I’ve had the privilege of perusing the new 2-volume set of society of The Minutes of Dartmouth, MA Monthly Meeting of Friends, 1699-1785. Published by the Colonial Massachusetts, in cooperation with The Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society, and edited by Thomas D. Hamm, these amazing books will be used by historians and genealogists for years to come.
Volume One has 830 pages plus XVIII front matter. It covers the years 1699-1773 of the Men’s Minutes. Volume Two has 753 pages, plus ix front matter. Volume I covers the years 1773 to 1785 of the Men’s Minutes, as well as the Women’s Minutes covering 1699 to 1782.
The following is from the book jackets:
The South Coast of Massachusetts, adjoining the Rhode Island border, was throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries a safe haven for those seeking to avoid too close scrutiny by either provincial authorities or the Congregational establishment in Boston. Thus, this borderland provided a refuge for Native Americans, freed Blacks and religious dissidents, especially Quakers who faced severe penalties in the Bay Colony. The Dartmouth Monthly Meeting was the first group of Friends to gather for organized worship in the region.
Since their founding in 1699, they collected and preserved their records well into the twentieth century. Recognizing that a continuous set of records over such a long time span was indeed a remarkable survival, the Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society set about digitizing and transcribing these manuscripts, and the Colonial Society of Massachusetts has joined in the effort by publishing the eighteenth-century minutes of both the Men’s and Women’s Monthly meetings.
The minutes of a Quaker monthly meeting might best be described as business and disciplinary records, rather than a description of what transpired in the weekly ‘First Day” meetings for worship. Quakers believed that God inspired women as well as men, that women had just as much right to speak and preach and pray publicly as men. Quakers were expected to marry other Quakers, and those who did not might be disowned. Cases of bastardy and fornication (generally understood as resulting in a birth of a child too soon after marriage) also came before the monthly meeting, as well as offenses against “plainness,” sharp business practice, and slander of fellow Friends. The refusal to take oaths and serve in the military brought Quakers into conflict with local authorities, and Friends were forbidden to profit from war-making in any way, either by repairing guns for soldiers, owning or serving aboard privateers, or even purchasing goods that has been seized from enemy ships.
The Minutes of the Dartmouth Monthly Meeting constitute a rich hoard of information for social historians and genealogists alike. These volumes are fascinating to read. Many people are found mentioned in the books, often being found in unpleasant situations. Church discipline was strictly enforced, and people being people, lots of the folks found themselves called before the church authorities. Many marriages and church permission to marry are found within the books. If you have Quaker ancestors in the area, these volumes can add much to the story of their lives.
The highly subsidized two-volume hardbound set can currently be found at Amazon for only $49.50 – with free Prime delivery!