Tony - I don't think that anyone is saying that Quakers do not register births. They do, but what they do NOT do is then hold a baptism or christening ceremony, which is a different thing entirely. I do not claim to have any faith myself, but as I understand it, baptism is to receive the recipient, whether child or adult, into the church. Avowed Christians may correct me on this. Graham On 25/11/2014 20:39, Tony Vernon via wrote: > Hello, > > As a follow-on to the Quaker choice to not baptise or christen, does anyone > know when they went away from that practice? In Hinshaw's index in the > U.S., there are birth records recorded, but I have been unable to find a > birth record for an ancestor presumed born in 1799 so am wondering if that > lack of documentation is due to this practice, or something else like > leaving the faith. Thanks! > > Tony > > On Tue, Nov 25, 2014 at 3:47 AM, Ruth Genda <ruthgenda@btinternet.com> > wrote: > >> But Quakers don’t baptise or christen children. I’m afraid you will >> search in vain. >> >> From Wikipedia: … Friends do not practice water baptism >> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism>, Christening >> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_baptism>, or other initiation >> ceremonies to admit a new member or a newborn baby. Children are often >> welcomed into the meeting at their first attendance. Formerly, children >> born to Quaker parents automatically became members (sometimes called *Birthright >> membership*), but this is no longer the case in many areas. Some parents >> apply for membership on behalf of their children, while others allow the >> child to decide whether to become a member when they are ready, and older >> in age. Some meetings adopt a policy that children, some time after >> becoming young adults, must apply independently for membership. >> >> You will find a gentle explanation here: >> >> http://www.hitchin.plus.com/Quakers/Newkids.htm >> >> Ruth >> >> >> > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CHESHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message