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Middletown Preparative Meeting (Delaware County, Pa.) Records

Notifications

Held at: Quaker Meeting Records at Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections and Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Quaker Meeting Records at Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections and Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Middletown Preparative Meeting (Delaware County, Pennsylvania) was established in Twelfth Month 1698/1699. In 1827, after the Hicksite Separation in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, the meeting split into Hicksite and Orthodox branches. The Orthodox preparative meeting was transferred to Middletown Monthly Meeting (Delaware County, Pennsylvania) in 1931, and was discontinued in 1950, when its membership became identical with that of its parent monthly meeting. Middletown Preparative Meeting (Hicksite) was transferred to Providence Monthly Meeting in 1934. This preparative meeting is currently active.

Records of Middletown Preparative Meeting (Delaware County, Pennsylvania), 1771-1969, include Pre-Separation, Hicksite, and Orthodox records. Hicksite member record (including births), 1840-1893; list of burials (Pre-Separation and Hicksite), 1787-1860; minutes (Orthodox men's minutes, 1821-1950 and Hicksite men's/joint minutes 1827-1921; Orthodox women's minutes, 1849-1919 and Pre-Separation/Hicksite women's minutes 1813-1888); Orthodox ministers and elders minutes, 1931-1959; account books and other financial records (Pre-Separation, Orthodox, and Hicksite 1771-1969); and records of the Hicksite First Day School Committee, 1896-1911.

Deposit. Additional donations from Alice Pennell Allen (1973) and Tony Ierardi (2021)

Publisher
Quaker Meeting Records at Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections and Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Finding Aid Date
2011
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Access may be provided via digital or microfilm copy, per repository policy.

Use Restrictions

Copyright has not been assigned to the Repositories All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the individual Meeting or its successor. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Repositories as the holder(s) of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by reader.

Collection Inventory

Biographical / Historical

At the time of the Separation in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in 1827-1828, pre-Separation vital records were generally retained by the branch with which the recorder was affiliated. Researchers are advised to consider vital records which span this period carefully: in many cases, the meeting without the original records may have reconstructed these records for its membership only, giving the impression that individuals in the other branch were never members.

RG2/Ph/M54 3.1. Member Record (rough), 1840-1867.
Volume M54 3.1
Scope and Contents

Volume also contains: Births (1841-1860); information on deaths, removals, disownments, etc. Members list compiled by order of Chester Monthly Meeting, Fifth Month, 1840.

Conditions Governing Use

Cover detached and book fragile

Physical Description

1 v. ([30] p.)

Material Specific Details

Hicksite

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

RG2/Ph/M54 3.2. Member Record, 1840-1893.
Volume M54 3.2
Physical Description

1 volume

Material Specific Details

Hicksite

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

PG1. Burials (Middletown, Pennsylvania), 1787-1860.
Scope and Contents

Photocopies of lists made by Hannah Painter, 1787-1838, 1820-1859, 1840-1854, and 1854-1860.

Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in the following location(s):

  1. Swarthmore: Microfilm MR-Ph285 (1787-1838)
  2. Haverford: No Film
Physical Description

1 folder

Material Specific Details

Affiliation: United

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Biographical / Historical

Official records of proceedings kept for all Quaker business meetings. Only Quakers could participate. It has responsibility for care of members, authorizes removals and marriages, maintains discipline, considers the queries, manages meeting property, fosters social concerns, and reports regularly to the quarterly meeting. Beginning at the end of the 19th century, men and women ceased to hold separate business meetings, meeting instead in joint session.

HC.PhM.M540.01.001 (1250/R2.26). Minutes, 1821-1847.
Box M-13
Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in the following location(s):

  1. Swarthmore: No Film
  2. Haverford: No Film
Physical Description

1 volume in folder

Material Specific Details

Affiliation: Pre-Separation/Orthodox

Physical Location

Haverford College Quaker and Special Collections

RG2/Ph/M54 1.1. Minutes, 1827-1888.
Volume M54 1.1
Scope and Contents

Minute book begins 12th mo. 1827, beginning the Hicksite record after Middletown Preparative Meeting split at the Separation.

Conditions Governing Use

Volume is fragile, some pages detached and spine damaged.

Physical Description

1 volume

Material Specific Details

Hicksite

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

HC.PhM.M540.01.002 (1250/R2.26.1). Minutes, 1847-1886.
Box M-14
Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in the following location(s):

  1. Swarthmore: No Film
  2. Haverford: No Film
Physical Description

1 volume in folder

Material Specific Details

Affiliation: Orthodox

Physical Location

Haverford College Quaker and Special Collections

RG2/Ph/M54 1.2. Minutes, 1888-1921.
Volume M54 1.2
Physical Description

1 volume

Material Specific Details

Hicksite

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

HC.PhM.M540.01.003 (1250/R2.26.2). Minutes, 1886-1950.
Box M-14
Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in the following location(s):

  1. Swarthmore: No Film
  2. Haverford: No Film
Physical Description

1 volume in folder

Material Specific Details

Affiliation: Orthodox

Physical Location

Haverford College Quaker and Special Collections

RG2/Ph/M53 1.1. Minutes, 1813-1821.
Volume M53 1.1
Scope and Contents

Minutes of the pre-Separation women's meeting, First Month 21, 1813 - Twelfth Month 2[7?], 1821.

Physical Description

1 v. ([32] p.)

Material Specific Details

Pre-Separation

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

RG2/Ph/M53 1.2. Minutes, 1821-1888.
Volume M53 1.2
Conditions Governing Use

Volume is fragile and damaged: text block and spine are split, boards detaching.

Physical Description

1 volume

Material Specific Details

Pre-Separation / Hicksite

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

HC.PhM.M540.02.001 (1250/R2.26.4). Minutes, 1849-1890.
Box M-14
Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in the following location(s):

  1. Swarthmore: No Film
  2. Haverford: No Film
Physical Description

1 volume in folder

Material Specific Details

Affiliation: Orthodox

Physical Location

Haverford College Quaker and Special Collections

HC.PhM.M540.02.002 (1250/R2.26.5). Minutes, 1890-1919.
Box M-14
Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in the following location(s):

  1. Swarthmore: No Film
  2. Haverford: No Film
Physical Description

1 volume in folder

Material Specific Details

Affiliation: Orthodox

Physical Location

Haverford College Quaker and Special Collections

Biographical / Historical

Committee which had care of the spiritual welfare of the meeting, particularly the meeting for worship. Ministry and Counsel committees were established in 1918 by Hicksite meetings, which no longer designated members as ministers or elders. The predecessor of Ministry and Counsel was the Preparative Meeting of Ministers and Elders.

HC.PhM.M540.03.001 (1250/R2.26.6). Minutes, 1931-1959.
Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in the following location(s):

  1. Swarthmore: No Film
  2. Haverford: No Film
Physical Description

1 volume

Material Specific Details

Affiliation: Orthodox

Physical Location

Haverford College Quaker and Special Collections

RG2/Ph/M53 2.1. Account Book, 1791-1815.
Volume M53 2.1
Scope and Contents

Treasurer's book of the pre-Separation meeting.

Physical Description

1 v. ([60] p.)

Material Specific Details

Pre-Separation

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

HC.PhM.M540.04.001 (1250/R2.27.1). Account Book, 1837-1863.
Box M-14
Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in the following location(s):

  1. Swarthmore: No Film
  2. Haverford: No film
Physical Description

1 volume in folder

Material Specific Details

Affiliation: Orthodox

Physical Location

Haverford College Quaker and Special Collections

HC.PhM.M540.04.002 (1250/R2.28). Account Book [Women], 1852-1879.
Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in the following location(s):

  1. Swarthmore: No Film
  2. Haverford: No Film
Physical Description

1 volume

Material Specific Details

Affiliation: Orthodox

Physical Location

Haverford College Quaker and Special Collections [as of 7/2021, on search]

RG2/Ph/M53 2.2. Miscellaneous financial papers (reproductions), 1771-1969.
Folder M53 2.2
Scope and Contents

This file includes photostatic copies of a handful of receipts and deeds related to Middletown Preparative Meeting copied by the Painter Library, Tyler Arboretum, for Martha Darlington in 1969. Receipt copies are largely related to the Middletown meetinghouse.

Physical Description

7 items in 1 folder

Material Specific Details

Pre-Separation / Hicksite

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

RG2/Ph/M54 4.1. Attendance and minutes, 1896-1904.
Volume M54 4.1
Physical Description

1 volume

Material Specific Details

Hicksite

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

RG2/Ph/M54 4.2. Minutes, 1905-1909.
Volume M54 4.2
Physical Description

1 v. (62 p.) ; 33 cm.

Material Specific Details

Hicksite

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

RG2/Ph/M54 4.3. Attendance, 1906-1911.
Volume M54 4.3
Physical Description

1 volume

Material Specific Details

Hicksite

Physical Location

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

HC.PhM.M540.05.001 (1250/R2.28.1). Fire Insurance, 1940.
Box M-14
Existence and Location of Copies

Available on microfilm in the following location(s):

  1. Swarthmore: No Film
  2. Haverford: No Film
Physical Description

1 folder

Physical Location

Haverford College Quaker and Special Collections

RG2/Ph/M53 4.4-4.5. Collections for the Poor, 1757-1784.
Scope and Contents

Compiled and bound by Gilbert Cope, 1875. He titled the volumes "Collctions for the Poor of Middletown Meeting (Women)."

Records are contribution lists and receipts by the Women Friends of Middletown Preparative Meeting for relief generally as well as for specific women.

Physical Description

2 volumes

Material Specific Details

Pre-Separation

Print, Suggest