Call Number:

MC.975.07.031

Repository:

Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections

Extent:

0.33 linear ft. (2 volumes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

"Book of Epistles of George Fox, Founder of Quakerism" (HC.MC.975.07.031), Quaker & Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, PA.

Date:

1937-1938 (inclusive)

Creator:

Fox, George and Richardson, Thomas

Form:

manuscripts (documents) and letters (correspondence)

Abstract:

These manuscripts of "Book of Epistles of George Fox, Founder of Quakerism," which was originally written in 1714 by Thomas Richardson, are typed transcripts of the original document, as compiled by Thomas Richardson's descendants, Edward Wanton Smith, Esther Morton Smith, and Anna Wharton Wood. The manuscript includes an introduction which discusses the history of Thomas Richardson's volume of the epistles of George Fox and its inheritance to subsequent generations, and provides biographical information for Thomas Richardson. Letters in the volume include those to Men and Women's Quarterly and Monthly Meetings, to Friends in Barbados, to Friends in Maryland and Virginia, and to Friends in Dublin.

George Fox (1624-1691) was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. George Fox was born in Dreyton-in-the-Clay, now called Fenny Drayton, in Leicestershire, England, in 1624. He was the son of Christopher Fox, a weaver, and Mary Lago Fox. Fox left Drayton-in-the-clay in 1643, to travel around the country as his religious beliefs began to take shape. In 1647, Fox began to preach publicly. Fox married Margaret Fell in 1669. His ministry expanded and he undertook tours of North America and the Low Countries. Between these tours, he was imprisoned for more than a year. He spent the final decade of his life working in London to organize the expanding Quaker movement. George Fox died in 1691.

Thomas Richardson (1680-1761) was born in Rhode Island, the son of William Richardson and his second wife, Amy Borden. Richardson married twice; his first marriage was to Anne Newberry, who died in 1728, and his second marriage was to Mary Wanton in 1729. Richardson was an active Quaker, and served as clerk of his meeting for a number of years. He was the General Treasurer of Rhode Island from 1748 to 1761. Richardson died in Newport, Rhode Island, on April 28, 1761, at the age of 80.

This collection is comprised of the two volumes of "Book of Epistles of George Fox, Founder of Quakerism." The volume was originally written by Thomas Richardson in 1714, with copied epistles of George Fox. These manuscripts are typed transcripts of the original document, as compiled by Thomas Richardson's descendants, Edward Wanton Smith, Esther Morton Smith, and Anna Wharton Wood. The manuscript includes an introduction which discusses the history of Thomas Richardson's volume of the epistles of George Fox and its inheritance to subsequent generations, and provides biographical information for Thomas Richardson. Letters in the volume include those to Men and Women's Quarterly and Monthly Meetings, to Friends in Barbados, to Friends in Maryland and Virginia, and to Friends in Dublin.