Rev. John Mellen graduated from Harvard College in 1741. Three of his sons also graduated from Harvard as well. Son John Jr. was born Jun 27, 1752 and graduated in 1770. Like his father, John Jr. became a preacher in Barnstable, MA on Cape Cod for many years before moving back to Cambridge, MA just a few blocks from the Harvard campus. Son Henry, born Oct. 24, 1757 graduated in 1784 and practiced law in Dover, NH. Son Prentiss was born Oct. 11, 1764 and graduated from Harvard in 1784, the same year as his brother Henry. He practiced law in Massachusetts. Later he moved to Portland, Maine where he became a U.S. Senator from 1816 to 1822. He was also elected the first chief justice of the supreme court of Maine.
Rev. John Mellen and Rebecca Prentice married on Nov 30, 1749 in Lancaster, MA. Aside from the three children mentioned above, they had 6 other children together. Pamela, (b. Sept. 5, 1750), Rebecca (b. April 16, 1754), Sophia (b. Jan. 22, 1756), Mary (b. Oct. 16, 1760), Thomas (b. Sept. 16, 1762), and Charlotte (b. Feb 23, 1768).
John Mellen was one of the most prominent clergymen in Massachusetts at one of the more interesting times in the history of America during the formation of the country. John became the first pastor of the Congregational Church in Sterling, MA, formerly the West Parish in Lancaster, Dec. 19, 1744 and was dismissed after 30 years on Nov. 14, 1774. According to one source, he was “charged with being a Tory, and considered an enemy to civil and ecclesiastical liberty and after a pastorate of thirty years, was driven by violence from the pulpit.” According to another source, John requested his dismissal from the church. The website of the Congregational Church states “The Rev. John Mellen (whose stern portrait, along with that of his wife, hangs on the rear wall of the church) was their minister for thirty years, until the congregation dismissed him in 1774, over a controversy about music in worship (and probably also for his Tory views).”
On the other hand, there is evidence that John Mellen was not a Tory, but rather a Patriot. In his book ‘Sacred Scripture, Sacred War, The Bible and the American Revolution,’ published in 2013, author James P. Byrd argued that “it was the clergy who made the Revolution meaningful for most common people” because “for every gentleman who read a scholarly pamphlet and delved into Whig and ancient history for an explanation of events, there were dozens of ordinary people who read the Bible and looked to their ministers for an interpretation of what the Revolution meant.” Byrd considered Rev. John Mellen a patriot “who helped forge militant patriotism” and whose view “was common among Patriots.”
So, for whatever reason Rev. John Mellen left the Congregational Church in Sterling, for “ten years he continued to preach in his own home and the school-house, after which he removed from town and lived in Cambridge for a while.” On Feb 11, 1884, he became the pastor of the Hanover Church in Hanover, MA. His wife Rebecca died at Hanover on Jan. 11, 1802. Just a few years later, in Sept., 1805, after 21 years as pastor at Hanover and at the age of 83, Rev. John Mellen retired. He disposed of his estate and moved to Reading, MA to live with his eldest daughter, Pamela. He died there on July 4, 1807, at the home of his daughter at the age of 85.
Rev. John and Rebecca Prentice Mellen are buried in the “Old Cemetery” next to the First Congregational Church in Wakefield, MA, which was once a part of Reading. The tomb marker is missing, but must have been prominent since its location is referenced relative to other cemetery locations in multiple sources. Using these clues, the location of the graves of John and Rebecca Mellen are likely in the circled region in the included photograph, which was taken from the southeast corner of the cemetery.
Rev. John Mellen and Rebecca Prentice married on Nov 30, 1749 in Lancaster, MA. Aside from the three children mentioned above, they had 6 other children together. Pamela, (b. Sept. 5, 1750), Rebecca (b. April 16, 1754), Sophia (b. Jan. 22, 1756), Mary (b. Oct. 16, 1760), Thomas (b. Sept. 16, 1762), and Charlotte (b. Feb 23, 1768).
John Mellen was one of the most prominent clergymen in Massachusetts at one of the more interesting times in the history of America during the formation of the country. John became the first pastor of the Congregational Church in Sterling, MA, formerly the West Parish in Lancaster, Dec. 19, 1744 and was dismissed after 30 years on Nov. 14, 1774. According to one source, he was “charged with being a Tory, and considered an enemy to civil and ecclesiastical liberty and after a pastorate of thirty years, was driven by violence from the pulpit.” According to another source, John requested his dismissal from the church. The website of the Congregational Church states “The Rev. John Mellen (whose stern portrait, along with that of his wife, hangs on the rear wall of the church) was their minister for thirty years, until the congregation dismissed him in 1774, over a controversy about music in worship (and probably also for his Tory views).”
On the other hand, there is evidence that John Mellen was not a Tory, but rather a Patriot. In his book ‘Sacred Scripture, Sacred War, The Bible and the American Revolution,’ published in 2013, author James P. Byrd argued that “it was the clergy who made the Revolution meaningful for most common people” because “for every gentleman who read a scholarly pamphlet and delved into Whig and ancient history for an explanation of events, there were dozens of ordinary people who read the Bible and looked to their ministers for an interpretation of what the Revolution meant.” Byrd considered Rev. John Mellen a patriot “who helped forge militant patriotism” and whose view “was common among Patriots.”
So, for whatever reason Rev. John Mellen left the Congregational Church in Sterling, for “ten years he continued to preach in his own home and the school-house, after which he removed from town and lived in Cambridge for a while.” On Feb 11, 1884, he became the pastor of the Hanover Church in Hanover, MA. His wife Rebecca died at Hanover on Jan. 11, 1802. Just a few years later, in Sept., 1805, after 21 years as pastor at Hanover and at the age of 83, Rev. John Mellen retired. He disposed of his estate and moved to Reading, MA to live with his eldest daughter, Pamela. He died there on July 4, 1807, at the home of his daughter at the age of 85.
Rev. John and Rebecca Prentice Mellen are buried in the “Old Cemetery” next to the First Congregational Church in Wakefield, MA, which was once a part of Reading. The tomb marker is missing, but must have been prominent since its location is referenced relative to other cemetery locations in multiple sources. Using these clues, the location of the graves of John and Rebecca Mellen are likely in the circled region in the included photograph, which was taken from the southeast corner of the cemetery.
Rev. John Mellen graduated from Harvard College in 1741. Three of his sons also graduated from Harvard as well. Son John Jr. was born Jun 27, 1752 and graduated in 1770. Like his father, John Jr. became a preacher in Barnstable, MA on Cape Cod for many years before moving back to Cambridge, MA just a few blocks from the Harvard campus. Son Henry, born Oct. 24, 1757 graduated in 1784 and practiced law in Dover, NH. Son Prentiss was born Oct. 11, 1764 and graduated from Harvard in 1784, the same year as his brother Henry. He practiced law in Massachusetts. Later he moved to Portland, Maine where he became a U.S. Senator from 1816 to 1822. He was also elected the first chief justice of the supreme court of Maine.
Rev. John Mellen and Rebecca Prentice married on Nov 30, 1749 in Lancaster, MA. Aside from the three children mentioned above, they had 6 other children together. Pamela, (b. Sept. 5, 1750), Rebecca (b. April 16, 1754), Sophia (b. Jan. 22, 1756), Mary (b. Oct. 16, 1760), Thomas (b. Sept. 16, 1762), and Charlotte (b. Feb 23, 1768).
John Mellen was one of the most prominent clergymen in Massachusetts at one of the more interesting times in the history of America during the formation of the country. John became the first pastor of the Congregational Church in Sterling, MA, formerly the West Parish in Lancaster, Dec. 19, 1744 and was dismissed after 30 years on Nov. 14, 1774. According to one source, he was “charged with being a Tory, and considered an enemy to civil and ecclesiastical liberty and after a pastorate of thirty years, was driven by violence from the pulpit.” According to another source, John requested his dismissal from the church. The website of the Congregational Church states “The Rev. John Mellen (whose stern portrait, along with that of his wife, hangs on the rear wall of the church) was their minister for thirty years, until the congregation dismissed him in 1774, over a controversy about music in worship (and probably also for his Tory views).”
On the other hand, there is evidence that John Mellen was not a Tory, but rather a Patriot. In his book ‘Sacred Scripture, Sacred War, The Bible and the American Revolution,’ published in 2013, author James P. Byrd argued that “it was the clergy who made the Revolution meaningful for most common people” because “for every gentleman who read a scholarly pamphlet and delved into Whig and ancient history for an explanation of events, there were dozens of ordinary people who read the Bible and looked to their ministers for an interpretation of what the Revolution meant.” Byrd considered Rev. John Mellen a patriot “who helped forge militant patriotism” and whose view “was common among Patriots.”
So, for whatever reason Rev. John Mellen left the Congregational Church in Sterling, for “ten years he continued to preach in his own home and the school-house, after which he removed from town and lived in Cambridge for a while.” On Feb 11, 1884, he became the pastor of the Hanover Church in Hanover, MA. His wife Rebecca died at Hanover on Jan. 11, 1802. Just a few years later, in Sept., 1805, after 21 years as pastor at Hanover and at the age of 83, Rev. John Mellen retired. He disposed of his estate and moved to Reading, MA to live with his eldest daughter, Pamela. He died there on July 4, 1807, at the home of his daughter at the age of 85.
Rev. John and Rebecca Prentice Mellen are buried in the “Old Cemetery” next to the First Congregational Church in Wakefield, MA, which was once a part of Reading. The tomb marker is missing, but must have been prominent since its location is referenced relative to other cemetery locations in multiple sources. Using these clues, the location of the graves of John and Rebecca Mellen are likely in the circled region in the included photograph, which was taken from the southeast corner of the cemetery.
Rev. John Mellen and Rebecca Prentice married on Nov 30, 1749 in Lancaster, MA. Aside from the three children mentioned above, they had 6 other children together. Pamela, (b. Sept. 5, 1750), Rebecca (b. April 16, 1754), Sophia (b. Jan. 22, 1756), Mary (b. Oct. 16, 1760), Thomas (b. Sept. 16, 1762), and Charlotte (b. Feb 23, 1768).
John Mellen was one of the most prominent clergymen in Massachusetts at one of the more interesting times in the history of America during the formation of the country. John became the first pastor of the Congregational Church in Sterling, MA, formerly the West Parish in Lancaster, Dec. 19, 1744 and was dismissed after 30 years on Nov. 14, 1774. According to one source, he was “charged with being a Tory, and considered an enemy to civil and ecclesiastical liberty and after a pastorate of thirty years, was driven by violence from the pulpit.” According to another source, John requested his dismissal from the church. The website of the Congregational Church states “The Rev. John Mellen (whose stern portrait, along with that of his wife, hangs on the rear wall of the church) was their minister for thirty years, until the congregation dismissed him in 1774, over a controversy about music in worship (and probably also for his Tory views).”
On the other hand, there is evidence that John Mellen was not a Tory, but rather a Patriot. In his book ‘Sacred Scripture, Sacred War, The Bible and the American Revolution,’ published in 2013, author James P. Byrd argued that “it was the clergy who made the Revolution meaningful for most common people” because “for every gentleman who read a scholarly pamphlet and delved into Whig and ancient history for an explanation of events, there were dozens of ordinary people who read the Bible and looked to their ministers for an interpretation of what the Revolution meant.” Byrd considered Rev. John Mellen a patriot “who helped forge militant patriotism” and whose view “was common among Patriots.”
So, for whatever reason Rev. John Mellen left the Congregational Church in Sterling, for “ten years he continued to preach in his own home and the school-house, after which he removed from town and lived in Cambridge for a while.” On Feb 11, 1884, he became the pastor of the Hanover Church in Hanover, MA. His wife Rebecca died at Hanover on Jan. 11, 1802. Just a few years later, in Sept., 1805, after 21 years as pastor at Hanover and at the age of 83, Rev. John Mellen retired. He disposed of his estate and moved to Reading, MA to live with his eldest daughter, Pamela. He died there on July 4, 1807, at the home of his daughter at the age of 85.
Rev. John and Rebecca Prentice Mellen are buried in the “Old Cemetery” next to the First Congregational Church in Wakefield, MA, which was once a part of Reading. The tomb marker is missing, but must have been prominent since its location is referenced relative to other cemetery locations in multiple sources. Using these clues, the location of the graves of John and Rebecca Mellen are likely in the circled region in the included photograph, which was taken from the southeast corner of the cemetery.
Gravesite Details
Grave marker is missing.
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