Worcester Monthly Meeting (Society of Friends) Records

1890-2009
4 vols., 3 boxes (2 linear feet)
Call no.: MS 902 W673
rotating decorative images from SCUA collections

The intertwined history of the Society of Friends in Worcester and Uxbridge, Mass., began with the first meetings for worship in Uxbridge in 1767, under the care of Smithfield Monthly Meeting. Set off as a monthly meeting in 1783, Uxbridge reached its peak during the first half of the nineteenth century, but following years of decline, it changed its name and center to Worcester Monthly Meeting in 1907. A group from the pastoral meeting at Worcester broke off in 1952 to create the unprogrammed Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting, although the two meetings reunited in 1979. The Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly simplified its name to the current Worcester Monthly Meeting before 2009.



The records of Worcester Monthly Meeting include a nearly complete set of minutes beginning in 1905, about the time it changed name from Uxbridge Monthly, and an extensive, though broken run of newsletters. The records of Uxbridge Monthly Meeting and Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting prior to the reunion with Worcester are described separately.

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Background on Worcester Monthly Meeting


An image of: Abbie Loring in Cape Cod Quaker attire, ca.1930.Photo by Alton H. Blackington

Abbie Loring in Cape Cod Quaker attire, ca.1930.

Photo by Alton H. Blackington

The intertwined history of the Society of Friends in Worcester and Uxbridge, Mass., began with the first meetings for worship in Uxbridge in 1767, under the care of Smithfield Monthly Meeting. Set off as a monthly meeting in 1783, Uxbridge reached its peak during the first half of the nineteenth century, but following years of decline, it changed its name and center to Worcester Monthly Meeting in 1907, with no meetings for worship held in Uxbridge for nearly a century.

A pastoral meeting associated with Smithfield Quarter, Worcester Monthly experienced a separation in 1952, when a portion of the membership broke away to establish the unprogrammed Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting, also in Worcester. Pleasant Street remained independent until affiliating with Connecticut Valley Quarterly Meeting in 1963.

In 1973, the members of Pleasant Street began holding joint meetings with Worcester, which led to a formal reunion in 1979, taking the name Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting. Unusually, because of the merger the meeting held dual Quarterly membership until 1988 when they surrendered Connecticut Valley in favor of Rhode Island-Smithfield. Sometime before 2009, Worcester-Pleasant Street dropped Pleasant Street from their name.

Worcester Monthly: constituent meetings
  • Bolton Preparative, 1785-1799
  • Douglas Worship Group, 1783-1796
  • Preparative, 1796-1833
  • Glocester Worship Group (R.I.), 1783-1791
  • Leicester Worship Group, 1783-1794
  • Preparative, 1794-1848 (became Worcester Preparative,)
  • Northbridge Worship Group, 1783-1798, 1901-ca.1914
  • Preparative, 1798-ca.1901
  • Pomfret Preparative, 1815-1860
  • Richmond Worship Group, 1783-1784
  • Preparative, 1784-1792
  • Uxbridge Preparative, 1783-1892
  • Worship Group, 1892-ca.1900
  • Worcester Preparative, 1848-ca.1901

Scope of collection

The records of Worcester Monthly Meeting include a nearly complete set of minutes beginning in 1905, about the time it changed name from Uxbridge Monthly, and an extensive, though broken run of newsletters. The records of Uxbridge Monthly Meeting and Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting prior to the reunion with Worcester are described separately.

Inventory

Worcester Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1905-1994
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1905-1936
Box 1: 1
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1937-1940
Box 1: 2
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1941-1947
Box 1: 3
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1948-1951
Box 1: 4
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1952-1955
Box 1: 5
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1956-1961
Box 1: 6
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1962-1963
Box 1: 7
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1964-1966
Box 1: 8
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1967-1978
Box 1: 9
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1978-1979
Box 1: 10
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1980-1981
Box 1: 11
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1982-1983
Box 2: 1
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1984
Box 2: 2
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1985
Box 2: 3
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1986
Box 2: 4
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1987-1988
Box 2: 5
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1989-1990
Box 2: 6
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1991-1992
Box 2: 7
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Minutes
1993-1994
Box 2: 8
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Ministry and Worship
1890-1944
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Christian Endeavor
1890-1902
Bound vol.
09:E4
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Ministry and Oversight
1919-1927
Bound vol.
09:E4
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Ministry and Oversight
1927-1944
Bound vol.
09:E4
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Pastoral Committee
1914-1919
Bound vol.
09:E4
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Other records
1943-2009
Joint Committee Representing the Five Organized Groups of Friends in New England: Minutes
1943
Box 2: 9
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Annual reports
1954, 1965
Box 2: 10
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Correspondence
1946-1968
Box 2: 11
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: State of Society reports
1989-1995
Box 2: 12
Worcester Monthly Meeting: State of Society reports
2009
Box 2: 13
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
1947-1994
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
1947
Box 2: 14
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Bulletin
1959
Box 2: 15
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
1968-1970
Box 2: 16
Worcester Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
1971-1979
Box 2: 17
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
1984-1985
Box 2: 18
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
1986-1988
Box 2: 19
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
1989-1991
Box 3: 1
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
1992-1994
Box 3: 2
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
1995-1997
Box 3: 3
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
1998-2000
Box 3: 4
Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting: Newsletters
2001-2004
Box 3: 5

Administrative information

Access

The collection is open for research.

Provenance

Gift of the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends Records, March 2016.

Related Material

This collection is part of the New England Yearly Meeting Records.

See also records for Uxbridge Monthly Meeting and Worcester-Pleasant Street Monthly Meeting.

Processing Information

Processed by Nora D. Charles, Mar. 2020.

Language:

English

Copyright and Use (More information )

Cite as: Worcester Monthly Meeting (Society of Friends) Records (MS 902 W673). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.

Search terms

Subjects

  • New England Yearly Meeting of Friends
  • Quakers-- Massachusetts
  • Society of Friends--Massachusetts
  • Worcester (Mass.)--Religious life and customs

Contributors

  • Worcester Monthly Meeting (Society of Friends) [main entry]

Genres and formats

  • Minutes (Administrative records)
  • Newsletters
  • Vital records (Document genre)

Link to similar SCUA collections