View source for Episcopal Eastern Diocese

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At the founding of [[Episcopal Church (United States)|The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States]], all of New England was considered one [[diocese]] &mdash; the [[Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut|Diocese of Connecticut]] &mdash; led by Bishop [[Samuel Seabury (bishop)|Samuel Seabury]]. In 1811, the congregations in Massachusetts petitioned the General Convention to form a separate diocese consisting of the states of [[Massachusetts]] (including [[Maine]]), [[Rhode Island]], [[New Hampshire]], and [[Vermont]].  Titled the '''Eastern Diocese''' of the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America]], its first bishop was [[Alexander Viets Griswold]].

[[Episcopal Diocese of Vermont|Vermont]] elected its own bishop in 1832, and separated from the Eastern Diocese. [[Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire|New Hampshire]] also separated in 1832. The Eastern Diocese ceased to exist in 1843, when [[Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island|Rhode Island]] and [[Episcopal Diocese of Maine|Maine]] also elected bishops, following the death of Bishop Griswold.

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
*[[Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts]]
*[[List of Episcopal bishops]]
*{{section link|Ecclesiastical provinces and dioceses of the Episcopal Church|Dioceses no longer in existence}}

==References==
* Albright, Raymond W. (1964). ''A History of the Protestant Episcopal Church'', New York:Macmillan. pp.&nbsp;165ff
* Julia Chester Emery, [https://archive.org/details/alexandervietsgr00emer Alexander Viets Griswold and the Eastern Diocese (1921)]

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[[Category:Dioceses of the Episcopal Church (United States)|Eastern]]
[[Category:Episcopal church buildings in Massachusetts| ]]
[[Category:Former Anglican dioceses]]
[[Category:Religion in New England]]
[[Category:Organizations disestablished in 1843]]


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