"Firsts" at St. Paul's: William Goodrich's Pipe Organ
The first large organ at the Cathedral was built by the self-taught organ builder William M. Goodrich. Mr. Goodrich is now known by some as ‘the father of the Boston organ-building industry.’
Originally published on August 27, 2020.
The first large organ at the Cathedral was built by the self-taught organ builder William M. Goodrich. Mr. Goodrich is now known by some as ‘the father of the Boston organ-building industry.’ Mr. Goodrich was born in Templeton, Massachusetts in 1777, the son of Ebenezer Goodrich, a farmer in Templeton. William learned to make things while a young man. He repaired and cleaned clocks with another mechanic in town, Mr. Eli Bruce. It was during this time that William helped to construct a small organ with wooden pipes. He learned more about organ construction by making instruments with several other builders.
William Goodrich started constructing church organs himself around 1805 in Boston when he constructed a small instrument for what is now Holy Cross Cathedral. William later built a larger instrument for the Cathedral in 1822.
“The contract for the organ at St. Paul’s Church was signed in 1822, and a smaller organ, loaned to the church by Goodrich, was used while he planned and built the largest organ of his career. It was the first 3- manual & pedal organ to have been built in Boston at that time, and was not completed until the Spring of 1827. It had 26 speaking stops, one of which was a 17-note 16’ Open Diapason in the Pedal. The manual compass was 58 notes, GGG to f3. It was in a classical case 27’ high, 16’ wide and 9 ½’ deep. The building was described as the largest church in Boston at that time, and Goodrich was praised for constructing an organ of sufficient power for it. When the organ builders E. & G. G. Hook replaced the Goodrich organ in 1854, it was sold to Plymouth Congregational Church in Framingham, originally located in the gallery but later moved to a recess behind the pulpit. It remained in use until 1930, when it was replaced by a 3-manual Skinner organ. Skinner refused to salvage any pipework from it, and Goodrich’s magnum opus was presumably destroyed.” (from notes provided by organ historian Barbara Owen)
There is more information to be found in Barbara Owens book The Organ in New England. Much of the information in this short article is found in Ms. Owens’ book as well as an anonymous biographical memoir of William M. Goodrich found at wikisource.org.
- Louise Mundinger
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"Firsts" at St. Paul's - Baptism
Sarah Ann Parker was the first infant baptized at the newly consecrated St. Paul’s Church in Boston. Born on June 23, 1820, Sarah Ann was baptized on Sunday, September 10, 1820 by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Farmar Jarvis, Rector of St. Paul’s.
Originally published on July 30, 2020.
St. Paul’s “Firsts”
Sarah Ann Parker was the first infant baptized at the newly consecrated St. Paul’s Church in Boston. Born on June 23, 1820, Sarah Ann was baptized on Sunday, September 10, 1820 by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Farmar Jarvis, Rector of St. Paul’s. Sponsors included her parents Matthew Stanley and Ann Quincy Parker, and Matthew’s first cousin, Sarah Williams Parker, daughter of the second Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Samuel Parker. Bishop Parker was consecrated Bishop at Trinity Church in New York on September 14, 1804, but was prevented from serving in the role due to his untimely death from gout less than three months later (December 6, 1804). The Bishop’s grand niece Sarah Ann lived in Boston her entire life, marrying Samuel Andrews and raising a family in Roxbury. She died on the 8th of May 1904 in Boston, at the age of 83, and is buried in Hingham.
Asides: Matthew Stanley Parker, the baby Sarah’s father, was a cashier at the newly opened Suffolk Bank in Boston, and one of the founders of the Handel and Haydn Society whose goal was "cultivating and improving a correct taste in the performance of Sacred Music, and also to introduce into more general practice, the works of Handel , Haydn , and other eminent composers."
Also, Sarah Williams Parker, daughter of Bishop Parker, was married to Samuel Hale Parker, Matthew’s brother and thus the bride’s first cousin. In his personal notes regarding parish sacraments, Rev. Jarvis noted both distinctions: “daughter of Bishop P” and “Wife of Samuel Hale Parker.”
The marble font in the picture to the left is from 1851 and is not the one used for Sarah's baptism. It has been a witness to countless baptism here at the Cathedral. The font, now located in Lower Sproat Hall, was designed by Richard Upjohn, whose family moved from England to Boston in 1829. The font was carved by J. Carew.
-Myra Anderson
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