Rev. Andrew Pollard 1859-1876

Born: October 7, 1814 in Winchendon, Massachusetts

Education: self-taught and tutored

Ordination May 8, 1839, in Gardner, Massachusetts. He served as pastor in Gardner from 1839-1841 and then served at the First Baptist Church of Holden from 1841-1843. In 1843 he was called to the First Baptist church of Hyannis and served as pastor there from 1843-1849. Winthrop St Baptist Church was his next pastorate where he served from 1849-1871. From there he went to South Boston and served as Pastor of the 4th Baptist Church from 1871-1873. In 1873 he became the New England District Secretary for the American Baptist Publication Society.

In 1853 he received an honorary degree from Brown University. Aside from serving as pastor he also served as 1850 Moderator Taunton Baptist Association in 1850 and 1857, and clerk from 1852-1853.

In the year 1856 he served a term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

He was a trustee of Pierce Academy in Middleboro, a school started by Baptist Churches in Middleboro. From 1859-1876 he served as President of the Conference of Baptist Ministers. 1874-1884 he was elected Secretary or treasurer of the Massachusetts Baptist Convention. 1881-1886 He served as treasurer Massachusetts Charitable Society.

He died at his home in South Boston on August 21, 1886, and was buried in the family plot in Taunton, Massachusetts. In his will he left numerous bequests to Baptist Organizations: American Baptist Publication Society, American Baptist Missionary Union, American Baptist Home Mission Society, Massachusetts Baptist Charitable Society, Conference of Baptist Ministers, the Northern Baptist Education Society, and the Massachusetts Baptist Convention.    

Arthur Savage train was born September 1, 1812, in Framingham, Massachusetts, son of Rev. Charles Train, who had served as pastor of First Baptist Framingham from 1807 to 1839. Arthur Train graduated from Brown University in 1833 and served as a tutor there for three years. He was ordained on October 20, 1836, in Haverhill, MA and served as their pastor from 1836-1860.

In 1846 he was elected moderator of the Salem Baptist Association. 

From 1859-1866 he was a member of Newton Theological Institute as Professor of sacred rhetoric and pastoral duties. In 1866 he was called to the First Baptist Church of Framingham and served there until his death on January 2, 1872, in Framingham, Massachusetts. He is buried in Linwood Cemetery, Framingham, Massachusetts. 

Rev. Baron Stow was born June 16, 1801, in Croydon, New Hampshire. He received his education at Columbian University, Washington DC graduating in 1825 (now George Washington University). From 1825-1827 he served as editor of the fledging Columbian Star Newspaper located in Washington DC.

He was ordained on October 24, 1827, at the First Baptist Church of Portsmouth, New Hampshire and served as their pastor until 1832. While serving in New Hampshire he served as Chairman of the newly founded New Hampshire Baptist Convention 1828-1832. In 1832 he was called as pastor of the Baldwin Place Baptist Church, Boston. He served as pastor of the Clarendon St. Baptist Church, Boston from 1848-1867, retiring in 1867 from pastoral ministry. 

Throughout his lifetime he was active in many different denominational boards and organizations, chief among these being:

• Recording Secretary of the Baptist General Convention 1838-1846 when it merged in the American Baptist Missionary Union, and he was a member of its executive committee for thirty-three years. 
• Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society
• The Northern Baptist Education Society
• The American Baptist Foreign Mission Society 

Even with all his involvement in the various denominational organizations and societies, he found time to write several books, his first A History of the English Baptist Mission to India in 1835. In 1843 Dr. Stow, with Rev. Samuel Francis Smith [Pastor of FBC Newton and writer of the lyrics to Our Country Tis of Thee, compiled a Baptist Hymnal entitled the Psalmist. This hymnal was the most widely used Baptist hymnal in the United States for the next 30 years.

He continued to write in favor of abolitionism throughout the 1840s. He helped write a resolution for the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions on the topic of missionaries and slavery. The resolution was that the Board of Foreign missions would not appoint someone as a missionary who held slaves as property. 

In 1847, the Baptist ministers of Massachusetts united over their own signatures in a Declaration and Protest upon the question of slavery. The original document is in the handwriting of BaronStow, and his is the first signature on the document.

He was president of the board of trustees of Newton Theological Institution and a member of the board of fellows at Brown University from 1858-1869. He died on December 26, 1869, and is buried in Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Born December 25, 1738 in Huddersfield, York, England. Came to the United States in 1805. He studied theology under the tutelage of Dr. William Staughton of Philadelphia. He was ordained around May 1809 when he became pastor of the Baptist Church at Newark, NJ. He visited Boston in September 1809 and preached at the Third Baptist church of Boston, later called Charles Street Baptist Church. He was invited to be their pastor in 1810 on the resignation of their previous pastor, Rev. Caleb Blood. He declined, but when the church asked him again in 1811, he accepted their invitation and was installed as pastor of Charles Street Baptist Church on April 20, 1812. 

This would be his church for the rest of his life. While at Charles Street Baptist Church his passion for Baptist benevolence and his gift of leadership was soon apparent. He was an active in the formation of the Massachusetts Baptist Missionary Society, an early name for the Massachusetts Baptist Convention and then The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts. He served as Secretary from 1813-1828. When the name was changed to The Massachusetts Baptist Convention, he served as secretary and then as President of the Board of Directors. He also served for several years as Associate Editor of the American Baptist Magazine.

He was the first President of the American Baptist Missionary Union

In 1814 when the Baptist Denomination in the United States was organized, Dr. Sharp became one of its officers. That same year he helped organize an Association which grew into the Northern Baptist Education Society. For 18 years (1835-1853) he served as President of the Board of Trustees at Newton Theological Institute. From the Minutes of the Conference of Baptist Ministers we read, “In May 1829, a meeting was held in Boston, by a large number of Baptist ministers, at which the expediency of forming an Association of ministers for the promotion mutual happiness and usefulness was discussed. It was resolved to form such an association to be called, “The conference of Baptist Ministers in Massachusetts” and a committee was appointed, to prepare a constitution.” After Rev. Joseph Grafton of the first Baptist Church of Newton served as the first President in 1830; Dr. Daniel Sharp was chosen in 1831 to serve as second President of the Conference of Baptist Ministers in Massachusetts. He served as President from 1831 until 1852. 

Rev. Daniel Sharp was a fellow of Brown University from 1828 to 1853. And Received a Master of Art from Brown University in 1811 and in 1828 a Doctor of Divinity was bestowed on him by Brown University. Harvard University bestowed the same honor on him in 1843. 

Dr. Sharp also found time to publish many of his sermons and discourses over the years. He was present at many ordinations and installation services throughout the region. 

In late 1852 his health began to fail, he sought warmer climates, visiting a friend in Baltimore, where his life on earth ended April 23, 1853. He is buried in Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Joseph Grafton was born in Newport, RI June 9, 1757. Joseph had been raised in Providence, attending the Congregational church with his parents. After examining the scriptures for himself, he concluded that baptism by immersion was the only acceptable mode and believers the only legitimate subjects and he was baptized. After a stint in the military during the Revolutionary War he settled down in Providence, marrying and starting a family. He fought the calling to the ministry feeling he did not have the proper formal education, though the Deacons of his church saw his calling and asked him again and again to preach at their church. In 1784 he became seriously ill and was confined to bed for several months. He felt that this was a sign from God that he was not to enter into the pastoral ministry. After much prayer and personal study, he was dismissed from the Congregational church and joined the First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island. He preached as a supply pastor at Hampton, Connecticut before being called by the First Baptist Church of Newton in 1788, where he was ordained June 18, 1788. He remained their pastor until his death in 1836.

First Baptist Church of Newton was a member of the Warren Association and Rev. Grafton served on a committee which advised individuals and churches who were taxed in order to pay the town-supported Congregational minister’s salary even though, as Baptists they did not unite with the Congregational Church.

While he was pastor at Newton he felt called to serve in many different capacities. He served as Vice President of the Massachusetts Baptist Missionary Society [the forerunner to the Massachusetts Baptist Convention] He served on the board of the American Tract Society, He was Vice President of the Baptist Foreign Missionary Society for Boston and President of the Board of Directors of Newton Theological Institute. In 1830 he served as the first President of the Conference of Baptist Ministers in Massachusetts. He died in Newton Massachusetts December 16, 1836 and is buried in East Parish Burying Ground in Newton, Massachusetts.