Increase Mather
| Increase Mather | |
|---|---|
Increase Mather in 1688, when he was in London. Portrait by John van der Spriett
|
|
| Born |
June 21, 1639 Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony |
| Died | August 23, 1723 (aged 84) Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Occupation | Minister and author |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Cotton Ann Cotton |
| Children | Cotton Mather |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Increase Mather (June 21, 1639 O.S. – August 23, 1723 O.S.) was a major figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay (now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts). He was a Puritan minister who was involved with the government of the colony, the administration of Harvard College, and most notoriously, the Salem witch trials. He was the son of Richard Mather, and the father of Cotton Mather, both influential Puritan ministers.
Mather was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on June 21, 1639 to Rev. Richard Mather and Kathrine Holt Mather, following their participation in the Great Migration from England due to nonconformity with the Church of England. He was the youngest of six brothers, the others being: Samuel, Nathaniel, Eleazar, Joseph, and Timothy. Three of his brothers (Samuel, Nathaniel and Eleazar) also became ministers.
In 1651 Mather was admitted to Harvard University where he roomed with and studied under Robert Massey. When he graduated in 1656 with a B.A., he began to train for the ministry and gave his first sermon on his 18th birthday. He quickly left Massachusetts and went to Ireland, where he studied at Trinity College, Dublin for an M.A.. He graduated in 1659, and spent the next 3 years as a chaplain attached to a garrison in the Channel Islands.
...
Wikipedia