Benjamin Cutter, William R. Cutter, History of the town of Arlington, Massachusetts, ormerly the second precinct in Cambridge, or District of Menotomy, afterward the town of West Cambridge. 1635-1879 with a genealogical register of the inhabitants of the precinct.

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[22]

Early measures, also, were taken to build a meeting-house (July 10, 1733), and the parcel of land lying between Mr. Jason Russell's pasture and Ebenezer Swan's field, which was reserved out of the commons for a burying-place, was selected as the most convenient place for the meeting-house to stand, and near the northeasterly corner of the same. The sum of three hundred pounds was raised by vote (Sept. 17, 1733) for defraying the charge of building a meeting-house in this Precinct; the structure to be 46 feet long and 36 feet wide, and 24 feet upon the post between the joists; also to have a suitable belfry. A building committee of five was chosen, viz., James Cutler, John Cutter, Ephraim Frost, Henry Dunster and Jonathan Butterfield, Jr. At this date Francis Locke, Jonathan Gates¹ and Josiah Robbins were chosen a committee to provide for a reading and writing school in the Precinct.

The following Charlestown inhabitants entered into agreement on Oct. 8, 1733, to assist in building the meeting-house, ‘near Mr. Joseph Adams's,’ on land ‘which hath been left for a burying-place;’ and also for settling and supporting preaching in the Precinct; viz., Samuel Cutter, George Cutter, Samuel Godding, Joseph Russell, William Dickson, Philip Carteret and David Dunster.

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1733

On April 1, this year, the venerable Rev. John Hancock of Lexington, and grandfather of the celebrated Gov. John Hancock, baptized Thomas Osborn; ‘and this was the first child baptized in the congregation at the school-house at Menotomy.’ This congregation had probably first united to spend a part of the evening of the Lord's day in worship in this place (Sermon by Rev. S. Cooke in 1772). The origin of the schoolhouse was probably as follows: At Cambridge, Jan. 16, 1692-3, ‘it was voted whether the town would give to Menotomy people a quarter of an acre of land upon our common, near Jason Russell's house, near the highway, for the accommodation of a school-house; and it was voted on the affirmative, so long as it was improved for that use, and no longer.’—Paige.

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