> Thanks Donna for this info. > For those who might be interested in this book, here's bibliographic > information: > Title: Our Quaker Ancestors: Finding Them in Quaker Records. > Authors: Ellen Thomas Berry, David Allen Berry > Publisher: Baltimore : Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987. > Paging: 136 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. > Call #: 929.273 B534 > ISBN#: 0806311908 > Status: Out of Print > A search of http://www.abebooks.com/ found six copies at various independent > booksellers around the country ranging in price from $12-$30. > -- > Malcolm Schalick Sharp > http://sharp.rootsweb.com/ > -- > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Donna E. Ristenbatt" <DRistenbatt@dejazzd.com> > To: <NJBURLIN-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 10:16 AM > Subject: [NJBurlin] Quaker Calendar Correction > > > > Hi all, > > > > A kind lister sent this to me. I realized I had gotten "rusty" on Quaker > > dates. In one of the last wills I sent, I forgot that after 1752, the > Quakers > > used January as the first month, no longer March. This article should > > help "newbies" and "rusty ones" like yours truly. So, on Lydia Stokes > > Haines LAMB's will, since her dates are after 1752, 23 da, 7th mo, 1778 > > should be July, not Sept. Also, dates on the most recent Nehemiah and > > Lettice Foster LAMB children/Intestate article should be changed. > > Lettice FOSTER was born 22 Feb 1755 and the children are as follows: > > Esaias or Isaiah is 4 Mar 1773, Mary LAMB is 10 Mar 1774; Samuel > > LAMB is 14 May 1777; Rebecca LAMB is 30 Jul 1780 and Charlotte > > LAMB is 9 Aug 1782. Enjoy the article. > > > > "OUR QUAKER ANCESTORS > > Finding Them in Quaker Records" > > by Ellen Thomas Berry & David Allen Berry > > > > From Chapter VII "Quaker Records and Some Possible Problems" > > pg.67 and > > 68: > > "Another pitfall for the purist can be the unique way the Quakers > > dated > > events. They did not use names for days of the week or months of the > > year > > since most of these names were derived from the names of pagan gods. > > A date > > such as August 19, 1748 will never be found. Rather it would be written > > as > > "19th da 6th mo 1748." Sometimes this will be written as 6mo 19da > > 1748. Why > > 6th month since August is the 8th month? The Quakers, along with > > everyone > > else in the American Colonies and England, did not begin using the > > Gregorian calendar until 1752. Under the Julian calendar the year began on > > March 25th; March was the first month and February was the twelfth month. > > This is something of a problem when an event occurred in the months of > > January, February or up to March 25th, for then the date is given as > > 1748/1749. Such a dating practice satisfied everyone, including civil > > authorities, if for instance an inheritance was being established. > > > > You may find that some legal documents will read "the 8th mo 5th > > day > > 1748 in the month called October." It is disconcerting when a date such > > as > > 30th da 11th mo 1722/1723 is found. The double year indicates that the > > old > > calendar was in use. Even though the Gregorian Calendar was adopted > > in > > 1582, as mentioned above it was 1752 before the change was universally > > accepted. We are emphasizing this point here so that if exact days, > > months, > > and years are wanted, the old Quaker records must be used with great > > caution. Remember that until 1752 "1st mo" is March. > > > > We would like to point out also that you may find secondary material > > (genealogies are a case in point) in which the compiler transcribed dates > > incorrectly - for instance. "30th da 11th mo 1738/1739" rewritten as "Nov. > > 30, 1738/39" when the date in question is actually "30th January > > 1738/1739. > > The dual year must be used until you are quite certain the locale in > > question has adopted the Gregorian calendar (or until the Quaker > > records no > > longer have the dual form or the year is after 1752). Dual dating is > > applicable ONLY for the first three months (to 25 March) of the present > > calendar and NOT for the other nine months. The first date given is the > > Julian year, the second the Gregorian year." > > > > Another way of finding whether the old Quaker method of dating is > > being > > used in any given set of records is to search back and forth until a month > > such as the "2nd mo" is found and the see if entries were made on either > > the 29th or 30th days, If this was done, then you will know the old > > system > > was being used and the month would be the present month of April > > rather > > than February. > > Other months can be used. For instance, if it is the "7th mo" and you > > find the "31st," you would know the new system is being used and the > > month > > is our present month of July rather than the Quaker September." > > > > In other words, before 1752, 11th month was January; 12th month > > was > > February; 1st month was March; 2nd month was April and so on. > > > > 1752 and after, 1st month was January, 2nd month was February, > > 3rd > > month was March...just as we number the months today. > > > > When recording dates found in Quaker records, it is preferred > > practice > > to copy them as they are found and to record the source. Too often, > > dates > > have been transformed incorrectly in secondary sources and these dates > > should always be verified by the original monthly meeting records. > > > > Regards, > > Donna Ristenbatt > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > DRistenbatt@dejazzd.com > > >