First Parish of Watertown (Watertown, Mass.) Records

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Collection Summary
Chronological Timeline
Sources
Collection Description
Acquisition Information
Detailed Description of the Collection
Preferred Citation
Access Terms

1668-1981

Guide to the Collection

Collection Summary

Creator:	First Parish of Watertown (Watertown, Mass.)
Title:	First Parish of Watertown (Watertown, Mass.) records
Dates:	1668-1981
Physical Description:	36 document boxes, 1 cased volume, and 2 oversize boxes.
Call Number:	Ms. N-284
Repository:	Massachusetts Historical Society 1154 Boylston StreetBoston, MA 02215library@masshist.org

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

Box 1Folder 1

Undated miscellaneous notes on church doctrine and the history of the church

Box 1Folder 2

Sermon notes of Rev. Henry Gibbs, 1690-1695

Box 1Folder 3

Printed record of the First Parish, 1861; letter from John Weiss accepting pastoral renewal, 18[63]

Box 1Folder 4

Letters from Solon F. Whitney, 1893, 1911, and W. H. Savage, 1895

Box 1Folder 5

Reports of Rev. G. G. Mills, 1910-1913

Box 1Folder 6-7

Annual reports, 1911, 1913-1917, 1922-1928

Box 1Folder 8

Certificate of appreciation for aid in restoration of the Old North Church, 1954; transcribed notes from parish records, 1819-1833

OS Box 1Folder 1

Seating plan of the church, reproduction, 1842

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

Box 1Folder 9

Correspondence, 1904-1905; expenditures, 1891-1914

Box 1Folder 10

Cancelled checks, 1908-1909

Box 1Folder 11

Receipts, cancelled checks, 1870-1874; 1908-1909

Box 1Folder 12

Cancelled bank books, 1947-1973

Anne Mills Fund records

Box 1Folder 13

Will of Anne Mills, 1725

Box 1Folder 14

Anne Mills Fund, correspondence, 1909; cancelled bank book, 1925-1942

Ministerial Fund records

Box 1Folder 15

Ministerial fund legal documents, 1812, 1922-1939

Box 1Folder 16-20

Ministerial fund treasurer reports, 1895-1958

Box 1Folder 21

Ministerial fund receipts, 1924, 1936-1938, 1947-1948

Box 2Folder 1

Ministerial fund cancelled bank books, 1932-1943 and 1949-1951

Box 2Folder 2

Ministerial fund miscellaneous papers, 1924, 1930, 1932, 1942

Perpetuity Fund records

Box 2Folder 3

Perpetuity fund, Indenture of Trust, 1919 (copy), 1948

(Also see bound volumes)

Box 2Folder 4

Perpetuity fund, Supplemental Indenture, 1938, 1949, 1951

(Also see bound volumes)

Box 2Folder 5

Will (copy) of Frank M. Bailey, 1945

Box 2Folder 6

Perpetuity fund, miscellaneous financial records, 1928-1949

Box 2Folder 7-12

Perpetuity fund, minutes and reports, 1933, 1935-1958

Property records

Box 2Folder 13

Committee on ownership of pews, 1913

Box 2Folder 14-15

Lists, deeds, releases, transfers, valuation and taxes of pews, 1836-1905

Box 2Folder 16

Inventory of movable property, ca. 1970

Box 2Folder 17

Land agreement to Fitchburg Railroad Co., 1872 (copy); land assessments, 1951, 1961

Box 2Folder 18

Property mortgage documents for addition to Unitarian building, 1949

Box 2Folder 19

Property agreement with Mary E. Masters for permission to attach wires to poles located on parish land, 1923

OS Box 1Folder 2

Insurance policies, 1895-1905

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

Box 3Folder 1

Undated material; printed programs, 1940-1947

Box 3Folder 2-5

Minutes, 1940-1947, 1955-1957

ii. Lend a Hand Club, 1913-1943

Box 3Folder 6

Lend a Hand undated organizational reports, by-laws

Box 3Folder 7

Lend a Hand undated correspondence

Box 3Folder 8-24

Lend a Hand general records, 1913-1943

iii. Watertown Female Society for the Relief of the Sick, 1817-1940

Box 4

1817-1828

Box 5

1830-1850

Box 6

1851-1859

Box 7

1860-1890

Box 8

1891-1940

OS Box 1Folder 4

Insurance policies, 1886-1897

OS Box 1Folder 5

Financial reports, 1938, but includes information from 1916-1917

D. Photographs, 1922

OS Box 2

(2) Interior photographs of the renovation of First Parish Church, 1922 Taken by A. A. Greenlaw, Boston, Mass.

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.

Cased Vol. 1

First Parish Record Book, 1668-1818

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.

Box 9Folder 1

First Parish Record Book, 1819-1907

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.

Box 9Folder 2

First Parish Record Book, 1819-1947

Record of church members, deaths, and marriages.

Box 10Folder 1

First Parish Record Book, 1835-1853

Includes warrants of meetings, reports, and resolutions adopted.

Box 10Folder 2

First Parish Record Book, 1853-1897

Includes warrants, records of actions. An index to important votes in volumes 1 and 2 is located in the front of the book.

Box 10Folder 3

First Parish Record Book, 1898-1916

Includes warrants, votes, and reports.

Box 11Folder 1

First Parish Record Book, 1916-1945

Includes warrants, votes, and reports.

Box 11Folder 2

First Parish Record Book, 1947-1969

Includes warrants and votes at annual meetings.

Box 12

First Parish Church annual meeting minutes, 1929-1952(disbound)

Box 13Folder 1

First Parish Church, by-laws and membership, 1887; catalogue of he library, n.d.

Box 13Folder 2

First Parish Church, by-laws, 1949

Box 13Folder 3

First Parish Church, gifts and memorials, 1917-1970

Box 13Folder 4

First Parish Church, attendance records, 1949-1966

Also see Box 28, Laymen's League book which includes church attendance records, 1925-1949.

Box 13Folder 5

First Parish Church, Cradle Roll, 1930-1952

See also Cradle Roll Certificates removed from volume to OS Box 1.

OS Box 1Folder 3

Cradle roll certificates, 1946, 1947, 1948

Box 13Folder 6

Parish Committee minutes, 1917-1933

Box 13Folder 7

Loose printed reports and correspondence found in Parish Committee minutes, 1917-1933

Box 14

Parish Committee, minutes, warrants, correspondence 1927-1933, 1944-1971(disbound)

OS Box 2

Scrapbook, 1923-ca. 1942

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.

Box 15Folder 1

Financial account book, 1820-1873

Includes accounts of Anne Mills Charity Fund.

Box 15Folder 2

Treasurer's account book, 1835-1877

Box 15Folder 3

Treasurer's account book, 1877-1895

Box 16Folder 1

Financial account book, 1896-1901

Includes pew rents and taxes.

Box 16Folder 2

Loose papers found in Account Book, 1896-1901

Box 16Folder 3

Cash book, 1903-1911

Box 16Folder 4

Financial records, 1911-1922

Box 17Folder 1

Cash book, 1911-1923

Box 17Folder 2

Cash book, 1923-1940

Box 18Folder 1

Cash book, 1940-1946

Box 18Folder 2

Treasurer's account book, 1960-1971

Box 18Folder 3

Pledges and disbursements, 1901-1911

OS Box 1Vol. 1

Pledges and disbursements, 1914-1923

Box 19Folder 1

Pledges and disbursements, 1922-1932

Box 19Folder 2-4

Pledges and disbursements, 1939-1946(disbound)

OS Box 1Vol. 2

Pledges and disbursements, 1971-1977

Box 20Folder 1

Ministerial Fund, minutes and reports, 1812-1883

Box 20Folder 2

Ministerial Fund, minutes and reports, 1883-1935

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.

Box 21

Ministerial Fund, minutes and reports, 1936-1976(disbound)

Included in Folder 1 is a list of trustees from 1812- 1942.

Box 22Folder 1

Ministerial Fund, account book, 1812-1921

Box 22Folder 2

Ministerial Fund, account book, 1921-1930

Box 23Folder 1

Ministerial Fund, Income Account Book, 1930-1951

Box 23Folder 2

Ministerial Fund, Principal Fund Account, 1930-1951

Box 24Folder 1

Ministerial and Perpetuity Fund, Trustees and Mortgage Records, 1918-1953

Box 24Folder 2

Perpetuity Fund, minutes and reports, 1929-1935

Box 25Folder 1

Perpetuity Fund, account book, 1929-1951

Inventories included.

Box 25Folder 2

Perpetuity Fund, account book, 1929-1951

Includes income and expenditures.

Box 25Folder 3-12

Perpetuity Fund, minutes and reports, 1950-1969(disbound)

Box 26Folder 1-6

Perpetuity Fund, minutes and reports, 1970-1976(disbound)

Box 26Folder 7

First Parish Church, Record of Deeds of Pews, 1836-1888

Box 26Folder 8

List of taxes assessed on pews, 1871-1881

Box 26Folder 9

Pew taxes and rents, 1872-1877

Box 26Folder 10

Pew taxes and rents, 1877-1885

Box 26Folder 11

Pew taxes and rents, 1885-1893

Box 27

Pew valuation and assessed taxes, 1835-1868

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

Box 28Folder 1

Minutes, 1949-1952

ii. Laymen's League, 1922-1949

Box 28Folder 2

Reports, 1922-1945

Includes church attendance records, 1925-1949, and an undated, printed pamphlet, "The Chapter Officers Book".

iii. Lend a Hand Club, 1904-1979

Box 28Folder 3

Junior Lend a Hand, minutes, 1904-1912

Box 28Folder 4

Secretary's reports, 1909-1914

Box 28Folder 5

Secretary's reports, 1914-1918

Box 28Folder 6

Secretary's reports, 1918-1926

Box 29Folder 1

Executive committee reports, 1910-1918

Box 29Folder 2

Financial ledger, 1934-1979; cancelled bank book, 1973-1979

iv. Social Club, 1944-1953

Box 29Folder 3

Minutes, 1944-1953

Box 29Folder 4

Loose papers found in Minutes, 1944-1953

Box 29Folder 5

Financial ledger, 1945-1948

v. Sunday School, 1929-1936

Box 29Folder 6

Reports, attendance records, 1929-1936

vi. Tercentenary Committee, 1929-1930

Box 29Folder 7

Reports, 1929-1930

vii. Unitarian Club, 1887-1955

Box 30Folder 1

Minutes, 1887-1905

Box 30Folder 2

Minutes, 1905-1912

Box 31Folder 1

Minutes, 1912-1934

Box 31Folder 2

Minutes, 1934-1953

Box 31Folder 3

Loose materials found within minutes, 1934-1953

Box 31Folder 4

Contributions, 1916-1929

Box 32Folder 1

Financial accounts, 1892-1909

Box 32Folder 2

Financial accounts, 1909-1929

Box 32Folder 3

Financial accounts, 1929-1940

Box 32Folder 4

Financial accounts, 1929-1955

viii. Watertown Branch of the National Alliance of Unitarian and other Christian Women, 1896-1981

Box 33Folder 1

Reports, 1942-1952

Box 33Folder 2

Financial ledger, 1896-1903

Box 33Folder 3

Financial ledger, 1944-1977

Box 33Folder 4

Loose materials found in financial ledger: correspondence, 1981; cancelled bank book, 1966-1981.

ix. Watertown Female Society for the Relief of the Sick, 1816-1955

Box 34Folder 1

Rules & Regulations (printed pamphlets) 1817, 3 copies; 1848, 2 copies

Box 34Folder 2

Receipt book, membership lists, 1932-1940

Box 34Folder 3

Sewing society records, 1846-19094 pamphlets

Box 34Folder 4

Minutes, 1816-1866

Includes rules and regulations.

Box 34Folder 5

Minutes, 1866-1901

Box 35Folder 1

Minutes, 1901-1942

Box 35Folder 2

Loose papers found in minutes, 1901-1942

Box 35Folder 3

Minutes, 1942-1955

Box 35Folder 4

Loose papers found in minutes, 1942-1955

Box 35Folder 5

Financial accounts, 1816-1936

Box 35Folder 6

Record of Benefits, 1817-1875

D. Watertown Middle School District records, 1816-1851

Contains warrants and minutes of meetings, one volume.

Box 36

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.

Persons:

Bailey, John, 1644-1697.

Organizations:

Lend a Hand Club (Watertown, Mass.)

Watertown Female Society for the Relief of the Sick (Watertown, Mass.)

Subjects:

Account books.

Charities--Massachusetts--Watertown.

Church charities--Massachusetts--Watertown.

Congregational churches--Massachusetts--Watertown.

Schools--Massachusetts--Watertown.

Unitarian churches--Massachusetts--Watertown.

Unitarians--Massachusetts--Watertown--Charities.

Unitarians--Massachusetts--Watertown--Societies, etc.

Women in charitable work.

Watertown (Mass.)--Church history.

Watertown (Mass.)--History.

Watertown (Mass.)--Statistics, Vital.

Revised 21 May 2004

Encoded by Michael Rush, April 2004