The Mary L. Cook Public Library ~ 88 Years of Responsible Growth and Community Service

Dr. Mary Leah Cook said that her greatest thrill has been:
“Watching little children march into the library and take out books.”

Dr. Mary Leah Cook (b. September 25th, 1869 ~ d. March 31st, 1964), much-loved physician of Waynesville, Ohio cared for people, not only their physical health but also their intellectual and spiritual health. An avid reader and life-long learner herself, she encouraged the same in others. Like most professional people, she had a library of her personal books in her doctor’s office and would lend out books to people to read. One day she decided to start a library.

So, in 1917, Dr. Mary L. Cook along with other civic-minded persons decided to establish a library for public use in Wayne Township in the village of Waynesville, Ohio. Earlier attempts had been made to establish a permanent library in Waynesville but were not long lasting or were private/religious collections:

•John Satterthwaite (1786-1837), an early Quaker pioneer and businessman, was the librarian of a collection of books that eventually was destroyed in a fire on Main Street in the early 1800s.

•John Wesley Roberts (1824-1900), a Methodist preacher, author and the publisher of the Miami-Visitor weekly newspaper, fought valiantly between 1850-1861 to establish a subscription library and literary society, but these efforts proved to be only temporary.

•Another notable Methodist minister, Rev. Samuel Scott (1819-1909), who founded 328 subscription libraries throughout the Midwest tried to establish a library in Waynesville in 1879.

•The Union Schoolhouse that was established in the late 1850s also had a school library. According to the School Act of 1853, tax monies could be used to establish libraries in schools and they were also to be open to use to the public.

•The Waynesville Methodist Episcopal Church had a very large religious library of books in the 19th century.

•Both the Orthodox and Hicksite Quakers maintained large religious libraries in Waynesville. The White Brick Hicksite Quakers even had a branch of their library in the Hicksite Quaker Meetinghouse in Harveysburg (Grove Meeting).

Many individuals had private libraries in their homes, but the establishment of a permanent library for the larger community that would stress ongoing adult education eluded the citizens of Wayne Township. However, there was a growing awareness and demand for higher education throughout Ohio commensurate with the development of centralized elementary and high school systems which in effect brought the one room district school house system to an end. The Wayne Township School System had been established in 1915 and a new school building built on Dayton Road in the west part of the village. Public education was available to everyone, so too should the benefits of a good public library. That this was in the minds of the organizers is illustrated by the presence of the school principal, E. J. Arnold, and the Waynesville School Superintendent, William Robert Spriegle, at the first organizational meeting. Indeed, today most public libraries in Ohio are school district libraries although funding has been separate from school levies since the 1920s.

If ever a project was started on faith, the Waynesville Library, afterward named The Wayne Township Library, certainly was. In 1917 a group of civic-minded public-spirited folks, mostly women who were interested in good reading for the community, began to have ideas that gradually evolved into a library. There goals were as follows to:

• Try to establish and maintain a library.
• Try to bring within the reach of the whole township pure and wholesome literature.
• Try to help in the formation of a taste for such literature in the public.
• To awaken public sentiment in favor of better library facilities in our community.

Foremost among these were Dr. Mary L. Cook, Miss May Wright, Mrs. Edith Mosher Harris, and Mrs. Georgia Frame Mendenhall. They had no building, no books and no money but they did have faith and a willingness to do all possible to make the vision a reality. This attempt worked due to the perseverance of Dr. Mary and her determination to do it right and that the library would be fiscally responsible and stable.

On February 17, 1917 a number of people interested in starting a library met together in the high school auditorium for the purpose of forming a library association. Previously they had asked for a state library organizer to be present and at this time Mr. J. Howard Dice met with them. After his talk in which he gave them practical suggestions, they proceed to organize making Dr. Mary Cook president. She would be president for the next 43 years!

The library began as the Wayne Township Library Association. Any person living in Wayne Township of Warren County could belong to the Association for $1.00 annual subscription dues. With this money as well as fines collected, gifts from various businesses in the area and donations from individuals of supplies, books, magazines subscriptions and coal, the library first opened on Main Street in the old Harris bank building in 1917.

In 1924 a resolution was read at a meeting of the Wayne Township Library Association and adopted that since the library served the community, the Board of Education of Waynesville should provide the management and control of the library in accordance with sections 7735-7640 of the General Code. On April 11th, 1924 the property held by the Library Association was duly transferred to the Board of trustees of the School Distinct Library, which would become known as the Wayne Township Public Library. The trustees of the old Association became the trustees of the new Board of Trustees of the school district ~ public library, the Wayne Township Public Library.

Donations for the growing library, now located in the old Miami House on North Main Street, in the form of memorials and gifts continued as before which enhanced the funding from taxes through the school. For example, the Cartwright family of Waynesville was very generous, establishing a fund for children’s books and giving money for a new floor to be laid in the library. Another family that established a fund were the Aldens. Local families made other donations. A list of their names is a miniature history of the village: W. H. Allen, Jessie Clark, Frances Alden, D. H. Hockett, Georgia Mendenhall, Mary Frame, William T. Frame, Mrs. J. F. Cadwallader (Episcopalian minister’s wife), Dr. J. T. Ellis, Seth Cook (Dr. Mary’s father), Dr. Mary L. Cook, Dr. R Smith, Dr. J. W. Miller, Mr. and Mrs. S. L. Cartwright, Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Cartwright, May Wright (the first librarian), Evelyn Peterson, Minnie Dodson and John Fromm. Various organizations in the village and township made donations: the school itself, the Wayne Township Trustees, Miami Monthly Meeting of Friends, the Young Friends Group, the Farmer’s Club, Progressive Women, etc. The library has always benefited from generous private and corporate donations throughout the years.

The library moved in the summer of 1917 from the Harris Bank building to the Miami House on the northeast corner of North Main and North Street. While the library was still located on Main Street the State of Ohio passed legislation in 1933 to support public libraries through the Intangible Personal Property Tax. The “intangibles” taxed were primarily stocks and bonds. The tax was collected locally. Unfortunately, this method was not equitable and thus some locales in Ohio had wonderful libraries whereas others did not have any at all.

In 1954 the Wayne Township Library moved from Main Street to the first floor of the old 1898 Union Schoolhouse on Fourth Street, which was owned by the American Legion Post #615. This move was made since the old school was in a residential area and thus more assessable to the children and families of Waynesville. Also, the library needed more room to expand.

In 1961, in the midst of a children’s reading program, the Board had a brainstorm. Dr. Mary Cook, founder of the library and Board President until 1959, had visited the library one afternoon and in explaining to a newcomer the pleasure that was mutually derived from her visit, we suddenly knew that the name of the library must be changed from “Wayne Township Public Library” to the “Mary L. Cook Public Library”. And Right Now! After all, Dr. Mary was nearly 92, and all of us wanted her to know of the honor we were bestowing of her and she on us in letting us use her name. Again the library board was pressed into action and on July 23 we gave a reception for Dr. Mary and erected a beautiful sign with the new name of the library emblazoned in gold.

The Library trustees met every month. In the 43 years of Dr. Mary’s tenure as President, they met 516 times. She was absent only 24 times during that time! An open house and public reception was held for Dr. Mary on Sunday, July 23rd, 1961 in recognition of her many years of devoted service to the library.

In 1983, the State of Ohio repealed the old Intangible Personal Property Tax for libraries. It was replaced by the Library and Local Government Support Fund, which has striven to be more equitable in its distribution of funds. Its initial goals were to continue the support towards existing libraries and to encourage growth in the under-funded and under-serviced areas of Ohio.

Plans began to be made to build a new library building in Waynesville in the early 1980s. A larger building was needed due to the lack of space and overcrowding, inaccessibility for the handicapped and elderly, and a lack of program/meeting areas. Although originally called the Wayne Township Library of Warren Co., Ohio, the library has always served a larger area. In 1983, the State Library of Ohio officially designated the library’s service area as follows:
· Wayne Township, including the village of Waynesville
· Clear Creek Township, eastern half to Bunnell Hill Road
· Massie township
· Washington Township, northern half to Ohio Rt. 350.
Through the years the library has drawn patrons from Centerville, Xenia, Spring Valley, and as far as Wilmington.

Renovation of the old Union Schoolhouse was considered but was rejected as too costly. For the first and only time in the history of the library, a bond issue ~ .9 mills for 22 years ~ was placed on the ballot and was approved by voters. The bond was paid off in half the time allotted. (Although the library is designated a “School District Library” it must be stressed that the Wayne Local School District does not contribute any funding to the library. The School District is the library’s “Voting Authority” meaning that the School Board assists the library by placing any library issues on the ballot.)

The construction of the new building on Old Stage Road began in September of 1987. The new building was opened to the public on June 3rd 1988. As Waynesville and the surrounding community continued to grow, the Library Board recognized that the facility they had built would soon become too small and crowded. The advent of computers and the Internet greatly impacted the way the library did business. In the early 1990s, the library created a Building Fund. By conserving funds and judicious spending, the Building Fund grew. In December 2000, the Library Board used a portion of the Fund to purchase two adjacent properties. With the properties secured, the Board was able to use the accumulated Building Fund to finance a 5,000 square foot addition to the library. No bond issue or levy was necessary, as through careful saving and investing, the library was able to finance the addition with monies in hand.

The Mary L. Cook Public Library is a vigorous educational institution to be proud of. It has avoided waste and has consistently increased its services to the public through out the years. It is safe to say that we will be here in another 88 years, still planning thoughtfully and prudently to serve the community in the ever-changing and ever-challenging world of the future.

Also read article: THE OHIOANA ROOM ~THE MARY L. COOK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Eli Harvey with the famous symbol of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the USA (BPO Elks).

Famous Quakers from Southwest Ohio ~ Eli Harvey, Sculptor

September 23rd, 1860 (Near Springfield Monthly Meeting ~ Adams Township, Clinton County, Ohio ~ Todd's Fork Road) ~ February 10, 1957 (Alhambra, California)

As a young man living on his father’s farm in a tight knit Quaker community, Eli Harvey taught himself to draw through his intense and loving observation of nature. He was surprised to find out that his father, William Penn Harvey, a Quaker minister and himself a poet, did not object to his becoming a professional artist. Indeed, the artistic temperament seemed to run in the family of William Harvey (Eli's great grandfather), with two poets and an artist as descendents. However, William Penn Harvey could not afford to send his son to art school or to Europe where he could get the necessary training. He worked odd jobs to earn money and began painting portraits to earn the money to go to school in Cincinnati. Two of his earliest portraits were of his grandparents, Eli and Ruth Fisher Harvey, Eli’s second wife.

Young Eli Harvey attended McMicken University, the Art Department, in Cincinnati. In Cincinnati he studied under Noble and Rebisso, in Paris at the Academies Julian and Delecluse under Lefebvre, Constant, and Doucet; and animal sculpture under Fremet at the Jardin des Plantes. He concentrated on painting until the early 1900s, when he turned his attention to sculpture. Returning to the U.S. at the turn of the century Harvey lived and worked in New York City until he moved to Alhambra, California in the late 1920’s. He lived in an area populated by a large artists' colony called "Artists Alley" and was a good friend of Norman Rockwell.

In 1893 Eli returned to the United States from Europe and married his fiancée and first wife, Mary Anna Baker (d. 1919) in Glen Loch, Pennsylvania. His second wife was Grace Harvey, the daughter of Aaron Harvey of Clinton Co., Ohio. She was an artist herself, a professional photographer. Grace died April 11th, 1925. Eli then married Edith James of Montclair, N. J., a graduate of Vassar and a musican.

Some of his best-known works is the lion sculptures at the Bronx Zoo, the famous symbol of the Benevolent Order of ELks, the Elk bronze, and the bear mascot for Brown University. More information about Eli Harvey, artist and sculptor can be found at:

• http://www.clintoncountyhistory.org/museum.html (Clinton Co., Ohio Musuem, Wilmington, Ohio)
• http://www.bronze-gallery.com/sculptors/artist.cfm?sculptorID=71 (The Bronze Gallery)
• http://www.wildlifeart.org/Collections/ArtistBio.cfm?tArtistid=368&tUrl=ArtistBioMain.cfm&UrlName=Artist%20Biographies (National Museum of Wildlife Art)
• http://fqa.quaker.org/pastartists.html (Some Quaker Writers and Artist of the Past: A Brief List)

Eli's third wife, Edith James Harvey, produced a biography about him: Eli Harvey: Quaker Sculptor from Ohio (Copyright 1966 by Edith Jams Harvey). Another good resource is: Marcus Mote and Eli Harvey, Two Quaker Artists from Southwest Ohio (Warren and Clinton County Historical Societies, 1992).

2005 ANNUAL UNDERWOOD REUNION, SATURDAY JULY 23RD, 2005

The Underwood Reunion will be held at Miami Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends in Waynesville, Ohio (White Brick Meetinghouse) in Waynesville, Ohio on Sautraday, July 23rd, 2005.

SCHEDULE:

9 AM ~ 11 AM

• Introductions & Sharing of Family History & Stories & Pictures
• Update on the Underwood homes and farms application to the National Historic Registry to become a historic district. Coordinated by Wilhelmina Braddock Branson.

11 AM

• Presentation by Karen Campbell will talk about the next Second Annual Quaker Genealogy Conference on April 28th-29th, 2006 and the celebration of Dr. Mary L. Cook Day at The Mary L. Cook Public Library on October 1st, 2005.

12 ~ 1 PM

• Lunch on porch of White Brick Meetinghouse. Bring your own brown paper bag lunch and drink.

1 ~ 5 PM

• Visit to family homes and graveyards. Coordinated by Howard Doster & Esther Underwood Doster.

6 PM

• Pot Luck Supper ~ Red Brick Meetinghouse in Waynesville. Coordinated by family of Esther Underwood Doster, who will provide drinks. Bring your own table service.

7:30 PM

• Creativity ~ Sharing of the Arts ~White Brick Meetinghouse. We invite everyone to please share his or her creativity.

For more information contact Wilhelmina B. Branson, BWBranson@fuse.net.

Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. Society at The Mary L. Cook Public Library on Saturday, June 11th, 2005

Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. Society at The Mary L. Cook Public Library on June 11th, 2005

Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. Society

The Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. Society met in Waynesville the weekend of Friday and Saturday, June 10-12, 2005. Some of the activities of the group were a visit to the Museum at The Friends Home and Quaker Hill on Friday and on Saturday they met at The Mary L. Cook Public Library for three presentations:

• The Quakers of Waynesville, Ohio: A Pioneering Journey of Faith & Moral Principle by Karen Campbell
• Genealogy Sharing
• An Update on the Hollingsworth DNA Project by Douglas Hollingsworth

On Sunday ("First-Day", to use the Quaker term), they attended meeting for worship at Miami Monthly Meeting of Friends in the 1811 White Brick Meetinghouse and attended a pot-luck dinner in the 1836 Red Brick Meetinghouse.

Waynesville was chosen as the site for this years reunion because of the Hollingsworth families that migrated from Bush River Monthly Meeting in South Carolina to Miami Monthly Meeting in Waynesville between 1805 ~1807: Abraham HOLLINGSWORTH, Henry HOLLINGSWORTH, James HOLLINGSWORTH, David HOLLINGSWORTH, John HOLLINGSWORTH, Jacob HOLLINGSWORTH, Joseph HOLLINGSWORTH (see, http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohwarren/Beers/V/tct/0748hollingsworth.htm), Elias HOLLINGSWORTH, William HOLLINGSWORTH, and Isaac HOLLINGSWORTH (see Hinshaw's Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. V., Ohio, pp.74-75).

Many of the Hollingsworths moved on to West Branch Monthly Meeting in Miami County, Ohio and on to Whitewater Monthly Meeting in Richmond, Indiana.

Another Hollingsworth family (descended from Valentine), but from Virginia instead of South Carolina, were members of Miami Monthly Meeting: Joseph HOLLINGSWORTH who was married to Rhoda WHITACRE. They lived near Morrow, Ohio and then in Springboro. Most of the family is buried in the Old Quaker Cemetery next to the old Rochester Meetinghouse outside of Morrow, Hopewell Meeting, a preparative meeting of Miami Monthly Meeting. See the following websites for more information:

• http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohwarren/Bogan/bogan182.htm ~ Rhoda WHITACRE HOLLINGWORTH, Early Warren Countian
• http://www.co.warren.oh.us/genealogy/cem/OldQuaker.htm ~ Old Quaker Cemetery in Salem Township, Warren Co., Ohio, US 22 in Roachester at Ward Road. Whoda and some of her children are buried here as well as her family, the Whitacres.

The following was taken from the Society's website, http://www.hollingsworthfamily.net/:

"The DVHS Society was originally founded in 1993 for historical, educational, preservational, and genealogical research purposes, which would assist the descendants and other researchers with factual records of their lines with their geographical progression. Since that date the Society has been expanding in membership, preservation of family historical records/sites, and Society reunion activities. Any person who is interested in researching and exchanging documented evidence supporting their Hollingsworth and related surname lines are invited and strongly encouraged to join in support of our objectives."

For more information about their society and membership, please visit their site online.

The Wright House ~ Uncovering the Ohio Historical Society marker on June 7th, 2005. 

The Wright House ~ Members of the Wright family in front of the Ohio Historical Marker.

The Wright House ~ the 1815 home of Jonathan Wright, the founder of Springboro, Ohio 

The Jonathan Wright House in Springboro, Ohio: The Home of the Founder of Springboro and a Station on the Underground Railroad

On June 7th, 2005, a Ohio Historical Marker was dedicated in front of the Jonathan Wright House in Springboro, Ohio. The home is the oldest house in Springboro. It was built in 1815. Descendants of Joel, Jonathan and Aron Wright were present at the dedication. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a documented Underground Railroad site. The home is now the Wright House Bed and Breakfast, for more information see http://www.bbonline.com/oh/wrighthouse/.

The Wright family of Springboro has a long history with Ohio even before it became a state in 1803. The patriarch of the family, Joel Wright (1750-1829) was a prominent teacher and surveyor. In 1798, because of his experience surveying in the Northwest Territory, he visited the Wyandotte Native Americans and Chief Tarhe near Upper Sandusky, Ohio as a representative of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Twenty days out of Baltimore they reached the Ohio River and six days later they encamped near a Moravian Mission called Goshen where the services of an Indian guide, Joseph White-Eyes, were secured to lead them to Upper Sandusky. It was here that Joel Wright met their Moravian pastor; David Zeisberger. Because of this journey into the wilderness and other surveying journeys to the old northwest, Joel Wright was familiar with the Waynesville-Springboro area before he permanently moved into this area of southwest Ohio in 1806.

While still living at Pipe Creek in Frederick County, Maryland, Joel Wright was a noted schoolteacher and was the superintendent of the school under the care of Pipe Creek Monthly Meeting. Students from the surrounding country were sent to learn from him. In 1788 he was hired to survey the Muskingum Valley and then later the Scioto Valley and the Little Miami and the Great Miami Valleys in the Northwest Territory. In 1806 Joel moved into the area along the Little Miami River at Waynesville. Both he and another Quaker pioneer, Abijah O’Neall, owned a thousand acres of land near Waynesville. For six years he surveyed and sold parcels of land. He was also the surveyor of Dayton, Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky and Columbus, Ohio.

Because of his success as a teacher in Maryland, it is not surprising that Joel Wright also became involved with schools in the Miami Valley especially the school of his friend and business associate, Friend Abijah O'Neall. The O'Neall school was located on the O'Neall homestead across the Little Miami River opposite the site of Waynesville. In 1814, Joel moved further east about six miles to Springboro to be near his son, Jonathan and his family. Joel Wright was an active member of the Society of Friends his entire life. Up until his death in 1829 he always wore the dress of the Revolutionary era: long overcoat with flap pockets, a long waistcoat and knee breeches with low shoes trimmed with silver buckles. He always wore a broad-brimmed beaver hat. He is buried in the Springboro Monthly Meeting Cemetery on Factory Road.

Jonathan Wright (1782-1855) was the fourth child of Joel and Elizabeth Farquhar Wright. He was also a surveyor like his father and a miller. He moved into the area after Joel was settled in Waynesville. He and his family and a dozen families of Friends traveled down the Ohio and then up the Little Miami River to Waynesville where his father, Joel, was living. Jonathan and his companions moved on east and settled on Clear Creek. He was the founder of Springboro, Ohio. He plotted the land and sold it. Jonathan also built two mills and the woolen factory in Springboro. He built a store on Main Street, which prospered for many years under the supervision of Mahlon and Josiah, two of his sons. His death was announced in the Miami-Visitor newspaper of Waynesville, Ohio on February 14th, 1855: Jonathan Wright, a prominent member of the Society of Friends, died at his residence in Springborough, on the 12th, Inst."

Jonathan Wright was the father of Dr. Aron Wright (1810-1885), a physician, wealthy land owner, and the first president of Miami Valley Institute, a Hicksite Quaker College, which he founded on the outskirts of Springboro in 1870. Aron Wright and his family were great benefactors of Springboro Monthly Meeting (Hicksite).

The Wright family were successful business men and also dedicated Quakers who reached out in ministry to African-Americans, Native-Americans and were educators and founders of schools.

Also see:

The Wright House ~ Members of the Wright family today at dedication, and,

The Wright House ~ Uncovering the Ohio Historical Marker.

Dr. Mary Leah Cook 

The Mary L. Cook Public Library 

Dr. Mary L. Cook Day at The Mary L. Cook Public Library

Dr. Mary L. Cook Day ~ HAPPY 136th BIRTHDAY!!

b. September 25th, 1869 ~ d. March 31st, 1964

WHEN: Saturday, October 1, 2005

In 1917, Dr. Mary Leah Cook, a Quaker, along with other civic-minded persons decided to establish a library in Waynesville, Ohio. They had no building, no books and no money but they did have faith in their project and a willingness to do all possible to make the vision a reality. We are reaping the benefits of that effort today and will be far into the future.

Come to the Mary L. Cook Public Library on October 1st, 2005 and learn:

What medicine was like in 1908 when Dr. Mary graduated from medical school. Find out what it was like to be a horse and buggy doctor in the early 20th century. Find out what daily life was like when compared with today.

Learn about the woman that inspired Mary L. Cook to become a doctor, Dr. Marie Romine of Harveysburg. Dr. Marie was also a Quaker.

Learn about Dr. Mary's life. Meet some of her descendents.

Share your memories of Dr. Mary and they will be placed in a special "Memory Book" which will be kept in The Ohioana Room of the library in her honor.

Come to the library and celebrate Dr. Mary’s 136th birthday! The library will be opened from 9:00 A. M. ~ 2:00 P.M.

For more information contact Karen Campbell, campbeka@oplin.org.

Second Annual Quaker Genealogy Conference

Quaker Ministry in the Wilderness:
The Wrights and the Harveys

Friday & Saturday, April 28th & 29th, 2006
at
The Mary L. Cook Public Library
381 Old Stage Road
Waynesville, Ohio 45068
1-513-897-4826
campbeka@oplin.org

THIS WILL BE A TWO-DAY CONFERENCE:

Friday, April 28th, 2006

Springboro ~The Wright Family~Quaker Education

8:00 A.M.: Registration & Breakfast

8:30 A.M.: First Presentation: Dr. Thomas Hamm, Professor of History and Archivist of the Quaker Collection, Earlham College, History of Springboro Monthly Meeting.

10:00 A.M.: Second Presentation: Karen Campbell, Genealogy Librarian at MLCook Library, Quaker Education and Miami Valley Institute: A Quaker College in Springboro, Ohio.

11:30 A.M.: Lunch: At the Brass Pig Tea Room in Springboro. Store building once owned by the Wright family.

12:30 P.M.: Third Presentation: The Wrights of Springboro, Ohio (at the Brass Pig Tea Room in Springboro) ~ Becky Hall, Archivist of the Springboro Historical Society.

2:00 P.M.: Field Trip to Springboro: Tour Jonathan Wright House, Quaker meeting-house sites & cemeteries, Aron Wright home, site of Miami Valley College.

Supper at your restaurant of choice.

5:30 P.M.: Panel Discussion & Sharing about Quaker Genealogy at White Brick Meetinghouse in Waynesville, Ohio.

7:00 P.M. Keynote Address: Dr. Thomas Hamm, The Hicksite Separation (White Brick Meetinghouse)

Saturday, April 29th, 2006

Harveysburg~The Harvey Family~Quaker Ministry to Native Americans

8:00 A. M.: Registration & Breakfast

8:30 A.M.: First Presentation: Max Carter of Guilford College, North Carolina, Quaker Relations with Midwestern Indians to 1833.

10:00 A.M.: Second Presentation: Stephen Warren of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, The Shawnee Leave Ohio: The Establishment of the Quaker Shawnee Mission and School in Kansas.

11:30 A.M.: Lunch at the Red Brick Meetinghouse in Waynesville, Ohio

12:30 P.M.: Third Presentation: The Harveys of Harveysburg and Clinton County and Their Ministry to Native Americans in Ohio and Kansas.

2:00 P.M.: Field Trip to Harveysburg: Tour of the First Black School in Ohio, the Site of the Harveysburg Academy, the sites of the Quaker meetinghouses and cemeteries, and other related Harvey Sites.

For more information concerning registration and fees, please contact Karen Campbell at campbeka@oplin.org. Thank you.

Miami Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends in Waynesville, Ohio

Interior of the White Brick Meetinghouse ~ The Dividing Screen ~ Waynesville, Ohio
Interior of the White Brick Meetinghouse ~ Balcony & Benches ~ Waynesville, Ohio
The Clerk's Desk and the Facing Benches ~ Waynesville, Ohio

Miami Monthly Meeting (The White Brick) in Waynesville, Ohio

The photographs above are of Miami Monthly Meeting of The Society of Friends (FGC) in Waynesville, Ohio, located on Quaker Hill, high above the Little Miami River. It is known as the "White Brick" meetinghouse built in 1811. The meeting itself was established in 1803, the same year Ohio became a state. There are two Quaker meetinghouses in Waynesville. The other one is known as the "Red Brick" and was built in 1836 by Orthodox Friends. After the Hicksite Separation of 1828, the Hicksite Quakers met in the "White Brick". The Orthodox group met in the old log cabin meetinghouse that was on the site of the present "Red Brick" (see above) up until 1836. The building today is used as a community room for Miami Monthly Meeting (FGC). It has just recently been remodeled inside with a new kitchen and handicapped bathroom and is available to be rented by interested groups.

Miami Monthly Meeting was also noted for its excellent boarding school. The school began the same time pioneer Quakers in the area began to gather for worship. The school first met in a Quaker home, then in the original log meetinghouse and then, when the White Brick meetinghouse was built, a brick school was also built on Quaker Hill in 1811. The building still exists. It is now a private residence although altered (see photograph below). Also see, Joseph Cloud and Roland Richards ~ Two early founders of Miami Monthly Meeting. Roland Richards was the first teacher in the meeting's school.

See, Thomas Hill's Monthly Meetings in North American: A Quaker Index:
http://www.quakermeetings.com/viewRecord_display?anID=TST100L (Hicksite)
http://www.quakermeetings.com/viewRecord_display?anID=TST103L (Orthodox)

Also, see map: Map of Quaker Meetinghouses

Also see:

Abijah and Ann Kelly O’Neall & Samuel and Hannah Pearson Kelly ~ Early Quaker Settlers

Joseph Cloud ~ Traveling Minister

Joseph Cloud and Roland Richards ~ Two early founders of Miami Monthly Meeting

The Centennial of Miami Monthly Meeting in 1903 ~ 100 Years of Ministry

David & Judith Thornburgh Faulkner ~ Benefactors of Miami Monthly Meeting

First Annual Quaker Genealogy Conference at The Mary L. Cook Public Library

On Saturday April 30th, 2005 we hosted our first Quaker Genealogy Conference: Travelin’ in the Spirit at The Mary L. Cook Public Library. We had a capacity crowd. We visited Miami Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends in Waynesville, Ohio and Springfield Monthly Meeting ~ Adams Township, Clinton County, Ohio ~ Todd's Fork Road. The two Quaker families we examined this year were the pioneering families of Cook and Hadley. Our goal is to every year visit two Quaker meetings or sites and emphasize two Quaker families.