IN LINEBROOK. 125 



any religious society by virtue of any special law or act 

 of incorporation, nor impair the existing right of prop- 

 erty of any territorial parish." Thus Linebrook exists 

 to-day, if these laws have been complied with, exists at 

 the age of one hundred and thirty-seven years, strong in 

 her original powers and privileges, and only subject to the 

 duties and liabilities of her youth. 



The first meeting-house was erected in 1743. June 27, 

 1746-7, the parish voted to finish the house thus : First, 

 the pulpit and deacon's seat ; second, the body seats be- 

 low ; third, three fore seats in each gallery ; fourth, the 

 gallery stairs and plaster under the gallery ; fifth, a pew 

 for the parish. May 18, 1747, it was voted that the 

 meeting-house be finished by the last of October. It was 

 a two-story, square house, was furnished with box-pews, 

 and was entered by a front door and a door on each side. 

 Dec. 28, 1747, a committee was chosen to receive and 

 receipt for a gift from Abraham Smith, and discharge 

 the executor. They were also to paint the pulpit suit- 

 ably and put on it the name of Abraham Smith deceased. 

 This house stood about a third of the way on the road 

 from the Ipswich-Linebrook school-house to the Rowley- 

 Georgetown road. The building committee were John 

 Smith, Thomas Potter, Mark How, Jonathan Burpee and 

 John Abbott. The genealogy of the Fowler family reads 

 that James Davis, who married Abigail Metcalfe, gave the 

 land on Avhich the house stood. The parish records read 

 that the price of pew No. 11, bought by Joseph Metcalfe 

 and Jonathan Burpee, was "3 acres of land to build the 

 house on." The house was removed to the location of the 

 present church and rebuilt in 1828 and dedicated Jan. 1, 

 1829. The rebuilding followed the old model. The 

 present church was erected in 1848. 



Their method of psalm singing was quaint. The tuner, 



