Category: People of Old North
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Queen Elizabeth II at Old North Church
During the bicentennial of the United States, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended services at Old North Church with her husband, Prince Philip. After the church service, the Queen and her husband went to the Old State House to address a crowd. While acknowledging that Patriot leaders like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere might have…
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The Misinformation is Coming from Inside the House
In 1893, a pamphlet titled “A Visit to the ‘Old North Church,’ Boston, Mass.” was written and published by Charles Downer, the church’s sexton. As the sexton, he was an employee of the church who was charged with the maintenance of the church’s buildings and outside spaces. At the time of publishing, Downer had worked…
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The People in the Pews: Capt. John Pulling Jr.
Lantern Holder Though not as well-known as Paul Revere, Capt. John Pulling Jr. played a pivotal role in the events of April 18, 1775. A friend of Revere’s and a member of the Sons of Liberty, Pulling lived in the North End and earned a living as a sea captain transporting goods between Georgia and…
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The People in the Pews: Rt. Rev. John Burgess
A Bishop Who Made History In 1970, John Melville Burgess was elected the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. As such, he also became the rector of Old North Church. Burgess had been the first Black suffragan bishop elected over a predominantly white diocese in the Episcopal church, and his election to diocesan bishop…
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The People in the Pews: Rev. William Levington
First Black Minister to Preach at Old North In a July 1833 issue of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, a notice announced that Rev. William Levington would speak at Old North later that month. Levington was the rector of the St. James’ First African Protestant Episcopal Church, a church he founded in 1824 as one…
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The People in the Pews: Mary Kent Davey Babcock
The Church Historian Whenever a question arises about the early history of Old North Church, Mary Kent Davey Babcock’s many works are among the first resources checked. Born in Maine and raised in Boston, Babcock began her writing career while living in Paris and writing for literary magazines. She joined Old North in 1913. When…
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The People in the Pews: Jerusha Will
An “Indian of Barnstable” Little is known about Jerusha Will, an Indigenous woman who appears in the baptismal and burial records of Old North in 1743. What records do reveal, however, paints a poignant picture. On May 9, 1743, Jerusha Will, from Barnstable, Massachusetts, received the sacrament of baptism. It is unclear whether her baptism…
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The Jewells of Old North
For nearly a century, a member of the Jewell family rang the historic bells at Old North Church. John H. S. Jewell began ringing the bells in 1847 and created a family tradition by teaching his younger brother Frederick Morse Jewell how to ring. The tradition continued when Frederick’s son, Charles Henry Jewell, took…
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The Christ Church (Old North) Scholars: Meet the Children Who Attended the United States’ First Sunday School
Boston’s Old North Church is perhaps best known for its pivotal role in the American Revolution. On the eve of April 18, 1775, church sexton Robert Newman and vestryman Capt. John Pulling Jr. ascended into the church’s steeple and hung signal lanterns to warn the colonists of the arrival of British troops “by sea” across…
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Deputy Husbands and Slave Mistresses: White Female Pew Proprietors at the Old North Church, 1735-1775
Meet Mehitable Nelson On August 11, 1721, 30-year-old Mehitable, who was often called “Hittie” in family letters, married 27-year-old Robert Temple.1 Their officiant was Rev. Samuel Myles, the rector of King’s Chapel in Boston.2 After their marriage, Mehitable and Robert purchased the deed to pew number 11 at the Old North Church. The young Church…