FROM THE HISTORIAN’S DESK, February 2026 – Carol Ganz.       

We saw last month that the only business enacted at the first meeting of North Groton Ecclesiastical Society was the election of committee men.  Minutes for those early meetings present just the bare bones of what happened, the actual decisions that were made.  By February they were ready to move forward with several steps to quickly begin conducting services.

The second meeting was held just a month later, on Thursday, February 3, at Joshua Bill’s.  This Joshua Bill was the great-great-grandfather of our benefactor Henry Bill.  The day was fair, after a few days of wintry weather and the society got down to important business.  They first voted that “Mr. Samuell Sebury (or Sum other Preacher of the Gospel in Case he Refeuse) Should be called to Preach among us for the Space of ten weeks.”  A committee was chosen to accomplish this: Lieut. Christopher Avery, Ensign John Dean and Sgt. Bellows.

Secondly, they voted that whoever was called to preach should be paid twenty shillings a week, and that the money should be raised by contribution, to be collected and paid by Capt. Morgan.  The preaching was to be divided between three different homes – four Sundays at Capt. John Morgan’s, four at William Morgan, Jr.’s, and two at Mr. Ralph Stodard, Sr.’s.

Third, a committee of Capt. Morgan, John Dean, Ralph Stodard and Joshua Bill should arrange for the county surveyor to come and run the line between the two societies.  It is not clear why it would take four men to hire the surveyor!

It appears that Samuel Seabury, a recent Harvard graduate not yet settled at any church or other employment, did preach for ten weeks.  It is not clear just when he started, but the immediate next Sunday, February 6, and the following one, Feb. 13, were both fair.  When the society met next, it was early May and they were looking for someone to preach immediately, so Samuel Seabury’s term had apparently expired.

Getting to Know our Church Ancestors

Please Save the Date – Sunday afternoon, March 29, when we will gather to learn about some of our members from 1725 and through the years and share a pot luck meal.  There is still time to pick an “ancestor” to research and present, but please let me know soon if you’d like to do so.