Scope of collection
Inventory
Signatures A-C
Belonged to New Bedford Preparative Meeting
Preface signed: W.A.
Given to Phoebe Greene by Anna Almy
bt. New Bedford Prep. Mtg.
Friend's Library, Worcester
bt. "E.S.W."
No author listed; several editors.
bt. Moses Brown School
Pref-"Chiefly selected from his diary and correspondence
Belonged to the library of the Moses Brown School
William Earle
bt. Louisa White
Revision of R. Vaux' Memoirs of the life of A.B.
Includes bibliographical references
Volumes 1-6
On cover: Friends Biographical Series.
Belonged to Narragansett Library Association
Gift of Wilmer Atkinson Company
address given at E. Dennis Wesleyan Methodist church
Preface signed: Sarah Backhouse
Belonged to South Kingstown Meeting
Belonged to Mrs. Lillingham
Not in OCLC; pamphletesque...
bt. Friends Library, Worcester
From Friends School, Prov.
Includes: A sketch of the life of Dr. Fothergill..
Foreword by Martin Marty
Edited by A.R. Barclay
Belonged to New Bedford Preparative Meeting
belonged to PA Kirkbride, C. Sargent, Mary E. Fost
2 cps.; one bt. Perez Peck, one bt. New Bedford PM
Given to R.I. Monthly Meeting by David Buffum 1833
2 cops. - bt. Gertrude Osborne, Oxford St. Fr. Lib.
Given to N.E.Y.M. Archives by Thyra Jane Foster 81
bt. Moses Mitchell and Nantucket Friends Meeting
Belonged to A. Shearman, Jr. and New Bedford Prep.
Belonged to trustees of Obadiah Brown's Fund
Presented in behalf of the Mosher Committee 1894-5
bt. A. Shearman, New Bedford Prep.
3 copies
From the Friends' Library on Oxford Street
bt. New England Yearly Meeting Boarding School
Volumes I-III
Cover title: Memorandums of Jane Bettle
Belonged to Library of Friends School
bt. Perez Peck
Copy 1 belonged to Lloyd Greene. 2 copies
Part 10
Belonged to Friends School Library
Belonged to David Harris, Smithfield 5/7/1779
Volumes I and II
bt. Providence Friends School library
Each life has special t.p. and separate paging
Belonged to Ann Foulke
Belonged to Mrs. H.P. Deveresy, F.B. Minogion
Belonged to Providence MM, Norwich Pub. Library
Two volumes
On cover: Joseph John Gurney; a study for young men
Abridged
Bound in brown cloth; stamped in gold and blind
brown endpapers
Belonged to New Bedford Preparative Meeting
Belonged to David Anthony 1801
Included bibliography
Belonged to O.L. Emeron
"Works of reference on the hist. of Qu. ed." p.136
scrapbook
In German
Reprinted from The Friends' Quarterly Examiner
John L. Folsom
Belonged to James H. Earle
Presented by the trustees of the Murray Fund
Prev. appeared in Ohio History v. 83, no. 4 1974
Belonged to Thyra Lane Foster
Signed by author and given to Silas Weeks
Preface signed: Katherine Backhouse
Belonged to Mary A. Browning
Given the Smiths Neck Bible School from Mosher Fun
Each part has special t.-p., sig: A-X Y, Z, Aa-Qu
Belonged to John Gillett, B. Horton, Tho. Organ
Belonged to Rhode Island Monthly Meeting
Harvey Chace Perry's 1908
First American edition from the second London ed.
Belonged to Friends' Library, Worcester
Prose and verse
Running title: Daily readings. 2 copies
Running title: The life and travels of J. Churchman
Running title: The life and travels of J. Churchman
Belonged to D. Howland, Jr. and Ruth Howland 2 cop
bt. A. Shearman
Two vols.; bt. Gideon Wilbur, Job Eddy, G. Halewoo
Volume 2. Belonged to Joseph Metcalf
Donated by A. Razee
Volume 2. Belonged to Smithfield Friends Library
bt. Worcester Friends Library
Cover damaged
Appendix: 1,2 memoirs of Richard Dillingham, Calvi
Fairbank 3. Death and funeral of the author.
Belonged to Dartmouth Monthly Meeting Library
"Reference notes": p. 141-143
Belonged to Concord Friends' Library
"First printing."
In folder
bt. Friends School, Portsmouth, RI
bt. A. Chase, Providence M.M.
pres. by author to "the Fosters"
Belonged to trustees of Obadiah Brown's Fund
"From the second London edition"
Belonged to Trustees of Obadiah Brown's fund
bios. of Frederick Smith and Elizabeth Webb too
reprint of the London edition of 1701
Belonged to Josiah Dow and Judith Challs
bt. Daniel Howland
2 copies
Dispute-school fund claimed by Orthodox & Hicksite
Several essays, including Dell, Brook, and
also Joseph Phipps and Thomas Clarkson
bt. New Bedford Prep.
Belonged to Mary A. Swift 1897
Bibliographical foot-notes
Belonged to Concord Friends Library
Included bibliographical references
Belonged to T.J. Foster
Pub. 1927 title: A history of the S. of Fr. in Can
Belonged to T.J. Foster
bt. West Epping Friends Library
bt. Deborah and Anna Howland
bt. Moses Brown School
bt. Dartmouth M.M.
bt. Evan and Mary B. Smith
Bibliography: p. 364-375
Signed by Errol T. Elliott
bt. Ennion Cook
Belonged to Anna Elizabeth (Davis) Scales
Book about grandson of Scotch Quakerism hero
Presented to NEYM by H.H. Mosher Fund
bt. Seth Kimber
A. Shearman, New Bedford Prep.
Given to Sarah T. Wright from Mary & Helen Salsway
bt. Providence M.M.
Inscribed, "Sarah Tobey from her affectionate friend Anna A. Jenkins 1836" Miniature book.
John Warden
Bibliographical references inc. in "Notes" 327-325
Belonged to Mrs. Wolkins
bt. A. Shearman, New Bedford Prep.
Volumes I and II
Belonged to Elsie C. Tiernan
bt. A.T. Emerson
bt. Jim and Nancy St. John
offprint from the Papers...Biblio. vol.82, l988
2 cps; one in two volumes, one bt. Providence M.M.
bt. A. Shearman, New Bedford Prep.
bt. G. Birkbeck
bt. East Greenwich Library of Friends
bt. Samuel Bishop, Purchase Prep. Mtg.
Two volumes
bt. Providence Friends School
replacement for copy Archives had; this is same edition, better condition
bt. Moses Brown School library
bt. E.S. White
Intro. by Rufus Jones, ill. by Rbt. Spence
2 cps.; one bt. James Dennis Jr.
Editor's pref. signed: S.F.
Abridgement of 1846 mem., consists of letters. . . 2 copies
Copy one belonged to Elizabeth Mender, Eley Ann Chase
Two volumes of dissertation in binders
Belonged to A. Shearman Jr. and New Bedford P.M.
Belonged to Albert Haye
Volume 2
Only volume one of two.
Reprinted from V. IV of Quaker biographies
Belonged to William Evans and T. Jane Meyers
"Published in centennial year of Guilford College"
Given to Amelia F. Emerson by Clyde A Milner 7/37
"Published in centennial year of Guilford College"
Given to archives by Algie I. Newbin
J. Smith states his catalogue, C. Gilpin edited it
Belonged to New Bedford Preparative Meeting
Volumes 1-4
talk given to the Cape Cod Genealogical Soc.
Belonged to Mary E. Simkinson
Only have volume 2 of 3
bt. Perez Peck
Two Volumes in one
Abridged from English edition.
Bound the author's Some remarks upon sundry imp. s
Belonged to Thomas Howland
Preface signed: J.F. [i.e. Josiah Forster]
Belonged to Preparative Meeting of New Bedford
Belonged to Book and Tract Committee Lending Libra
Belonged to Preparative Meeting of New Bedford
Composed from journals and letters
Men worth remembering
Belonged to trustees of Obadiah Brown's Fund
Belonged to Mr. Hogan
bt. A. Shearman, New Bedford Prep.
Belonged to New Bedford Preparative Meeting
2 copies, bt. New Bedford Prep.
"From an English edition, pub. at Bristol: with...
Belonged to Smithfield Monthly meeting
Preface signed: Mary Pryor Hack
Belonged to trustees of Obadiah Brown fund
A.L Chester from Charles Perry
bt. Providence M.M.
Presented by the H.H. Mosher Fund of NEYM
Presented by Miss. A. M. Meane Boston 9/1896
Belonged to Amherst Town Library, two volumes
Presented by the H.H. Mosher Fund of NEYM
Belonged to Friends School Library
Belonged to Friends School Library and Prov. MM
Appendix: A Quaker's sea-journal by Robert Fowler
signed by the author
Given to Mary E. Simkinson by L.C. Hoag 11/3/1886
Inc: "Supplement to autobiography by his son, Jose
bt. Stephen Nichols of Winslow, Maine
Belonged to Elisha Meloney
Belonged to Sam B. Toby and Friends School Library
Bibliography: p. 295-298
Belonged to Edward and Ruth White
signed by the author
Belonged to John Meaon, Jonathan Chase
Given to Providence MM by Elizabeth Chase
diff. publ of same?
bt. Epping Friends Bible School
2 copies, diff. additions
2 volumes
Draft of l989 dissertation
Belonged to Friends' Sabbath School Library
Belonged to Trustees of Obadiah Brown's Fund
Belonged to First Day School Library
Belonged to Providence Monthly Meeting
"A brief memoir of Nathan Hunt" has special t.p.
Lacks letter from William Hunt to wife: Amsterdam
Printout from OCLC is incomplete.
Two cps.; one bt. Daniel Howland
Given to A. Shearmaan, Jr. from J.B. 2/5/1836
Belonged to New Bedford Preparative Meeting
Inc.: "A tribute to the memory of J.H." by Gurney
Includes "A tribute to the memory of J.H" by Gurney
"Selected from...Extracts from the letters of J.H."
"With special contributions by: Carl Christian ...
...Schmidt, Sir Frederick W. Leggett
Given to Charles Nadwin by the author 6/16/1859
Belonged to Friends Library, Worcester
Belonged to Preparative Meeting of New Bedford
bt. Mary and Helen Seabury
bt. Job Scott, Ruth Scott
Belonged to Edward F. Coffin
2 copies
Bibliography: p. [261]-262
Signed by the author
Bibliography: p. 221-226
Includes bibliographical references
bt. Amelia F. Emerson
bt. A.L. Emerson?
bt. Alice Howland Tripp
bt. Worcester Friends Meeting
Bibliographical footnotes
Reminiscences
Translation of: Studien: huber die Sozialpolitik..
Bibliography: p. 241-247
Belonged to Amelia F. Emerson
Inscribed by the author. One of 50 copies.
Bibliography: p. 159-164
A 1960 note with the volume states: "These books were brought in by Major B.C. Bussey. . . These were part of an estate of an aunt of Mrs. Bryant if I understood correctly. The Major thought the school might be interested."
Given to Ann B. Earle by Thomas Stimber
Belonged to Friends' Library Worcester
Belonged to Emily Sisson
Not listed on OCLC
Given to Mary E. Foster by P.A.K. 12/1890
Title on cover: Susanna Sharpless
Bibliography: p. 206-217
bt. Elizabeth Mitchell
bt. Deborah Howland
Philanthropus was Ladd's pseudonym.
bt. Amelia F. Emerson
Civilian Public Service Camp,
bt. Dartmouth M.M.
No cover
bt. Dartmouth M.M.
Pres. by H.H. Mosher Fund
Belonged to A. Shearman, Jr. and New Bedford PM
2 copies
Belonged to Dartmouth Monthly Meeting Library
Includes bibliographical references
Presented to Luianna & Ruth Howland by D. Chaloner
Vol. 12-June 1900
2 copies
Bibliography: p. [283]-286
2 copies
Given to Willis Corterin by Ann Hayes 3/1837
Belonged to Martin W. Meloney
Not listed in OCLC
Includes bibliographical references and index
Belonged to Thyra Jane Foster
Friends biographical series
Belonged to Job L. Herman (?)
Belonged to Eunice Metcalf
Donated to Moses Brown School by Alice Razee
bt. New Bedford High School
Contains poetry
3 cps.; one bt. F. Bird; one no cover in envelope
2 cps.; one donated by Edith Kitchin; both in env.
Donated by Augustine Jones; four volumes bound
together, printed separately. Title from binding.
Two copies: 1 ed., Moses Brown; 2 ed. New Bedford
Belonged to A. Shearman, New Bedford Prep. Meeting
On spine: Lives of Samuel and Mary Neale
Given to Mary Cope by C. Sargent 11/8/1876
Cover title: Old Dartmouth centennial, Sep.14,1864
Belonged to Friends School Library
1st pub. 1882: The young man of God. Memories of..
Belonged to Thomas C. Roberts
No cover, boxed. bt. "Road Island yearly met"
From Foster Farm 1966
bt. Providence Friends School
Bound periodical - Mostly written by Noah Worcester
This is a collection of seven tracts; one listed.
Bibliography: p. 147-148
bt. Joseph Metcalf
periodical; article on Ann Franklin, by ML Ford
was researched in Quaker archives. Note from author
Presented to archives by Moses Brown School 1976
Belonged to John Cronly and Abraham Shearman
Belonged to New Bedford Preparative Meeting
Belonged to Friends Bible School Library Western
bt. Isaac B. Meacham?
bt. Richard Davis
Gift of Ruth Gates; introduction by Edmund Gosse; based on text of 1718
on title page, "Elizabeth M. Chace, from R.E.G, 11.1, 1900"
bt. Polly Brown, Polly Clarke, Mary Brown
Title page is in middle of book.
bt. Benjamin Greene
In five volumes
Selected passages from author's works
Bibliography: p. 203-205
"Preface to the London ed." signed John Barclay
Belonged to Mary Ann Folson 10/2/1879
Belonged to Joshua Buxton and Eleazar Pope
Belonged to the Concord Friends' Library
Famous women series
Belonged to Friends' Library, Worcester
Bibliography: p. 155-156
Swarthmore lecture, 1932
Belonged to N.E.Y.M., Westerly
Introduction signed Anna Price
Belonged to Dartmouth Monthly Meeting Library
Introduction signed Anna Price
Belonged to Friends' Library, Oxford Street
Belonged to Alice Howland Tripp 11/6/1919
Presented in remembrance of M. Rickman, L. Gilkes
2 copies
Each part has special t.-p.
Belonged to N. McKnight, N.S. Willis, M.N. Meloney
"Sources": p. 320
Given to Huntington Home by J. & R. Reeve & F. Case
bt. Friends Library, Worcester
3 copies
Belonged to Joseph Metcalf
Belonged to A. Shearman, Jr. & New Bedford PM
Belonged to First Day School Library-Apponagansett
Cover title: Life of John Roberts
Bibliographical footnotes
bt. Moses Brown School, Thos. Battey
Contains complete series of art. on rel. 1952-1955
Belonged to Hannah L. Cope and John Cox
Includes biographical references
"References": p. 168-171
Belonged to A. Shearman, Jr. and New Bedford PM
Belonged to Friends School Library
Signed by the author.
2 copies
Belonged to Boarding School Library
Given to Almy Prouds by Amy Greene 1826
Belonged to Perez Pecks
Bibliographical footnotes
Intro. contains remarks of Richard Phillips
Belonged to New Bedford Preparative Meeting 1836
Belonged to Hannah L. Cope
Belonged to John Brown, Jr. 1793
Volumes I and II
Belonged to Greenwich Monthly Meeting Library
In French
"These memoirs...first appeared in The Friend"
Given to Emma G. Swift by her brother Joseph 1880
Vol. II. Belonged to Rhode Island Monthly Meeting
Dispute over school funds
Given by author
Belonged to Obadiah M. Brown & Friends School Lib.
bt. Abr. Shearman, New Bedford Prep.
Belonged to Friends' Sabbath School Library
Belonged to James T. Melvin and Peter Wright
Given to N.E.Y.M. from Meet. for Suf., London 1858
two volumes
"Tentative draft III April 1944"
bt. M.S. Foster
"as corrected and printed February 1948"
Only have volume 2 of 2
Two copies
bt. Mary Brown 1762
Two copies, in different sizes
3 cps.; bt. C.G. Bowerman, Providence M.M.
2 copies
2 cps.; one bt. Providence M.M.
bt. Providence Friends School Library
3 cps.; one bt. S. Kingstown Prep. Mtg.
Three copies
Draft of 1872 discipline; no cover
Wilburites discipline
2 cps.; one bt. Providence M.M.
2 cps.; one bt. Young Friends
2 copies; one marked "Wilburite".
5 cps,; bt. J. Tillinghast, W. Taber, Providence
reprint, Preparative Meeting of Women Friends
2 cps.; one bt. Providence Prep. Mtg. for Minister
4 copies bt. Greenwich M.M., N.E. Friends Home
one was Wilburite
3 cps.; one bt. Prince Gifford
Reprint
bt. Samuel Austin
6 cps.; bt. New Bedford, Hopkinton, Dover,
Smithfield Monthly Meetings and Hiram Neal.
Four copies
From the Library of Joseph Brinton
"General Conference Affiliation"
2 cps.; one bt. Providence Friends School Library
bt. New York Meeting for Sufferings, New Eng. Y.M.
bt. Caleb Smith
three copies, one from A. Shearman, Dartmouth M.M.
Draft version
2 cps.; one bt. William Harvey
Mary Jeanes, Catherine Downs
2 copies
bt. Abington M.M.
bt. Burlington Q. M. of Ministers and Elders
1st ed. appeared in England 1855, private circ.
Belonged to Smithfield Monthly Meeting
Includes bibliographical.
From clean out of L. & M. Taber's house
Belonged to Moses Rowell and Henry P. Spiller
"Advertisement" by the trustees, prelim. p. 3
Belonged to the Friends of Sturbridge Meeting
"Advertisement" by the trustees, prelim. p. 3
bt. Worcester Bible School
Belonged to trustees of Obadiah Brown's fund
2 copies
Belonged to A. L. Flagg
Bibliography: p. 164-170, bibliographical footnote
Belonged to Elizabeth Bailey
Cover t.: Life and letters of Richard H. Thomas MD
Belonged to Hannah J. Roberts
bt. Rosalind Wiggins
from Rhode Island History
2 cps; bt. Dartmouth M.M., Wllm. Macomber
Belonged to A Shearman and New Bedford PM
Belonged to Preparative Meeting of new Bedford
Pub. also as no. 18 of Contrib. to Am. ed. hist.
Theses (PH.D.)-Johns Hopkins University
"Bibliographical selections": p. 379-380
Belonged to Dartmouth College Library
Belonged to Worcester Friends Meeting
Bibliographical footnotes
Belonged to Lee Pearson and Worcester Monthly Meet
bt. Moses Brown School Library
bt. Paulina Foster
Belonged to A. Shearman and the New Bedford Prep.
3 cps.; bt. New Bedford Prep, Thos. Howland,
Samuel Boyd Tobey
Belonged to Smithfield and Woonsocket Libraries
Belonged to Simeon Arnold, Cyrus Arnold
2 cps.; one bt. Sarah D. Holmes
Belonged to Narragansett Library Association
selected from "Tracts illustrating the history..."
"Principle works used or cited": p. 300-305
Given to Katherine P. Loring by Aurelis F. Emerson
bt. Joseph Metcalfe
bt. Dartmouth M.M.
bt. Louisa White
Bibliography: leaf preceding p.[1]
Belonged to Friends School Library
Bibliography: leaf preceding p.[1]
Belonged to New Bedford Preparative Meeting
Belonged to Abraham Shearman and New Bedford PM
bt. Samuel Boyd Tobey
bt. Mary Sharpless
Belonged to Lindley M. Binford 3/1909
Belonged to Samantha B. Smith
Peleg Mitchell-The ninth part
Reprint of 1796 edition published in London.
from the Nat. Genealogical Soc. Quarterly June 1983
Belonged to Friends' Library, Worcester
Without music
bt. A. Shearman, New Bedford Prep.
Given to Catherine Downs by Annie Willard 7/1888
used in Faith & Practice, l986
Belonged to Y.M. B. School
Gift of Len Cadivallader-Farm and Wilderness Camps
Gift of Ruth Gates; abridged version of 1877, new intro and abridged preface
New Intro by "FGC" 1891
preliminary notes
preliminary notes
2 COPIES
Includes bibliography
No. 62 of 800 copies
bt. Providence M.M.
bt. New Bedford Prep. Mtg.
Only the microfilm is on LCOC
Bibliography: p. [335]-337
bt. A.J. Emerson
with illustrations by George Gillett Whitney
2 copies
Belonged to Abanover 6/1830
Introduction by Rhett S. Jones. Inscribed by the author, April 1997.
Belonged to Henry Sharpless
Belonged to Society of Friends of Wilton, Conn.
Belonged to Benjamin Hoopiss
2 cps.; one bt. Elizabeth Stetson
bt. New Bedford Prep.
Belonged to Dartmouth Monthly Meeting Library
bt. "Judith 1770"
Cover damaged
Pub. 1832: the Society of Friends vindicated
Belonged to A. Shearman, Jr.
Pub. 1833: The arguments of the counsel of...
Presented by the H.H. Mosher Fund, of N.E.Y.M.
bt. Charles Hadwen, Worcester Friends Library
bt. A. Razee, Moses Brown library, Samuel B. Tobey
Only volume 1 of 2
signed by author; bound photocopy of dissertation
Belonged to Lindley H. Osborne 1888
"First Published...1948"
Belonged to Henry H. Perry, Edinburgh
bt. Providence M.M.
bound memorials for different meetings
list of memorials in front
Vol. 3, 1740 John Graham owned, S & SM Cash owned
2 copies Cover: Religious care and exercise of the
Several copies of each volume
New Series
No. 20
2nd volume only--Rhode Island Monthly Meeting
Narragansett Library Association
2 copies
reprinted-London Tract As. of F., Annual Monitor
Belonged to the Trustees of Obadiah Brown's Fund
Published monthly, George Howland's
Published monthly, George Howland's
Published monthly George Howland's
Published monthly, new series
Not listed in OCLC
Belonged to A. Shearman
Two copies; William James, Abm Shearman, New Bedford
a special edition of the Guilford College Bulletin
no author listed
No. 46 of 150 copies
Given to Mrs. Will C. Edely by Herbert E. Lombard
Advertisement signed: Thomas Gilpin
Presented by Mr. Spurgin to WFMS.
Given to N.E. Friends Home by Mary Hawley Tatuall
Volume 2
bt. Dartmouth M.M.
The Young American's Library
Belonged to Friends' Library, Worcester
Memoir of Robert Charleton by E.A.( Edward Ash) &
J.S.F. (Joseph Storrs Fry)
Reprint of pub. of London Tract Association
Includes mem. S. Gurney, K. Backhouse, T.P. Bevans
Belonged to Sarah D. Holmes
Col. of 14 essays pub. in sep. pamphlets 1864-66
Each essay has separate paging
bt. Carelton M. Thomas
Belonged to Friend's School Library
pamphlet prepared by Bicentennial Committee
Bibliography: p. 25
Belonged to Celia Anthony, Coventry
Vol. II
Belonged to Sarah S. Holmes 1910
Donated by Lyra T. Wolkins
Belonged to Grace Macumber, 1877 -- heavily annotated
2nd edition
bt. Ellen Spencer
Belonged to the Friends School Library
Tracts have ind. title pages, separately paginated
Belonged to A. Shearman, Jr. and New Bedford PM
Friends' Sabbath School, Portsmouth, RI
Second copy - Friends Library, Worcester [8/2005 - where is this copy?] 2nd copy White Water Preparative Meeting. 3 copies total
Vol. 2 and 3
Volumes 3-5 (the first two volumes of this are in BOX V)
edited by John Kendall
5th edition
(there is a copy of an English edition of this in BOX VII)
Second Edition (there is a copy of an American edition of this in BOX VIII)
13 spp. 12pp. ads for school books for sale by above stocked and sold by A. Shearman. MB stamp
three volumes in one
Two Volumes
Second Edition
two volumes
with notes by Jacob Bigelow
two copies
Second Edition
MB stamp
Mary Brown signature, MB stamp
Volume 3
two copies
Volumes I and II
Volumes I and II (Volumes III, IV, and V of this are in BOX VIII)
Pamphlet included
Friends Family Library, Volume I
Volumes I and II
Volumes I and II (rebound)
three copies
Volumes I and II
Volume II
includes review by Joseph Gurney Bevan
Six Volumes
(loose boards) Volume V of V (only)
Volumes I and II
Pamphlet
Volumes I?, II?, III?
Volumes I, II, and III?
Volumes I and II
Administrative information
Access
The collection is open for research.
Provenance
Gift of the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, 2016.
After many years of being on deposit at the Rhode Island Historical Society, the NEYM approved donating their records to SCUA in August 2015.
Processing Information
Finding aid by Richard D. Stattler (1997) and updated and reprocessed by I. Eliot Wentworth, April 2016.
Other formats available
Much, but not all of the records of the NEYM are available on microfilm. Sets of the film are available at the Rhode Island Historical Society, the Friends College at Earlham College.
Glossary of Quaker terms
Term | Definition |
Acknowledgements: | A formal statement of apology by a member of the meeting, for having acted contrary to the rules of discipline. Members unwilling to provide such an acknowledgement were generally "denied" as members. |
Birthright Friend: | A person born to parents who were members of a monthly meeting was considered a birthright member; see also "Convinced Friend". |
Births and deaths: | Early Quaker birth and death records are often disappointing to those who are told that Quakers were the best record-keepers in Colonial times. The records are usually arranged by family, in no particular order. They were often recorded after a family's arrival at a meeting. Deaths of members without children were often not recorded, especially in meetings without membership books. Though of immense value, the birth and death records should not be taken as comprehensive or perfectly accurate. Since the mid-nineteenth century, vital records have generally been recorded in the form of a membership book. |
Convinced Friend: | An applicant for membership to the Society of Friends, usually a longstanding meeting attender. Applications were reviewed by a committee of members who visited the applicant to determine their sincerity. |
Deaths: | See births and deaths. |
Denials: | Also known as disownments. The involuntary termination of membership in a meeting, when the member acted contrary to established discipline. These denials are occasionally listed in separate volumes, but are generally described in great detail in the early monthly meeting minute books. A committee would usually be appointed to "labor with" the offender, and if they did not "meet satisfaction" the denial would follow. Common causes were marrying outside of Friends, attending the services of other denominations, military service, intemperance, slave ownership, or failure to attend meetings regularly. However, some of these offenses may have been overlooked by certain meetings at certain times. |
Discipline: | A book compiling rules of behavior for Friends, as well as standards for meeting administration and manner of worship. In early years, the discipline was maintained by each meeting in manuscript form, and edited upon the arrival of epistles from the Yearly Meeting. The Yearly Meeting's first printed discipline, the Book of Discipline, was published in 1785. Revisions have been published approximately every twenty years since; the most recent is the 1986 Faith and Practice. During the Wilburite/Gurneyite split from 1845 to 1945, two separate disciplines were maintained. |
Disownments: | See denials. |
Epistles: | Formal communications from other meetings. These are generally messages of greeting, and usually have more spiritual than informational content. |
Financial records: | See treasurers. |
Gurneyites: | The common term for the members of the larger of the two yearly meetings in New England between 1845 and 1945. Gurneyites were involved in evangelical activities, and had a more programmed form of worship, in contrast to the more conservative Wilburites. See the entry for New England Yearly Meeting (G). |
Joint minutes: | See minutes. |
Laid down: | The term for a meeting that has been formally discontinued by its quarterly or yearly meeting. Generally, the meeting's membership, assets and records have been transferred as a group to another nearby meeting. |
Marriages: | Most early Quaker marriage records provide a transcript of the entire marriage certificate. The marriage was generally recorded in the home meeting of the bride. Lists of witnesses are usually provided. Though these lists are not original signatures, and not all of the witnesses were always members, they are often the closest thing to a membership list for early meetings. One problem with using the early marriage records is that the dates are written in longhand, and embedded in the middle of the certificate, where they are often difficult to locate quickly. Many of the early minute books also provide information on marriages, as a committee was appointed to inves- tigate the couple's clearness, which would report back to the monthly meeting. |
Meeting for business: | Any meeting which discussed the formal affairs of the meeting (in a worshipful manner) in addition to meeting for worship. Meetings for business could include yearly, quarterly, monthly or preparative meetings, or committees of any of these. |
Meeting for Sufferings: | Originally, these meetings documented property that had been confiscated from Quakers for obeying their peace testimony. As the persecution declined, the meeting for sufferings evolved into an education and publication committee. |
Meeting for worship: | The term is used here to refer to meetings which do not meet for business, and which have their affairs carried out through a monthly meeting. Over the years, many other names have been used for this sort of meeting, including indulged meeting, particular meeting and allowed meeting. Worship group is currently the most common term. In a broader sense, all meetings generally meet for worship as well as business. This guide might describe a town as holding a worship group through 1955, which then changed to a preparative meeting. It should be inferred that the meetings for worship continued. |
Membership: | A membership book is generally a listing of members, which provides in table form vital statistics, date of membership, removals and denials. |
Memorials: | A formal testimony to a deceased Friend. Memorials were, until recently, uncommon except for "weighty Friends", and were recorded (if at all) in minute books or separate volumes, most frequently by the Yearly Meeting. It is now much more common for monthly meetings to include memorials to the departed in the meeting minutes. Memorials generally focus on the spiritual aspects of their subjects' lives, but often contain other biographical information. |
Men's minutes: | See minutes. |
Miscellaneous loose papers: | Of course, this can mean virtually anything. Generally, when miscellaneous loose papers are referred to in this inventory, they might include epistles received, financial records, historical notes, reports, property records, memorials, certificates issued to travelling ministers, or removal certificates. |
Ministers: | Men and women who were particularly inspired and vocal in meetings for worship might be recorded as ministers by their monthly meetings. Ministers and elders often held separate meetings to help guide the spiritual life of the monthly meeting. The recording of ministers is still continued in New England, but is much less common now. See also ministry and counsel. |
Ministry and counsel: | A committee that cares for the spiritual health of a meeting. Older names for essentially the same function have been ministry and oversight; select meeting; ministers and elders; or overseers. Sometimes these would be called "Preparative Meetings for Ministers and Elders", though their jurisdiction was for the entire monthly meeting. The meeting for sufferings has also sometimes filled a similar mission. |
Ministry and oversight: | See ministry and counsel. |
Minutes: | The formal record of a meeting for business, kept by an appointed clerk. The information contained in minutes varies widely depending on the date and the meeting. Most minutes contain deliberations on matters like disownments, removals, marriages, meeting houses, creation or dissolution of subordinate meetings, and reports from committees. The minutes do not list attenders, though they do often list official representatives from preparative meetings. Few minute books have been indexed. Before about 1890, most meetings were held separately for men and women; men's minutes and women's minutes generally cover the same issues, though one or the other might go into more detail. After 1890, most meetings met jointly. After the novelty of this arrangement wore off, the phrase "joint minutes" fell out of favor, but the term is used in this guide through the present for older meetings. |
Monthly Meeting: | The basic administrative unit of the Society of Friends, which meets once each month for business. The monthly meeting has always held responsibility for recording all sorts of membership information. Some monthly meetings have been sub-divided into preparative meetings, which prepare official business for discussion. In these cases, the location of the monthly meeting generally rotates between the preparative meetings. Since 1705, all monthly meetings have been part of quarterly meetings. |
Newsletters: | Since 1945, many monthly and quarterly meetings have begun to publish their own newsletters. They vary in content, but generally contain event information, memorials, news regarding members, and at least a summary of the minutes. |
Otisites: | A small group of friends who separated from the Wilburites in 1863 and rejoined them in 1911; also known as the "Primitive" meeting. |
Overseers: | See ministry and counsel. |
Preparative meeting: | A formal meeting for business, which prepares business for its monthly meeting. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, most monthly meetings were composed of two or more preparative meetings. By current common practice, a meeting for worship will become a preparative meeting only as an intermediary step to becoming a monthly meeting. From 1901 to 1950, there was no formal provision for preparative meetings in the discipline used by the Gurneyite Friends. A few of the old preparative meetings carried on despite this, often because there was property under their name. To confuse the issue, many monthly meetings held "Preparative Meetings for Ministers and Elders". These were generally under monthly meeting jurisdiction, and reported directly to quarterly meetings for ministers and elders. These records are listed as monthly meeting records in this guide. For more, see "Ministry and Counsel". |
Quarterly meeting: | An intermediary body between the yearly and monthly meetings, generally meeting four times each year for business. |
Queries: | A standard set of questions regarding a meeting's adherence to discipline, usually answered in epistles or in minute books. |
Removals: | A certificate of removal is granted by request to members in good standing who wish to transfer their membership from one monthly meeting to another. These certificates may be recorded by the granting meeting in the minutes books or in separate volumes. They are sometimes preserved by the receiving meeting as loose papers, and new members are often mentioned in the minutes as well. |
Select meeting: | See ministry and counsel. |
Separation of 1845: | The division of New England Yearly Meeting into "Gurneyite" and "Wilburite" yearly meetings. |
State of the Society reports: | Annual reports, prepared by monthly meetings, which usually combine statistical information with an assessment of the meeting's spiritual health. |
Sufferings: | See meeting for sufferings. |
Testimonies: | The basic core practices of the Society of Friends. Important testimonies include rejection of oaths, plain dress and language, refusal to bear arms, opposition to slavery, and equality of men and women. |
Treasurers: | Monthly and quarterly meetings have independent budgets, which are administered by a treasurer. Income generally comes from donations and trust funds, and is expended mostly on care of the meeting house, support of the Yearly Meeting, and various charitable projects. |
Vital records: | A general term for births, deaths, marriage or membership information for a monthly meeting's members. |
Wilburites: | The common term for members of the smaller of the two yearly meetings in New England between 1845 and 1945. Wilburites maintained the more conservative traditions of silent worship, in contrast to the more evangelical Gurneyites, who preferred "programmed" meetings. The Wilburites had their own division from 1863 to 1911, during which the Otisites held their own "Primitive" annual meeting. |
Women's minutes: | See minutes. |
Yearly Meeting: | An administrative body which supports large-scale Friends projects, such as missionary activities, schools, the archives, and publications. It is composed of quarterly meetings, which are in turn composed of monthly meetings. The term yearly meeting can also refer to the general Friends gathering and meeting for business held each summer. New England Yearly Meeting is only one of several yearly meetings in the United States and across the globe. |
Related Material
Not all of the records of the New England Yearly Meeting have found their way to the Archives. Many are scattered in libraries across New England. Many of the more recent records are still in the possession of the meetings that created them, as there is no formal procedure to ensure their deposit in the Archives on a regular basis.
Term | Definition |
DL: Old Dartmouth Historical Society: | Hold most of the early records of Dartmouth Monthly Meeting, and some New Bedford Monthly Meeting records. Housed at: New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740. Phone: (508) 997-0046. |
HA: Hanover Friends Meeting: | The records of Hanover Friends Meeting have been microfilmed, but the originals are still in the possession of the meeting. Mailing address: Clerk, Hanover Friends Meeting, 43 Lebanon St., Hanover NH 03755. |
HS: Rhode Island Historical Society Library: | A few items, marked HS, are actually in the possession of the R.I. Historical Society, and in their general manuscript collection. Call the Manuscripts Curator at (401) 331-8575 for an appointment to see MSS 148, Society of Friends Records. |
MH: Maine Historical Society: | Many of the records of Maine meetings have been deposited here. The earlier records have for the most part been microfilmed, and are available on film at both the Rhode Island and Maine Historical Society Libraries.
The hours are Tuesday through Friday 10-4, and every fourth Saturday 10-4. Their number is (207) 774-1822. |
NA: Nantucket Historical Association: | Housed at the Peter Folger Library; holds most of the records of the various Nantucket meetings. Mailing address: Box 1016, Nantucket, MA, 02554. Phone: (508) 228-1655. |
NW: Newport Historical Society: | Holds most of the early records of Rhode Island Monthly Meeting. Mailing address: 82 Touro St., Newport, RI 02840. Phone: (401) 846-0813. |
SH: Sandwich Historical Society: | Holds the records of Sandwich (N.H.) Monthly Meeting.
P.O. Box 106, Center Sandwich, NH 03227. Phone: (603) 284- 6269. Their summer hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11-5; for other months, contact Robin Dustin, the Director, at (603) 284-7740. |
WE: Weare Monthly Meeting: | This is the only early monthly meeting to retain its early records; they may eventually be deposited at the New Hampshire Historical Society.
The current contact is Elizabeth Straw, (603) 529-2316 |
Evangelical Friends Church, Eastern Region: | This Ohio-based yearly meeting currently includes Newport and Portsmouth Monthly Meetings.
For information on their records, contact the Friends Archives, Everett L. Cattell Library, Malone College, Canton, OH 44709. |
LDS Family History Centers: | Sponsored by the Church of the Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons), branches of these libraries are available throughout the country, and are open to the public. Though they have no original records, they can provide access to a wide variety of microfilms for a small fee. Films in this guide available through the Family History Centers are marked with a "+".
Call (801) 240-2745, extension 2364 to determine the nearest branch library, or for other information. |
New York Yearly Meeting Archives: | Some meetings within New York Yearly Meeting have met within the boundaries of New England, especially in Connecticut and Vermont. The New York Yearly Meeting Archives were transferred to the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA, 19081. The phone number is (610) 328-8496. Most of the early records are also available on microfilm at several major research libraries throughout the state of New York. |
Quaker research libraries: | General historical research will often extend beyond the official records described here, and into the publications and personal papers of individual Friends. Personal papers of New England Friends (correspondence, diaries, memoirs, etc.) can be found at countless different libraries, especially in state historical societies and university library special collections. It would be nearly impossible to provide a complete list here.
Two important places to check, which might not be obvious to researchers, are the extensive Quaker collections at Friends Historical Library and Quaker Collection at Haverford College, both in Pennsylvania. The addresses are: Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA, 19081, (610) 328-8496; and Quaker Collection at the Haverford College Library, Haverford PA 19041, (610) 896-1161 |
Bibliography
- Anonymous. Book of Meetings: Containing an Account of the Times and Places of Holding the Meetings of the Society of Friends in America, various publishers, 1869, 1878, 1884.
- Foster, Thyra Jane "A Guide to the Records of the Yearly Meetings of New England Friends With Their Subordinate Meetings." Typed manuscript, New England Yearly Meeting Archives, 1981.
- Hill, Thomas C. Monthly Meetings in North America: A Quaker Index, 3rd ed. Cincinnati: Published by author, 1800 Star Bank Center, 425 Walnut St., 1994.
- Jones, Rufus M. The Story of Friends in Kennebec County, Maine. New York: H.W. Blake and Co., 1892
- Lewis, Enoch. Kimber's Almanac for the Year of Our Lord 1805. Philadelphia: Emmor Kimber, 1805.
- New England Yearly Meeting. "A Brief History of Friends in New England." In Faith and Practice of New England Yearly Meeting of Friends. Worcester, Mass.: New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, 1986.
- New England Yearly Meeting. Miscellaneous guides and maps of meetings for worship, published 1825, 1833, 1836, 1849, 1889.
- New England Yearly Meeting Archives. Unpublished minutes of many meetings for business.
- Selleck, George A. Quakers in Boston, 1656-1964: Three Centuries of Friends in Boston and Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass.: Friends Meeting at Cambridge, 1976
- Thomas, Allen C. and Thomas, Richard H. A History of the Society of Friends in America. Philadelphia: Winston and Co., 1895
- Weeks, Silas. Unpublished notes on meeting houses in Vermont and Maine, at the New England Yearly Meeting Ar- chives.
- Weeks, Silas, and Jnana Hodson. Quaker Meetinghouses in New Hampshire. Dover, N.H.: Dover Quarterly Meeting, 1991.
- Works Progress Administration. Inventory of the Church Archives in Rhode Island: The Society of Friends. Historical Records Survey: Providence, R.I., 1939.
- Worrall, Arthur J., New England Quakerism, 1656-1830 Ph.D. diss., Indiana University, 1969.
- Worrall, Arthur J., Quakers in the Colonial Northeast. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 1980.
Important published works on specific meetings have been noted under the individual meeting histories whenever possible, although some have certainly been missed.
In general, most of the meeting history information in this guide was summarized from Foster's "Guide. . . ", checked against the original minutes whenever possible, and then double-checked against Hill's wonderful Monthly Meetings in North America. Other sources were used as available. To save space, the information was not footnoted, but more detailed information on sources is available in a file at the Archives.
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Cite as: New England Yearly Meeting of Friends Records (MS 902). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
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