Williams Family History
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Captain Isaac Williams and His Grandchildren Pioneers of Lawrence County, Indiana By Ben & Alice Dixon
HISTORY OF THE
GWYNEDD MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS
Orthodox
Meeting House built about 1830.
Location
in neighborhood of north Wales in
Montgomery
County, Pa.
**********
Gwynedd is
a Preparative and Monthly Meeting belonging to Abington Quarter of Philadelphia
Yearly Meeting of Hicksite friends, and is a meeting of ancient standing,
having been established in 1700. The Radnor records inform us that in 1699
"There is a General Meeting appointed at Gwynedd, the second weekly third
day of every month at the desire of Friends there." And again in 1703, "Gwynedd Friends
desire their Preparative Meeting removed from their General Meeting to the last
weekly third day in the monthly which was approved."
The date on the front wall or the present Meeting House is 1823. The building is a fine structure,
rough-casted, large, and kept in excellent repair. It stands on high ground at
the intersection or the De Kalb Street Pike and Sumneytown Pike, midway between
Ambler and North Wales, in Montgomery County Pa., the name of North Wales
having, in early times, been given to the meeting. The grounds surrounding it
are beautified by fine old shade trees, many or them being grand old Oaks or
the primeval forest, which have seen more years than the Meeting House itself.
A. horse-block of early days is carefully kept in good condition and stands
some distance to the southeast or the House.
From it the graveyard to the west and rear of the meeting House is seen
in all its quietness and beauty. In the Burial Ground are a few quaint un-marked
field-stones, and others having initials and dates, one of the oldest being in
the Moore row. It is marked "M. M.1770." There is another, much older, placed to the memory or Mary Bate
who died in 1714: the stone is a slab lying flat on the grave, but the passage
of time has caused the inscription to be almost or quite illegible.
Among the family names noticed most frequently on the stones in the
Gwynedd Burial Ground are Lukens, Foulke, Shoemaker, Cleaver, Rob- Roberts and
Ambler, while others to be seen are Cooper, Conard, Evans, Fulton, Jenkin,
Jones, Moore, Michener, Mather, Myers, Pim, Redifer, Rutter, Scarlett ,
Stockdale, Thomas, Walton and Zorns.
Formerly the graveyard was separated from the Meeting House Yard by a
wooden fence (so old photographs of the House show) extending from the corner
or the meetinghouse to the road, but this has been removed and the two yards
are now continuous. On the southern and
western bounds of the cemetery is a privet hedge, while on the north
side an open fence of metal piping separates the graveyard from the ground in
front of the wagon-sheds. A graveled
pathway intersects the graveyard northward from a corner of the Meeting House,
but it is evidently an addition of later years, for it passes directly over the
grave of "Gainor Jones died 1847 aged 91 years." This grave is under the spreading branches
of a tree.
The two doors at the rear of the House, opening to the graveyard,
formerly had steps to the ground, but now, unused, have had the steps
removed. At the northeast corner of the
Meeting House is the building in which Gwynedd Friends' School was conducted
until 1928 when it was discontinued and the building then became en
annex in which lunches are prepared for Quarterly Meeting gatherings end other
special purposes.
An attractive porte-cochere built at the southeast corner of the House
is the one feature which adds a modern aspect to Gwynedd Meeting House,
deducting from the antique appearance of the place which the climbing summer
ivy about the doorways endeavors to sustain.
Much has been written about Gwynedd Township and the Meeting House. The
following notes are quoted from ~Theadore W. Bean's "History of Montgomery
County, Pa.," published in 1884:
"Friends' Meeting House, owing to its antiquity and long-extended
influence, is deemed well worthy a separate article. From its being almost in
the exact centre of the township, or original purchase it was the third house
of worship erected in the county, being preceded a few years only by those
erected in Lower Merion end Abington.
Nearly two centuries have now passed away since these occurrences,
producing great changes in almost everything, and from which even their ancient
meetings have not been by any means kept.
Hallowed and venerable associations cluster around them, the impress of
which should by no means be entirely lost on their numerous and respected
descendents. Posterity owes much to the past, and as long as gratitude exists
it will remain a serious question as to the best or most proper method to meet
such obligations. The labors of the historian are certainly not calculated to
weaken such ties, but to ennoble or exalt them.
"The minute-book of Gwynedd Monthly Meeting commences in 1714, but
it is stated therein that this place wea settled and called by the name of
Gwynedd township in the letter end of the year 1698 and the beginning or the
year 1699. The principal settlers end
purchasers, among others, were William Jones, Thomas Evans, Robert Evans, Owen
Evans, Cadwallader Evens, Hugh Griffith, John Hugh, Edward Foulke, John
Humphrey and Robert Jones. Of this number those who were Friends met together
at the house or John Hugh and John Humphrey.
With the exception of the latter two and moat probably Hugh Griffith,
the remainder were attached to the Established Church of England. An identity
of interests. in this new settlement was calculated to draw them close
together. It is evident that the meetings held in the aforesaid houses led to
the organization of this congregation. The churchmen for a brief term did
assemble for worship at the house of Robert Evans where his brother Cadwallader supplied in part the place of a minister, by
reading to them portions of the services and passages from his Welch Bible.
This may not have been maintained much beyond a year, for on building the first
log meeting-house in 1700, on the sits or the present edifice, they all united,
assisted by later immigrants, who must have also increased the body of friends.
The relation is that Robert and Cadwallader Evans first sought them by
attending at their place of worship, and finally through their influence the
rest were brought over, on which the meeting-house was agreed upon. It is less
well-settled tradition that William Penn end his daughter Letitia and a servant
came out on horse back to visit the settlement shortly after its erection and
that he preached in it, staying on this occasion overnight at the house of his
friend, Thomas Evans, the first settler, who resided near by …...
"Rowland
Ellis, on behalf of Haverford, represented, on the l0th of Fourth Month, 1699,
to the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, about this Welsh settlement twenty miles
distant, who had for sometime held a First-day Meeting by their advice and
consent, end, as they do not understand the English language, desired to be
joined to Haverford Monthly Meeting, to which consent was given. At the Monthly
Meeting held at Rednor Meetinghouse on the 9th of Tenth Month, 1714, it was
left for consideration as to what time the Monthly Meeting of Gwynedd and
Plymouth ( should be held) be left to the appointment of this meeting by the
Quarterly Meeting held in Philadelphia. The Third-day of every month was
proposed and agreed upon.
"Being
now constituted a Monthly Meeting, they were allowed the privilege of recording
all their births, marriages, deaths and removals, which had heretofore been
entered in the records of Haverford. Plymouth Friends being few in numbers and
the meetings being chiefly held here, it was called Gwynedd Monthly Meeting,
which name has been ever since retained. John Evans was appointed the first
clerk, and Edward Foulke Robert Jones overseers. On the 26th of Second Month,
1715, Friends in Providence were allowed to hold a meeting on the first
First-day or every Month, and a few months thereafter liberty was given to have
a burying-place. But the meetinghouse again proving too small, it was decided
the 28th of Tenth Month, 1785, to have it enlarged. John Cadwallader, John Jones and John Evans being appointed a
committee to have charge or the Same….
NOTE.- The huge chestnut tree mentioned in the
foregoing, is no longer in existence in 1929. Further, the name of Humphrey
Bate's daughter was Martha, not Mary.
Her tombstone is indicated as the oldest in the Burial ground, and the
following 1s the entire 1nscription:-
Hear lieth the body or Martha the daughter or Humphrey
Bate and Anne his wife departed of this life April 25 aged 3 y 6 m 1714.
The
Separation or 1827 affected Gwynedd Friends' Meeting and a small minority
withdrew and e8tabl18hed the Gwynedd Orthodox Branch. About 1830 they built a
Meeting House some little distance from the old Meeting House, and established
a Burial Ground beside it on the road from Spring House to Penllyn. It was
stated in "The Friend", 9th Mo. 4, 1830, in an article detailing the
various meet1ngs of Orthodox Friends at that time:- "In Abington Quarter
new houses have been erected at Gwynedd, Horsham and Byberry."
GEORGE
SPENCER Passed from time llth Mo. 6th,
l895.
Courtesy
of the
FRIENDS
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Swarthmore
College
Swarthmore,
Pennsylvania
© 2003 Williams Family Association