First Universalist Society in Salem, MA.

Nathaniel Frothingham was the most instrumental person in the founding of the Universalist faith in Salem. He invited Reverend John Murray to preach at his home in Salem in 1805, and that same year, the Universalist Society in Salem was formally organized. Two other early Universalist leaders in Salem were Jonathan Bickford and Reverend Hosea Ballou. The first Universalist service was held in the church on May 14, 1809. On June 22 of that same year, the church was dedicated and the minister, the Reverend Edward Turner, was installed.

From the guide to the Records, 1806-1955, (Andover-Harvard Library, Harvard Divinity School)