USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > The church of the Pilgrim Fathers > Part 9
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
116
THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
Vol. I, page 155:
Att the Town meeting held att the meetinghouse att Plymouth on the 17th day of September 1677.
Moreover the Towne doe impower Mr. Edward Gray in their behalfe to demand the sume of 2 pound 4 shillings of Steven Bryant, and 2 pound from William Nelson Sen; and 3 pounds from Jonathan Morey and 2 pound from Mr. Clarke and 4 pounds from Samuel Ryder; and to improve the same; or soe much of it as hee shall see cause for the repaireing of the meetinghouse.
Vol. I, page 160:
Att a Towne meeting held att the meetinghouse att Plym- outh August 22nd, 1681.
Att this meeting it was voated that our pte of the money due for mount hope shalbe improved for either the repairing of the meetinghouse or for the building of a new one as occa- tion may require.
It is also recorded that at this meeting:
The Towne have voted Lieft. Morton, Mr. William Clarke, Joseph Warren and Joseph Bartlett to be a comittee to take a view of the meetinghouse; and to take some speedy course either that it may be repaired; or to build a new one as they shall see cause, and the Towne of Plymouth doth heerby en- gage to defray the charge seasonably and in such speede as shalbe requisite.
Vol. I, page 170:
Att a Towne meeting held att the meetinghouse att Plym- outh 24th of May 1682.
It was ordered by the Towne that thirty pounds silver mony be forthwith levied by rate for repairing of the meetinghouse and to be delivered to the overseers of the worke.
117
SOME HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE FIRST CHURCH
Vol. I, page 173:
Leift. Morton, Joseph Warren and William Crow were de- puted by the Town to agree with workman for the building of a new meetinghouse; att Plymouth the length whereof is to be fforty five foot; and the breadth 40 foot and 16 foot in the wall. This ordered at a Town meeting date Jan. second 1682.
These transcripts from the published records of the town of Plymouth is complete evidence that the town did build the first meetinghouse in 1637 and did keep it in repair.
There has been a conflict of opinion on the part of different writers of Plymouth history as to the date of the erection of the first meetinghouse. It appears that the date 1637 as given by Mr. William T. Davis, supported by the fact that "In the will of William Palmer executed in November 1637 and probated in the following March is a clause providing for the payment of somewhat to the meetinghouse in Plymouth" is correct, and that the town did continue to attend to the upkeep of the meetinghouse.1 We quote from the records of the town.
Vol. I, page 205:
"Att a Town meeting held at plimouth on the 25th of July 1692. Voated that 5 pounds be rated for the repairing the meetinghouse."
Vol. I, page 236:
[More repairs.] "Att a Towne meeting held at plimouth 6th of May 1695. Voted that the Selectmen shall take spedy and efectuall care for the reparation of the meetinghouse and
1 Arthur Lord and most other scholars use the more certain date of 1648 as the year of the first building for distinctly church purposes.
118
THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
have liberty to make a rate on the inhabitants for to defray the charge thereof."
Vol. I, page 255:
Town meeting October 11, 1697.
Six pounds for the repairing of the meetinghouse.
Vol. I, page 263:
Town meeting 13th of June 1698.
The Town impowered the sd Mr. Joseph bartlett to agree with workman for ye repareation of the meetinghouse.
Vol. I, page 286:
Att a Town meetting held at plimouth March ye 3rd Ano 1701.
Att sd meeting John Morton had libberty from said town to build a seat up in the north gallery in the metting house under the window.
[Note: This is the first reference to a custom which later be- came general, viz. personal ownership of pews.]
Vol. I, page 287:
At a Town Meting held at plimouth on the 19th of May 1701.
At sd meeting the Town voted with reference to the 4 spots of land in controversy between Major Bradford and the Town, vis. that part he sold to John Dier and the spot of land where the old meetinghouse stood and the spot of lately fenced in Ephrain Cole att the second brook by the Widow Nelsons and the spot of land sold to Nathaniel howland; the Town do herby quit their claim to sd lands.
This refers to the upper part of the lot on the north side of Town Square where now the Bradford Building stands. It was the town's land (common land) .
Vol. I, page 245:
At a Town meeting held att plimouth June 29, 1696. It
119
SOME HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE FIRST CHURCH
was ordered by the Town that the uper society should have the schoolmaster the next quorter.
[Note: The Upper Society was the Church in Plympton, then a part of Plymouth. This society organized in 1696.]
Vol. I, page 289:
At a Town meeting held at plimouth the 28th of May 1701. Voted that with reference to the petition of the uper society for a township its refered to further agitation at the next Town meeting.
Vol. I, page 296:
At a Town meeting held at plimouth on the 16th of March 1701-2. Voted that thirty acrees of land be laid out for the use of the ministrey in the uper society and a convenience for a burieng place and training place as neare the meetinghouse there as may be convenient.
[Note: The meetinghouse built before 1698 stood on the southerly end of Plympton Green. ]
Vol. I, page 323:
[We find recorded a grant of] 10 acres of land to Adam Wright upon ye account of his allowing land for a way from Lakeham to the meetinghouse of the uper sosiaty. Aug. 21, 1704.
Vol. I, page 324 :
[Items from the town's charges ]
Item for the reparation of the meetinghouse 8 Lb., only forty shillings is to be allowed to the uper sosiaty.
Plympton had been incorporated as a town and the "uper sosiaty" had now become the first church of Plymp- ton.
Vol. II, page 4 :
At a Meeting of the inhabitants of ye lower sosiaty of Plymouth on the 20th of March 1706. It was voted that ye meetinghouse be repaired with shingle and clabord where
120
THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
they are wanting and shuters to ye lower windows, and Mr. John Mordo be desired and impowered by sd inhabitants to take care to procure sd works don.
[Note: Lower society Town center, upper society Plympton.] Vol. II, page 11:
At a Towne meeting held at plimouth on ye 12th of May 1707. At this meeting Ephraim Cole had liberty granted him to make ye north dore in ye meetinghouse in two leavs upon his own charg. At sd meeting was granted liberty to enlarge John Carver's pew and to be directed by Mr. Thomas therin yt it don't hender peopls coming in to ye metinghouse.
[Note: John Carver's pew - individual ownership.]
Vol. II, page 21 :
At a Town meeting held at plimouth on the 6 of September 1708. The inhabitants at this meeting voted to repare the meetinghouse this year; that is to say shingle ye flat roof; and to make a new Terret and hang ye bell, mend ye glass, remove the seats and make new ons, as may be thought needfull, and repare where the clabords are defective and did for that end vote to rate 30.00-00 (thirty pounds) .
Vol. II, page 33:
Ordered by the Town May 1710. That there be two cas- ments made in ye meetinghouse behind ye pulpitt in the rome of the little windows there to lett in aree into ye house.
Vol. II, page 51:
At a Town meeting 10th September 1711. The Town made choice of John ffoster and Abiall Shirtlef to vew ye damage yt hath been don by the setting up new seats in the meeting- house by incroching upon other persons rite and to make report to yet Town at the next Town meeting.
[Note: Increased ownership of pews by individuals.]
Vol. II, page 56:
At a Towne meeting held at plimouth on the 12th of feb- ruary 1711.
At this meeting sundrey of the inhabitants petitioned the
121
SOME HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE FIRST CHURCH
town to have liberty to make an addition on ye back sid of the meeting behind the pulpit extending 18 fot back and soe the length of the meetinghouse, and ye wals to be of the sam height of ye old meetinghouse and the roofe to be of a pro- porshonable height with the old metinghouse that therby they mite have convenincy to build seats for ym selves and families and others that shall come in upon reasonable termes. Thw Town granted the petitioners that are hereafter named their request upon the conditions following, (fis.) provided that the persons subscribing to ye petition shall build ye addition of good sound oak timber and good stuff and dig away ye arth on ye back side a convenient distance from the sill and not build the front pews higher than ye pews in the old part and that they shall admitt others to the previledg of having pews with them upon reasonable terms and to build a good stone wall against the banck where it is nedfull to prevent the earth from washing down, and they are to have the planck and glass on the backside toward sd addition, not to move the main posts nor enterdice on which the gallery hath depend- ence, nor aney way incomoad or weaken the old meetinghouse or aney seats in it, and that sd addition be fild with pews and when they are filled and finished 2 men to be chosen by ye Town and ye petitioners to take an acompt of the charge and cost of the whole building and set such vallue on them as may amount to the charge they are at. The petitioners to have their first choice and then the rest of the pews to be disposed of to ye inhabitants of the town acording as they shall be vallued by the Town and petitioners, and when the house is finished and seated as aforsd then sd house to belong to sd Town as the rest of the meetinghous doth. The petitioners for the privileg of building sd house are as followeth,
Charles Church
John ffoster
Nathaniel Jacson
Ignatious Cushing
John Watson
Haverland Torey John Barnes
Abiall Shurtlef
James Barnebe
122
THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
The Town also agreed and voated that the selectmen should make a rate of 40 pounds for the reparation of the meeting- house. That is to say yt side next the stret and the south end to be new claborded, the north end scraped and tarred the roof and side tarred, and John Watson is chosen by the Town to procure this work done with convenient sped.
Vol. II, page 76:
At a Town meeting held at plimouth on the 25 day of ffebuary 1712-1713.
At this meeting upon motion made by some of those that are the undertakers of the new part of the meetinghouse, that ye Town would appoint some men to sett a valiation upon the pues in that part of sd house, upon sd motion the Town chose Capt. James Warren, Left. Isaac Lathrop and Insign Warren to doe that work for them. But a large portion of the meetinghouse remained an old building, repairs were constant.
On Nov. 9, 1713, the records of the Town show "5 pounds for new glass."
Nov. 10, 1714 - the Town voted to "improve Abiall Shurtlef to make shutters to all the lower windows in ye meetinghouse upon ye charge to ye town."
March 21, 1715 - the town voted "that on condition that the owners of the seat before the place where the Negroes and Indians sett at the meetinghouse doe give 3 pounds toward erecting a plase for said Negroes and In- dians to sett in sd meetinghouse elsewhere they have liberty to make yt rome into three pews."
May 9, 1715, the town voted "that Capt. John Dyer be chosen to take care yt ye meetinghouse glass be re- pared and bring in his account to ye Town to be reim- bursed." In the town rate - item for the reparation of meetinghouse broke by thunder 6 pounds.
From this date forward repairs were constant. The time
123
SOME HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE FIRST CHURCH
was rapidly approaching when a new meetinghouse must be built due to the age of the building and the increased attendance.
Vol. II, page 284 :
At a Town meeting held at Plymouth on ye 12th day of March 1733. At sd meeting it was voted that the inhabitants of momoment Ponds should draw out of ye Town Treasury what they have paid towards ye support of ye Reverend Mr. Lenard for ye year 1732 in order to support of their own minister.
We have noted the severance of the Upper Society (the Plympton Church) from the affairs of Plymouth Town, and now the Church of Manomet, the second Congrega- tional church of Plymouth, has become independent of town support.
Vol. III, page 8:
At a Town meeting held at ye Court House in Plymouth on Monday ye 2d of July A.D. 1744.
James Hovey was chosen Clerk for the day (ye standing Clerk being absent) and sworn to ye faithfull discharge of that office before Nathl. Thomas Esq.
Doct. Laz LeBaron was chosen Moderator.
Voated that the first precinct in this Town shall have liberty to improve a piece of land twenty-seven feet front and as deep as ye old meetinghouse now is (besides the land ye old meeting- house now stands on) in order to build a new meetinghouse upon for the public worship of God so long as they see cause to keep a meetinghouse thereon.
And now the First Church of Plymouth by grant of new land as well as the land on which the old meetinghouse stands, is in possession of the land and the church struc- ture as well. Further information must be sought from
124
THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
the records of the First Parish and Church of Plymouth. The separation from the town is complete.
From this date a diligent search of the town records does not show evidence of any grant of land or money for the support of the meetinghouse.
"April 10, 1831 - Being the Sabbath the last service in the old church (built 1744) , it haveing been decided by vote of the Parish that it was expedient to take it down."
And this is surely good evidence that the ownership of the meetinghouse was vested in the Society or Parish.
Various churches had left the mother church and had become the first church of adjacent towns: there was the formation of the second church at Manomet, the division again in 1744, when a number left the church and built a meetinghouse on King Street (now Middle Street) , form- ing the third church of Plymouth (although they aban- doned this meetinghouse and returned to the parent church in 1783) ; there was also the final division in 1801 when a new Third Church was organized and whose house of worship was built on the southwest side of Pleasant Street nearly opposite the Training Green. These and other factors hastened the complete separation of the Town and the Church, a separation completed sooner than in many towns.
It was a perfectly natural and orderly procedure. It was not revolutionary, it cannot even be called evolu- tionary; it was simply the acceptance of a fact that the town had grown larger. There were greater differences of opinions. The town could logically support one church when a church was needed, but not as many as there were differences of opinion.
125
SOME HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE FIRST CHURCH
In conclusion I will quote from A Documentary History of Chelsea collected and arranged by Mellen Chamberlain:
After the separation of Church and State in 1833 towns no longer acted as religious Societies, but these were incorporated and kept their own records; and therefore the town historian will after that time search the town records in vain for in- teresting particulars. Nor will it be practical to pursue church history in detail. Such histories must be monographs.
C
FROM THE RECORDS OF THE FIRST CHURCH IN PLYMOUTH
July 3, 1744:
The first precinct of Plymouth took down the Old meeting- house.
The three following Lords Days the Congregation met for religious worship at the Court House.
July 17th begain to raise the new meetinghouse. Before we began the raising we sang together in Psalms 127th 1 Verse.
"Except the Lord build the house They labor in vain that build it Except the Lord keep the city The watchman waketh but in vain."
and in Psalm 122 the 6, 7, 8, 9 Verses.
6 - "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee."
7- "Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces."
8 -"For my brethren and companions sakes I will now say, Peace be within thee."
9 - "Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy goal."
I then prayed with the people.
126
THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
July 29, 1744:
The Congregation met in the new meetinghouse (Lords Day) after prayer we sung the 122nd Psalm and I preached from the first four verses of the Psalm,
"O that the Glory of this House may be greater than the former."
Signed - NATHANIEL LEONARD.
Mr. Leonard was the Pastor of the First Church from Aug. 9, 1724, to Jan. 30, 1760. This, the third meeting- house, built in Plymouth for the First Church, is described by Dr. James Thacher, M.D., in his History of Plymouth as being "72 by 64 feet, a spire 100 feet high, this sur- mounted with a handsome brass weathercock." Mr. Nathaniel Leonard was the pastor of this church from the date of its erection to 1760, the Rev. Chandler Robbins from Jan. 30, 1760, to June 30, 1799; he was followed by the Rev. James Kendall who continued as pastor of the First Church until his death in 1859. During his pastorate the church built in 1744 was taken down and a new church erected in 1831.
The weathercock on this church, judging only by pic- tures, was a wonderful weathervane. There is a story once told along the waterfront about it:
One of the old packet captains, Cooper by name, on an afternoon after the packets had been windbound following a spell of easterly weather, came down the wharf in a hurry, evidently ready to sail. One of the other captains said, "What's the matter, old man, what are you going to do?"
"I'm goin' to cast off and hoist my jib. Parson Kendall's vane points sou'west."
"Hm," said the other, "I'd stay here a month before I'd
127
SOME HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE FIRST CHURCH
go to sea by Parson Kendall's rooster." This was but a short time before the church and vane were both taken down and a new meetinghouse built.
April 10, 1831:
Being the Sabbath the last service in the old Church, it hav- ing been decided by a vote of the Parish that it was expedient to take it down.
During the eight months following, the old meeting- house built in 1744 was removed. In a state of decay, it was necessary that the new meetinghouse be built. During this time religious service was held in the county court- house.
This meetinghouse was dedicated Dec. 14, 1831, and for almost sixty-one years was the house of worship of the First Church. It was burned on the evening of Nov. 22, 1892. It was of a Gothic type of architecture and designed by George Brimmer of Boston.
Let us turn to the description of the church and its dedi- cation as written by one who watched its building and who was present at the first service. Dr. James Thacher tells all this in his History of Plymouth:
This noble edifice is built of wood and is a beautiful speci- men of church architecture. The body of this church measures 60 feet by 71, and from the floor to the spring of the ceiling is 361/2 feet, is without galleries except that for the singers which is in the tower over the entrance into the lower part of the house and opens under a large gothic arch of 42 feet base. The gallery is lighted by the high gothic window in front and thus the whole length of the building is seen from the pulpit.
The floor accomodates 124 pews, the interior of which are painted a light green while the exteriors are in beautiful imi- tation of oak and are capped with mahogany.
128
THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
The side windows are eighteen feet high and seven feet wide, contain 284 diamond lights each; the glass being ground, the light is uniform and agreeable. The pulpit is of common form, the pannels and balusters gothic and the whole painted in imitation of oak. A crimson silk curtain is suspended from a gothic cornice and on each side of the pulpit is a candelabra supporting a handsome bronze lamp; and there is also on each side a smaller lamp on a moveable stand.
The front is four feet wider than the body of the church, has a tower projecting 111/2 feet and rising 87 feet in height with encircled octagon pillars on the corners surmounted with ornamental pinnacles and has wings with similar pillars at their corners and on the sides, and in the tower hung the Paul Revere bell.
The whole expense of this building, including the cel- lar, did not exceed $10,000. In the afternoon on the day of the dedication the pews were offered at auction and 103 sold at an advance of $1,800 above the appraisal. The amount of sales had been sufficient to defray the expense of building the new house, to pay the pew holders in the old house, and leave a surplus of about $2,500. 1637,2 1683, 1744, and 1831 are the years the meetinghouses of the First Church of Plymouth were built.
There stands today at the head of Town Square the church built in 1896, and dedicated in 1899, a building of singular beauty and appropriate design, reminiscent of the mother country of that little church congregation that landed on the shore at Plymouth.
It is a credit to the designer, the committee who made choice of such design and supervised its building.
May it remain for long, and prosper.
2 See footnote 1 in Appendix A.
129
SOME HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE FIRST CHURCH
D TOWN SEXTON AND BELLS
The meetinghouse was erected by the town, its care was a responsibility of the town. The meetinghouse was used for church service, the worship of God. Here the meetings of the freedmen of the town assembled in town meeting to pass such laws as were good for the whole people. The meetinghouse in the language of the present was the com- munity center.
The office of Sexton is defined, our authority the dic- tionary, as an under officer of the church who has the care of the church buildings, vessels, and vestments, who rings the bells, attends to the burials, and sometimes digs the graves.
The sexton in the early days of Plymouth was an officer of the town chosen in town meeting by the voters, some- times hired by a committee appointed by the town or the board of selectmen by authority of the town assembled at a "town meeting."
At a town meeting held at the meetinghouse August the 4th, 1679:
"The Towne voated that the Constable is ordered by the Towne to take course for the settleing of the bell and the turrett, and the sweeping of the meetinghouse, and the ringing of the bell and to pay for the doeing of these pticulars."
And the Constable, he who assumed all new duties until their importance made the choice of a new town official necessary, received an addition to his many cares, from which he was not relieved until 1686 when at a town meet-
130
THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
ing held on the 27th day of Sept., "the town agreed with Samuell Downham Junior for the ringing the bell and sweeping the metinghouse for this present yeare and the Town is to alow the ad Downham twenty five shillins for his work, and at a townmeeting held on the 15th day of August 1687, Samuell Downham senor declared himself sattesfied for his service in ringing the bell the last year."
The first mention of the sexton in the published records of Plymouth is in 1712.
At a townmeeting held at plimouth on ye 15th Day March 1712-13 Eleasar Rogers chosen Saxon to ring ye bell, sweep the meetinghouse, keepe the doores and windows of sd meet- inghouse shut and opened for the Congregation's use upon all ocasions and carfully loock after sd house as above sed and sd Roggers is to receive of sd Town three pounds per year for his sd service and to begin on the first of April next ensuing this date.
Here is recorded the election of a sexton and his duties specified:
"In March 1714 The Town voted with refferance to the Sexton the Town leaves ye matter with the Selectmen of the Town to appoint the person, and to allow such wages for his service therein as they shall think fit." But at a meeting of the town held in September of the same year a vote was passed instructing the selectmen to give to the sexton a sum not exceeding six pounds per annum and to ring "the bell alsoe at nine of ye clock at night continu- ally." This marks the beginning of the ringing of the nine o'clock bell once observed as a time for going home, now to perpetuate an old custom.
Clement Bates was the last sexton chosen by the town who performed the actual duties of a sexton; the later
131
SOME HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE FIRST CHURCH
years of his service, his duty was confined to the ringing of the bell.
Wrote William T. Davis in Memories of An Octogenar- ian: "It is singular that although the duties of the Sexton have been clearly defined as to ringing of the bell and care of the meetinghouse, no mention is made of his attendance at funerals or at the burial service. This may be due to the fact that in the early days of the Colonies funerals were conducted in a different manner than at the present time."
In 1697 Capt. Johnathan Alden, son of John Alden the Pilgrim, was buried under arms in Duxbury. Pastor Wis- wall made an address, which was noted as an innovation. In 1685 at a funeral at Roxbury, Pastor Wilson prayed with the company before going to the place of burial, a practice not common until 1720. As late as 1774 Joseph Howland, a great-grandson of John Howland, was buried in Newport, R. I .; the Rev. Dr. Hopkins walked in the procession but no service was held.
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.