U.S., Published Quaker Family Histories, 1845-1920

This data collection includes more than 100 volumes of histories related to Quaker families. They can be a trove of family information, with names, dates, relationships, photographs, stories, even pedigree charts.

Who are the Quakers?

Quakers are members of a religious group known formally as the Society of Friends or the Religious Society of Friends. George Fox founded the society in England in the mid-1600s, and its early adherents were mainly urban, middle-class merchants and manufacturers. They were classified as Nonconformists because they did not belong to the Church of England. Quakers tried to live their religion in a way that did not separate religious and secular life and were known for their integrity. For their commitment and efforts toward peace, the Quakers were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize In 1947.

Quakers first came to America in the mid-1600s as missionaries. William Penn established Pennsylvania in 1682, and many Friends settled there. So many Quakers made their home in Rhode Island that 36 of Rhode Island’s early governors were Quakers. Others found a place further down the Atlantic seaboard into the Carolinas. Eventually, they moved west into Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.