GenMassachusetts-L Archives

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Subject: [GM-L] Marshfield Pt. 6
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2002 21:22:02 EDT

Mr. Bulkley, Mr. Arnold, and then a call was given Rev. Thomas Weld as Mr.
Arnold's successor. He never officiated, but represented the town in General
Court in 1694. But there is no evidence in town records of Marshfield that
the church and ministers dominated town affairs. All the entries are quite
to the contrary. None but worldly affairs were the concern of our fathers
"in town meeting assembled."
Three years after Mr. Arnold was settled the town presented a grant of land
to himself and "his heirs and assigns forever." His salary early on was 40
pounds per annum in semiannual payments in "Corn, Cattle, Butter or English
Goods at Current prices." After a ministry of 35 years Mr. Arnold died and
was buried in the Winslow Burying GRound, the town paying teh funeral
expenses.
It was three years before another minister was settled. The third pastor was
Rev. Edward THompson, of BRaintree, a graduate of Harvard College. He was
ordained in 1696. With him (1696) commenced the church records maintained by
the pastors for over a hundred years. The records were neatly kept but are
brief. There were about 40 members in the church. He foudn the number of
members to be thirteen males and "about 30" females. The number appears to
be about the same many years later. At this time a deacon was set apart to
his office by ordination. hereafter the name sof those baptized and those
admitted to the church are on record.

May 22, 1698 was memorable as the day upon which "Captain Peregrine White,
the first born child of New England" was admitted to the church. He was then
in the 78th year of his age.

The fourth pastor was Rev. James Gardner, a native of Scotland. who seems to
have ben in the place at the time of Mr. Thompson's death. Mr. Gardner was
ordained March 14th 1707. Cotton Mather was one of those who conducted the
services. The ordination sermon was preached by Ephraim Little, a native of
the town and a former member of the church, who had been called to be a
pastor of the church in Plymouth (1699). Mr. Gardiner's ministry continued
until his death, a period of thirty-two years.

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