Transfer of Meetings Between Philadelphia and Baltimore Yearly Meetings in 1790 and 1819.

Abstract

122 BULLETIN OF FRIENDS' HISTORICAL SOCIETY TRANSFER OF MEETINGS BETWEEN PHILADELPHIA AND BALTIMORE YEARLY MEETINGS IN 1790 AND 1819.* Allen C. Thomas. It has not unfrequently been asked how is it that Philadelphia Yearly Meeting should have subordinate meetings in Maryland , and Baltimore Yearly Meeting meetings in Pennsylvania. Comparatively few could answer this question. How it came about will be shown in the following paper. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting had its origin in a Yearly Meeting set up in Burlington, New Jersey, in the Sixth (now the Eighth) Month, 1681. After this a Yearly Meeting was held annually in Burlington for some years. The first Yearly Meeting in Philadelphia was held in Seventh Month, 1683; and in the same month in 1684 a Yearly Meeting was held in Burlington and also one in Philadelphia. In 1685 the same thing occurred. At that time in Philadelphia, in response to a call issued by the Meeting in 1683 for the establishment of a General Yearly Meeting for Friends of all the North American Colonies, there were present Friends from Rhode Island and Maryland. At this gathering it was concluded that there should be but one Yearly Meeting for the Jerseys and Pennsylvania, to be held alternately at Burlington and Philadelphia "the first First-day in the Seventh Month (now the Ninth Month) for worship, and the Fourthday to be the men's and women's meetings." The Yearly Meeting continued to be held alternately in the Ninth Month though at a later day, until 1760 when it is recorded, "It appears to be the most general sense that Philadelphia, as it is the nearest central for the body of the Society, it is therefore the most con- *The writer is greatly indebted to the custodians of Records, of Philadelphia , Baltimore (Eutaw St.), and Baltimore (Park Avenue) Yearly Meetings for extracts from the Minutes of those Meetings, and also on other points to Kirk Brown and Charles Y. Thomas, of Baltimore, and Gilbert Cope, of West Chester, Pa. YEARLY MEETINGS, BALTIMORE AND PHILADELPHIA 123 venient for that purpose," and since that date the Meeting has been so held, though the time of year has been changed.1 The project for a General Meeting, a clear forecast of the Five Years' Meeting of two hundred years later, did not find much favor, no doubt largely owing to the great distances and the consequent expenditure of time and money which attendance would involve. Maryland Friends, however, did send representatives , but it does not appear that they were more than what are now called "Fraternal Delegates," for a careful search through the records of several years failed to show that they were appointed on any committees or took any active part in the business . Virginia and North Carolina Yearly Meetings also sometimes sent delegates to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting similar to those from Maryland (now Baltimore).2 Maryland Yearly Meeting began with a Meeting at West River, on the western shore of the Chesapeake, in 1672,* at which were George Fox and John Burnyeat.4 The meeting at first held Half-Yearly sessions alternately at West River and at Tredhaven (Third Haven), on the eastern shore, afterwards annual sessions alternately. It has been held without intermission ever since. As has been seen, Maryland Friends sent "fraternal delegates " to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, though Maryland Yearly Meeting, as the records show, was absolutely independent in its actions. Doubtless the relationship resembled that between London and Dublin Yearly Meetings. Owing to various causes the Friends in Maryland felt the need of additional strength, and in 1787, possibly informally before, instructed their delegates to Philadelphia to broach the subject of a transfer of some meetings from Philadelphia to Maryland Yearly Meeting, and also mentioned the subject in their Epistle subjoining a copy of a Minute on the subject. They proposed for the consideration of Friends "the propriety of annexing to Maryland Yearly Meeting ? In 1798 the time of holding the Yearly Meeting was changed to the third Second-day in the Fourth Month as at present. 2 Ms. Minutes, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 1780; in 1784 no representatives from "neighboring Yearly Meetings were reported." 3 Dublin Yearly Meeting was begun the same year...