U.S, UK and Ireland, Quaker Published Memorials, 1818-1919

This database contains memorial volumes with death dates and other details for members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) from both the U.S. and the UK.

What You May Find in the Records

Memorial books contain obituary information on prominent Quakers who have died. Some entries include simply the name, age, and death date; while others provide short biographical sketches that can be rich in personal detail. The database includes memorials from the Annual Monitor (London), the American Annual Monitor, a series entitled Piety Promoted, and memorials of deceased Friends published by various Yearly Meetings.

Quaker Dates

Dates in many of the entries are recorded according to the Quakers’ system. Quakers found the use of traditional names for months and days against their Christian values since the names of the days of the weeks and most of the names of the months derived from “pagan” origins. So they devised a numerical system; First Day was Sunday, Second Day was Monday, Third Day for Tuesday, etc. First month, Second Month, Third Month substituted for the names of months.

Please keep in mind that before England changed from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, the year officially began in March. Thus First month, 1751 is March, not January. Since the English and English colonists in America were aware that many nations by this time used January 1st for the beginning of the new year, dates in January and February were often written as 1740/1741, meaning if one assumed the year began in January, the year was 1741, but if one was using the official English system, the year did not begin until March, so the year was still 1740. Be careful in transcribing the dates you see. We have made every effort to provide both the Quaker terms and the traditional dates in the hopes of being clear on what was recorded at the time. The majority of the records should contain a Quaker date and a translated date.