NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED-TO-THE: BEST: INTERESTS-OFTHENORTHSHORE = | 
Vol. I. No. 34 
BEVERLY, MASS., SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 1904 
EARLY CHUCRH HISTORY. 
A Synopsis of the History of the Congregational Church, Manchester, Mass., 
from 1645 to the Death of Rev. Oliver Taylor, 1851. 
BY 
In the olden time the church held 
a very important place in the com- 
munity. It was the center around 
which revolved all other interests 
of the town. , 
The early settlers of Manchester, 
as a rule, were very faithful in the 
discharge of their religious duties, 
but there were exceptions, for in 
1651 “Wm. Allen, Pascoe Foot and 
John Sibley were presented to the 
Grand Jury for absence from public 
ordinances three or four Sabbaths.” 
There is a tradition that the first 
religious service in the town was 
held under a tree at Gales Point, 
but the name of the preacher has 
not come down to us. 
There is very little doubt but that 
preaching services were held in the 
houses of the town prior to 1656. 
At that time they decided to build a 
meeting-house, as the town records 
show: “1656 ye 2nd of the 12th 
month it was at a general town 
meeting agreed upon that a meet- 
ing-house should be built, 18 feet 
long with two gable ends to be set 
near the landing-place, and _ the 
planters are to come and cut the 
timber this day fortnight. Wm. 
Bennett, John Pickworth and Sam- 
uel Friend are to oversee the getting 
of the timber, and if any man ne- 
glects to work he is to give suffi- 
cient reason for hiseabsence or pay 
5 shillings for his neglect.” 
Very little is known of the early 
church history of Manchester, as no 
records have come down to us ex- 
cept a few entries in the town 
books. 
Dr. Leach, in his history of Man- 
chester, has preserved an original 
note from the Rev. Ames Cheever, 
R. T. GLENDENNING. 
dated Nov. 20, 1726, in which note 
he gave the following 13 names of 
men who had preached in Manches- 
ter before 1716: Jenners, Smith, 
Stow, Dunham, Millet, Hawthorn, 
Jones, Winborn, Hubbard, Emer- 
son, Goodhue, Eveleth and Web- 
ster. 
The only mention we have of Jen- 
ners is that he was admitted free- 
man in 1636 and preached at Ply- 
mouth. Smith came to this country 
with Higginson. His character was 
not above reproach. He was called 
“a man of low gifts and_ parts.” 
While here he was supported by 
weekly contributions. Winthrop in 
his journal says: “On the 5th day of 
the 9th month 1645 the Village of 
Jeffery’s Neck was incorporated 
and called Manchester. Not being 
in a church state they have procured 
Mr. Smith, sometime minister at 
Plymouth, to preach to them.” Of 
Stow and Dunham, the 3rd and 4th 
on Mr. Cheever’s list, nothing is 
known, so that probably they sup- 
plied for a short time only. 
In the town records of 1650 there 
is a reference to a minister not men- 
tioned by Mr. Cheever—Nathaniel 
Masterson by name—who “was 
eranted free seed for his cattle and 
lumber to build him a house.” In 
1654 he sold his house and removed 
to Beverly. His descendants lived 
for a good many years in Manches- 
ter, but for some reason changed 
their name to Marsters. 
Millet is the next name on Mr. 
Cheever’s list. His name occurs 
frequently in the town reports and 
is affixed to a deed of the Masterson 
house and land. His name is also 
perpetuated by the Millet swamp 
Three Cents 
Next in order come 
Hawthorn and Jones. They prob- 
ably never lived in the town, but 
supplied the Manchester church 
while residing elsewhere. John 
Winborn came here in 1667. He 
and the people did not agree, and 
he was in trouble most of the time 
while in Manchester. In 1686 the 
town voted “that he forthwith pro- 
vide for himself and family some 
other place.” This matter was 
smoothed over and he remained till 
1689. His salary was 27 pounds. It 
was during Winborn’s ministry that 
the first parsonage was built. The 
date was 1685. It stood upon land 
now occupied by the Daniel Friend 
house on School street. “This 
house was sold in 1699 to John Ter- 
ran, shoemaker, with 134 acres of 
land, for the sum of 20 pounds cur- 
rent money which is to be used for 
the improvement of the ministry.” 
In 1689 John Eveleth became 
their pastor at a salary of 23 pounds. 
In 1690 they agreed to give him the 
same salary to which was to be add- 
ed a weekly contribution. In re- 
gard to this the following town vote 
was taken: 
“Att a towne meetting Legaly 
warned & mett together on ye 
twelve of november 1690 it was 
voted and agreed by ye sd towne yt 
all ye inhabitants of ye sd towne 
and wood lot. 
shall: “from vPyes. “day oom sre 
Dates of sthrs esa. meetting 
that what mony him or thay or 
any of ye sd inhabitants from time 
to time on ye sabath Day or Days 
Doe or soe cause to contribut to 
ye box for Mr. John Evely his sal- 
ery for this yeare begun ye first of 
october 1690 it is agreed att this sd 
meetting yt all such from time to 
time untell ye yeare be expired shall 
contribute his or their sd mony with 
A paper wrapt About it with ye 
names of Each person so contribut- 
ing inserted upon ye_ sd paper 
wherein ye mony is infolded & who- 
soever of ye sd inhabitants shall or 
Doo at any time contribute their sd 
