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Archiver > PA-QUAKERS > 2006-09 > 1159064157


From: "Nancy" <>
Subject: Re: [PA-QUAKERS] Disownment
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 19:15:57 -0700
References: <c19.5303bc8.324598c8@aol.com>


Thank you so much. I will send you a copy of what I rewrite. That way if I
misspeak you can correct me before I submit for publication.

I did a short article on Quaker research for an earlier issue and was
suprized at the response from my local society. More Quaker ancestors than
I realized, and very few people really know anything about Quakers.

thank you
Nancy Kilbourn
Rabbit Tracks, editor
quarterly for Conejo Valley Genealogical Society
Thousand Oaks,CA
----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, September 22, 2006 12:51 PM
Subject: Re: [PA-QUAKERS] Disownment


> Please feel free to use it, although it was just a dashed-off email and
> can
> probably stand some editing.
>
> Also, you should be aware that there are 2 flavors of Friends in CA. One
> is
> what we call "unprogrammed" Meetings - they follow the 350-year old
> traditional, silent meeting format without music or a pastor.
>
> By the 1880s, a different form of Quakerism had formed. As Friends moved
> west
> (Ohio and beyond), they often adopted a form of worship more like
> mainstream
> Protestants - a "programmed" period of worship with music, Bible readings,
> minister's sermon, etc., while keeping basic Quaker beliefs. This was
> consolidated during the late 19th century.
>
> Both are fully accepted forms of Quakerism, but they do have slight
> differences in approach and "church" rules. The disownment info that I was
> giving is
> accurate for Quakers until ca. 1875, and still is for the "unprogrammed"
> type.
> Nothing is ever simple, is it?
>
> The complete process of disownment took/takes place over several months,
> sometimes even several years. At the monthly Meeting for Business, any
> "error" or
> "concern" might be brought to the attention of the congregation, from
> allowing
> your animals to roam onto others' property to drunkenness to adultery. A
> small committee to verify the facts and help the person to return to the
> Quaker
> fold would then be appointed (called "eldering" - remember the 3 men who
> called
> on Gary Cooper in the movie "Friendly Persuasion" to convince him that
> having
> an organ was inappropriate?).
>
> After the committee was/is able to meet with the individual, sometimes
> several meetings, the committee would then report the outcome of their
> visit(s) to a
> later Meeting for Business. The full congregation would then ponder and
> decide (sometimes over a period of months) whether disownment was
> justified. The
> individual and/or family members often would speak to the congregation
> also,
> explaining the circumstances. Therefore, the Meeting's minutes always
> contain the
> reason for a person's disownment, and often their responses. This makes
> for
> sometimes racy reading!
>
> And often disownment was considered NOT appropriate, as when an ancestress
> of
> mine had "married out" and she pointed out there was no one else her age
> in
> the vicinity. This was thought a reasonable response, and she was
> continued in
> membership while her husband remained a Methodist.
>
>
> Thy friend, Nancy Webster
>
>
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