Illustrations

The Reverend Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham, D.D.

From an oil portrait by Thomas Ball, painted in 1842, in the possession of the First Church.

Old State House and Old Brick Meeting House, 1798

From an engraving on a policy of the Massachusetts Fire Insurance Company, issued November 1, 1798.

From a lithograph by Senefelder Lithograph Press, owned by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities.

Chauncy Place Meeting House and Chauncy Hall School, 1857

From a lithograph by Prang and Mayer, owned by the Bostonian Society.

The Reverend Rufus Ellis, D.D.

From a photograph, owned by Miss Gertrude B. Ellis of Cambridge.

Chauncy Place Meeting House, circa 1865

From a photograph, owned by the Boston Athenæum.

Berkeley Street Meeting House, circa 1868

From a photograph, owned by the Boston Athenæum.

Interior of the Berkeley Street Meeting House, circa 1868

From a late nineteenth-century photograph in the Church Archives.

Thomas Hutchinson Memorial Doorway

Erected in the First Church in Boston by the Colonial Society of Massachusetts in 1917.

1 January 24. Marginal note in pencil.

2 This does not represent the income of the three rooms as entered but perhaps includes some additional revenue.

3 The exact amount was afterwards ascertained to be $216.00. (Marginal note in the same hand.)

4 i.e. p. 807–808.

5 Later hand.

6 Later hand.

7 The New South Church on Church Green.

8 Dr. Greenwood had died August 2, 1843, after a ministry of nineteen years.

9 James Walker, S.T.D., LL.D. (1794–1874). Professor, 1838–1853 and President, 1853–1860, Harvard University.

10 Andrew Preston Peabody (1811–1893) Harvard, 1826, S.T.D., 1852; settled Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1833–1860; Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Preacher to the University, Harvard University, 1860–1881, emeritus, 1860–1893.

11 David Reed (1790–1870) was the editor and proprietor of the Christian Register, 1821–1865.

12 Francis Henry Dillaway (1811–1850), had been sexton since 1831.

13 Edward Everett Hale, D.D., LL.D. (1822–1909), Harvard, 1839; minister, Church of Unity, Worcester, 1846–1856; South Congregational Church, Boston, 1856–1900, emeritus, 1900–1909; Chaplain, United States Senate, 1903–1909. Nephew of Hon. Edward Everett.

14 Francis Tiffany (1827–1908) Harvard, 1847; minister, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1852–1864; professor of English Literature and Rhetoric, Antioch College, 1865–1866; minister, West Newton, Massachusetts, 1866–1871; 1874–1883.

15 Thomas Starr King (1824–1864) minister, Universalist Church, Charlestown, 1846–1848; Hollis Street Church (Unitarian), Boston, 1848–1860; Unitarian Church, San Francisco, California, 1860–1864.

16 i.e. J. T. W. Sargent.

17 In margin 31.25.

18 James Hiller Foster was born in Boston, October 31, 1773; began business as an upholsterer on Washington Street, corner of Summer Street, about 1800 and remained until January, 1830, when his store was destroyed by fire; removed his business to 156 Washington where he continued until within a year or two of his death; married Elizabeth M. Smith (1771–1854) by whom he had thirteen children only one of whom, a daughter, survived him; Overseer of the Poor, 1823–1835. Cf. Christian Register, December 27, 1862.

19 Rev. Arthur Buckminster Fuller, born Cambridge, Massachusetts, August 10, 1822; Harvard College, 1843, Divinity School, 1847; minister, Manchester, N. H., 1848–1853; New North Church, Boston, 1853–1859; Watertown, 1861–1862; Chaplain, 16th Regiment Infantry, Massachusetts Volunteers; died Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 11, 1862. Brother of Margaret Fuller.

20 Prescott Bigelow (1825–1863) was the son of John Prescott Bigelow (1797–1869), Secretary of State for Massachusetts and mayor of Boston.

21 M. S. Dodd, who had been appointed first on September 9, 1850.

22 Rev. Louis B. Schwartz was settled in 1847 over the German Evangelical Church, which had a meetinghouse in 1864 on Shawmut Avenue near Pleasant Street.

23 The following note addressed to Turner Sargent has been pasted into the record:

Boston,

134 Washington St.

9 October [1865?]

My dear Sir:

I enclose for your reading a note from Mr. E. E. Hale with reference to John Cotton’s Pulpit. The same subject has been brought to my notice in a note which came some time ago through Mr. E. Everett, and quite lately in another from Dr. Gannett. The last is in Mr. George Messinger’s hand. I wish something might be done to secure the Pulpit—for a House of Worship built by the First Church should be a memorial building. Mr. Everett, in view of what the Cotton descendants have done for St. Butolphs’ in the way of renewal and ornamentation was unwilling that anything should be paid for the Pulpit. Perhaps what would be unsuitable in a Church might answer for the Chapel. May I ask your kind interest in the matter?

Yours very truly,

Rufus Ellis

24 (Old No. 34. See folio 162.)

25 (Old number 49. See folio 162.)

26 Old No. 60.

27 Old No. 61.

28 (Old No. 107 in the deed.)

29 (Afterwards the time changed to Thursday December 10th.)

1 This marriage was solemnized in the Parish Church of the parish of Allhallows, Barking, London, by Rev. John Hewlett. Sep. 7. 1797. July 26, 1797.