Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1992 20:06:51 EST Sender: ROOTS-L Genealogy List From: bill mcgill <73177.3433@compuserve.com> Subject: Quaker Abbreviations The following is a file available on CompuServe, prepared by Leslie Griffith Jacoby, and reposted here by permission. Standard abbreviations found in Hinshaw and other Quaker records. b born bur buried cert certificate ch child, children co chosen overseer(s) com complained, complained of con condemned d died dec deceased dis disowned, disowned for dt daughter(s) fam family form formerly gc granted certificate gct granted certificate to gl granted letter h husband jas joined another society ltm liberated to marry, left at liberty to marry m marry, married, marrying, marriage mbr member mbrp membership mcd married contrary to discipline MH meeting house MM monthly meeting mos married out of society mou married out of unity prc produced a certificate prcf produced a certificate from QM quarterly meeting rec receive, received recrq received y request relfc released from care for relrq released by request rem remove, removed rm reported married rmt reported married to roc received on certificate rocf received on certificate from rol received on letter rpd reported rq request, requests, requested rqc requested certificate rqct requested certificate to rqcuc requested to come under care (of meeting, mtg) rst reinstate, reinstated s son(s) uc under care (of mtg) w wife YM yearly meeting GLOSSARY common terms found in Quaker records: ACKNOWLEDGMENT: A formal acknowledgment by a member, in writing, of having acted in a manner contrary to discipline. CERTIFICATE: Generally, given to a member for movement between meetings. This included those given to ministers by their home meeting for travel to other locations and which were returned to the home meeting when the ministry was completed. DISOWNMENT: When a member of the Society of Friends acted in a manner contrary to discipline, that member was visited by a committee appointed by the meeting. If the member failed to acknowledge fault after visitation by the committee, then the member was disowned by the Society and could not be reinstated until acknowledgement of fault was made. LAID DOWN: Term for the official discontinuance of a meeting. MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE: Document which was the official record that a marriage had taken place. No minister or other person officially performed a ceremony. Other papers which may be found as a part of the marriage process are: a record from the respective meetings, if appropriate, which stated the parties in question were of good character and free of any marriage commitments; a record of the parental consent to the marriage (if the parents were living); a letter from the parents giving consent to the marriage. This process may cover a period of more than one month. ----------------------------------------------------- MEETINGS: INDULGED MEETING: A meeting for worship only. Set up by a monthly meeting when a preparative meeting was impractical. MEN'S and WOMEN's MEETINGS: In the early years, separate meetings for business were held at the same location. Meetings for worship were held in the same room, men sitting on one side of the room, women on the other. Women's meetings were concerned only with the affairs of women in the meeting and records were kept of each meeting. In matters of discipline, and occasionally at other times, the two clerks would both sign the minute records. Matters of interest to both men and women were handled by small committees from each meeting, since they met at the same time and location but in separate rooms. Representatives, in pairs, could be sent to the other meeting when necessary. About 1880 separate men's and women's meetings began to disappear. MONTHLY MEETING: The main, and genealogically important, unit of the Society of Friends. Membership included members from all the indulged and preparative meetings under the jurisdiction of the monthly meeting. All registers of the subordinate meetings, and all business minutes, were kept by the monthly meeting. Final decisions in all matters were made in the monthly meeting. All members within its jurisdiction were expected to attend the business meetings. PARTICULAR MEETING: May have several meanings. It could be a worship meeting under a monthly meeting. Occasionally, it was a meeting of ministering Friends (especially in the early years), or it could distinguish a monthly from a quarterly meeting of the same name. PREPARATIVE MEETING: Officially authorized by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in 1698. As the term was originally used, it indicated a committee appointed by the monthly meeting for the "preparation" of an agenda to be presented to the monthly meeting for action. When a meeting for worship was permitted, but not officially set up as a monthly meeting, a committee was appointed to "oversee" the affairs of the meeting for worship. Complaints or business matters were first given to this committee for preparation in proper form and, later, presentation to the monthly meeting. later, the entire meeting was included in the term "preparative," not just the committee. The preparative meetings kept records, and their actions were subject to the decisions of the appropriate monthly meeting; in addition, the minutes of the preparative meetings had to be approved by that monthly meeting. QUARTERLY MEETING. Business meetings composed of one or more monthly meetings. Early, monthly meetings sometimes called every third meeting a "quarterly" meeting. Later, several monthly meetings untied at the time of the third meeting. Duties of the quarterly meeting were: to set up new monthly meetings; to combine meetings when necessary; to consider matters brought to them from monthly meetings; to give advice and admonition for the general good of the entire membership. WORSHIP, MEETING FOR: These meetings were usually held on First days, and sometimes one was held during the week. No preacher or leader was used, as the oral ministry of any member could be given. Sometimes the entire meeting was held in a silent communion of worship and the waiting upon God for the leading of His Spirit. YEARLY MEETING: Business meetings composed of several quarterly meetings. The entire membership was supposed to attend. Prominent members of the several meetings usually did attend, although they were not elected nor were they delegates to the yearly meeting. However, certain members of quarterly and monthly meetings were designated to attend in order to facilitate the business of their respective meetings. ------------------------------------------------------ OTHER COMMON TERMS: MEMORIAL: A written tribute to commemorate the name of an outstanding member who had recently died. Prepared by the Overseers, by individuals, or by a designated committee. As listed in Friends' records, memorials are a collection of these tributes and are sometimes found in published form. MINISTER: Both men and women in the early years were recognized and recorded by special action of the monthly and quarterly meetings as "having a gift for the ministry." A Friends minister has the same legal status as ordained ministers of other denominations. OVERSEERS: Two or more men or women appointed by each monthly meeting to have pastoral care of the members. They reported to the monthly meeting. At times, they met with the ministers and elders; any records kept by the Overseers are found with records of the ministers and elders. REMOVAL: A certificate, or a record, of persons who moved to the jurisdiction of another meeting. The certificate stated that the person or family in question was in good standing with the meeting issuing the certificate. SET-OFF: Term used when a new meeting is formed from the division of another meeting. SET-UP: Term used when a new meeting was established by a superior meeting, e.g. when a quarterly meeting established a new monthly meeting, or a yearly meeting set up a new quarterly meeting. TESTIMONY: A belief or conviction of Friends in general, and the promotion of that belief or conviction. (A testimony could be given for or against something or someone's actions.) ------------------------------------------------------- The above was taken from the book OUR QUAKER ANCESTORS by Ellen Thomas Berry and David Allen Berry, published by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1001 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21202. 1987 edition. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Bill Green Minot, North Dakota | Home of the H0STFEST | | green@plains.nodak.edu |Forget the "Brad", it's really | | ak385@cleveland.freenet.edu | BILL | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | RESEARCHING: Stanley IA/KS 1871- Cook IA/KS 1850- | | Brown MA/KS 1579- Mason NY/IA 1800- | | Lamb NC/KS 1851- Maxwell NY 1800- | | Wilson IN/IL 1871- Hediger - Swiss | | Anhorn - Kotchian - Kohoutek - Havlena - Marschall (E. Europe) | ------------------------------------------------------------------------