Category: The People in the Pews
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The People in the Pews: Capt. William Maxwell
In the center aisle of Christ Church (Old North) hang two ornate brass chandeliers, gifts to the church by one of its members, Capt. William Maxwell. Maxwell owned pew #29. They were first lit on Christmas Day in 1724. For many of us living here in New England today, December is a month filled with…
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The People in the Pews: Dr. Thomas Kast
Thomas Kast, a renowned doctor with an interesting story, attended Old North Church in the 18th century and owned Pews #6 and #27 while he lived on Hanover Street. Dr. Kast was born in Boston on August 12, 1750. He graduated from Harvard College in 1769 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Shortly after college,…
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The People in the Pews: Upper Level Gallery
“And who sat up there?” This is a question often received in reference to Old North’s upper gallery. From the lower level, the pews above seem miles away; a looming set of white rows disconnected from the world below. This observation, perhaps, points directly to the answer of who occupied those pews. The gallery was…
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The People in the Pews: John Hooton, Jr.
John Hooton, Jr., owner of pew #17, was born September 4, 1754 in Boston. He served as Junior Warden of Christ Church (Old North) in 1770-71 and as Senior Warden in 1772, following in the footsteps of his father, John Hooton, Sr., who served as Junior Warden in 1732-34 and Senior Warden in 1735. John…
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The People in the Pews: Rev. William Thomas Smithett
Reverend William Thomas Smithett served as the Rector of Christ Church from 1851 to 1859 and owned Pew #19. His tenure as Rector undoubtedly ranks among the most disgraceful, embarrassing, and litigious periods in Old North’s nearly 300-year history. Rev. Smithett was serving as the minister of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Rondout,…
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The People in the Pews: The Pulpit – Rev. William Croswell
One of the ministers to preach from this wine glass pulpit was Rev. William Croswell. Church historian Mary Babcock described Croswell as “the very pulse of the machine…animating and vitalizing the whole fabric from bells to altar.” But while other Old North ministers have become well-known leaders in the history of the Episcopal Church, Rev.…
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The People in the Pews: Matilda Bibbey, the First Woman of the Vestry
In the rear of the church, there is a modest plaque honoring Matilda F. Bibbey. It is the only plaque in Old North solely dedicated to a woman. Matilda Frances Bibbey was born in the North End in 1868. Her mother, like many other North End residents at the time, was an Irish migrant. Her…
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The People in the Pews: Capt. Newark Jackson
The number of mariners among the early pew owners of Old North provides an indication of the importance of sea trade as well as its potential for generating wealth in pre-Revolutionary Boston. One such man was Captain Newark Jackson, who owned Pew #13 from 1738 until 1743. The historical record reveals a man who engaged…
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The People in the Pews: Gertrude Bibbey
Have you heard someone say, “Perhaps I’ll quit my desk job, buy a small farm in the country, and spend my days tending to chickens, gardening, and baking pies”? According to NPR and the Washington Post, this is a twenty-first-century phenomenon: twenty and thirty-something millennials seeking out organic, sustainable food and escaping exorbitant housing costs.…
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The People in the Pews: Owen Richards
In the spring of 1768, John Hancock’s vessel, the Lydia, pulled into Boston Harbor after a transatlantic voyage. Suspected of smuggling tea and other cargo, the vessel became a target for two customs officials, Owen Richards and Robert Jackson. When the captain of the vessel informed John Hancock of their arrival, he instructed the captain to…