Historic leaves, volume 2, April, 1903 - January, 1904

Mr. Phipps was thrice married, but the mother of his eleven children appears to have been the second wife, Katherine, daughter of John Brackenbury. He always resided in Charlestown, and, to judge from the records, deserves to be ranked among her most famous citizens. It was here that he joined the church, March 9, 1684. He held all the offices in the gift of his fellow townsmen, serving as constable, town clerk or recorder, town treasurer, selectman, and representative to the General Court. This last distinction he enjoyed, in all, twelve years. He was Clerk of the Courts for Middlesex county from 1689 to 1722, and for a time was Register of Deeds for the same. He also served as captain of the militia. Mr. Phipps died August 7, 1725. His interest in the Charlestown school is evinced from various entries in the records, some of which we quote later on.

Taking up, in chronological order, the various references to the school during the Phipps regime, we learn somewhat of the school fund and of the disciplining of the schoolboys.

January 4, 1875. ‘Voted that Lotts forfeited to ye Towne be given to a free schoole in Charlestown forever.’ The same day it was ‘agreed that Lovell's Island should be & remain to the use of the school in Charlestown forever, and not to be alienated from it to any other use.’

January 17, 1675-6. John Cutler, Jr., one of the constables, was thus instructed:

That you allow no boys to sit in any other place in ye meeting house but those appointed for therein, viz., the boys' seats in ye long benches in ye southwest alley, and therefore that you fetch them out of the galleries & from before the Pulpit or elsewhere, & place them in ye place above said.

That you endeavor to prevent playing & all irrelevant carriage in time of Worship.

That you prevent there unnecessary frequent running out of ye meeting house in time of exercises, & particularly there running out before prayer be done & ye Blessing pronounced, which is also a particular order from the General Court.

That you permit them not to sit in time of prayer, but to stand up, & during the whole exercise there hats to be off.

That you return a list of names of such boys as will not be