Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Quaker research in Pennsylvania

The eternal question.  I am working on something and information that is unrelated to what I am working on comes to my attention.  Do I drop what I am doing?  If I don't put what I am working on aside, how do I file the new information in such a way that I won't loose it?

So this blog post is about information sent from NEGHS in an e-mail about Quaker research in Pennsylvania.....One of the highest priority subjects on my agenda.  Mainly this post is to remind me of what was sent by NEGHS to look at in the future.

It is from the Nov newsletter from NEGHS.  And is an article written by:

Ask A Genealogist
by Lynn Betlock, Editor

Question: My ancestor, a Quaker from Wales, immigrated to Philadelphia in about 1690. Does NEHGS have any Friends meeting records or wills for Chester County, Pennsylvania? If not, where can I find them? 

Answer by Genealogist Jeanne Belmonte: The first official Quaker meetings for what would become the Chester Monthly Meeting took place in the home of a Mr. Wade in 1681. Other meeting houses were built as the community grew. Early meetings took place in Goshen, Uwchlan, Caln, Kennett, Birmingham, Nottingham, West Nottingham, New Garden, London Grove, Bradford, and Valley in what is now Chester County. 

An index to Pennsylvania Quaker meeting records has been published: The William Wade Hinshaw Index to Pennsylvania Quaker Meeting Records (Kokomo, Ind.: Selby Publishing & Printing, 1990). This ten-volume series is available here at NEHGS. It may also be available at a library near your home. You may wish to do a Worldcat search to locate the nearest library.

The Friends Historical Library, located at Swarthmore College, has an extensive collection of meeting records. More information about their holdings and how to access the collection can be found on their website.

Chester County probate records have been microfilmed and are part of Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994, an online FamilySearch collection. These records are not searchable, but may be browsed by county. Records include indexes, wills and estate papers. For more information and to access the records, click here.

The Family History Library has microfilmed many books containing abstracts of wills, estate papers, and other court documents. Many of these books on microfilm are available for loan and can be viewed at your local Family History Center. A list of Chester County resources available on microfilm can be found here.

In addition to the resources above, "Quaker Genealogy" by Sally Benny, Assistant Archivist here at NEHGS, is a wonderful guide to available Quaker resources. In addition to a description of the NEHGS holdings, you will see a list of helpful websites at the bottom of the page.   

Trips sponsored by NEGHS in 2015 can be found at:

http://shop.americanancestors.org/collections/research-tours-programs?pass-through=true

The edition also mentioned a book that I could not find on the website:

Medieval Welsh Ancestors of Certain Americans: 50% off ($35, now $17.50)
The closest library that has the book is LVA.  I might want to look at it if I go to Boston this winter.

Vita Brevis, the NEHGS blog, offers essays by the Society's expert staff on their own research and news of the greater genealogical community. It includes short posts on research methods--applicable to a variety of genealogical subjects--as well as posts on results.

For more ideas on how to share your family history, watch the webinar "Sharing Your Family History: Ideas from NEHGS" (1:01:28, presented live November 18, 2014, by Penny Stratton).

Commentary: Writer Captures Colonial Piracy
"An early 1700s diary in the Maine Historical Society archives shows the brutality of New England attacks."

Our research tours are filling up--register today!Belfast Research Tour
June 21-28, 2015
Join NEHGS for our second trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and make the most of the resources at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and other repositories. Track down your ancestors in Northern Ireland through individual consultations, educational opportunities, and expert assistance. Register today

Members, if you register online for tours, be sure to first login to receive a special member discount.

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