Historical Highlights April 2023 – Communion Platter from Rev. Daniel Emerson’s Ordination April 20, 1743

This month, April 2023 marks the 280^th anniversary of the ordination of Rev. Daniel Emerson as the first settled pastor of our church! It happened on April 20, 1743, which is the date used by the church as the anniversary date of our church’s beginning.

The church has changed dramatically in its 280-year history in every sense. Physically, our Meetinghouse is the 4^th church building to stand on its site. However, there is one artifact in the church that matches the age of the church’s beginning: the 280+ years old communion platter used as part of Rev. Daniel Emerson’s ordination on display in the Narthex. Given that the church burned down in 1923 with few items surviving that fire, we are fortunate that at the time of the fire, the platter was in the possession of the Lovejoy/Bancroft family.

Mrs. Lulu Bancroft of Pepperell generously gifted the pewter communion platter to the church. Mrs. Bancroft’s ancestry traces back to Jonathan Lovejoy who was born in Andover, Massachusetts in 1719. He came to Hollis in 1743, on the day Rev. Emerson was ordained. Jonathan Lovejoy was one of the earliest families to settle in Hollis and is buried in the Hollis Church Cemetery.

The fourth generation of Jonathan Lovejoy’s family left the communion platter to their daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, born in 1847 and who married John Smith.  Sarah was the mother of Mrs. Lulu Smith Bancroft. The platter had been in Mrs. Bancroft’s family for over 200 years until her donation. Go to https://hollischurch.org/wp-content/church_uploads/CommunionPlatterArticle.pdf to read the newspaper article regarding the platter donation by Mrs. Bancroft.

In celebration of our 280^th anniversary, take a moment to check out the beautiful communion platter on display in the Narthex and reflect on the significance the piece holds in our church history!