Where a family sat in the meetinghouse was a measure of the social status of the male head of the household. A committee assigned pews based on wealth, military titles, and town offices held. Seating the meetinghouse became the subject of frequent legislation and social agitation. This seating chart of the meetinghouse in Deerfield, Massachusetts, was created shortly after the American Revolution. Men and women were no longer segregated and families sat together. Box pews with doors replaced the older backless benches. Many congregations began selling or renting pews to parishioners in this period.
Committee to Seat the Meeting House. Seating of the Meeting House. Map/Plan. January 7, 1788. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l99-111/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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