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making history recording history organizing history
(Drawings by J. Elliot Green, Jr. (1916-1994) of Baltimore, Homewood Monthly Meeting, from Baltimore Yearly Meeting Handbook for Keeping Meeting Records)

Here are some helpful points for keeping and gathering your monthly meeting's history. Please contact the SCYM archivist, Liz Yeats, with questions.

  1. Organize your meeting records. See Baltimore Yearly Meeting Handbook for Keeping Meeting Records at http://trilogy.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/bym/Handbook%20on%20Records3.htm. This is a very handy guide to collecting and organizing the documents necessary to do a monthly meeting history.
    1. You can make your files as complicated or simple as you want to make them. Friends Meeting of Austin has a full file cabinet of materials, with a separate file for most people presently attending meeting, all our newsletters, our minutes, many papers and notes from committees and some topic files. The handbook has a good suggestion of folder headings/categories of materials to be kept. These days records can be kept electronically as well which saves room.
    2. Send copies of minutes, newsletters and anything else you think would be of value to historians to Swarthmore Friends Historical Collection (friends@swarthmore.edu) so that you don’t have to worry if someone misplaces an item or there is a flood or fire. Soon Swarthmore will be able to archive materials electronically but for now they want hard copy, on any kind of paper though acid free is great if you can. Don’t worry about the condition of items. All materials remain the monthly meeting’s property and can be removed at a future date. All materials will be indexed and made available to historians and genealogists.
  2. Have one or several individuals read through the minutes, newsletters, and any correspondence and meeting publications, noting changes in the structure and composition of the meeting, long-term projects, changes in spiritual life of the meeting and in practice and all the good stories you can find.
    1. The materials might be broken up chronologically or by type or topic. There is an advantage in having one person read everything but Friends tend to do most things by committee. If each person makes a list of what they discovered, these could be shared and clarifying questions could then be asked and researched.
    2. Keeping notes on a shared website might expedite the sharing of information. There are several different free software services that could work for this such as Google Groups and/or Docs.
  3. Develop a means of asking meeting members and attenders to submit memories and/or ask them questions, recording responses in writing, on audio or video. Also ask if they have materials at home that might be useful.
    1. We are using several methods to illicit memories here at SCYM including queries for individuals and groups, a time-line to which Friends can add materials which could be posted and remain up for a longer period of time at a monthly meeting, and videotaping.
    2. Audio and video can be transcribed or remain as a separate set of materials integrated into the final history.
  4. Discern what form will work best for compiling, publishing and distributing the result. Consider everything from writing and publishing a booklet to making the history available in a multi-media format on your website. Websites have the advantage of making the information widely available but they do take expertise which might not be readily available. Think about engaging younger members in this work.
  5. Don’t forget to keep up the good organization you started, perhaps by appointing someone in the meeting to be archivist or make archiving and updating the responsibility of the recorder who keeps the statistics.
  6. Enjoy seeing the generations gather to relish knowing their roots so they can better move forward in the Spirit together!

Meeting Histories Online

Some histories are short and record only the history of the meetinghouse, others go into detail about the life of the meeting. Meetings established in colonial times often record only events then. No SCYM meeting goes back very far so there is plenty of chance to be creative. A look at the two meeting histories reprinted below, or some from the list that follows, might help you think about and record your meeting’s past.

An example From Philadelphia Yearly Meeting:
Birmingham Friends Meeting was established in 1690, shortly after William Penn founded Pennsylvania. Friends worshipped in the cabin of William Brinton until the first meetinghouse, a log structure, was completed in 1722. A school, also made of logs, was built in 1756. A cemetery was established and a stone wall, which still stands today, was constructed around it. In 1763, the meetinghouse was replaced by the stone structure we use today. On September 11, 1777, the Battle of the Brandywine raged around the Meetinghouse. In the days before the battle, Continental soldiers used the meetinghouse as a hospital for treatment of the sick. During the battle, Continental soldiers used the cemetery wall as breastworks against the flanking action of the British under General Howe. After overwhelming the Continental army, the British took over the meetinghouse and used it as a hospital. Dead soldiers from both sides are buried in a common grave within the Meeting cemetery. Since those early days, the meetinghouse has been expanded to accommodate a growing membership. The meetinghouse was enlarged in 1818. Similar stone was used and the addition included two windows, two doors and a porch. The log school house was replaced by the existing octagonal building in 1819. This was used as a school, on and off, until 1905. A modern kitchen and education wing were added to the meetinghouse in 1968. http://www.birminghamfriends.org/history.html

Another from South Central Yearly Meeting:
A Brief history of Fayetteville Friends Meeting
The consistent Quaker presence in Fayetteville began in the early 1950’s, when Judy Fowler, a birthright Quaker and history teacher, moved here with her husband Herb Fowler, an architecture professor. Originally a worship group, early friends were involved in civil rights, anti-McCarthyism, ecology, and anti-war demonstrations, among other causes.

The Quakers met in individuals’ homes until around 1984, when they began meeting at the Presbyterian Campus Center (now United Campus Ministries) at 902 W. Maple. We did meet for a short time at 21 West Ave. (in the Grapevine house,) and for a shorter time at the United Methodist Church. We are currently discussing future options for a meeting location, keeping in mind accessibility.

We were originally listed as a worship group under the care of Dallas Monthly Meeting, but came under the care of Little Rock when they became a monthly meeting in 1981. Little Rock Friends were instrumental in helping Fayetteville pull ourselves back into meeting when we essentially stopped gathering due to conflicts (1987). Shortly after re-grouping, we became a Preparative meeting, keeping records and having regular business meetings, and began conducting these in the manner of Friends around 1994. In 1997, we wrote to Little Rock, asking to become a monthly meeting. After meeting with them several times, this was approved, and a great party was had at Spring Quarterly (May 1998) at the Ozark Natural Science Center.

Somewhere along the line (1992?), we requested and were given the responsibility of Spring Quarterly – passed on from Caddo. We ventured away from the traditional camping at Devil Den (where it ALWAYs rained) and became the traveling Quarterly – trying canoeing on the Buffalo River, Ananda Kanan - a yoga camp in southern Missouri, Ponca Bible Camp, Lake Wedington, Camp Clearfork, and Mt. Nebo, We hope to make a permanent home for Spring Quarterly at Lake Ft. Smith, when they re-open.

Our Meeting is small, but growing. We numbered around 10-15weekly, until 1997, when an influx of Friends grew our numbers to 25-30 weekly. We currently have an active youth group, but only occasional children. We hope to foster a young adult group. We currently have many activities to help foster spiritual growth – including regular after-Meeting gatherings, a Wednesday evening worship, bible study, and a healing circle. We are involved in a local food bank (CEO) and bi-monthly worship in the local women’s correctional facility.
http://fayettevillefriends.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34&Itemid=31

Other Monthly Meeting histories can be found at: