Hello Listmates, In a message posted on 23JAN2000 Miriam Blackburn asked, "Have you come across any info about Methodist Blackburns in England?" Although Miriam's question was directed specifically to Liz Wallis, I will interject here my own belated response. The basis of my remarks is a collection of quarterly tickets, now in my possession. These tickets were originally issued to my great- grandparents, John Blackburn (1804-1882) and his wife Frances Dean (1807-1894). The tickets, printed on card stock, and about 2-inches by 3-inches in size, have a header which identifies the issuing agency as "Weslyan-Methodist Society, Established 1739." Immediately below the header are the words, "Quarterly Ticket for (month, year)." The lower half of the ticket includes a printed Bible verse and, written by hand, the name of the person to whom the ticket was issued. The Bible verses and, of course, the dates vary from ticket to ticket. Nine of the tickets in this collection were issued to John and carry dates ranging from June 1824 to September 1829. Three tickets issued to Frances in 1824 and 1825 use her maiden surname. (She and John were married 04MAY1825). During the period in which these tickets were issued, John and Frances were residents of Gisburn, a town on the banks of the River Ribble in northern England. At that time Gisburn was included in Yorkshire's West Riding. Now it lies within the boundaries of Lancashire. The exact significance of these quarterly tickets had escaped me until several years ago. At that time I visited the museum at Lovely Lane Methodist Church in Baltimore, the home of Methodism in America. The museum's curator explained to me that it was customary for the members of the congregations to assemble on a quarterly basis for a shared meal. However, attendance at these feasts was restricted to those who had attended a prescribed number of preparatory classes. The tickets constituted evidence of such attendance. It all now seems quite consistent with the Methodists methodical traditions. John and Frances came to America with their first two children (Thomas and William) in the spring of 1830. (My grandfather, John Barton Blackburn, and three other children were born after their arrival here.) They settled in Delaware County, PA, where John became manager of one of several cotton mills which flourished along Chester Creek in mid-19th century. Although in new surroundings, they apparently maintained their interest in Methodism and the customs of their former homeland, as is attested by another set of quarterly tickets. These are slightly larger than those issued in England. Their header reads "Methodist Episcopal Church, Founded A.D. 1784," and the name of the person to whom issued is written at the top, rather than at the bottom. Otherwise they are quite similar to those used by the Weslyan-Methodist Society. They bear dates ranging from 1854 to 1872, and those issued to Frances now list her surname as Blackburn. As further evidence of John's committment to Methodism, I have two Exhorter's Licenses issued to him in 1839 and 1846. The text of the latter is as follows: "This certifies that John Blackburn is authorized by the Methodist E. Church to hold public meetings for exhortation and prayer. Signed by approbation of the Quarterly Conference for Chester Circuit held at Bethel, March 14, 1846. To be renewed Annually. (signed) Dan'l Lambdin, P.E., S. A. Barton, Sec'ry. (I have often wondered if Secretary Barton might have been the inspiration for the middle names of my grandfather, John Barton Blackburn, and my father, Frederic Barton Blackburn.) After coming to America, John and Frances soon became members of what is now Mount Hope United Methodist Church at Aston, Delaware County, PA. In 1851 John became one of the founders of the Crozerville M. E. Church at nearby Rockdale, PA, which was probably closer to his home than was Mount Hope. Although the Crozerville church seems never to have had a cemetery, Mount Hope has a large one on the grounds adjoining the church. A marker clearly identifies the burial place of John in Mount Hope Cemetery. The adjoining site (probably originally intended for Frances) is occupied by the remains of their son James, who died at age 20 or 21. A death notice for Frances published in the Chester Times on 12APR1894 indicated that she too was to be buried at Mount Hope. However, if there is a marker at her site, it must be among the many illegible ones at Mount Hope; the cemetery's records of burials prior to 1900 have been lost. Here I will end this over-long discussion on the march of Methodism from the banks of the River Ribble to the falls of Chester Creek. Charles A. (Al) Blackburn Columbia MD USA