John Mayo (minister)
John Mayo (died 1676) was a Puritan minister in pre-revolutionary Boston, Massachusetts. He was the first minister of Old North Church, also known as Second Church or Paul Revere's Church. This is the Old North Church that was in North Square (across the street from what became Paul Revere's house) until the church was dismantled and used by the British for firewood during the occupation of Boston during the Revolutionary War.
Biography
Early life
John Mayo was born and educated in England. He married his wife Thamasin in that country and had five children; Samuel, Hannah, Elizabeth, Nathaniel and John. The family came to New England in 1638 or 1639. He became a teacher at a church at Barnstable in Plymouth colony, and was admitted a freeman on March 3, 1639-40 by the General Court in Plymouth. He moved to Eastham, Massachusetts around 1644, becoming the minister at a church that was gathered in that town. There he remained until 1655 when he was called to become pastor of the Second Church in Boston.[1]
Old North Church
Reverend Mayo was installed November 9, 1655. He preached the election sermon before the General Court of Massachusetts in 1658. Already well advanced in years when he assumed the pastorate, Mayo grew very infirm later in his service and the congregation had difficulty hearing his sermons. He served until 1673 when Increase Mather took over. Mayo lived in a brick house on Hanover Street which was later occupied by Cotton Mather.
Later life
After retiring, Mayo went to his daughter's home and died in 1676 in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. His widow Tamsen died February 3, 1682.
References
- ↑ Little, George Thomas (1909). Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 1779. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
External links
- Mayo Family website
- Rambles Around Boston