Gwynedd Friends Meeting History

Historical Collections of Gwynedd

by Howard M. Jenkins (Second Edition, 1897, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, published by the author)

A Township of Montgomery County, Pennsyhlvania, Settled 1698, by Immigrants from Wales, with some data referring to the adjoining township of Montgomery, also settled by the Welsh . Note: First edition published 1884.


Chapter 1. The Place: The Scope of its History.

Chapter 2. Remarks upon the Geology of the Township. [Gwynedd lies at the southern edge of the Mezozoic, or Red Sandstone belt...]

Chapter 3. Traces of the Indians. A history of the Lenni Lenape (Delaware) can be found here.

Chapter 4. The Arrival of the Welsh Settlers, Alternatively, here is brief summary of all the early Welsh settlements in Pennsylvania.

Chapter 5. Edward Foulke's Narrative of his Removal.

Chapter 6. The Origin of the Township's Name. [Gwynedd is the Welsh name for the mountainous North of Wales, meaning the White or Pure Land] . Gwynedd is pronounced in Welsh as Gwin-eth (dd = th) and was pronounced this way for at least 100 years here. Almost all of the first settlers of Gwynedd came from within 10 miles of Fron Goch, a village just north of Bala in Wales.

Chapter 7. Number of the First Settlers: Growth of Population. [see Map of 1698 settlement]

Chapter 8. The First Settler's Homes: Personal Details [see picture of William John House, 1712] [note the William John house, on West Point Pike in Upper Gwynedd, was demolished in the early 20th century]

Chapter 9. Establishment of the Friends' Meeting [Sketch of Gwynedd Meeting-house before 1897]

Chapter 10. Details Concerning the Early Friends

Chapter 11. Narrative of John Humphreys, of Merion

Chapter 12. Early Monthly Meeting Records of Marriages; Other Lists of Marriages and Deaths

Chapter 13. Evans Family Genealogy [go to Evans descendancy in Register format]

Chapter 14. Roberts Family Genealogy [go to Roberts descendancy in Register format]

Chapter 15. Foulke Family Genealogy [go to Foulke descendancy in Register format] [see also Foulke Family Association web site]

Chapter 16. The Early Roads

Chapter 17. Early Settlers in Montgomery

Chapter 18. Affairs Before the Revolution

Chapter 19. Gwynedd in the Midst of the Revolution: Sally Wister's journal. Here is more information about Sally's journal at the Foulke Family Assoc. web site

Chapter 20. Revolutionary Details [see map of unknown soldiers buried at Gwynedd meeting]

Chapter 21. Taxables in Gwynedd in 1776

Chapter 22. The Boones, Lincolns, and Hanks

Chapter 23. St. Peter's Church

Chapter 24. Social Conditions Among the Early Settlers

Chapter 25. Agriculture, Slaves, Schools, Hotels, Stores, etc.

Chapter 26. Genealogical Details Concerning Early Families

Chapter 27. Biographical Notices

Chapter 28. Additional Chapter --1897

Links:

Gwynedd Meeting History Page

Gwynedd Meeting Genealogy Page

Gwynedd Meeting Home Page

Contact the Webmaster/Historian

Howard M. Jenkins
Howard Jenkins' biography and a description of his home is HERE...