Category: 18th Century
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The Real Story Behind Thomas Gruchy and His Angels – Part 3
The third article in a four-part series detailing the fascinating story behind the Belgian angels on display inside Old North Church. Read Part 1 and Part 2 Christ Church (Old North’s official name) was the largest and grandest house of worship. It was funded mostly by the wealthier Anglicans who were required to purchase their membership into the congregation.…
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The People in the Pews: The Wells Family
With all the marrying, death, remarrying, job switching, and political positioning that occurred in the 18th century, it’s no surprise how interconnected a small town like Boston was. Captain Francis Wells, who owned pew #49 and attended Old North Church with his family in the mid-1700s, serves as an example of someone with diverse professional experience…
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Bon Voyage, Rev. Byles
On March 17, 1776, the Rev. Mather Byles, Jr. second rector of the Old North Church, sailed from Boston to New Brunswick, accompanied by the remaining Anglican clergy in Boston, all British troops, and many British loyalists. Byles served as rector as Christ Church in the City of Boston from 1768 until April 18, 1775.…
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The Real Story Behind Thomas Gruchy and His Stolen Angels – Part 2
The second article in a four-part series detailing the fascinating story behind the Belgian angels on display inside Old North Church. Read Part 1 The concept of the local population supporting the military is not alien to the American people today. The image of the minuteman, the citizen-soldier always at the ready, is romanticized and…
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The Real Story Behind Thomas Gruchy and His Stolen Angels – Part 1
Perched upon the gallery railing in front of the oldest American-built pipe organ, high above the floor of Old North Church, there are four hand-carved angelic figures. They each stand about two feet tall and in a triumphant pose. Two of the angels blow trumpets, while the other two greet onlookers with open arms. These…
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The People in the Pews: Francis Shaw
Francis Shaw, who owned Pew #16 in the eighteenth century, was the great-great-grandfather of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Francis Shaw was born in Boston on March 29th, 1721. He attended Old North Church in the mid-eighteenth century, serving as a Junior Warden from 1760-62 and as a Senior Warden from 1763-66. In November of 1744,…
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The People in the Pews: The Vassalls
Major Leonard Vassall, the owner of pews #10 and 11, was born in Jamaica in 1678. Before he moved to Boston in the early 1720s, he owned several large sugar plantations with enslaved labor in his native Jamaica. He was a staunch Episcopalian, became a member of Old North, and was elected warden in 1727.…
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The People in the Pews: Capt. Daniel Malcolm
Capt. Daniel Malcolm was born in Boston in the 1720s. He lived on Fleet Street and attended the Old North Church. He served as a Junior Warden and owned two pews, #4 and #25, during his lifetime. He had a reputation for being a smuggler by British authorities. On Sept. 24, 1766, Deputy Collector of…