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Pews in Deerfield meeting hours, first

Parish sold December 1824

Ten Pew
-
f
o
u
r
t
h

s
i
d
e


___
six-
teen
slips
f
o
u
r
t
h

s
i
d
e




___
Broad
aisle
slips
28-
three
of
them
the
three
first
in
the next
col-
umn

No

To whom sold

Appraisal

Premium

Total

No

To Whom sold

Appraisal

Premium

Total

1

Ebenr H. Williams

82

30

112

51

Fift-
teen
slips
north
side



















____
ten
pews
north
side







____
Gall-
ery
twen-
ty
two
pews
and
slips

Cephas Hoyt

88

7

95

2

Quartus Hawks

82

20

102

52

Thomas W.. Dickinson Deed

78

12

90

3

Quartus Hawks

90

15

105

53

Reservd box the minister

68

--

--

4

Erastus Clapp, Ebenr, Clapp Jona and Rufus Gunn

100

5

105

54

Reserved

52

 

"

5

Wm Russell

100

5

105

55

Reserved

53

   

6

Amos Temple

100

1

101

56

Aaron Fuller

56

5

61

7

Samuel Childs 2d or Elict Allen

100

5

105

57

Elijah Williams Deed

65

11

76

8

Joel Wells- Deed

85

5

90

58

Dennis Stebbins

65

13

78

9

Elihu Hoyt or Eph. Hoyt

77

3

80

59

Asa Stebbins

72

13

85

10

Reserved

66

x

 

60

Saml Catlin

75

11

86

11

Trustees of Deerfield Academy deed

66

10

76

61

Thos. W. Ashley Deed

70

10

80

12

The Same Deed

50

5

55

62

Ralph Williams Deed

63

11

74

13

Elihu Hoyt + Eph. Hoyt

50

1

51

63

Wm. S. Williams Deed

57

11

68

14

Alvan & Eratus Childs

50

1

51

64

Charles Williams

52

10

62

15

Eber H. Williams

52

10

62

65

Nathan Robbins

50

1

51

16

Eli Wright Deed

57

8

65

66

Orlando Ware

50

1

51

17

John Wilson

63

10

73

67

Ephraim Williams Deed

50

1

51

18

Elisha Wells + Augustus Wells

70

5

75

68

Charles Hitchcock & Henry Deed

66

2

68

19

Wm Russell

75

11

86

69

Reserved

66

 

"

20

Asaph Allen

72

9

81

70

Loring Thayer

77

1

78

21

Christr T. Arms

65

11

76

71

Horace Williams

85

10

95

22

Edwin Nims Deed

65

10

75

72

Solomon Williams Deed

100

23

123

23

Ashabel Wright

56

6

62

73

Asa Stebbins

100

28

128

24

Reserved

53

   

74

Ephraim Williams Deed

100

30

130

25

Reserved

52

   

75

David Sheldon & Seth Deed

100

32

132

26

Eliphalet Dickinson

68

31

99

76

Zur Hawks & Zenas Deed

90

16

106

27

Saml Catlin

78

6

84

77

Consider Dickinson Deed

82

17

99

28

Eunice Williams Deed

88

16

104

78

Ebenr H. Williams

82

20

102

29

Orando Ware

100

20

120

1

Reserved

30

   

30

Seth Nims Deed

100

21

121

2

Asa Stebbins

40

5

45

31

Wm Russell

100

21

121

3

Wm. Russell

40

5

45

32

John Hawks

100

21

121

4

Quartus Hawks

30

2

32

33

John Wilson

100

10

110

5

Wm S. Williams

30

3

33

34

Fred Boyden, Olivier Starr, Henry Bardwell

95

5

100

6

Quartus Hawks

40

5

45

35

Ephraim Williams

90

 

55.94

7

Orlando Ware

40

5

45

36

Ebenr H. Williams

80

 

49.73

8

Orlando Ware

30

3

33

37

Edwin Ware

70

 

43.51

9

Ebenr H. Williams

43

 

21

38

Orlando Ware

60

 

37.40

10

Willm S. Williams

45

 

23

39

Orlando Ware

60

3

63

11

David and Eli Wright

40

3

43

40

Solo Williams

60

 

37.40

12

Charles Ephr. & Elijah Williams
David Wright

40

3

43

41

Calvin Mack
Asa Stebbins

60

1

61

13

Solo Williams & Pliny Arms

45

6

51

42

Asa Stebbins

70

 

43.51

14

Zur & Zenas Hawks, D. Stebbins

43

1

44

43

Do

80

__

49.73

15

John Hawks

30

4

34

44

Quartus Hawks

90

4

94

16

John Hawks

40

7

47

45

Wm S. Williams Deed

95

11

106

17

Ebenr H. Williams

40

6

46

46

Asa Stebbins

100

20

120

18

Seth Nims, Jno Wilson, CT.Arms

30

2

32

47

Pliny Arms

100

22

122

19

Thos W. Dickinson, Thos W. Ashley

30

2

32

48

Ebenr H. Williams

100

21

121

20

Wm Russell

40

5

45

49

Ebenr H. Williams

100

21

121

21

Charles Williams, Elijah& Eph

40

3

43

 

50

Dennis Stebbins & Banks Stebbins

100

9

109

22

Reserved

30

   

180

                   

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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label levels:

The earliest Puritan meeting houses seated parishioners on benches often without regard to social standing or prominence. However, this quickly changed and by the mid-1600s most towns began building and assigning pews. Like many other towns, Deerfield seated people according to a formula according to age, estate, place, and qualifications that calculated an annual rent for the pew. The seating was often adjusted, sometimes as much as once a year. The custom changed again in the years following the American Revolution. When the First Church of Deerfield voted to replace the second meeting house in Deerfield, Massachusetts, in 1823, members decided that the pews would be sold. A committee was appointed to assess the value of each pew and their calculations appear in this document. The seats closest to the pulpit (numbers 4-7, 72-75, 29-33, and 46-50) were given the highest value at $100. The remainder were assessed accordingly. Several seats did not sell at auction and were assigned to the minister (number 53), or left open for the poor or visitors who did not choose to sit in the gallery upstairs.

 

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"Pews in Deerfield meeting house first Parish- sold December 1824"

creator   First Church of Deerfield
date   1824
location   Deerfield, Massachusetts
height   13.0"
width   8.0"
process/materials   manuscript, paper, ink
item type   Plans/Architectural & Seating
accession #   #L02.126


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See Also...

Seating of the Meeting House

Fourth Meeting House (1729-1824)

"Deerfield Meeting House, Deerfield Mass."


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