"1. Wee do agree to give Mr. Samuel Whiting, Jun'..., (our minister.) that house which is now vpon ye towneship, comfortably finished, for him, and his heirs, if he continues amongst us during his life. But if he shall remove from amongst us, then the said house with all the acomodations of the same shall returne againe to the towne, to be at their dispose; or, if Mr. Whiting shall dye with vs, then the towne shall have the refuseing of the said house and all other acomodations aforesaid belonging to the same, if Mrs. Whiting do sell ye same. 2. We do promise to give to him ye sume of fourty pounds per year, for his maintenance, for the first two years of his setling with vs, and for the third year fifty pounds, and for the fourth year sixty pounds, and for afterwards we do promise and ingage to better his maintenance as the Lord shall better our estates. 3. We do Joyntly pmise to cary at oo owne charge, from year to year, so much of the pay (as doth amounte to twenty pounds) as shall be brought in to him in wheat or in other graine, or porke; to deliver the same either at Mistick mill or at Charlestowne, which Mr. Whiting shall apointe, and to deliver the same at such prizes as such pay shall or doth at such times pass fro man to man, vnless Mr. Whiting and the Towne shall make any other agreement concerning the same. "4. We do promise to pvide his firewood & to bring it home to his house, from year to year, at our owne charges. “5. We do promise to fence him in a paster for to keape his horse in, as convenient as we may. “ ult. for his acomodations, we do promise to lay to ye said house, a ten-acre lot, for his house-lot, and twelve acres of meadow, with other acomodations convenient to the same, i. e. to grant to him all other divitions of lands and meadows, with other lots of ye like quantity. The persons subscribing to the premises, who were then the inhabitance, were: • Also, at a Towne Meeting of ye inhabitance, ye 16, 10TM., 1661. "It is agreed, That whatever charges Mr. Whiting shall be at, in makeing his house and land more convenient for his comfortable susistence and livelyhood amongst vs, in erecting any more building, fenceing, or breakeing of land, or clearing of meadows, and the like; That in case the providence of god so orders it that afterwards he shall remove from us, and so (by our former agreement) leave all his acommodations to the use 8 of the Towne, the towne do promise that what the whole premises shall be the better, at his leaving it, by reason of his cost and charges upon it, It shall at that time be returned to him by the towne, as it shall be adjudged by men indifferently chosen.” It speaks well for the courage and faith of these founders of the town that, numbering only nineteen men, they were ready to put their hands to such an instrument and assume all its responsibility. It speaks well for the young Harvard graduate, of good birth and sterling ability, that he was ready to identify himself with the rising town and make his home in this wilderness, when not even the little meeting-house of logs and thatch was yet erected. Where Mr. Whiting preached for the first two years, we can only conjecture; perhaps at John Parker's, where early town meetings were held; perhaps in his own house. A year later, the following vote appears: "It is agreed, by the major prt of the Towne, that Mr. Whiting shall have 30 p. for this year, for his maintenance, and caring down corne, and making a well and hovell for his catell; which is 10 p. more than o' agreement for his yerely maintenance; the caring his corne or other pay downe to towne and getting his firewood included, to be done at Mr. Whiting's own charges." In the accounts of the town, credit is given to John Baldwin, George Farley, and Ralph Hill, Jr., for "oxen to help fetch Mr. Whiting"; and to Ralph Hill, Sr., Samuel Kemp, John Marshall, James Paterson, and John Rogers, "for John for going for Mr. Whiting." It was no small undertaking to help the minister remove to Billerica, at that day. When the earliest families had been five and six years in town, when their number had increased to thirty and they had secured a minister, they were at length prepared to grapple with the serious problem of a house of worship. 09. 9. 59. it is Agreed by the major prt of the Towne, that there shall be a meeting house built this winter folling; thirty foote Longe and twenty and foure foot wide, and twelve foot high; the studs to be 3 foot asunder. the Comittee apoynted to agree with workmen, to bild and finish the said house, are Ralph Hill, Sen'., George Farley, Jonathan Danforth; it is agreed, also, that the sides and ends shall be covered with bords and the Roof with thatch." This primitive meeting-house stood south of the centre of the resent common, baving its length east and west. Probably the inhabitants contributed labor and lumber liberally to its erection, but John Parker was the principal builder, as appears from the following: 16. 10, 61. The town doe apoynte Will Tay, WillTM Hamblet. & Jonathan Danforth, as a Comitee to examine the acontes about ye bildinge and finishing the meeting house, and to consider some way to propose to the towne for satisfying John Parker for his disbursements, what they in their judgment shall se meet, and in their best understanding shall conscive ritasly due to him for the work done.” "6:11: 61. the comitee abovesaide did meet together with the Townsmen, and examined the aconts, and they make this return followinge: to the Towne, we doe finde that acordinge to his aconts (which we judg to be Just and equall) there is due unto him The Just sume of eighteene pounds. fifteen shillings, three pence, we say, 18: 15: 3, and in consideration of the nature of the pay disbursed by him, exceedinge the quality of the pay received by him from the Towne, we Aprehend that the Towne may do well to make up the former sume full Twenty poundes. "this was excepted and granted by the Towne." How Mr. Parker was paid has already appeared, in the account of the use made by the town of the land-grant of four thousand acres, received from the General Court, in May, 1661. [See p. 47.] No record remains of the completion or dedication of this house; but we may be sure that the devout fathers of Billerica did not fail to consecrate it to the service of God, with due solemnity and rejoicing. A humble structure, it was in harmony with its surroundings; and worship fervent and true went up to God from its lowly walls. Provision was made soon after for the usual appendage of a New England meeting-house. 25. 7, 1660. The towne doe give leave that Ralph Hill, Sen'., George** Farley, Willm. French, Ralph Hill, Jun'., and John Parker, and such other persons as make use of their horses to Ride to ye meetinge, shall have liberty to make sum housing or housings to sett up for horses from time to time, without molestatione; and to sett up ye saide houseing below the Hill between the meeting house and Goldinge More's barn, or in sum other place convenient for them." More's barn was on Paul Hill's land, perhaps as far south as Deacon Lund's place; and the sheds were probably near, or just south of, Mr. Hill's house. In 1661 the town "appoint Lieut. ffrench, John Parker, Ralph Hill, Sen., and Will. Tay, to sett in the Deacon's seat; and also the town do appoint & impower these four men, joyned with Mr. Whitinge, to appoint the rest of the inhabitants and proprietors belonging to the town, there severall places where they shall sitt in the meeting house, acordinge to their best discretion. Also, it is agreed, if any person or persons be agrieved in their being seated, and they doe make known their grievance to the persons above said; they are to consider of their grievance, and acte as they in their discretion shall see meete, in seating them elsewhere." No church was yet organized, and the citizens of Billerica sought occasional church privileges with neighboring churches. The Rev. John Fiske, pastor of Chelmsford,' mentions such courtesy to Ralph Hill and George Farley, and the case of Jonathan Danforth is given at length. The latter is too interesting an account of the way the fathers felt and acted on such questions to be abbreviated. Jonathan } He. about 7 of 12, 56, proposing himselfe to this ch. Danford. for fellowship. It was concluded to answer him as follows: Jonathan Danford, his desire being proposed to this ch., [? 7 of 12], to joyne himself in fellowship wth vs, it was considered of, and agitated, and in fine determined by joynte assent to returne him this answer, in effect as followeth: Namely, ...That in case ye ch at Cambridge shall graunt him a permission so to doe, yeelding vp what right they have in him vnto this ch, and we shall receive satisfactione touching his being meetely qualified for ye enjoyin' of all church Priviledges, we shall willingly attend his desire to ye receiving of him: otherwise we know no Rule of orderly proceeding with him, in this way; he being by vertue of his father's covenant vnder the immediate inspection and charge (as we conceive) of yo ch. of Cambridge. "Afterward, ye Elders of Cambr. Ch., writing to vs as from themselves their apprehensions as to this effect, they conceived we might, notwithstanding, receive ye said Jonathan without offence to that ch." "vpon 22 of 1st 56-57. It was returned thus: Jonathan Damford, his desire being vpon this day a 2th time proposed to this ch, with LTM from ye Elders of Cambr. Ch. The result of our ch. agitation amounted, in effect, to this, viz: that we, supposing he may be fitt to enjoy all ch. priviledges, can not otherwise but sympathise wth him; and therefore, as ye case to vs appears at present, we are not apprehensive we are orderly called as yet to satisfy his desire, for our parts, conceiving he belongeth to them whose we think he is, either plainely to disowne him or to dismisse him; and, in case neither of these maybee, we know no rule or reason why he may not firstly joyne himself in personall covenant with that ch, and afterward, as just cause is offered, to be either recommended or disnissed, or both, vnto vs. Or else, if by reason of his distance from that ◄h, this be refused, whereas yet there are, as we suppose, members of yo 1 MSS. Record, now in possession of Mr. David Pulsifer, at the State House. For permission to make extracts from this Record, I am indebted to the courtesy of Rev. H. M. Dexter, D. D., who has a copy of the obscure original, which was made for him by Mr. Pulsifer. said ch residing nigher to him than any of ours, he seems called, for his owne parte, to sit still a while & wayte till God more fully shew vp his way." Almost three years pass, and the case is reopened. In 7, 59, 11mo, Jonathan Dafford brings LTM. from ye ch of Cambr., wherein they resign vp all their right in him vnto vs to proceed with him. After some long agitation, at 3 several times, and divers qu. in poynt of order proposed, ye case at length came to be stated, and ye case, as touching order vpon several grounds, concluded; and thereupon ye whole ch. agreed to send a l'. to ye Brethren at Billerica, to take off occasion of offence, and to cleere more fully our way, as followeth : Ye Lr to } To or Beloved Brethren, &c. at Billerica, &c.: Whereas, "Jo: Danf: an Inhabitant amongst you. hath, for some time since, proposed himself as desirous to joyne wth vs in ch. fellowship, and hath obteyned Liberty from ye ch at Cambridge so to doe, as by L" to vs from that ch is manifest to vs. And whereas we have been in some doubt about it since that time, as being hopefully persuaded that ye longing desires of their soules, after ye enjoying of ye Ordinances of X. amongst yourselves, would have set them vpon ye worke of Gathering a ch and ordeyning an Officer in yr place; and that ye experience and observation of ye said Jonathan would have led you to have encouraged him in his desire after ye Ordin: in taking him amongst you in ye sd worke and vnto the same: or otherwise, in case of personal exception ags him, as regularly unmeete for fellowship, to have cleered yorselves in the matter. But perceiving that neither this nor that is attended by you, so as we. for o partes, are ready to apprehend, had we been in yo' case, it had concerned vs; Therefore, we have thought fitt to write vnto you, to desire you would speedily and with the first opertunity enforme vs of these two things: First, whether indeed you bee, or doe intend soone to bee, in hand with ye sd worke of gathering a ch. and within what space of time there is an intendment or likelyhoode of accomplishing the same? and whether you doe intend to accept of ye sd Jonathan amongst you vnto the worke? and, if not this or not that, then, if we maybe so far in yor favor, we should look at it as an act of Brotherly Love, to be enformed from you, of the grounds weh, if we may apprehend Just, you shall have vs (thro' ye grace of Christ) in a readiness to strengthen yo' hands in what may concern vs. If otherwise, we shall desire to act or owne apprehensions as in what we shall conceive of duty, and in particular in reference to sd Jonathan, without just cause of offense to you, in case you doe not lay before us grounds of conviction to the contrary. How meete we may find him for Fellowship, we can not yet determine. To rob you of him, in case meete, far be it from vs. To receive him, you regularly judging him unmeet, and so to retayne him to vs, when once you have a ch amongst you, be it as far from vs as ye other. Testimony from amongst you, we doe (in part at least) |