1668-1981
Guide to the Collection
Abstract
This collection consists of the records of the Watertown (Mass.) First Parish Church (Unitarian). It contains loose and bound vital records (births, marriages, deaths), warrants and votes, minutes, financial and property records, as well as records of church clubs and warrants and minutes of the Watertown Middle School District.
Chronological Timeline
1630 |
A company of early immigrants from England, whose principal leaders were Sir Richard
Saltonstall, Rev. George Phillips, and elder Richard Browne arrived in Watertown.
George Phillips ordained as pastor.
|
1635 |
New meeting house built. |
1644 |
John Knowles ordained as colleague. |
1650 |
John Sherman ordained as pastor. |
1654 |
Town residents voted for the building of a new meeting house, scheduled for completion
in September 1656. |
1686 |
John Bailey ordained as pastor. |
1692 |
Henry Gibbs ordained as pastor. |
1694 |
Committee appointed by town residents to settle placement of a new meeting
house. |
1696 |
Watertown residents agreed to support two meeting houses, one in the eastern part of
town, and the second, to be built, in the western part of town. Rev. Henry Gibbs continued as
minister of the eastern part of town; Rev. Samuel Angier hired as minister of the new meeting
house. |
1696/7 |
Meeting house in the western part of town completed. |
1697 |
Henry Gibbs ordained as pastor. |
1712 |
Farmers in the western end of town petitioned to form a new township. The town of Weston
was set off when granted. |
1719 |
Dividing line or boundary between the eastern and western parts of town discussed by
residents. |
1720 |
Watertown divided into two precincts by the Mass. General Court. |
1721 |
New meeting houses approved in both parts of town by the Mass. General Court. |
1722 |
Monies allocated by Watertown residents for the building of two new meeting houses. The
eastern precinct's (fourth) meeting house built on Schoolhouse Hill. Completion scheduled for
1723. |
1723 |
Seth Storer ordained as minister. |
1738 |
Western precinct incorporated as the town of Waltham. Its church became the First Parish
of Waltham. The eastern precinct retained the name and records of the First Parish Church of
Watertown. |
1754 |
Town voted to remove the fourth meeting house on Schoolhouse Hill and rebuild on land
(known as Common Street) given to the town by Nathaniel Harris.
Fourth structure destroyed before rebuilding completed.
|
1755 |
Fifth meeting house completed and dedicated on the same site as the previous meeting
house. |
1778 |
Daniel Adams ordained as pastor. |
1780 |
Richard Eliot ordained as pastor. |
1815 |
Trustees of the Ministerial Fund incorporated. |
1819 |
Convers Francis ordained as pastor. |
1835 |
Massachusetts General Court petitioned by leading members of the church for
incorporation as a parish. Charter granted. Land, known as the "Knoll," and funding secured
for the building of a new meeting house. |
1836 |
Sixth meeting house completed and dedicated on 7 September. |
1841 |
Sixth meeting house destroyed by fire on 21 July. |
1842 |
Seventh meeting house completed and dedicated on 3 August. |
1843 |
John Weiss ordained as pastor. |
1849 |
Hasbrouck Davis ordained as pastor. |
1856 |
George Bradford ordained as pastor. |
1860 |
Arthur Buckminster Fuller ordained as pastor. |
1862 |
John Weiss ordained as pastor. |
1870 |
James T. Bixby ordained as pastor. |
1875 |
Joseph F. Lovering ordained as pastor. |
1880 |
Arthur Knapp ordained as pastor. |
1886 |
William H. Savage ordained as pastor. |
1900 |
Walter F. Greenman ordained as pastor. |
1908 |
George G. Mills ordained as pastor. |
1916 |
Ernest S. Meredith ordained as pastor. |
1947 |
L. Wendell Hughes ordained as pastor. |
1953 |
E. Palmer Clarke ordained as pastor. |
1966 |
David O. Rankin ordained as pastor. |
1969 |
Rexford Styzens ordained as pastor. |
1973 |
Max L. Moss ordained as pastor. |
1975 |
Meeting house torn down. Congregation moved to a smaller, easier to maintain structure
on Church Street in Watertown. |
1978 |
Marc A. Salkin ordained as pastor. |
1991 |
John Papandrew ordained as pastor. |
1992 |
Andrea Greenwood ordained as pastor. |
Sources
The published Watertown Records were used to extract information for the timeline. Please note that there are conflicting dates within previously recorded histories.
Vaughn, Mosetta I. The Meeting House of the First Congregational Society of Watertown, Massachusetts: Written for the Centennial of the Seventh House, September 20th 1942. Published by the Historical Society of Watertown, 1942.
Watertown, Mass. First Parish Church Records, 1668-1981. Deposited at the Massachusetts Historical Society
Watertown. Mass. Records, 1634-1829. Prepared for publication by the Watertown Historical Society, Watertown, Vols. 1-8, [1894-1939].
Worthley, Harold Field. An Inventory of the Records of the Particular (Congregational) Churches of Massachusetts Gathered 1620-1805. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1970.
Collection Description
The records of the First Parish Church of Watertown, Massachusetts are housed in one cased volume, 36 boxes, and 2 oversize boxes and document the history of the church from 1668-1981. The collection has been divided into two series: loose papers and bound volumes. Since the records consist primarily of church-related records, three sub-series have been introduced: church records; church financial and property records; and records of church club and organizations. Bound volumes, Series II, includes a fourth sub-series: Watertown Middle School District Records.
The bulk of the records are bound and contain records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths; financial and property records; warrants, votes and minutes. Dates occasionally overlap. There are no records before 1686 and the earliest records, 1686 to approximately 1815, are sparse. Records become more continuous and focused in the early nineteenth century.
Also of interest to the researcher are the clubs associated with the parish. Both First Parish Church organizations and branches of national organizations are represented in the records.
Watertown's Lend a Hand Club, 1904-1979, is a branch of the national Lend a Hand Society, begun by a Unitarian minister, Edward Everett Hale in 1891. The most sizeable segment of work of the national organization was sending books to schools and libraries in the rural South. Other work done by the Lend a Hand Society was done through other relief agencies providing aid to meet a need that might otherwise be unmet, such as the loaning of hospital equipment to those in need; layettes for new mothers; and convalescent care. According to the by-laws of the Lend a Hand Club of First Parish Church, its purpose was the promotion of the religious, charitable, and social welfare within the church. The records of the Lend a Hand Society are held by the Massachusetts Historical Society.
As the name suggests, the Watertown Female Society for the Relief of the Sick, 1816-1955, was founded in 1816 to give relief to poor and the sick. The society supplied clothing, blankets, food, and sickroom supplies to those in need.
The remaining parish clubs: Emerson Club, 1949-1952; Laymen's League, 1922-1949; the Social Club, 1944-1953; and the Unitarian Club, 1887-1955, were concerned with the support of the church and its membership principally through social means.
Acquisition Information
The records of the First Parish Church of Watertown were placed on deposit at the Massachusetts Historical Society by the church, February 1995.
Detailed Description of the Collection
The records of the First Parish Church of Watertown, Massachusetts are arranged in two series: loose papers and bound volumes. Within series, the materials have been divided into three sub-series: church records, church financial and property records, and records of church clubs and organizations. Bound volumes also include a fourth sub-series, Watertown Middle School District records. Users should consult both loose records and bound volumes for each subject.
I. Loose papers, 1690-1973
A. Church records, 1690-1954
Loose church records contain miscellaneous sporadic records including notes and writings of early pastors, i.e., Henry Gibbs, John Weiss, Solon Whitney, W. H. Savage, and G. G. Mills; some annual reports; and undated notes on church history and doctrine. See Series II. A. Bound church records for the bulk of the general records.
General records
B. Church financial and property records, 1725-1973
This sub-series is arranged chronologically within five broad categories: general financial records, Anne Mills fund records, ministerial fund records, perpetuity fund records, and property records. Of interest are the original 1725 will of Anne Mills, and a copy of the will of Frank M. Bailey, 1945. These records are extremely sparse. See Series II. B. for the bulk of the financial and property records.
General financial records
Anne Mills Fund records
Ministerial Fund records
Perpetuity Fund records
Property records
C. Records of church clubs and organizations, 1817-1957
Records of church clubs and organization are arranged alphabetically by organization. Within each organization, materials are arranged chronologically. Organizations included in Series I. C. are the Evening Alliance, 1940-1957; Lend a Hand Club, 1913-1943; and the Watertown Female Society for the Relief of the Sick, 1817-1940. The records for the Watertown Female Society of the Relief of the Sick make up the bulk of these records, and include receipts, bills, orders, and an occasional piece of correspondence.
i. Evening Alliance, 1940-1957
ii. Lend a Hand Club, 1913-1943
iii. Watertown Female Society for the Relief of the Sick, 1817-1940
D. Photographs, 1922
II. Bound volumes, 1668-1981
A. Church records, 1668-1971
Official church records are chronologically arranged, although some overlapping of dates occurs. Early church volumes contain records of marriages, baptisms, and deaths, as well as warrants, votes, reports, and financial records. Other parish-related volumes include by-laws, gift and memorials, attendance records, cradle rolls, and Parish Committee minutes.
Also known as John Bailey's Book, it includes Rev. Bailey's records of his church in Limerick, Ireland and Biblical notes and writings until he left Watertown. The book was then passed on to his successors. Marriages, baptisms, and members covenanted with the Church are recorded, along with contributions and votes.
NOTE: Use of the original First Parish Record Book is restricted. Color digital facsimiles are available in the MHS Reading Room, DF-004.
Includes summaries of parish meetings, 1819-1875; deaths and marriages, 1886-1899; clippings and programs; and, annual reviews of the state of the Church, 1900-1907.
Record of church members, deaths, and marriages.
Includes warrants of meetings, reports, and resolutions adopted.
Includes warrants, records of actions. An index to important votes in volumes 1 and 2 is located in the front of the book.
Includes warrants, votes, and reports.
Includes warrants, votes, and reports.
Includes warrants and votes at annual meetings.
Started in May 1923. Includes: Record of expenses of communion table, 1833-1881; correspondence, clippings, notes, historian's reports, programs, and photographs, 1923-1942.
B. Church financial and property records, 1812-1977
Church financial and property records are arranged in four broad categories: general financial records, ministerial fund records, perpetuity fund records, and property records. Within each category materials are arranged first by subject and then chronologically. General financial records include treasurer's account books, cash books, and pledge and disbursement books. Property records generally consist of valuation, taxes, and pew ownership records.
Includes accounts of Anne Mills Charity Fund.
Includes pew rents and taxes.
In the front is a brief historical account of the origin of the fund and photographs of the church building and parsonage, ca. 1885-1888.
Included in Folder 1 is a list of trustees from 1812- 1942.
Inventories included.
Includes income and expenditures.
C. Records of church clubs and organizations, 1816-1981
Records of clubs and organizations are arranged alphabetically and include records of First Parish Church organizations and branches of national organizations, among them the Emerson Club, 1949-1952; Laymen's League, 1922-1949; Social Club, 1944-1953; Unitarian Club, 1887-1955; and Watertown Female Society for the Relief of the Sick, 1816-1955; Lend a Hand Club, 1904-1979; and the Watertown Branch of the National Alliance of Unitarian and other Christian Women, 1896-1981. The sub-series also contains records of the Parish Sunday School, 1929-1936 and the Tercentenary Committee, 1929-1930. When possible, within each club or organization, like-materials were grouped and then chronologically arranged. Also see oversize box list and Series I.
i. Emerson Club, 1949-1952
ii. Laymen's League, 1922-1949
Includes church attendance records, 1925-1949, and an undated, printed pamphlet, "The Chapter Officers Book".
iii. Lend a Hand Club, 1904-1979
iv. Social Club, 1944-1953
v. Sunday School, 1929-1936
vi. Tercentenary Committee, 1929-1930
vii. Unitarian Club, 1887-1955
viii. Watertown Branch of the National Alliance of Unitarian and other Christian Women, 1896-1981
ix. Watertown Female Society for the Relief of the Sick, 1816-1955
Includes rules and regulations.
D. Watertown Middle School District records, 1816-1851
Contains warrants and minutes of meetings, one volume.
Preferred Citation
First Parish of Watertown (Watertown, Mass.) records, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.