History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

NORTH READiya. 259
NORTH READING.
BY HIRAJt BARIiUS AND CARROLL
ORTH READING as a distinct
municipality is of recent date,
althougii it began to be settled
about 1680. The first refer-
ence to the territory appears in
1651, in the grant to the in-
habitants of Reading by the
court, as an addition to their
former bounds, " a certayne
tract of land, about two miles
content," lying between Mr. Bellingham's farm (in
Andover) and the great river (Ipswich). In 1661
Reading ordered that John Smith, Jonathan Poole,
John Browne, Jr., and William Cowdrey lay out
the two-mile grant beyond the river.
The chief points of interest in the early history
of the town, which do not require repeating, are
included in that of Reading, of whicii it contin-
ued to form an important part till its incorpora-
tion in 1853. It was formerly known as the
Second, or North Parish, and was incorporated as
such in 1713, and a church in connection with it
was organized soon after, which was the second
church in Reading.
The first meeting-house, built upon the Common
in 1717, was used for a church till the building of
another in 1753. The third, which is now stand-
ing near the spot occupied by its predecessors, was
built in 1829. This liouse was relinquished to the
Universalists, who had become a majority of tiie
parish, in 1836. The lower part of the house was
afterwards fitted up for a town-hall, while the upper
room, during portions of each year, continues to be
used for meetings of the Universalist Society.
The Orthodox portion of the society, after the
surrender of the house, erected a new one, in which
they have since continued to worship.
The following is a list of pastors of the Second,
or North Parish : Rev. Daniel Putnam, ordained
1720, died 1759 ; Rev. Eliab Stone, ordained
1761, died 1823; Rev. Cyrus Pierce, coll., or-
dained 1819, dismissed 1827; Rev. J. W. East-
man, installed 1828, dismissed 1832 or 1833;
Rev. J. D. Lewis, ordained 1834, dismissed 1836;
Rev. John Orcutt, ordained 1837, dismissed 1842 ;
Rev. E. W. Allen, ordained 1843, dismissed 1852;
Rev. T. N. Jones, ordained 1853, died 1869;
Rev. J. W. Kingsbury, ordained 1872, dismissed
1877; Rev. F. H. Foster, ordained 1877.
The more prominent clergymen who have offi-
ciated as pastors in the Universahst Society, for
terms of varying length, have been Rev. Mr.
Marston, Rev. Mr. Griswold, Rev. Horace Morse,
Rev. G. B. Emerson, and Rev. Earl Guilford.
The Baptist Society, in the North Parish, was
formed in March, 1817. The church was organized
in April, 1817, with twenty-four members. Their
first house of worship was built in 1828, and burnt
in 1860. The pastors have been : Rev. J. M.
Driver, settled October, 1828, dismissed 1829;
Rev. George Matthews, settled January, 1830,
dismissed 1834 ; Rev. William Heath, settled
June, 1836, dismissed 1841; Rev. J. Holbrook,
settled July, 1841, dismissed 1842; Rev. J. N.
Sykes, settled August, 1842, dismissed 1843
Rev. Benjamin Knight, settled April, 1845, dismissed
1846 ; Rev. F. E. Cleaves, settled May,
1847, dismissed 1851 ; Rev. A. C. Bronson, settled
June, 1851, dismissed 1854; Rev. E. W.
Pray, settled February, 1855, dismissed 1857
Rev. Horace Eaton, settled April, 1862, dismissed
1863; Rev. W. K. Davy, settled 1863, dismissed
1868; Rev. A. W. Ashley, settled April, 1868,
dismissed 1870 ; Rev. Charles F. Myers, settled
June, 1872, dismissed 1873; Rev. William L.
Brown, settled December, 1877, dismissed 1879.
. The town was prompt in action on matters per-
taining to the war of 1861. At a town-meeting
held May 4, 1 1,000 were appropriated for relief
of the families of the soldiers, and ?500 for the
soldiers. An appropriation not to exceed $1,200
was voted, April 26, 1862, for families of volun-
teers, and $200 for sick and wounded soldiers and
for transportation and burial of those fallen in
battle. July 25, the selectmen were instructed to
enlist twenty-one men to fill the quota under the
; ;