Browse the First Congregational Church records in Kingston, New Hampshire

The First Congregational Church in Kingston, New Hampshire was organized in 1725 with 23 members. Rev. Ward Clark was ordained as the first minister in September 1725. A meetinghouse was constructed in 1732. After Clark’s death in 1737, Rev. Joseph Seccombe was called to be the minister in Kingston and remained there until his death in 1760. Rev. Amos Tappan was ordained in Kingston in 1762 and served as minister until his death in 1771.  

Rev. Elihu Thayer was ordained in 1776 and served as the minister until his death in 1812. Thayer was also a founder and president of the New Hampshire Missionary Society, and a volume of his sermons was published posthumously. A new meetinghouse was constructed in 1825 and is still in use today. Later ministers in the nineteenth century included Revs. John Turner, Ora Pearson, and Josiah Case. The First Congregational Church of Kingston is active today and is a member of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC). 

This collection contains one volume of church records which includes admissions, dismissions, baptisms, marriages, deaths, disciplinary records, and meeting notes.  

Materials in this collection have been digitized in partnership with the New Hampshire Historical Society and have been made available through our New England's Hidden Histories project.