US Rowley MA 10 APR 1835 to New York NY. 18¾c due (150–400 miles). Red Rowley APR 10 MS CDS, manuscript 18¾, wax seal. Stampless FL. Rev. Joseph P. Tyler report to Rev. Absalom Peters, American Home Missionary Society. Linebrook, West Gloucester, Universalists.

Summary

• Date sent: 10 April 1835. The letter is dated at Ipswich on 8 April 1835. It was posted at Rowley, the nearest post office to Linebrook parish.
• Country of origin: United States
• Sent from: Rowley, Massachusetts (Essex County). The letter is headed Ipswich.
• Sent to: New York, New York (144 Nassau Street)
• Distance: about 210 miles in a straight line, roughly 240 miles by post road
• Philatelic details:
  • Red circular datestamp “ROWLEY APR 10 MS.”
  • Manuscript “18¾,” the 18¾-cent rate for a single letter sent 150–400 miles under the 1825 rate act. It was unpaid and collected from the recipient.
  • Red wax seal remnant, with a seal tear.
  • Office dockets: “Rev. Ipswich,” “Joseph P. Tyler Mass. April 8. 1835 Report,” “Schedule copied,” “Rec’d Ap 13,” and the large file number “1560.”
  • Stampless FL.
• Sender: Rev. Joseph P. Tyler, a missionary of the American Home Missionary Society. He preached in the West Parish of Gloucester and in Linebrook parish, Ipswich.
• Receiver: Rev. Absalom Peters (1793–1869), Corresponding Secretary of the American Home Missionary Society, whose office was at 144 Nassau Street, New York.
• Historical interest:
  • The American Home Missionary Society was founded in 1826, with Peters as one of its founders. It supported Congregational and Presbyterian ministers in churches too weak or poor to pay a pastor themselves. Its missionaries had to send regular reports, and the Society copied statistics from them into “schedules” for its annual reports, which explains the docket “Schedule copied.”
  • Gloucester was the birthplace of organized American Universalism. John Murray founded the first Universalist church in America there in 1779. Tyler reports that the West Parish had been given up for years to Universalist teaching, and that his work stirred up “much excitement and some opposition amongst the Universalists.”
  • Tyler found a church of seven or eight members in the West Parish. Seven more were added during his work, and he started a Bible class of ten or twelve and a Sunday school of about forty.
  • Linebrook parish was formed in 1746 from the edges of Ipswich and Rowley. Tyler reports that the church there split over his efforts to restore “gospel order and discipline,” but that prospects had since improved.
  • He preached three times on most Sabbaths, and also during the week, besides frequent pastoral visits. This was the typical workload of a home missionary in the 1830s.
• Genealogical interest: The letter places the Rev. Joseph P. Tyler in the West Parish of Gloucester and Linebrook parish, Ipswich, from about November 1834 to April 1835.

Transcription

The letter is transcribed with the writer’s original spelling. The ink is faded in places, and uncertain readings are marked.

Page 1:

Ipswich April 8th 1835.

To the Rev. Absalom Peters Corresponding Secretary of the A. H. M. S. —

My Dear Sir, I have been a Missionary of your Society five months in the West Parish of Gloucester, and in Linebrook, Ipswich Essex County Mass. In the former place the Parish has for several years been given up to the teaching and influence of Universalists and it is but recent that efforts have been made to revive the spirit of true religion. I found a little church of seven or eight members in a languishing state. During my labors seven have been added to their number, three of whom have hopefully experienced religion since the commencement of my labors. There has been some seriousness in others, and much excitement and some opposition amongst the Universalists. There has been an interesting bible class of ten or twelve members, and a sunday school of about forty. Although their means of sustaining the gospel are not very ample, their prospects are in some degree cheering. In the latter, Linebrook, there was a church thirty members and a small congregation. In some of our first prayer meetings there was apparently a reviving interest in religion in some of the professors. On further acquaintance it was obvious that many of their number were low in their religious state, and that they had no distinctive character and standing as christians in the congregation. Most of the influence was exerted by individuals out of the church. Consequently an apparently growing interest in religion, and a disposition to attain the true standing of deciples of Christ occasioned much excitement and some opposition. In the effort to restore gospel order and discipline, some adhered to the council and wishes of those who were not professors, and were unwilling to come into

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such a state. This resulted in an unhappy division. The appearances have since become more encouraging. And there is a prospect that such as are truly the deciples of Christ will become hapily united and maintain the order and dicipline required in the scriptures, and be connected in their worship with a larger and more respectable congregation. It is thought that in the future a much larger amount of property will be connected with the support of the gospel, and that they may enjoy a permanent ministry. There has been no addition to the church. A small bible class has been sustained, and a Sabbath School is kept up most of the year. In my services I have preached usually three times on the Sabbath and occasionly during the week with frequent pastoral (reading tentative) and social visits.

With much esteem Your Brother in Christ
Joseph P. Tyler

Address panel:

18¾
Rev. Absalom Peters
New York No. 144 Nassau Street

Office dockets:

Rev. Ipswich
Joseph P. Tyler
Mass. April 8. 1835
Report
Schedule copied
1560
Rec’d Ap 13

Notes on terms:

• “A. H. M. S.” stands for the American Home Missionary Society.
• “Professors” means church members who had made a public profession of faith.
• “Hopefully experienced religion” means they were believed to have undergone religious conversion.