Ecclesiastical History. 



65 



FIRST UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY. 



.V»' 



■•£& 



^ 



UNIVERSALIST MEETING HOUSE. 



of a mutual sympathy and the desire of spreading 

 these latter organized as the First Universalist 

 Hingham. 



The following was their declaration of faith : — 



On Nov. 1, 1823, 

 there was a meeting 

 of several members of 

 the First Universalist 

 Society, of Scituate, at 

 the house of Capt. 

 Charles W. Cushing, 

 in Hingham. With 

 them also met a num- 

 ber of persons of the 

 Universalist belief, 

 from Hingham, and, 

 under the inspiration 



their faith, 

 Society of 



" We whose names are hereunto subscribed, being sensible of the un- 

 changeable and universal love of God to mankind, exhibited in the 

 Redeemer, and in humble thankfulness to Him for disposing our hearts 

 to unite together in the bonds of Christian love and fellowship, think it 

 our duty, as tending to the good order of society in general, and the 

 improvement and edification of each other in particular, to form ourselves 

 into a church of Christ, which, we conceive, consists of a number of be- 

 lievers united together in the confession of faith of the gospel." 



The meeting-house was erected in 1829, and was the same 

 now occupied by the society, on North Street. The corner-stone 

 was laid May 18, 1829, and the house dedicated to the worship 

 of God Sept. 19, 1829, on which occasion the sermon was 

 preached by Rev, Hosea Ballou. 



Chapter 90 of the Acts of the Legislature of 1829 is " An 

 Act to incorporate the Proprietors of the First Universalist 

 Meeting-house in Hingham." " Moses L. Humphrey, Henry Nye, 

 Marshall Lincoln, Ensign Barnes, Jr., Jairus Thayer and others 

 who have associated or may hereafter associate with them and 

 their successors " were the persons named in the Act as the 

 members of the corporation. 



Among the ministers have been the following : Thomas J. 

 Greenwood, Joseph P. Atkinson, Albert A. Folsom, John F, Dyer, 

 Samuel A. Davis, Jeremy H. Farnsworth, Josiah W. Talbot, M. 

 M. Freston, Albert Case, John D. Cargill, Emmons Partridge, 

 John E. Davenport, Phebe A. Hanaford, Daniel P. Livermore, and 

 S. R. H. Biggs. 



VOL. I. — 5 * 



