FRIENDS' MEETINGS

Page 5

Many of those who had purchased land in Pennsylvania while still in England, as well as others, now began to arrive in considerable numbers. As they were mostly Friends or Quakers, a number of meetings were established by them in 1683 and 1684. William Edmundson, a minister from Ireland, visited America in 1675, and in that year held a meeting at the house of Robert Wade, at Upland. A meeting was probably held here regularly after 1677, by which time some other Friends had arrived in the neighborhood.

It may be explained that the meetings of Friends are classified as for worship and for discipline. The latter are again divided into preparative, monthly, quarterly and yearly meetings. One or more meetings for worship may form a preparative meeting. One or more preparative meetings may form a monthly meeting. Two or more monthly meetings may form a quarterly meeting, and several quarterly meetings may form a yearly meeting. In the early days these regulations were not so closely adhered to as later, and we find that some monthly meetings called every third meeting a quarterly meeting. The monthly meetings are the principal executive branch of the Society and keep the most voluminous records. New meetings are established by these, with the approval of the quarterly meetings.

The Friends at Upland were for a time members of Burlington Monthly Meeting, of which a session was "held at Upland, in the house of Robert Wade, the 15th of the 9th month, 1681," but the first meeting of the kind, held by Friends of the Western Shore alone, is set forth in the following minutes:

"the 10 day of ye 11 month, 1681.

"A monthly meeting of frends belonging to marcus hooke & vpland held then at Robert Wad's house."

"the 14 day of ye 12 month, 1681.

"A monthly meeting heeld by frends at marcus hooke."

No other meeting is mentioned until

"the 9th day of ye 3d mo. 1682.

"A monthly meeting held then by freends belonging to marcus hooke & vpland at Robert Wad's house."

Up to this time no business appears to have been transacted by the meeting. The next date is

"the 3 day of ye 6th month 1682.

"A monthly meeting held then by frends belonging to marcus hooke alis Chechester & vpland and ye adioyning Inhabetants, at Robert Wad's house.

"At this meeting William Clayton juner and elezebeth bezor, both living at Chichester, have declared their Intentions of marriage: & its ordered by the meeting that morgan druet & Robert Wade doe make enquirey conserning them & give it in to ye next monthly meeting."

"At the monthly meeting at vpland the 11th 7 mo. 1682.

"Large paper booke, unruled, being fitt for the servise of monthly and quarterly meetings is to be procured against the next monthly meeting, & Robt Wade is desired to get the said booke.

"It was then agreed yt a meeting shall be held for ye service & worship of god every first day at ye court house at Vpland.

"And also agreed that there be three meetings in the week time the westerne part to meet at Chichester the 5th day of the week and the midle meeting at Harold at Wm. Woodmansons the 4th day of the week and the Eastern meeting at Ridley at John Simcocks the 5th day of the week untill otherwise ordered.

"The monethly meetings for men & women to be the first second day of the week in every month at Robert Wades house.

"Wm Clayton & Elizabeth Bezor did again present their former intentions of marriage but friends findeing that her parents were absent and had not their consent for such proceedings, nor certificate of her clearness from other men, did advise these parties to waite further untill all things be cleared according to the practise of friends and good order of truth."

The following are the headings of the monthly minutes succeeding the above:

"At the men's meeting at Upland the: 2: day of the 8: month: 82." "At the men's meeting at Vpland the 6th of 9 mo. 82." "At our men and women's meeting at Chester the: 1: of: 11 month: 82."

The old book from which the foregoing entries are taken appears to bear this inscription, though very dim with age: "The Register Booke belonging to Marcus hook and Upland Meeting, ye 3d of ye 6 month 1681." About 1711 the minutes were transcribed by Thomas Chalkley, who changed the word Upland to Chester, beside making other variations from the original.

On the 1st of 11th month, 1682, "it was condescended to that frinds at chichester may hold a meeting there on the first day of the weik for the servis of god untill the next monthly meeting, then to have further aprobation conserning it." At the next meeting, 5th of 12th mo., 1682-3, this matter does not appear on the record, but "Its concluded by ye sd meeting yt Tho: Brassie & James Kennerly speake to John Blunston or some of Derby meeting to joine wth us in our months meeting to considder of & order ye necessary affaires belonging to ye same." This is the first allusion to Darby Meeting, which had probably been recently established independently of any other. They may have joined with Chester Friends in a monthly meeting capacity for a time, but on the 2d of 5th month, 1684, Darby Monthly Meeting held its first session. Haverford Monthly Meeting, composed of the meetings in Haverford, Radnor and Merion, was established the same year, the record beginning with the 10th of 2d month (April, O. S.), while the monthly meeting of Chichester and Concord (later known as Concord Monthly Meeting) was first held on the 17th of 1st mo. (March), 1684. As the settlements progressed other meetings were set up, of which further mention will be made hereafter. The connection of the Smedley family with the Society for more than 200 years, as well as of those with whom the Smedleys have intermarried, justifies a detailed history of these meetings.

The Darby Meeting has occupied a somewhat unique position in the history of the Society. Unlike Chester Monthly Meeting, which at one time had seven branches. Darby Monthly Meeting was composed of the one congregation, which never establisned any offshoots. This was owing to the fact that they were hedged about with the monthly meetings of Chester. Philadelphia and Haverford, and there was no unoccupied territory to colonize.