The Society of Friends (Quakers) began in England in the 1650s, when they broke away from the Puritans. Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn, as a safe place for Friends to live and practice their faith.
The New Garden Monthly Meeting minutes record the beginnings of the Deep River Meeting.
30 of ye 1th month, 1754
Friends at Deep River requested a meeting for worship at the house of Benjamin Beeson which this meeting grants until further orders. Except when it is at Mordecai Mendenhalls.
Ye 31st of ye 1st mo., 1756,
Friends having had in consideration for some time the settling of a meeting for worship at Deep River, it is accordingly concluded the same should be laid before the Quarterly Meeting for their concurence.
The minutes of the Eastern Quarterly Meeting read:
At the old neck in the county of Perquimons the 27 day of the 2nd mo, 1756, it appeared to this meeting by a few lines from friends of New Garden that friends near Deep River were desirous to have a first day meeting for worship settled among them, and friends having weightily considered thereof think it may not be improper to grant them the Liberty.
Richard Beeson requests a meeting for worship to be held at his house once in two weeks on a Fifth day of the week which this meeting grants until further orders.
They built their first meeting house in 1758.
Most Quakers refused to take part in the Revolutionary War.
The Deep River meeting was authorized in 1778.
Preparative meetings under Deep River Monthly Meeting included Deep River, Springfield, Muddy Creek, Deep Creek, Belews Creek, Gum Swamp and Hitchcock.
Members
Baldwin, John and Jemima Sanders
b. 1747 Hopewell, Frederick, Virginia
Barnard, Francis and Catherine Osborne
b. 1747 in Nantucket
Barnard, Tristram and Margaret Folger
b. 1745 in Nantucket
Barnard, Obed
August, 1781 visited Nantucket with Joseph Laton
Beard, David
b. 1774
Beard, Levina Gifford
b. 1746 in Bristol, MA
married William Beard
Beard Reuben and Mary Hoggatt
Beard Richard and Eunice Macy
b. 1742 in Nantucket
Beard, William and Lavinah Gifford
hat maker
Beeson, Benjamin
held early meetings at his house
Beeson, Phebe Stroud
b. 1733 in VA
widow of Isaac Beeson, daughter of Samuel Stroud
Bernard, Francis
July, 1783, visited Friends with Mathew Macy
Bond, Edward and Ann Mills
b. 1740 in Bucks, PA
Brazelton, Sarah
Brooks, David
August, 1780 visited Pennsylvania and farther northward with Seth Coffin, companion.
August, 1782 visited meetings in Virginia as far as Hopewell with Joel Danders
February, 1785 visited friends in Maryland and Pennsylvania with John Talbot.
October, 1785 visited "Friends Southwardly and other denominations in those parts."
December 1786, David Brooks went to Quarterly Meeting
Brooks, Sarah
Bull, Thomas and Elizabeth Beard
In 1806 all the names of those persons called "Bull" changed to "Talbot."
Clasby, Charles and Ann Coffin
b. 1733
Coffin, Barnabas
b. 1751 in Nantucket
December 1780 visited Nantucket
Coffin, Hannah
Coffin, Libni
b. 1745 in Nantucket
Coffin, Samuel and Mary Carr
b. 1749 in Nantucket
Coffin, Seth and Lydia
b. 1742 in Nantucket
August 1780 visited Pennsylvania and farther northward as companion to David Brooks
Cook, Thomas and Mary Mills
Crues, Sarah
Joel Danders, companion.
August, 1782 visited meetings in Virginia as far as Hopewell as companion to David Brooks
Elmore, Thomas
b. 1739 in New Kent, VA
Directed to distribute books in 1782.
Folger, Latham and Matilda Worth
b. 1748 in Nantucket
Gardner, William and Suzanna
from Nantucket
son Thaddeus was disowned in 1814 for excessive use of profanity
Gifford, Jonathan and Eunice Beard
b. 1755 in Bristol, MA
Hamm, Philip and Priscilla Sanders
b. 1735
Harris, Obadiah and Rebecca Johnson
b. 1741
December, 1783, visited Friends in Virginia.
Harrold, Jonathan
b. 1746 in Frederick, VA
Harrold, Richard
Haworth, Micajah and Mary McCurry
b. 1743 in Frederick, VA
Haworth, Phebe
Healy, Phebe
Hiatt, John , Sr.
b. 1746 in Frederick, VA
Hiatt, Mary Thomas
b. 1723
widow of John Hiatt 1724
Hinshaw, Ruth
Hoggatt, John and Ruth Beals
b. 1721 in Chester, Pa
Hoggatt, Joseph and Phebe Haworth
b. 1735 in Louisa, VA
Howell, Jonathan and Elizabeth Thomas
b. 1719 in Chester, PA
Huff, Ann
or Hough
Hunt, Abner
Johnson, Judith
Johnson, Robert
b. 1741 in VA
Johnson, Tarlton
b. 1738 in New Kent, VA
Jones, Richard and Jemima Huff
b. 1746 in Albemarle, VA
Kersey, Hannah
Laton, Joseph
August 1781 visited Nantucket with Obed Barnard
Macy, John Jr.
Macy, Matthew and Abigail Coffin
b. 1732 in Nantucket
July, 1783 visited other Friends as companion to Francis Bernard
Marshall, Phebe
Mendenhall, Mordecai and Charity Beeson
b. 1715 in Chester, PA
held early meetings at their house
Mendenhall, Jane Thornburg
b. 1737
widow of Richard Mendenhall
Mendenhall, John and Mary Boone
b. 1748 in Chester
Mendenhall, Moses and Dinah Rudduck
b. 1743 in Frederick, VA
September 1781 Moses visited the yearly meeting in Philadelphia.
Mendenhall, Stephen
b. 1721 in Chester, PA
Mills, Aaron
b. 1749 in Frederick, VA
son of Henry
September, 1782 visited the Philadelphia yearly meeting with Manlove Wheeler
Mills, Amos
b. 1752 in NC
Mills, Henry
b. 1720 in Chester, PA
Mills, Reuben
b. 1745 in NC
Pattison, Joseph
Pike, Nathan and Elizabeth Williams
b. 1749 in NC
Rudduck, Jane
widow of John Rudduck, Sr.
Rudduck, John Jr. and Sarah Tomlinson
b. 1749 in NC
recorder of births, deaths and marriages
Directed to distribute books in 1782.
Sanders, Hezekiah and Martha Elmore
b. 1734 in NC
Directed to distribute books in 1782.
Joel Sanders
b. 1745 in Caroline, VA
Sanders, John
b. 1705 in New Kent, VA
Sanders, John Jr.
b. 1733 in NC
Sanders, Susanna
Stalker George and Sarah Thornbury
b. 1726
Stanly, Archelaus
b. 1736 in VA
Stuart, Jehu and Sarah
b. 1740 in Chester, PA
Sweet, John
Talbot, John
clerk
February, 1785 visited friends in Maryland and Pennsylvania as companion to David Brooks
January 1791 visited Friends in Philadelphia
Talbot, Mary
clerk
Thornbrugh, Henry
Joseph Thornbrugh
b. 1742 in NC
Thornbrugh, Rachel
Unthank, John
b. 1740 in Allegheny, PA
September, 1778 visited eastern meetings
Wheeler, Manlove
b. 1748 in Kent, DE
September, 1782 visited the Philadelphia yearly meeting with Aaron Mills as companion
Williams, Isaac
b. 1742 in Philadelphia, PA
Wright, Hannah and daughter Jane
disowned "accomplished her marriage contrary to our discipline and likely to have a child too soon after marriage."