Valley Girl Views: Friends Meeting House, Pennsdale Pa

The Friends Meeting House in Pennsdale Pa was built in 1799.

Previous to the building of the stone meeting house in Pennsdale, the Friends worshipped in a log house near Halls.

In 1921, The Miltonian Newspaper, from Milton Pa, reported on the record books from the Friends Meeting House, including tidbits about the Marriage of Mark Widdified and Susannah Hogeland, Mercy Ellis, The Meeting Houses role in the Underground Railroad, and the names of the subscribers for the stone meeting house.

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LONG RECORD OF PENNSDALE RICH IN HISTORY

From the Miltonian, 1921

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"The Friends or Quakers of Pennsdale have dwindled in numbers until now not many remain. This is due to the scattering of the younger element to all parts of the United States, so that the loss of the society of Friends in Pennsdale, have been the gain of societies elsewhere. The stone meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends in Pennsdale was built in the year 1799.

The original minute books of the monthly meetings of the Friends almost a century and a quarter ago are in the custody of Charles E. Ecroyd, the present recorder of the society. These meetings partake of the nature of business sessions and must not be confused with the meetings of worship on every Wednesday and Sunday at 10:30 a. m. The old minute books are in a good state of preservation. The writing and spelling are old style and the turn of the phrases are sometimes very quaint. Apart from their great value to the Friends, they are historical treasures, inasmuch as they convey an insight into the life and character of those early times here in our own West Branch Valley.

They are documents alive with human interest and personality. Absorbing in their contents, occasionally a page provokes a smile as we learn that those staid old Quakers of a century and a quarter ago were very human after all. What more illuminating than this minute gleaned from the old records:

"Ten men Friends were appointed to endeavor to be useful in removing the disorders or sleeping in meetings. Henry Battin, William Ellis, Jesse Haines and others." We read in history that the Puritans of old New England were troubled with the same "disorder" and every minister of every denomination in the land of today will attest to the fact that this very human failing has not been cured. The Puritans had an appointee whose duty it was to tap the offender on the head with a long stick.

What means the Friends employed the minutes do not state but ten sturdy men should be capable of keeping any body of worshippers thoroughly awake.

Then, there are the following minutes fraught with the suggestion of a practical solution or alleviation of a present day evil:

"On the 23rd of the 10th month., 1799, and the 4th of the week a monthly meeting was opened at Friends' meeting house at Muncy (Pennsdale). "Mark Widdifield, son of Harry Widdifield, and Susannah Hogeland, daughter of Joseph Hogeland, appeared in this meeting and declared their intention of marriage with each other; the young man's parents being present, expressed their consent, that of the young woman's was produced in writing. Thomas Brown and Henry Parker are appointed to make the necessary inquiry concerning them and report of their case to next meeting."

The following is the minute of the next meeting:

"At a monthly meeting held the 20th of the 11th month, 1799. "Mark Widdifield and Susannah Hogeland appeared at this meeting and informed that they continued their intention of marrying with each other and nothing appearing to obstruct their proceeding they are left to their liberty to accomplish the same according to the good order urged among friends and Henry Parker and James Lewiston are appointed to see it accomplished and to report their case to our next mo. meeting."

In the minutes of the following monthly meeting held the "18th day of the 12 mo., 1799," we read: "The Friends appointed to attend the marriage of Mark Widdifield and Susannah Hogeland report they attended and that it appeared to them to be orderly accomplished."

In a community of two, one will be better than the other; increase the number, and the mixture of worst, bad, fair, good, better and best is inevitable.

It is a condition of human nature, and in this Quaker community of a century and a quarter ago, it was as inevitable that some should fall by the wayside. It appears that one Thomas Green had erred in his ways and the minutes of the meeting held the "19th day of the 2nd mo. 1800" contains the following:

"The committee on Thomas Green's| case report that they have had further opportunity with him and find he has again fallen into some weaknesses of attending at some places of dissension and merriment. The committee was continued and and others added to strengthen his mind."

"The next meeting was held on the "19th day, 3rd mo, 1800" and the following minute appears: "The Friends appointed to confer with Thomas Green report they have endeavored to obtain an opportunity with him and were prevented by high waters." Again and again the case of Thomas | Green comes up before the meeting and one must admire and profoundly respect the Friends for their pertinacious labor and zeal in the reclamation of one fallen into evil ways. This is the great idea of permeating the religion of the Friends, the salvation of a brother or sister is as fundamental as his or her own salvation.

Article by Mary Sieminski on Mercy Ellis

There were some splendid characters among that fine and sturdy band of friends and the name of Mercy Ellis, wife of William Ellis, is revered amongst the remnant of the Quaker community in Pennsdale to this day. She was a minister of the Religious Society of Friends and nothing can be more indicative of her character and genius than the following record of her Christian labors:

"To the poor and afflicted, whether of body or mind, she was a tender sympathizing friend;; frequently engaged in searching out objects of charity and prompt in her endeavors to afford them timely and suitable relief. She took deep interest in the religious and literary education of children and a school under the care of Friends being opened (1804) near her residence, she extended the hospitality of her house to many who were remote from a suitable school and who, from other causes claimed her sympathy and aid."

Mercy Ellis was perhaps the first active apostle of temperance in the West Branch valley. We read that "for the suppression of intemperance and the iniquitous practices of converting the gifts of a bountiful Providence into liquid poison," as she termed it. She labored much both in public and private, several times visiting those not in profession with Friends, who were engaged in distilling and laboring in love to dissuade them from an employment so unrighteous and so destructive of the comfort and happiness of their fellow men."

"The minute book of the year 1790 contains the terse sentence: "No slaves among us."

In this connection it is very interesting to record that years later, when the institution of slavery was firmly established in free America, that two' residences of Friends in and near Pennsdale were stations of the "underground railroad" that was traveled by the escaped slaves from the south. In the night one or two slaves would be brought to the house of Enos Hawley, in Pennsdale, who would conduct them to the home of Jacob Haines, about a mile and a half from the village. After feeding and resting the fugitives, Jacob Haines would take them, probably the following night to the next station in Elkland, Sullivan county.

To revert to the old records of the Friends, there is a document entitled, "A View of the Expense of Building the Meeting House," and on the opposite page, "A View of the Means Furnished for Building." It gives a detailed account of the expenses and the names of the contributors and the amounts of their subscription. The amounts are in English pounds, shillings and pence, but a recapitulation is added in figures of United States currency, as follows: Sum expended . .$1066.67 Sum received subscription $840.39½ Subscription not paid 40.39½ Total subscribed .......$ 881.38 Balance . .

The names of subscribers for the building of the stone meeting house at Pennsdale, follow: Joseph Carpenter, Enos Lundy, John Carpenter, William Ellis, Thomas McCarty, Sam Carpenter, William Watson, Joseph Tucker, Mark Widdifield, Joel McCarty, James Livingston, Henry Parker, Henry Widdifield, Robert Rook, Benjamin Warner, James Kitely, George Webb, Thomas Brown, Samuel McCarty, Benjamin Simpson, Joseph Warner, Silas McCarty, Charles Robinson, Jas. Eckroid, Susannah Eckroid.

These names appear on the document evidently including the first subscription list. If there were later contributors the records of them have probably been lost. The agreement for the construction of the meeting house still exists, and *what is now known as the building committee was then designated as the "undertakers," who were Joseph Carpenter, Benjamin Warner, John Carpenter and William Ellis.

This agreement signed by William Ellis for the "undertakers" bears the date of the 4 Day of the 3rd Mo 1799." The builder was Benjamin McCarty, mason. The plot of ground, three acres in extent was purchased in 1797. Previous to the building of the stone meeting house in Pennsdale the Friends worshipped in a log house near Halls.

The birth record of those early Friends is interesting because of the contrast between the families of a century ago and the present time. For instance the record shows that Enos and Rachel Lundy had seven children; Jesse and Rachel Haines had six children; William and Mary Ellis had eleven children; James and Elizabeth Lewiston had eight children; George and Hannah Webb ten children; Reuben and Esther Lundy, eight children; Judah and Sarah Foulke eight children; Thomas and Elizabeth McCarty, thirteen children; John and Elizabeth Carpenter nine children.

These old minute books and records, every page of them being highly interesting and their historical value associated as they are with the early settlers in the valley are priceless. For instance the original record is extinct, though Mr. Eckroyd has a copy of it, states, that

"By the treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, a large body of land in Northern Pennsylvania was purchased of the Indians." This opened the way for the peaceful settlement pf the country on and near the, west branch of the Susquehanna river, there."

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THE DAVID ARMSTRONG PAINTINGS

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David Armstrong, local artist, has painted the Friends Meeting House at Pennsdale at least three times: