Nathan Webb
Encyclopedia
Nathan Webb, an early American Congregational Church minister, was born on April 9, 1705, at Braintree
, Norfolk County, Massachusetts
. He died on March 17, 1772 at Uxbridge
, Worcester County, Massachusetts
in the newly incorporated (1727) Town of Uxbridge. The Uxbridge Congregational Church was officially split from the church at Mendon
. Reverend Webb was called on January 6, 1731. This church was the first church to be built in the new town of Uxbridge.
, on February 3, 1731. The Uxbridge Church is the first to be mentioned in a list of 45 new Congregational churches in New England which were started in the decade beginning in 1731. The churches of this period were attributed by the text cited below to the Great Awakening
, an early American historical religious movement that sprang up in the Connecticut River Valley, led by ministers such as Jonathan Edwards, another Congregational minister. Reverend Webb spent his entire career in the ministry at Uxbridge, spanning over 41 years of service. Shortly after Rev. Webb's ordination, the new town of Uxbridge became part of a newly established Worcester County
.
Members of his Congreation included America's first woman voter, Lydia Taft
and Lt. Col. Seth Read
, who fought at Bunker Hill, was instrumental in adding E Pluribus Unum
to US coins, and founded Erie, Pennsylvania
. Many members of the early American Taft family
were members of Webb's Congregation. Peter Rawson Taft's son, Alfonso, started the Ohio
family branch which rose to prominence in American politics. Deacon John Hall and Sarah had 4 children. Their son Baxter Hall
drummed the first musters in the American Revolution
.
Young Samuel Spring
was mentored closely by Nathan Webb. Samuel Spring, born 1746, became a Revolutionary War Chaplain. Shortly after Nathan Webb's death, Spring served in the Siege of Boston
, and the Invasion of Canada (1775)
. Spring later founded the Massachusetts Missionary Society and the Andover Theological Seminary. Spring has many published sermons and works to his credit. He was considered a Congreationalist fundamentalist. He had trained under the Rev. Nathan Webb, and later at Princeton Theological Seminary.
It appears that Nathan Webb and his ministry was the longest to ever serve this parish. Some early histories of the town record the prominence of this church and the role that he and the church played in this new pioneer
community. His ministry spanned the pre-Revolutionary War
period of Uxbridge, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay
.
The present location of the Congregational Church, in the Uxbridge Common District, changed from the 1830s due to a split with the more liberal Unitarian Church
tradition.
Three years before Nathan Webb's death, Rhode Island
Quaker abolitionists, with ties to Moses Brown
, built a local meetinghouse on the outskirts of Uxbridge. The Quakers and the Congreationalists lived peacefully together and both supported the abolition movement. This was among the first Quaker meetings in Massachusetts after their expulsion, in the 1600's by Puritans, (later known as Congregationalists). Abby Kelley Foster, (a later radical abolitioinst), and her family, were members of the Friend's Meeting House at Uxbridge, up until at least 1841. She led Lucy Stone and Susan B. Anthony into the abolitiion movements. Many houses in Uxbridge later served as part of the Underground railroad. Concerns for women's rights and human rights were among the legacies of the early religious traditions at Uxbridge. The famous American hymn writer, Lowell Mason
, of Medfield, MA, came to Uxbridge, sixty years after Nathan Webbs death, and wrote the classical hymn tune, "Uxbridge", one of 1600 hyms composed by Mason. It appears that the ministry of Nathan Webb helped to begin a lasting religiious legacy in this part of the Blackstone Valley.
in Massachusetts started during the Great Awakening period for over 41 years. His parishioners made a mark on America and its early freedoms. The eulogy of his death was given by Rev. Ebeneezer Chaplin, of the church at Sutton
, to embody the character of Nathan Webb, for posterity. The sermon was delivered exactly three years before the Lexington Alarm. Young Baxter Hall
of this church answered the Lexingon Alarm as a drummer in the first muster of the American Revolution
.
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
, Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Norfolk County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Adams National Historical Park* Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area * Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site* John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site-Demographics:...
. He died on March 17, 1772 at Uxbridge
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
Early life
Nathan Webb was born to Benjamin Webb (1667–1739) and Susanna Ballentine. He married Ruth Adams in Braintree on November 23, 1731. The Reverend Nathan Webb was the first called minister of the new Congregational ChurchCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
in the newly incorporated (1727) Town of Uxbridge. The Uxbridge Congregational Church was officially split from the church at Mendon
Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census.Mendon is very historic and is now part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the United States.- Early history :The Nipmuc people...
. Reverend Webb was called on January 6, 1731. This church was the first church to be built in the new town of Uxbridge.
Ordination and career
Webb was ordained at the Uxbridge First Congregational Church, then within Suffolk CountySuffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
, on February 3, 1731. The Uxbridge Church is the first to be mentioned in a list of 45 new Congregational churches in New England which were started in the decade beginning in 1731. The churches of this period were attributed by the text cited below to the Great Awakening
First Great Awakening
The First Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, and especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of personal...
, an early American historical religious movement that sprang up in the Connecticut River Valley, led by ministers such as Jonathan Edwards, another Congregational minister. Reverend Webb spent his entire career in the ministry at Uxbridge, spanning over 41 years of service. Shortly after Rev. Webb's ordination, the new town of Uxbridge became part of a newly established Worcester County
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
.
Members of his Congreation included America's first woman voter, Lydia Taft
Lydia Taft
Lydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
and Lt. Col. Seth Read
Seth Read
Seth Read was born in Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts, and died at Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania, as "Seth Reed", at age 51.-Early life:...
, who fought at Bunker Hill, was instrumental in adding E Pluribus Unum
E pluribus unum
E pluribus unum , Latin for "Out of many, one", is a phrase on the Seal of the United States, along with Annuit cœptis and Novus ordo seclorum, and adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782...
to US coins, and founded Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
. Many members of the early American Taft family
Taft family
The Taft family of the United States hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, with historic origins in Massachusetts; its members have served Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, and the United States in various positions, such as Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator , U.S...
were members of Webb's Congregation. Peter Rawson Taft's son, Alfonso, started the Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
family branch which rose to prominence in American politics. Deacon John Hall and Sarah had 4 children. Their son Baxter Hall
Baxter Hall
Baxter Hall was a military officer, and a militia captain, of significance to the American Revolution. He was born in 1757 and died in 1842.-Family:...
drummed the first musters in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
Young Samuel Spring
Samuel Spring
Samuel Spring was an early American Revolutionary War chaplain and Congregationalist minister.-Early life and education:Spring was born in Uxbridge in the Massachusetts Colony on February 27, 1746....
was mentored closely by Nathan Webb. Samuel Spring, born 1746, became a Revolutionary War Chaplain. Shortly after Nathan Webb's death, Spring served in the Siege of Boston
Siege of Boston
The Siege of Boston was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War, in which New England militiamen—who later became part of the Continental Army—surrounded the town of Boston, Massachusetts, to prevent movement by the British Army garrisoned within...
, and the Invasion of Canada (1775)
Invasion of Canada (1775)
The Invasion of Canada in 1775 was the first major military initiative by the newly formed Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The objective of the campaign was to gain military control of the British Province of Quebec, and convince the French-speaking Canadiens to join the...
. Spring later founded the Massachusetts Missionary Society and the Andover Theological Seminary. Spring has many published sermons and works to his credit. He was considered a Congreationalist fundamentalist. He had trained under the Rev. Nathan Webb, and later at Princeton Theological Seminary.
It appears that Nathan Webb and his ministry was the longest to ever serve this parish. Some early histories of the town record the prominence of this church and the role that he and the church played in this new pioneer
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
community. His ministry spanned the pre-Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
period of Uxbridge, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
.
Death and afterwards
Rev. Webb served in Uxbridge until his death at the age of 66 in 1772. The Worcester County history text reports that he "continued in the faithful service of the Master" until his death. "He bequeathed 16 British Sterling Pounds to the church for the purposes of purchasing 3 silver cups to be engraved with the names of Nathan Webb, Ruth Webb, and Elizabeth Webb. He then bequeathed 26 Pounds, 13 Shillings, and 4 cents to be invested and improved forever toward the work of the learned, pious and orthodox Congregational ministry of said church forever". The title of the sermon given on his death was, "The godly fathers and a defence to their people [electronic resource"] : A sermon delivered at Uxbridge, April 19, 1772, occasioned by the death of the late Reverend Nathan Webb, Pastor of said church and people: containing a summary of his character. : And now published, at the desire of many of the hearers, to revive and perpetuate the memory of their said pastor. / By Ebenezer Chaplin, A.M. Pastor of a church in Sutton." Rev. Webb's funeral was held on April, 19, 1772, exactly three years before the battle of Lexignton and Concord.The present location of the Congregational Church, in the Uxbridge Common District, changed from the 1830s due to a split with the more liberal Unitarian Church
American Unitarian Association
The American Unitarian Association was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it merged with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.According to Mortimer Rowe, the Secretary...
tradition.
Quakers come to town
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
Quaker abolitionists, with ties to Moses Brown
Moses Brown
Moses Brown was a co-founder of Brown University and a New England abolitionist and industrialist, who funded the design and construction of some of the first factory houses for spinning machines during the American industrial revolution, including Slater Mill.-Early life:Brown was the son of...
, built a local meetinghouse on the outskirts of Uxbridge. The Quakers and the Congreationalists lived peacefully together and both supported the abolition movement. This was among the first Quaker meetings in Massachusetts after their expulsion, in the 1600's by Puritans, (later known as Congregationalists). Abby Kelley Foster, (a later radical abolitioinst), and her family, were members of the Friend's Meeting House at Uxbridge, up until at least 1841. She led Lucy Stone and Susan B. Anthony into the abolitiion movements. Many houses in Uxbridge later served as part of the Underground railroad. Concerns for women's rights and human rights were among the legacies of the early religious traditions at Uxbridge. The famous American hymn writer, Lowell Mason
Lowell Mason
Lowell Mason was a leading figure in American church music, the composer of over 1600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His most well-known tunes include Mary Had A Little Lamb and the arrangement of Joy to the World...
, of Medfield, MA, came to Uxbridge, sixty years after Nathan Webbs death, and wrote the classical hymn tune, "Uxbridge", one of 1600 hyms composed by Mason. It appears that the ministry of Nathan Webb helped to begin a lasting religiious legacy in this part of the Blackstone Valley.
Significance in American History
Nathan Webb pastored the first new Congregational ChurchCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
in Massachusetts started during the Great Awakening period for over 41 years. His parishioners made a mark on America and its early freedoms. The eulogy of his death was given by Rev. Ebeneezer Chaplin, of the church at Sutton
Sutton, Massachusetts
-Library:The Sutton Free Library was established in 1876. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Sutton spent 0.7% of its budget on its public library—some $18 per person.-Education:...
, to embody the character of Nathan Webb, for posterity. The sermon was delivered exactly three years before the Lexington Alarm. Young Baxter Hall
Baxter Hall
Baxter Hall was a military officer, and a militia captain, of significance to the American Revolution. He was born in 1757 and died in 1842.-Family:...
of this church answered the Lexingon Alarm as a drummer in the first muster of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.