Nicholas Loring (September 1, 1711 – July 31, 1763) was an American Congregational minister who served as the second pastor of the "Old Ledge" meetinghouse in what was then North Yarmouth, Province of Massachusetts Bay (now

Yarmouth, Maine Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, twelve miles north of the state's largest city, Portland. When originally settled in 1636, as North Yarmouth, it was part of Massachusetts, and remained as such for 213 years. In 1849, ...

). He died while in the 28th year of his tenure."North Yarmouth, Maine. First Church"
–

Congregational Library & Archives The Congregational Library & Archives is an independent special collections library and archives. It is located on the second floor of the Congregational House at 14 Beacon Street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The Lib ...

Early life

Loring was born on September 11, 1711, the son of John Loring and June Baker. His father died eight years after Nicholas' birth, aged 38. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1732.

Career

In 1736, Loring was ordained the second pastor of the new Meetinghouse under the Ledge, in what was then North Yarmouth, Province of Massachusetts Bay (now

). He succeeded Ammi Ruhamah Cutter, who was relieved of his duties due to his liberal theology.

Personal life

Loring married Mary Richmond (1713–1803) on February 16, 1737, in Little Compton,

Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until ...

. The daughter of colonel Silvester Richmond,''The Richmond Family: 1594–1896 and Pre-American Ancestors 1040–1594''
– Joshua Bailey Richmond, p. 19 Mary received a female house servant as part of her wedding gift. The

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, Belinda, was part of Mary's will. The Lorings had ten children: Richmond, Bezaleel, Levi, Lucretia (the mother of physician

Ammi Ruhamah Mitchell Ammi Ruhamah Mitchell (May 8, 1762 – May 14, 1824) was an 18th- and 19th-century American physician. He also served ten years in the Massachusetts Legislature. Early life and education Mitchell was born on May 8, 1762, in North Yarmouth, Maine ...

), Mary, Elizabeth, Rachel, Thomas, Nicholas and Jeremiah. Thomas, Levi and Jeremiah purchased land and built homes in the Walnut Hill area of North Yarmouth, becoming some of the earliest settlers.

Death

Loring died on July 31, 1763, aged 51. He is interred in the

Ledge Cemetery Ledge Cemetery, also known as the Cemetery under the Ledge,''Collections and Proceedings of the Maine Historical Society'', Maine Historical Society (1899), p. 76 is a historic cemetery in Yarmouth, Maine, Yarmouth, Maine, United States. Dating t ...

, a few yards from his church. He would have been one of the first burials there after bodies were moved from the nearby Pioneer Cemetery in 1770. His wife survived him by fifty years; she died on September 15, 1803, aged 89. Loring was succeeded at the Old Ledge Meetinghouse by Rev. Edward Brooks.Edward Brooks
–

The Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

in the State of New Hampshire

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loring, Nicholas 1711 births 1763 deaths People of colonial Massachusetts People of colonial Maine American Christian clergy People from Hull, Massachusetts People from North Yarmouth, Maine Harvard College alumni Burials in Maine People of pre-statehood Maine