History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

106 HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
prayer-meeting. Prayer-meetings continued until
some time in 1835, when the Congregationalists,
Baptists, and Methodists separated.
The First Congregational Church was organized
July 12, 1826, and on the 25th of December,
1827, the house on Merrimack Street was dedicated.
It was owned by a joint-stock company
the whole amount of stock had been subscribed for
and taken. July 18, 1827, George C. Beckwith
had been ordained and installed as pastor, the
ceremony being performed in tlie Baptist Church.
He continued until March 3, 1829, when he re-
signed. December 25, 1829, Amos Blanchard was
ordained and installed as pastor, and continued un-
til May 21, 1845, when he was called to the Kirk-
Street" Church. October 1, 1845, Eev. Willard
Child was installed as pastor, and continued till
January 31, 1855. October 17, 1855, Eev. J. L.
Jenkins was ordained and installed ; he continued
until January 15, 1862. September 17, 1862,
Rev. George N. Webber was installed as pastor
he resigned in March, 1867. October 31, 1867,
Rev. Horace James was installed as pastor, and
continued till December 13, 1870. September 13,
1871, Rev. Smith Baker was installed as pastor,
and has continued to the present time.
January 8, 1828, the proprietors of the First
Congregational Meeting-House returned thanks to
Kirk Boott, agent, for donation of the land on
which tlieir house stands.
In 1830 one hundred and fifty members were
dismissed, and formed the Appleton Street Cliurch.
In 1832 one hundred and twenty-five members
were dismissed to form a third churcli, which had
a short life.
In 1839 one hundred and six members were dis-
missed, and formed the John Street Church.
In 1845 one Imndred and forty members left
with the pastor and formed the Kirk-Street Clmrch.
First Baptist Society. — January 1, 1826, Na-
than Oliver, William D. Mason, Cyrus Oliver,
George Puffer, Abel Rugg, and Jonathan C. Mor-
rill met at the liouse of Nathan Oliver and voted
to organize a churcli. The regular organization
took place February 6, 1826. The council con-
vened two days after at the Merrimack Hotel (Stone
House), then kept by Balch and Coburn. I,an(!
for a church building was given by Thomas I lord.
The corner-stone was laid witl\ Masonic cerenmnics
early in the summer of 1820, and November 15
the building was dedicated and the Rev. Jolni
Cooksun of Maiden was installed. Mr. Cookson
;
continued as pastor till August 5, 1827. June 4,
1828, the Rev. E. W. Freeman was installed, and
continued until his death, September 22, 1835.
February 24, 1836, Joseph Warren Eaton was or-
dained and became the pastor, until February 1,
1837, when he resigned. December 25, 1837,
Rev. Joseph Ballard of South Berwick, Maine, was
installed, and continued until September 1, 1845.
January 29, 1846, the Rev. Daniel C. Eddy was
ordained, became the pastor, and remained until
December 18, 1856. The Rev. William H. Alden
was installed as pastor June 10, 1857, and resigned
March 25, 1864. The Rev. William E. Stanton
was ordained November 2, 1865, became the pas-
tor, and continued until June 30, 1870, when he
was dismissed on account of ill health. Rev. Norman
C. Mallory was settled September 14, 1870,
and closed his labors in this church June 30, 1874.
Rev. Orson E. Mallory was settled March 24, 1875,
and remained until 1878. He was succeeded by
Dr. T. M. Colwell, the present pastor.
The Second Baptist Society was organized September
13, 1831, and built the brick edifice now
known as St. Mary's Church, on Lowell Street.
This building was sold in 1838 to the TMethodists
for $12,000, and was called the Wesley Chapel.
It went out of their possession in 1843; in 1847
it was sold to the Catholics.
In 1838 the building on Worthen Street was
erected, at a cost of $8,000. Its pastors have
been Rev. James Barnaby, 1832 to 1835; Rev.
Lemuel Porter, D. D., 1835 to 1851 ; Rev. J. W.
Smith, D. D., 1851 to 1853 ; Rev. D. D. Winn,
1853 to 1855; Rev. T. D. AYorrell, 1855 to 1857 ;
Rev. J. W. Bonham, 1857 to 1860; Rev. G. F.
Warren, 1860 to 1867 ; Rev. F. R. Morse, 1867
to 1870 ; Rev. D. H. Miller, D. D., 1870 to 1873
Rev. E. A. Lecompte, 1873.
T//e Third Baptist Society was organized in
1840, and the Rev. John George Nay lor was its
first pastor. The church on John Street was
erected under the pastorate of the Rev. Ira Person,
and sold to the Methodists in 1861.
Branch Street Chapel was organized in Aug-
ust, 1870. Two years before it was started as
a mission from the two Baptist churches, and as
such was conducted by the Rev. E. A. Whittier.
In the above year the chapel was enlarged, and became
the charge of Rev. G. F. Warren. He was
succeeded by S. Hartwell Pratt, who left January
1878, wlien Orson E. Alallory became pastor.
First Methodist Episcopal Church. — June 1,
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