John Harvard and the First Church in Charlestown:

When John Harvard came to the colonies and settled in Charlestown in 1637, he and his wife Anne became members of the First Church. And since he was ordained, he served along Zechariah Symmes as our fourth minister. However, First Church was found in 1632, five years before Harvard came to Massachusetts.

It was founded by the congregation, who asked to be dismissed from the First Church in Boston, in order to have their own church closer to home (and one thinks to avoid having to row across the Charles in all kinds of weather in order to attend church - there was no bridge back then).

The six churches of the Standing Order - Boston, Cambridge, Charlestown, Dorchester, Roxbury, and Watertown - founded a college in order to be assured of a "learned" ministry. When John Harvard died in 1638, and left his entire library and half his estate to the new college; out of gratitude, the founders named it after him. Ministers of those founding churches are invited to attend Harvard Commencement and sit on the platform with the president of Harvard and all the dignitaries. Our current minister, Rev. Christine Jaronski, and our Minister Emeritus, Rev. Victor Ford, faithfully do so to this day. So that‚s the story of the Harvard connection to the First Church in Charlestown!