South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite: 1845-1945)
South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite) Records
1755-1944
1845-1903
MS 902 W553-S556
10 vols.
1 linear foot
Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries
As the home of John Wilbur, South Kingstown Monthly Meeting was at the epicenter of the Separation of 1845 within the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends. The South Kingstown Monthly Meeting (Wilburite) was formed in 1845 from members of South Kingstown and Greenwich Monthly Meetings and placed under the care of Rhode Island Quarterly Meeting. It was one of only three Wilburite monthly meetings to survive through the unification of 1945, when it became Westerly Monthly Meeting.
The relative success of South Kingstown Monthly Meeting (Wilburite) did not parlay into a large body of records. The collection contains one volume each of official minutes from the men's and women's meetings, two slender volumes from the Select Preparative Meeting, a letterbook, and a slender volume of vital records.
English
Abbie Loring in Cape Cod Quaker attire, ca.1930.
Photo by Alton H. Blackington
As the home of John Wilbur, South Kingstown Monthly Meeting was at the epicenter of the Separation of 1845 within the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends. The South Kingstown Monthly Meeting (Wilburite) was formed in 1845 from members of South Kingstown and Greenwich Monthly Meetings and placed under the care of Rhode Island Quarterly Meeting.
The small size of most Wilburite meetings made survival a challenge, and by the turn of the twentieth century, many were laid down. South Kingstown absorbed members of the Wilburite Providence Monthly Meeting when it was laid down in 1881, and it was the parent of several worship groups and preparative meetings. It was one of only three Wilburite monthly meetings to survive through the unification of 1945, when it became Westerly Monthly Meeting.
South Kingstown worship groups and preparative meetings
- Block Island Worship Group (1981- )
- Newport Worship Group (1883-1885)
- Pawtucket Worship Group (1881-1892)
- South Kingstown Worship Group (ca.1945-1948)
- Westerly Worship Group (1929- )
- Hopkinton Preparative Meeting (1845-1889)
- South Kingstown Preparative Meeting (1845-1932: at Westerly)
- Westerly Preparative Meeting (1854-1929)
The relative success of South Kingstown Monthly Meeting (Wilburite) did not parlay into a large body of records. The collection contains one volume each of official minutes from the men's and women's meetings, two slender volumes from the Select Preparative Meeting, a letterbook, and a slender volume of vital records.
The collection is open for research.
Cite as: South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite) Records (MS 902 W553 S556). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
Gift of the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends Records, March 2016.
This collection is part of the New England Yearly Meeting Records.
See also the records of Westerly Monthly Meeting, which are a continuation of South Kingstown Monthly (Wilburite).
Quakers
Religion
Rhode Island
Processed by Nora D. Charles, Feb. 2020.
New England Yearly Meeting of Friends
Quakers--Rhode Island
Society of Friends--Rhode Island
Wilburites
Westerly (R.I.)--Religious life and customs
Minutes (Administrative records)
Vital records (Document genre)
South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite) Minutes
1845-1922
South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite) Minutes, Men's meeting
1845-1887
09:D5South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Minutes, Men1845 Sept.-1879 Sept. Bound vol.
09:D5South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Minutes, Men's meeting (rough)1869 Sept.-1871 Aug.Bound vol.
09:D5South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Minutes, Men's meeting (rough)1871 Sept.-1877 Sept.Bound vol.
09:D5South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Minutes, Men's meeting (rough)1879 Oct.-1887 Nov.Bound vol.
Presumed missing as of 1996South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Minutes, Men's meeting1887-1905
South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite) Minutes, Women's and Joint meetings
1845-1977
09:D5South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Minutes, Women's meeting (1896-1905) and Joint Sessions (1905-1922)1896-1922Bound vol.
09:D5South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Minutes1923/1977Bound vol.Volume contains records from the South Kingstown Monthly (Wilburite) through to the present-day Westerly Monthly.
Ministry and Worship
1845-1903
09:D5South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Select Preparative Meeting1845 Oct.-1871 JulyBound vol.
09:D5South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Select Preparative Meeting1871 Oct.-1903 Oct. Bound vol.
Other Records
1755-1944
09:D5South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Letterbook1831-1897Bound vol.
09:D5South Kingstown Monthly Meeting of Friends (Wilburite): Vital records: Births, deaths, burials, marriages1755-1944Bound vol.