MINISTERS, AFTER MR. DANA'S DISMISSAL. 1 87 



strong, on account of his political views, that he was dis- 

 missed from his charge, on May 15, 1775. In early times it 

 was considered a public calamity for a town to be for many 

 weeks without a settled preacher of the gospel ; and steps 

 were taken at once to fill the vacancy, or rather to supply 

 the pulpit temporarily. In the church records there is no 

 entry between June 8, 1775, and September 5, 1777; and lit- 

 tle is known now in regard to the affairs of the society during 

 that period. Only from occasional diaries and other infor- 

 mal writings do we catch glimpses of what happened ; and 

 from such sidelights we gather a few additional facts. 



Within a short time there has been published in " The 

 American Historical Review" for January, 1901, a diary kept 

 by the Reverend Samuel Cooper from April 19, 1775, till May 

 17, 1776. He was the minister settled over the Brattle 

 Square Church in Boston; but while that town was in the 

 possession of the British, he was living, first at Weston and 

 then at Waltham, often supplying the pulpit in various towns 

 of the neighborhood. From the diary (pp. 306-322) it ap- 

 pears that during this period Mr. Cooper preached for several 

 Sundays in Groton; and the different entries which relate to 

 those occasions are given below : 



Friday, May 5. . . . D r Prescot of Groton visited me this morn- 

 ing and propos'd my Supplying their Pulpit, propos'd to Mr Wood- 

 ward his going there and that I w'd supply his Pulpit wch he c'd not 

 comply with. . . . 



Saturday. 13. May. Went to Concord with Mr Savage, call'd at 

 Mr Hubbard's: f'm thence to Mr. Emerson's. He was abroad, 

 engag'd to pch for him on the Morrow, while he was to supply 

 Groton. return'd to M r Savages, we din'd there. . . . 



Lord's day. 21. May. pch'd all day at Concord M r Emerson 

 for me at Groton. din'd at his house. . . . 



May 27. Saturday. Sat out in the Morn g . 8 "Clock in my Chaise 

 for Groton, bated at White's of Acton din'd at U rs Newman of Lyttle- 

 ton. drank Coffee with M r Rogers reach'd Groton at Sunset ; Slept 

 and Horse kept at D r Prescot's. 



28. Lord's day. Pch'd all day at Groton ; spoke with M r Dana 

 after Service a. m. din'd at D' r Prescot's baptiz'd a child P. M. 



