Article. To see if the parish will alter the singer seats in their meeting house for the better accommodation of their singing choir according to a plan which shall be laid before the said meeting and raise a sum of money for that purpose -
Article. To see if they will authorize and instruct their parish committee to take measures to prevent the unnecessary defacing and injuring their meeting house by designing persons.

By complying with the above request you will greatly oblige yr mst obt svt [signed] Robert W. Burnham } one of the legal voters in said Parish Essex M28-1840

1. to choose a moderator,
2. to choose all necessary parish officers
3. decide how much money to raise for the support of Rev. Robert Crowell and other parish expenses.
4. decide how much compensation to give the parish officers
5. decide how parish lands will be improved,
6. see what method they will adapt to clear the incumbrances from their lawful way to their pasture land.
7. see what time they will direct their collectors to settle with their Treasurer.

To the assessors of the first parish in the town of Essex - gentlemen, The subscribers being inhabitants of and voters in the first parish in the town of Essex hereby request you to call a meeting of said parish to be held on Monday the 7 day of February next at 1 o'clock PM to act upon the following articles, viz.

1. To chose a moderator to preside at the meeting
2. To see if the parish will raise or hire a sum of money not exceeding five hundred dollars to purchase an organ for the use of the parish and to pass any votes respecting the same they may think proper
3. To see if the parish will make any repairs or alterations in their Meeting House. And raise or hire money for that purpose or
4. To see if the parish will dispose of their present Meeting house and build a new house for publick worship. And raise or hire money for that purpose. And pass such notes as may be necessary to carry the same into effect.

1. to choose a moderator
2. to see if the parish will sell and dispose of their parish lands, for the purpose of raising money to enable the parish to remodel their meetinghouse. (Provided the parish and the minister shall give their assent) and for the purpose of an organ for the use of the Society.

The committee chosen by the Parish at their meeting of the 7th inst. to report a plan of alteration in their meeting house and to estimate the expense of such alteration and to learn the situation of the Parish in regard to accommodations in this house, together with the expediency of purchasing an organ for the use of the Parish, respectfully report the following:

The plan of alteration is to floor over the house about 8 feet above the present floor leaving about 17 feet in the 2d storie to be occupied as the meeting house to contain 72 pews on the floor, gallery accross the south end for singers, pulpit at the north end, the expense of which including the chimneys and furnaces for warming the house, and the finish of the lower storie for a Town house we think will not exceed 1550$ (for particulars we refer you to the plan which will be exhibited), we find in looking over the Parish that 27 families own pews or parts of pews and 48 families that do not own pews or parts of pews. The whole number of pews owned by members of the Parish as near as we can tell are 36 and 37 are owned by somebody else. This surely is a bad state of things more than one half of the pews owned out of the Parish. The committee are slow to believe it good policy for this parish to drive another nail in this house until it becomes a Parish House. In considering that part of our duty relative to the purchase of an organ the committee agree that it will awaken and deepen an interest in Sacred music.
[signed] Caleb Cogswell, John Choate, Francis Burnham, Wm [-]. Isaac [-]} committee

First Parish in the Town of Essex Dr. to Caleb Cogswell April 30, 1842

Going to Ipswich to buy lumber 3/ one day to Salem to buy lumber 6/ passage 4/6	2.25
one day buying timber in Essex 6/ shoveling & storing sand 3/	1.50
one day to Boston to buy furnace 6/ passage for two 2.85 expenses 58 cts	4.43
Teaming sand & water ½ day 3/9 teaming and storing sand 1 day 7/6	1.87
Tending masons ½ day 3/9 going to Ipswich to examine furnace 4/6	1.37
one day to Salem to get sashes & buy lumber 6/ expenses 1/6	1.25
1 2/3 gross screws 1.18 5 lb clapboard nails 30 cts, one lb glue 18 cts	1.66
½ day to Manchester for Mahogany 3/ horse & waggon to Manchester 3/	1.00
one day to Salem to get load of lumber 6/ expenses on the road 55 cts	1.55
paid J. Choate for 4 inch plank 3/4 one day to Salem to buy paint & oil 6/ [-] 3/	2.06
5 lbs whiting 15 cts 2 cts for red 5 lbs clapboard nails 35 cts 33 lb sheet lead 2.15	2.67
horse & waggon to Ipswich for painter 3/9 2½ days work painting at 7/6	3.74
2 lb glue 40 cts 5 days work painting 6.25 1 gal spirits 3/4 ½ gal Jappan 4/	7.88
1 gal spirits ½ gal Jap 1 quart var [varnish]	1.97
passage to Salem for line & funl expenses .87	2.84
11 panes glass 88 cts 1 gal spirits 46 1 qt var ; 75 1 paper black 8 cts 1 lb white 3	2.30
3 b[-]ts 9 cts 4 days works painting 5$ 3½ lbs nails 19, 4 brass buttons & screws 3/	2.30
4 days works 4$ 6 cts for toll 1 days work 6/ 3 days works	3.00
pd Epes Story for plank $1.45	9.51
3½ lbs 30 pn nails 19, 1 casklin[-] & freight 1.20, pd Knowlton for teaming 3/	1.89
pd Aaron Cogswell for teaming 6/ 1 days work 6/
door handle & hinges 1.35 lock lead & nails $1.14	4.49	61.47
To 1 coal hod & poker 7/6	1.25
freight of furnace 10/6	1.75
four brass knobs at 2	.08
to paper & postage on letter 3/	.50
2½ days works fixing lower part meet house	2.50
two thresholds 1/6 of G. [-]. Burnham	.25	67.80
paid Capt. Low $1.20 for team	1.20
paid Capt. Burnham 1/6 for paying money in Salem	.25
paid on sundry bills $4.42 paid on bill .55	4.97
paid Thomas Griggs for [-] .	.37
paid Grover Dodge team	.87	75.09
paid David Choate for [-]	2.99	78.08

Recd payt [signed] Caleb Cogswell } for the committee

1. to choose a moderator,
2. to see if the parish will sell and dispose of their parish lands by deed for the purpose of raising money to enable the parish to remodel their meeting house (provided the minister and the parish shall give their assent)

We the undersigned do hereby acknowledge ourselves to have received of the treasurer of the first parish in Essex the amount set to our respective names in full for our several interests in the pews of the meeting house of the said Parish, the number of which also stand against our names Essex Dec 27. 1842

On the lower floor
no. of pew	[signature]	sum rec'd		no. of pew	[signature]	sum rec'd
5	Lucy Cogswell	$ 6.00		4	Warren Carter	.50
2	Ebenezer Haskell	6.00		43	Abigail Cogswell	6.00
[-]1	Winthrop Burnham	6.00		10	Sarah Story	3.00
51	Luke Burnham	5.00		1	Susan Burnham	3.00
42	Ezra Perkins	7.00		20	Francis Burnham	6.00
10	Thomas Holmes	3.00		½ of 39	Francis Burnham	3.00
27	Zebulon Burnham	3.60		1/3 of 15	Jonathan Eveleth	5.00
27	Susan Burnham	1.80		1/3 of No.15	due to Thomas Choates widow
27	Anna Burnham	3.60		45	Winthrop Low	3.00
38	Solomon Choate	6.00		30	Betsey Story	4.50
34	Mary Choate	9.00		20	Warren L[-]	6.00
11	Daniel Norton	3.00		7  }	Amos Burnham	4.00
36	Nehemiah Dodge	9.00		}	Alfred Burnham	3.00
14	John S. Burnham	6.00		24 & 37	Hatti Burnham	5.00
3[-]	William Marshall	7.00		No. 6	Josiah Burnham	4.00
25	John Burnham	6.00
4	Jacob Burnham	4.50

I hereby certify that the foregoing copy of the Appraisement of pews in the Old meeting house of the first parish in Essex is correct. Essex, Feb 11, 1843 [signed] Samuel Burnham } parish clerk

[Reverse]

We the undersigned hereby acknowledge ourselves to have receive the sum set to our several names in full for our interests in the pews of the meeting house of the North Parish in the town of Essex as valued by a committee appointed for that purpose - Essex Dec 1843

No.		$		No.		$
16	John Dexter by C. Dexter	6.00		30	Jona Story 3d	4.50
5		1.00		45	Susanna Story	1.00
	John F. Burnham	3.00			Aaron Burnham for the heirs	7.00
10	Samuel Burnham	1.00		Gallery pews
6	Samuel Burnham for Abel Andrews	1.00			Joshua Low for Mary Burnham	1.00

I, Solomon Choate of Henniker in the County of Merrimack and state of New Hampshire, gentleman, in consideration of the love and good will which he has unto the inhabitants of the first Parish in the town of Essex in the County of Essex, does by these presents grant unto to inhabitants their heirs and assigns to a certain piece of land situated in said town of Essex containing in my own right six square rods more or less lying in common and undivided with certain proprietor or proprietors to me unknown. The whole proprietorship is bounded Northeasterly by the County road, southeasterly by land of Nathaniel Holmes southwesterly by land formerly of Thomas Emerton and northwesterly by land on which said parish meeting house now stands, or however otherwise the same may be bounded.

Capt. Samuel Burnham. To the First Parish in Essex, Dr. To pew rent for the quarter beginning Nov. 4, 1845 in advance $3.50. Essex, Nov. 4, 1845. Received payment
[signed] D. Choate, Treasurer of said Parish.

Capt. Samuel Burnham. To the First Parish in Essex, Dr. To tax for parish debt $5.18. Essex, Nov 4, 1845. Received payment
[signed] D. Choate, collector of said Parish

1. to choose a moderator
2. to choose all necessary officers
3. to see what measures they will take to adjust their accounts
4. to see what to pay the minister
5. to see what compensation to allow for officers
6. to see if they will take any measures to finish the basement storie of their meeting house and repair and paint the outside, and raise money for that purpose
7. to see how they will warm their house when the wind is west.

To the committee of the First Parish in the Town of Essex

We the undersigned respectfully represent that sundry repairs are necessary to be made on the first Parish meeting house in said Essex, to wit, the porch on the North end to be taken off the windows in said end to be taken out, the windows in the basement to be replaced by the same size of those in front, the whole end to be clapboarded anew, south end to be striped [sic] of its present covering, all unnecessary windows to be taken out, bell deck to be new laid, the whole end in its present form to be new clapboarded, chimney in said house to be so altered as to carry smoke, the out side of the house to be painted. We therefore pray your honorable body to grant a warrent for a parish meeting for the purposes afforesaid (and also for the purpose of raising a sum of money sufficient for the payment of Parish debts) To be holden on Monday the twenty seventh day of July inst, at two o'clock P.M. and as in duty bound would ever pray Essex July 16th 1846
[signed] Samuel Burnham, H.C. Cogswell, Humphrey Burnham, U. G. Spofford, Jeremiah Cogswell, Philemon S. Eveleth

1. to choose a moderator
2. to see if they will make and repairs and alterations on their meetinghouse and paint the outside and raise or hire money for the same.
3. to see if they will raise a sum of money sufficient to pay the Parish debts.

1. to choose a moderator,
2. to choose all necessary parish officers
3. decide the amount of Rev. Robert Crowell's salary,
4. see if they will repair and paint the outside of the meeting house,
5. see if they will make any improvements or alterations on the "basement storie" and chimney of their meeting house
6. see if they will clear their Parish lands from all incumbrances