Wisdom Wednesday: Quakers, Methodists and Irish Presbyterians

The British “Federation of Family History Societies” ezine appeared in my email box recently. It was full of help for researchers whose anccestors did not belong to the Church of England. If you are not receiving this newsletter directly, please go to the Federation website, www.ffhs.org.uk/newsletters/  and subscribe.

Below is a summary of this month’s religion-related articles about Quakers, Methodists and Irish Presbyterians:

The Quaker Family History Society - Quakers became a well-organized and influential group keeping records from the late 1650s, and it was about 50,000 strong in 1660s Britain. “The Quaker Family History Society was formed in 1993 to encourage and assist anyone interested in tracing the history of Quaker families in the British Isles. We are…open to all with a worldwide membership of around 200.” The group works with Friends House Library in London, one of the main repositories relating to Quakers and their activities.

QFHS meets three times a year, including once in London, for all day seminars. “All new members receive a starter’s information pack, and members receive the magazine ‘Quaker Connections’, three times a year with articles, queries and members’ interests. The Society also maintains a Rootsweb Mailing List QUAKER-BRITISH-ISLES.” For more information, check the website at www.qfhs.co.uk.

Early Stages of the Quaker Movement in Lancashire - If you have Quaker ancestors from Lancashire, you may be interested in the book, ‘Early Stages of the Quaker Movement in Lancashire’ written by Rev. B Nightingale, a prolific writer whose other titles include Lancashire Nonconformity. A PDF copy of the book which includes many names can be viewed or downloaded free at www.archive.org.

Museum of Methodism - The museum which is housed at Wesley’s Chapel, 49 City Rd, London, tells the history of Methodism from John Wesley to the present day and its contribution to shaping Britain’s political and social history. The building, built in 1778, is still in use today as a place of worship. John Wesley’s house stands next to the chapel. For further information, check www.wesleyschapel.org.uk/museum.htm. Presbyterian Church in Ireland - If you have Irish ancestors who you believe may have been Presbyterian, it is worth looking at the website of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland www.presbyterianireland.org, where you will find a lot of useful information about where to find copies of church records and how to extend your research. It is worth noting that The North of Ireland Family History Society has a very active group of volunteers transcribing church records which include those from many of the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. The society offers a ‘Look Up’ service for members unable to visit the Society Library. For details about the society and how to join, visit them at nifhs.org.

 

Wisdom Wednesday: Quakers from the North Midlands

The Quakers who came to the Delaware Valley and especially to William Penn’s colony of Pennsylvania were primarily from England’s North Midlands. About two-thirds of this wave of immigrants came from the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, Derby, Nottingham and Staffordshire. The remainder of the settlers were from Bristol and London. (Source: Dollarhide, William. British Origins of American Colonists, 1629-1775. Bountiful, Utah: Heritage Quest Genealogical Services, division of AGLL, Inc., 1998. ISBN 1-877677-69-8)

A notable exception to these geographic generalities is William Penn himself. The son of an admiral, Penn was born in 1644 and lived much of his first twelve years at his family's country house in Wanstead or at school in Chigwell, Essex. Later at Oxford, he was influenced by the Quaker Thomas Loe. Penn refused to attend chapel and was kicked out for nonconformity. His father eventually sent him to Ireland where he had another estate. While there, Penn connected with Loe again in Cork, and by 1667 he had become a convert and regular attender of Quaker meeting.

In 1675, the first settlers came to the Delaware River’s eastern shore in what is now New Jersey but was then known as West Jersey.

On 29 Aug 2012, I posted a blog entry about the origins and records kept by Quakers. You can easily find it in the list of topics under, ‘UK Quakers.’

Wisdom Wednesday: UK Quaker Records

History

The Religious Society of Friends, whose members are known as Friends or Quakers, was founded in 1647 by Englishman, George Fox. “Quakers believe that there is something of God in everybody. They do not have clergy or rituals, and their meetings for worship are often held in silence.” (Source: www.bbc.co.uk – see below.) Their views did not come from a strict reading of the Bible, a book they considered a guideline but not binding. They are known today for their dedication to social reform. For a further discussion of the Society of Friends beliefs as understood by the British, go to the BBC website, www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/quakers_1.shtml

Quakers were persecuted for their faith for many years, until the Act of Toleration of 1689 gave some relief. “For example, they were often fined, imprisoned or even transported for refusing to take oaths, serve in the armed forces, attend Anglican church services, or pay tithes to their parish clergyman.” (Source: Herber, p. 255.) The group had a large following despite the troubles, especially in Northwest England. In 1682, William Penn led 23,000 Friends to the new world, founding the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Practices and Beliefs that Affected Record Keeping

Friends used numbers for days and months to avoid using words derived from the names of pagan gods. The "first day" of a week was Sunday, the "second day" was Monday and so on. Prior to the calendar change in 1752, the first day of second month of 1730 was known to the Friends’ Anglican neighbors as 1 April 1730 because the year started on Lady Day, March 25. After 1752, January first began the New Year and the second month became February. This threw off the names of the last four months of the year. Before 1752, September might be abbreviated 7ber, and October as 8ber, etc. Not anymore.

Friends understood the need for good record keeping and have reliable records from 1668 forward. Since there were no baptisms, they kept records of births. Marriages needed the permission of the society which was recorded, and all present at the ceremony often signed the certificate. It wasn’t uncommon to have fifty witnesses, both Quakers and non-member guests. During the years of Hardwicke’s Marriage Act between 1754 and 1837, only Anglican marriages and those of Quakers and Jews were considered valid. Burials were recorded as well. Quakers did not want to be buried in consecrated ground and provided for their own cemeteries.

Accessing the Records

As mentioned in a previous blog post, after civil registration in 1837, there was a call for religious groups to deposit their registers. The National Archives received over 1500 from the Firends and summaries called digests were made. A copy was sent to the local meeting and the Friends House Library in London. The CRO might now have the local copy. The records show 250,000 births, 40,000 marriages and 300,000 burials.

The library is at Friends’ House, 173-177 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ. Besides the digests, they hold the names of representatives to “Yearly Meeting” from 1668 and minutes from meetings. The library catalog is online at www.quaker.org.uk. While some restrictions apply to records not yet fifty years old, the library is open for public use Tuesday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The Public Record Office holds the originals in Record Group 6 and 8 (RG 6 and RG 8). The LDS has the originals and the indexes on microfilm. Online at www.familysearch.org. scroll down on the home page to “Browse by Location” and click “United Kingdom and Ireland.” From the next list pick “England and Wales, Non-Conformist Records Index (RG 4 – 8)” No images are available free. You are directed to www.thegenealogist.co.uk

Ancestry.com has two records groups that show up when you do a keyword search for ”Quaker records England”. One is ‘Liverpool, England Quaker Records 1635 -1958’ with 39,000 entries. The other is Non-Conformist records for London, England with about 120,000 entries.

Sources: Christensen, Dr. Penelope. Researching English Non-Anglican Records. Toronto, Canada: Heritage Productions 2003.

Herber, Mark. Ancestral Trails. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company 2006.

 ©2012, Susan Lewis Well