Finding just one Quaker ancestor can open many new possibilities to a genealogist. This is because, like peanuts, you can’t have just one! Most Quakers were members of the Society of Friends by birthright. This means their parents were Quakers. They were disowned for marrying outside their faith so chances are good that their spouse is also a Quaker.
Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy
Commonly called “Hinshaw’s” for the original author, William Wade Hinshaw, the six volume set of the Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy is both a starting point and continuum for those researching Quaker ancestors.
Actually compiled from Hinshaw’s notes by Willard Heiss, these enormous books are arranged by Monthly Meeting. Once you know what Monthly Meeting an ancestor belonged to you can look for their name in that meeting’s alphabetized index.
Example of Quaker Encyclopedia Entry
Under the Cincinnati Monthly Meeting:
KIMBRO, 1870, 4, 14. Jeremiah & w, Rhoda, rocf Springfield MM, O., dtd 1870, 3, 19.
Once you learn a wee bit of Quaker “shorthand” the entry is quite meaningful. It means that on 4-14-1870 Jeremiah Kimbro and his wife Rhoda were received on certificate from Springfield Monthly Meeting in Ohio, dated 3-19-1870. They were members of good standing at Springfield and being accepted as members at Cincinnati.
The next listing under their name reads: 1872, 9, 19. Jeremiah & w, Rhoda, & ch Willard and Lula L., gct Springfield MM, O. This tells you that the Kimbros, now with two children, got certificate to return to Springfield Monthly Meeting in Ohio.
Missing Records
Unfortunately, some Monthly Meeting records are missing. Almost every Monthly Meeting in the North Carolina Yearly Meeting has lost one or more of its books. All meetings kept a separate set of minutes of the men’s meetings and the women’s meetings so some information is still available.
There are but a few exceptions. The records of Fredericksburg Monthly Meeting, South Carolina, for the years 1750-1782, and Trent Monthly Meeting, North Carolina, 1792-1800, are completely gone.
Arrangement of Encyclopedia Listings
When ready to use these indices keep in mind that not all of the meetings are listed as might be expected. Volume 1 - North Carolina also includes some Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia meetings. Volume II - Pennsylvania, includes New Jersey. Volume III - New York is only New York meetings. Volume IV - Ohio includes some Pennsylvania and Michigan meetings. Volume V - Ohio contains only Ohio meetings. Volume VI - Virginia includes most, but not all, of Virginia.
Locating the Encyclopedia Volumes
Many genealogy libraries have Hinshaw’s books and all of the LDS Family History Centers now have them available on microfiche. They have been reprinted and can be purchased online from the Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore, Maryland.
Those researching Indiana Quakers will find an every-name index in Abstracts of the Society of Friends of Indiana, originally edited by Willard Heiss. This, too, is available through most Family History Centers and genealogy libraries. It can be purchased from the Indiana Historical Society, 315 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis, IN 46202.
Swarthmore College at Swarthmore, PA, founded in 1864 by the Society of Friends, has on its campus the Friends Historical Library, which is an excellent facility for tracing Quaker ancestors.
The Quakers are a fascinating people with a rich heritage…and earlier generations wrote most of it down!
SOURCE: Cameron, Judy, “Tracking Down Those Quakers, The Second Boat, Vol. 17, No. 6, (Winter, 1998).
 |
 |
 |
