A note from Herbert Standing (former Meeting Secretary of Wilmington Monthly
Meeting (1964-1969) and Catalog Librarian at Haverford College from 1976-1985
asking about early New Castle Quakers.

-----------------------------------

In reviewing the mailing and the web-sites
which you sent me, I would remark that George Fox seems to have visited New
Castle in 1672.  In pioneer times in America, a number of Friends worship
groups, later called Preparative Meetings, were affiliated with a Monthly
Meeting.  Preparative Meetings were expected to meet every Sunday.  As time went
on, larger Meetings also held mid-week Meetings for worship on Wednesday or
Thursday.  The Preparative Meetings had Overseers and held their own business
meetings for the care of elementary business such as care of the meetinghouse
and the formulation of items of business to be forwarded to Monthly Meeting. 
The serious business, such as disowning people and approving of marriages, was
done by the Monthly Meeting which assembled once a month, sometimes rotating
each month among the member Preparative Meetings.The Monthly Meeting would
sometimes authorize new worship groups at various locations which might assemble
for some monthls or years before assuming Preparative Meeting status.

In reviewing the map of New Castle, it would appear to me that some of the
owners of the lots might not have actually lived there, or if they first settled
there, they may have moved elsewhere out in the country.  Some of them
intermarried with Friends, but their membership status is unclear.

John Cann (or Cahan or Keihin) seems to have been a member of Friends, but in
later life he is said to have lived in White Clay Creek Hundred. I found a book
in the Historical Society of Delaware Library by William Ferris Cann, "The Story
of John Cann, 1645-1694, of Delaware.

The Claypoole family had Quaker connections.  Mary Cann, oldest daughter of John
Cann, became the wife of James Claypoole.  Members of the Claypoole family were
Quakers at Lewes in Sussex County in southern Delaware.

Sarah Blake, first wife of Edward Blake, died in 1687.  Edward married 2nd, in
1689, Hannah (Marshall) DeCou, widow of Isaac DeCou of the George's Creek
Friends settlement south of New Castle.

John Richardson was a member of Friends who settled at New Castle ca. 1682.  His
wife was named Elizabeth, and he had children: Richard, Mary, and Joha. I have
seen an old genealogy of this family, who  helped develop Richardson Park.

Cornelius Empson was an entrepreneur who was an active member of Newark Union
Meeting.  He made have had part ownership of a lot in New Castle, but I don't
know that he ever lived there.

There seems to be no record that James Crawford , d. 1683, was a member of
Friends, although his widow, Judith Crawford must have been a member when she
married Edward Gibbs, a member of New Castle Meeting.  The Gibbs family seem to
have lived south of New Castle.  James Crawford, a son of Judith,  became a
member of Duck Creek Monthly Meeting, representing Georges' Creek Preparative
Meeting which became affiliated with Duck Creek Monthly Meeting ca. 1706.

There was a Jan Garretson, d. 1694, of Dutch background, whose wife was Ann,
Several of their children married Quakers of the Cox and Hussey families. 
Perhaps Jan had heard George Fox preach at New Castle in 1672.  There was a
family periodical, "Garretson News", published ca. 1940-1960, a file which might
be available at the HIstorical Society of Delaware Library.  Perhaps  the
"Gerrits" on the New Castle maps refers to Jan Garretson.

There was a Land family which had friendly relations with the Quakers.  Docas
Williams (or Walliams), widow of Samuel Land, married (before 1695) George Hogg,
a Quaker, who lived out in the country from New Castle.

As I have mentioned in my paper regarding  New Castle Meeting, affairs seemed to
take a turn for the better when John and Rebecca (Perkins} Hussey and family
arrived in New Castle from New England in 1695.  John and Rebecca had as many as
eighteen children.  Two or three died in childhood.  Five married daughters
remained in New England.  There daughter Bathsheba and her husband, Thomas Babb
accompanied the family to Delaware but settled in Brandywine Hundred and
attended Newark Union Meeting.  Their oldest daughter, Theodate, married
Benjamin Swett and they also came to Delaware and settled at New Castle.  The
Swett family was active in New Castle Meeting  until about the time that it was
laid down.

This is all that I will attempt to delineate at this time.  I hope that it
proves helpful.

----- Herbert Standing.