Background on Rhode Island Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite)
Abbie Loring in Cape Cod Quaker attire, ca.1930.
Photo by Alton H.
Blackington
Established within the Wilburite Rhode Island Quarterly Meeting in 1844, the Rhode Island Monthly Meeting (Wilburite) was a small product of the Separation of 1844-1945 within the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends. By 1863, the men's meeting had declined to such an extent that only a single member remained, and therefore for a year, join meetings were held with the women's meeting. The meeting was laid down in April 1864, with members transferring to Providence Monthly Meeting (Wilburite), although a handful of members rejected the decision to disband and continued to meet through the end of the year. Rhode Island Monthly was the parent meeting for the Wilburite Newport Preparative Meeting (1844-1864).
