During the Puritan era, Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643), became influential in Boston, and opened her home to the great classes of women. 

It is estimated that up to eighty by overflowing the doors of his house, at one time in Boston had a population of approximately 1,000 people. These meetings grew rapidly, and soon men, too, began to attend. Among his loyal followers was Henry Vane, who served for a short time as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Within two years of his arrival from England, he had the strongest consistency of any leader in the entire colony. 

His large number of followers, coupled with his strong exegetic and homiletic abilities, deep Christian commitment and deep understanding of spiritual truths, may have incurred the jealousy of several New England ministers, who became quite uncomfortable with his successes that He was accused of heresy and banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638.