The Unitarian Church of Barnstable has donated its early records to the Sturgis Library in the hopes that one day the library can make the hand-written ledgers and notebooks of daily colonial life available to the public. The records contain the births, deaths, marriages, taxes on pews and business dealings of early settlers.

If nothing else, the records should be a reminder of how comfortable life is today compared to 1646, when the first meeting house in the parish was built. Separate seats were assigned for "Indians" and "Negroes," according to a historical booklet by church historian Scott Allan.

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