Avalon South Region ~ St. John's District

Vital Statistics Volume 23

Congregational Church, St. John's, Newfoundland

Marriages 1802-1892

The information was transcribed by JILL MARSHALL from the microfilm no. 2133618 (Latter Days Saints Church, Utah USA) While I have endeavored to be as correct as humanly possible, there may be typographical errors.

Brief history of the Congregational Church of St Johns (taken from the Encyclopedia of Nfld & Lab.)
Members started to meet in the summer of 1775 when a jailer, a sergeant and his wife, and 3 soldiers had prayer meetings in the barracks in St Johns: their sergeant leader, JOHN JONES was in the Royal Artillery on his 2nd tour of duty in NF. The meetings grew and in the winter services were held on Wed. & Sun. nights in the Courthouse. However in the spring of 1776 Gov. John Montague banned further services and forbid anyone to rent space to the Dissenters. They continued however, to meet secretly on the barrens until winter forced them to seek rooms in the town. The next year they build the first Meeting House: the governor swore to tear it down and banish Jones to Placentia but the lease held good. Jones returned to England and obtained ordination at the hands of 9 Dissenting ministers, and accepted the call to become the first minister of ''The Dissenting Church of Christ at St Johns'', arriving back at St Johns in July 1779. Services were still banned however, and the congregation met in Jones' house while leading Independent clergymen argued the case in London and until the petition of Col. Pringle and other principal St Johns merchants was successful. A new meeting House was completed 1789. In 1799 John Jones suffered a stroke and had to retire: he died Mar 1 1800 age 63. In 1824 Rev. Daniel Ward arrived and stayed until his death 20 yrs later. In 1834 Christ Church, Quidi Vidi, a joint venture that lasted 8 yrs, was opened under the auspices of the Church of England, Methodist and Congregational churches. A new Meeting House (the Stone Chapel) was completed 1853 which was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1892. A new wooden church was opened 1895 on Queens Rd. In the mid 1920s the church was experiencing difficulties attracting a new minister from England, and was losing members to emigration to Canada and the USA. It was served from 1926-1932 by ministers from the new United Church of Canada (formed 1925). Rev Joseph Thackeray, a Congregational minister who had retired 1912, came out of retirement and served the congregation until 1937. The congregation joined the Presbyterian Church IN Canada 1938. The original parish records of the Congregational Church of St Johns are kept at St. Davids Presbyterian Church, Elizabeth Avenue, St Johns, NF.

NOTE: The writing in this Vital Statistics volume was difficult to read at times, and my uncertainty is indicated by ''?''. Please remember that my transcription is a COPY of a COPY and therefore the likelihood of errors is increased. Readers are well advised to consult the original records, held at St Davids Presbyterian Church, Elizabeth Avenue, St Johns, for confirmation.

NOTE: While the Baptismal records of this church begin 1780, the marriage records do not begin until 1802. I assume that this was when the Church was first permitted to perform marriage rites.

Corrected or updated by transcriber since original posting

Bride's marital status should be WIDOW; she was nee Mary Ann HENNEBURY, dau of William Hennebury & Mary Mallard, and was first married 1837 to Thomas LeBuff.