Is it possible to outline the vital records one might locate in meeting minutes? I'm also a bit confused regarding Quaker practices regarding BDM records and county records? Did they go to their county courthouse and report a birth, marriage or death once it was a state law? What about land and probate records? Probably in error, I've somehow I got the impression that they didn't like to give this information to the county. Diane

Keep in mind that civil records of vital statistics are a relatively recent development in the United States. Some states did not require any kind of marriage license until about 1850, and those that did usually exempted Quakers from that requirement. I've found no indication that Friends objected to civil recording of births and deaths. Friends recorded wills and deeds and probates like their neighbors. Your impression probably comes from the Quaker belief that marriage was a purely religious matter. Thus Friends objected to requiring marriage licenses, and they did not record Quaker marriages in civil records. There may have been a few exceptions to that--I'm told that Columbiana County, Ohio, before 1820 is one. Tom Hamm >Is it possible to outline the vital records one might locate in meeting >minutes? > >I'm also a bit confused regarding Quaker practices regarding BDM records and >county records? Did they go to their county courthouse and report a birth, >marriage or death once it was a state law? > >What about land and probate records? > >Probably in error, I've somehow I got the impression that they didn't like >to give this information to the county. > >Diane > > > > >==== QUAKER-ROOTS Mailing List ==== >Quaker-Roots Archives - Search List Messages From 1996 On >http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl