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Charles Chauncey Wells is an authority on Boston burying grounds and has published Boston's Copp's Hill Burying Ground Guide and Preachers, Patriots & Plain Folks: Boston's Guide to King's Chapel, Granary, and Central Cemeteries. This third book with Steven Fanning details New North Church and its complete history and records from 1812-1870, plus the history of St. Stephen's Catholic Church, which purchased the building in 1863. His cousin, Deacon John Wells, was a coppersmith and deacon of the church. His ancestor, Thomas Wells, blacksmith, was baptized and married there and participated in the Boston Tea Party of 1773. An uncle, also named Charles Wells, was a bricklayer and was Boston's mayor in 1832/3.He has a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University, was a lieutenant in Vietnam, and worked as an editor for The Chicago Tribune be-fore working in mergers and acquisitions of TV, radio, and newspapers for 23 years. He is presi- dent of Chauncey Park Press and Wells Printing Co., is a Rotarian and Freemason. Steven Fanning, Ph.D. is a historian specializing in late antiquity, the Middle Ages and mysticism. He recently retired as associate professor of med-ieval history at University of Illinois at Chicago, where he received two Silver Circle Awards for teaching excellence. He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in History from Texas Tech University and a doctorate in medieval history from the University of Minnesota. He is the author of A Bishop and His World before the Gregorian Reform, Hubert of Angers, 1006-1047 (1987) and Mystics of the Christian Tradition (2001), and is the co-translator of The Annals of Flodoard of Reims, 919-966 (2004). He lives in Oak Park, IL, is active at Grace Episcopal Church, and lectures on near death experiences, healing prayer, and mysticism. He transcribed all of the Book III New North Church records for this book and contributed the chapter on Unitarianism at New North.
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