Quaker

The Society of Friends was begun by George Fox in 17th century England as part of the revolt against the Church of England. Quakers began immigrating to North America in the late 1600's to escape persecution. However, when they arrived, they met opposition from the Puritan groups that were already in the New World. Quakers found refuge from religious persecution in the colonies set up by William Penn, who had become a convert. Penn convinced the King of England to repay royal debts with land grants in North America, and so established Pennsylvania and Delaware. In addition to these two states, the Quakers eventually had significant settlements in Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, Ohio, and Georgia.

Contacts and Sources

Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
1305 Locust Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Telephone: (215) 545-0391

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore, PA 19081
Telephone: (610) 328-8496

Web Sites & CDs

• In Helpful Web Sites, you can find links to useful resources about Quakers.
• Genealogical Records: The Encyclopedia of Quaker Genealogy, 1740-1930
  is available on CD from Genealogy.com.

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