Dear List: I was recently asked by a researcher if Quaker records were really as useful as some people said. If any of you are unfamiliar with their content, perhaps the answer I sent that person will also help you, so I am posting it here: I'm biased, being a Quaker, but I think it depends what you're looking for. If you're just looking for verification of a wedding, death or birth date, then the records can do that but will often say little else. What you will see in summaries like the Hinshaw indices or Peden's summaries is just this statistical material, and you need go no further. If you have time (and luck) getting into the individual Meeting's monthly business minutes (that's why they're called Monthly Meetings - meet 2-3 times a week for worship, but once a month to transact congregation-related business), you can often learn interesting tidbits. But BEWARE - it's a lot of reading! Examples: 1. Friends transferring from one Meeting to another had to produce "certificates in" (e.g. to the Meeting they wished to join) proving that they were members in good standing, owed no outstanding debts, and were capable of self-support, often listing a trade or equipment as proof. Thus, you can get occupations, previous residences. relative affluence and names of wives and minor children on the certificate. Same for "certificates out" (given by the Meeting they were leaving). In the business Meeting approving these, there is sometimes special notation made of a person's standing in the community, acts of charity, character pluses (and minuses!), roles and responsibilities in that Meeting from which they are "removing" etc. 2. The Monthly meeting business minutes also record an individual's service in and to the Meeting - Quaker committees being very important, as they carried out pastoral and community care and were a sign of trust and eminence among one's peers. These minutes also refer to a person's actions, if they cause concern to the congregation, the view being that one's personal conduct reflects the condition of one's inward spiritual development. And the spiritual maturity of the individual reflected directly upon the Meeting as a whole. So, the minutes will often mention who is thought to be fornicating with whom, who was seen drunk at market day, who is consorting with "idle company," who doesn't mend his fences so that his livestock gets loose and eats a neighbor's crops, as well as who is a deserving person who needs help in establishing a trade, who has enough tact to be helpful in relief to the poor, etc. These documents often read like gossip sheets! And, if the person's conduct is truly bad ("contrary to the good order of Friends"), other Friends will be appointed to call on the wayward one and "elder" or counsel him to better behavior. (Remember that scene in the movie Friendly persuasion where Gary Cooper is eldered for racing his buggy to Meeting?) These elders make their report to business meeting, and the outcomes are usually reported. So, if we want to know what our ancestors were REALLY like..... 3. If you can get your hands on an original, or full copy, of a Friends' marriage certificate, it can be quite helpful for genealogists. As there is no minister in a Friends Meeting, the couple marry each other in the sight of God and the congregation, all of whom sign the certificate as proof. The first two signatures are the bridge's and groom's, then the Committee of Oversight (Quakers appointed by the congregation to assist the couple in prenuptial counseling and to see that the marriage takes place in accordance to Friends' practice), then the bride's immediate family, then the groom's immediate family, then family, neighbors, etc. You get a full picture of their circle, famous and local. My marriage certificate is more than three 17x20" pages long (318 signatures), with all 38 of my first cousins signing (some in baby writing, who now have grandchildren!). People usually sign in family groups, which can help sort out a gaggle of similar last names in the same town or vicinity. On my certificate, over 120 people with the same last name signed, in family groups, so you can really see how we all relate. The marriage certificates also tell you who was literate and who was not. 4. If your ancestor was dropped from membership ("disowned"), the reason(s) why will be in the monthly business minutes. It can range, depending upon the time period and the strictness of the Meeting, from marrying a non-Friend, to military service, to sexual misbehavior, to debt, to continued non-attendance. An 1870s Midwest Friend was even disowned for having an unkempt beard! One wonders if it featured livestock within. 5. Upon a Friend's death, the next Monthly Meeting minutes will usually include a "Memorial Minute," that is a brief outline of that person's character (Friends call it "weightiness" as other faiths refer to "pillar of the church") and services to the Meeting and to the community. These often make great reading, especially as they are personalized, not standard one-size-fits-all. They usually include expressions of faith said by the deceased, so one can get a flavor of the person's beliefs. All this said, I think the main reasons why people love Quaker records is that they are reliable, accurate, consistent (in that they have few gaps over the years), are easily findable and are not sealed to outsiders. In fact, the originals are getting used to death and this is of concern to Friends who know the religious reasons why these records are important and therefore why our denomination spent/spends so much money, time and effort to preserve them. We always hope that outsiders will realize that they are RELIGIOUS records kept for Quaker purposes, and so use them gently and respectfully. Please use microfilms and not originals, if you can. Thy friend in research, Nancy Webster, Swarthmore Meeting, PA