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SPRING
2001 Ruth Hall Brooks
Salem MM
The following address was presented at Salem Monthly Meeting on 17 November 2000, by the author. That date was selected as the closest possible — given the uncertainties of the English calendar in the 17th century — to the actual date of Fenwick’s arrival in the New World. — Ed.
On this fourth First Day, Eleventh Month, in the year 2000, we gather together to ask the Lord’s blessings on our families and our everyday lives in the Spirit and in Truth.
Our hearts are grateful for our ancestors who sailed from England’s shore filled with a fervent desire to settle in a place where five or more people could worship God together, freely, and conform to a set of principles established by George Fox in 1642 to guide the Religious Society of Friends, commonly called Quakers.
Quakers are the only known group of people to take a term of derision and use it as a tactic of strategy and strength in building community—and some did quake in their religious fervor!
These early Friends were people of quiet determination and inner strengths descended from everyday people as well as knighted baronry. The Light within led them through the darkness of their suffer ings—which were having their goods distrained, loss of money, livestock, being fined, abused, imprisoned for not paying tithes to the Church of England. ... John Fenwick knew imprisonment twice in 1660 and again in 1670 for attending meeting. Their religious experience was first hand.
In the autumn of the year 1675, 23rd of Ninth month, the ship Griffin crossed the Atlantic Ocean and was moored offshore at Elsinborough by Capt. Griffith. Historians differ as to the exact date as the Julian calendar was being used, November being the ninth month. The Gregorian calendar was not accepted in Great Britain until 1752.
Aboard the ship Griffin was a colony of some 60 persons, largely Quakers. The impact of the Delaware was similar to the marshlands of today—but “there were no friends to well-come them, no Inns to refresh their tired bodies.” But soon they had religiously infused their walking the Light with the everyday lives of several local Indian tribes, remaining Swedes and Dutch settlers, and Friends who had settled earlier across the river.
John Fenwick, their leader, had been raised on horseback in the hills of Northumberland, graduated in law from Gray’s Inn, and had an army career. His last orders from Cromwell were, as Master of Horse, to take a troop to quell the crowds at the execution of King Charles I. His horse reared and John moved away. This moment, we’re told, became part of John’s seeking.
Fenwick’s first inclination to join a dissenting religious group had come at the Putney debates when Cromwell wanted to reduce the army and offered the men a pension or land in Ireland. George Fox was quite concerned and attended the debates. It was there he met Fenwick and counselled Byllings and his wife, who were on the verge of divorce due to her frivolous ways. She sold her jewelry and soon they became members of London Friends Meeting. Fenwick joined a group called Independants before becoming a Friend.
After his retirement from the British Army he became the manager or tenant farmer of two estates—one of his father-in-law, Sir Walter Covert, and those of Mary Springett, his wife’s cousin and mother of Gulielma Springett, an 8-year-old heiress later to become wife of William Penn.
Times like these drew families together in grief and need. Fenwick was still wrestling within his heart and conscience though his demeanor remained that of a disciplinarian, a stubborn man accustomed to giving orders. Could it be possible that Fenwick showed Penn the estates his future wife would inherit? Could it be possible the older Fenwick and a 30-year-younger Penn shared similar thoughts of a Quaker colony in the New World that George Fox had already seen—a place where they could worship in peace?
Now in 1675, having realized his dream, Fenwick stood on deck with his group of Friends the morning before going ashore and offered a prayer in thanksgiving for their safe passage and asked guidance in their days ahead. Afterwards he reminded the men to plant their seedlings as soon as land could be cleared before winter. His daughter Anne held up rose cuttings from their home in Binfield, which later were planted at Ivy Point, their new home.
They met with Indian chiefs under the Old Oak tree and did “joyn hands” in love and good will in this New Salem—meaning Shalom, or New Peace.
Salem Friends worshipped in their new home guided by the Light within, their family Bibles, and the advices and queries written by George Fox in 1665 for his flocks. “Let there be copies sent to all abroad amongst Friends and their Meetings,” his directive. He had already sensed their need.
Their land was cleared, homes had been built, but “the land absorbed them.” They did not formally organize a meeting for worship until 4th day of lst month 1671—that being March.
In the spring, a Friend Myles Cooper came from Maryland to invite Salem Friends to the General Meeting to be held at West River on Whitsunday for 3 days, joining with Choptank, Sassafrass, and West River Friends.
Fox wrote again, a lengthy epistle to his Lambs in New Salem, gently admonishing them not to forget their God and to love and admonish one another. Remember that Fox had already visited these shores in 1672 and knew their outer environment, but he was reaching for their inmost, the flame of their Inner Light.
We will continue this celebration of love and service on First Day, March 4, in the year 2001.
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Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM
