Left: Quaker school and burying ground shown in northern corner of Latrobe map (1806) Courtesy Delaware Public Archives
Right: Newark Union Church, Brandywine Hundred. Current building 1845, cemtery from 1687
Marker text: Newark Union. Successor to Newark Monthly Meeting of Friends. Established about 1682. Early Meetings were held at Morgan Dewit's and and at Valentine Hollingsworth's. Named from plantation called New Wark or New Workea patented to Hollingsworth, who in 1687 donated one-half acre for a burying place "Being some already buryed in ye spot"
| New Castle | |
|---|---|
| Meeting established | 1684 |
| First Meeting House built | 1705 |
| Meeting "raised" [Moved to Wilm.] | 1758 |
| Meeting House demolished | 1885 |
| Location | New Castle, Del. |
"New Castle's Friends' history began early and ended early"
As Herbert Standing (1982) described in Quakers in Delaware in the Time of William Penn (with permission of the author), Quakers had come to the New World prior to the Charter of William Penn in 1681. However the large influx began in 1682 into Pennsylvania and to a much smaller extent the Three Lower Counties (including New Castle). A Monthly Meeting was started between 1682 and 1684 in "Newark" and then in New Castle. Quakers held mid? week meetings for worship ("Preparative Meetings") and administrative Monthly Meetings (MM) where records were kept of births/deaths/marriages. Newark (see google map) was not the site of U. of Delaware, but is in Carrcroft in Brandwine Hundred near Marsh Road and Branmar Plaza. The Monthly Meeting records survive since 1686. They show that the MM had shifted to New Castle to the home of Widow Welsh (Welch), and then to George Blake for XX out of XX meeting between 1687 and 1688. Blake was an official of the town
These dates are in the old (Julian) calendar, and would be May and June in the Gregorian calendar. Death in childbirth (quite possibly due to infection) must have been an everpresent terror for women and their families at this time. Also in the minutes are the marriage of xx and xx, birth of a xx and the mother's death xx days later.
The first reading for an intention of Edward Gibbs to marry Rachel Crawford is followed by a second reading and approval by the Meeting. Scharf states that Judith Crawford, widow of soldier James Crawford married Edward Gibbs. Land records indicate sale of lot E-1 from "Gibbs, Edward and Judith Crawford Gibbs, executors of James Crawford". Was Rachel another name for Judith?
Using the maps created by Lousise Heite, and the property histories by
Jeannette Eckman it's possible to get a little insight into people vs places in early New Castle.
The Latrobe survey
of 1804 shows the Quaker School and burying ground near the current firehouse.
The location of the church that was built in xx was not shown in xx,yy zz, but may have been at that location
Title chains for properties in this neighborhood have not yet been traced for the early 1700's.
blah blah blah -- origins, size relative to Newark, size relative to town & other churches
property location of members on heite map, difficulties in transportation to newark? (Blake)
compare dates of poor attendance with death of wife.
. Others, such
as Widow Welsh are not listed as property owners. Crawford/Gibbs sold lot
E-1 in 1688, Edward Blake (C-3, sold 1718), Hussey, Hogg & Swett (D-3, bought 1689)(For the church?)
Edward Blake Jr (C-6, bought 1733).
Quakers before Penn in colonies, Origins of Blake?
Monthly Meeting Records
(tif images):
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Births |
Deaths
Transcriptions
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Births |
Deaths
Plan: images of MM p1,2, birth and death Blake
transcriptions: Blake, Crawford
Description & (link )of meetings for worship/ monthly, yearly
Date/calendar problem (link)
Resources: Swarthmore/MM records/Hinshaw/Standing
Misc: James Crawford
Judith Crawford
Hinshaw index
Blake family
NC-CHAP
