Skip to main content

Full text of "A discourse on the Cambridge Church gathering in 1636 : delivered in the First Church on Sunday, February 22, 1846"

See other formats 


<0^rwm^ 


K 


VT.1     f 


.  JAN  9:2  1932 


DISCOURSE 


ON    THE 


CAMBRIDGE  CHURCH-GATHERING 


IN    1636; 


DELIVERED  IN   THE  FIRST  CHURCH, 


ON   SUNDAY,  FEBRUARY  22,   1846. 


By    WILLIAM    NEWELL, 

PASTOR     OF     THE     FIRST     CHURCH     IN     CAMBRIDGE. 


BOSTON: 

JAMES   MUNROE   AND   COMPANY. 

1846. 


CAMBRIDGE: 
MKTCALF   AND   COMPANY 

PRINTERS  TO  THE  UNIVERSITY. 


DISCOURSE 


"  We  have  heard  with  our  ears,  O  God,  our  fathers  have  told 

US,  WHAT  WORK  THOU  DIDST  IN  THEIR  DAYS,  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  OLD. 
HOW  THOU  DIDST  DRIVE  OUT  THE  HEATHEN  WITH  THY  HAND,  AND 
PLANTEDST  THEM FOR  THEY  GOT  NOT  THE  LAND  IN  POSSES- 
SION BY  THEIR  OWN  SWORD,  NEITHER  DID  THEIR  OWN  ARM  SAVE  THEM  ; 
BUT  THY  RIGHT  HAND,  AND  THINE  ARM,  AND  THE  LIGHT  OF  THY 
COUNTENANCE.,    BECAUSE    THOU     HADST     A    FAVOR     UNTO    THEM." Psalm 

xliv.  1  -  3. 

/ 

On  a  Monday  morning,  towards  the  close  of  the 
early  and  severe  winter  of  1635-36,  "The  New 
Towne,"  or  "  Newtown,"  as  this  village  was  then 
called,*  presented  an  unusual  aspect.     Instead  of  the 


#  Two  years  after  this  (in  May,  1638)  its  name  was  changed  by  the 
General  Court  to  Cambridge,  in  prophetic  compliment  to  the  newly  es- 
tablished College,  and  in  grateful  remembrance  of  the  place  in  Old  Eng- 
land where  many  of  the  magistrates  and  ministers  of  the  Massachusetts 
Colony  had  received  their  education.  It  was  at  that  place,  also,  that  an 
agreement  to  remove  with  their  families  to  New  England,  on  condition  of 
the  transfer  of  the  charter  and  government  of  the  Colony  to  this  country, 
was  drawn  up  and  subscribed  by  Saltonstall,  Dudley,  Johnson,  Winthrop, 
Nowell,  and  others,  in  August,  1629.  See  it  in  Hutchinson's  Coll., 
p.  25.  That  agreement  determined  the  destinies  of  America,  and  in- 
volved consequences  which  will  finally  encircle  the  world. 


I 


ordinary  stir  and  business  of  the  day,  there  was  a 
Sabbath-like  quiet  and  gravity  in  the  looks  and  move- 
ments of  the  people.  There  were  signs  of  prepara- 
tion for  some  special  solemnity.  The  signal  for  a 
public  gathering  was  heard;  and,  as  the  inhabitants 
issued  from  their  dwellings  and  passed  with  sedate 
step  through  the  streets,  others  of  less  familiar  coun- 
tenance, who  had  spent  the  Sabbath  with  them  that 
they  might  be  here  in  season,  or  who  had  just  arrived 
from  the  neighbourhood,  were  seen  mingling  with 
them  as  they  went.  Gathering  from  all  quarters 
came  the  fathers  of  the  infant  church  and  common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts,  to  sanction  by  their  presence 
the  solemn  act  which  was  about  to  be  performed  in 
the  first  rude  temple,  which  had  been  erected  a  few 
years  before  a  little  way  from  the  spot  on  which  we 
are  now  assembled  to  the  worship  of  the  one  living 
and  true  God.  From  Boston,  from  Charlestown,  from 
Winnisimet,  from  Roxbury,  from  Dorchester,  from 
Watertown,  from  Medford,  from  Concord,  and  the 
towns  which  were  within  convenient  travelling  dis- 
tance, the  "messengers"  of  the  invited  churches,  and 
others  drawn  hither  by  curiosity  and  religious  interest, 
were  seen  wending  their  way,  as  they  then  best  could, 
over  new  rough  roads,  or  across  the  open  fields  and 
over  the  ice-bridged  rivers  and  streams,  to  the  humble 
Puritan  sanctuary.  In  the  midst  of  the  newly-risen 
dwellings  which  had  sprung  up  as  by  magic  under 
the  diligent  hands  of  the  Christian  adventurers  who 
first  planted  the  town,  on  the  rising  ground  just  above 


the  marshes,  and  in  the  principal  street,*  leading 
down  to  the  river,  —  which  bore,  as  it  still  bears,  the 
name  of  their  king,t  —  stood  the  House  of  Prayer. 
A  plain,  roughly  finished  edifice  it  was,  but  as  precious 
in  the  sight  of  God  as  the  marble  and  gilded  cathe- 
dral ;  another  expressive  testimonial  of  the  spirit 
which  had  led  the  Pilgrims  into  the  Transatlantic 
wilderness,  and  which,  wherever  they  went,  like 
Abraham  in  his  journeyings,  builded  its  altars  to  the 
Lord.  Whether  its  church-going  bell  still  woke  the 
echoes  of  Cambridge,  we  have  no  record  to  tell  us  ; 
though  some  time  in  the  course  of  the  year,  as  we 


*  Then  Water  Street ;  now  called  Dunster  Street,  aftec  President 
Dunster,  whose  house,  as  it  is  believed  to  be,  is  still  standing  there,  — 
the  only  surviving  contemporary  of  the  first  church.  The  church  stood 
on  the  west  side  of  the  street,  near  the  place  where  it  is  intersected  by 
Mount  Auburn  Street,  and  on  the  south  side  of  that  street,  upon  land  at 
present  owned  by  Dr.  T.  W.  Harris,  Librarian  of  the  University.  The 
spot  is  now  vacant. 

|  So  named  by  Captain  John  Smith,  renowned  for  his  bravery,  enter- 
prise, and  romantic  adventures,  both  in  the  Old  World  and  the  New; 
one  of  the  first  voyagers  to  New  England  (which  also  owes  its  name  to 
him),  who,  by  his  writings  and  personal  efforts,  did  more,  perhaps,  than 
any  other  single  individual  to  direct  the  attention  of  men  of  character  and 
property  towards  it,  and  to  interest  them  in  its  early  settlement.  In  his 
voyage  hither,  in  1614,  he  made  a  map  of  the  coast,  and  called  it  New 
England.  "  But  malicious  mindes,"  he  says,  "  amongst  Sailers  and  oth- 
ers, drowned  that  name  with  the  echo  of  Nusconcus,  Canaday,  and 
Penaquid ;  till  at  my  humble  sute,  our  most  gracious  King  Charles,  then 
Prince  of  Wales,  was  pleased  to  confirme  it  by  that  title  and  did  change 
the  barbarous  names  of  their  principall  Harbours  and  habitations  for  such 
English  that  posterity  may  say  King  Charles  was  their  Godfather."  In 
another  place,  he  says,  —  "I  tooke  the  fairest  reach  in  this  Bay  for  a 
river,  whereupon  I  called  it  Charles  River,  after  the  name  of  our  Royall 
King  Charles:'  Mass.  Histor.  Coll.,  3d  Series,  Vol.  III.,  pp.  20,  34. 
See  also  Hillard's  Life  of  Smith,  in  Sparks's  Biography,  1st  Series, 
Vol.  II. 


learn  from  an  incidental  mention  of  the  fact  by  one 
of  our  quaint  New  England  historians*  of  that  day, 
the  dull,  heavy  sound  of  the  beaten  drum,  converted 
for  the  time  from  the  heathen  service  of  battle  and 
war  into  a  herald  of  the  assemblies  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace,  announced  the  hour  of  gathering  to  the  people. 
The  little  church  was  soon  filled  to  overflowing.  The 
day,  perhaps,  was  one  of  the  mild  and  bright  days 
which  February  often  mingles  with  its  snows  and 
storms  ;  and  even  if  it  were  not,  our  hardy  sires  who 
had  left  their  pleasant  homes  in  Old  England  for  the 
"  stern  and  rockbound  coast "  of  the  New,  who  had 
deliberately  exchanged  their  dear  native  soil  for  the 
uncertainties  and  discomforts  of  a  colony  in  a  heathen 
and  savage  land,  who  had  traversed  the  wide,  welter- 
ing sea  for  the  privilege  of  worshipping  God  in  purity 
and  freedom,  —  men  who  made  their  religion  the  sun 
and  centre  of  their  being,  —  were  not  to  be  daunted 
by  a  little  cold  or  a  little  damp  in  the  performance  of 
its  duties ;  and  though  our  modern  safeguards  against 
snow  and  wet  were  unknown  to  their  pilgrim  feet, 
though  neither  stove  nor  furnace  —  those  innovations 
of  modern  church-comfort — softened  the  chilly  air, 
or  dissolved  the  curling  breaths  that  rose  thickly  up- 
ward in  the  sanctuary,  they  never  thought  of  com- 
plaining, much  less  of  staying  at  home.  And  as  for 
distance  from  church,  miles  to  them  seemed  little 
more  than  as  many  furlongs  now  to  their  descendants. 


*  Johnson,  in  his  Wonder-working  Providence,  Chap.  XL1II.,  speaks 
of  a  drum  as  being  used  here  in  1636  "  to  call  men  to  meeting.'' 


"  I  have  heard,"  says  Cotton  Mather,  in  his  biogra- 
phy of  John  Norton,  the  highly  esteemed  successor 
of  Cotton  in  the  ministry  of  the  First  Church  in 
Boston,  "  I  have  heard  of  a  godly  man  in  Ipswich, 
who,  after  Mr.  Norton's  going  to  Boston,  would  ordi- 
narily travel  on  foot  from  Ipswich  to  Boston,  which  is 
about  thirty  miles,  for  nothing  but  the  weekly  lecture 
there ;  and  he  would  profess  that  it  was  worth  a 
great  journey  to  be  partaker  in  one  of  Mr.  Norton's 
prayers."  Thirty  miles  on  foot  to  hear  a  Thursday 
lecture  !  And  now  I  will  venture  to  say  that  half  of 
our  people,  even  in  the  very  neighbourhood  of  the 
metropolis,  are  ignorant  that  such  a  lecture  still  exists ; 
—  have  never  heard  of  it,  or,  if  they  have,  have  for- 
gotten it,  —  and  that  nineteen  twentieths  of  them 
have  never  attended  it  in  their  lives.  It  has  become 
what  the  present  successor  of  Cotton  and  Norton  has 
so  aptly  called  it,  "  the  shade  of  the  past."  Such  are 
the  changes  which  take  place  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration. I  do  not  imagine,  however,  that  such  in- 
stances as  that  which  Mather  has  reported  were  at  all 
common.  But  it  is  an  indication  of  the  state  of  feel- 
ing and  of  society  among  our  ancestors,  of  which  this 
was  but  an  exaggerated  specimen.  They  loved  the 
house  of  God.  They  prized  its  privileges.  They 
were  religiously  jealous  of  its  honor  ;  and  nothing 
would  have  more  shocked  the  devout  public  opinion  of 
that  day  than  absence  without  good  cause  from  their 
Sabbath  assemblies.  It  would  have  been  death  to  a 
man's  character  and  influence  among  them. 


8 


Attendance  upon  public  worship,  however,  was 
with  them  a  matter  not  only  of  fashion  and  decorum, 
sometimes  enforced  by  civil  authority,  but  of  individu- 
al conscience  and  inclination.  They  hungered  and 
thirsted  after  religious  instruction.  They  sat  patiently 
through  services  which  to  their  descendants  of  this 
day  would  seem  of  insufferable  length.  They  looked 
up  to  the  pulpit,  then  at  the  height  of  its  glory  and 
influence,  for  their  weekly  supply  of  thought  and  spir- 
itual nutriment.  Preaching  was  to  them  a  necessary 
of  life.  The  various  causes  which  in  after  generations 
have  contributed  to  lower  its  authority,  and  to  render 
it  less  exclusively  the  source  of  moral  and  religious 
instruction,  had  not  yet  begun  to  operate.  The  Con- 
gregational clergy  — "  the  Elders,"  as  they  were 
called  —  were  in  fact  the  rulers  as  well  as  teachers  of 
the  young  Christian  commonwealth.  In  all  important 
questions  of  a  civil,  as  well  as  of  a  religious  nature, 
they  were  formally  consulted,  and  their  opinion  had 
great  weight.  "In  early  times  they  were  generally 
present  in  the  courts."  A  discourse  at  the  Thursday 
lecture  or  at  a  public  fast,  by  Mr.  Cotton  or  Mr. 
Hooker,  more  than  once  settled  a  growing  difficulty, 
or  turned  the  scale  in  favor  of  some  disputed  measure. 
The  people  mingled  with  reverence  for  the  men  much 
of  the  old  reverence  for  their  office,  and  listened  to  their 
words  with  an  attention  and  deference  second  only  to 
that  which  is  accorded  by  the  Catholic  to  his  priest. 
What  the  altered  tastes  and  habits  of  thought  of  the 
present  age  would  hardly  tolerate,  they  listened  to  not 


only  with  patience,  but  with  satisfaction  and  high 
relish.  Multiplied  divisions  and  subdivisions  of  text 
and  subject,  accumulations  of  Scripture  proofs,  gath- 
ered indiscriminately  from  the  Old  Testament  and  the 
New,  minute  dissections  of  doctrine,  expositions  of 
the  technical  theology  of  the  day,  discussions  of  its 
controverted  points,  —  often  in  a  phraseology  which 
added  mist  to  the  twilight  in  which  they  dwell,  — 
these,  which  to  us,  as  we  read  them  now  on  the  anti- 
quated and  discolored  page,  seem  but  dry  and  husky 
food,  tasteless  and  innutritive,  and  sometimes  worse 
than  that,  were  received  by  our  Calvinistic  fathers  of 
a  different  training  as  the  sweet  marrow  of  heavenly 
wisdom.  In  their  love  of  religious  ordinances,  in  th^ir 
zeal  for  the  doctrines  and  the  institutions  of  their 
choice,  in  their  thirst  for  divine  truth,  in  their  rev- 
erence for  the  ministry  anoV  the  pulpit,  all  quickened 
by  the  peculiar  circumstances  in  which  they  were 
placed,  the  first  settlers  of  New  England  took  a  deep 
personal,  active  interest  in  all  that  related  to  the  purer 
church  which  they  came  over  to  establish  in  a  free 
soil,  out  of  the  way  of  the  tyrant  kings,  and  the  more 
dreaded  tyrant  bishops,*  who  would  fain  have  stran- 
gled   and  crushed   it  as  it  rose  in  their  fatherland. 


*  The  persecutor  often  does  God  service,  and  blesses  the  world, 
though  in  a  way  which  he  never  intended ;  as  the  tornado  sows  more 
widely  the  seed  which  it  rends  from  the  parent  stalk.  The  son  of  one 
of  the  first  ministers,  in  a  preface  to  a  sermon  preached  soon  after  the 
Revolution  in  1688,  remarks,  "  That,  if  the  bishops  in  the  reign  of  King 
Charles  the  First  had  been  of  the  same  spirit  with  those  in  the  reign  of 
King  William,  there  would  have  been  no  New  England." 
2 


10 


They  wrapped  their  religion  closer  round  them  in  the 
storm.  They  clave  more  steadfastly  and  lovingly  to 
their  chosen  teachers  in  their  trials  and  persecutions. 
They  honored  their  pulpit  the  more  as  the  fires  of 
intolerance  blazed  more  fiercely  against  it.  Their 
religious  privileges  were  made  dearer  to  them  by  the 
sacrifices  and  privations  with  which  they  had  been 
bought ;  and  the  preached  word  was  sought  the  more 
eagerly,  and  enjoyed  with  a  keener  zest,  because  it 
had  been  arbitrarily  and  forcibly  withheld.  These, 
added  to  other  obvious  reasons  in  the  character,  feel- 
ings, and  present  circumstances  of  the  first  colonists 
in  New  England,  invested  every  religious  occasion 
and  religious  movement  among  them  with  a  peculiar 
interest.  The  gathering  of  a  new  church,  therefore, 
in  this  place,  in  the  room  of  the  migratory  flock  from 
Mount  Wollaston,*  which  was  only  waiting  for  the 
summer  days  to  take  up  its  tents  and  to  pursue  its 
pilgrimage  to  the  greener  pastures  of  Connecticut, 
was  a  noticeable  occurrence  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Colony ;  and  Cambridge,  before  it  was  rechristened 
by  the  General  Court  with  its   present  time-honored 

*  "  In  August,  163-2,"  says  Winthrop,  "  the  Braintree  company 
(which  had  begun  to  sit  down  at  Mount  Wollaston),  by  order  of  Court, 
removed  to  Newtown.  These  were  Mr.  Hooker's  company."  They 
had  attended  his  ministry  in  England,  and  upon  their  settlement  here, 
they  sent  to  him  in  Holland,  whither  he  had  fled  from  persecution,  en- 
treating him  to  become  their  pastor.  He  came  over  the  next  year,  and 
took  up  his  abode  with  them.  They  were  now  (in  February,  1836) 
preparing  for  another  removal,  the  reasons  of  which  will  appear  in  the 
following  pages. 


11 

name,  was  one  of  the  chief  towns  of  the  Massachu- 
setts settlement.  Before  our  ancestors,  with  a  rare 
and  wise  forethought,  and  with  a  liberality  and  public 
spirit  which  can  be  matched  by  few  examples  in  his- 
tory, had  laid  upon  this  spot  the  foundations  of  their 
first  and  favorite  College,  before  the  timely  and  mu- 
nificent bequest  of  John  Harvard,  in  1638,  and  the 
voluntary  contributions  of  the  people  at  large,  had 
reared  its  walls,  our  ancient  village  had  its  own  prior 
claims  to  distinction.  It  was  originally  selected  for 
the  site  of  the  metropolis ;  and  was  to  have  been  the 
residence  of  the  first  governor,  Winthrop,  and  his 
associates  in  office,  who  had  made  an  agreement  to 
build  here,*  and  in  a  better  and  safer  style  than  here-, 
tofore,  none  being  allowed  to  have  wooden  chimneys 
or  thatched  roofs,  which  had  already,  in  other  places, 
been  the  occasion  of  destructive  fires.  They  actually 
commenced  the  work  in  the  spring  of  1631.f  New 
considerations  led  them  to  abandon  the  original  plan, 


*  Dudley's  Letter  to  the  Countess  of  Lincoln. 

f  "  Deputy-Governor  Dudley,  Secretary  Bradstfeet,  and  other  princi- 
pal gentlemen,  in  the  spring  went  forward  with  their  design,  and  intend- 
ed to  carry  it  on  amain.  The  Governor  has  the  frame  of  his  house  set 
up  where  he  first  pitched  his  tent ;  and  Mr.  Dudley  had  not  only  framed, 
but  finished  his  house  there,  and  removed  his  family  thereinto  before  win- 
ter ;  but  on  other  considerations,  which  at  first  came  not  into  their 
minds,  the  Governor  takes  down  his  frame  and  brings  it  to  Boston,  where 
he  intends  to  take  up  his  abode  for  the  future ;  which  is  no  small  disap- 
pointment to  the  rest  of  the  company,  who  were  minded  to  build  at  New- 
town, and  accompanied  with  some  disgust  between  the  two  chief  gentle- 
men (Winthrop  and  Dudley) ;  but  they  are  soon  satisfied  with  the 
grounds  of  each  other's  proceedings."  —  Prince. 


12 


though  not  without  considerable  struggle  and  some 
hard  feeling  among  those  who  had  been  concerned  in 
it ;  and  Boston  ere  long  eclipsed  the  rising  glory  of 
Cambridge.  The  New  Town,  however,  was  for  a 
time  the  object  of  special  notice  and  patronage.  It 
was  fortified  at  the  public  expense  for  fear  of  the 
Indians,  and  a  "  creek,"  or  passage  for  boats,  was 
made  to  it  from  the  river,  for  the  payment  of  which  a 
tax  was  laid  upon  all  the  plantations.  It  was  after- 
wards the  place  in  which  some  of  the  first  annual 
assemblies  of  the  people  were  held  for  the  election  of 
the  governor  and  assistants.  Here,  under  the  shade  of 
a  broad-spreading  oak,  —  one  of  the  aborigines  of  the 
soil,  in  its  old  age  when  our  Washington  Elm  was  a 
sapling,  and  the  decayed  stump  of  which  is  said  to 
have  been  standing,  on  the  northerly  side  of  our  village 
Common,  till  within  half  a  century,  —  the  privileged 
voters  of  the  new  settlements,  the  freemen,  as  they 
were  called,  members  of  the  Congregational  churches 
(for  they  alone  for  many  years  were  allowed  to  have 
a  voice  in  civil  affairs),  chose  their  rulers  for  the  year ; 
at  first  in  person,  and  afterwards  from  "  the  remote 
towns "  by  proxy,  when  a  general  attendance  wras 
found  inconvenient  and  expensive,  as  well  as  unsafe, 
on  account  of  the  exposure  of  their  families  in  their 
absence  to  the  attacks  of  their  savage  neighbours. 
I  find,  also,  that  for  the  two  years  previous  to  the 
church-gathering  in  1636,  Newtown  paid  the  highest 
tax  into  the  colonial  treasury,  with  the  exception  of 
Boston  and   Dorchester,   whose  assessment  was   the 


13 


same ;  *  and  that  at  the  time  when  this  event  took 
place,  —  before  the  removal  of  Hooker's  company,  — 
it  stood  in  point  of  wealth  at  the  head  of  the  new 
settlements.f  It  was  then,  also,  as  it  had  been  for 
the  last  two  years,  the  residence  of  the  governor ;  and 
the  courts  were  generally  holden  here.  Wood,  who 
returned  from  this  country  to  England  in  1633,  in  his 
New  England's  Prospect,  published  in  1634,  speaks 
of  Newtown  as  one  of  the  neatest  and  best  built 
towns  in  the  colony,  and  of  the  inhabitants  as  being 
"  most  of  them  very  rich,  and  well  stored  with  Cattle 
of  all  sorts,  having  many  hundred  Acres  of  ground 
paled  in  with  one  general  fence,  which  is  about  a 
mile  and  half  long,  which  secures  all  their  weaker 
Cattle  from  the  wilde  beasts."  I  have  mentioned 
these  circumstances  to  show  that  Cambridge  from 
the  beginning  was  a  place  of  note ;  and  that  even  its 
local  affairs,  especially  such  as  that  which  I  would 
now  commemorate,  would  naturally  attract  general 
attention  and  interest. 

But  another  occurrence  in  its  history,  just  before 
the  arrival  of  Shepard  and  his  people,  in  1635,  had 
made  it  at  that  time  the  occasion  of  much  talk,  ex- 
citement, and  controversy.  In  the  autumn  of  1633, 
Thomas  Hooker,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  and  in- 


*  Except  in  September,  1635,  when  that  of  Boston  was  a  little  small- 
er. There  were  frequent  fluctuations,  however,  in  the  relative  popula- 
tion and  wealth  of  the  several  towns  in  the  course  of  a  few  years. 

f  In  March,  1636,  Newtown  was  assessed  £  42,  Boston  and  Dorches- 
ter £  37  105.  each,  Watertown  £  30,  Salem  £  24,  &c. 


14 


fluential  of  the  emigrant  Puritan  clergy,  and  Samuel 
Stone,  also  a  man  of  eminence  in  his  day,  were  or- 
dained, the  former  as  pastor,  the  latter  as  teacher,  of 
the  church  *  in  this  place,  where  many  of  Mr.  Hook- 
er's former  hearers  and  parishioners  were  already  set- 
tled ;  and  "  the  New  Towne  "  rejoiced  for  a  season 
in  his  light,  and  reflected  his  fame.  But  he  and  his 
people  soon  became  dissatisfied  with  their  situation, 
complaining  of  the  narrowness  of  the  township  and 
the  wrant  of  land  for  their  cattle,  and  in  a  spirit  al- 
ready foretokening  the  future  genius  and  fortunes 
of  their  descendants,  —  a  spirit  which  seems  to  be 
breathed  in  with  our  American  air,  —  they  proposed 
to  go  "  further  west,"  where  they  should  have  both  a 
wider  and  a  more  fertile  territory.  Of  the  manner  in 
which  this  proposition  was  received  and  settled,  we 
have  a  full  account  in  the  Journal  of  Governor  Win- 
throp.  As  the  whole  passage  is,  on  many  accounts, 
an  interesting  one,  I  shall  quote  it  entire.  Under 
date  of  September  4,  1634,  he  writes  as  follows  :  — 

"  The  General  Court  began  at  Newtown,  and  con- 
tinued a  week,  and  then  was  adjourned  fourteen  days. 
Many  things  were  there  agitated  and  concluded,  as 
fortifying  in  Castle  Island,  Dorchester,  and  Charles- 
town  ;  also  against  tobacco,  and  costly  apparel,  and 


*  Of  the  forma]  gathering  of  this  church,  — the  predecessor  of  Shep- 
ard's,  but  having  only  a  transient  abode  here,  —  no  account  has  come 
down  to  us.  It  probably  took  place  between  the  day  of  Hooker's  arri- 
val, September  4th,  1633,  and  his  ordination,  on  the  11th  of  October 
following. 


15 


immodest  fashions  ;  and  committees  appointed  for  set- 
ting out  the  bounds  of  towns ;  with  divers  other  mat- 
ters, which  do  appear  upon   record.     But  the    main 
business,  which  spent  the  most  time,  and  caused  the 
adjourning  of  the   Court,  was  about   the  removal  of 
Newtown.     They  had  leave,  the  last  General  Court,  to 
look  out  some  place  for  enlargement  or  removal,  with 
promise  of  having  it  confirmed  to  them,  if  it  were  not 
prejudicial   to  any  other  plantation ;    and   now   they 
moved,  that  they  might  have  leave  to  remove  to  Con- 
necticut.    This  matter  was  debated  divers  days,  and 
many   reasons   alleged    pro   and  con.     The  principal 
reasons  for  their  removal  were,  1.  Their  want  of  ac- 
commodation for  their  cattle,  so  as  they  were  not  able 
to  maintain    their   ministers,   nor   could   receive  any 
more  of  their  friends  to  help  them  ;  and  here  it  was 
alleged  by  Mr.  Hooker,  as  a  fundamental  error,  that 
towns  were  set  so  near  each  to  other.     2.  The  fruit- 
fulness  and  commodiousness  of  Connecticut,  and  the 
danger  of  having   it  possessed  by  others,  Dutch  or 
English.     3.  The  strong  bent  of  their  spirits  to  re- 
move thither. 

"Against  these  it  was  said,  1.  That,  in  point  of 
conscience,  they  ought  not  to  depart  from  us,  being 
knit  to  us  in  one  body,  and  bound  by  oath  to  seek 
the  welfare  of  this  commonwealth.  2.  That,  in  point 
of  state  and  civil  policy,  we  ought  not  to  give  them 
leave  to  depart.  (1.)  Being  we  were  now  weak  and 
in  danger  to  be  assailed.  (2.)  The  departure  of  Mr. 
Hooker  would  not  only  draw  many  from  us,  but  also 


16 


divert  other  friends  that  would  come  to  us.  (3.)  We 
should  expose  them  to  evident  peril,  both  from  the 
Dutcli  (who  made  claim  to  the  same  river,  and  had 
already  built  a  fort  there)  and  from  the  Indians,  and 
also  from  our  own  state  at  home,  who  would  not  en- 
dure they  should  sit  down  without  a  patent  in  any 
place  which  our  king  lays  claim  unto.  3.  They 
might  be  accommodated  at  home  by  some  enlarge- 
ment which  other  towns  offered.  4.  They  might  re- 
move to  Merrimack,  or  any  other  place  within  our 
patent.  5.  The  removing  of  a  candlestick  is  a  great 
judgment,  which  is  to  be  avoided. 

"  Upon  these  and  other  arguments,  the  Court  being 
divided,  it  was  put  to  vote ;  and,  of  the  deputies, 
fifteen  wrere  for  their  departure,  and  ten  against  it. 
The  governor  and  two  assistants  were  for  it,  and  the 
deputy  and  all  the  rest  of  the  assistants  were  against 
it  (except  the  secretary,  who  gave  no  vote)  ;  where- 
upon no  record  was  entered,  because  there  were  not 
six  assistants  in  the  vote,  as  the  patent  requires.  Up- 
on this  grew  a  great  difference  between  the  governor 
and  assistants,  and  the  deputies.  They  would  not 
yield  the  assistants  a  negative  voice,  and  the  others 
(considering  how  dangerous  it  might  be  to  the  com- 
monwealth, if  they  should  not  keep  that  strength  to 
balance  the  greater  number  of  the  deputies)  thought 
it  safe  to  stand  upon  it.  So,  when  they  could  pro- 
ceed no  further,  the  whole  Court  agreed  to  keep  a  day 
of  humiliation  to  seek  the  Lord,  which  accordingly 
was  done,  in  all  the  congregations,  the  eighteenth  day 


17 


of  this  month ;  and  the  twenty-fourth  the  Court  met 
again.  Before  they  began,  Mr.  Cotton  preached 
(being  desired  by  all  the  Court,  upon  Mr.  Hooker's 
instant  excuse  of  his  unfitness  for  that  occasion).  He 
took  his  text  out  of  Hag.  ii.  4,*  &c,  out  of  which  he 
laid  down  the  nature  or  strength  (as  he  termed  it)  of 
the  magistracy,  ministry,  and  people ;  namely,  the 
strength  of  the  magistracy  to  be  their  authority  ;  of 
the  people,  their  liberty ;  and  of  the  ministry,  their 
purity  ;  and  showed  how  all  of  these  had  a  negative 
voice,  &c,  and  that  yet  the  ultimate  resolution,  &c, 
ought  to  be  in  the  whole  body  of  the  people,  &x., 
with  answer  to  all  objections,  and  a  declaration  of  the 
people's  duty  and  right  to  maintain  their  true  liberties 
against  any  unjust  violence,  &x.,  which  gave  great 
satisfaction  to  the  company.  And  it  pleased  the 
Lord  so  to  assist  him,  and  to  bless  his  own  ordinance, 
that  the  affairs  of  the  Court  went  on  cheerfully ;  and, 
although  all  were  not  satisfied  about  the  negative 
voice  to  be  left  to  the  magistrates,  yet  no  man  moved 
aught  about  it,  and  the  congregation  of  Newtown 
came  and  accepted  of  such  enlargement  as  had  former- 
ly been  offered  them  by  Boston  and  Watertown  ;  and 
so  the  fear  of  their  removal  to  Connecticut  was  re- 
moved." 

So  wrote  and  thought  Winthrop  at  the  time.    But 


*  "  Yet  now  be  strong,  O  Zerubbabel,  saith  the  Lord  ;  and  be  strong, 
O  Joshua,  son  of  Josedech,  the  high-priest ;  and  be  strong,  all  ye  people 
of  the  land,  saith  the  Lord,  and  work  :  for  I  am  with  you,  saith  the  Lord 
of  hosts." 

3 


18 


it  appears  that  the  satisfaction  was  only  a  temporary 
one.  The  root  of  the  difficulty,  whether  it  lay  in  the 
reasons  actually  given,  or  in  others  of  a  private  and 
personal  nature,  not  openly  avowed  and  now  unknown 
and  only  matters  of  conjecture,*  was  not  removed. 
The  people  of  Newtown  were  still  discontented  with 
their  situation,  and  bent  upon  leaving  it  for  a  better 
and  ampler  settlement  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecti- 
cut. It  was  not  thought  advisable  to  oppose  their 
wishes  any  longer,  and  the  next  year,  1635,  the  Gen- 
eral Court  gave  consent  to  the  proposed  emigration. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year  arrived  Thomas  Shep- 
ard,  with  the  people  of  his  future  charge,  who  wil- 
lingly purchased  the  houses  and  lands  which  were 
about  to  be  vacated,  glad  to  find  an  American  home 
already  prepared  for  their  reception.  The  first  settlers 
of  the  place,  ministers  and  people,  being  about  to 
transplant  themselves  in  a  body  to  a  distant  part  of  the 
country,  the  new-comers  who  were  to  occupy  their 
places,  and  who  had  already  taken  up  their  abode 
here  with  them,  proceeded  to  organize  a  new  church, 


*  It  has  been  supposed  by  Hutchinson  and  others,  that  the  growing 
rivalship,  though  as  yet  a  friendly  one,  between  the  leading  men  of  Bos- 
ton and  those  of  Newtown  stimulated  the  wish  for  a  change  of  situation 
on  the  part  of  the  latter.  Hooker  and  Haynes  of  this  place,  the  compet- 
itors in  talent,  character,  and  popularity,  of  Winthrop  and  Cotton,  in 
church  and  state,  were  desirous  of  another  independent  sphere,  where 
they  could  stand  at  the  head  of  affairs  without  collision  with  their  emi- 
nent neighbours.  They  would  rather  be  first  in  Connecticut  than  share 
a  divided  and  doubtful  sway  in  Massachusetts.  This.,  however,  seems 
to  be  a  piece  of  historical  scandal,  resting  only  on  surmise.  The  alleged 
reasons  for  the  movement  are  sufficient  to  explain  it. 


19 


of  which  Shepard  was  to  be  the  pastor.  The  magis- 
trates, as  usual,  were  consulted,  and  gave  their  appro- 
bation. The  neighbouring  churches  w7ere  invited  to 
send  their  "  elders "  to  be  present  and  take  part  in 
the  solemnity;  —  the  first  day  of  February,  1636 
(O.  S.),  being  fixed  upon  for  the  ceremony,  a  season 
of  the  year,  it  may  be  observed,  when  people  were 
most  at  liberty  to  attend  it,  and  when  some  who,  at 
the  opening  of  the  spring,  were  likely  to  be  journey- 
ing and  exploring  the  country,  or  visiting  distant 
towns,  were  now  at  home  in  Boston  and  the  vicinity. 

It  was  this  occasion  which  had  produced  the  un- 
usual throng  and  excitement  in  the  village,  and  had 
drawn  together,  perhaps,  the  most  interesting  and  il- 
lustrious assembly,  as  we  now  look  back  upon  it, 
which  was  ever  gathered  upon  such^an  occasion  in 
New  England,  at  least  in  its  early  days.  The  scene 
of  that  time  which  comes  up  before  me,  —  now  forgot- 
ten, uncommemorated,  without  record,  save  that  which 
we  owe  to  the  honored  pen  of  Winthrop,  —  at  first 
dimly  descried  through  the  haze  of  the  distant  past, 
grows  upon  me  in  brightness  as  I  gaze  upon  it.  A 
hallowed  and  a  delightful  one  it  was  to  the  actors  and 
the  witnesses.  I  see  them,  as  one  by  one,  or  in  scat- 
tered groups,  they  enter  the  house  of  God.  I  see 
among  its  crowded  seats  the  countenances  of  men 
who  "  were  honored  in  their  generation,  and  the  glory 
of  their  times." 

And  first  among  the  forms  which  stand  out  on  the 
historic  picture,  as  it  presents  itself  to  the  eye  of  a 


20 


Massachusetts  memory,  is  that  of  John  Winthrop,  now 
in  the  meridian  of  life,  the  father  of  our  common- 
wealth, the  first  governor  of  the  colony,  and  always 
among  its  ruling  and  guiding  spirits,  —  "  the  Nehe- 
miah,"  as  Mather  calls  him,  "  of  our  American  Jeru- 
salem,"—  the  able,  discreet,  faithful,  noble-spirited, 
open-handed  servant  of  the  rising  state,  for  which  he 
freely  spent  his  time,  his  property,  and  his  strength,  — 
a  man  of  many  and  great  virtues,  both  in  public  and 
in  private  life,  and  whose  errors  were  the  errors  of  his 
age,  —  of  well  balanced  mind,  sound  judgment,  great 
courtesy  and  self-command,  —  prudent  in  counsel, 
energetic  in  action,  mild  and  considerate  in  the  exer- 
cise of  authority,  so  as  even  to  be  charged  by  his  more 
rigid  associates  with  over-lenity,  patient  of  personal 
injuries,  and  overcoming  evil  with  good,  firm  and  in- 
trepid in  his  adherence  to  right,  meek  and  magnani- 
mous in  his  acknowledgment  of  wrong,  and  pursuing 
through  the  little  and  great  trials  of  his  lot  the  even 
tenor  of  his  way,  —  frugal,  abstinent,  laborious,  self- 
denying,  wisely  and  manfully  accommodating  himself 
to  his  new  situation,  avoiding  in  himself  and  discour- 
aging in  others  all  show  and  expensiveness  in  dress 
and  style  of  living,  foregoing  for  example's  sake  many 
of  the  elegancies  and  comforts  to  which  he  had  been 
accustomed,  but  at  the  same  time  dispensing  promptly 
and  bountifully  to  the  wants  of  the  needy,  and  im- 
poverishing himself  in  the  public  service,  —  the  true 
gentleman,  the  kind-hearted  and  benevolent  neigh- 
bour, the  loving  husband  and  father,  the  humble  and 


21 


devout  Christian,  whose  revered  name  has  been  per- 
petuated in  its  lustre,  not  only  to  the  third  and  fourth, 
but  to  our  own  generation.  * 

And  with  him,  among  his  fellow-magistrates,  though 
more  dimly  visible,f  appears  his  namesake  and  eldest 
son,  the  first  born  of  his  early  youth,  now  a  man  of 
thirty,  —  John  Winthrop,  Jr.,  —  lately  returned  from 
England  with  "  commission  from  Lord  Say,  Lord 
Brooke,  and  divers  other  great  persons  in  England,  to 
begin  a  plantation  at  Connecticut,  and  to  be  governor 
there,"  —  the  heir  in  full  of  his  father's  talents  and 
goodness,  his  superior  in  learning  and  accomplish- 
ments, destined  to  occupy  a   similar  position  in  the 


*  He  was  a  native  of  Groton,  in  Suffolk,  born  in  1587,  of  religious 
and  highly  respected  ancestry,  educated  to  the  law,  married  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  and  at  eighteen  made  Justice  of  the  Peace,,  winning  golden 
opinions  of  all  for  his  wisdom,  impartiality,  and  firmness.  When  the  de- 
sign of  planting  the  Massachusetts  colony  was  set  on  foot,  he  was  at  once 
fixed  upon  by  general  consent  as  the  man  best  qualified  to  conduct  the 
enterprise.  "He  was  eleven  times  chosen  governor,  and  spent  his 
whole  estate,"  says  Hutchinson,  "  in  the  public  service,  the  stipend  be- 
ing small,  and  his  hospitality  great,  and  his  bailiff  unfaithful."  "His 
family,"  says  Eliot,  in  1809,  "  have  been  more  eminent  for  their  talents, 
learning,  and  virtues,  than  any  other  in  New  England."  An  interesting 
memoir  of  him  is  contained  in  Belknap's  American  Biography,  Vol.  II. 

f  John  Haynes  was  governor,  Richard  Bellingham,  deputy-governor, 
for  the  present  year.  The  assistants  were  the  two  Winthrops,  father 
and  son,  Dudley,  Humfrey,  Coddington,  Pynchon,  Nowell,  Bradstreet, 
Hough,  and  Dummer,  most  of  whom,  I  presume,  were  present,  according 
to  invitation,  at  this  gathering  of  our  Cambridge  church.  In  the  silence 
of  history,  I  have  ventured  to  paint  the  scene  by  the  light  of  probability 
and  conjecture.  If  History  should  hereafter  convict  Imagination  of  some 
error  in  the  representation,  the  consciousness  of  the  mote  in  her  own  eye, 
of  the  uncertainties  and  mistakes  that  sometimes  creep  even  into  her 
written  records,  should  make  her  charitable  in  her  judgment  upon  any 
dim  or  false  vision  of  her  handmaiden  and  interpreter. 


22 


sister  commonwealth  which  was  soon  to  grow  up  by 
the  side  of  Massachusetts,  the  future  benefactor  and 
good  genius  of  Connecticut,  and  its  successful  agent 
to  the  Court  of  Charles  the  Second,  from  whom,  by 
his  address  and  personal  influence,  he  obtained  an 
ampler  and  more  favorable  charter  than  had  been  yet 
granted  to  any  of  the  colonies,  —  for  the  fourteen 
years  after  that  until  his  death  successively  chosen  to 
the  highest  office  in  the  gift  of  the  grateful  people  (in 
which,  I  may  add,  his  own  son,  Fitz-John,  another  of 
this  family  of  American  nobles,  afterwards  succeeded 
him),  and  adding  to  his  eminence  in  public  life  a  high 
distinction  in  medical  science  and  philosophical  studies 
and  attainments,  being  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Royal  Society  of  London,  and  a  valued  contributor  to 
its  papers.  The  promise  of  his  studious  boyhood  had 
been  richly  fulfilled.  The  "  dutiful  and  well-deserving 
child "  had  become  the  virtuous  and  strong-minded 
man.  A  liberal  education  at  the  Universities  of  Cam- 
bridge and  Dublin  had  been  followed  up  by  opportu- 
nities of  foreign  travel,  in  which  he  visited  the  greater 
part  of  Europe.  The  graces  of  the  Christian  charac- 
ter, according  to  his  father's  devout  wish,  so  finely 
expressed,  added  "  lustre  and  beauty  to  the  gifts  of 
nature  and   industry."  *     Returning  from  his  travels 


*  "  The  Lord  grant  that  thy  soul  may  still  prosper  in  ye  knowledge  of 
Js.  Cht.,  and  in  ye  strength  of  ye  Spirit,  as  thy  mind  is  strengthened  in 
wisdom  and  learning  ;  for  this  gives  the  true  lustre  and  beauty  to  all 
gifts,  both  of  nature  and  industry,  and  is  as  wisdom  with  an  inheritance.'' 
—  Wip.throp's  letter  to  his  son  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin. 


23 


at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  with  improved  mind  and 
unsullied  morals,  he  readily  gave  up  his  prospects  of 
preferment  in  England  for  a  wilderness  home.  "  I 
have  seen  so  much  of  the  vanity  of  the  world,"  he 
said,  in  a  letter  to  his  father,  "  that  I  esteem  no  more 
of  the  diversities  of  countries  than  as  so  many  inns, 
whereof  the  traveller  that  hath  lodged  in  the  best,  or 
in  the  worst,  findeth  no  difference  when  he  cometh  to 
his  journey's  end  ;  and  I  shall  call  that  my  country, 
where  I  may  most  glorify  God  and  enjoy  the  presence 
of  my  dearest  friends." 

And  here,  in  this  land  of  his  adoption,  his  genius 
and  his  virtues  found  their  happy  field  and  reward. 
The  purity  and  high  tone  of  his  principles,  the  sweet- 
ness of  his  temper,  the  placid  serenity  and  content- 
ment of  his  spirit,  his  large  charity  and  tolerance,  his 
wisdom  and  moderation,  his  varied  gifts  and  acquire- 
ments, blessed  the  circle  and  the  community  in  which 
he  moved.  "  If  he  had  faults,  they  are  forgotten.  In 
history  he  appears  by  unanimous  testimony,  from  early 
life,  without  a  blemish  ;  and  it  is  the  beautiful  testi- 
mony of  his  own  father,  that  '  God  gave  him  favor  in 
the  eyes  of  all  with  whom  he  had  to  do.'  "  * 

Near  them  we  discern  the  sterner  countenance  of 
Thomas  Dudley,  another  of  the    trusty  and  devoted 


*  "The  New  World  was  full  of  his  praises;  Puritans  and  Quakers, 
and  the  freemen  of  Rhode  Island,  were  alike  his  eulogists;  the  Dutch  at 
New  York,  not  less  than  all  New  England,  had  confidence  in  his  integ- 
rity ;  Clarendon  and  Milton,  Newton  and  Robert  Boyle,  became  his 
correspondents."  — Bancroft's  Hist,  of  the  U.  S.,  Vol.  II.,  p.  53. 


24 


servants  of  the  colony,  whose  name  is  so  often  asso- 
ciated with  Winthrop's ;  the  first  deputy-governor, 
and  afterwards  from  time  to  time  governor,  the  prin- 
cipal founder  of  our  town,  and  the  zealous  champion 
of  its  interests,*  w7hose  house  f  stood  close  by  the 
church,  —  and  his  heart  too  ;  — a  plain,  blunt  man,  of 
great  integrity  and  independence,  of  strict  honor  and 
truth  in  his  dealings,  t  hardy  in  body  and  in  mind, 
able  in  business,  well  qualified  in  most  respects  for 
public  office,  which  he  retained  till  his  death,  but  at 
the  same  time  of  an  irritable  temperament  and  strong 
passions,  somewhat  close,  it  was  thought,  in  money 
matters,  with  a  soldier's  ^  roughness  of  speech,  severe 

*  In  behalf  of  which  he  had  a  serious  misunderstanding  with  Win- 
throp,  as  mentioned  above,  which  was  finally  settled  by  the  ministers  ; 
Winthrop,  with  his  usual  moderation  and  magnanimity,  submitting  to 
their  judgment  against  him,  acknowledging  himself  to  have  been 
"faulty,"  and  promptly  rendering  the  pecuniary  satisfaction  required  of 
him,  which  Dudley,  with  an  equally  honorable  spirit,  refused  to  accept. 
The  reconciliation  between  them  was  soon  after  more  completely  sealed 
by  a  family  union,  Dudley's  son  marrying  a  daughter  of  Governor  Win- 
throp. 

f  At  the  foot  of  Water  Street,  then  so  called  (see  p.  5),  and  opposite 
the  "  creek  "  before  spoken  of.  It  seems,  from  the  following  passage  in 
Winthrop  (Vol.  I.,  p.  73),  to  have  been  built  in  better  style  than  others 
of  the  time.  "The  governor  having  formerly  told  him  that  he  did  not 
well  to  bestow  such  cost  about  wainscoting  and  adorning  his  house,  in 
the  beginning  of  a  plantation,  both  in  regard  of  the  necessity  of  public 
charges,  and  for  example,  &c,  his  answer  now  was,  that  it  was  for  the 
warmth  of  his  house,  and  the  charge  was  but  little,  being  but  clapboards 
nailed  to  the  wall  in  the  form  of  wainscot." 

%  Governor  Belcher  says,  — "It  was  wrote  of  him, 

'  Here  lies  Thomas  Dudley,  that  trusty  old  stud, 
A  bargain  's  a  bargain,  and  must  be  made  good.'  " 

§  He  had  a  captain's  commission  from  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  served 
under  Henry  the  Fourth  at  the  siege  of  Amiens,  in  1597.  In  1611,  he 
was  appointed  major-general  of  the  colony. 


25 

and  unbending  in  the  administration  of  the  laws,  and 
zealously  intolerant  in  his  religious  sentiments. 

John  Haynes,  too,  without  doubt,  is  there ;  that 
"  heavenly  man,"  as  Roger  Williams  calls  him,  the 
governor  for  the  present  year,  another  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Cambridge  *  under  the  ministry  of  Hooker, 
and  afterwards  with  him  one  of  the  fathers  of  Con- 
necticut, where  he  enjoyed  an  unbounded  and  unin- 
terrupted esteem  and  popularity  at  the  head  of  affairs 
in  that  colony  ;  his  wealth,  as  well  as  his  wisdom  and 
uprightness,  giving  him  an  influence  which  he  contin- 
ued to  possess  and  to  deserve  through  life. 

Not  far  from  him,  in  the  seats  allotted  to  the  most 
honored  of  the  assembly,  I  see  one,  lately  arrived 
from  England,  whom  the  veering  popular  favor  is 
about  to  place  —  though  but  for  a  single  termf — in 
the  chief  magistracy  occupied  successively  by  Win- 
throp,  Dudley,  and  Haynes,  men  of  more  than  twice 
his  age  ;  —  a  young  man  of  twenty-four,  of  noble 
birth,  and  more  noble  spirit,  of  rich  genius  and  accom- 
plishments, of  persuasive  eloquence,  in  after  life  at 
least,  as  Hume  testifies,  of  consummate  ability  and  ad- 
dress, remarkable   even  in  that  age  so  famed  for  its 

*  He  lived  on  the  west  side  of  Winthrop  Square,  then  Market  Place. 

f  The  Hutchinson  controversy,  in  which  he  took  the  unpopular  side, 
and  his  principles  of  wide  toleration,  so  uncongenial  with  the  spirit  of  the 
age,  turned  the  current  against  him,  and  defeated  his  election  the  follow- 
ing year.  Notwithstanding  this,  after  his  return  to  England,  whenever 
opportunity  offered,  he  always  "  showed  himself,"  says  his  rival  and  op- 
ponent, Winthrop,  "  a  true  friend  to  New  England,  and  a  man  of  a  noble 
and  generous  mind." 

4 


26 


active  talents,  —  of  patrician  family,  but  of  republican 
and  Puritan  principles,  —  a  most  pure  and  devout 
Christian,  a  far-sighted  and  profound  thinker,*  an  ar- 
dent lover  and  consistent  defender  of  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty  in  its  widest  extent,  a  zealous  seeker 
and  champion  of  truth,  one  of  the  earliest  expound- 
ers, not  to  say  discoverers,  of  the  fundamental  princi- 
ples of  a  constitutional  republic,  —  whose  high  and 
eventful  career,  commencing  amid  controversy  and 
tempest  in  the  New  World,  and  passing  through 
scenes  of  intense  and  varied  excitement  in  the  Old,  is 
to  terminate  in  a  martyr's  calm  and  heroic  death  upon 
the  scaffold,  —  a  death  worth  more  to  mankind  than 
a  thousand  common  lives,  —  a  death  which  made  all 
England's  heart  thrill,  which  drew  admiration  even 
from  his  enemies,  and  forced  from  one  of  the  by- 
standers, a  zealous  loyalist,  the  applauding  and  ex- 
pressive exclamation,  "  He  dies  like  a  prince!"  I  see 
him  in  the  midst  of  the  magistrates  and  elders,  with 
that  composed  thoughtfulness  of  aspect,  and  grave 
majesty  of  demeanour,  which  gave  to  his  blooming 
manhood  the  weight  and  authority  of  age  ;  —  his  re- 
serve and  quietness  of  manner,  like  the  snows  over  a 
still  volcano,  covering  from  a  stranger's  eye  the  in- 
tense  enthusiasm    and    energy  which   glowed  in  the 


#  Sir  James  Mackintosh,  whose  opinion  will  weigh  down  a  host  of 
minor  authorities,  spoke  of  him  as  "  one  of  the  most  profound  minds  that 
ever  existed,  not  inferior,  perhaps,  to  Bacon."  He  has  been  often  called 
a  fanatic.  Such  fanatics  are  the  salt  of  the  earth  and  the  light  of  the 
world. 


27 


deep  soul  beneath  ;  —  his  peculiar  and  striking  coun- 
tenance having  that  in  it  which  at  once  commanded 
attention,  and,  as  Clarendon  says  of  it,  "  made  men 
think  there  was  something  in  him  extraordinary,"  as 
there  indeed  was.  Those  of  you  who  are  familiar 
with  our  early  history  will  remember  the  name,  the 
character,  and  the  fortunes  of  Sir  Henry  Vane.  And 
those  who  are  not  have  a  feast  yet  in  store  for  them 
in  the  deeply  interesting  biography  of  him  published 
a  few  years  since,  by  a  writer  of  our  own  country.* 
It  was  fitly  reserved  for  an  American  pen  to  render 
to  this  man  of  American  principles  the  full  justice 
which,  from  obvious  causes,  his  memory  had  failed  to 
receive  in  his  own  land.  It  was  to  him  that  Milton, 
at  an  after  period,  addressed  the  lines,  — 

"  Vane,  young  in  years,  but  in  sage  counsel  old,  / 
Than  whom  a  better  senator  ne'er  held 
The  helm  of  Rome,  when  gowns,  not  arms,  repelled 
The  fierce  Epirot,  and  the  African  bold  ; 
Whether  to  settle  peace,  or  to  unfold 
The  drift  of  hollow  states,  hard  to  be  spelled  ; 
Then  to  advise  how  war  may,  best  upheld, 
Move  by  her  two  main  nerves,  iron  and  gold, 
In  all  her  equipage  ;  besides  to  know 
Both  spiritual  power  and  civil,  what  each  means, 
What  severs  each,  thou  hast  learned,  which  few  have  done ; 
The  bounds  of  either  sword  to  thee  we  owe ; 
Therefore  on  thy  firm  hand  Religion  leans 
In  peace,  and  reckons  thee  her  eldest  son." 


#  Rev.  C.  W.  Upham,  in  Sparks's  American  Biography,  1st  Se- 
ries, Vol.  IV.  "New  England,"  says  Grahame,  "has  now  repaid 
Vane's  noble  devotion  by  the  best  (Mr.  Upham's)  memoir  of  that  great 
man  that  has  ever  been  given  to  the  world." 


28 


I  see  this  young  English  nobleman,  whom  Milton 
in  the  fond  admiration  of  a  kindred  spirit  addressed 
as  "  Religion's  eldest  son,"  surrounded  by  the  exiled 
ministers  of  that  religion  for  whose  sake,  as  La  Fay- 
ette afterwards  did  for  Liberty's  sake,  he  had  volunta- 
rily relinquished  the  splendors  of  rank,  and  the  brilliant 
prospects  which  opened  before  him  at  the  English 
court,  under  the  high  position  and  influence  of  his 
father  and  his  elevated  family  connections,  for  the  re- 
tirement of  an  obscure  colony  in  the  wilds  of  America. 
I  see  him  as,  with  shut  thoughts  and  closed,  meditative 
look,  he  dwells  apart  in  a  world  of  his  own,  to  the 
likeness  of  which  he  would  fain  bring  the  kingdoms 
of  this. 

Near  him  is  his  chosen  preacher  and  friend,*  John 
Cotton ;  the  ecclesiastical  patriarch  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts colony,  silenced  by  Laud  for  the  unpardon- 
able sin  of  Puritanism  and  neglecting  to  kneel  at  the 
sacrament,  but  now  rejoicing  in  his  banishment  from 
country  and  home  as  the  opening,  in  Providence,  of 
an  enlarged  sphere  of  active  usefulness  and  influence, 
in  which  his  learning  and  popular  talents,  his  piety 
and  zeal,  the  weight  of  his  character,  and  the  mild- 
ness of  his  spirit,  placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  clergy. 

By  his  side  sits  his  colleague  in  the  ministry,  John 
Wilson,  the  first  pastor  of  the  Boston  church,  of 
which  Cotton  was  the  teacher,  so  called  ;  —  of  whom 
it  was  said  by  the  celebrated  Dr.  Ames,  "  that  if  he 

*  It  appears  from  Cotton's  will,  that  Vane  was  for  a  time —  probably 
at  his  first  coming  —  an  inmate  of  his  family. 


29 

might  have  his  option  of  the  best  condition  this  side 
heaven,  it  would  be  that  of  teacher  in  a  congrega- 
tional church  of  which  Mr.  Wilson  was  pastor  " ;  *  — 
and  of  whose  preaching  our  own  Shepard,  when  he 
first  heard  him,  exclaimed,  —  "Methinks  I  hear  an 
apostle  when  I  hear  this  man."  Cambridge  saw  him 
again  the  year  after  this,  on  a  very  different  occasion, 
and  in  a  quite  different  attitude.  In  the  violent  re- 
ligious controversy  kindled  by  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  which 
then  divided  the  people  and  was  carried  into  their 
civil  affairs,  —  Winthrop  and  Vane  taking  opposite 
sides,  —  he  was  a  zealous  and  decided  opponent  of 
the  new  doctrines,  showing  in  this  as  in  other  emer- 
gencies, that,  with  all  the  meekness  and  love  which 
characterized  him,  he  had  an  equal  share  of  spirit  and 
energy  when  it  was  called  for.  At  the  exciting  and 
tumultuous  election  which  was  held  in  this  town  in 
the  spring  of  1637,  for  the  choice  of  governor  and  as- 
sistants, the  grave  Boston  pastor  climbed  into  a  tree 
and  harangued  the  people  with  such  effect,  that  they 
immediately  insisted  on  taking  the  vote,  which  re- 
sulted in  the  triumph  of  Winthrop  and  his  party. 
"  Blessings  on  his  meek  head !  "  says  his  living  suc- 
cessor.!    "  His  zeal  had  no  mixture  of  sternness  in 


*  It  was  then  thought  necessary  to  the  complete  organization  of  a 
church  that  there  should  be  a  teacher  to  indoctrinate,  instruct,  and  con- 
vince, a  pastor  to  exhort  and  persuade,  and  one  or  more  ruling  elders  to 
assist  in  the  government  and  discipline  of  the  church,  and  to  conduct  the 
religious  services  in  case  of  the  absence  or  sickness  of  the  pastor  and 
teacher,  who  divided  the  labors  of  the  Sabbath  between  them ;  besides 
the  deacons,  who  had  charge  of  the  funds  of  the  church. 

f  Rev.  N.  L.  Frothingham,  in  his  Second  Century  Discourse. 


30 


it.  He  was  a  pattern  of  wisdom  and  gentleness  in 
an  age  which  needed  it  all." 

Among  his  brethren  who  appear  in  the  scene  as  it 
rises  before  us  out  of  the  mist  of  time,  we  may  dis- 
cern James  and  Symmes,  of  Charlestown,  and  Phil- 
lips,* of  Watertown,  the  fellow-passenger  of  Win- 
throp  in  the  Arabella,  of  whom  the  governor  writes, 
at  his  death,  as  "a  godly  man,  specially  gifted,  and 
very  peaceful  in  his  place,  much  lamented  of  his  own 
people  and  others."  And  in  another  seat  is  the  future 
pastor  of  Concord,  one  of  the  strictest  of  the  Puritans, 
Peter  Bulkley ;  t  a  gentleman  by  birth  and  education, 
a  scholar  of  no  mean  attainments,  with  a  well-furnish- 
ed library  (of  which  he  gave  a  considerable  part  to  the 
College  in  this  place)  and  a  large  estate,  of  which  he 
made  most  bountiful  and  judicious  use  in  the  advance- 
ment of  private  and  public  good. 

Another  glance  shows  us  Richard  Mather,  of  Dor- 
chester, an  eminent  divine  and  controversialist,  and 
the  progenitor  of  the  many  distinguished  ministers  of 
that  name.  His  neighbour,  the  pastor  of  Roxbury, 
that  zealous  opponent  of  the  new  lights  of  his  time, 
Thomas  Weld,  now  chiefly  remembered  as  the  author 


*  A  visiter,  I  presume,  at  the  solemnity,  though  there  was  no  formal 
delegation  from  his  church,  which,  in  its  thorough-going  principles  of  In- 
dependency, as  we  learn  from  Lechford  and  Winthrop,  did  not  send 
11  messengers  "  to  any  other  church-gathering  or  ordination,  and  did  not 
invite  any  to  its  own. 

f  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  this  country,  he  became  one  of  the  residents 
and  proprietors  of  Cambridge.  The  gathering  of  the  Concord  church 
took  place  the  summer  following  our  own,  and  in  our  Cambridge  sanc- 
tuary. 


31 


of  M  The  Rise,  Reign,  and  Ruin  of  the  Antinomians," 
has  accompanied  him  on  the  way,  and  has  taken  his 
place  among  the  delegates  of  the  invited  churches. 
And  there,  too,  is  his  beloved  colleague,  the  self- 
sacrificing  and  tender-hearted  Eliot ;  the  apostle  to 
the  Indians,  and  their  devoted  and  unflinching  friend, 
the  first  and  most  efficient  Protestant  missionary  to 
these  wild  men  of  the  soil,  who,  a  few  years  after  this, 
with  the  aid  of  Gookin,  one  of  the  distinguished  in- 
habitants of  this  place,  commenced  his  labors  among 
the  savages,  and  made  his  first  conversions  at  Nonan- 
tum,  then  lying  within  the  limits  of  Cambridge. 
His  efforts  and  sacrifices  were  rewarded  indeed  with 
but  a  temporary  and  inadequate  success  ;  but  his  lov- 
ing and  saintly  spirit  enjoyed  its  reward,  as  it  still 
toiled  on  in  patience  and  hope. 

Hugh  Peters,  too  (a  name  not  to  be  forgotten), 
who,  with  Vane  and  others,  had  arrived  in  New  Eng- 
land the  preceding  autumn,  and  was  now  in  Boston 
or  the  neighbourhood  (for  he  was  not  settled  at  Salem 
till  December,  1636),  was  in  all  probability  at  the 
gathering  of  our  Cambridge  church.  He,  too,  was 
one  of  the  remarkable  men  of  a  remarkable  period ; 
and  afterwards  became  a  conspicuous  actor  in  the 
revolutionary  scenes  in  the  time  of  Charles  the  First. 
He  was  the  chaplain  and  counsellor  of  Cromwell  ; 
distinguished  by  a  quaint  and  homely,  but  original, 
vigorous,  Latimer-like  eloquence,  which  made  him  one 
of  the  most  popular  and  effective  preachers  of  his 
time ;  an   ardent,    resolute,    active,   and   enterprising 


32 


man,  lion-hearted  and  trumpet-tongued,  entering  with 
characti  ristic  enthusiasm  and  energy  into  the  political 
as  well  as  religious  controversies  of  the  day,  ready  to 
fight  or  pray,  as  his  services  might  be  wanted,  and 
finally,  like  Vane,  dying  upon  the  scaffold,  and,  like 
Vane,  meeting  his  fate  with  an  unshaken  fortitude  and 
heroism.  While  he  was  in  this  country,  his  ministry 
at  Salem,  and  his  spirited  public  services  of  various 
kinds,  made  him  a  rich  blessing  to  the  town  and  the 
state  in  which  he  lived.  Of  quick  mind  and  versatile 
talents,  ready  to  act  upon  all  occasions  and  in  all 
matters,  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual,  the  influence  of 
his  counsels  and  wise  suggestions,  of  his  labors  and 
successful  example,  left  a  deep  and  enduring  impres- 
sion upon  the  character  of  his  Salem  flock.* 

But  time  would  fail  me  to  speak  fully  of  the  hon- 
ored and  useful  men,  both  among  the  laity  and  the 
clergy,  who,  we  have  good  reason  to  believe,  stood 
sponsors  at  the  christening  of  our  ancient  church.  I 
can  only  mention  the  names  of  such  men  as  Richard 
Bellingham,f  and  Simon  Bradstreet,  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Cambridge,  both  of  them  afterwards  chosen 


*  Hugh  Peters  was  father-in-law  to  the  younger  Winthrop.  He  was 
an  active  friend  of  the  College.  In  1641,  he  went  as  agent  in  behalf 
of  the  colony  to  England,  but  never  returned  to  this  country. 

f  Bellingham  died  governor,  in  1672.  Bradstreet,  the  Nestor  of  the 
Massachusetts  colony,  whose  life  nearly  covered  the  century,  dying  in 
1697,  at  the  age  of  ninety-four,  was  at  the  head  of  the  government  when 
lie  was  nearly  ninety,  and  was  sixty  years  in  public  office.  He  married 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  Dudley,  a  lady  of  poetical  talent  and  literary  ac- 
complishments, whom  Cotton  Mather  bedaubs  with  pedantic  praises. 


33 


several  times  to  the  chief  magistracy,  in  Massachu- 
setts, —  William  Coddington,  a  wealthy  Boston  mer- 
chant, of  high  character,  a  friend  and  supporter  of 
Mrs.  Hutchinson,  and  afterwards  among  the  founders 
of  Rhode  Island,  and  its  governor  at  his  death,  — 
William  Pynchon,  the  father  of  Roxbury,  and  then  of 
Springfield,  —  Increase  Nowell,  of  Charlestown,  for 
many  years  secretary  of  the  colony,  —  who,  with  oth- 
ers of  less  note,  filled  the  seats  of  the  sanctuary. 

In  front  of  all  were  the  pastor  and  the  teacher  of 
the  first  flock  here  gathered,  Thomas  Hooker  and 
Samuel  Stone,  who  were  soon  to  be  the  spiritual 
fathers  of  another  colony  at  Hartford.*  Hooker  also 
was  one  of  the  admired  and  renowned  preachers  of 
his  time,  and  became  to  Connecticut  what  Cotton  was 
to  Massachusetts,  its  ecclesiastical  patriarch  and 
oracle,  —  "the  light  of  the  western  churches. 

"  So  piercing  was  his  holy  ministry, 
Each  ear  that  heard  him  said,  He  spake  to  we."  f 


*  Hartford  was  named  after  the  birthplace  of  Stone.  In  a  "  Thre- 
nodia  upon  our  Churches'  second  dark  Eclipse,  happening  July  20,  1663, 
by  Death's  Interposition  between  us  and  that  great  Light  and  Divine 
Planet,  Mr.  Samuel  Stone,  late  of  Hartford,  in  New  England,"  are 
the  following  lines : 

"  In  Hartford  Old,  Stone  first  drew  infant  breath, 
In  New,  effused  his  last :  O,  there  beneath 
His  corps  are  laid,  near  to  his  darling  brother, 
Of  whom  dead  oft  he  sighed,  Not  such  another. 
Heaven  is  the  more  desirable,  said  he, 
For  Hooker ,  Shepard,  Haynes's  company." 

Morton's  N.  E.  Mem.,  p.  303. 
f  P.  Bulkley's  Lines  on  the  Death  of  Hooker,  in  Morton's  Memorial. 
5 


34 


"His  colleague,  Stone,"  as  his  contemporary,  Mor- 
ton, testifies,  "  was  another  star  of  the  first  magnitude 
in  New  England,"  —  "a  learned,  solid,  and  judicious 
divine,"  celebrated  not  only  for  his  ability  as  a  dis- 
putant, but  for  his  wit,  pleasantry,  and  good-humor. 
The  close  of  his  life  was  agitated  and  embittered  by 
a  schism  in  his  church,  growing  out  of  a  controversy 
between  him  and  the  ruling  elder  upon  some  ec- 
clesiastical questions,  in  which  all  the  neighbouring 
churches  became  involved.  His  future  antagonist 
now  sits  by  his  side,  in  the  picture  before  the  mind's 
eye  of  the  church-gathering  at  Newtown.  Once  be- 
fore this  he  dimly  makes  his  appearance  in  the  annals 
of  the  time,  at  the  session  already  referred  to  of  the 
General  Court,  in  which  he  was  one  of  the  deputies 
from  this  place,  when,  as  we  read,  "  Mr.  Goodwin,  a 
very  reverend  and  godly  man,  being  the  elder  of  the 
congregation  at  Newtown,  having  in  the  heat  of  ar- 
gument" (probably  about  the  removal  to  Connecticut) 
"  used  some  unreverend  speech  to  one  of  the  assist- 
ants, and  being  reproved  for  the  same  in  the  open 
Court,  did  gravely  and  humbly  acknowledge  his 
fault."* 

In  the  elder's  seat,  under  the  pulpit,  and  fronting 
the  congregation,  is  seen  "  a  poore,  weak,  pale-com- 
plectioned  man,"  in  clerical  garb,  with  arms  folded 
under  his  velvet  cloak,  of  humble,  devout  aspect,  with 

*  Winthrop,  Vol.  I.,  p.  142. 


35 


a  shade  of  anxiety  and  sadness*  upon  his  counte- 
nance, and  in  the  attitude  of  meditation  and  prayer. 
It  is  the  "  faithful  and  famous  "  Shepard,  the  future 
pastor  of  the  Cambridge  flock,  under  whose  ministry 
the  history  of  our  church  is  commonly  reckoned  to 
begin  ;  —  a  man  of  fervent,  childlike  piety,  of  great 
simplicity  and  earnestness,  of  humble  and  affectionate 
spirit,  wholly  devoted  to  his  Master  and  his  Master's 
work,  and  eminently  blessed  in  his  ministrations  ;  —  the 
author  of  several  doctrinal  and  practical  works,  in 
high  esteem  among  his  contemporaries,  though  now 
scarcely  to  be  met  with  except  in  our  College  library 
or  on  the  shelves  of  the  antiquarian; — a  preacher  of 
uncommon  unction  and  power,  with  that  peculiar  gift, 
not  always  to  be  distinctly  analyzed,  which  makes  a 
man  eloquent  in  the  pulpit  and  wise  in  winning,  souls, 
even  without  great  genius  or  personal  advantages. 
"  His  natural  parts  were  weak,  but  spent  to  the  full."  t 
"  Though  his  voice  was  low,  yet  so  searching  was  his 
preaching  and  so  great  a  power  attending,  as  a  hypo- 
crite could  not  easily  bear  it,  and  it  seemed  almost 


*  His  wife  was  then  in  the  last  stage  of  a  consumption,  brought  on  by 
the  exposure  and  fatigues  of  the  voyage  with  an  infant  child,  and  died  a 
fortnight  after.  Shepard  was  tenderly  attached  to  her.  The  ocean- 
rocked  boy,  her  only  surviving  child,  baptized  on  the  Sunday  following 
the  church-gathering,  became  the  minister  of  Charlestown,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded at  his  death  by  his  only  son,  of  the  same  name.  All  were  short- 
lived. Shepard's  second  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hooker.  His 
third  wife,  who  survived  him,  married  his  successor,  Jonathan  Mitch- 
ell. Besides  Thomas,  he  had  two  other  sons,  Samuel  and  Jeremiah, 
who  were  also  settled  in  the  ministry,  and  were  highly  beloved  and  re- 
spected. 

f  Johnson. 


36 


irresistible."*     It  was  the  cry  of  a  prophet's  warning, 
uttered  in  the  tone  of  affectionate  entreaty. 

11  A  parish  priest  was  of  the  Pilgrim  train, 
An  awful,  reverend,  and  religious  man. 

He  bore  his  great  commission  in  his  look, 
But  sweetly  tempered  awe,  and  softened  all  he  spoke  ; 
He  preached  the  joys  of  heaven  and  pains  of  hell, 
And  warned  the  sinner  with  becoming  zeal, — 
But  on  eternal  mercy  loved  to  dwell."  f 

By  his  side  are  two  others  J  of  the  new  company, 
just  settled  here,  who  are  to  take  part  with  him  in  the 
exercises  of  the  day,  the  ruling  elder  and  the  deacon, 
hereafter  to  be  chosen,  of  the  newly  organized  church. 
Near  them,  as  the  eye  glances  over  the  assembly,  an- 
other group  of  our  own  townsmen  attracts  our  notice, 
—  the  first  five^  who  enter  with  them  into  church- 
covenant,  among  whom,  besides  the  loved  and  faithful 
brother  of  Shepard,  we  discern  one  who  has  shown 


#     Prince.  f  Dryden. 

J  These,  I  have  little  doubt,  were  Edmund  Frost,  and  Thomas  Mar- 
riot,  or  Marrett,  as  the  name  was  afterwards  written,  —  the  same  who 
held  the  offices  of  ruling  elder  and  deacon  in  1658,  as  appears  from  the 
list  of  church-members  at  that  time,  in  the  Appendix  to  this -discourse. 
Richard  Champney  and  Gregory  Stone  were  their  associates  in  office,  in 
1658,  and  were  among  the  early  members  of  the  church  ;  but,  as  I  am  led 
to  think  from  a  fact  stated  in  the  Appendix,  they  did  not  join  it  during 
the  first  month. 

§  These  we  may  conjecture  to  have  been  Roger  Harlackenden,  Joseph 
Cooke,  Nicholas  Danforth,  Samuel  Shepard,  and  George  Cooke;  as  be- 
ing the  men  of  most  note  among  the  first  twelve  who,  in  addition  to 
T.  Shepard,  Frost,  and  Marriot,  appear  to  have  joined  the  church  before 
March  3d,  1636.  I  was  pleasantly  surprised  by  the  discovery  of  the 
names  of  the  original  members  of  the  church,  which  I  had  supposed 
to  be  among  the  buried,  irrecoverable  things  of  the  past.     See  Appendix. 


37 


him  a  brother's  affection  and  care,  his  protector  and 
supporter  in  his  native  land,  his  companion  to  the 
New  World,  of  whom  Shepard  speaks  as  his  "  most 
dear  friend,  that  most  precious  servant  of  Jesus 
Christ,"  Roger  Harlackenden,*  —  "  a  young  gentle- 
man, valiant  in  faith,"  "of  good  family  and  estate," 
in  high  esteem  through  the  community,  whose  early 
death,  in  1638,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  was  a 
great  grief  to  his  pastor,  and  an  affliction  not  only 
to  the  town,  but  to  the  colony,  in  which  he  was  al- 
ready honorably  distinguished. 

Such  was  the  congregation  now  assembled  in  de- 
vout silence  to  witness  or  take  part  in  the  solemnity. 
The  records  of  our  Cambridge  church  for  the  first  sixty 
years,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  fragment,  t  which 
has  been  picked  up  from  the  wreck,  have  been  unfor- 
tunately lost ;  at  what  time,  and  by  what  accident,  I 
have  never  been  able  to  ascertain.  The  only  account 
which  we  have  of  the  transaction  is  found  in  the  in- 
valuable Journal,  so  often  quoted,  of  Governor  Win- 


#  Winthrop,  under  date  of  November  17th,  1638,  has  the  following 
notice  of  him  :  —  "Roger  Herlakenden,  one  of  our  magistrates,  about 

thirty  years  of   age,   second  son    of    Herlakenden,  of  Earl's 

Colne,  in  Essex,  Esq.,  died  at  Cambridge,  of  the  small-pox.  He  was 
a  very  godly  man,  and  of  good  use,  both  in  the  commonwealth  and  in 
the  church.  He  was  buried  with  military  honor,  because  he  was  lieuten- 
ant-colonel. He  left  behind  a  virtuous  gentlewoman  and  two  daughters. 
He  died  in  great  peace,  and  left  a  sweet  memorial  behind  him  of  his  piety 
and  virtue."  His  sister,  Mabell,  who  came  over  with  him,  married 
Governor  Haynes. 

f  A  list  of  church-members,  with  their  children,  in  1658,  and  for  a 
few  years  after,  which  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 


38 


throp,  himself  no  doubt  an  eyewitness  of  the  scene. 
The  fulness  of  this  account,  compared  with  his  no- 
tices of  other  similar  occasions,  seems  to  me  to  indi- 
cate a  peculiar  interest  in  it.  This  is  the  record 
which  he  makes  in  his  Journal :  — 

"  1635,  Mo.  12.  1.  Mr.  Shepherd,  a  godly  minister, 
come  lately  out  of  England,  and  divers  other  good 
Christians,  intending  to  raise  a  church  body,  came  and 
acquainted  the  magistrates  therewith,  who  gave  their 
approbation.  They  also  sent  to  all  the  neighbouring 
churches  for  their  elders  to  give  their  assistance  at  a 
certain  day,  at  Newtown,  when  they  should  constitute 
their  body.  Accordingly,  at  this  day,  there  met  a 
great  assembly,  where  the  proceeding  was  as  follow- 
eth :  —  Mr.  Shepherd  and  two  others  (who  were  after 
to  be  chosen  to  office),  sate  together  in  the  elder's 
seat.  Then  the  elder  of  them  began  with  prayer. 
After  this  Mr.  Shepherd  prayed  with  deep  confession 
of  sin,  &cc,  and  exercised  out  of  Eph.  v.,  —  that  he 
might  make  it  to  himself  a  holy,  &c.  ;  and  also  open- 
ed the  cause  of  their  meeting,  8cc.  Then  the  elder 
desired  to  know  of  the  churches  assembled,  what 
number  were  needful  to  make  a  church,  and  how*  they 
ought  to  proceed  in  this  action.  Whereupon,  some  of 
the  ancient  ministers,  conferring  shortly  together,  gave 
answer  :  That  the  Scripture  did  not  set  down  any 
certain  rule  for  the  number.  Three  (they  thought,) 
were  too  few,  because  by  Matt,  xviii.  an  appeal  was 
allowed  from  three  ;  but  that  seven  might  be  a  fit 
number.     And,    for    their   proceeding,    they   advised, 


39 


that  such  as  were  to  join  should  make  confession  of 
their  faith,  and  declare  what  work  of  grace  the  Lord 
had  wrought  in  them  ;  which  accordingly  they  did, 
Mr.  Shepherd  first,  then  four  others,  then  the  elder,  and 
one  who  was  to  be  deacon  (who  had  also  prayed), 
and  another  member.  Then  the  covenant  was  read, 
and  they  all  gave  a  solemn  assent  to  it.  Then  the 
elder  desired  of  the  churches,  that,  if  they  did  approve 
them  to  be  a  church,  they  would  give  them  the  right 
hand  of  fellowship.  Whereupon,  Mr.  Cotton  (upon 
short  speech  with  some  others  near  him),  in  the  name 
of  their  churches,  gave  his  hand  to  the  elder,  with  a 
short  speech  of  their  assent,  and  desired  the  peace  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  to  be  with  them.  Then  Mr.  Shepherd 
made  an  exhortation  to  the  rest  of  his  body,  about  the 
nature  of  their  covenant,  and  to  stand  firm  to  it,  and 
commended  them  to  the  Lord  in  a  most  heavenly 
prayer.  Then  the  elder  told  the  assembly,  that  they 
were  intended  to  choose  Mr.  Shepherd  for  their  pastor 
(by  the  name  of  the  brother  who  had  exercised),  and 
desired  the  churches,  that,  if  they  had  any  thing  to 
except  against  him,  they  would  impart  it  to  them 
before  the  day  of  ordination.  Then  he  gave  the 
churches  thanks  for  their  assistance,  and  so  left  them 
to  the  Lord." 

This  is  dated  the  first  day  of  the  twelfth  month  of 
1635.  In  the  times  of  our  ancestors,  the  year  began 
on  the  25th  of  March,  which  was  reckoned  the  first 
month,  and  February  the  twelfth.     Adding  ten  days 


40 


for  the  difference  between  Old  Style  and  New,  the 
date  of  the  gathering  is  February  11th,  1636. 

Seven  generations,  then,  have  just  "  passed  on," 
since  the  first  permanent  church  in  Cambridge  was 
solemnly  organized,  in  the  presence  of  a  cloud  of 
honored  witnesses,  according  to  the  simple  usages  of 
our  Congregational  fathers.  I  have  thought  that  it 
might  not  be  improper  or  uninteresting  to  commem- 
orate the  occasion  with  some  historical  notices  like 
those  which  I  have  endeavoured  to  present  to  you. 
It  is  good  for  us  from  time  to  time  to  visit  the  Mount 
Auburn  of  memory,  to  stand  by  the  tombs  of  departed 
sages  and  prophets,  and  to  read  again  upon  the  sunken 
monuments  the  moss-covered  inscriptions  which  tell 
us  of  their  labors  and  merits.  We  need  not  deny, 
and  we  need  not  forget,  their  faults.  We  will  remem- 
ber them  as  warnings  and  beacons.  Where,  through 
human  infirmity,  and  sore  temptation,  and  the  pressure 
and  spirit  of  the  age,  they  were  inconsistent  with 
themselves  and  false  to  their  principles,  we  may  read 
a  lesson  for  our  own  times  without  harsh  judgments 
upon  their  memory.  We  may  notice,  that  we  may 
avoid  their  errors.  But  it  is  pleasanter  to  dwell  upon 
the  beautiful  image  of  their  virtues,  revealing  itself 
more  and  more  distinctly  as  we  gaze  back  into  the 
dim  and  scattered  records  of  the  past.  It  is  more 
honorable  and  more  edifying  to  study  the  glorious 
everlasting  truths  and  principles  which  they  main- 
tained and  illustrated,  than  with  carrion   appetite  to 


41 


hunt  out  the  dead  follies,  superstitions,  and  exploded 
opinions  which  were  unhappily  mingled  with  them. 
If  we  cannot  agree  with  them  in  the  whole  of  their 
theological  cueed,  we  can  agree  with  them  in  their 
religious  spirit.  If  we  cannot  adopt  their  doctrinal 
phraseology,  we  can  admire  and  cherish  their  religious 
faith.  If,  in  the  light  of  what  we  deem  to  be  a  juster 
interpretation  of  the  Scriptures,  and  a  sounder  reason- 
ing, we  are  forced  to  reject  their  Calvinism,  we  can 
nevertheless  honor  and  maintain  as  firmly  and  steadily 
as  they  the  precious  truth  which  was  inclosed  and 
incrusted  within  it,  like  the  diamond  in  the  rough  rock. 
If,  in  this  elder  age  of  the  world,  we  can  no  longer 
believe  with  them  in  witches  and  apparitions,  in  omens 
and  dreams,  we  can  believe  as  devoutly  as  they  in  the 
ever-living,  ever-loving  God,  and  in  the  invisible  world 
on  whose  borders  we  are  standing.  If,  from  our  pres- 
ent point  of  view,  we  must  condemn  or  deplore  their 
occasional  exclusiveness  and  intolerance,  their  vio- 
lations of  the  rights  of  the  individual  conscience, 
their  bitterness  of  language  and  inquisitorial  harshness 
of  dealing  in  the  treatment  of  their  heretics,  we  can 
gladly  and  reverently  acknowledge  —  we  should  filially 
love  and  copy  —  their  noble  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God, 
for  the  honor  of  Christ,  for  the  propagation  of  his 
gospel,  for  the  establishment  of  his  law,  for  the  diffu- 
sion of  his  spirit.  Where  they  were  right,  we  will 
follow  them  ;  where  they  were  wrong,  we  will  leave 
them  for  the  truer  and  better  path,  till  it  strikes  again 
into  theirs.     Where  they  were  mistaken,  God  forbid 


42 


that  we  should  repeat  their  errors  for  the  sake  of  their 
company,  however  unwillingly  we  may  part  from  it. 
But  where  they  have  left  us  wise  and  winning  exam- 
ples, —  where  they  have  gone  before  us«in  the  way  to 
heaven  in  shining  garments,  —  God  forbid  that  we 
should  ever  be  recreant  to  our  ancestry.  We  should 
hold  faster  to  the  Christian  principles  and  the  Chris- 
tian virtues  which  are  associated  with  their  names. 

A  few  days  since,  I  ascended  into  the  tower  of  this 
church,  and  surveyed  the  animating  and  beautiful 
scene  upon  which  it  looks.  Around  me  in  every  di- 
rection I  saw  thriving  villages,  from  which  a  thousand 
busy  and  cheerful  smokes  curled  upward  into  the  sky  ; 
to  the  east,  the  populous  city,  crowned  with  its  state- 
ly dome  and  pointing  heavenward  with  its  spires ; 
close  by,  the  College  edifices,  —  the  crowded  grave- 
yard, —  the  churches  of  the  Episcopal  and  Baptist 
dissenters  from  the  old  Congregational  establishment, 
the  sight  or  foresight  of  which  would  have  made 
Dudley's  *  heart  ache.  At  a  distance,  the  steam  of 
the  locomotive  hung  like  a  low  cloud  over  the  ground, 
as  the  long  train  shot  swiftly  by  ;  —  below  me,  multi- 
tudes of  sleighs  and  pleasure-parties  were  sailing  over 
the  frozen  roads ;  —  the  sounds  of  business  and  of 
merriment  came  mingling  up  into  the  air. 

As  I  gazed  upon  the  scene  around  me,  so  full  of 


*  His  farewell  lines,  found  upon  him  after  his  death,  have  been  often 
quoted  :  — 

11  Let  men  of  God  in  courts  and  churches  watch 
O'er  such  as  do  a  toleration  hatch." 


43 


prosperity  and  promise,  all  radiant  with  the  light  of 
New  England  industry  and  New  England  enterprise, 
I  could  not  help  contrasting  it  with  that  which  pre- 
sented itself,  to  the  eyes  of  Winthrop  when  he  first 
pitched  his  tent  in  midwinter  upon  this  then  unin- 
habited spot.  My  thoughts  went  back  to  the  time  of 
Hooker  and  Shepard,  —  to  the  day  of  small  things, — 
when  only  here  and  there  could  be  seen  a  little  cluster 
of  newly  finished  and  unpainted  houses,  rising  amidst 
wild  grounds,  hitherto  undisturbed  except  by  the 
sounds  of  nature's  offspring,  the  howl  of  the  wolf,  or 
the  shout  of  the  savage.  I  ascended  in  imagination 
the  turret  of  the  first  plain  church  where  our  fathers 
worshipped  ;  — and  all  around  was  as  yet  a  desert, 
though  Faith  illumined  it  with  the  presence  of  their 
God,  and  Hope  brightened  it  with  her  visions  of  the 
coming  future.  As  I  looked  upon  the  fosse  and  pali- 
sade, the  Indian  settlement  at  Nonantum  came  up 
before  me  ;  —  and  the  listening  group  of  the  red  child- 
ren of  the  soil,  as  they  reverently  gathered  around  the 
apostolic  Eliot  on  his  first  visit  to  their  wigwams,  two 
centuries  ago  this  very  year.  I  saw  walking  by  his 
side  the  tall,  straight  form  of  the  black-haired  Waban,* 
—  the  first  fruits  of  his  zealous  and  persevering  min- 
istry, —  affectionately  accompanying  his  teacher  on 
his  way  back  to  his  Roxbury  home.     Could  they  now 


*  See  Life  of  Eliot,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Francis,  in  Sparks's  American  Bi- 
ography, Vol.  V.,  pp.  48,  50,  et  seq.  The  name  of  this  Indian  chief  ap- 
pears also  in  our  town  records,  in  a  business  contract  signed  by  him 
with  "  his  mark,"  in  1647. 


44 

rise  from  their  graves,  and  return  to  the  world  as 
they  left  it,  and,  reentering  the  tabernacle  of  flesh, 
view  the  places  which  once  knew  them  with  the  same 
powers,  the  same  eyes,  as  of  yore,  with  what  amaze- 
ment would  they  behold  the  transformation  that  two 
centuries  have  accomplished  !  What  a  strange  mix- 
ture of  the  familiar  and  well  remembered  objects 
among  which  they  once  dwelt  and  moved  with  the 
gradual  additions  of  after  generations,  with  the  novel- 
ties and  improvements  of  the  nineteenth  century,  with 
the  inventions  of  modern  comfort,  the  splendors  of 
modern  luxury,  and  the  wonders  of  our  iron  roads ! 

But  in  thus  contemplating  the  changes  which  have 
taken  place  since  their  time  in  the  scenes  around  us, 
I  remembered  that  the  great  essential  features  of  the 
landscape  still  remain  the  same.  One  generation  of 
men  passeth  away,  and  another  generation  cometh  ; 
but  the  earth  abideth  for  ever.  Nature  and  the  laws 
of  nature,  the  year  and  the  seasons,  go  on  as  at  the 
beginning  and  as  in  the  days  of  our  fathers.  The 
same  wood-crowned  hill,  which  rose  upon  their  eyes, 
rises  upon  ours.  The  same  river,  which  winded  its 
way  along  the  fields  of  the  Pilgrims,  and  by  a  defen- 
sive palisade,  still  winds  its  way  by  the  cultivated  and 
thick-settled  villages  of  their  descendants.  The  same 
soft  outline  edges  the  horizon  ;  the  same  sun  shines 
down  lovingly  upon  all  ;  the  same  azure  firmament 
bends  over  them  ;  the  same  ever-burning  stars  light 
up  the  evening  sky.  In  the  grandeur  and  mild  beauty 
of  the  unchanging   forms  of  his  creation,  God  is  still 


45 


speaking  to  us  the  language  which  he  spake  to  them 
of  old  time.  It  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and 
for  ever. 

And  as  it  is  with  the  sky,  and  soil,  and  face  of  the 
landscape,  so  may  it  be  with  the  character  of  our 
people.  With  these  changes  upon  the  surface,  may  it 
ever  show  itself  to  be  at  heart,  and  in  its  great  fea- 
tures, the  same  essentially  as  it  was  two  centuries  ago. 
In  all  that  was  noble  and  wrorthy,  useful  and  good,  in 
the  parent  stock,  let  it  be  our  aim  and  our  earnest 
endeavour  to  remain  true  to  our  ancestry,  worthy  of 
our  calling,  and  to  transmit  to  our  posterity  the  refined 
and  purified  spirit  of  the  Pilgrims,  —  the  gold  cleared 
from  the  dross. 

We  stand  in  their  places.  They  have  committed 
the  torch  of  freedom  and  truth  to  our  hands.  We 
must  bear  it  aloft  in  their  spirit,  if  not  with  their 
creed.  "  Contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  as  it  was 
once  delivered  to  the  saints,"  was  their  motto  ;  and, 
according  to  their  idea  of  that  faith,  they  were  true  to 
it.  "  Contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  as  it  was  once 
delivered  to  the  saints,"  should  be  the  motto  of  this 
church  still,  —  and  should  be  written  in  letters  of  light 
over  its  walls.  The  Christianity  of  Jesus  Christ,  — 
the  truth  as  it  spoke  from  his  lips,  as  it  shone  out 
from  his  life,  —  the  pure  and  undefiled  religion  which 
came  down  from  heaven,  —  may  this  church  hold  it 
fast  and  hold  it  forth  with  a  holy  zeal  united  always 
with  a  holy  charity  and  love. 

Brethren,  let  us  begin  the  new  year  of  our  church 


46 


in  the  purified  spirit  of  our  fathers.  Let  us  begin  the 
new  year  of  our  church  with  a  determination  to  do 
what  we  can,  each  and  all,  to  make  it  more  worthy 
than  it  has  been  of  its  Christian  name,  and  privileges, 
and  hopes.  Let  the  warm  blood  of  a  living  faith  and 
a  free-flowing  charity  circulate  through  its  veins,  and 
give  it  a  more  vigorous  life.  Let  its  winter  birthday 
find  summer  and  sunshine  in  the  heart.  Let  the  First 
Church  in  Cambridge  be  ever  among  the  first  in  all 
good  things. 

And  now  "  unto  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
of  whom  the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth  is 
named,  —  unto  Him  be  glory  in  the  church  by  Christ 
Jesus,  throughout  all  ages,  world  without  end. 
Amen." 


APPENDIX. 


In  the  original  Colony  Records  at  the  State-House  in  Boston,  I  found 
in  the  list  of  freemen  admitted  March  3,  1636,  a  month  after  the  Cam- 
bridge church-gathering,  the  following  names,  arranged  in  the  order  in 
which  they  here  stand,  namely  :  — 

Roger  Harlackendine,  Esq., 

Mr.  Joseph  Cooke, 

Mr.  George  Cooke, 

Mr.  Nicholas  Danforth, 

Thomas  Marryot, 

Mr.  Samuel  Shepheard, 

Wm.  French, 

Simon  Crosby, 

Thomas  Cheeseholme, 

John  Russell, 

Passevil  Greene, 

Mr.  Hugh  Peters, 

Thomas  Bloyett, 

Edmond  Frost, 

Mr.  Thomas  Shepheard, 


Henry  Vane,  Esq. 

These  fifteen    names  preceding  that  of  Vane, — which  is  separated 

from  them  by  a  little  dash,  as  in  the  original,  —  are,  with  the  exception 

of  Hugh  Peters,*  the  names  of  men   who  are  known  from  the  town 

records  to  have  been  inhabitants  of  Cambridge.     These  freemen  were, 

*  With  what  church,  if  any,  Hugh  Peters  had  connected  himself,  is  not 
known  to  me.  Possibly  in  his  case  the  usual  condition  was  dispensed  with. 
He  did  not  settle  at  Salem  till  the  December  following. 


48 


of  course,  members  of  the  church;  and  as  the  Court,  at  which  they 
were  admitted,  and  before  which  they  personally  appeared  to  take  the 
freeman's  oath,  was  held  that  month  in  Cambridge,  it  is  probable  that 
all  who  were  then  in  church-fellowship  here  availed  themselves  of  the 
opportunity  of  obtaining  the  privileges  of  freemen.  They  appear  to  have 
come  in  a  body  to  the  Court,  and  the  order  of  their  names  is  probably  the 
order  in  which  they  were  admitted,  those  of  highest  standing  being  re- 
ceived and  enrolled  first.  The  title  of  Esquire,  attached  to  the  names  of 
Harlackenden  and  Vane,  was  given  at  that  time  only  to  those  of  a  cer- 
tain rank  or  office.  These  two,  with  Governor  Haynes,  another  of  the 
English  gentry,  are  the  only  ones  among  the  Massachusetts  emigrants 
after  ^'inthrop  who  appear  to  have  had  this  title  before  coming  to  this 
country.  Here  it  was  also  given  to  the  governor,  deputy-governor,  and 
assistants  of  the  colony.  The  title  of  Mr.,  too,  was  not  the  common  ap- 
pellation which  it  now  is,  but  somewhat  aristocratic,  and  was  confined  to 
those  of  a  certain  station  in  society.  Out  of  the  forty-seven  freemen  ad- 
mitted in  March,  with  Vane  and  Harlackenden,  there  are  only  seven  so 
honored  ;  all  but  one  being  of  Cambridge.  In  1635,  out  of  the  one  hundred 
and  forty-four  admitted,  there  are  only  seven  Mr.'s.  Thomas  Marryot, 
however,  stands  on  the  list  before  Mr.  Samuel  Shepheard,  who  probably 
gave  way  to  him  on  account  of  his  age  and  his  office  of  deacon.  It  will  be 
observed,  also,  that  in  this  list  of  our  Cambridge  people,  the  names  of  Ed- 
mond  Frost  and  Thomas  Shepheard  stand  last,  as  if  the  ruling  elder  and 
the  pastor  had  come  in  together  after  the  others,  or  chose  to  be  placed  last. 
Hugh  Peters  may  have  been  in  company  with  his  Cambridge  friends, 
perhaps  on  a  visit  here,  and  came  in  with  them  into  the  Court  to  be  ad- 
mitted freeman.  Possibly  he  may  have  connected  himself  for  this  pur- 
pose with  our  Cambridge  church.  But  there  is  no  record  to  determine 
the  fact. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1636,  four  others,  known  to  be  of  Cambridge,  were 
admitted  freemen,  and  were  of  course  among  the  first  members  of  our 
church,  namely:  —Richard  Champney,  Gregory  Stone,  Edward  Goffe, 
Thomas  Judd. 

In  addition  to  the  names  above  given,  that  of  Mr.  Clement  Chaplain, 
whom  we  also  know  to  have  been  at  that  time  a  resident  of  Cambridge, 
stands  by  itself  at  the  head  of  the  freemen  admitted  in  March,  1636. 

We  thus  find  the  names  of  eighteen,  at  least,  besides  Shepard,  who 
were  in  all  probability  members  of  our  Cambridge  church  at  its  first  or- 
ganization, or  within  four  months  after;  and,  we  may  presume,  the  only 
male  members  at  that  period.  These,  with  their  wives,  constituted  the 
original  church.  About  half  of  them  will  be  found  among  the  members 
recorded  as  still  living  in  1658,  in  Mitchell's  list, —  the  fragment  which 
helps  us  to  cross  the  sixty  years'  chasm  in  our  records. 


49 


Shepard,  in  his  autobiography,  tells  us,  that  his  wife,  Margaret,  en- 
tered into  church  fellowship  before  her  death.  The  names  of  the  wives 
of  the  persons  above  mentioned,  as  presumed  to  be  the  first  members  of  the 
church,  are  Elizabeth  Harlackenden,  Thomasine  Frost,  Jane  Champney, 
Susan  Marrett,  Lydia  Stone,  Elisabeth  French,  Ann  Crosby,  Isabel 
Cheeseholme,  Susan  Bloggett,  Ellen  Green,  Joyce  Goffe.  Elisabeth  (wife 
of  Joseph)  Cooke,  Alice  (wife  of  George)  Cooke,  and  Hannah  (wife  of 
Samuel)  Shepard,  were  probably  not  married  at  the  time  of  the  gather- 
ing. The  names  of  the  wives  of  Danforth,  Russell,  Judd,  and  Chaplain 
(if  all  married),  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain. 


Roger  Harlackenden,  the  principal  man  in  Shepard's  company,  has 
already  been  noticed  in  the  discourse.  He  was  married  to  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Godfrey  Bosseville,  June  4,  1635,  and  about  the  10th  of  Au- 
gust (as  Shepard  tells  us)  set  sail  with  his  young  bride,  and  his  sister 
Mabel,  to  seek  a  new  home,  and  to  find  an  early  grave,  in  America.  He 
was  one  of  those  who  "  took  New  England  in  their  way  to  heaven." 
Hubbard  says  that  he  came  in  the  same  ship  with  Vane.  From  Shepard's 
autobiography,  and  from  a  manuscript  register  recently  discovered  in  one 
of  the  public  offices  in  London,  containing  the  names  of  persons  permitted 
to  embark  at  London  for  this  country  in  1635,*  we  learn  that  Harlacken- 
den came  in  company  with  Thomas  and  Samuel  Shepard,  the  two  Cookes, 
William  French,  and  the  ministers  Wilson  and  Jones.  He  settled  with  his 
chosen  pastor  at  Cambridge,  where  he  purchased  the  house  and  estate  of 
Dudley,  who  removed  to  Ipswich,  and  afterwards  to  Roxbury.  His  con- 
tinued attachment  to  Shepard  is  expressed  in  his  will  (in  Suffolk  Probate 
Records),  in  which  it  appears  that  he  left  him  a  legacy.  His  elder 
brother,  Richard  Harlackenden,  seems  to  have  had  some  intention  of  emi- 
grating to  New  England,  and  a  farm  of  six  hundred  acres  was  granted  to 
him,  on  condition  of  his  coming  over  within  a  certain  period ;  but  he  never 
came,  and  the  land  was  transferred  to  Roger.     He  is  erroneously  enumer- 


*  See  Savage's  Gleanings,  in  the  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.,  3d  Series,  Vol.  VIII. 
In  this  document,  —  first  examined  and  made  known  to  us  by  Mr.  Savage,  — 
Thomas  Shepard  appears  to  be  registered  under  the  assumed  name  of"  John 
Shepard,  a  husbandman,"  followed  by  the  true  names  and  ages  of  his  wife 
and  infant  child.  He  was  one  of  the  proscribed  ministers,  and  was  com- 
pelled to  conceal  nis  name  in  order  to  escape  from  the  country.  In  the  same 
register,  S.  Shepard,  William  French,  Joseph  Cooke,  and  his  brother  George 
(whose  name  is  there  written  Cocke,  instead  of  Cooke)  are  recorded  as  ser- 
vants of  Harlackenden.  They  appeared  in  this  character  for  the  purpose,  no 
doubt,  of  evading  some  of  the  tyrannical  regulations  then  in  force. 
7 


50 


ated  in  Holmes's  History  of  Cambridge  among  the  first  proprietors  and 
settlers  of  this  place.  It  appears  from  the  "  Gleanings  "  of  Mr.  Savage, 
to  whom  the  students  of  our  ancient  New  England  history  are  so  largely 
indebted,  that  Richard  died  at  an  advanced  age,  at  the  family  seat,  I  sup- 
pose, in  Essex. 

Five  of  the  first  church-members,  namely,  Harlackenden,  Danforth,* 
Green,  Crosby,  and  Bloggett,  died  within  four  years  after  their  arrival. 
Chaplain  (elected  representative  in  1636)  and  Judd  removed  to  Hartford. 
Danforth  was  one  of  our  enterprising  and  influential  inhabitants,  and  was 
often  employed  in  public  trusts  by  his  townsmen  ;  as  were  the  two 
Cookes,  Russell,  Chaplain,  and  S.  Shepard,  while  they  remained  here. 
George  Cooke  commanded  the  company  which  was  sent  to  apprehend 
Gorton  and  his  associates,  was  speaker  of  the  House  of  Deputies  in  1645, 
and  afterwards  became  a  colonel  in  the  service  of  Cromwell,  in  Ireland ; 
where  also  (as  appears  on  page  54)  Samuel  Shepard  was  living  in  1658, 
with  the  rank  of  major.  French  removed  to  Billerica,  where  numerous 
descendants  of  his  are  now  living.  He  died  in  1681 .  Cheeseholme  became 
a  deacon  of  the  church,  and  died  August  18,  1671.  Goffe  f  died  Decem- 
ber 26,  1658.  Champney  died  in  1669.  He  is  called  "  Elder  Champ- 
ney  "  in  the  town  records,  under  date  of  February,  1637.  His  colleague, 
Frost,  is  also  designated  at  that  time  by  the  same  title.  Frost  died  in 
1672.  His  posterity  are  still  among  us.  Deacon  Marrett  died  June  30, 
1664,  aged  75.  Gregory  Stone,  another  of  the  first  deacons,  brother  of 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Stone,  died  November  30,  1672,  aged  82.  He  was  the 
last  survivor  in  Cambridge  of  the  first  eighteen,  who,  with  Shepard,  consti- 
tuted the  original  church.  A  footstone,  with  the  initials  of  his  name  upon 
it,  is  still  to  be  seen  in  our  ancient  burying-ground.  John  Cooper,  the  son 
of  his  wife  by  a  former  husband,  was  a  deacon  of  the  church,  and  had  a 
son  (Samuel)  who  was  afterwards  chosen  to  the  same  office.  His  oldest 
son,  John  Stone,  is  called  "Elder"  in  his  epitaph  in  our  church-yard. 
He  was  probably  elder  of  the  church  in  Sudbury,  where  he  lived  for  some 
years.     (See  Harris's  Cambridge  Epitaphs,  p.  179.) 


The  covenant  which  was  read  and  agreed  to  at  the  church-gathering,  is 
not  extant.  It  was,  probably,  like  others  of  the  time,  a  simple,  and  brief 
one.  That  which  is  at  present  in  use  in  our  church  was  adopted  May 
18,  1834,  and  is  as  follows  :  — 

"  Covenant  of  the  First  Church  in  Cambridge. 

11  We,  whose  names  are  underwritten,  do  solemnly  acknowledge  Jesus 

*  Nicholas  Danforth  died  April,  1638,  not  1637,  as  Farmer  has  it. 
t  Mentioned    by    Shepard,   in   his   autobiography,   where    lie    speaks    of 
l<  Brother  Champney,  Frost,  Goffe,  and  diverse  other  most  deare  saints." 


51 


Christ  to  be  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  as  he  is  repre- 
sented in  the  New  Testament ;  and,  as  his  disciples,  we  do  now  express 
our  earnest  desire  and  intention  to  live  a  holy,  religious,  and  useful  life, 
after  the  example  and  in  the  spirit  of  our  Lord.  We  do  also  purpose  to 
walk  with  the  church,  while  we  have  opportunity,  in  a  regular  attendance 
on  Christian  ordinances,  in  the  promotion  of  Christian  truth  and  charity, 
and  in  the  exercise  of  those  acts  of  Christian  fellowship  and  affection, 
which  the  relation  in  which  we  stand  to  one  another  may  seem  to  us  to 
demand."* 


The  list  of  church  members,  &c,  in  the  time  of  Mitchell,  which  here 
follows,  was  found  in  1815,  by  my  predecessor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Holmes,  in 
the  Prince  collection  of  manuscripts,  then  deposited  in  the  library  of  the 
Old  South  Church,  in  Boston.  The  original  manuscript,  in  eighteen 
folio  pages,  with  double  columns,  worn,  faded,  and  discolored,  is  now 
bound  up  in  the  first  volume  of  our  church  records,  which  commence  with 
the  ministry  of  Brattle,  in  November,  1696.  On  the  first  blank  leaf,  in 
the  handwriting  of  Rev.  Thomas  Prince,  formerly  minister  of  the  Old 
South,  is  written,  —  "List  of  members  in  the  Church  of  Cambridge  in 
ye  handwriting  of  ye  Rev.  Mr.  Jonathan  Mitchell."  This  being  the  only 
ancient  document  of  this  kind  which  has  come  down  to  us,  I  have  thought 
it  worth  while  to  print  and  preserve  it  for  the  use  of  those  who  are  curi- 
ous in  such  matters  and  interested  in  genealogical  inquiries. 

N.  B.  f.  c.  stands  for  "  full  communion."  This  abbreviation,  which 
frequently  occurs  in  the  original,  will  be  used  throughout. 

The  Church  of  Christ  at  Cambridge,  in  N.  E  ,  or,  the  Names  of  all  the 
Members  thereof  that  are  in  Full  Communion;  together  ivith  their 
children  who  were  either  baptized  in  this  Church,  or  {coming  from 
other  churches)  were  in  their  minority  at  their  parents  joyning ; 
taken  and  registered  in  the  11.  month,  1658. 

MR.  THOMAS  SHEPARD,  late  faithfull  and  famous  pastour  of  this 
Church  of  Christ  at  Cambridge,  was  translated  hence  unto  the  Church 
triumphant,  25.  of  6th  m.  1649,  and  left  behind  him  4  sonnes,  3  whereof 


*  It  is  usual  for  those  who  become  members  of  the  church  to  sign  their 
names  to  this  covenant,  or  to  signify  their  assent  to  it  to  the  pastor,  or,  in 
case  of  his  absence,  to  one  of  the  deacons.  If  any  individual  should  decline, 
from  conscientious  scruples,  to  sign  or  assent  to  the  covenant,  the  pastor  has, 
in  such  a  case,  a  discretionary  power  to  dispense  with  the  observance  of  this 
form. 


52 


are  now  living;  namely,  Thomas,  admitted  to  f.  c.  with  us  March  28, 
1656  ;  and  now  lately  dismissed  to  the  Ch.  of  Christ  at  Charlestowne 
for  the  work  of  ye  ministry  there.  Samuel,  baptized  in  this  church  ; 
admitted  into  f.  c.  July  19,  1663;  dismissed  to  Rowley,  August  13, 
1665  ;  ordained  pastour  there  Novemb.  15,  1665.  Jeremiah,  baptized 
in  this  church. 

JONATHAN  MITCHELL,  present  pastour  of  this  Church,  and  Mar- 
garet, his  wife.  Their  children  now  living  are,  Nathaniel,  baptized 
here.  John,  baptized  here;  departed  this  life  Octob.  29,  1659,  about 
2  of  clock  in  ye  morning.  Samuel,  born  Octob.  14,  1660;  baptized 
Octob.  21,  1660. 

RICHARD  CHAMPNY,  Ruling  elder,  and  Jane,  His  wife,  in  f.  c. ; 
their  children,  yet  living,  Esther  Champney,  now  [Convers],  living 
at  Wooburne,  baptized  in  England,  aged  about  six  years  when  her 
ffather  joyned  here  ;  Samuel,  admitted  into  f.  c.  Octob.  18,  '61 ;  Lydia, 
admitted  into  f.  c.  May  31 ;  Daniel,  admitted  into  f.  c.  March  7,  1663; 
Samuel,  Lydia,  and  Daniel,  baptized  in  this  Church. 

EDMUND  FROST,  Ruling  Elder  also  of  this  Church,  and  Thomas- 
Anne,  his  Wife,  in  f.  c.  Their  children,  John,  Samuel,  Joseph, 
James,  Mary,  Ephraim,  Thomas,  and  Sarah,  All  baptized  in  this 
Church:  save  John,  who  was  baptized  in  England,  being  about  — 
old  when  his  father  joyned  here. 

CAPTAIN  DANIEL  GOOKIN,*  and  Mary,  his  wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their 
children,  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  baptized  elsewhere,  but  the  elder  not 
full  6  yeares  old  when  their  parents  joyned  in  this  Ch.  ;  both  admitted 
into  f.  c.  May  23,  1665.  Daniel,  Samuel,  and  Nathaniel,  borne  and 
baptized  here. 

MR.  CHARLES  CHAUNCY,  President  of  the  Colledge,  and  Catharine, 
his  wife,  dismissed  hither  from  the  Ch.  at  Situate,  and  joyned  here  in 
ye  1st  month  of  ye  yeare  1656.  Their  children,!  Barnabas  and  Sarah, 
admitted  also  into  f.  c.  Decemb.  10,  1658.  Hannah,  Nathaniel,  El- 
nathan,  and  Israel,  baptized  at  Situate. 

JOHN  HOLMES,  a  Student  and  servant  to  Mr.  Chauncy,  in  f.  c.  with 
us,  adult;  dismissed  to  Duxbury,  July  6. 

MR.  JOSEPH  COOK,  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their 
children,  Joseph,  admitted  into  f.  c.  May  18,  1666  (his  child,  John, 
baptized  Januar.  26,  '67)  ;  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Grace,  and  Ruth,  all  bap- 
tized in  this  Ch. 

*  The  coadjutor  of  Eliot  and  the  friend  of  the  Indians,  the  last  major-gen- 
eral under  the  old  charter,  a  man  of  great  firmness,  integrity,  and  benevo- 
lence.    His  son,  Nathaniel,  was  minister  of  Cambridge  after  Oakes. 

t  He  had  two  other  sons,  Isaac  and  Ichabod.  All  his  sons  were  educated 
at  Harvard. 


53 


MR.  EDWARD  COLLINS,  Deacon  of  this  Church,  and  Martha,  his 
wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children,  Daniel,  now  living  at  Konnings- 
berg,  in  Prussia,  about  9  yeares  old  when  his  parents  joyned  here  ; 
John,*  admitted  into  f.  c.  before  he  went  from  hence,  being  now  minis- 
ter of  God's  word  at  Edinburgh,  in  Scotland  ;  Samuel,  now  also  living 
in  Scotland  (the  wife  of  Samuel  Collins  admitted  into  f.  c.  May  31, 
1664.  Their  child,  Edward  Collins,  baptized  June,  1664) ;  Martha, 
Nathaniel,  Abigail,  and  Edward,  borne  and  baptized  here. 

MR.  JOHN  WHYTING,  now  preacher  of  ye  word  at  Salem,  and  Sybill, 
his  wife  (daughter  to  ye  forenamed  Edward  Collins),  both  admitted  to 
f.  c.  here.  Both  dismissed  to  the  Church  of  Christ  at  Hartford. 
Their  children,  Sybill  and  John  both  baptized  here  ;  William  baptized 
ffebruar.  19,  1659. 

MR.  NATHANIEL  SPARROWHAWKE,  sometimes  Deacon  of  this 
Church  ;  Mary,  His  first,  and  Katharine,  His  second  wife,  all  now  de- 
ceased, left  with  us  five  children;  namely,  1.  Nathaniel,  whose  wife 
Patience  is  admitted  into  f.  c.  with  us  ;  and  their  children  are  Mary  and 
Sybill,  both  baptized  in  this  Ch. ;  Esther,  baptized  May  5,  1661  ; 
Samuel  Sparrowhawke,  baptized  fFebr.  5,  1664  ;  Nathaniel,  baptized 
Nov.  3d,  167-.  2.  Anne,  now  the  wife  of  John  Cooper,  mentioned 
afterwards,  being  in  f.  c.  3.  Mary.  4.  Esther  Sparrowhawke,  admit- 
ted into  f.  c.  Decembr.  15, 1658.  5.  Elizabeth,  now  living  with  Broth. 
Thomas  Cheeseholme. 

GREGORY  STONE,  Deacon  of  this  Ch.,  and  Lydia,  his  wife,  in  f.  c. 
whose  children,  John,  Daniel,  David,  Elizabeth,  Samuel,  and  Sarah, 
Also  John  Cooper,  son  of  the  foresaid  Lydia,  and  Lydia  Fiske,  her 
daughter,  being  all  of  them,  through  the  Rich  Grace  of  Christ,  come 
into  f.  c.  with  his  people  ;  they  will  be  mentioned  afterward  in  their 
places,  all  save  John  Stone,  now  joyned  member  of  the  Church  of 
X1  at  Sudbury,  Lydia  Fisk,  now  deceased,  Elizabeth  Stone,  now  Pot- 
ter, living  at  Ipswich,  Sarah  Stone,  now  Miriam,  joyned  to  ye  Ch.  at 
Concord. 

JOHN  BRIDGE,!  also  Deacon  of  the  Church,  and  Elizabeth,  His  wife, 

*  He  was  afterwards  a  celebrated  preacher  in  London.  He  was  the  chap- 
lain of  General  Monk,  when  he  went  from  Scotland  to  England.  Nathan- 
iel was  the  much  esteemed  minister  of  Middletown.  Cotton  Mather  has  a 
chapter  in  his  Magnalia  upon  the  Collins  family,  in  which  he  says  :  —  "  There 
was  a  good  old  man  called  Collins,  the  deacon  of  the  church  at  Cambridge, 
who  is  now  gone  to  heaven  ;  but  before  he  went  thither,  he  had  the  satisfac- 
tion to  see  several  most  worthy  sons  become  very  famous  persons  in  their 
generation." 

t  He  was  freeman  in  1635,  and  probably  joined  Hooker's  church  before  the 
arrival  of  Shepard  ;  as  did  Guy  Bainbridge,  E.  Winship,  and  S.  Green. 


54 


both  in  f.  c.  Under  his  care  also  is  Joseph  Lampson,  the  Son  of  Bar- 
nabas Lampson,  deceased,  sometimes  a  member  of  this  Church.  Also 
Dorcas  Bridge,  the  Daughter  of  Dorcas  (the  wife  of  Thomas  Bridge), 
deceased,  sometimes  in  f.  c.  with  us. 

THOMAS  MARRIOT,  Deacon  of  the  Ch.,  and  His  wife,  Susan,  both 
in  f.  c.  Their  children,  John  and  Thomas,  the  elder  of  ym  being  but 
about  five  years  old  wn  his  father  joyned  here ;  But  both  baptized  in 
England  :  Hannah,  now  lately  admitted  into  f.  c»  with  us ;  viz.  on 
Decembr  15,  '58. 

MR.  (MAJOR)  SAMUEL  SHEPARD,  and  His  wife,  now  living  in 
Ireland,  doe  yet  stand  in  memberly  Relation  to  us.  And  Here  is  with 
us  their  Daughter,  Jane  Shepard,  now  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Edw. 
Collins,  before  named. 

MR.  ELIJAH  CORLET,*  Schoolemaster,  and  Barbara,  his  wife,  both  in 
f.  c.  Their  children,  Rebeccah,  Hephzibah,  and  Ammi  Ruhamah,  all 
baptized  here. 

EDMUND  ANGIER,  a  member  of  this  Ch.  in  f.  c.  ;  so  was  also  his 
former  wife,  Ruth  [the  Daughter  of  that  famous  Light  Dr.  Ames], 
now  at  rest  with  y*  Lord.  Their  children,  now  living,  are  Ruth, 
Ephraim,  and  Samuel,  all  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Hannah  baptized 
Dec.  16,  '60  ;  Mary,  baptized  May  10,  1663,  deceased  ;  Edmund,  bap- 
tized Septemb.  25,  1659,  deceased;  John,  baptized  May  15,  1664,  de- 
ceased ;  Nathaniel,  baptized  May  14,  1665,  deceased  ;  Elizabeth,  bap- 
tized Sept.  22,  1667. 

EDWARD  GOFFE,  lately  deceased  (viz.  on  Decemb.  26,  1658),  was 
a  member  with  us  in  f.  c.  ;  so  was  and  is  also  Margaret,  his  wife. 
His  children  by  a  former  wife  (who  was  also  in  fellowship  with  this 
Ch.)  are  Samuel,  baptized  in  England,  and  when  his  father  joyned 

*  This  famous  old  Cambridge  schoolmaster  was  a  graduate  of  Oxford  ;  and 
became  teacher  of  the  grammar  school  in  this  place  as  early  as  1C43.  In 
11  New  England's  First  Fruits,"  published  that  year,  is  the  following  passage  ; 
—  "  By  the  side  of  the  Colledge  a  faire  Grammar  Schoole,  for  the  training 
up  of  young  schollars,  and  fitting  of  them  for  Academical  learning,  that  still 
as  they  are  judged  ripe,  they  may  be  received  into  the  Colledge  of  this 
Schoole :  Master  Corlet  is  the  Mr.  who  hath  very  well  approved  himself  for 
his  abilities,  dexterity,  and  painfulnesse  in  teaching  and  education  of  the 
youths  under  him."  He  was  teacher  here  for  more  than  forty  years.  In  the 
town  records,  under  date  of  Nov.  13, 1648,  is  the  following  :  —  "  It  was  agreed 
at  a  meeting  of  ye  whole  towne,  that  there  should  be  land  sold  of  ye  Common 
for  ye  gratifying  of  Mr.  Corlet  for  his  pains  in  keeping  a  school  in  ye  Towne, 
ye  sum  of  ten  pounds,  if  it  can  be  attained;  provided  it  shall  not  prejudice 
ye  Cow  Common."  His  son,  Ammi  Ruhamah,  was  a  Fellow  of  Harvard 
College,  of  which  he  was  a  graduate  in  1G70. 


55 


here  aged  about  seven  years,  and  Lydia.  His  children  by  Margaret, 
now  living,  are  Deborah,  Hannah,  and  Abiah,  all  baptized  in  this 
Church. 

JOHN  STEDMAN,  and  Alice,  his  wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children, 
Elizabeth,  Sarah,  and  Martha,  all  borne  and  baptized  here.  Elizabeth, 
admitted  into  f.  c.  March  27,  1663  ;  Sarah,  admitted  into  f.  c.  May  31, 
1664  (her  child,  Sarah  Bracket,  baptized  June  5,  1664,  deceased  ; 
John  Bracket,  baptized  April  21,  '67);  Martha  admitted  into  f.  c. 
May  31,  '64. 

EDWARD  OAKES,  a  member  in  f.  c.  His  children,  Urian*  and  Ed- 
ward, baptized  in  England ;  the  eldest  about  ten  years  old  when  His 
father  joyned  here.  He  is  now  minister  of  ye  word  in  England.  Mary 
and  Thomas,  baptized  here. 

RICHARD  JACKSON,  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  both  members  in  f.  c. 

THOMAS  DANFORTH  f  (eldest  Son  of  Mr.  Nicholas  Danforth,  de- 
ceased), and  Mary,  his  wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children,  Sarah,  Mary, 
Samuel,  and  Thomas,  all  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Jonathan,  baptized 
rTebr.  13,  '58  ;  Elizabeth,  baptized  Januar.  29,  1664  ;  Bethiah  Dan- 
forth, baptized  June  16,  '67  ;  Joseph  Danforth,  baptized  Sept.  22, 
1661,  deceased  Octob.  2,  '63  ;  Benjamin,  baptized  May  24,  '63,  de- 
ceased August  23,  '63. 

SAMUEL  ANDREWS  (Son  of  Mr.  William  Andrews,  deceased),  as 
also  Elizabeth,  His  wife,  were  joyned  in  f.  c.  with  us  on  Decemb.  10, 
1658.  Their  children,  Samuel  and  William,  both  baptized  here  in 
this  church;  John,  Baptized  March  10,  1660-1;  Elizabeth,  baptized 
April  12,  1663  ;  Thomas,  baptized  May  21,  '65,  deceased  ;  Mary  An- 
drews, baptized  Januar.  6,  1666  ;  Thomas,  baptized  March  29,  '68. 

ROBERT  HOLMES,  is  member  in  f.  c,  as  was  also  Jane,  his  wife,  now 
deceased.  Their  children,  John,  Joseph,  and  Elizabeth,  all  baptized  in 
this  Church. 

THOMAS  CHEESEHOLME,  and  Isabel,  His  Wife,  are  both  of  them 
Members  of  this  Ch.,  and  in  f.  c.  In  his  family,  and  under  his  Care,  is 
Benoni  Eaton  (Son  of  Mr.  Nathan.  Eaton),  who  was  baptized  here  and 
whose  mother  dyed  a  member  of  this  Church. 

EDWARD  SHEPARD,  member  in  f.  c.  So  was  also  his  first  wife, 
Violet,  deceased.  Their  children  y*  were  in  minority  when  He  joyned, 
are  Abigail,  now  living  at  Dedham;  Deborah,  now  also  at  Dedham  ; 
and  Sarah,  now  dwelling  at  Braintree.  The  eldest  of  these  aged  twelve 
years,  ye  2d  ten,  and  the  3d  seven  years,  when  their  Parents  joyned  here, 


*  Afterwards  President  of  Harvard  College. 

t  A  distinguished  public  character,  a  man  of  ability,  wisdom,  and  resolu- 
tion,—  deputy-governor  for  many  years,  and  elected  to  other  important 
offices. 


56 


being  all  baptized  in  England.  Mary,  now  the  wife  of  the  foresaid 
Edward  Shepard,  was  dismissed  hither  from  Ch.  at  Dorchester,  and  is 
in  f.  c.  with  us.  Her  daughter,  Mary  Pond,  baptized  at  Dorchester, 
\v;ts  eleven  years  old  at  her  mother's  joyning  with  us. 

WILLIAM  FRENCH,  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  both  members  in  f.  c. 
Their  children,  Elizabeth,  now  Elliot,  and  now  joined  at  Dedham  ;  Ma- 
ry, baptized  in  England,  between  two  and  three  yeares  old  at  Her 
father's  joyning  ;  John,  baptized  by  Mr.  Hooker,  in  Cambridge  ;  Sarah, 
Jacob,  and  Hannah,  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Church. 

EDWARD  MITCHENSON,  and  Ruth,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their 
children,  Ruth,  Bethia,  Edward,  and  Elizabeth,  all  baptized  in  this 
church. 

JONAS  CLARK,*  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  both  in  f.  c.  His  children  by 
a  former  wife,  Sarah  and  Jonas ;  By  Elizabeth,  above  named,  Elizabeth, 
Thomas,  and  Timothy,  all  five  baptized  in  this  Church ;  Samuel,  bap- 
tized Novemb.  6,  1659  ;  Abigail,  baptized  May  4,  1662  ;  Mary  Clark, 
baptized  March  12,  '64-5. 

JOHN  COOPER  (Son  of  Lydia,  now  wife  of  Deacon  Stone  above- 
named),  and  Anna,  His  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children  now  living 
are,  Anna  (marryed  to  E.  P.  [Edmund  Pinson]  and  deceased),  Mary, 
Samuel,  John,  Lydia  (baptized  Apr.  13,  '63),  Hannah  (baptized  De- 
cemb.  29,  1667),  all  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Nathaniel,  baptized  May 
8,  1659,  deceased  in  Decemb.  1661. 

THOMAS  BE  ALE,  and  Sarah,  his  Wife,  both  members  in  f.  c. 

WILLIAM  MANNING,  and  Dorothy,  his  Wife,  both  members  of  this 
Ch.  in  f.  c.  Their  children,  Hannah,  Samuel,  Sarah,  John,  and  Mary, 
all  borne  and  baptized  in  this  church. 

JOHN  FEZINGTON,f  and  Jane,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  In  his  family 
is  Reuben  Olbon,  who,  together  with  his  sister  Elizabeth,  were  bap- 
tized in  this  church,  being  the  children  of  our  Sister  Olbon  (lately  Cole), 
now  deceased. 

ROBERT  STEDMAN,  and  Anne,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  child- 
ren, John,  Mary,  and  Thomas,  all  born  and  baptized  in  this  Church. 
Thomas,  Dyed  April  2,  1659. 

ANDREW  BELCHER,  J  and  Elizabeth  (daughter  of  Mr.  Nicholas  Dan- 
forth).  His  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children,  Elizabeth,  Jemimah 
(rec.  into  f.  c.  March  5,  1665-6),  Martha  (f.  c.  May  19,  1666),  An- 
drew, and  Anna  ;  all  baptized  in  this  Church,  the  Eldest  being  almost 
fourteen  yeares  old,  ye  2d  12,  and  ye  3d  10,  &c,  when  baptized. 


*  Afterwards  ruling  elder  of  the  church.     He  died  in  1G99,  aged  80. 
t  Now  written  Fessenden. 

♦  The  grandfather  of  Governor  Belcher. 


51 


ANNE  BRIDGE,  the  Wife  of  Matthew  Bridge,  Daughter  also  of  Mr. 
Nicholas  Danforth  (before  named)  is  in  f.  c.  with  this  Ch.  Her  child- 
ren, John,  Anne,  Matthew,  Samuel,  and  Thomas,  all  baptized  in  this 
Church.     Elizabeth,  baptized  Septemb.  18,  1659. 

ELIZABETH  GREEN,  the  wife  of  Bartholomew,  deceased,  is  a  mem- 
ber in  f.  c.  with  this  Ch. 

JUSTICE  BAINBRICK,  the  widow  of  Guy  Bainbrick,  deceased,  is 
memb.  in  f.  c. 

SAMUEL  GREEN,*  son  of  Elizabeth,  before-named,  is  in  f.  c.  So  also 
was  Jane,  his  wife  (daughter  to  ye  foresaid  Justice  Bainbrick),  now  de- 
ceased. Children  borne  to  the  said  Samuel  and  Jane  Green,  Elizabeth, 
Sarah,  Samuel,  Joseph,  Lydia  (deceased  Sept.  24,  1665),  and  Deborah; 
all  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Ch.  Jonah  Green,  the  son  of  Samuel 
and  Sarah,  baptized  Januar.  31,  1663;  Lydia,  baptized  Nov.  12,  '65  ; 
Bartholomew,  baptized  Nov.  3,  67. 

NATHANIEL  GREEN,  and  Phebe  Green  (children  of  the  forenamed 
Bartholomew  and  Elizabeth),  are  also  in  f.  c. 

SARAH  LONGHORN,  y  wife  of  Thomas  Longhorne,  and  daughter  of 
Elizabeth  Green,  aforesaid,  is  member  in  f.  c.  Her  children,  Sarah, 
Elizabeth,  and  Mary,  all  baptized  ;  Samuel,  baptized  Decemb.  9,  '60  ; 
Mercy,  baptized  May  11,  1662;  Patience  Longhorne,  baptized  April 
3d,  1664. 

THOMAS  FOXE,  and  Ellin,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  His  son,  Jabez 
Foxe,  baptized  at  Concord,  but  in  minority  when  his  father  joyned  here. 
Her  children  by  a  fformer  Husband  (viz.  Persevill  Green,  deceased, 
sometimes  a  Brother  of  this  Church)  are,  John  Green,  now  in  f.  c. 
with  this  ch.,  to  be  mentioned  afterward;  Elizabeth  Green  (now 
Hall) ,  joyned  in  f.  c.  with  ye  Church  of  Christ,  at  Concord.  Both  in 
their  Infancy  baptized  here. 

RICHARD  ROBINS,  and  Rebecca,  his  wife,  both  memb.  in  f.  c, 
formerly  dismissed  to  us  from  the  Church  at  Charlestown.  Their  chil- 
dren, John,  Samuel,  Nathaniel,  and  Rebecca,  all  baptized  here  save 
the  eldest,  who  was  baptized' at  Charlestowne,  and  yet  under  fourteen 
years  of  age  at  His  Parents  joyning  with  us. 

FRANCIS  MOORE,  the  Elder,  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  both  in  f.  c.  So 
was  also  Katharine,  his  former  wife,  now  deceased.  His  children, 
ffrancis,  who,  together  with  Alby,  his  wife,  is  also  in  f.  c. ;  Samuel, 
who  is  now  in  Barbadoes,  and  was  about  nine  years  old  wn  his  father 

*  The  veteran  conductor  of  the  Cambridge  printing-press,  —  the  first  in 
New  England,  —  which  he  carried  on  successfully  for  half  a  century.  Many 
of  his  descendants,  of  the  same  calling  as  well  as  name,  have  ably  sustained 
the  reputation  of  their  ancestor.  His  second  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Elder 
Clark. 

8 


58 


joyned  here,  baptized  in  England  ;  Anne  Moore,  now  Kiddar,  who  is  in 
i".  c.  ;  John  (the  Sonne  of  ffrancis  and  Katharine),  baptized  in  this 
Church  ;  Elizabeth,  now  wife  of  ffrancis,  aforesaid,  hath  three  children, 
but  they  were  all  above  the  age  of  fourteen  years  (the  youngest,  viz. 
Rebecca,  being  above  fifteen)  at  the  Time  of  her  joyning  with  this 
Church,  which  was  in  ye  l'4  month  of  ye  year  1657. 

NICOLAS  WYTH,  and  Rebeccah,  his  Wife,  both  members  in  f.  c. 
Their  children,  Mary,  Nicolas,  Martha,  John,  and  William,  all  bap- 
tized in  this  Church.  The  said  Nicolas  had  also  by  a  former  wife  a 
daughter,  baptized  in  England,  named  Sarah  Wyth,  now  ffisk,  dwell- 
ing in  Watertovvne,  who  was  about  thirteen  years  of  Age  when  her 
fTather  joyned  to  this  Church.  The  said  Rebeccah,  now  wife  of  Nicolas 
Wyth,  had  also  by  Her  former  Husband,  Thomas  Andrewes,  three 
children,  viz.,  Thomas,  Daniel,  and  Rebeccah  Andrewes,  all  three  bap- 
tized also  in  this  Church. 

GILBERT  CRACKBONE,*  memb.  in  f.  c,  and  Elizabeth,  His  Wife, 
joyned  May  22,  1659.  His  Son,  Benjamin,  was  about  five  or  six  years 
old  when  His  father  joyned  here. 

WILLIAM  HEILY,  and  Grace,  his  Wife,  both  members  of  this  Ch.  in 
f.  c.  His  children,  Hannah  (admitted  into  f.  c.  March  27,  '63  ;  Dis- 
missed to  Salisbury,  June  24,  1667),  Elizabeth,  Sarah,  and  William, 
Borne  at  Roxbury  and  baptized  there,  whiles  He  stood  member  of  the 
Church  of  Lin,  from  whence  He  was  dismissed  to  us.  Also  Grace  (the 
daughter  of  William  and  Grace)  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Church ; 
Nathaniel,  baptized  ffeb.  6,  1658  ;  Martha,  baptized  Septemb.  9,  1660  ; 
Samuel  Heily,  Son  of  William  and  Phoebe  (formerly  Green),  baptized 
Septemb.  21, 1662  ;  Paul  Heily,  Baptized  April  3d,  1664  ;  Mary  Heily, 
baptized  Octob.  29,  1665. 

GEORGE  WILLOWES,  and  Jane,  his  wife,  both  in  f.  c.  His  Children, 
Thomas  and  Stephen,  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Also, 

JOHN  PALFREY,  son  of  Jane  aforenamed,  admitted  into  f.  c.  with  us 
Decemb.  10,1658;  His  child,  Rebekah,  baptized  Septemb.  17,  1665; 
John,  baptized  April  14,  1667,  deceased  ;  Elizabeth  Palfrey,  baptized 
May  24,  1668.. 

GOLDIN  MOORE,  and  Joane,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children, 
Hannah  (received  into  f.  c.  May  18,  1666),  Lydia,  and  Ruth,  all  borne 
and  baptized  in  this  Church.  Also  the  said  Joane  had  by  Her  former 
Husband,  John  Champny,  three  children,  viz.  Mary  Champny,  now 
Richardson,  living  at  Wooburn  ;  Sarah;  John,  deceased  fieb.  20,  1664  ; 
all  three  baptized  in  this  Ch. 
WILLIAM  BULLARD,  and  Mary,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.     Her  Daugh- 

*  He  was  admitted  freeman  in  December,  1636,  and  was  of  course  one  of 
the  early  members  of  the  church  ;  as  was  Thomas  Beale,  admitted  at  the  same 
time. 


59 


ter,  Hannah  Grisold  (whose  father,  ffrancis  Grisold,  was  also  member 
with  us),  borne  and  baptised  in  this  Ch. 

THOMAS  SWETMAN,  and  Isabell,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  child- 
ren, Elizabeth  (received  into  f.  c.  May  18,  '66),  Rebecca,  Mehitabell, 
Sarah,  and  Ruhamah,  all  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Samuel,  baptized 
May  22,  1659  ;  Bethiah,  baptized  July  7,  1661  ;  Hepziba  Swetman, 
baptized  June  24,  1666. 

PHILIP  COOK,  and  Mary  (the  daughter  of  Barnabas  Lampson,  de- 
ceased), His  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children,  Mary,  Samuel,  Han- 
nah, and  Sarah,  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Philip,  baptized 
May  5,  1661  ;  John,  baptized  August  30,  1663  ;  Barnabas  Cook,  bap- 
tized June  4,  '65. 

JOHN  TAYLOR,  and  Katharine,  his  Wife,  both  memb.  in  f.  c.  Their 
son,  Josep  Taylor,  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Church. 

JOHN  GIBSON,  and  Rebecca,  his  Wife,  both  memb.  in  f.  c.  Their 
children,  Rebeccah,  now  joyned  in  f.c  .  with  the  church  at  Watertowne  ; 
Mary,  Martha,  John,  and  Samuel,  baptized  in  this  Church. 

DAVID  FISKE,  and  Seaborne,  his  present  Wife,  both  members  of  this 
Ch.  in  f.  c.  His  children,  by  Lydia,  deceased,  Lydia  and  David  ;  the 
children  of  the  foresaid  David  and  Seaborne,  Elizabeth  and  Sarah  ;  all 
four  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Hannah,  baptized  Novemb.  27,  '59. 

WILLIAM  PATTEN,  and  Mary,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  child- 
ren, Mary,  Thomas,  and  Nathaniel,  the  eldest  being  about  four  or  five 
yeares  old  when  Her  parents  joyned  ;  baptized  in  England. 

ROBERT  PARKER,  and  His  Wife,  both  in  f.  c,  having  been  dismissed 
Hither  (together  with  their  children)  from  the  Churches  of  Boston  and 
Roxbury.     Their  children,  Benjamin,  John,  Sarah,  and  Rachell. 

WILLIAM  TOWNE,  and  Martha,  his  Wife,  both  memb.  in  f.  c.  Their 
children,  Peter,  baptized  in  England,  and  about  three  years  old  at  his 
parents  joyning  here ;  Mary,  baptized  here,  admitted  into  f.  c.  No- 
vemb. 4,  1659. 

WILLIAM  DICKSON,  and  Jean,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children, 
Lydia,  Abigail,  Mary,  Hannah,  and  John,  all  baptized  in  this  church. 

ANDREW  STEVENSON,  and  Jane,  his  Wife,  both  memb.  in  f.  c. 
Their  children,  Deborah  (now  the  wife  of  Robert  Wilson,  of  Sudbury), 
baptized  in  England,  and  about  six  years  old  when  her  father  joyned 
here.  Sarah,  Rebeccah  (dismissed  to  Billerica,  Aug.  13,  '67),  John, 
Mary,  Lydia,  Andrew,  and  Hannah  Stevenson  ;  all  these  baptized  in 
this  Church. 

JOHN  SHEPARD  (Son  of  Edward  Shepard  before  named),  and  his 
wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children,  Rebecca,  John,  Sarah,  and  Violet, 
all  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Elizabeth,  baptized  July  29,  1660  ; 
Edward,  baptized  August  3,  1662  ;  Samuel  Shepard,  baptized  July  3d, 
1664  ;  Thomas,  baptized  Nov.  18,  '66. 


60 


RICHARD  ECKLES,  and  Mary,  his  wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children, 
Mary,  Hannah,  and  Martha,  all  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Church. 

JAMES  KIDDAR,  and  Anne,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children, 
Hannah,  Dorothy,  James,  John,  and  Thomas,  all  baptized  in  this 
Church;  Nathaniel,  baptized  ffeb.  27,  165[9?]  ;  Ephraim,  baptized 
May  26,  1661.     Dismissed  to  ye  Church  at  Billerica. 

FRANCIS  WHITMORE,  and  Isabell,  His  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their 
children,  Elizabeth,  ffrancis,  John,  and  Samuel,  all  baptized  in  this 
Church ;  Abigail,  baptized  July  3d,  1659  ;  Sarah,  baptized  March  30, 
1662  ;  Margery,  baptized  March  27,  1664 ;  Hannah  Whitmore  (by  a 
2d  wife),  baptized  ffeb.  15,  1667. 

WALTER  HASTING*  (son  of  John  Hasting  deceased),  and  Sarah,  his 
wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  Daughter,  Sarah,  baptized  in  this  church, 
deceased  ;  John,  Baptized  Decemb.  9,  1660 ;  Walter,  baptized  No- 
vemb.  30,  1662  ;  Sarah  Hasting,  baptized  Decemb.  the  18,  1664, 
deceased  Jan.  26,  1664  ;  Hannah,  baptized  Jan.  14,  1665;  Elizabeth 
Hasting,  baptized  febr.  23,  '67. 

JOHN  GREEN  (Son  of  Persevill  and  Ellin  Green  before-named)  and 
Ruth  (daughter  of  Edward  and  Ruth  Mitchenson),  His  Wife,  both  in 
f.  c.  Their  children,  John  and  Nathaniel,  both  borne  and  baptized  in 
this  Ch. ;  Persevill,  borne  March  29,  baptized  Apr.  1,  1660  ;  Ruth, 
baptized  Novemb.  24,  '61  ;  Samuel,  borne  May  4,  baptized  May  10, 
'63  ;  Elizabeth,  born  April  22,  baptized  April  23,  '65 ;  Edward,  bap- 
tized Apr.  21,  '67. 

WILLIAM  HAMLET,  and  Sarah,  his  wife,  both  memb.  in  f.  c.  Their 
children,  Jacob  and  Rebeccah,  both  borne  and  baptized  in  this  church. 
Also  the  said  Sarah  had  by  a  former  Husband, Hubbard,  child- 
ren, viz.  James  Hubbard,  Sarah  Hubbard,  now  Champny,  admitted 
into  f.  c,  Thomas  Hubbard,  now  joyned  to  ye  Church  of  Wethersfi  .  .  . 

JOHN  WATSON,  and  Rebecca  (daughter  of  Anne  Errington,  deceased, 
sometimes  a  sist.  of  this  Ch.),  His  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children, 
Rebeccah  and  John,  both  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Abraham, 
baptized  July  28,  1661  ;  Anne,  baptized  Sept.  16,  1666. 

RICHARD  FRANCES,  and  Alse,  His  wife,  both  members  in  f.  c. 
Their  Children,  Steven,  John,  and  Sarah,  all  borne  and  baptized  in  this 
Church. 

RICHARD  DANIE,f  and  Anne,  his  Wife,  both  of  them  in  f.  c.  Their 
Children,  Anne,  Jacob,  Joseph,  and  Abiah,  all  baptized  in  this  Church  ; 


*  Afterwards  deacon  of  the  church.  His  father  does  not  appear  to  have 
held  this  office  here,  as  is  erroneously  stated  by  Farmer. 

t  Dana,  as  it  is  now  written.  He  is  the  great  ancestor  of  the  many  fami- 
lies and  distinguished  men  of  this  name  in  our  country. 


61 


Benjamin,  baptized  April  8,  1660 ;  Elizabeth,  baptized  April  27, 1662  ; 
Daniel,  baptized  April  3,  1664. 

WILLIAM  BORDMAN,  and  ffrances,  his  Wife,  both  members  in  f.  c. 
with  us.  Their  Children,  Moses,  deceased  March  17,  1661-2;  Re- 
beccah,  Andrew,  Aaron,  ffrances,  Martha,  Mary,  and  William,  all  bap- 
tized in  this  Church ;  Elizabeth,  baptized  August  26,  1660. 

ANNE  HASTING  (formerly  Mean),  the  widow  of  John  Hasting,  de- 
ceased, is  a  member  in  f.  c.  with  this  Ch.  Her  Children,  Sarah,  the 
wife  of  Walter  Hasting,  before-named,  who  is  in  f.  c.  ;  Mary  Mean, 
who  was  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Church.  The  foresaid  John  Has- 
ting tvas  dismissed  hither  from  the  Church  of  Braintree,  and  joyned 
here  in  ffebruar.,  1656.  His  children  are,  Walter,  beforenamed,  Sam- 
uel, who  was  baptized  in  England,  and  about —  years  of  age  when  His 
ffather  joyned  to  ye  ch.  of  Braintree  ;  John  Seaborne  and  Elizabeth, 
both  baptized  at  Braintree. 

HANNAH  THATCHER  (the  Wife  of  Samuel  Thatcher),  living 
in  Watertowne,  is  a  member  in  f.  c.  with  this  Ch. 

ELIZABETH  OAKES,  dismissed  to  Maldon,  Decemb.  2,  1667,  the 
widow  of  Thomas  Oakes,  is  memb.  in  f.  c,  as  was  also  Her  Husband, 
Thomas  Oakes,  lately  deceased.  Their  Children  yet  living,  Elizabeth 
and  Hannah,  both  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Ch. ;  Thomas  Oakes, 
borne  after  his  ffather's  decease,  and  baptized  March  20,  1658-9; 
Abigail  Howard,  ye  child. of  Elizabeth  (formerly  Oakes,  now)  How- 
ard, baptized  here  Septemb.  23,  1666. 

MARTHA  RUSSELL  (the  Wife  of  William  Russell)  is  a  memb.  in 
f.  c.  Her  Children,  Joseph,  baptized  in  England,  and  about  ten  years 
of  age  when  His  mother  joyned  here  ;  Benjamin,  John,  Martha,  Philip, 
William,  and  Jason,  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Joice,  baptized  May  13, 
1660. 

JOHANNA  SILL,  a  memb.  in  f.  c,  as  was  also  her  Husband.  Their 
Children,  Joseph  Sill,*  but  three  years  old  at  his  mother's  joyning  with 
this  Church ;  Elizabeth  Sill,  now  Hicks,  not  two  years  old  at  ye  same 
Time  ;  both  of  them  baptized  in  England. 

MARTHA  OLDAM  (now  Browne),  is  a  member  in  f.  c. ;  so  was  also 
Her  Husband,  Richard  Oldam,  deceased.  Their  Children,  Samuel 
and  John  Oldam,  both  baptized  in  this  Church.  Her  second  Husband, 
Thomas  Brown,  admitted  May  18,  1666.  Her  child,  Mehitabell 
Browne,  baptized  June  2d,  1661  ;  Mary,  baptized  Nov.  8,  '63  ;  Eben- 
ezer,  July  23,  '65  ;  Ichabod  Brown,  baptized  Septemb.  9,  1666. 

ESTHER  CHEAVERS,  the  wife  of  Daniel  Cheavers,  is  a  member  in 


*  There  was  a  Captain  Joseph  Sill  who  distinguished  himself  in  Philip's 
War,  who  may  have  been  the  person  here  named. 


62 


f.  c.  Her  children,  Lydia,  James,  Daniel,  and  Mary  Cheavers,  all 
baptized  in  this  Church;  Israel  Cheever,  baptized  Januar.  26,  1661  ; 
John,  baptized  July  31,  1659  ;  Esther,  baptized  Januar.  27,  1660,  de- 
ceased ffeb.,  '60;  Hannah  and  Elizabeth  Cheavers  {gemellaz;  baptized 
May  29,  64;  both  deceased,  June  14  and  June  16,  1664) ;  Elizabeth, 
baptized  Aug.  6,  '65. 

MARGERY  CANE,  the  widow  of  Christopher  Cane,  deceased,  ismemb. 
in  f.  c,  as  was  also  Christopher,  her  Husband.  Their  Children,  Jona- 
than, Nathaniel,  Deborah,  Ruth,  and  Esther,  all  baptized  here. 

JOANE  PRENTICE,  Widow  of  Henry  Prentice,  deceased,  is  member 
in  f.  c.,as  was  Her  said  Husband  ;  also  their  Children,  Mary,  Solomon, 
Abiah,  Samuel.  Sarah,  and  Henry,  all  borne  and  baptized  in  this 
Church. 

DEBORAH  WILSON  (ye  wife  of  Robert  Wilson,  daughter  of  Andrew 
Stevenson,  abovenamed)  admitted  into  f.  c.  March  5,  1665-6.  Her 
child,  Deborah,  baptized  Sept.  30,  1666. 

RICHARD  HASSELL,  and  Joane,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their 
Children,  Elizabeth,  Joseph,  and  Esther,  all  baptized  in  this  Church. 

THOMAS  PRENTICE,  and  Grace,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their 
Children,  Grace,  baptized  in  England,  and  about  four  years  old  at  Her 
parents  joyning ;  Thomas,  Elizabeth,  Mary,  and  John,  all  baptized  in 
this  Church. 

EDWARD  HALL,  and  Margaret,  his  wife,  both  members  in  f.  c. 

MARY  HALL,  Widow,  is  member  in  f.  c.  with  us.  Her  children  were 
all  Adult  at  ye  Time  of  her  joyning.  But  two  of  them  are  since 
joyned  to  ye  Church  of  Concord ;  viz.  John  and  Susanna. 

ABRAHAM  ERRINGTON,  admitted  into  f.  c.  March  27,  1663. 

REBECKAH  ERRINGTON  (the  Wife  of  Abraham  Errington),  daugh- 
ter to  Robert  Cutler,  of  Charlestown,  is  member  in  f.  c.  with  us.  Her 
Children,  Rebecca,  Hannah,  and  Sarah  Errington,  all  baptized  in  this 
Church ;  Mary,  baptized  Januar.  13,  1660 ;  Abraham,  baptized  No- 
vemb.  8,  1663. 

ANNE  ADAMS  (the  Wife  of  John  Adams),  is  member  in  f.  c.  John 
Adams  Hims.  admitted  May  18,  1666.  Her  Children,  Rebecca  Ad- 
ams, borne  and  baptized  in  England  ;  Mary,  John,  and  Joseph  Adams, 
baptized  in  this  Church;  Hannah,  baptized  June  17,  1660,  deceased 
Januar.  25,  1660;  Daniel,  baptized  Septemb.  14,  1662. 

ELIZABETH  HALL  (the  Wife  of  Thomas  Hall),  is  memb.  in  f.  c. 
Her  Children,  Mary,  Hannah,  and  Lydia  Hall,  all  baptized  in  this 
Church. 

EDWARD  WINDSHIP,  and  Elizabeth,  his  Wife,  both  members  in  f.  c. 
His  Children  by  His  former  Wife,  Jane,  deceased,  who  was  also  in  f.  c. 
with  this  Church,  Sarah,  Mary,  Ephraim,  and  Johannah  Windship. 
The  children  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth,  above-named,  Elizabeth,  Ed- 


63 


ward,  Abigail,  and  Samuel  Windship,  all  eight  borne  and  baptized  in 
this  Church;  Joseph,  baptized  August  25,  '61;  Margery,  baptized 
ffebr.  5,  1664  ;  Mehitabel,  baptized  Nov.  17,  1667. 

SARAH  CHAMPNY  (the  Wife  of  Samuel  Champny  abovenamed),  is 
member  in  f.  c.  Their  Children,  Samuel,  baptized  ffebr.  13,  1658,  de- 
ceased ;  Sarah,  baptized  May  13, 1660  ;  Mary,  baptized  August  17,  1662. 

ROBERT  BROWNE,  member  of  this  Church  in  f.  c. 

RICHARD  CUTTER,  readmitted  ;  Elizabeth  Cutter  (the  wife  of  Rich- 
ard Cutter)  is  member  with  us  in  f.  c.  Their  children,  Elizabeth, 
Samuel,  William,  Ephraim,  Gershom,  and  Marah,  all  borne  and  bap- 
tized in  this  Church.  — Nathaniel  Cutter  (the  son  of  Richard  and  [Fran- 
ces] formerly  Embsden),  baptized  Januar.  24,  '63,  deceased  ;  Rebekah, 
baptized  Octob.  8,  1665  ;  Hephzibah,  Baptized  Decemb.  1,  1667. 

JOHN  FRENCH,  and  Sarah,  his  Wife,  both  now  deceased,  were  some- 
times members  of  this  Church,  in  f.  c.  Their  children,  John,  Sarah 
(dismissed  unto  the  Church  at  Billerica,  May  16,  1664),  Joseph,  and 
Nathaniel,  all  baptized  in  this  Church. 

HANNAH  HOLMES  (formerly  Thatcher),  ye  wife  of  John  Holmes, 
admitted  into  f.  c.  May  31,  1667.  Their  child,  John,  Baptized  June  9, 
1667  ;  Hannah,  baptized  June  30,  1667. 

DAVID  STONE  (the  sonne  of  Gregory  Stone,  above-mentioned),  and 
Dorcas,  his  Wife,  both  in  f.  c.  Their  children,  David,  Daniel,  Dorcas, 
John,  Samuel,  and  Nathaniel,  all  borne  and  baptized  in  this  Church. 

SAMUEL  STONE  (the  sonne  also  of  Gregory  before-named)  is  in  f.  c. 
His  wife,  [Sarah]  Stone,  admitted  into  f.  c.  Oct.  18,  1661.  His  child- 
ren, Samuel  and  Isaack,  Both  baptized  in  this  Church  ;  Sarah,  baptized 
March  10,  1660-1;  John,  Baptized  June  7,  1663;  Lydia,  baptized 
Decemb.  31,  1665  ;  Mary,  baptized  March  22,  1667-8. 

MARY  PADDLEFOOT  (the  Wife  of  Jonathan  Paddlefoot),  admitted 
into  fellowship  and  f.  c.  Nov.  4,  '59.  Her  children,  Mary,  Jonathan, 
and  Zachariah,  baptized  Novemb.  6,  59;  Edward,  baptized  July  8, 
1660  ;  Thomas  Ernes,  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (formerly  Paddle- 
foot, now)  Ernes,  baptized  July  12,  1663. 

SARAH  BARRET  (the  Wife  of  William  Barret)  admitted  into  fellow- 
ship and  f.  c.  Nov.  4,  '59,  deceased.  Her  children,  Lydia  Barret, 
baptized  Novemb.  6,  '59  ;  John,  baptized  ffebr.  10, 1660.  [Mary]  Bar- 
ret, 2d  wife  of  William  Barret,  received  into  fellow,  and  f.  c.  May 
18,  '61.  Her  child,  William,  baptized  May  20,  1661 ;  Edward,  bap- 
tized Januar.  12. 

STEPHEN  DAY,*  admitted  into  fellowship  and  f.  c,  ffebruar.  28, 
1660-1. 

*  The  unskilful  London  apprentice,  who  came  over  in  1638,  and  took 
charge  of  the  printing-press  set  up  in  Cambridge  in  1639,  the  first  in  North 
America.     He  was  superseded  in  1648  by  Samuel  Green.     (See  p.  57.) 


64 


MARY  GOAVE,  the  wife  of  John  Goave,  admitted  into  fellowship  and 
f.  c,  ffebruar.  28,  1660-1.  Her  children,  Mary  and  John,  baptized 
March  3,  1660-1;  Aspinwall,  baptized  Octob.  6,  1661,  deceased 
Octob.  14,  1661  ;  Nathaniel,  baptized  Novemb.  16,  1662;  James,  bap- 
tized Decemb.  13,  1663  ; 1  Goave,  Baptized  August  4,  1667. 

ABRAHAM  HOMAN,  admitted  into  fellowship  and  f.  c.  Octob.  18,  1661. 
His  wife, admitted  May  18,  '66. 

HANNAH  GOFFE,  ye  Wife  of  Samuel  Goffe,  admitted  into  fellow- 
ship and  f.  c.  Octob.  18,  1661.  Her  children,  Hannah,  Edward,  and 
Deborah,  baptized  Octob.  20,  1661;  Samuel,  baptized  ffebr.  8,  1662; 
Lydia,  baptized  Januar.  15,  1664  ;  John  Goffe,  baptized  Decemb.  9, 
1666. 

[ABIGAIL]  MARRIOT,  the  wife  of  John  Marriot,  admitted  into  fellow- 
ship and  f.  c.  Octob.  21,  1661;  John  Marriot,  admitted  into  f.  c. 
Januar.  3,  1664.  Her  children,  Thomas,  Amos,  and  Susanna,  baptized 
Novemb.  3,  '61  ;  John,  baptized  ffebr.  9, 1661 ;  John,  baptized  June  5, 

1664  ;  Abigail  Marriot,  baptized  August  19,  1666. 

WIDOW  EMBSDEN,*  admitted  into  fellowship  and  full  communion 
October  21,  1661.  Her  children,  Isaac  and  Jacob  Embsden,  both  bap- 
tized Novemb.  3,  1661. 

ZECHARIAH  HICKS,  admitted  into  fellowship  and  f.  c.  Januar.  8, 
1661  ;  Elizabeth,  His  wife,  admit,  into  f.  c.  May  23,  1665.  Their 
children,  Elizabeth,  Zechariah,  and  Joseph,  baptized  Januar.  12,  1661; 
Thomas,  baptized  July  3d,  1664  ;  Hannah,  baptized  March  4, 1665-6. 

JONATHAN  HIDE,  and  Mary.  His  Wife,  admitted  into  fellowship  and 
f.  c.  Januar.  8,  1661.  Their  children,  Jonathan,  baptized  ffebr.  9, 
1661 ;  Samuel,  John,  and  Elizabeth,  baptized  ffebr.  16,  1661 ;  William, 
baptized,  [Novjemb.  16,  16 — ;  Eleaza[r],  baptized  July  3d,  1664. 

MARY  MITCHENSON  (the  wife  of  William  Mitchenson)  admitted 
into  fellowship  and  f.  c.  March  27,  1663.  Her  children,  Mary,  Thomas, 
Alse,  baptized  April  5,  1663  ;  [Rjuth,  baptized  Octob.  4,  1663;  Abi- 
gail, baptized  March  11,  1665-6. 

JAMES  HUBBARD,  admitted  into  f.  c.  March  27,  1663.  His  child, 
Sarah,    baptized  April  5,   16 — ;  Marah    (or  Mary,  borne  Octob.  22, 

1665  ;  mother  dying  y'  same  day),  baptized 1665. 

DEBORAH  MAROON  (ye  wife  of  John  Makoon)  admitted  into  fellow- 
ship with  us  and  baptized  on  July  19,  1663.  Her  children,  Hannah 
and  Deborah,  baptized  July  19,  :63 ;  Sarah,  baptized  Novemb.  8,  1663. 

[BJETHIAH  WELLS  (formerly  Mitchenson),  the  daughter  of  Edward 
and  Ruth  Mitchenson,  above-named,  admitted  into  f.  c.  Januar.  1,  1664. 
Mr.  Wells,  her  Husband,  admitted  May  18,    !66.     Her  child,  Daniel 

*  Or  Amsden,  as  now  written.     She   afterwards  married  R.  Cutter.     See 
p.  63. 


65 


Wells,  bap [Edward,]  baptized  June  10,  1666  ;  [Bejthiah, 

baptized  Januar.  20,  1667. 

MARY,  the  Wife  of  Joseph  Russell,  admitted  into  fellowship  and  f.  c. 
Jan.  3,  1664.  Her  child,  Mary  Russell,  b[aptize]d  Januar.  8,  1664  ; 
Abigail,  Baptized  May  17,  1668. 

JEMIMAH   SILL,    (formerly    Belcher,]   the  wife   of  Joseph   S[ill,] 

mm Their  two  children,  Joseph,  baptized  March  11, 

1665-6;  Jemimah,  baptized  March  31,  1667. 

SETH  ROSSE,*  the  wife  of  Thomas  Rosse,  (the  daughter  of  Mr. 
Homan),  admitted  May  2,  and  Baptized  May  28,  1665;  as  also  Her 
child  Marget,  baptized  May Thomas,  baptized  July  1,  1666. 

NATHANIEL  HANCOCK,  admitted  into  fellowship  May  31,  '67,  bap- 
tized June  2d,  '67,  aged  — . 

MARY  HANCOCK  (formerly  Prentice,  ye  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Joan  Prentice,  above-named),  admitted  into  f.  c.  May  23,  1665.     Her 

child,  Nathaniel,  baptized  May  28 deceased ;  Mary, 

baptized  May  13,  1666  ;  Sarah,  baptized  Sept.  15,  1667. 

GORDON  FILLEBROWNE,  admitted  into  fellowship  and  f.  c.  May  18, 
1666.  His  children,  Thomas  and  Mary,  baptized  May  20 ;  Hannah, 
baptized  Oct.  14,  1[666]. 


*  She  afterwards  removed  to  Billerica,  where  she  was  murdered  by  the 
Indians,  in  1695.