Samuel Phillips (minister)

Samuel Phillips (February 17, 1690[lower-alpha 1] – June 5, 1771) was an American Congregational minister and the first pastor of the South Church in Andover, Massachusetts. His son, John Phillips, was the founder of Phillips Exeter Academy, and his grandson, Samuel Phillips Jr., was the founder of Phillips Academy Andover and briefly the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts.

The Reverend
Samuel Phillips
Samuel Phillips by John Greenwood
1st Pastor of the South Church, Andover, Massachusetts
In office
October 17, 1711 – June 5, 1771
Preceded byoffice established
Succeeded byJonathan French
Personal details
Born
Samuel Phillips

(1690-02-17)February 17, 1690
Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British America
DiedJune 5, 1771(1771-06-05) (aged 81)
Andover, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
Resting placeSouth Church Cemetery, Andover, MA
42°39′14.05″N 71°8′35.93″W
Spouse
Hannah White
​
(m. 1711)​
ChildrenMary (b. 1712)
Samuel (b. 1715)
Lydia (b. 1717)
John (b. 1719)
William (b. 1722)
Parent(s)Samuel Phillips
Mary Emerson
EducationHarvard College, 1708
Signature

Early life

Samuel Phillips was born in Salem, Massachusetts on February 17, 1690.[3] Phillips was the second eldest child and eldest son of Samuel Phillips and Mary Emerson[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] and one of eight siblings, including one half-sister:[9]

  1. Patience died young.[9]
  2. Sarah (January 28, 1692[8] – 1737[13]) married William White[lower-alpha 4], of Haverhill, in Boston June 12, 1716. Before her marriage, she was probably living with a relative or friend in Boston as she was living with her father Samuel Phillips of Salem. They had eleven children.[16][9][8]
  3. Mary (August 5, 1694 – October 5, 1785) married Capt. George Abbot, of Andover, in Salem November 29, 1721.[17][9]
  4. Ruth (September 4, 1696 – ?) married Samuel White, of Haverhill, in 1718[18] or April 21, 1724, in Ipswich according to the Hamlet Parish Church record, now a part of Hamilton, Massachusetts.[19] They had seven children.[20][9][21]
  5. Elizabeth (March 5, 1699[18] – August 7, 1700) died young.[9]
  6. John (June 22, 1701 – April 19, 1768[18]) was a Boston merchant, bookseller and publisher, deacon of the Brattle Street Church, colonel of the Boston Regiment, and a Justice of the Peace and of the Quorum. He is the grandfather of John Phillips, first mayor of Boston, great-grandfather of Wendell Phillips.[22][5][23] He married Mary Buttolph (May 8, 1703 – August 15, 1742) on November 21, 1723, and after she died Abigail Webb of Fairfield, Connecticut.[18][24]

Child with second wife Sarah Mayfield, married April 27, 1704:

  1. Patience (August 8, 1706 – November 14, 1773[25]) married Rev. David Jewett[lower-alpha 5] of New London, Connecticut, and had two children.[9] She met Jewitt while he was a theology student at Harvard. Jewitt was ill and she helped bring him back to good health. She also, according to parish records in New London, was born with one hand, but was still able to perform most of the tasks those with two could.[27][28]

His grandfather was Rev. Samuel Phillips[lower-alpha 6] of Rowley and his great-grandfather George Phillips of Watertown,[32] one of the first to settle in Watertown and founder of its First Congregational Church.

Phillips was admitted to Harvard College in July 1704 and graduated in 1708.[4] After about a year of teaching in Chebacco (formerly a parish of Ipswich and currently Essex), Massachusetts, he became more focused on preparing for the ministry.[12]

Ministry
Further information: South Church, Andover, Massachusetts
Ministry house, home of Rev. Phillips

Phillips preached in Norton for a short period of time. He had the respect of the parish and was asked to relocate and begin preaching with its new church.[12] He was not ordained however: "The influence of the minister of the old Parish of Taunton was unfavorable."[12]

In 1710 Phillips came to Andover to serve as the pastor of the newly founded South Church. He began preaching on April 30 of that year. On December 12 the Parish voted unanimously in his favor. He declined, however, to officially take on the role immediately after his approval due to his young age.[12] On October 17, 1711, the day of the official organization of the church and at the age of 22, Phillips was ordained as the first pastor of the South Church.[1] He "preached the [first] Sermon himself, from Ezek. 3:17."[12]

While pastor he published a number of works, many of which were written for members of the parish to take as guidance.[33] He preached an Artillery Sermon, an Election Sermon, and a Convention Sermon, suggesting he was highly esteemed.[34] Reverend John Webb[lower-alpha 7], in the preface of Advice to A Child, writes of Phillips:

"The discourses he has published heretofore, have given him this testimony in the consciences of all good Christians who have read them. That he is a well-qualified and faithful minister of Jesus Christ."[34]

Phillips had at least two African American servants, Salem and Rama. After Phillips died, they became servants of Rev. Jonathan French, the next pastor. They had a child named Cyrus (baptized December 23, 1770) and another Titus (b. November 24, 1774).[38]

Phillips remained pastor of the church until his death on June 5, 1771, serving nearly sixty years. Jonathan French succeeded him as second pastor.[39]

Marriage and children

Phillips married Hannah White (1691 – January 7, 1773) of Haverhill, daughter of John White[lower-alpha 8] of Haverhill and Lydia Gilman on January 17, 1712.[41][17][42][40][lower-alpha 9] Together they had five children:

  1. Mary (November 30, 1712 – November 24, 1737) married Samuel Appleton (a distant cousin), of Haverhill, on October 12, 1736. She died in childbed at the age of 24, her only child still-born.[41][44]
  2. Samuel (February 13, 1715 – August 21, 1790) was a teacher, businessman, a deacon of South Church, a Representative to the General Court and the Convention of Deputies, and a member of the Governor's Council. He graduated from Harvard University in 1734. He was a founder of Phillips Academy along with his brother John Phillips (see below) and especially his son Judge Samuel Phillips and president of its board of trustees from 1778 to 1790.[45][46][47]
  3. Lydia (June 10, 1717 – November 4, 1749) married Dr. Parker Clark, of Newbury, on May 18, 1742. They had four children.[39][44]
  4. John (December 17, 1719 – April 21, 1795) was a teacher, merchant, judge, and trustee of Dartmouth College. He graduated from Harvard University in 1735. He is also a founder of Phillips Academy and sole founder of Phillips Exeter Academy.[39]
  5. William (June 25, 1722 – January 15, 1804) was a merchant, representative, senator, member of the Constitutional Convention, deacon of the Old South Church in Boston, and trustee of Phillips Academy.[39]

Hannah died on January 7, 1773, at the age of 82.[41][42][lower-alpha 10]

Death and legacy

Phillips died on June 5, 1771. Over the course of his ministry, he baptised 2143 people including 30 adults[48] and witnessed the parish grow from 35 in 1711 to 573.[49] He is the longest-serving pastor of the church to date. He is buried in the South Church Cemetery, Andover, Massachusetts along with other members of the Phillips family.

Publications

Phillips wrote a number of publications over his lifetime covering a variety of subjects. The following is a complete list of his works:[43]

TitleYear PublishedNotes
Elegy upon the death of Nicholas Noyes and George Curwen1718Reverend Nicholas Noyes (December 22, 1647 – December 13, 1717) was a minister who served as the assistant reverend to Reverend John Higginson during the Salem witch trials in 1692. He was born in Newton to Nicholas Noyes (1616 – 1701) and Mary Cutting (1622 – 1701) and graduated from Harvard College in 1667.[50] Higginson and Noyes were both ministers of the First Church of Salem, serving from 1660 – 1708 and 1683 – 1717 respectively.[51] He may not gave regretted participating in the witch trials given that his signature is not present on related documents asking for forgiveness. He died in Salem of brain hemorrhage.[50]
A word in Season1727
Three plain, practical Discourses1728
Advice to a Child1729Its preface was written by John Webb, friend and classmate of Phillips and pastor of the New North Church, now known as St. Stephen's Church, in Boston (see note).[34]
The History of the Saviour1738
The Orthodox Christian1738
A Minister's Address to his People1739
A Preface to Mr. Barnard's funeral sermon for Mr. Abiel Abbot1739
Artillery Election Sermon1741
Living Water to be had for Asking1750
A Sermon at the General Election1750
A Sermon at the Installation of Rev. Samuel Chandler1751Rev. Samuel Chandler (1712 – April 16, 1775) was a clergyman born in Andover. He was ordained in the second parish of York, Maine, from January 20, 1742, to 1751 and served as a member of the clergy of Gloucester, Massachusetts, from November 13, 1751, until his death.[43]
Sinner's Refusal to come to Christ Reproved1753
The Necessity of God's Drawing, in Order to Man's Coming unto Christ[52]1753Delivered in Boston on June 3, 1753[53]
Sermon at the Anniversary Convention of Ministers1753Delivered in Boston May 31, 1753.
Sermon at the Ordination of Nathan Holt1759Nathan Holt (1725 – August 2, 1792)[lower-alpha 11] was born and baptized in the South Parish of Andover. His father Nicholas Holt and mother were also members of the South Church.[54] He was ordained pastor of the church of Danvers, Massachusetts, on January 3, 1759.[43]
Seasonable Advice to a Neighbor1761
Address to Young People1763
Discourse on Justification1766Delivered in Boston[43]
A Sermon on Suicide1767Written after the death of David Gray, who committed suicide January 7, 1767.[43] Gray was not allowed a Christian burial at the South Church, of which he was a member, but was posthumously buried there.[55]

Notes
  1. One source[1] claims his date of birth is either February 17, 1689 or 1690, another[2] claims either 1690 or 1691, but according to two different sources[3][4] he was born in 1690.
  2. Samuel Phillips (March 23, 1657[5] – October 13, 1722) was a goldsmith born in Salem, Massachusetts to Rev. Samuel Phillips and Sarah Appleton (see note). He is apparently the founder of the family fortune, deciding not to enter the ministry and instead the business of trade, accumulating wealth.[5] He married Mary Emerson (March 7, 1665[6] – October 13, 1703), daughter of Rev. John Emerson of Gloucester and Ruth Symonds and granddaughter of Deputy Governor Samuel Symonds of Ipswich, on May 26, 1687.[7] They had seven children together including Rev. Samuel Phillips (1690 – 1771) of Andover. After her death in 1703, he married Sarah (Pickman) Mayfield on April 27, 1704 and had one more child with her.[7][8]
  3. Four sources cite Mrs. Emerson's name as "Mary"[9][10][6][11] and two different sources cite "Sarah"[5][12]
  4. Dea. William White [Esq.] (January 18, 1694 – December 11, 1737) was a clothier, farmer, Deacon, and grist mill owner. He was born in Boston and the fourth child of John White and Lydia Gilman (see note) but resided in Haverhill. According to White's grandson, Judge Daniel Appleton White, a few days after his marriage to Sarah Phillips in 1716 in Boston, they began to make their way back to Haverhill. On the way they stopped at the South Church of Andover, where his brother-in-law Rev. Samuel Phillips was pastor, to attend a public worship. Rev. Phillips gave them a copy of the sermon, titled The Prudent Wife a Choice Blessing, prepared specifically for them. White is credited as the first person to plant potatoes in Haverhill, which he did in 1718. He harvested four bushels and distributed his crop to his neighbors. On January 2, 1721, he and his brother Samuel, husband of Ruth Phillips, sister of Sarah, were given permission to construct a grist and fulling mill on the Sawmill River, moving their operation from Mill Brook due to a scarcity of water. He was a magistrate of Essex County, a Captain of the company of Haverhill, and the Representative of Haverhill in the General Court in 1733 and 1734. His health had been "always precarious".[14] In his will, written six days before his death, his estate in Haverhill was given to Sarah and the rest was split among his sons and daughters. His total estate was valued at £4070.3, over half of which was in real estate.[15]
  5. Rev. David Jewett (June 10, 1714 – June 6, 1783) was a pastor in New London, Connecticut, and a physician. Born in Rowley, he graduated from Harvard College in 1736. Before moving to New London, he became a missionary for the Mahicans or Mohegans, earning the trust of the tribe and sachem and preaching for them often, including after the death of Ben Uncas in 1769, the last Sachem. On October 3, 1739, he was ordained pastor of the Second Church in New London, Connecticut (now Montville). He was an army chaplain in 1756 and during the French and Indian War. During the American Revolutionary War, he was a surgeon for the 4th Battalion of Connecticut State Troops.[26][27]
  6. Rev. Samuel Phillips (1625 – April 22, 1696) was a Puritan minister and Pastor of the church in Rowley from 1682 to 1696.[29] He was born in Boxted, Essex, England to Rev. George Phillips and Elizabeth Sergent, who died shortly after their arrival in Salem on June 12, 1630, on the Arbella. He was the eldest of eight children. He attended Harvard College at the expense of the Watertown church as a courtesy for his father's work and graduated in 1650.[30] He settled in Rowley in 1651 and married Sarah Appleton (1628 – July 15, 1714), born in England to Samuel and Mary (Everhard) Appleton, in October. They had 10 children together. After settling Phillips preached at the church in Rowley, serving alongside the current pastor at the time Rev. Ezekiel Rogers. He preached the Artillery Election Sermon in 1675 and the Election Sermon in 1678 although none of his sermons are believed to have been published. He was ordained pastor of said church in 1682. He was imprisoned for a brief time in September, 1687 for calling the royalist agent, Edward Randolph a "wicked man," stripping Phillips of his honor. He died on April 22, 1696, "greatly beloved and lamented."[31][5][30]
  7. Rev. John Webb (August, 1687 – April 16, 1750[35]) was a minister and first pastor of the New North Church, now known as St. Stephen's Church, in Boston. He was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, to John Webb, also of Braintree. He entered Harvard College in 1704, graduating in 1708 alongside Rev. Samuel Phillips and again with a second degree in 1711. He began preaching shortly afterward and ordained as pastor of said New North Church on October 20, 1714 which had recently been organized on May 5th of that year.[36][35][37] He was very much liked by the church and its members. The Boston Gazette wrote on May 1, 1750, "he has been a burning and a shining light ever since [his ordainment], which has greatly increased under his lively ministry, and in whom [members of the church] have highly rejoyced and been very happy."[36] Consequently, he remained pastor until his death. He married Frances Bromfield (June 8, 1694–September 14, 1721), daughter of Edward Bromfield Esq., in 1715. She died of smallpox.[36]
  8. John White (March 8, 1663-64 – November 20, 1727) was a "highly respectable and influential" figure born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, to John White (b. 1639-40) and Hannah French. He is a grandson of William White, one of the first settlers of Haverhill landing in Ipswich in 1635 and one of the grantees of the Indian deed of Haverhill, dated November 15, 1642. He served as Town Clerk in 1694, the Representative of Haverhill in the General Court for eight years, 1700,02,03,08,13,15,16,19, Captain of the Haverhill company, and magistrate of the County Court. Rev. Samuel Phillips (1690 – 1771), his son-in-law after his marriage to Hannah in 1712, described him as the "Worshipful John White." He married Lydia Gilman on October 24, 1687.[40]
  9. The American Society of Church History cites Phillips' marriage to Hannah White having taken place on January 7, 1712.[43]
  10. The American Society of Church History says Hannah White died on January 11, 1773.[43]
  11. The Historical Manual of the South Church in Andover, Mass. claims Holt died on August 1, 1792.

References
  1. Taylor 1856, p. 7.
  2. New England Historic Genealogical Society 1900, p. 415.
  3. Mooar 1859, p. 95.
  4. American Society of Church History 1921, p. 273.
  5. Fuess 1917, p. 8.
  6. Babson 1891, p. 1.
  7. Bond & Jones 1860, pp. 876–7.
  8. White & Richards 1889, p. 15.
  9. Bond & Jones 1860, p. 877.
  10. Torrey 1985, p. 578.
  11. The Essex Institute 1924, p. 187.
  12. Mooar 1859, p. 96.
  13. Schutz 1997, p. 379.
  14. Schutz 1997, p. 23.
  15. White & Richards 1889, pp. 15–6.
  16. Topsfield Historical Society 1911, p. 330.
  17. Topsfield Historical Society 1912b, p. 272.
  18. Emerson & Gordon 1900, p. 58.
  19. The Essex Institute 1910, p. 455.
  20. Topsfield Historical Society 1911, p. 256.
  21. White & Richards 1889, p. 16-7.
  22. Williams 1957, p. 1.
  23. Fuess 1917, p. 52.
  24. Bond & Jones 1860, p. 877,9.
  25. Jewett 1908, p. 105.
  26. Jacobus 1933, p. 295.
  27. Bond & Jones 1860, p. 903.
  28. Harvey 1897, p. 179.
  29. Park 1878, p. 3.
  30. Allis 1979, p. 6.
  31. Bond & Jones 1860, pp. 872–6.
  32. Mooar 1859, pp. 95–96.
  33. Mooar 1859, p. 99.
  34. Mooar 1859, p. 97.
  35. New England Historic Genealogical Society 2001, p. 14.
  36. New England Historic Genealogical Society 1871, p. 332.
  37. Congregational Library 2011.
  38. Topsfield Historical Society 1912a, pp. 389–91.
  39. Mooar 1859, p. 101.
  40. White & Richards 1889, pp. 9–11.
  41. Mooar 1859, p. 100.
  42. Partridge 2013.
  43. American Society of Church History 1921, p. 274.
  44. Bond & Jones 1860, p. 879.
  45. Mooar 1859, pp. 100–101.
  46. New England Historic Genealogical Society 1885, p. 109-110.
  47. Carpenter 1903, p. 4.
  48. Mooar 1859, p. 67.
  49. Mooar 1859, pp. 123–181.
  50. Salem Witch Museum.
  51. First Church in Salem.
  52. The Necessity of God's Drawing, in Order to Man's Coming unto Christ
  53. Phillips 1753.
  54. Mooar 1859, pp. 91–92.
  55. Andover Historical Commission 1977.

Bibliography
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