A Short List of Historical Quaker Sites in the US
- CONNECTICUT Quaker Farms Historic District ...
- DELAWARE Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation ...
- INDIANA Levi Coffin House ...
- IOWA Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Information ...
- MAINE Quaker Tavern B&B - Inn ...
- MASSACHUSETTS The East Hoosuck Quaker Meeting House ...
- NEW JERSEY Historic Haddonfield, NJ ...
- NEW YORK David Barker Home ...
Where did the Quakers settle in the colonies?
By 1750, Quakers lived across the colonies, with settlements in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware, New York, Maryland, and both North and South Carolina. In addition, Quakers heavily settled in both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey colonies, and controlled the former both culturally and politically.
Who were the Quakers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania?
Quakers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The first Friends who settled along the Delaware River were John Fenwick, Edward Wade, John Wade, and Richard Noble. They formed a settlement at Salem, New Jersey, in 1675. In 1681, King Charles II granted William Penn, a Quaker, a charter for the area that was to become Pennsylvania.
How many Quakers are in North America?
Quakers in North America constitute approximately 21% of Quakers worldwide (2012), according to the online Quaker Information Center. Quakers (or Friends) are from Pennsylvania members of a Christian religious movement that started in England in the 17th century, and has spread throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America.
Did the Quakers participate in the Revolutionary War?
Nevertheless, a sizable number of Quakers still participated in the conflict in some form, and dealt with the repercussions of doing so. By 1750, Quakers lived across the colonies, with settlements in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware, New York, Maryland, and both North and South Carolina.
See 7 key topics from this page & related content
Are there any Quakers left in the United States?
There are about 75,000 Quakers in the U.S., but they have had, in many ways, an outsized impact on social equality.
Where are Quakers located in the United States?
They practice unprogrammed worship. Many of them adhere to the traditional standards of "plainness" in speech and dress (see Testimony of Simplicity). Their meetings are not part of any larger groups. They are found primarily in Iowa, Ohio, and North Carolina.
What happened to the Quakers in America?
They were imprisoned and banished by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Their books were burned, and most of their property was confiscated. They were imprisoned under terrible conditions, then deported. Some Quakers in New England were only imprisoned or banished.
What are Quakers called now?
Quakers are members of a group with Christian roots that began in England in the 1650s. The formal title of the movement is the Society of Friends or the Religious Society of Friends.
Are Amish Quakers?
1. Amish is a belief based on simplicity and strict living, unlike the Quakers who typically are liberals. 2. The Amish religion has priests, while Quakers believe that as everyone has a connection with God they don't need a priest to preside over any ceremony.
Are Quakers still active today?
Quaker Religion Today Today, there are more than 300,000 Quakers around the world, by some estimates, with the highest percentage in Africa.
Are there any famous Quakers?
Richard Nixon is another of the famous quakers. His fathered converted to the religion and raised his son with the same values. We know Bonnie Raitt is a passionate Quaker, because she wrote about her Quaker faith in an editorial for O Magazine. Other notable women who are Quakers include Judi Dench and Joan Baez.
Do Quakers celebrate Christmas?
The evening's only Yuletide touches will be caroling before the service, and fake evergreen sprigs on the meeting room's windowsills. Quakers are Christian, but their faith as well as their approach to Christmas is guided by principles such as simplicity and equality rather than religious doctrine.
Are Quakers still active today?
Quaker Religion Today Today, there are more than 300,000 Quakers around the world, by some estimates, with the highest percentage in Africa.
What percent of Pennsylvania are Quakers?
And though Quakers currently number less than 1 percent of the Keystone State's population, they hope to have an impact far beyond their numbers in Tuesday's Democratic primary.
Why did Quakers move to NC?
Quakers moved to North Carolina to be close to fellow believers and to escape the persecution they had faced in England and Massachusetts. They had common goals and concerns and often presented a common voice to the government of the colonies.
Are there any famous Quakers?
Richard Nixon is another of the famous quakers. His fathered converted to the religion and raised his son with the same values. We know Bonnie Raitt is a passionate Quaker, because she wrote about her Quaker faith in an editorial for O Magazine. Other notable women who are Quakers include Judi Dench and Joan Baez.
Who were the first Quakers to settle in the New World?
The arrival of the Quakers. Mary Fisher and Ann Austin are the first known Quakers to set foot in the New World. They traveled from England to Barbados in 1655 and then went on to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to spread the beliefs of the Friends among the colonists.
Where are Quakers from?
Quakers in North America constitute approximately 21% of Quakers worldwide (2012), according to the online Quaker Information Center. Quakers (or Friends) are members of a Christian religious movement that started in England in the 17th century, and has spread throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America.
Why did Quakers settle in Rhode Island?
Many Quakers settled in Rhode Island, due to its policy of religious freedom, as well as the British colony of Pennsylvania which was formed by William Penn in 1681 as a haven for persecuted Quakers.
Why did Quakers come to America?
Some Quakers originally came to North America to spread their beliefs to the British colonists there, while others came to escape the persecution they experienced in Europe. The first known Quakers in North America arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1656 via Barbados, and were soon joined by other Quaker preachers who converted many ...
Why did Quakers split into different groups?
Quakers in North America are diverse in their beliefs and practices. Friends there have split into various groups because of disagreements throughout the years. Liberal Friends emphasize the Inner Light as a source of inspiration and guidance.
Why did the Quakers leave Massachusetts?
Nicholas became a Friend himself and began spreading Friends' beliefs in Massachusetts. Due to the intolerance of the Puritans, the Quakers eventually left the Massachusetts bay colonies and migrated to the more tolerant colonies in Rhode Island.
What are the Five Principles of Quakers?
There is a small group of Free Quakers in Indiana who continue the tradition of the Five Principles (Inner Light, peace, simplicity, justice, stewardship) and the Five Freedoms (from creeds, from clergy, from public worship, from organized membership, from evangelization).
Where did the Quakers live?
By 1750, Quakers lived across the colonies, with settlements in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware, New York, Maryland, and both North and South Carolina. In addition, Quakers heavily settled in both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey colonies, and controlled the former both culturally and politically.
Where was the Quaker meeting held?
In August 1777 American General John Sullivan supposedly discovered a letter from the (fictitious) Quaker Yearly Meeting at Spanktown, NJ (modern-day Rahway) that contained movements and information on American military forces.
How many Quakers were disowned from the faith?
Historian Arthur J. Mekeel calculates that between 1774 and 1785 1,724 Quakers were disowned from the faith for participating in the Revolution in some way, shape or form.
Why did Quakers leave the Pennsylvania Assembly?
By the second half of the eighteenth century, many Quakers held positions of authority in the Pennsylvania Assembly. However, the onset of the French and Indian War caused most Quaker members to leave their governing positions. This experience encouraged many within the faith to forsake external success and instead focus on religious reform. Consequently, Pennsylvania Quakers became much more strict concerning their congregation's conduct, and expelled increasingly more members for such offenses. Other Quaker communities soon followed Pennsylvania's example.
Why did Quakers refuse to support the war?
Quakers who refused to support the war often suffered for their religious beliefs at the hands of non-Quaker Loyalists and Patriots alike. Some Friends were arrested for refusing to pay taxes or follow conscription requirements, particularly in Massachusetts near the end of the war when demand for new recruits increased. However, substantially more Quakers experienced economic hardship. Throughout the war, British and American forces seized both Quaker and Non-Quaker goods for their armies, yet Non-Quaker authorities throughout the colonies seized additional property from Quakers, both for refusing to pay taxes and occasionally for opposing the war effort.
What were the issues that the Quakers faced during the American Revolution?
The American Revolutionary War created significant issues for the Quakers and their pacifism. The population of Pennsylvania could no longer be controlled or kept from conflict - for example, groups of Philadelphians began to assemble as informal militias in direct violation of the Pennsylvania Assembly. With the publication of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Quaker communities all across the colonies were forced to deal with a situation that could no longer be resolved without violence.
Why were the Free Quakers expelled?
The Free Quakers were expelled for violating the Peace Testimony, but after the Revolution founded a short-lived sect of Quakerism based on those principles. Several notable figures in the American Revolution were also Quakers.
History in the United States
Quakers, also called Friends, are a historically Christian denomination whose formal name is the Religious Society of Friends or Friends Church. The movement started in England in the 17th century, and has spread throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America.
Finding the Records
Some records have been digitized and posted online, where they are easily searched. More are being added all the time. Partner websites such as Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, MyHeritage, and American Ancestors can be searched free-of-charge at any Family History Center.
Correspond with or visit the actual churches
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
Information in the Records
Records are found in "monthly meeting" records. Most Quaker meeting records include births, marriages and deaths as well as certificates of removal when a member moved from one congregation (meeting) to another.
Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles.
Why did Quakers come to America?
Some Quakers came to North America in the early days because they wanted to spread their beliefs to the British colonists there, while others came to escape the persecution that they were experiencing in Europe. The first known Quakers in North America were missionaries who arrived there in 1656. Soon other Quaker preachers arrived, many colonists converted to Quakerism, and Quakers from Europe migrated there. The colony of Rhode Island, with its policy of religious freedom, was a frequent destination, as the Friends were persecuted by law in Massachusetts until 1681. The British colony of Pennsylvania was formed by William Penn in 1681 as a haven for persecuted Quakers. Quakers also spread into Mexico and Central America. Also known as Mexican Quakers.
Who were the Quakers?
Mary Fisher and Ann Austin are the first known Quakers to set foot in the New World. They journeyed from England to Barbados in 1656 and then went on to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Their purpose was to spread the beliefs of the Friends among the colonists.
What happened to the Quakers in Massachusetts?
In Puritan-run Massachusetts the women were persecuted. They were imprisoned and their books were burned. Only one man, Nicholas Upsall, was kind to them during their imprisonment. Nicholas became a Friend himself and began spreading Friends beliefs in Massachusetts. Due to the intolerance of the Puritans, the Quakers eventually left the Massachusetts bay colonies and migrated to the more tolerant colonies in Rhode Island.
Where did Nicholas Upsall take refuge?
Nicholas Upsall was banished from Boston and took refuge in the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts. It was there that he helped to found the first Monthly Meeting of Friends in the United States. It began meeting in 1657 at the home of William and Priscilla Allen. Besides the Allens and Upsall those in attendance included Richard Kerbey and Elizabeth Newland.
Who was the first Quaker to establish a meeting in the colony?
He advertised the policy across Europe so that Quakers and other religious dissidents would know that they could live there safely. On November 10, 1681, Robert Wade established the first Monthly Meeting in the colony at his home. It eventually became the Chester Monthly Meeting.
Where are religious societies of friends?
Yearly Meetings of Friends exist in Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, and the United States.
Who founded the Quakers?
Quaker Religion Today. The Religious Society of Friends, also referred to as the Quaker Movement, was founded in England in the 17th century by George Fox. He and other early Quakers, or Friends, were persecuted for their beliefs, which included the idea that the presence of God exists in every person.
What Is a Quaker?
Quakerism continued to spread across Britain during the 1650s, and by 1660 there were around 50,000 Quakers, according to some estimates.
What was the central idea of the Quakers?
Central to their beliefs was the idea that everyone had the Light of Christ within them. Fox spent much of the 1660s behind bars, and by the 1680s thousands of Quakers across the British Isles had suffered decades of whippings, torture and imprisonment.
What were the Quakers ordered to do?
Quakers were also early abolitionists. In 1758, Quakers in Philadelphia were ordered to stop buying and selling slaves. By the 1780s, all Quakers were barred from owning slaves.
Why did the Quakers create schools?
The Quakers took up the cause of protecting Native Americans ’ rights, creating schools and adoption centers. Relations between the two groups weren't always friendly, however, as many Quakers insisted upon Native American assimilation into Western culture. Quakers were also early abolitionists.
What is the Shakers group?
The Shakers are another religious group with whom the Friends are sometimes mistaken for. The Shakers (officially the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearance) were founded in England in the 18th century.
Why did William Penn get a land grant?
In 1681, King Charles II gave William Penn, a wealthy English Quaker, a large land grant in America to pay off a debt owed to his family. Penn, who had been jailed multiple times for his Quaker beliefs, went on to found Pennsylvania as a sanctuary for religious freedom and tolerance.
Where are the Quakers located?
As readers of these columns know, we have referred quite often in the past to the early settlement of Friends, commonly known as “Quakers” on the site now occupied by the village of Proctorville, Ohio.
Who were the Quakers in the Northwest Territory?
1797, John Winder, his wife Margaret and their children, Abner, Mercy, Elizabeth and James, the latter’s wife Deborah, sons-in-law Isaac Warner and family and Levi Warner settled at what was known as High Bank on the Scioto River. Isaac Warner’s family consisted of himself, his wife and three daughters, Lydia and William Chandler and wife Hanna were also of this group, which apparently came from Westland, Pennsylvania.
What is Quaker Bottom?
Thus we see that Quaker Bottom was well named and is really entitled to this name, which has clung to it now for over a century and a quarter after the departure from it of its last Quaker settler. For it was not only one of the first Quaker settlements in the Northwest Territory and in what is now Ohio. But it was here that the first Quaker meeting was held and the first Quaker church organized northwest of the Ohio River. Just what was so attractive about this site for these early settlers is not indicated in the Perdew Manuscript. Of course, for us who were born and raised in Quaker Bottom, many of the virtues of the place are self apparent. We can, without effort, name dozens of qualities which, we think, distinguish Quaker Bottom as the finest community on earth. We admit, of course, that we may be slightly prejudiced in its favor. Yet we insist that these early Quakers knew a fine location when they saw it, although, as we have suggested, they apparently left no reason for their choice. Probably it was made on the basis of a report made by Mr. Beals after his first visit to the Northwest Territory or possibly after settling opposite the Green Bottom Mr. Baldwin may have explored the region and discovered this long, wide bottom with its luxuriant growth of virgin timber indicating the fertility of the soil and decided that here would be an ideal place for the people of his faith to settle and to grow into a large community.
How old was Thomas Beals when he became a Quaker preacher?
Apparently Thomas Beals was about 34 years old when he became a Quaker preacher. That was in the year 1753. There appears to be no record of how long he remained with the Quaker colony, which had then been established at New Garden. However, there is an account of his removal to Westfield, Surrey Co., N.C., where he is said to have “raised a large meeting,” or, as some would say, he established a large church. It is supposed that he must have dwelt for some 30 years in North Carolina, during which period he began and continued his practice of making lengthy visits to various tribes of Indiana.
Why did Thomas Beals postpone the trial?
Thomas Beals apparently decided that this was not only a chance to prove to his captors the true mission of the little band of Quakers, but also to have an influence for good upon the soldiers. At any rate, he accomplished both objectives apparently, for he and his friends were set free and permitted to continue their journey, and one of the young men in the fort professed conversion and later became a member of the Society of Friends and remained faithful through the rest of his life.
Where did Thomas Beals live?
Thomas Beals was born on March 3, 1719, in Chester County, Penn. He was a son of John and Sarah Beals, The latter, whose maiden name was Sarah Bowater, came from a family of Friends in England. Thus the Ohio Quakers descended from England by way of Pennsylvania, so to speak, which agrees with the historical and traditional reports of Pennsylvania as the original Quaker stronghold in America. Thomas Beals married Sarah Antrim and moved to North Carolina in 1748, when he was 29 years of age. After visiting for a time at Gane Creek, he and his family, accompanied by two other young men, moved to the site of New Garden, in what later became Gilford County, N.C. It is claimed that no other white person lived there at that time and that their sufferings in the wilderness were great. However, their situation was perhaps somewhat bettered in a short time for Thomas Beals’ brothers, John and Bowater, together with Richard Williams, Thomas Hunt and Robert Sumner came and settled in the same vicinity.
When did Quaker Bottom cease to exist?
Although the original settlement of Quaker Bottom by the Friends lasted but about four years, if it ceased to exist in 1801, it became a landmark in the history of that denomination. And apparently, it did cease to exist in that year, for even if a few adherents to that faith did remain in the neighborhood some years longer, the leaders of the movement, according to the Perdew manuscript, had gone and nothing remained to distinguish it as a Quaker settlement. It became a landmark, however, as what may be called the point of entry of Quakerism into the history of the Northwest Territory. For thereafter, Friends became very active in this region, and their meetings became more and more numerous.
Connecticut
- Quaker Farms Historic District
Quaker Farms Historic District is a historic district in the town of Oxford, Connecticut that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. The structures are a reminder of the Quaker Farms Historic District's modest industrial history. The properties are significant architec…
Delaware
- Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation
The Foundation is an organization dedicated to preserving, restoring and promoting the history, social life and architecture of the Quaker Hill area. Quaker Hill was first settled in 1738 by William Shipley. In 1739, the Shipleys and other Quakers attracted to the area built the first Wilmington F…
Indiana
- Levi Coffin House
A part of the legendary Underground Railroad for fleeing slaves of pre-Civil War days, this registered National Historic Landmark is a Federal-style brick home built in 1839. Levi and Catharine Coffin were legendary in helping many former slaves escape to freedom in the North; t…
Iowa
- Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Information
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site presents the two phases of Hoover's life -- his Quaker upbringing and his long public career -- in the setting of a late-nineteenth-century Iowa farm community. When visiting the site, itis clear that Quakers played a large role in forming Hoover's … - Henderson Lewelling Quaker Museum
The Lewelling Quaker Museum sits in the quiet farming community of Salem, Iowa. It was thefirst Quaker community in Iowa, founded in 1835. While the Society of Friends opposed slavery, Henderson Lewelling felt strongly about opposing and helping free slaves. This caused a schis…
Maine
- Quaker Tavern B&B - Inn
Quaker Tavern is an unblemished country Federal structure built by Nicholas Hall, a Quakers, circa 1780. It was converted to a tavern by Hall's son, Ozni in 1823. Presently it is a Bed and Breakfast.
New Jersey
- Historic Haddonfield, NJ
Borough of Haddonfield 242 King's Highway East Haddonfield, NJ 08033-0969 Phone: 609.429.4700 http://haddonfieldhistory.org/ On October 23, 1682, when he took up a tract of 400 acres, Francis Collins became the first settler within the boundaries of what is today Haddonfiel… - Alice Paul Institute
128 Hooton Rd Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 Phone: 856-231-1885 www.alicepaul.org The Alice Paul Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the life and work of New Jersey’s most famous suffragist, Alice Stokes Paul (1885-1977), author of the Equal Rights …
New York
- David Barker Home
Quaker Road Barker, NY http://www.murphyorchards.com/ur.htm http://people.hofstra.edu/alan_j_singer/Gateway%20Slavery%20Guide%20PDF%20Files/1.%20Int… - Creek Meeting House Exhibit Center
Clinton Historical Society 2433 Salt Point Tnpk Clinton Corners, Hudson Valley, NY, 12514 Phone: 845-266-3819 Hours: May – October, weekends www.townofclinton.com This former Quaker meeting house, built in 1777, hosts art exhibitions and railroad exhibits.
Ohio
- Martin Marmon House
County Road 153 Jefferson Township Logan County, Ohio http://www.facebook.com/pages/Martin-Marmon-House/107637662592382 Martin Marmon House is a historic house near the village of Zanesfield in Jefferson Township, Logan County, O… - Mt. Pleasant Meeting House and Historic District
298 Market Street Mount Pleasant, OH 43939 Phone: 740.769.2893 Hours: April – October, by appointment only Garden Tours: first Saturday & Sunday of August, 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Admission: $3 Adults, $1.50 Children 6-12 http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/ne05/index.sht…
Oregon
- George Fox University Two Historic Campus Buildings
414 N. Meridian Street Newberg, Oregon 97132 Phone: 503-538-8383 http://www.georgefox.edu/about/history/historical_buildings.html Jesse Edwards House: is the second-oldest residence in the city of Newberg, Ore., built in 1883 by the “Father of Newberg” an…
Overview
Quakers (or Friends) are members of a Christian religious movement that started in England as a form of Protestantism in the 17th century, and has spread throughout North America, Central America, Africa, and Australia. Some Quakers originally came to North America to spread their beliefs to the British colonists there, while others came to escape the persecution they experienced in Europe. The first known Quakers in North America arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in …
The arrival of the Quakers
Mary Fisher and Ann Austin are the first known Quakers to set foot in the New World. They traveled from England to Barbados in 1655 and then went on to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to spread the beliefs of the Friends among the colonists.
In Puritan-run Massachusetts the two women were persecuted, imprisoned, and their books were burned. Only one man, Nicholas Upsall, was kind to them during their imprisonment. Nicholas be…
The first Monthly Meeting
Nicholas Upsall was banished from Boston and took refuge in the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts. It was there that he helped to establish the first Monthly Meeting of Friends in the United States, which began meeting in 1657 at the home of William and Priscilla Allen. Besides the Allens and Upsall, those in attendance included Richard Kerley and Elizabeth Newland.
Quakers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
The first Friends who settled along the Delaware River were John Fenwick, Edward Wade, John Wade, and Richard Noble. They formed a settlement at Salem, New Jersey, in 1675.
In 1681, King Charles II allowed William Penn, a Quaker, a charter for the area that was to become Pennsylvania. Penn guaranteed the settlers of his colony freedom of religion. He advertised the policy across Europe so that Quakers and other religious dissidents would know that they could …
Quakers and abolitionism
Quakers were at the center of the movement to abolish slavery in the early United States; it is no coincidence that Pennsylvania, center of American Quakerism, was the first state to abolish slavery. In the antebellum period, "Quaker meeting houses [in Philadelphia] ...had sheltered abolitionists for generations."
Branches of Quakerism in North America
Quakers in North America are diverse in their beliefs and practices. Friends there have split into various groups because of disagreements throughout the years.
Conservative Friends are a small group that emphasize both the Inward Light and the Bible as sources of inspiration and guidance. They practice unprogrammed worship. Many of them adhere to the traditional standards of "plainness" in speech and dress (see Testimony of Simplicity). The…
See also
• Quakers in Latin America
External links
• Statistics from Quaker Information Center
• Distribution Map from Friends World Committee for Consultation
Overview
By the mid-18th century, members of the Religious Society of Friends lived throughout the thirteen British colonies in North America, with large numbers in the Pennsylvania colony in particular. The American Revolution created a difficult situation for many of these Friends, informally known as "Quakers," as their nonviolent religious tenets often conflicted with the emerging political and nationalistic ideals of their homeland. Early in the conflict's history, Quakers participated in the r…
Background
By 1750, Quakers lived across the colonies, with settlements in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware, New York, Maryland, and both North and South Carolina. In addition, Quakers heavily settled in both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey colonies, and controlled the former both culturally and politically. Though widespread, many of these communities maintained contact with each other and with Quakers in Great Britain. This sustained communic…
Early stages of the Revolution
Though opposed to violence, Quakers nonetheless played a part in the growing tensions between Britain and the colonies. Due to their ties to the British Society of Friends and economic situation, Pennsylvania Quakers largely supported reconciliatory measures in the early years of disagreement. In addition, the 1763 Paxton Riots challenged Quaker domination in the colony and increased fears …
During the war
The American Revolutionary War created significant issues for the Quakers and their pacifism. The population of Pennsylvania could no longer be controlled or kept from conflict - for example, groups of Philadelphians began to assemble as informal militias in direct violation of the Pennsylvania Assembly. With the publication of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Quaker communities al…
After the war
The American Revolutionary War officially ended with the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Quaker communities throughout the newly established United States of America immediately began to influence small factors in the formation of new governments. For example, before this time a public official usually needed to swear an oath of allegiance to the state, yet this rule was altered to allow affirmations as well, allowing Quakers to freely participate in the government.
History in The United States
- Quakers, also called Friends, are a historically Christian denomination whose formal name is the Religious Society of Friends or Friends Church. The movement started in England in the 17th century,...
- The first known Quakers to set foot in the New World traveled from England to Barbados in 1655, and then went on to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to spread the beliefs of the Friend…
- Quakers, also called Friends, are a historically Christian denomination whose formal name is the Religious Society of Friends or Friends Church. The movement started in England in the 17th century,...
- The first known Quakers to set foot in the New World traveled from England to Barbados in 1655, and then went on to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to spread the beliefs of the Friends among the colon...
- Friends who settled along the Delaware River, forming a settlement at Salem, New Jersey, in 1675. In 1681, King Charles II allowed William Penn, a Quaker, a charter for the area that was to become...
- Quakers in North America are diverse in their beliefs and practices. Friends there have split in…
Finding The Records
- Look for online records.
Some records have been digitized and posted online, where they are easily searched. More are being added all the time. Partner websites such as Ancestry.com, Findmypast, MyHeritage, and American Ancestors can be searched free-of-charge at any Family History Center. 1. A "meeting… - Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com collections be searched free-of-charge at any Family History Center. 1. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, index and images, at Ancestry.com ($). 2. U.S., Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol I–VI, 1607-1943 3. U.S., Hinshaw Index to Selected Quaker Rec…
correspond with Or Visit The Actual Churches.
- Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available. 1. Make an appointmentto look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you. 2. To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday. 3. Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific mar…
Information in The Records
- Records are found in "monthly meeting" records. Most Quaker meeting records include births, marriages and deaths as well as certificates of removal when a member moved from one congregation (meeting) to another. 1. Birth records(found in monthly meeting records) include child's name, date of birth, place of residence, father's occupation, witnesses. 2. Marriage record…
Carefully Compare Any Record You Find to Known Facts About The Ancestor
- You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by gathering in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible: 1. name, including mi…