Ecclesiastical History. 55 



cal School in 1869. He was settled over this parish in September, 

 1869, and was ordained Jan. 20, 1870. He resigned Dec. 31, 1872, 

 to accept a call from the Church of the Messiah, in St. Louis, Mo. 



Rev. William G.Todd, the seventh minister, began his parochial 

 connection with the parish in April, 1873, and resigned in De- 

 cember, 1875. 



Rev. Henry A. Miles, D. D., was living in Hingham at the time 

 of Mr. Todd's resignation, and was invited to preach on the first 

 Sunday in January, 1876. He continued for the following Sun- 

 days, and received a call to become the settled minister, March 13, 

 1876. He was installed April 9, 1876, and resigned his active 

 duties Sept. 30, 1883, but continues his parochial connection to 

 the present time as pastor emeritus. 



Dr. Miles was born in Grafton, Mass., May 30, 1809. He was 

 graduated at Brown University in 1829, and at the Harvard Di- 

 vinity School in 1832. He was ordained at Hallowell, Me., Dec. 

 14, 1832, and was settled there as minister until 1836, when he 

 accepted a call from the Unitarian Society in Lowell, Mass. His 

 ministry in Lowell continued from 1836 to 1853. After varied 

 services in the line of his profession, but without any long con- 

 tinued parochial connection with any religious society, he removed 

 to Hingham, and shortly afterwards became connected with this 

 society as already stated. He received the degree of D. D. from 

 Brown University in 1850. 



It is not the part of the historian to be the eulogist of the 

 living, yet the writer cannot forbear to say that Dr. Miles has the 

 affectionate regard and universal respect of the people of his 

 parish and the town. 



After the relinquishment of active duties by Dr. Miles, Rev. 

 Alexander T. Bowser, born in Sackville, New Brunswick, Feb. 20, 

 1848, and a graduate of Harvard College in 1877, received a call 

 to become the minister. Mr. Bowser's first year in the ministry, 

 after graduation from the Harvard Divinity School in 1880, was 

 devoted to mission work in St. Louis, Mo. He was ordained 

 there, in the Church of the Messiah, May 2, 1881, Rev. John 

 Snyder, pastor of that church and a former minister of this so- 

 ciety in Hingham, giving him the right hand of fellowship. 

 After two years spent in Evansville, Indiana, as the representa- 

 tive of the American Unitarian Association, he received the call 

 from Hingham, Jan. 24, 1884. He was installed June 11, 1884, 

 and continued as pastor until Jan. 2, 1887, when he resigned to 

 accept the position of pastor of the First Unitarian Congregation 

 of Toronto, Canada. 



Rev. Charles T. Billings, the present minister, was ordained 

 minister of this society and the Second Parish, July 2, 1890, 



