Title
Records of the First Universalist Society of Methuen, MA.
Records of the First Universalist Society of Methuen, MA , which was also called the First Universalist Society in Methuen, First Universal Society of Methuen and First Universal Society in Methuen. The records include the clerk's records of the parish, the clerk's records of the church, a book of church statistics,papers relating to members and veterans, papers relating to the church trust funds, papers relating to the property sale and miscellaneous correspondence.
pubnotes: Goodman, Paul, " The Politics of Industrialism: Massachusetts, 1830 -1870," in UPROOTED AMERICANS - ESSAYS TO HONOR OSCAR HANDLIN, edited by Richard Bushman, Neil Harris, David Rothman, Barbara Miller Solomon, Stephen Thernstrom; Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1979.
www.uua.org
admin: Universalism is a liberal Protestant sect whose distinctive tenet is the belief in the final salvation of souls. In the United States the Universalist denomination developed from protests against the orthodox Calvinistic doctrines of the Trinity and the orthodox belief of intrinsic human sinfulness. Universalism supports complete freedom of belief by its members and was historically centered in New England. Today it exists in urban areas across the United States and Canada and is affiliated with similar groups in Europe and Asia. The Universalist Church of America merged with the American Unitarian Association in 1961 to form a new religious body, the Unitarian Universalist Association.
The Universal Society in Methuen was organized in April, 1824 by a petition to the Justice of the Peace, Jonathan Currier, and signed by ten individuals: Abiel How, William Smith, Contince(sic) Merrill, John Smith, Samuel Bodwell, John L. Bodwell, Charles Cheney, Isaac Bodwell, Isaac Currier and Robinson How. With approval from the Justice of the Peace the first meeting was held at William Richardson's on Tuesday the sixth day of May in1824. A "Constitution for the First Universall Society in Methuen" was drafted. The church officers included a Clerk, elected annually, a Treasurer, and a Standing Committee of three or more who shall manage the "prudential concerns" of the Society. Membership shall be attained by signing the by-laws and a subscription paper. Abiel How was the first clerk of the Society.
It is interesting to note that in 1824, by Massachusetts law, taxes still had to be paid to the original meeting house or church. A law was passed that year allowing a group of ten or more people to organize a new religious society although they were still liable to pay taxes for a determined period of time to the original religious society. Additionally, this law allowed members of the new religious society to continue to vote in town elections. This is significant because the early churches were also the town meeting houses. A copy of this 1824 statute is pasted inside the front cover of Record Book #1. It was not until 1833 that disestablishmentarianism was passed in the Commonwealth, that is the law stating there was no longer an official church and residents were no longer required to pay taxes to the official church.
When the First Universalist Society, Methuen was first organized they met at the Wilson Hall on Hampshire Street in Methuen. Later land was purchased and a Meeting house was built in 1836 on Pleasant Street in Methuen. In the 1890' s the church was renovated by Mrs. Charles H. Tenney ( Fannie Gleason) and renamed the Gleason Memorial Universalist Church in honor of Mrs. Tenney's parents. The building was sold to the Bethel Armenian Church.
Collection
First Universalist Society of Methuen
Creator
First Universalist Society of Methuen, MA.
Date (created)
1824-1944.
The Collection of the First Universalist Society, Methuen includes seven record books and twenty-five folders. Twenty-one folders are letter size and four folders are legal size.The record books are in poor condition.