Jeff Palmer (jap@highstream.net) wrote: "I know some of my Quaker ancestors also faced outrageous examples of persecution. It would be interesting to read a compilation of such stories - sort of a "Besse's Sufferings" for America. Does such a thing exist?" Besse included America in his extensive (though certainly far from complete) COLLECTION OF THE SUFFERINGS OF THE PEOPLE CALLED QUAKERS. Sessions of York has been reprinting this work in sections. One of the sections already out is subtitled, "America - New England and Maryland; West Indies- Antigua, Barbadoes, Jamaica and Nevis; Bermuda." (Punctuation added for clarity). It has a surname index, but unfortunately no every name index. The text pages are actual reproductions (much reduced in size from the hugh original pages) of the original 1753 edition. The period covers varies from one colony to another but begins with the first Quaker missionaries to America about 1656 & in a few cases goes up to the 1690s. It costs 18 Pounds Sterling in London but one should expect to pay around $40 or more in the US from one of the Quaker book stores such as Quaker Hill Bookstore in Richmond, IN or Friends General Conf Bookstore in Philadelphia. I have no connection with this book but have found it a valuable resource for Quaker history and genealogy. There are some other important treatments of Friends sufferings for their faith in standard histories of Quakers in various parts of America. There are particularly good accounts of Virginia, New York, & North Carolina. What comes through in all these accounts is that again and again, Friends risked their incomes, personal safety, freedom, and lives for their faith and the right to exercise it, and in the process laid the foundations of liberty upon which the rights of the citizens of the United States, Ireland, Great Britain, and other democratic nations are based. Understanding what one's ancestors endured for their faith and how God worked powerfully through them puts things in an entirely different perspective, and perhaps even opens us to considering if we might also find the Quaker faith to be something to give such deep meaning to our lives, as well. Bill Medlin

Just to add a bit to Bill Medlin's response, the 1753 edition of Besse is now available on-line through the Earlham School of Religion, along with many other Quaker texts. These are historical and doctrinal, rather than genealogical, but some, like Besse, are useful for genealogists. Go to http://esr.earlham.edu/dqc/biblio.html for the list of resources. Tom Hamm >Jeff Palmer (jap@highstream.net) wrote: >"I know some of my Quaker ancestors also faced outrageous examples of >persecution. It would be interesting to read a compilation of such >stories - sort of a "Besse's Sufferings" for America. Does such a thing >exist?" > >Besse included America in his extensive (though certainly far from complete) >COLLECTION OF THE SUFFERINGS OF THE PEOPLE CALLED QUAKERS. Sessions of York >has been reprinting this work in sections. One of the sections already out is >subtitled, "America - New England and Maryland; West Indies- >Antigua, Barbadoes, >Jamaica and Nevis; Bermuda." (Punctuation added for clarity). It has a >surname index, but unfortunately no every name index. The text pages >are actual >reproductions (much reduced in size from the hugh original pages) of >the original >1753 edition. The period covers varies from one colony to another but begins >with the first Quaker missionaries to America about 1656 & in a few cases goes >up to the 1690s. It costs 18 Pounds Sterling in London but one should expect >to pay around $40 or more in the US from one of the Quaker book stores such as >Quaker Hill Bookstore in Richmond, IN or Friends General Conf Bookstore in >Philadelphia. >I have no connection with this book but have found it a valuable resource for >Quaker history and genealogy. >There are some other important treatments of Friends sufferings for their >faith in standard histories of Quakers in various parts of America. There are >particularly good accounts of Virginia, New York, & North Carolina. >What comes >through in all these accounts is that again and again, Friends risked their >incomes, personal safety, freedom, and lives for their faith and the right to >exercise it, and in the process laid the foundations of liberty upon which the >rights of the citizens of the United States, Ireland, Great Britain, and other >democratic nations are based. Understanding what one's ancestors endured for >their faith and how God worked powerfully through them puts things in an >entirely different perspective, and perhaps even opens us to >considering if we might >also find the Quaker faith to be something to give such deep meaning to our >lives, as well. >Bill Medlin > > >==== QUAKER-ROOTS Mailing List ==== >Quaker-Roots Archives - Search List Messages From 1996 On >http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl