Snippets from UU Church Histories
Gleaned from Church Web Sites
First Congregational Society, Unitarian
Chelmsford Massachusetts
Organized 1644
Church Web Site |
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It was during the pastorate of the Rev. Samson Stoddard (1706-1740), our
third minister, that a new Meeting House was erected in 1712 (one source
says 1710). Like the first one, it was on the approximate site of our
present church building. Mr. Stoddard drowned himself in a well after three
or four years of partial derangement. The town of Stoddard, N. H. was named
in honor of Col. Samson Stoddard, Jr., son of the minister
The tower of the third Meeting House was over 60 feet high and "joined to
the Steeple by a belfry yet (Aug. 1793) destitute of a Bell, but they have
not a pleasing effect together. The pews are square and inconvenient." The
men sat on one side of the sanctuary, the women on the other side. There was
a men's gallery, a women's gallery and also men's stairs and women's stairs.
In 1819 a request was made for a stove for the Meeting House, but the
article was dismissed. The following year a group of citizens was granted
the privilege of installing a stove "under the direction of the selectmen as
to the place where it should stand, on the condition that it be no expense
to the Town." Prior to this, foot stoves and live dogs had been used to
provide heat.
"On the night of February 13th (1842), about midnight, the Centre
Meeting-house belonging to the First Congregational Society and Church, was
discovered to be on fire, and in a few hours was entirely consumed." "The
house with all its contents, Sunday School library, folio Bible, psalm books
and bass viol were destroyed." The heat was so intense it melted the bell.
Set on the southwest "porch, "it was believed to be "the work of an
incendiary" possibly enraged over the dismissal of the minister, Mr.
Russell.
Until 1823, our church had its tithingmen, equipped with a two foot long
black staff with a brass knob on one end and a foxtail or rabbit's foot on
the other. The knob was used to awaken men by tapping them on the head and
to correct wicked boys. Women were awakened brushing the foxtail or rabbit's
foot against their faces. Normally there were two tithing men but in 1815,
21 were chosen - apparently there was a strong need for discipline.
In the old days, seating in the Meeting House was assigned by a Town
committee. Persons were given preference "according to their estate, office,
or social standing." Some pew owners were allowed to cut a door for a
private entrance to their pews.
During the 1860s the Collector's "job" was bid on by members of the parish,
the lowest bidder getting the position for the year. The winning bids ranged
from 1 to 3 cents on the dollar collected. The Collector was then expected
to obtain the promised money from each subscriber
In 1890 it was reported that, "the present parish embraces a varied
constituency, that may be roughly classified as Unitarian, Universalist,
Materialistic, Spiritualist, and Agnostic, but amid all this contrariety of
opinions, there has been a marked growth of unity and organization."
Foxborough Massachusetts
Universalist Church
Organized 1837
Church Web Site |
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Originally there was a spire on the church but during a severe gale in 1853
that was blown off. During the pastorate of Rev. C. A. Bradley, 1860 to
1865, the society suffered severe loss from a fire that damaged the
auditorium and ruined the organ. Interesting incidents of the fire was the
heroism of Albert F. Belcher who crawled in on his hands and knees and
dragged out the small organ, and Lewis Pond who rescued the pulpit Bible,
running his fingers along the edges to put out the fire. The Society,
undaunted by this disaster, bravely repaired the damages. The minister,
having learned the mason's trade in his youth, replastered the church
himself.
Special mention must be made of the music, which had an important place in
the Sunday service. This church has the honor of having the first pipe organ
in the town. The day the organ arrived was indeed a red-letter day. The
school children came in during recess to look at the great organ. This
organ, called the White Organ, was later damaged by fire. The present organ
was purchased during the pastorate of Rev. James H. Little, which was in the
eighteen seventies. The bass viol, violin, flute and other musical
instruments assisted the large choir which occupied the entire gallery. This
was truly a volunteer choir; for example, one man, Mr. Edmund Carrol, was
leader for 21 years. Others, whose names might be mentioned if permitted,
gave their services as freely and generously. To quote a lady who was in
that choir, "and when we sang an Easter hymn, you could feel it". But alas,
this good music caused one poor girl an extra walk. She went out of her way
in coming into town, so as not to go by the Universalist Church, as it was
so much like a theatre. Times and people have changed since those early
days, for now the congregation is composed of people of all denominations
who sometimes go out of their way and come early to attend our Vespers
First Parish Church of Groton,
UU
Groton Massachusetts
Organized 1655
Church Web Site |
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In the summer of 1795 lightning struck the church. The ensuing fire was said
to have been extinguished with milk from a nearby farm, the thought being at
that time that water would not put out a fire ignited by lightning. Charred
timbers may still be seen in the belfry.
The town clock in the belfry was made by Francis Ridgeway and placed in
position in 1809. The Paul Revere bell was cast in 1819 and has been in use
since then. The clock and bell are still wound by the Keeper of the Clock
twice a week.
First Church, Unitarian
Littleton Massachusetts
Organized 1714
Church Web Site |
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The second Town Minister was also a graduate d Harvard College. Reverend
Daniel Rogers was ordained here in March, 1731/32. His years of service to
Littleton included the time of the Revolutionary War. By then he was an old
man; he had been the minister for many years and was well-loved and
respected. However, he was a Tory, as were many others in town. A
proclamation had been issued to be read in all the churches on Thanksgiving
Day, 1775. When Reverend Mr. Rogers finished reading this, he supplemented
"God save the people" with "God save the king" His parishioners rose in
rebellion and asked for a retraction, but Mr. Rogers fled to his home. An
armed group of men followed him there and demanded that he come out and
state his position. When he hesitated, shots were fired into his house. The
front doors, complete with bullet holes, are in the possession of the local
historical society.
First Parish Unitarian
Northfield Massachusetts
Organized 1718
Church Web Site
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The reason for placing the first and then the second church in the middle of
the road is unclear, but it invites metaphor. It is certainly central,
evoking the importance of the church to the Puritan founders of Northfield:
it served as meeting house not only for spiritual instruction, but as the
meeting place for secular concerns and debates as well. It was indeed the
place to which all roads – literally, it seems, converged in Northfield, and
the place in which all concerns – spiritual, political, economic, social,
and practical – were aired, debated, and thrashed into consensus during the
eighteenth century. It was also the place where moderation (the middle of
the road) was esteemed and sought with fervor, if not always with success.
Being smack in the middle of the road made it hard to ignore, as well. And
Northfield Puritans, like all their fellows in Massachusetts Bay Colony,
intended that church be attended to with regularity and vigor. All town
residents and visitors were expected, on penalty of a fine and without
regard to their personal religious opinion or preference, to attend its
services twice every Sunday, with a brief intermission for a modest meal at
mid-day. In addition, all residents were expected to support the church
financially through taxes collected by the town. The town also regulated
church practices, helping to enforce conformity to the Calvinist principles
upon which it originally rested.
Whether Arminian or Calvinist, Tory or Patriot, early Puritans shared a
conviction that they, as God’s elect, were all equal in the eyes of God—a
conviction that fostered egalitarian values within the church community, but
these values proved harder to practice than to espouse since the impulse to
enjoy special favors is hard to resist. For Puritans, this impulse
manifested itself prominently in the matter of church seating arrangements.
Throughout the eighteenth century seating controversies were a constant,
arousing as much or even more passion than any dogma. In Northfield’s first
church, no sooner had benches (without backs, presumably to prevent
slouching) been installed than the problem of who would get the best seats
reared its head. The town appointed a committee to assign seats according to
distinctions such as age, wealth, and "respectability" – a term fraught with
the potential to inflame controversy. Single or widowed older ladies enjoyed
the honor, along with men of property, of being seated in the front, near
the pulpit where they could be admired and envied most easily. But the young
folks were seated together in the distant galleries, each to his or her
assigned seat, where their decorum could be readily enforced as need be.
Northfield’s youth were noted for their decorum it seems, for they required
far less "reproval as in older Northampton, where ever so often the town
meeting had to condemn the galleries’ disorderly conduct and finally [even
order in the] the constables to help the tything men to suppress it." The
middling remainder had to content themselves with being scattered about the
less pretentious pews.
Many however, would not rest content, and so the seating assignments could
trigger "strange complications, and jealousies, and heart burnings, and
strifes…" according to a paper given by Mr. Charles Calvin Stearns to the
Northfield Historical Society in 1945. People offended by the indignity of
poor placement would often apply to the Town for different seats, or just
ignore their assignment and seat themselves as they liked despite the
certainty that they would then be "taken into hand by the tything man." With
an inducement, such as the offer to donate a new window or provide
janitorial services, a disaffected churchgoer might cajole the Town into
allowing them a pew of their choice. When the second church was built, a
committee headed by Captain Samuel Hunt took on the task of seat assignment.
Presumably, the Town hoped that a battle-hardened veteran of the French and
Indian War was just the man to enforce respect for the invidious
distinctions to be found in the simple act of sitting in church. Seating was
reviewed every few years by a committee appointed for the purpose of
assuring "careful consideration to the distinction due leading citizens."
Indeed the whole matter was of such importance then that "in some instances
it was the only business of the town meeting called for the purpose."
While eighteenth century Puritans are often thought of as seriously sober
folks with a passion for plainness, the Northfield church reveals them to
have been divided in their allegiances to the plain and simple life. An
intolerance for self-indulgence expressed itself to be sure, especially in
the matter of whether to provide warming stoves during winter when a
righteous minority denounced the idea s "an unholy innovation and a sign of
modern effeminacy…." In the 1780s, however, the church ventured into
frippery and thereby inaugurated a new fashion in town; namely, "coloring"
houses. In 1787, the town voted to finance, by the sale of surplus flax
seed, the painting of the church. It took two years to grow and then send to
Boston 42 ½ bushels of flaxseed which were exchanged for linseed oil and
"dry red"—which when mixed was applied to the plain, weathered boards of the
church. It must have been a fine, admirable sight, for some house owners
soon followed suit and so did the school, although either of the costs or
conservatism held back the majority so that most buildings in Northfield
continued to present the varied browns, grays, and dapples of exposed
boards. |
As the eighteenth century drew to a close, the now reddened church stood
squarely in the middle of the road, still the center of the town’s
spiritual, economic, political, social, and geographic life. It had
weathered dogmatic and political and social strife—each time seeking and
finding a compromise that most could accept more or less graciously as they
were wont. The nineteenth century church would face new doctrinal
controversies and schism, adapt to the separation of church and state, see
the end of assigned seating, recover from a terrible fire, and find a new
location—no longer in the middle of the road, but still occupying an
important and respected role in Northfield town.
Originally Scituate included what are now the towns of Hanover, Norwell, and
Scituate. Hanover became a separate town in 1727, our section became South
Scituate in 1849 and the name was changed to Norwell in 1888. The First
Parish of Scituate was established in 1634 and the meeting house was erected
on Meeting House Lane just below the old cemetery as you go toward the
ocean. The spot is not marked but there is a hollow place on the right hand
side which is where most believe the meeting house stood; also a tablet in
the graveyard refers to it.
The Scituate church was not a united one from the first. Mr. Giles Saxton
served as minister for a short time followed by Mr. John Lothrop, who a few
years later because of disagreement in regard to baptism, moved with quite a
number of the congregation to Barnstable. This is the same issue Mr. Lothrop
experienced in his church in England. Mr. Lothrop belonged to the liberal
party, and wearying of the controversy, took a major portion of the
congregation to Barnstable. In 1641, Mr. Charles Chauncy, a man of most
distinguished talents became the next pastor. Possessed of an ardent temper,
and impatient of opposition, he thought that his own talents should be
enough in themselves to overcome any opposition to his views. He soon found
himself in trouble with the authorities in England, and finding no security
there, he fled to the new world, reaching Plymouth in 1637. The Rev. Charles
Chauncy was a scholar and theologian, also skilled in law and medicine who
held many strong opinions, the most controversial of which was the form of
baptism. The gist of the controversy, as noted in Bradford's History, was
that Mr. Chauncy held that baptism "ought only to be by dipping, and putting
ye whole body under water, and that sprinkling was unlawful." The
dissidents, who were the liberal faction, wanted freedom of choice in the
mode of baptism and preferred the simpler method of "sprinkling." They
admitted that "immersion or dipping was lawful, but in this coulde countrie
be not so conveniente." Mr. Chauncy, who was a progressive and intelligent
churchman in so many ways, was stubborn and unyielding when it came to the
question of baptism. It was his way or no way. The end result was that the
sprinklers moved up river to form a more liberal church.
During the ministry of Deodate Lawson (1694-98) the parish had a problem
with the long and continued absence of their pastor. He would disappear for
months at a time, never letting his congregation know when and where he was
going, nor when he might return. He was presumably engaged in more lucrative
secular pursuits, completely disregarding his parish obligations. They were
finally advised by the Elders of neighboring churches to "use all
Evangelical endeavors to settle themselves with another Pastor, more
spiritually and...fixedly disposed."
First Parish UU Church
Scituate, Massachusetts
Organized 1634
Web Site |
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First Parish, Scituate is over 350 years old. A group of Nonconformists
started meeting in London in 1616, led by Rev. Henry Jacob. He was succeeded
by Rev. John Lothrop, a former rector in the Church of England, in 1624.
Discovered worshipping clandestinely in 1632, 42 members of the congregation
were arrested and jailed. After two years in jail, Rev. Lothrop was released
from jail with the proviso that he leave England forever. With a majority of
the members of his congregation, he sailed for New England and arrived in
Scituate in September, 1634. They joined a small congregation that had been
worshipping under the leadership of a layman, Giles Sexton. A small log
cabin on Meeting House Lane served as the first church. The site is marked
today by a monument that lists the early members of the parish, "The Men of
Kent," and by gravestones from the 17th century.
Over a span of some 60 years and the succession of six ministers, First
Parish was the scene of considerable theological dissension. The principal
focii were, first, baptism and. later, the Unitarian/Trinitarian schism.
These disagreements led to the separation, at three times, of a major
portion of First Parish's members to form new churches.
Dissension over baptism soon divided the parish and in 1639 Rev. Lothrop led
an exodus of a majority of the congregation to Barnstable on Cape Cod. His
successor, Charles Chauncy, another Anglican minister, was described as a
spirited, impatient man. His staunch support for baptism by immersion
provoked another defection which led to the founding of a church in South
Scituate, now known as Norwell. Rev. Chauncy served until 1654, when he
became the second president of Harvard University; he held this post until
his death in 1672.
Conflicts between orthodox and liberal factions became intense in the late
18th century, culminating in the third removal of one-half of the
congregation. This time the departing members of the congregation stayed
close at hand, removing themselves around the corner to establish the First
Trinitarian Church of Scituate in 1825. As one wag has put it, "the
Trinitarians kept the faith, while the Unitarians kept the furniture."
A notable visitor to First Parish, Scituate in the 19th century was Henry
David Thoreau who courted Ellen Sewall, the daughter of the church's 12th
minister, Edmund Sewall. She eventually rejected his marriage proposal; he
later retreated to the woods of Concord.
