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Scituate

History of First Parish Church published

Richard Stower, former minister of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Scituate, has published “A History of The First Parish Church of Scituate, Massachusetts: Its Life and Times.” The book follows the congregation that was gathered in 1634 as a part of the Pilgrims’ Plymouth colony, making it one of the oldest in New England. “The issues that the early church faced in Scituate and how they developed over time were very influential in New England Colonial church history — I don’t think the history of Scituate has gotten its due in terms of Colonial American history,” Stower said. “The combination of Scituate’s long history and my love of history and love of the congregation came together.” Among other things, the book tells the tale of a love triangle involving the reclusive Henry David Thoreau, his assertive brother John, and the beautiful Ellen Sewell, daughter of a First Parish minister. There is also the story of a minister turned gold miner and his feminist attorney wife. Copies are available on Amazon.com or by contacting Stower at rstower@aol.com.