54 History of Hingham. 



bury port, and Boston, was obliged to give up preaching for a 

 time on account of illness. His pastoral connection with the 

 Third Congregational Society in Hingham began July 1, 1839, 

 under an engagement for one year, and he became the settled 

 pastor April 1, 1840. On the first Sunday of April, 1840, he 

 preached a sermon recognizing the permanency of his pastoral 

 relation with the Society, which was the only form of his instal- 

 lation in Hingham. His pastoral relation was dissolved Oct. 1, 

 1856, in the eighteenth year of his ministry here. 



From the time of his leaving Hingham in 1856, to 1863, he 

 was President of the Meadville Theological School, and from 

 1863 to 1878 he was a Professor in the Harvard Divinity School 

 at Cambridge. He received the degree of S. T. D. from Harvard 

 College in 1857. He died Julv 18, 1885. 



Dr. Stearns was a learned divine and a fine writer. He was 

 not of a rugged constitution. Lack of physical strength and 

 endurance prevented him from undertaking much outside the 

 lines of his pastoral and professional duty, yet by his patient 

 industry and constant application lie accomplished a surprisingly 

 laro:e amount of work during his long life. He was of a 



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mild and amiable temperament, a man of positive convictions, 

 a stanch advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United 

 States, and fearless in expressing his opinions. Although the 

 life of Dr. Stearns does not present as many marked charac- 

 teristics for biographical notice as many others of the clergymen 

 of Hingham, yet the candid critic will credit him with being one 

 of the most scholarly and learned of those who have been settled 

 in the town. Under his ministry the society prospered, and he 

 was much respected. 



Rev. Daniel Bowen, the fourth minister, was born in Reading, 

 Vt., Feb. 4, 1831, and was a graduate of the University of Roch- 

 ester. His theological studies were pursued at the Theological 

 Seminary of Rochester and at the Harvard Divinity School. He 

 was ordained pastor of the Third Congregational Society, Dec. 21, 

 1859, and this connection was dissolved Sept. 24, 1863. Mr. 

 Bowen discontinued preaching in 1867, and removed to Florida. 



Rev. Joshua Young, the fifth minister, was born in Pittston, 

 Maine, Sept. 29, 1823, was a graduate of Bowdoin College in 

 1845, and of the Harvard Divinity School in 1848. He was 

 pastor of the " New South Church "in Boston from 1849 to 1852, 

 and was settled in Burlington, Vt., from 1852 to 1862. Having 

 preached to the society in Hingham for a short time previously, 

 he began his services under engagement as pastor in April, 1864, 

 and continued in that office until Dec. 20, 1868. 



Rev. John Snyder, the sixth minister, was born in Philadelphia, 

 Pa., June 14, 1842, and was graduated at the Meadville Theologi- 



