USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Weston > Weston, a Puritan town > Part 7
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Also in May, 1958, the present Pastor, Rev. Alan H. Moore, while preaching in Salem, answered a call to Weston, and since that year has ministered to his people and furthered their interests. His concern, though naturally centered in his Parish, extends be- yond its limits and embraces the welfare of the community. For two years he was Advisor to the Weston Youth Council, and early in 1961 he was voted President of the Weston Council of Churches. He is now a member of the Advisory committee of the Fair Hous- ing Practices Committee of Weston.
Soon after reaching the Town, he organized a committee to look into the present and future needs of his Parish and in April, 1961, the Methodists held a $50.00-a-plate dinner, its purpose be- ing to raise money for additions to the already enlarged Parish House and Sanctuary. Some hundred members attended the dinner which was honored by the presence of the Resident Bishop James K. Mathews.
Of Mr. Moore's parishioners, one name stands out among all the rest, that of the Grand Old Lady of the Methodist Church. She has earned the esteem and affection of the townspeople near and far and glows with the faith, hope, and love of her Church. Throughout her long life, exceptionally rich in good works, she has given unremitting support to that church, her bright eyes ever quick to note a need and to meet it. Unassuming, in her happy
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way, she, in her ninety-third year, still visits the old and forlorn to share her sunshine: Mrs. Frank H. Brooks of Silver Hill.
Give her the fruit of her hands: and let her own works praise her in the gates.
The white country church with the steeple pointing straight upward is still a consecrated landmark where "the road toward Lincoln" leads from North Avenue.
Reverend Francis B. Hornbrooke, S.T.D., 1876-1879
From the First Parish in Weston, in June, 1876, was given a call to Francis B. Hornbrooke. Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, May seventh, 1849, Mr. Hornbrooke was graduated from Ohio University in 1870, and from Union Theological Seminary in 1874. In this year he married Orinda Dudley of Cambridge, direct in descent from Thomas Dudley, second Colonial Governor of Massachusetts. Rev. Mr. Hornbrooke was installed over the First Parish October 18, 1876, and was graduated from Harvard Di- vinity School in June, 1877.
When Mr. Hornbrooke accepted the unanimous call, the Stand- ing Committee were faced with the problem of finding a house for him and his family, as near to the Church as possible. The only available one was on Concord Road, now the home of Harold Willis, Jr., in those days a rather long distance from "Town", especially in the winter. At a Parish meeting, April 10, 1877, the Standing Committee addressed the following appeal to the mem- bers of the Parish: "Our need of a parsonage is very evident and very urgent. We have a Pastor in whom the Society is happily united and under whose ministrations we have every reason to hope for future growth and prosperity, but it is quite impossible for him to find here at present a suitable residence. The Standing Committee therefore do earnestly appeal to all members of the parish, to join in an effort to build for this purpose. Let us give freely and cheerfully, as far as lies in our power and let us not feel that we are giving so much to the parish but rather investing what- ever we can spare in a way that cannot fail to bring a sure and satisfactory return."
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The response to the appeal was immediate; a Building Committee was chosen :- Isaac Coburn, George B. Milton, Mrs. E. B. M. Knox, Mrs. C. J. Paine, Edward Coburn, and by May third, sub- scriptions were reported to the amount of $2,965. The location of the First Parish parsonage is on land bought from the Lamson estate. The building contractors were the best in the County, Mr. Elias King, and Mr. Fitz Robinson, two staunch members of the Baptist Church. The well was dug, and drainage installed by Patrick Fitzpatrick of West Newton, who signed his contract and added: "I will do this and do it right, too." A rather plain but very comfortable parsonage was ready for Mr. Hornbrooke and his family on November 21, 1877.
During the ministry of Mr. Hornbrooke, the Parish re-organized, in May 1879,-a new set of by-laws did away with assessors and established the system of voluntary contributions, while executive authority was vested in the Standing Committee.
Of great ability and striking personality, with unusual talent as a preacher, Mr. Hornbrooke, after three years in Weston, on June 16, 1879, sent his resignation to the Parish; he had received an urgent call to the large and influential Channing Church in Newton. His letter ends: "I would now briefly but none the less sincerely thank the people of my parish for their uniform courtesy, kindness, generosity and appreciation; what the people of my Weston Parish have been to me will ever remain as a sweet and tender memory in my heart." A few people had known of Mr. Hornbrooke's difficult decision, but to the many it came as a surprise. The reply was sent from a Parish meeting on July sixth, when the resignation was read and received, "with deep sorrow and regret." Finally it was voted: "That we accept the resignation of Rev. Francis B. Hornbrooke, sending with him our best wishes and prayers and the assurance that we shall always have for him a tender and loving regard with a grateful remembrance of his short life in our midst."
Reverend Hobart Clark, 1880-1882
Although regret at losing Mr. Hornbrooke was strong in the Parish, before many months a choice was made among the candi- dates, and the following letter was sent:
Weston, Mass. Feb. 11, 1880.
Mr. Hobart Clark, Dear Sir:
It is with pleasure that we tender you the unanimous invita- tion of the First Parish in Weston to become its pastor. We trust that if you accept, the prosperity and usefulness of the church will be continued with increased power. We shall aim to give you our cordial cooperation as far as in us lies, in executing your desires, profiting by your teaching, and working with you and for you, in the upbuilding of a Christian fellowship in our midst. Awaiting your reply, we remain,
Yours cordially, Geo. B. Milton Horace Sears E. B. M. Knox
In his acceptance of the call, "after earnest and careful considera- tion," Mr. Clark wrote, "The honor and privilege which it offers me of ministering to a people who have been served so ably and so beautifully hitherto, I appreciate and value highly; of the consequent responsibilities and difficulties which its acceptance brings, I am also well aware, but I accept your call and will serve you as your pastor to the best of my ability."
Hobart Clark was an earnest young Englishman, a graduate of
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Oxford, and of the Meadville Theological Seminary. Having no family, he lived with parishioners nearby the church. Someone has said, "To be mixed in Parish stirs, is worse than handling chestnut burrs." There were Parish stirs, into which the young minister was drawn, and some unhappiness resulted. It was, how- ever, with surprise and great dismay that the Standing Committee, on February 25th, 1882, received the resignation of Rev. Hobart Clark from his pastorate in Weston, to take effect April first, 1882. "I assure you that I appreciate only too keenly the privileges that I thus relinquish but as I desire to go to England early in April, and may wish to remain some time, my own interests as well as those of the Parish seem to make this step advisable. I shall carry with me many pleasant memories and lessons from our two years lived together. I shall preach no farewell sermon, but shall hope to occupy the pulpit at least three more Sundays."
At the Parish meeting when the letter had been read, "a dis- cussion followed upon the question, 'Shall Mr. Clark's resignation be accepted,' followed by a negative vote." After further dis- cussion, and another letter from Mr. Clark, in which he expressed his wish more decidedly, a second ballot accepted his resignation, but with only three more votes in favor than in dissent. The Resolutions drawn up regretting the resignation of "our Pastor, Rev. Hobart Clark," ended with: "Resolved, that he will take with him across the water our best wishes for his prosperity, health, and happiness, and that when his sojourn abroad is ended, he will find here warm hearts to welcome him."
Mr. Clark that summer of 1882, attended the National Con- ference in Liverpool, England, and soon after accepted a pastorate in Cardiff, Wales.
Reverend Charles F. Russell, 1882-1916 Pastor Emeritus, 1916-1921
Called from the First Parish in Bedford, Massachusetts, ordained and installed in the First Parish in Weston on November 18th, 1882, Rev. Charles Frank Russell devoted himself to the church here, for thirty-three years and five months. Coming as he did, young and full of enthusiasm, Mr. Russell not only led the church, but the town itself into a broader and fuller life. The list of activities that came into being during his pastorate is long and interesting.
The First Parish Friendly Society was organized January 12th, 1885, its objects being: "To promote the social life, the financial resources, and the charities of the First Parish in Weston." After ten years, this report was read: "Socially the Friendly Society never fails to merit its name; it has devised many and varied forms of entertainment from year to year; financially, its record is highly creditable, especially in building the stone church; chari- table work includes help given to the Meadville Theological Seminary, the Montana Indian School, and the Waltham Hospital."
In the spring of 1960 the Society celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary with a dramatic review of events on record in its archives. Mrs. Guy Garland and Mr. Henry Patterson wrote the script. The music, sung and played, re-echoed Friendly operettas, and Mr. Francis W. Hatch wrote an original Happy Birthday song in which cast and audience happily joined.
With Mr. John M. Lord as Narrator, the review fittingly fol- lowed the form of Our Town with Friendly members, senior and junior, portraying persons who in 1885 had brought the Society into being. The performance was declared worthy of its fore-
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runners which for seventy-five years had kept Weston audiences from nodding. With constantly increasing membership, it has lost the close bonds that were possible long ago, with necessary changes in the nature of the programs, but the Friendly Society still, "promotes the social life, the financial resources, and the charities of the First Parish,"-and of the Town.
In 1888, through its minister's inspiration and energy, the First Parish built the present church of field-stone, brought by members of the congregation from near and distant farms. Weston in those days was still a "farmers' precinct." A footnote to its building: Led by the minister, the young people of the Parish made a trip to the beach where they picked up the pebbles that pave the landings of the two main entrances to the church.
In 1889, pastor and parish met with a sad loss in the death of Mrs. Russell. Devoted to her family, with three children, she had yet made herself a part of the parish life. Mrs. Russell was much loved, and she was greatly missed.
The E. H. Sears Guild, organized, "In His Name," on Febru- ary 16th, 1892, was open to any person over sixteen years of age; the object: "To promote an earnest Christian life among its mem- bers." Meetings were held every other Sunday evening, except during July, August, and September. The program was in the hands of committees, who prepared papers or discussions based upon famous books of religious material by noted authors, whose lives were also studied.
The First Parish Calendar made its appearance on October six- teenth, 1893, its motto, "That we may all be one," its mission, "to deepen and broaden the common life of the Parish, and to bring to its widely scattered members a knowledge of what is being done and sought in its various activities." Mr. Russell was editor- in-chief, Brenton H. Dickson, Jr., business manager, and the Parish, the contributors. The paper, published monthly, contained parish and town news of interest, papers read before the E. H. Sears Guild, accounts of Friendly Society entertainments, and letters from parishioners visiting Florida, California, Hawaii, Egypt, the Holy Land, the British Isles, and many European countries. In
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Reverend Charles F. Russell, 1882-1916
the town Library are two bound volumes of this unique monthly, recommended for pure enjoyment.
Early in 1895, two projects were set in motion. The Village Improvement Society met on April fifteenth, organized, and chose committees to attend to tree planting, to care for trees the Town already had, to furnish street lighting, and to consider the watering of streets during the summer-of course, this was before the time of hard-surfaced roads. Membership in the Society was open to citizens of the Town, who entered wholeheartedly into the plans. Many of the trees still allowed along the highways were planted by members of this Society. Street lights of kerosene lamps were in charge of the lamp-lighter, a source of wonder to youngsters, with his horse trained to stop and stand quietly in just the right spot beside each lamp-post. This was the first step in the organizing of the Weston Light and Water Company, that not only furnished a town water supply, but that replaced kerosene lamps with electric lights along the highways.
In 1895 also, a cherished idea of Mr. Russell, and of Mr. Robert Winsor became a living fact. Two years earlier, in 1893, during the August vacation of the quartette choir, its place had been filled by a group of young Sunday School members, who-"proved most acceptable. The Parish has the foundation of an excellent chorus choir among these young singers should it ever think best to make a change." The Calendar of November fifteenth, 1895, testified- "The youthful Choir has been giving faithful and excellent work for several months. No other experiment in the Church has given such satisfaction as this." The history of the Choir would fill a volume: vesper services, Christmas Carol singing in various parts of the town, cantatas, operettas were among the musical ventures, while parish and social interests were not forgotten. The choir has sung faithfully for over sixty years, with changes in the personnel; there are many now in the congregation on a Sunday who have sat in the "singers' seats," through the years, and who have enjoyed and profited by the training under able choirmasters.
From 1891 until 1898, Mr. Russell served on the School Board. He sponsored the transportation system, the first of such systems
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in the United States, and the centralization of Weston schools; many citizens, for various reasons, regretted the closing of District schools, but, according to the State Supervisor, it was an act of foresight that has caused the Weston schools to be listed in the Class A group, all these years. Later Mr. Russell organized a Boys' Club of High School pupils, and furthered the building of the swimming pool that the town has long since outgrown. Even after he resigned from the Board, he guided many boys and girls to advanced education, or placed them in positions suited to their needs.
On April fourteenth, 1898, Mr. Russell married Miss Mary Otis Rogers, of an old Boston family. This marriage gave to the Parish an enthusiastic worker, who became a powerful factor in the pros- perity and happiness of the parish, and of the community. Soon after Mrs. Russell came, the Weston Branch of the Women's Alli- ance (now the General Alliance) was organized. Recently, the ancient Ladies' Benevolent Society and the Alliance have united, with the title, the Benevolent-Alliance of the First Parish.
On June 24, 1898, the First Parish was two hundred years old. Services were held on Sunday, June 19th, and on Sunday, June 26th. An account of the celebration was published in book form, and a copy given to members of the Parish; it contains the sermons, the addresses, numerous illustrations, and papers connected with the history of the Church. Such noted names appear as: Rev. Edward Everett Hale, Rev. Francis B. Hornbrooke, Rev. William H. Savage, Rev. Samuel M. Crothers, Hon. Charles Francis Adams, Hon. Sherman Hoar. This book is in the town Library.
In November, 1907, Mr. Russell had been minister of the First Parish for twenty-five years. On Saturday evening, November 16th, at seven o'clock, his parishioners gathered at the Town House to meet their pastor. To quote, "An ample supper was provided by a professional caterer, and graciously and skilfully served by thirty young ladies and gentlemen (choir members and others). The supper was enlivened by pleasing selections of music from an orchestra engaged for the occasion." The addresses of Justin E. Gale, Parish Clerk, Charles H. Fiske, Deacon, Horace S. Sears, for
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Reverend Charles F. Russell, 1882-1916
the Standing Committee, and Mary F. Peirce, Parish Historian, are not only laudatory, but delightfully witty. On Sunday morning, the seventeenth, Parson Russell preached an anniversary sermon from the text Ezekiel XL, 1, "In the five-and-twentieth year of our captivity"; special music was given by the choir. In the afternoon service, short addresses were delivered by the following ministers, all friends of Mr. Russell, and of the Parish, glad to pay tribute to pastor and congregation: Rev. Howard N. Brown, Rev. Edward H. Hall, Rev. Francis G. Peabody, Rev. Theodore C. Williams, Rev. Julian C. Jaynes, and Rev. Samuel A. Eliot. All these proceed- ings are in print, excellent and refreshing reading.
On May eighth, 1910, the Parish commemorated the centenary birth of its beloved minister, Edmund Hamilton Sears. The Choir sang two anthems, Lovely Appear, by Gounod, and It Came upon the Midnight Clear, by Sullivan. Addresses were given by the Rev. James de Normandie, D.D., the Rev. Abbot Peterson, the Rev. Seth C. Beach, D.D., and the Rev. Samuel A. Eliot. At the close of the service, the congregation sang the other Christmas hymn of Dr. Sears, Calm on the Listening Ear of Night.
It was with surprise and dismay that on Sunday, January second, 1916, the congregation listened to Mr. Russell's resignation sermon, this resignation to take place on April first. The regular parish meeting, and a special meeting were held, but finally, the resigna- tion was accepted. A vote was passed, asking Mr. Russell to allow the Parish to confer upon him the title of Pastor Emeritus, an honor which he held until his death in 1921. The memorial placed over the east door in the church reads: "His loving care embraced the people of his parish, the flowers of his garden, and the stones of this church." The portrait of Mr. Russell painted by E. F. Benson hangs in the assembly-room of the Parish House.
During the three weeks that elapsed between the preaching of Mr. Russell's last sermon, and the annual Parish meeting, the pulpit was most acceptably filled by Rev. Elmer S. Forbes, a resident of the town and a regular attendant at church. At the parish meeting on May eighth, 1916, this resolution was voted: "That the members of the First Parish in Weston hereby extend their heart-
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felt thanks to Reverend Elmer S. Forbes, for his kindness in preaching, at his request without remuneration, for three Sundays in April, and assure him of the great enjoyment and spiritual uplift which they received from his inspiring and earnest ministrations."
Reverend Palfrey Perkins, D.D., 1916-1926
A special Parish meeting held June 28, 1916, by a unanimous vote gave a call to Rev. Palfrey Perkins of the First Parish Church in Brighton. This call Mr. Perkins accepted July twenty-six, 1916, his work to begin in Weston in October. "The beautiful service of installation on the evening of Sunday, October eighth, was a happy augury of a successful ministry over this parish, so rich in its min- isterial succession."
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Mr. Perkins graduated from Harvard College in the class of 1905. For a year he taught in Washington, Connecticut, then went to the Divinity School and was graduated in 1909. Accepting a call to the Brighton Church, he had preached there for seven years when he came to this parish. The report of the Standing Committee for May 9, 1917, records the installation of Mr. Perkins and adds, "As we look back over the brief seven months that Mr. Perkins has been with us, it seems as if our backward glance was through a long vista of years, so deeply has he entrenched himself in all our hearts."
On November second, 1917, a committee was appointed to con- sider the crowded condition of the choir loft, and the small space of the minister's room. In the first report of the Committee, Mr. Robert Winsor stated that Mrs. Francis H. Hastings had offered the parish a new organ in memory of her husband, the late Francis H. Hastings. On November eighth, a letter from Mr. Horace Sears to Mr. Winsor stated that if plans for enlarging the church were adopted: "I should consider it a pleasure and a privilege to present the parish with the cost of these changes as a memorial to a former loyal and devoted member of the parish, who was born, lived, and died in its close fellowship, and who was untiring in his constant
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and zealous efforts for its welfare and up-building-William Herbert Coburn." This offer was unanimously accepted, and by July, 1918, the beautiful sweet-toned organ was installed in the dignified memorial transept, perpetual reminders of devoted and loyal friends.
In 1917, because of the difficulty in caring for the large con- gregations, the parish, instead of the system of assigned pews, adopted the method of free seating. A committee to consider the best method of filling the pews at the front of the church, reported: "Our suggestion would be to remove some of the pews at the back of the church, which would effectively move the congregation for- ward, and also give the added advantage of a larger space, and less congestion when the people gather after the service!"
In May, 1922, arose the question of a new Parish House. The Committee to consider plans received from Mr. Sears this letter dated November seventh, 1922: "In grateful recognition of the seventh year of the ministry of the Reverend Palfrey Perkins as Pastor of the First Parish in Weston, and in memory of the six ministers of the Parish, Reverend William Williams; Reverend Samuel Woodward; Reverend Samuel Kendal, D.D .; Reverend Joseph Field, D.D .; Reverend Edmund Hamilton Sears, D.D .; Reverend Charles Frank Russell, who died in its service, and who lie buried in our Weston cemeteries, I offer to build and present to the parish, free of all indebtedness, a new Parish House to be known as the First Parish Memorial." On December tenth, 1922, the parish sent to Mr. Sears a long letter of affection and apprecia- tion, beginning: "The members of the First Parish of Weston, your friends and neighbors, accept most gratefully your generous and munificent gift of a Memorial Parish House for the services and furtherance of that church, which you and they unite in loving."
During the summer of 1922, Mr. Perkins was away for three months upon the Mission to Transylvania, to which he was dedi- cated by the parish. In December of this same year, the parish with pleasure gave another leave of absence to Mr. Perkins. This was on the occasion of his marriage with Miss Linda Wellington,
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Reverend Palfrey Perkins, D.D., 1916-1926
daughter of a family of loyal members of the parish. The report of the Standing Committee said: "We venture to assert that the im- portant office of the minister's wife could hardly be better filled."
A great loss came to the parish on April 21, 1923, in the death of Mr. Horace S. Sears, whose life had been a constant devotion to the progress of the parish, and who for many years was Chairman of the Standing Committee. Mr. Perkins, on the following Sunday, said, "On his last visit to Boston, Mr. Sears was upon business of the church, his last trip outside his house, was on Sunday to the church, when, too weak to attend the service, he came to be sure that his flowers and plants were properly arranged to give us pleasure, and the last time he came downstairs was to meet a committee and the architect, to make sure of an adequate parish house."
Work on the building was held up temporarily, but on Decem- ber tenth, 1924: "With grateful memories of Horace S. Sears, the First Parish in Weston uses for the first time his gift, the Parish House, and consecrates it to the purposes of Fellowship and Service." After a service in the church: "In orderly procession, all will march to the Parish House and gather as near as may be, while a fire is lighted, a prayer spoken, the doxology sung and the bene- diction pronounced." A supper was served, and at its end were heard addresses from Rev. Francis G. Peabody, D.D., Rev. Samuel A. Eliot, D.D., and Rev. Palfrey Perkins. On the following Sunday, December fourteenth, the Parish House was formally dedicated at an afternoon service opened by the Rev. Joseph E. Perry, senior pastor of the churches in Weston. The Rev. Elmer S. Forbes read the Scripture, the Rev. Abbot Peterson gave the prayer, and Dr. Samuel McChord Crothers, the dedicatory address.
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