The Old North Church

Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence for Old North Church
Individual & Family Tickets
Group Tour Reservations
  • OLD NORTH CHURCH
    • ABOUT
      • HISTORY OF OLD NORTH
      • ARCHIVES
      • LEADERSHIP
      • EMPLOYMENT
    • PLAN A VISIT
      • FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
      • INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES
      • LARGE GROUP TOURS
      • SELF-GUIDED TOUR
      • AFTER HOURS RENTALS
    • SCHOOL PROGRAMS
      • GUIDELINES
      • ON SITE PROGRAMS
      • OUTREACH PROGRAMS
      • CLASSROOM LESSONS
      • SONGS OF LIBERTY
    • FAMILY PROGRAMS
      • COLONIALFEST
      • PRINCE’S PROWL
      • FAMILY FALL FESTIVAL
  • CAPTAIN JACKSON’S
  • GARDENS
  • PATRIOTS CORNER
  • ONLINE STORE
  • BLOG
  • EVENTS CALENDAR
  • THE MESSENGER
  • CONGREGATION
  • GIVING
    • GIVE NOW
    • OLD NORTH 300
    • MEMBERSHIP
  • CONTACT US

This Old Pew: #39 – Commonwealth v. Mehitable Mash

November 16, 2015 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

By Mark Hurwitz

Peter Mash was born in Germany in 1783, immigrated to the United States at the turn of the 19th century, and moved to Boston where he worshipped at Old North and owned Pew #39. Peter married Mehitable Wattles in 1834 and lived with her until 1838. One day that year he informed her he was going to run an errand and would be back later. He never returned …

After several years, Mehitable believed her husband to be dead and married William Barrett in April of 1842. The very next month her first husband, Peter Mash, returned home. Unfortunately for Mehitable, Massachusetts law at the time stated that married women whose husbands went missing had to file a missing person’s report and wait a minimum of seven years before they could have their first husbands declared dead by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mehitable had only waited five years and never filed a missing person’s report, so the Commonwealth charged her with polygamy in 1844. She was indicted for marrying a second husband while her first husband was still alive.

The jury found Mehitable guilty of polygamy. She appealed the decision claiming that she was ignorant of the law, so her defense attorney argued that there was no criminal intent because she personally believed her missing husband was dead. The court did not pass sentence on her, but took a recognizance for her appearance in court at a future day. In July of 1844, she received a full pardon from Governor Briggs, which she brought into court and pleaded the same in bar of sentence, whereupon the court ordered her to be discharged.

It Is now known how active Peter or Mehitable were while attending Old North or whether Mehitable continued worshipping at Old North with her second husband William.

Filed Under: This Old Pew

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • This Old Pew (26)
  • History Tidbits (26)
  • Preservation (1)

Archives

HISTORIC SITE HOURS

November 1 - March 31: 10am - 4pm
April 1 - October 31: 9am - 6pm

EPISCOPAL CHURCH SERVICES

Sundays:
9am Holy Eucharist
11am Holy Eucharist with music

Contact Us Now!  Plan a Visit
Privacy Policy

CONTACT


193 Salem St. Boston, MA 02113
Phone: (617) 858-8231
Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence for Old North Church

Join Our Mailing List

 
EU Residents

Copyright © 2019 · The Old North Church · 193 Salem St
Boston, MA 02113 · Powered by ThriveHive

  • Historic Site
    ▼
    • Old North Church
      ▼
      • About Old North
      • Plan A Visit
      • School Programs
      • Classroom Lessons (Original)
      • Family Programs
    • Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate
    • The Gardens
    • Gift Shop
  • Congregation
    ▼
    • Get to Know Us
      ▼
      • Our Leadership
      • Our Ministries
      • The Congregation
      • The Columbarium
      • Contact Forms
    • Worship With Us
      ▼
      • Baptisms, Weddings and Burials
      • Baptisms
      • Weddings
    • The Columbarium
      ▼
      • Music
      • Bell Ringers Guild
      • Old North Chamber Choir
      • About Our Organ
      • Guest Choirs
      • Songs of Liberty Choral Performances
      • Songs of Liberty
    • Upcoming Parish Events
  • News
  • Blog
  • Congregation
  • Giving
    ▼
    • Reports
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
    ▼
    • Staff & Board
    • Employment Opportunities
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you accept this practice.OKPrivacy policy