The Gwynedd Friends Meeting House was the third house of worship built in Montgomery County. The first two were built in Lower Merion and Abington.
In this post, we'll dive into the history of the rise of Quakerism and how it reached the New World and spread its ideology in Montgomery County.
Rise of Quakerism and William Penn
The rise of Quakerism began in England by George Fox, who devoted himself to reading and religious medication. He relied on the Holy Spirit to help him understand the "heavenly truths recorded in the sacred volume." Soon, he would become one of the religious reformers following John Wycliffe and Martin Luther.
"He was led to understand that none are true believers but such as are 'born of God, and passed from death to life;' that the temple of the Lord is not an outward building, made with hands, for he dwells in the hearts of his people; and that an education at Oxford or Cambridge was not enough to qualify a man as a minister of Christ."
- Samuel M. Janney, 65-66
At first this statement above was strange to George since during that time, people relied on human learning, and believed all professors are believers and called their places of worship holy grounds and temples of God. This belief caused George's withdrawal at the Church of England, and began his independent religious meditation.
Under the rule of Oliver Cromwell, many devoted people were displeased with the establishment of the Anglican Church and Puritans gaining control, resulting in their withdrawal from the church and began reading their Scriptures in silence. After finding those who share the same beliefs as his, George gathered them together, including Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, and Episcopalians, and thus started a movement.
Fun Fact #1: George Fox was imprisoned in Derby in 1650 where he was given the nickname "Quaker" by Justice Gervas Bennet, for his religious belief.
George began traveling to different places around England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales to preach and spread his ideology.
In 1652, he married Margaret Fell, whose home (Swarthmoor Hall) served as a gathering place for the first Quakers. She would later become another leader of the Quaker Movement.
Fast forward to the year 1681 when William Penn was given a large land grant in the New World by King Charles II to pay off debt to his family, resulting in the establishment of Pennsylvania. William was influenced by the Quaker movement, and was imprisoned multiple times for his Quaker beliefs. To spread his ideology, he wrote two books: The Sandy Foundation Shaken and No Cross, No Crown.
Gwynedd Friends Meeting House
After Pennsylvania was established, many from the Quaker Movement began emigrating to the new colony, including the early settlers of Gwynedd.
Similar to how the Friends formed their meetings, the settlers of Gwynedd began meeting at the homes of John Hugh and John Humphrey. When it was at Robert Evans', with Robert and Cadwalader Evans as the first ministers of the Society of Friends, a meeting house was agreed upon. In 1700, a log house for the meeting house was built on the corner of Dekalb and Sumneytown Pikes.
Fun Fact #2: Robert and Cadwalader Evans "could neither read nor write" in any language except Welsh.
Due to the rise in population in Gwynedd, they realized the log house could not fit everyone inside. The original settlers concluded that they should build a bigger meeting house made of stone with "two galleries and a hip-roof." Thus, the building was completed in 1712 with the assistance of Hugh Griffith, one of the original Gwynedd settlers. Two years later, the Gwynedd Friends Meeting was established at the newly built meeting house.
Below was a minute from their first meeting in 1714:
"This place hath been originally settled by the present inhabitants, most of them yet living, and called by the name of Gwynedd township, in the latter end of the year 1698, and beginning of the year 1699. The Principal Settlers and Purchasers among others were William Jones, Thomas Evans, Robert Evans, Owen Evans, Cadwallader Evans, Hugh Griffith, John Hugh, Edward Foulke, John Humphrey, and Robert Jones. Amongst all those concern' d in this settlem't, there were but few particulars that publickly appeared for Truth before they came from their Native Country, though several among them were convinced and had a Secret Love to Truth and Its followers, and soon after gave Obedience & Gradually Joined in a new Society. These few mentioned, with the first Conveniency often met together to wait upon the Lord, at the houses of John Hugh and John Humphrey, until more were added to their numbers.
"In the year 1700, two years after our arrival in this land, a Meeting House was Built, and meetings kept therein by the Consent and approbation of Haverford Monthly Meeting, unto which we at first Joyn'd ourselves, and under whose care we were for a time.
"And finding our number to Increase, and Truth prevail, it was thought necessary to Build a new Meeting House, which was erected in 1712, and on the 19th of the Ninth Month in the same year the first meeting of worship was held therein.
"Our numbers still Increasing by many adjacent Settlers Coming in, and a young Generation arising, and not having the opportunity of a Monthly Meeting of worship amongst ourselves, for the benefit of the People in General, more especially the young and rising Generation, yt are not so well acquainted with the Discipline of Truth, a Consideration arose in the minds of Fr'ds to Gwynedd and Plymouth Meetings, and a religious concern to have the same settled among us, and in order thereto profess' d their Inclination to Haverford Monthly Meeting for their approbation. The which was obtained. Together with the Concurrence of the Quarterly Meeting att Philadelphia, and immediately was put In practice."
- Jenkins, 74-75
The Gwynedd Friends Meeting was part of the Philadelphia Quarter Meeting until 1786 when the Abington Quarter composed the monthly meetings of Abington, Horsham, Richland, Gwynedd, and Byberry.
Hicksite-Orthodox Separation
The separation between the Hicksite and the Orthodox began four years after the newly friends meeting house in Gywnedd was built on the present location. The tension started in Philadelphia when the Hicksites stormed out of the Arch Street Meeting House, and built a new meeting house on Race Street. It began to spread to other meeting houses outside the city of Philadelphia, including Gwynedd.
"Within each Monthly Meeting, there was heartbreak and ill-will as Meetings fractured, with each side claiming to be the 'true' Quakers and disownments flying left and right. Some people gave up attending Business Meetings because the rancor was so bitter. Generally, Hicksites tended to pull away from the world and involvement in either doctrinal discussions or social activism. They frequently disowned members who married out of the faith, and cautioned against taking part in non-Quaker activities. Orthodox tended to focus on Bible teachings and seek to implement their teachings through social activism. They frowned on the growing Hicksite idea of following the individual conscience."
- James Quinn,
History of Gwynedd Monthly Meeting of Friends, Gwynedd, Pennsylvania
Around the time the newly friends meeting house was built (1823), two men named Ezra Comfort and Isaiah Bell were disowned by their own members, and decided to form their own group called Orthodox. They located themselves to the home of Jesse Spencer along Penllyn Pike.
In October 1827, the first meeting of the Orthodox Friends of Gwynedd was held:
"'Whereas a number of the Members heretofore belonging to our meetings have withdrawn themselves from the Established Order of our Society and joined themselves to a New Yearly Meeting held in the present month and appointed representatives to attend there to, contrary to the Established Order of our Yearly Meeting held in Philadelphia in the 4th month annually and inconsistent with the Order and subordination of its discipline.' The Orthodox Friends of Gwynedd then declared themselves the true Quakers.
In the beginning, 20 adults and 23 children withdrew from the Hicksite Gwynedd Meeting. Over the next several years, they visited with the Hicksites and tried to persuade them to join the Orthodox. Anyone who declined the invitation was disowned and the action was recorded in minutes like this: 'Ellis Cleaver, Ezekial Cleaver, Solomon Cleaver, John Scotten, and Silas Walton have been severally spoken to for having withdrawn themselves from us and attached themselves to an Association who holds meetings contrary to Discipline and subversive of the good Order and Harmony of our Religious Society.'"
NOTE: Read more about the Orthodox Friends of Gwynedd by clicking HERE!
Bibliography
"A Bicentennial." Ambler Gazette. February 3, 1898. Page 4. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wivp-gazett/id/825/rec/1.
Bean, Theodore Weber. History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Volume 2. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1884): 859-861.
Granger. "George Fox, 1624-1691." fineartamerica. Accessed December 20, 2021. https://fineartamerica.com/featured/george-fox-1624-1691-granger.html.
Janney, Samuel M. History of the Religious Society of Friends: From Its Rise to the Year 1828, Volume 1. (Philadelphia: Hayes & Zell, 1859): 63, 65-66, 70-73, 75-82.
Jenkins, Howard Malcolm. Historical collections relating to Gwynedd, a township of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, settled, 1696, by immigrants from Wales, with some data referring to the adjoining township, of Montgomery, also settled by Welsh. (Philadelphia: Howard Malcolm Jenkins, 1897): 73-82.
May, Isaac Barnes. "Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)." The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Accessed December 20, 2021. https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/religious-society-of-friends-quakers/.
Morris, William E, and Smith & Wistar. Map of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: from original surveys. [Philadelphia: Smith & Wistar, 1849] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012590207/.
"Quakers." HISTORY. Last modified September 6, 2019. https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/history-of-quakerism.
Quinn, James. History of Gwynedd Monthly Meeting of Friends, Gwynedd, Pennsylvania. (Gwynedd Friends Meeting, 2005): 41. https://www.friendsjournal.org/legacy/abington/gwynedd/gwynedd_history_page2.html.
Sheridan, Matthew. "'Orthodox Cottage': A Blue Bell Property With An Amazing History." Philadelphia Magazine. Last modified March 29, 2016. https://www.phillymag.com/property/2016/03/29/orthodox-cottage-a-blue-bell-property-with-an-amazing-history/.
Terry, Sheila. "William Penn, English Coloniser." fineartamerica. Accessed December 20, 2021. https://fineartamerica.com/featured/william-penn-english-coloniser-sheila-terry.html.
"William Penn." Biography. Last modified October 28, 2021. https://www.biography.com/political-figure/william-penn.