Category: People of Old North
-
Matilda Bibbey: A Model of Active Citizenship
Matilda Frances Bibbey was born in 1868 in the North End of Boston to immigrant parents with her mother originally coming from Ireland and her father originally from England. As a child, she lived on Vernon Place, which is near what is now the Charter St. Playground. As an adult in the 1890s, she…
-
The Two Episcopal Vicars Who Led Old North During Its Steeple Rebuilding Campaign, 1954-1956
Join us for a two-part blog series based on research by Fall 2022 Old North Illuminated Research Intern, Lee Parker. In part one, you learned about the people who contributed to helping the Old North Church rebuild its steeple after Hurricane Carol felled it in 1954. You discovered how efforts to rebuild the famed steeple catapulted…
-
John Eliot and the Conversion of Native Peoples in Boston’s North End
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie examines the efforts of missionaries in the late 1700s and early 1800s to urge Indigenous people in Massachusetts to convert to Christianity. She focuses on Rev. John Eliot, a Congregational minister in Boston’s North End, and his work with a prominent missionary group, the Society for Propagating…
-
Centering Women’s Work in the History of Old North Church’s Parish House
If you have visited Old North, then you may have noticed the three-story brick townhouse that sits next to the church. Have you ever wondered what this building is used for? Delaney Sieber, our Research Intern and Educator, put together this short video exploring the interesting history of the Parish House. See the video and…
-
Old North and Black Freedom
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie examines the struggle for Black freedom in Massachusetts from 1723 – 1795. Jaimie tracks what the lives of free and enslaved Black people at Old North looked like before slavery was abolished in Massachusetts and how their lives changed during the years right after slavery ended in…
-
The Social Construction of Race in Early Massachusetts History
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie examines the story of Beulah Speene, a mixed-race woman who was married at Old North Church in 1767. Curiously, Beulah’s birth record suggests that she was white, yet Old North’s marriage records indicate that she was a person of color. How does a person, over the course…
-
Old North and Enslaved People in the British Colonial Period
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie discusses slavery in Boston during the British colonial period. How did it differ from Southern slavery? How many enslaved people lived in Massachusetts? How did Old North congregants participate in and profit from slavery? Jaimie looks at a 1755 assessor’s report, a newspaper article, and tax records…
-
Indigenous Women at Old North During the British Colonial Period
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie shares primary sources that reveal the relationship that one adolescent Indigenous woman, a sixteen-year-old named Elizabeth, had with the Old North Church during the complicated days of the British colonial era. Jaimie examines Elizabeth’s story in the larger context of what it meant for Indigenous and Black…
-
The People in the Pews: The Rev. Dr. Timothy Cutler
Year: 1723-1765 Pew # 27 The appointment of the Rev. Dr. Timothy Cutler as the first rector of Christ Church (Old North) was a bold statement by the embryonic congregation. Born in Charlestown, MA in 1684, Cutler attended Harvard College and served as a Congregational minister at his home church until 1709 when he was…
-
99% Sure | Ep 9: The Humphries Family
The Humphries were a free Black family who worshiped at Old North Church in the 1740s and 50s. They appeared frequently in church documents for around a decade before slowly disappearing from the record. Our researcher T.J. Todd pieces together their poignant story. See below for the video, episode transcript, extra information, and sources! Episode…