A Sense of the Meeting

Members of the Religious Society of Friends ("Quakers") moved from the South to the Northwest Territory in the early 19th century. This book recounts the history of Quakers who settled in Preble County, Ohio, in 1805. Before the Civil War, many were involved in anti-slavery activities and the Underground RR helping fugitives escape to freedom. The route through West Elkton, Ohio, was regularly used by well-known Quaker abolitionist, Levi Coffin, who stopped with his passengers at Quaker "stations" in Preble County. The Quaker concern for integrity, peace, justice, & equality ("testimonies") seems to have been sown into the soil where these early Friends settled. Through two centuries and challenging times, their descendants have maintained the witness and values of their Quaker ancestors. Researchers value Quakers' careful records of births, marriages, deaths as well as the movements and relocations of their members. This book cites many such original sources and includes the 200-page Diary of Joseph Maddock, son of one of the original settlers.