Dorchester Illustration 2577 James H. Means, 1823-1894
John Codman served the Second Church from 1808 until his death in 1847. He was succeeded by James H. Means.
Rev. James Howard Means, D.D., became the second minister of Second Church, a wish of Dr. Codman’s that his student assistant take his place when he died. Dr. Means had a 30 year ministry during which time the Civil War in this country took place.
James H. Means of Dorchester married Charlotte A. Johnson of Boston in Dorchester on May 20, 1849. In 1880, they lived on Washington Street, near Centre Street. The household included James, 56, Charlotte, 54, and their children: Miriam, 29; James, 26, a shoe manufacturer; Charles; 21, a clerk in woolens; and Frederick, 14.
The following is from The Clapp Memorial. Record of the Clapp Family in America … Ebenezer Clapp, compiler. (Boston: David Clapp & Son, 1876) in the entry for Joseph ,1774-1852.
Rev. James H. Means, D.D., was born in Boston, Dec. 13, 1823. He was the son of James and Joanna Means. He graduated at Harvard College in 1843 and at Andover Theological Seminary in 1847. Receiving a call to settle in the ministry at Dorchester, he was ordained July 13, 1848. Before the death, in 1847, of Rev. Dr. Codman, who had long been the minister of the Second Church there, Mr. Means was the candidate of his choice as successor to him in the pastoral office. How well he has fulfilled the expectations and made good the place of his predecessor, is attested by his long, harmonious and successful continuance in the office to which he was then unanimously chosen. In 1873, the church celebrated the 25th anniversary of his settlement, which was an occasion of great interest and the interchange of mutual love and esteem. Dr. Means has twice visited Europe since his ordination. For several years he was one of the school committee of the town. A sermon by him, delivered before his own people, Dec. 26, 1869, was published, and contains much interesting historical matter, more particularly in regard to the churches in Dorchester.
Among other works, Means published two historical discourses providing an overview of the history of the congregation and of Dorchester.
An Historical Discourse on Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Gathering of the Second Church, Dorchester, Delivered January 3, 1858. (Boston, 1858) https://archive.org/details/historicaldiscou00mean
Dorchester, Past and Present: A Sermon Preached in the Second Church, Dorchester, December 16, 1869. (Boston, 1870) https://archive.org/details/dorchesterpastpr00mean