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Founding and Early History of Montclair Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
MONTCLAIR MONTHLY MEETING 289 Park Street, Corner Gordonhurst Avenue Montclair, New Jersey
Founding and Early History of Montclair Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Published 1960
FOUNDING AND EARLY HISTORY OF MONTCLAIR MEETING OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS
Prologue
Montclair, New Jersey, Friends Meeting is a young Meeting as Meetings go, but it is historic. Only a dream in the spring of 1925, it was incorporated in 1926 and ac- cepted into membership of both New York Yearly Meet- ings in 1928. Montclair Monthly Meeting was the first independent, united Meeting to be so recognized. This ac- tion by the two New York Yearly Meetings in commonly recognizing Montclair Meeting as a member was, we be- lieve the first step on the road which ultimately led to their union. We believe, too, that Montclair furnished the inspiration for many other groups to form independent, united Meetings which later sought or are seeking recog- nition.
Montclair Meeting has counted among its members many who have found it necessary to move to other sec- tions of the country. These transplanted members have carried the message of unity to many places, and have been instrumental in the establishment of several Monthly Meetings. We proudly cite former members who have been most active in the founding of Lehigh Valley Meet- ing in Pennsylvania (Helen Bissell Hammarstrom), Mis- soula in Montana (Archer and LaVerne Taylor), Lake Forest in Illinois (David Stickney), and Atlanta in Georgia (James Russell). Montclair's "children" have
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thus helped to bring these new united meetings into be- ing. These Meetings are Montclair's "grandchildren." Montclair is indeed an historic Meeting.
And so it has been urged that our history be written.
A capsule history is printed in the Register of the New York Yearly Meetings. Brief articles have been written from time to time for assorted Friends periodicals. A search of the Minutes will give statistics and business de- tails. But a breathing history must cover some of the incidents that live in people's memories-the discussions behind the statistics and the one-sentence minutes that tell of actions taken. To live, history must be human. This is an attempt to write such a living story of Montclair Meet- ing's founding and early growth ..
The Kindling Laid
In the 1920's there was concern among Friends that New Jersey had no Meeting House north or east of Plainfield. The old Meeting Houses at Shrewsbury and Dover were opened once a year, mostly for historical reasons. New York City and Brooklyn each had two active Meetings and two Meeting Houses. General Conference Meetings were located at 15th Street in New York and Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn; Five Years Meetings at 20th Street, New York, and Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn.
In Newark, New Jersey, there was a very small General Conference group which met on First Days in the offices of Dr. Henry Woolman, who, incidentally, was not a de- scendant of the well known John. These offices were on 13th Avenue, back of Essex County Court House. The location was central for Newark, fair for most of Essex County, Elizabeth, Kearny and Arlington. Meeting for Worship was held in the doctor's waiting room-the typi- cally somber waiting room of the times, dark, lined with shelves of medical tomes and circled by straight-back
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chairs. The strength of the Quaker conviction was well demonstrated in that one could rise at all above the feel- ing of waiting, not for the "spirit to speak," but for the doctor to nod one into the consultation room. The feeling could be, and was, shaken, but not easily. There was no place for children. One couple, from Passaic, did attend occasionally and brought their small baby. The baby slept, during Meeting, in her basket set in the inner room. In spite of all these difficulties, Newark Meeting was organ- ized and managed to struggle along. It sponsored a series of successful forums and it even took in occasional new members.
During and prior to this period there was an active group in Montclair, known as the Quaker Ladies Circle. Its members met regularly to sew for charitable institu- tions and during World War I clothing was collected for war relief. The Quaker Ladies Circle was an outgrowth of a group Meeting for Worship, formed about the year 1909, which met once a month in the home of Marshall Busselle. By 1925 both the Meeting for Worship and the Quaker Ladies Circle had been discontinued.
Thus between Newark Meeting and members of the Montclair sewing circle and Meeting for Worship there was a nucleus of Friends who were acquainted with each other. Known to these Friends were a number of non- Friends who were interested in Quakers but, in the ver- nacular, "had no place to go."
In March 1925 there came into this situation a young couple from Philadelphia. One was a member of Race Street Meeting. They had a five year old child and were anxious that she attend a Friends First Day School. Living near them was another Quaker couple, members of New York 15th Street, who were reluctantly sending their chil- dren to the local Presbyterian Sunday School. Between them they knew of other Quaker families in the area, also
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with children of First Day School age, who were attending local churches. Caroline Borton (who later married Clar- ence Smith) was very active in Newark Meeting and had collected a fairly large file of known Friends living in or on the edges of Essex County. These Friends were members of many Yearly Meetings, with a wide diversity of religious thought and Meeting procedures, including such scattered Meetings as Baltimore, Indiana, New England and North Carolina. But, even in diversity, it was obvious to all that something should be done. Many wanted a Quaker setting for their children. Banded together, they would be strong enough to set up a Meeting for Worship with a First Day School. Members of Newark Meeting rose to the challenge to determine how.
The Fire Is Started
On the second of June, 1925, a meeting was held in the Newark Y.W.C.A. "to consider the advisability of building a Meeting House in the vicinity." There were about 35 Friends present, and C. Marshall Taylor presided. The sentiment of the meeting was decidedly in favor of the project and it was suggested that a site be sought in the general vicinity of Grove Street, East Orange. Twelve friends offered subscriptions of $5.00 each month for 11 years, and an anonymous gift of $1,000 was announced. Hubert T. Richardson was named chairman of a commit- tee to look into the matter of a site.
Locating a "suitable site" did not prove an easy matter, but after much searching a Jewish Temple on Cleveland Street, East Orange, was found to be for sale. A Meeting for Worship was called, to be held in the Temple on June 28th, to be followed by an open discussion as to the advis- ability of purchasing the property. The day was warm and during the Meeting the hymn singing in the Christian Science Church next door drifted through the open win-
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dows. The discussion following the worship period was lively, with a final decision that the Temple was not really satisfactory and further that "no move to obligate our- selves heavily by buying should be made until the strength of the Meeting and the support necessary should be tested out." There was a strong determination, however, that "we must not let the enthusiasm now roused come to noth- ing." The committee was asked to try to rent rooms for one year-rooms in which a First Day School could be held at the same time as the Meeting for Worship.
Through the next months, while the committee searched for rooms, Helen D. Johnson and Lucy Milburn scoured the area, calling on Quakers whose names were supplied by Caroline Borton's file, the New York Meetings' Ad- vancement Committees, Philadelphia's Advancement Committee and by word of mouth.
It happened that at this time Robert Lydecker, the son of a member of a Brooklyn Meeting, was taking violin lessons from a Miss Cornelia Shaw, who, with her sister Nellie Shaw, conducted a kindergarten at 41 The Crescent, Montclair. Robert noticed that his teacher wore a small gold cross. With boyish curiosity, he asked if she were a Catholic. She responded that she was not, but was a Quaker. Robert reported this to his mother, who went to see the Shaws and was impressed by the possibilities of the kindergarten rooms as a place to hold a Friends Meet- ing for Worship. Helen Johnson and Lucy Milburn still remember the excitement generated by Mary Lydecker's phone call and the thrill of visiting the rooms with her; noting too that they were centrally located, near to public transportation, that there was plenty of parking space, and finally that arrangements might be made to rent the rooms for Sunday morning Meeting.
After inspection by the authorized committee, a called Meeting for Business was held on September 12th, 1925.
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Arrangements were made to rent the rooms and to hold the first Meeting for Worship and First Day School at 11 A.M. on October 4th.
Montclair Meeting was born!
The First Years
"41 The Crescent" offered one large kindergarten room, with a fireplace, a hall and two small rooms off the hall. Folding chairs were needed and it was decided to pur- chase 18, but this was made unnecessary by a donation from C. Marshall Taylor, who thereupon left to spend a year in Chicago, announcing that he'd "look us up when he came back and see how we made out."
The first few First Days, it is interesting to note, the children used the large room and the adults were seated in the hall and its "small extensions." But adult attend- ance swelled and swelled, and after a few weeks it was found more satisfactory to use the small rooms for classes, divided into "big children and little tots," with the grown- ups meeting in the large room. Since it was necessary that the First Day School be conducted simultaneously with Meeting for Worship, the pattern was set up of having the children join their parents for the last fifteen minutes of worship period.
On the 9th of December, 1925, those Friends who had shown great interest in the new Meeting met at the John- son home. By this time several requests for membership had been received and it was necessary "to consider how best to form an organization and become affiliated with our respective Quarterly and Yearly Meetings."
"Clarence W. Smith spoke of the desire of Newark Meet- ing to cooperate in any way possible and members of Montclair expressed their appreciation of the sympathetic understanding and helpfulness shown by Newark Meet- ing." BUT-"Since that Meeting represents one branch of
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the Society only, and Montclair Meeting both branches ... it was thought wiser to have no actual connection with Newark, but to apply to both the Orthodox and Hicksite Quarterly Meetings in New York for permission to estab- lish a Monthly Meeting to be known as the Montclair Monthly Meeting and entitled to representation in both branches."
The minutes for this period, signed mostly by "Caroline Borton, Secretary Pro-Tem," mention arrangements for further use of 41 The Crescent for parties; social hours; a box lunch following a Meeting for Worship, attended by a committee from Westbury Quarterly Meeting; a collection of clothing and toys by the First Day School. A concern was brought by Plainfield Meeting "that the Montclair Meeting apply for appointment to the Plainfield-Manas- quan Half-Yearly Meeting," but it was felt better to con- fine our applications to the two New York Quarterly Meetings, representing both branches of Friends. West- bury Quarterly Meeting was the first to respond with an enthusiastic commendation of our desire to be a "United Meeting" and to wish us success in our effort. More chairs were ordered. An exchange of Friendly periodicals was set up. And, on February 9th, 1926, Hubert T. Richardson was appointed the first Clerk of the Meeting; with Alan Johnson, Assistant Clerk; Harold Orvis, Treasurer; Caro- line Borton, Secretary; and Madelon Mercer, Recorder. Also several committees were formally named.
Another problem was posed at this February gathering, for the Shaws were leaving the kindergarten, raising the question of where to meet the following year. Dorothea Carter Davis, the daughter of the owner of the house, was present, and to the surprise and joy of all she announced that she was planning to take over the kindergarten, that she was a member of Swarthmore Meeting and would gladly continue to rent the rooms with the use of a much
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needed additional room on the second floor for the ex- panding First Day School. Another miracle of coincidence to be thankful for!
From the minutes of these months: "The Treasurer's report shows a balance of 41 dollars and 47 cents."-"It was felt that greater care should be given to the naming of Overseers ... and a Committee on Ministry and Coun- sel than for other committees." " ... a sign be made to display on First Days and an announcement put in the Montclair Times." "A gift by Ellen Dawson of books and a picture of Elizabeth Frey reading to the prisoners."
"The Joint Committee appointed by the Twentieth Street and Westbury Quarterly Meetings met with us in a special session on First Day 3/26/1926 ... with other New York Friends, not of the Committee, but also having a concern for our spiritual welfare .... Throughout both meditation and business of the meeting, the guidance of our Heavenly Father was marked among us, and a spirit of unity and forbearance prevailed .... Benjamin Doane pointed out that certain parts in the Discipline of the New York Twentieth Street Friends would prevent at the pres- ent time their accepting Montclair as proposed in the original application to Quarterly Meetings.
"Two counter suggestions to our application were given ... one, that we would organize as a corporate body under the laws of New Jersey, and that those Friends desiring to belong to a Yearly Meeting apply individually to either Fifteenth Street or to Twentieth Street for membership with them. The other suggestion was that we become an Indulged Meeting, bearing the indulgence of both parent Meetings, but not strictly a part of their organization.
"The Meeting felt strongly that its strength depends greatly upon its unity, and confidence was expressed that in waiting upon the Lord, at his bidding the way will be made clear to us."
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In April Montclair wrote reports to both Quarterly Meetings, and sent members to speak to the reports. And in May, 1926, John Cox, Jr., presented to the Meeting on behalf of the Joint Committee of the Westbury and Twen- tieth Street Quarterly Meetings a suggestion for the busi- ness organization of the Monthly Meeting in the form of a Declaration by Montclair Monthly Meeting of the Reli- gious Society of Friends.
The following paragraphs are taken from the declara- tion-dated May 4, 1926.
"We, the subscribers hereto, hereby unite ourselves in a Christian body to be known as the Montclair Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.
"This action is taken in the conviction that our Meeting for Worship, held at 41 The Crescent, Montclair, New Jersey, has proven an opportunity for Christian service, and that our Heavenly Father has endowed it with a measure of the Divine Spirit. We find ourselves further united because of common religious ideals and because we have shared Christian experiences . . .
"Our business meeting shall be conducted after the manner of Friends, all decisions being by general con- sent as ascertained by the Clerk.
"Membership with us shall be granted to all Friends who desire to unite with us. It shall also include those, not already members of the Society of Friends, who en- deavor to live by the Indwelling Spirit and who share our Christian beliefs and ideals.
"Those who are members of another Monthly Meeting ... may retain their membership in the Monthly Meet- ing where that membership is recorded. Furthermore, we hope that our Monthly Meeting shall bear the in- dulgence of all Friends, and especially of the Westbury
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and New York Twentieth Street Quarterly Meetings, upon whom we have relied for sympathy and spiritual assistance."
On the ninth day of Fifth Month (May 9th), 1926, arti- cles of incorporation were signed by the following persons "On behalf of the Montclair Monthly Meeting of the Reli- gious Society of Friends-
HERBERT C. PETTY
ELI HARVEY
RUSSELL B. HOBSON
EDITH JAMES HARVEY
LUCY KARR MILBURN
HELEN DILLISTIN JOHNSON
RICHARD P. MILBURN
ALAN JOHNSON
MALCOLM C. W. TOMLINSON
LYDIA CHENEY RICHARDSON
MARGARET E. TOMLINSON
HUBERT T. RICHARDSON
ANNE MILLER
MINNIE S. KARR
MADELON MERCER
DOROTHY KINKAID HADAWAY
ERNEST M. BLISS
GEORGE H. STICKNEY
HAROLD J. TURNER
MINNIE MAE H. STICKNEY
HAROLD H. ORVIS
MARY CARPENTER LYDECKER
LEORA C. ORVIS
FREDERICK A. LYDECKER
ARTHUR B. TURNER
BLANCHE NEILD BOCKIUS CHRIS BOCKIUS
ANNA A. TURNER
MARION F. COOK
CAROLINE G. BORTON
HARRIET K. WARING
NELLIE M. SHAW
J. VAN VECHTEN WARING
CORNELIA M. SHAW
DOROTHEA CARTER DAVIS
These Friends, with their minor children and a few who were unable to sign at that time*, constitute the Charter Members of Montclair Meeting.
This list will surprise many, for some of our firm sup- porters were not ready to take the plunge, even though they could have, with dual membership, avoided breaking the old ties and yet become full members of Montclair. Nor did all these charter members continue to be ardent Friends through the years. But to them goes the honor of
° (Gertrude Burhans, Loring P. Crosman, Florence H. Crosman, Roger Davis, Florence Jones Gardner, Maria Parry Hardy, Elizabeth Hobson, Joseph S. Parry, Lydia Parry, Edgar Quimby, Ernest Sanger, Esther Borton Sanger, William W. Stapler, Ethel Mead Stapler, Meta L. Waring, Wordsworth and Louise Williams)
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pioneering the Meeting that was to pave the way toward the uniting of the two New York Yearly Meetings.
The momentous years of organization culminated dur- ing September, 1926, when the Meeting was incorporated under the laws of New Jersey.
The minutes now are full of business, in the ordinary manner-committee reports, applications for membership, plans for service of various kinds.
The year 1927 saw the setting up of a discussion group by Friends in the Maplewood area. The Newsletter was started and also a sewing group. The Quaker Ladies Circle was named after the group that had met during World War I. The minutes tell us that it "was organized to take up definite work for charitable institutions and needy individuals and that they were at present engaged in sew- ing for the Passaic General Hospital." The Quaker Ladies have been sewing ever since, usually on the first and third Tuesday of each month. For many years now the finished articles have been delivered to The Friends Work Room in New York City and then forwarded to the American Friends Service Committee in Philadelphia. The Quaker Ladies are also responsible for the handsome braided rug in the reception room. They sewed diligently all one sum- mer, under the direction of Esther Sanger, and some of us can still pick out the clothes that went into it. The black wool came from dress suits donated by certain members who had grown weightier than they once were. Names are here withheld.
The Quaker Ladies later took on the responsibility for such dinners as were held by the Meeting, especially those which came to be established Quarterly Meeting events.
In the minutes of December 1927 we find mention of "other unattached Meetings as have been started in New Brunswick and Englewood," and of a concern for visitation with them. Later on, in 1928, small groups of Friends
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meeting in Ridgewood and Leonia and "other points in North Jersey" are mentioned, and there is a suggestion that in "inviting these Friends to visit us, Montclair should avoid conveying any paternalism."
Nineteen twenty eight was indeed an important year for Montclair. Throughout the winter of 1927-28, Mont- clair members regularly attended meetings of the two New York Quarterly Meetings. A small contribution of money was also made in that "certain of our members, now supporting Montclair, are not contributing as generously as formerly to their home Meetings."
During this winter also there was much discussion as to Montclair's independent status and relationship to the Religious Society of Friends as a whole. There was still pressure to join one or the other of the New York Yearly Meetings, but Montclair's attitude remained as "that of a child who would consider going home to live when the divorced parents came together."
In the spring came the big question of sending an epistle to the New York Yearly Meetings which, for the first time in a hundred years, were to meet in joint session in the last week of May. A committee was appointed to meet with representatives of the Five Years and General Con- ference Meetings to "consider what action, if any, should be taken in presenting ... the proposal that Montclair Meeting be recognized as a Monthly Meeting under New York Quarterly Meeting and Westbury Quarterly Meeting jointly, and through them reporting to the New York Joint Yearly Meeting."
The epistle, or statement, as found in pages 44-46 of Volume I of the Minute Books, follows:
"Two and a half years ago, in Tenth Month 1925, Friends in and about Newark united to form the Montclair Friends' Meeting. Years were spent on the part of those deeply concerned in preparing our meeting, and be-
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cause the problems which confronted the founders were individual in character, Montclair Meeting has been formed on a somewhat unique physical structure.
"We feel, however, that in spirit we stand on common ground with all Friends, and that the motives which in- spired the early seekers in the Quaker faith, are essen- tially our aims. Although the differences which arose between Friends a hundred years ago are chiefly of historical significance, we recognize that there are cer- tain differences among us in our religious beliefs. How- ever, the important things with us are that we enjoy together in our meetings for worship a mystical expres- sion with God, and that our spirit is in unison.
"We are individually conscious of the great need among us for personal communication with our Heavenly Father. We recognize that today instead of being perse- cuted for our Faith we are so enveloped in the present social and economic structure that it is difficult for the spirit to find its true expression in our lives. The Chris- tian Church today lacks strength, because it depends for its inspiration on the religious experience of its pastor or a small group, rather than the whole congregation. With this in mind we observe the early simplicity in our meetings for worship that we may be more receptive to the high calling of Christ Jesus.
"Our meetings for worship are well attended, sometimes there being fifty Friends present, although about half that number are regular attenders. Some of us are mem- bers of other Friends' Meetings, but until Montclair was founded, attended other churches, or did not attend regularly any church, lacking a local Friends' Meeting. A third group of us has become Friends through fellow- ship with the meeting, although not previously identi- fied with the Society of Friends. Coming together as we
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have from different communities, and for the most part not previously acquainted with each other, we have been blessed with a unity of spirit, which bespeaks a common faith very fundamental in character.
"We enjoy in our meetings considerable vocal expres- sion, although we could wish that the ministry were borne by a larger number of Friends. Some of us find difficulty in giving expression to messages we have for the meeting, but it is felt that through prayer and a deeper sense of individual responsibility in the ministry, this reticence may be obviated. One of our greatest sources of inspiration has been the visits to Montclair of Friends from other meetings. Not only have their mes- sages been welcome but we feel they bring us into closer fellowship with the Society as a whole. May we take this opportunity to extend a most cordial invitation to each one present at this Joint Yearly Meeting session to meet with us at Montclair?
"All of the business of the meeting is vested in our Monthly Meeting, which meets on the second fourth- day of the month. As we do not belong as yet to a Quar- terly Meeting, our Monthly Meeting feels at present the lack of correlation to other Meetings of the Society, al- though we have regularly sent representatives to the New York and Westbury Quarterly Meetings, who have reported to our Monthly Meeting the activities of these Friends.
"National and international problems are discussed in our business meeting with keen interest, and often with wide difference of opinion. We are being kept quite closely in touch with the work of the American Friends Service Committee, and the National Council for the Prevention of War. We recognize the need today of keeping closely in touch with national issues, and fol-
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