King Philip’s War/Metacom’s Rebellion Research Guide

Explore resources for understanding King Philip’s War, or Metacom’s Rebellion, at the Congregational Library & Archives

King Philip’s War, or Metacom’s Rebellion, began in 1675 in Plymouth Colony. Prior agreements between the Wampanoag and colonial governments included protection from encroaching settlers into Wampanoag territory. Increasingly, the English refused to honor their agreements and were taking more and more land. Plymouth Colony officials executed three Wampanoag men in the spring of 1675, which created a crisis of sovereignty for the Wampanoag and their leader, known as King Philip/Metacom. While the war started in Plymouth Colony, all of New England became involved, and some tribes (such as the Pequots and Mohegans) made alliances with the English and fought against the Wampanoag and their allies. The warfare reached from New York to Maine, and in northern New England fighting lasted for several years longer, ending in 1678 with the Treaty of Casco Bay.

The war profoundly shaped New England. Its effects are still visible all around us. Survivors were sold into slavery or pushed further north. Wampanoag and Narragansett villages were burned, and the English held public executions of captives. The English also captured Indigenous people who had converted to Christianity and interned them on Deer Island in Boston harbor where hundreds died from disease and starvation.

Historically, much of this narrative has been presented from the view of the colonizers, and that is reflected in the sources available. Congregational ministers such as Increase Mather interpreted the war in religious terms and described the outcome as providential, and profoundly shaped the way many people in New England would make meaning out of these events.

About This Guide

The Congregational Library & Archives has created this online resource guide to explore and better understand this history through the library’s collections and digital archive. The resource guide includes digitized collections of church records, histories of the war written from the perspective of the colonizers, sermons and speeches given during and on anniversaries of the war, and other documents related to King Phillip’s War/Metacom’s Rebellion.

In this research guide, you will find information about resources held at the Congregational Library & Archives and partner institutions related to King Phillip’s War/Metacom’s Rebellion. This research guide also includes a bibliography with secondary sources to provide further context about King Phillip’s War/Metacom’s Rebellion and links to other online projects and resources.

Note: Materials in these records contain outdated and harmful language.

Materials in the NEHH Digital Archive

Read primary source documents from the period of King Philip’s War/Metacom’s Rebellion in our New England’s Hidden Histories digital archive. Some of these documents are also available with transcriptions. Click on the link to view sermons in the digital archive.

Cotton Family. Sermons (1682-1782)

Three generations of Cottons were puritan ministers and leaders in early New England theological and political affairs. John Cotton Sr. (1585-1652) was born and educated in England. In 1633, he came to New England, was ordained at the First Church of Boston, and remained in Boston until his death. His son, John Cotton Jr. (1640-1699), graduated from Harvard in 1657 and was missionary to the Indians at Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, 1664-1667. He then settled in Plymouth where he was ordained and served as minister until 1697. Josiah Cotton (1680-1756) was the son of John Cotton Jr. and graduated from Harvard in 1698. He was a school teacher in Marblehead and Plymouth, and a missionary to Indigenous people from 1707-1744. Two volumes, dating to 1710 and 1711, contain five sermons Josiah Cotton delivered to local Native populations. The sermons are written in both English and Algonquian. The third volume includes a partial list of sermons attributed to the Cotton family, possibly penned by John Cotton Sr.

Eliot, John. Sermon Notes (1648-1680)

Rev. John Eliot (1604-1690) was born in Hertfordshire, England and came to Boston, Massachusetts in 1631. He settled in Roxbury and served as the minister at First Church in Roxbury until his death in 1690. In the 1640s, Eliot began learning the Algonquian language spoken by the Massachusett and preaching to them in “praying towns” established for their conversion to Christianity. By the 1660s, Eliot had translated and printed the Bible in Algonquian with the help of several Indigenous interpreters. During King Philip's War in 1675, Eliot petitioned the General Court to end the practice of selling captured Indigenous people into slavery in the Caribbean, arguing it was a cruel punishment that would hinder their conversion.

Gookin, Nathaniel. Sermon Notes (1683)

Rev. Nathaniel Gookin (1656-1692) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Daniel Gookin. He attended Harvard and graduated in the class of 1675. Gookin was ordained as the minister of the First Church in Cambridge in 1682. He remained the minister at First Church until his death at the age of 35 and was survived by his wife Hannah and their two children. Samuel Sewall noted in his diary that “He was one of our best Ministers, and one of the best Friends I had left.”

Mather Family. Papers (1613-1819)
TRANSCRIPTION AVAILABLE

This collection comprises papers of the Mather family, beginning with the family patriarch, Rev. Richard Mather (1596-1669), the first to emigrate from England to North America. Materials include both records created by members of the family and associated materials formerly in their keeping. They include an early draft of the "Cambridge Platform" and a defense of the platform's tenants entitled “An Answere of the Elders to certayne doubts” (circa 1651), both authored by the Rev. Richard Mather. There are also writings by his contemporaries, including Ralph Partridge's (1579-1658) "Modell of Church Discipline" and an essay by John Wilson (1588-1667).

Unknown Authors. Sermon Notes (1660-1694)
TRANSCRIPTION AVAILABLE

This manuscript volume, penned by at least one anonymous author, contains notes on sermons preached mainly at the First Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts between 1660 and 1694. Most of the initial sermons were delivered by the church’s resident minister Rev. Nathaniel Gookin, whose untimely illness and death in the summer of 1692 necessitated supply preaching by numerous others. These included some of the most well-known ministers in New England at the time, such as Reverends Samuel Angier, Samuel Moody, Benjamin Wadsworth, Samuel Willard, William Brattle, and Increase Mather.

Simsbury, Conn. First Church (1697-1713)
TRANSCRIPTION AVAILABLE

A religious society was formed in the new settlement of Simsbury, Connecticut, in 1670, with Rev. Samuel Stone appointed minister on May 30, 1673. The first meetinghouse was built in 1683, after a lengthy location dispute. A new and larger second meetinghouse was eventually constructed on Drake’s Hill in 1777. This was replaced by the current church building, at the same location, in 1830. The First Church of Christ Simsbury continues to serve the community today. This collection includes loose manuscript pages containing administrative information for the early years of the church.

Stonington, Conn. First Congregational Church of Stonington (1674-1879)

The First Congregational Church of Stonington, Connecticut was organized in 1674. Rev. James Noyes was ordained as the first minister that same year and served as minister until his death in 1719. The first meetinghouse was built in Stonington in 1661. The present meetinghouse was constructed in 1829. The First Congregational Church of Stonington is active today and is a member of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC). This collection contains five volumes of church records, which include admissions, dismissions, baptisms, marriages, deaths, disciplinary records, and meeting notes.

Boston, Mass. Old South Church (1669-1882)

The Old South Church originated when twenty-eight members of the First Church in Boston separated in 1669 to found the Third Church of Boston. In 1670, the congregation met for the first time in a building known as the Cedar Meetinghouse, which soon became known as South Church due to its location in the south end of town. The "Old" moniker was added in 1717 to distinguish the church from a newly-formed New South congregation. During the Unitarian Movement of the early nineteenth century, Old South was the sole Congregational church in Boston to adhere to the doctrine of Trinitarianism. The current Old South Church is a member of the United Church of Christ. Records within this collection include extensive meeting minutes, copies of official correspondence, member lists, and financial records, admissions, baptismal records, marriage records, and member rolls.

Boston, Mass. Second Church (1650-1815)

The Second Church of Boston was gathered in 1649, the second Congregational church formed by English settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This church was also historically referred to as the Old North Meeting House. Ministers at the Second Church included several members of the Mather family: Increase Mather, Cotton Mather, and Samuel Mather. In 1714, members of the church left to form the New North Church. The meetinghouse of the Second Church was destroyed by the British during the Revolutionary War, which caused the congregation to merge with the New Brick Church. In 1970, the First and Second Churches of Boston merged, and today it is a Unitarian Universalist church.

Cambridge, Mass. First Church (1638-1783)
TRANSCRIPTION AVAILABLE

Cambridge, Massachusetts, originally called Newe Towne and then Newtowne until 1638, was first settled in 1630. The first meetinghouse was erected in 1632. First Church was officially organized on February 1, 1636. By 1650, the first meetinghouse had fallen into disrepair, and the second meetinghouse was erected in the College Yard. By 1703, the second meetinghouse had also fallen into disrepair, and the town voted to begin construction on a third. Construction on the third meetinghouse was completed in 1706. In 1829, the congregation split over the widespread contemporary issue of Unitarianism. This resulted in the creation of the Unitarian "First Parish of Cambridge," while the Congregationalists retained the designation of "First Church of Cambridge." This collection contains a book of accounts and a number of manuscripts related to sermons preached there.

Hingham, Mass. First Parish (1635-1806)

The church in Hingham was first gathered in 1635 under Rev. Peter Hobart. Hobart was minister at First Parish until 1678. During Rev. John Norton's ministry, the congregation outgrew their first meetinghouse and began construction on a larger one in July 1681; this church building is still in use today. It is the oldest surviving English church building in the United States that has been in continuous use. Also known as the Old Ship Meeting House or Old Ship Church, the building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark. Today, First Parish is a Unitarian Universalist church.

Newbury, Mass. First Church (1634-1828)

The town of Newbury, Massachusetts, was first settled in 1635. The First Church was gathered in 1635, and construction on the first meetinghouse was completed the same year. In 1743, a group of parishioners left to form the First Episcopal Church. Between 1635 and 1806, five meetinghouses were constructed. The fifth was destroyed in a fire in 1868. The sixth, and final, meetinghouse was constructed in 1869. The First Church joined the United Church of Christ in 1961. In 1967, the church was renamed to the First Parish Church in Newbury, which continues to serve the Newbury community today. This collection contains the earliest church record book, ecclesiastical council records, church correspondence, and a ministers’ record book.

Northampton, Mass. First Church of Christ (1661-1846)

The First Church in Northampton, Massachusetts, was gathered on June 18, 1661 by representatives from the Churches of Christ from Dorchester, Roxbury, Springfield, and Hadley. In 1833, the congregation had grown large enough to warrant a new church, resulting in the formation of the Edwards Church. The congregation joined the United Church of Christ in 1957 and merged with Northampton's Baptist First Church in 1988 to form the First Churches of Northampton. This collection contains the earliest administrative record book for the church.

Norwell, Mass. First Parish Church (1642-1908)

The First Parish of Norwell traces its origins to the First Parish of Scituate, Massachusetts, which was established in 1634. In 1641, the congregation split during the ministry of the Rev. Charles Chauncy over a disagreement on whether baptism should consist of full immersion or mere "sprinkling." The Second Parish's first minister was the Rev. William Wetherell of Duxbury, who was ordained in 1645. In 1830, the fifth, and current, meetinghouse was built. The area encompassing the current church and town was incorporated as South Scituate in 1849, and changed again to Norwell in 1888. The First Parish of Norwell, a Unitarian Universalist affiliated church, continues to serve the community today. This collection contains church administrative records, financial records, society records, and a record book kept by the Rev. Samuel Deane.

Rowley, Mass. First Congregational Church (1664-1835)
TRANSCRIPTION AVAILABLE

The First Church of Rowley, Massachusetts was founded in 1639 by the Rev. Ezekiel Rogers and his followers, who had departed their Anglican church in Rowley, Yorkshire, UK in protest over lax Sabbath laws. Rev. Rogers was a notable puritan whose conservative zeal influenced the governance of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The church continues to serve their community today as a member of the United Church of Christ. This collection contains the earliest church, parish, and financial records of the church.

Salem, Mass. First Church (1629-1843)

The First Church of Salem, Massachusetts, founded in 1629, was one of the first churches organized in New England. Salem's church was the first truly Congregational parish with governance by church members. The population of Salem grew rapidly during the eighteenth century, resulting in the peaceful division of the First Church's congregation to form the East Church in 1719. After Rev. Samuel Fisk was ousted from his ministerial role, Fisk led his supporters to form another First Church in 1735, which was compelled to change its name to the Third Church in 1762. The original First Church split again over ministerial preference in 1772, leading to the creation of the North Church of Salem. The First Church and North Church reunited in 1923, and the East Church reunited with the First Church in 1956. The reunited church continues to serve their community today as the First Church in Salem, Unitarian Universalist. This collection contains the earliest administrative records of the church, church correspondence, pew sale records, and a copy of the 1780 church covenant.

Wenham, Mass. First Congregational Church (1643-1847)
TRANSCRIPTION AVAILABLE

In 1642, the first meetinghouse was constructed in Wenham, Massachusetts, and the First Congregational Church was established in 1644 with the Rev. John Fiske as its first minister. The Congregational Parish and Society was established in 1833 and remained active until the church was incorporated in 1925. The congregation is still active today as First Church in Wenham. This collection includes meeting minutes, vital records, ecclesiastical council results, and early town records.

Primary Source Print Materials at the CLA

Apess, William. On Our Own Ground: The Complete Writings of William Apess, a Pequot, edited and with an introduction by Barry O’Connell. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1992.

Church, Thomas. The Entertaining History of King Philip’s War: Which Began in the Month of June, 1675: As Also of Expeditions More Lately Made Against the Common Enemy, and Indian Rebels, in the Eastern Parts of New-England: With Some Account of the Divine Providence Towards Col. Benjamin Church (1716).

Drake, Samuel G. The History of King Philip’s War by the Rev. Increase Mather, D.D. Also, a History of the Same War, by the Rev. Cotton Mather, D.D. To Which are Added an Introduction and Notes, by Samuel G. Drake (Boston: 1862).

Mather, Increase. A Brief History of the War with the Indians in New-England.: From June 24, 1675. (When the First Englishman was Murdered by the Indians) to August 12, 1676. when Philip, alias Metacomet, the Principal Author and Beginner of the War, was Slain. Wherein the Grounds, Beginning, and Progress of the War, is Summarily Expressed. Together with a Serious Exhortation to the Inhabitants of that Land. (London: 1676).

Mather, Increase. Two Discourses Shewing, I. That the Lords Ears are Open to the Prayers of the Righteous. II. The Dignity & Duty of Aged Servants of the Lord. Also, a Preface in Which the Congregational Discipline of the Churches in New-England is Vindicated, with the Authors Dying Testimony There-Unto (Boston: 1716).

Rowlandson, Mary. A Narrative of the Captivity, Sufferings, and Removes, of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, who was Taken Prisoner by the Indians; With Several Others; and Treated in the Most Barbarous and Cruel Manner by the Wild Savages: With Many Other Remarkable Events During her Travels. / Written by her own Hand, for her Private Use, and Since Made Public at the Earnest Desire of Some Friends, and for the Benefit of the Afflicted (Boston: 1791).