History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

170 HISTOEY OF MIDDLESEX COUXTY.
Fletcher, Frank A. Keen, E. Sprague, D. T. New-
comb, D. Nolan, A. H. Stacy, D. McGillicuddy,
S. Harding, J. Stetson, J. M. Powers, C. W. Wil-
lis, F. Curtin, James Haley.
Volunteers of Company C, 39th regiment, as
follows : J. P. Hubbell, James Bierne, A. Joyce,
Patrick Gleason, Augustus Tufts, R. Livingston,
F. J. Curtis, B. J. Ellis, H. G. Currell, E. Ireland,
Wdliam H. Rogers, William Harding, H. R. Hath-
eway, H. Mills, G. H. Lewis, J. M. Garrett, D. S.
Cheney, R. W. Cheslyii, M. O'Connell, Sergeant
S. N. Stearns, Sergeant J. T. Morrison, J. M.
Fletcher, E. B. Hatch, R. C. Hathaway, G. H.
Champlin ; Privates, C. H. Coolidge, S. W.
Joyce.
ECCLESI.\STIC.\L HISTORY.
Ix 1699 the town engaged the Rev. Benjamin
Woodbridge of Portsmouth as their minister. Be-
fore that time Rev. Benjamin Colman and Rev.
John Hancock had preached for a few months;
and probably the college at Cambridge had sent
occasional assistance. Mr. Woodbridge did not
satisfy his parishioners, and a quarrel of several
years' continuance ensued. He died in 1710, but
not until 1713 was his successor. Rev. Aaron
Porter, ordained. He served till his death in
Wli; and November 25, 1724, Rev. Ebenezer
Turell was ordained. For fifty years Mr. Turell
discharged his duties acceptably, receivhig a col-
league in 1774, and dying December 5, 1778,
aged seventy-six years.
The third minister was Rev. David Osgood,
chosen in 1774, who officiated for forty-eight years,
and died December 12, 1822. During his min-
istry the majority of his fiock had embraced Unitarian
views ; at his death they chose Rev. Andrew
Bigelow. Very soon the portion of the society
which retained the Calvinistic tenets asked for and
obtained dismission, and the church was divided.
Those remaining were duly incorporated as the
First Parish of Medford, "March 31, 1824. In
1826 Mr. Bigelow was obliged to leave from ill-
iiealth, and February 28, 1S27, Rev. Caleb Stetson
was ordained. His ministry lasted twenty-one
years, and closed by his resignation, March 24,
1848. August 1, 1849, Rev. John Pierpont suc-
ceeded, and remained till iS.jf;. April 1."), ISo?,
Rev. Theodore Tebbells w;is iii>i;illr(l, and to him
succeeded Rev. Edward ('. Tnunc, April 17, 1861.
He remained until lS(i7; and M;inli 3, 1860, Rev.
Henry C. DeLmiir, thr prcsmt |ia>liir, was ordained.
Sa'oiunTnuihn-inn) i'-zr/.v//.— This was fonnrd,
as we have seen, in 1823, and its pastors have been
the following : Rev. Aaron Warner, ordained Sep-
tember 1, 1824, dismissed October 2, 1832; Rev.
Gordon Winslow, ordained June 12, 1833, dis-
missed November 12, 1834; Rev. Levi Pratt, or-
dained August 19, 1835, died August 9, 1837;
Rev. A. R. Baker, onlniied April 25, 1838, dis-
missed September 2(1, IMS; Rev. E. P. Marvin,
ordained Februarv 25, ls52, dismissed Novem-
ber 8, 1865; Rev. James T. McCoUum, ordained
November 8, 18(35, died November 25, 1874.
As will be shown immediately after the last date,
this church united with the ilystic Church, and
its existence as a separate body ended.
The Third CoiHjregatwnal '[TnuUiuian) Church,
called also the Mystic Church, was an offshoot of
the Second Church. It was established ^lay 9,
1847, with sixty members, and its first pastor was
Rev. Abner B. Warner. The list of ministers is
as follows : Rev. Abner B. Warner, ordained Octo-
ber 27, 1847, died May 26, 1853; Rev. Jacob
M. Planning, ordained January 5, 1854, dismissed
February 17, 1857 ; Rev. Elias N^ason, ordained
November 10, 1858, dismissed November 19,
1860 ; Rev. Edward P. Hooker, ordained Novem-
ber 13, 1861, dismissed March 31, 1869; Rev.
Sohni Cobb, ordained November 3, 1869, dismissed
March 12, 1874.
The two churches for some time felt that there
was no need of maintaining distinct organizations,
especially as the cstablislnneiit of an Orthodox
Church "in West Mrdlurd divw uiiich from both.
The death of Mr. Met 'ollom just at this time per-
haps brought the matter to a crisis, and the two
churches combined chose as 'their pastor Rev.
Charles H. Baldwin, who was instaUed June 30,
1875. The Mystic ( Imreh Imildiug was enlarged,
and re-dediralrd .iaimaiy 12, 1S76.
I'liirrrsii/ixt Snrirli/. - This society was formed
Alareli lO, ls;;i, and' h.is hren umler'the following
named pastors: 1!.'\ . W iii>low W. AVright, from
April, is;;:;, lo April, 1835; Rev. Joseph" Banfield,
from 18.15 lo 1 ^.'IS ; Rev. Ho.sea Ballon, from
April, 1838, to .Vug., 1853 ;
from March, 1854, to May, 1858 ;
Rev. G. V. Markliam,
Rev. C. B. Lom-
bard, from May, 1859, to Jan., 1861 ; Rev. B. II.
Davis, from Nov., 1801, to Feb., 1867 ; Rev. R. P.
Ambler, from ^farcii, 1S69, to Dec, 1873; Rev. J.
II. Farn.sworth, from Jlay, 1874, to July, 1875;
Rev. W. G. Haskell, from May, 1S76, to June,
1878; Rev. Richard Eddy, Dec", 1878.
The Fir.^1 MelhoilisI Society/ was ineor|)orated in