Borland,
.
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twenty pounds. The following is an abstract from the deed of land for the glebe or rectory, from Mr. Thomas Alleyn to the church wardens, viz :- " Thos. Alleyn of Braintree, for the sum of £306 13s. 4d., paid by William Vesey and Oliver Gay, war- dens of the Episcopal Church in Braintree, in the behalf and for the sole use and benefit of said church, for the residence and occupation of the Episcopal minister of said church, to William Vesey and Oliver Gay, and their successors in the office of war- dens forever, to and for the sole use of said Episcopal Church of Braintree, a certain messuage or tenement, lying in Braintree aforesaid, containing by estimation six acres, be the same more or less, with house, shop and one barn, and all the outhouses thereon standing, and is bounded as follows, viz :- Northerly on the road leading to the landing place, easterly on the land of Peter Adams, southerly on land of Moses Brackett, westerly- partly on land of Benjamin Ruggles and partly on land of Grizzet Apthorp. May 23d, 1765."-Suffolk Deeds, Vol. CIV, p. 138.
There is every reason to believe that the church would have sunk in ruins after the American Revolution, had it not been for the house and land, the rent of which kept it in repair, and afforded the occasional services of clergymen. A large fund may be of little advantage to a church, but a moderate amount of landed property greatly conduces to its permanent estab- lishment. Some years ago this estate was sold by the church anthorities to the late John D. Whicher, and is now in the pos- session of his heirs, on Elm street. After Mr. Whicher pur- chased this estate he sold the old rectory, and it was taken down.
The Rev. Edward Winslow officiated over this church thir- teen years, and was highly beloved and appreciated for the great interest he took in advancing the prosperity and welfare of the church. During his rectorship, the number of families in the congregation was increased from fifty to sixty-eight ; the number of baptisms registered was two hundred and sixty-eight, and nine names were added to the communicants. The strug- gles of the Revolutionary War seriously interfered with his success in increasing the members of the society.
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In 1773, during his ministration, it was found necessary to enlarge the church at the east end, thirteen feet ; the pulpit was then removed to the corner of the north range of pews from the centre of the opposite side.
In 1777, Mr. Winslow, on account of the Revolutionary War then going on, felt it his duty to resign his pastorate, assigning as a reason "that he could not safely read the prayer for the king, nor conscientiously forbear to read it, as by his ordination pledge he was obliged to conform literally to the prayers of the established church, and unless absolved by the power that en- forced the oath as the terms of ordination, he could not depart from it."
Mr. Miller and Mr. Winslow received from the society for propagating the gospel, sixty pounds per year, the residue of the salary was made up by the parishioners.
On the removal of Mr. Winslow, as the society could not pray for the king, this beneficiary was withdrawn, and it left the church in an embarrassed condition, and its existence was then little more than a society in name. This munificent dona- tion had amounted in all to more than $13,000.
" The Rev. Edward Winslow was son of Mr. Joshua Winslow, a respectable merchant of Boston. He graduated at Harvard College in 1741, and was intended for the Congregational min- istry, but the course of his studies led him to prefer Episcopacy. His father protested, and the son relinquished his profession and applied himself to commerce. He married and resided in Bar- badoes, one of the West India Islands ; but not being able to content himself out of the field of duty to which he had early been called, he quitted mercantile life, went to England, and was ordained by the Bishop of London, Deacon and Priest, offer- ing himself as a missionary to the venerable society before men- tioned. He was appointed to succeed Dr. Johnson in Stratford, Connecticut, but having a large family, and being desirous of giving them a better education than his circumstances in Strat- ford would allow, he obtained the living of this church and removed here with his family, July 27th, 1764. While here, he occasionally preached in the neighboring churches of Dedham, Bridgewater, Scituate and Marshfield. This society seemed to
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have exercised a maternal care over those of the same com- munion in this vicinity."
Mr. Winslow, after having with sad and silent musings, re- signed his charge over this society, went to New York.
During his residence in that city, he occasionally preached and performed the offices of the church, in one of which he met his death. On returning from a funeral, as he ascended the steps of his house, he fell down and expired. His remains were entombed under the altar of St. George's Church, in the city of New York. His death occurred in 1780, at the age of fifty- nine.1
"Next to Mr. Winslow, we find the name of Mr. Joseph Clev- erly, who, if he was not one of the ministers of this church, was one of its fathers. Mr. Cleverly graduated from Harvard Col- lege in 1733, and although never in holy orders, yet he served the spiritual interests of the church for many years, by reading prayers and sermons, and is called in the records, their teacher.
" At a meeting on Easter Monday, 1784, the thanks of the church were voted to Mr. Cleverly for his past services. It is to be inferred from this, that his first term of service was the whole time between 1777 and 1784, a period of seven years.
" Mr. Cleverly was a staunch churchman, and of unblemished reputation. He continued to officiate, in the absence of regular clergymen, till extreme old age and decrepitude terminated his useful ministrations. He closed his life at the age of eighty- nine, and was interred in the church cemetery."
From this period the services were performed by clergymen and lay-ministers, who were selected by the church committee, and officiated for a single Sunday, or for a longer stated period. Of this number were the Rev. John Lynn Blackburn, Rev. James B. Howe, Rev. Calvin Wolcott, Rev. William Clark, E. R. Lippitt and Dr. S. H. Tyng.
· Up to 1822, the church was in an inanimate and lifeless con- dition. At this time the wardens of the society were very for-
1. The following inscription is to be found on his tomb-stone :- " Here lies the mortal remains of a man whose virtues are registered in the heart of every Episcopalian, a man who will be remembered for the good deeds he has done to the house of his God and to the offices thereof."
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tunate in securing the valuable services of the Rev. Benjamin Clark Cutler, who held divine services in Christ Church in May of this year, and came here to reside the July following. He was ordained Deacon by the Right Rev. A. V. Griswold, Sept. 19th, 1822, and Priest the 16th of March, 1825. The first ordi- nation was in this church, and the second in St. Ann's Church, Lowell, it being more convenient for the Bishop to attend the service at that time and place. Under Mr. Cutler's rectorship the society rapidly increased in prosperity, and for the first time since its organization, became independent and self-supporting. Some of the old communicants returned and many new families joined the society, and in many respects it was a new church. The number of families belonging to the society at this time was seventy-eight ; number of communicants, sixty-eight, sixty- five of whom had been added since his labor of love began ; one hundred and eleven baptisms having been recorded in the mean time.
Rev. Mr. Cutler's labors as rector of this church lasted for the brief period of five years, when he was called away to a larger field of duty, as rector of St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn, New York.
After the resignation of Mr. Cutler, the church again fell into decline, and continued on with varied success-some of the time by lay readers, and at other short periods by clergymen-until the Rev. Mr. Burroughs was called to settle over the parish, when it was again revived by awakening a new interest in the Episcopal service, and new and influential families joined the society. Mr. Burroughs was succeeded by the Rev. Charles H. Brainard, who actively and ardently entered into the work of ex- tending the fruits of Episcopacy in town. His eccentricities however, not being approved by the parish, he was dismissed. Mr. Brainard was succeeded by the devout rector, the Rev. Reg- inald H. Howe, who, by his untiring exertions for the good of the society, soon became affectionately beloved by his parish and the town's people. After a short rectorship of about four or five years, he had a call to become rector of a church at Long- wood, Brookline, Massachusetts, which he accepted, and re- moved their in the spring of 1877. The Rev. Thaddeus A.
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Snively of Huntington, L. I., having received a call, accepted the rectorship of this society, and commenced his labors with them April 1st, 1878.
The first church by the Episcopal Society of this town was erected between 1725 and 1728, on land granted to the church by William and Benj. Vesey. It was located on School street, where Christ Church Cemetery now is. The church was built on the south-easterly part of this land and stood east and west. It was enlarged thirteen feet at the east end, in 1773, during the rectorship of the Rev. Mr. Winslow, and two new wings were added during Rev. Mr. Cutler's ministerial labors ; but this not proving sufficient to accommodate the increasing congregation, the question of erecting a new church was thoroughly canvassed and finally agreed upon. Mr. Apthorp, one of the old benefac- tors of the church, presented the society with a lot of land suffi- cient for the purpose, on the corner of Elm street and Quincy avenue.
A fine commodious wooden church with a square tower, was built in 1832 on this site, which had four round holes in the belfry ; the main building was ornamented with large Gothic windows.
On Saturday evening, Nov. 19th, 1859, this church was de- stroyed by fire-being the first church ever burned in town. Its bell was seriously missed by the citizens of South Quincy, as it was a favorite alarm bell in that part of the town, in case of fire. With untiring energy, the few friends of the society soon had another fine Gothic structure of stone erected on the ruins of the old church, and it was consecrated Sept. 13th, 1860.
On the morning of November 1st, 1873, went forth the un- welcome alarm, that the third church built by the Episcopal Society was on fire ; but with all the skill, energy and active exertions of the fire department, this fine structure was soon consumed by the fiery element and lay in ruins ; the rectory ad- joining the church, however, was saved without being much damaged.
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