Rev. Daniel Lewis was the first minister of the First Congregational Church of Pembroke, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, from the time of the church’s founding in 1712 until Rev. Lewis’ death in 1753.
I transcribed Rev. Daniel Lewis’ day journal for the years 1747 to 1749 for the journal Mayflower Descendant, and have uploaded copies of the article below for any Pembroke researchers who may find this useful.
Highlights of the Journal
Rev. Lewis recorded the baptisms, marriages, and funerals that he performed in Pembroke.
His journal also references local slaves and Mattakeeset Indians.
Lewis sent “Black Poll,” a woman enslaved by the widow Polly White, on several errands. He prayed with and attended the funerals of Mattakeeset Indian Stephen Samson, the wife of former slave Toby Cromwell, and Capt. Isaac Little’s “negro infant.” He received a present from “Grannie” Sarah (Boyce) Glasco, a woman who had been whipped years earlier for having illegitimate children with two enslaved men.
Lewis recorded in his journal that he preached several times to the Mattakeeset tribe, at that time led by sachem Patience (Momontauge) (Coomes) Thomas, at the “Indian Ponds” (located off of present-day Mattakeesett Street at the intersections of Oldham Pond, Furnace Pond, and Great Sandy Bottom Pond).
Mary Blauss Edwards, Mayflower Descendant 65 (Summer 2017): 113-131.
Mary Blauss Edwards, Mayflower Descendant 66 (Winter 2018): 56-76.
Where Are Rev. Lewis’ Missing Diaries?
Rev. Lewis likely maintained annual diaries throughout his life, since his 1742 diary has previously been published in “Pembroke (Mass.) Records,” Register 69 (July 1915): 283.
Additionally, it appears that some of Lewis’s church records have been misplaced over a century ago. According to Register 31 (1877): 69: “We hope to present to our readers, in the April number, a transcript of Mr. Lewis’s original record of admissions to the Pembroke church from its foundation in 1712, to the close of his ministry in 1753, together with other interesting items relating to the church.-Ed.”
However, this record was never published in the Register, and its current whereabouts are unknown. Lewis’s 1747–49 journal, therefore, provides several vital records for Pembroke that have never been published.
Please Reach Out If You Have Other Records by Rev. Lewis
It would be greatly appreciated! Any information would be extremely useful.
And please let me know in the comments if these transcriptions were helpful to your research!