Increase Mather

Increase Mather (June 21, 1639 – August 23, 1723) was a Puritan educator and clergyman.

Related Topics:
June 21 - 1639 - August 23 - 1723 - Puritan

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Born in Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts the youngest son of the Rev. Richard Mather (1596–1669) and Catherine Hoult (1596–1655); Increase Mather entered Harvard University in 1651, and graduated in 1656. In 1657, on his eighteenth birthday, he preached his first sermon; and in the same year he went to visit his eldest brother, Samuel, in Dublin, Ireland where he studied at Trinity College: graduating in 1658 with an MA. He became chaplain to the English garrison at Guernsey from April through to December of 1659 and then again in 1661. During his second tenure as chaplain, a compromise was attempted of his Puritan ideals by way of a material bribe. Refusing to "conform", he was forced to return to the Colonies and embarked for Boston, Massachusetts in the same year.

Related Topics:
Dorchester - Suffolk County, Massachusetts - Richard Mather - Harvard University - 1651 - 1656 - 1657 - Dublin, Ireland - Trinity College - 1658 - MA - Chaplain - Garrison - Guernsey - 1659 - 1661 - Boston, Massachusetts

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