PASQUOTANK MONTHLY MEETING
(later Symons Creek Monthly Meeting)

Pasquotank County, North Carolina

        The monthly meeting in Pasquotank was usually referred to as Pasquotank Monthly Meeting in the early records of other monthly meetings.  About 1770 the name Symons Creek Monthly Meeting began to be used occasionally, and this usage increased until, by 1800, the name Pasquotank is rarely found.  In its own earliest records the meeting was designated “a monthly meeting held at the house of Henry White” (or Caleb Bundy, etc.)  A little later it was “a monthly meeting held in Pasquotank at Symons Creek” (or at Newbegun Creek, or occasionally, at Little River).  Toward the end of the eighteenth century it became “Symons Creek Monthly Meeting held in Pasquotank County.”

        The earliest men’s minute book of Pasquotank Monthly Meeting begins with a reference to a monthly meeting held at the house of Henry White the 7th of 5th month, probably in 1698.  The recorded minutes date from 1699.  During the years 1700 and 1701 monthly meetings were held at the houses of Henry White, Thomas Cartwright and Stephen Scott.  At the meeting in 3rd month, 1702, it was agreed that the monthly meeting sould be held thereafter at the hosue of Caleb Bundy, and that the first day meetings should alternate between the house of Stephen Scott and the house of Henry White.

        At the monthly meeting held at Caleb Bundy’s house in the Precinct of Pasquotank, 1st of 3rd month, 1703, Friends agreed that a meeting house should be built “at Pasquotank with as much speed as can be.”  Dr. Weeks says in “Southern Quakers and Slavery,” page 67: “This is the oldest Quaker meeting house of which we have distinct record, and it places their church edifices among the very oldest in the colony.”  On the 5th of 2nd month, 1705, the meeting decided to build a meeting house on the plantation of Joseph Jordan, “at the charge of Friends belonging to Pasquotank.”  At monthly meeting held at the house of Caleb Bundy the 4th of 5th month, 1076, Friends designated Caleb Bundy, Stephen Scott and Henry Keton to choose a proper location and build a meeting house between Caleb Bundy’s house and William Brothers’ Creek.

        In the earliest book of women’s minutes the marriage of Timothy Meaids and Ane Blessing is recorded under date of 13th of 4th month, 1677.  Witnesses to this marriage included Henry White, John Hunte, Arnold White, William Travis, William Torner, Dorathy Harvy, Mary White, Sary Travis, Francis Hunt, Ruth Torner, Elezabeath Sherad and Elinor Tailler.  On the 24th of 4th month, 1679, Sollomon Poole and Margret White were married at the house of Henry White.  Witnesses included Henry White, Timothy Meads, Francis Tooms, Charles Prous, William Smith, Jonathan Taillor, Arnold White, George Tailer, William Davis, William Bread, William Larson, Crestofer Oulldford, Mary White, Sary Davis, Francis Junte, Rebecca Simons, Ane Maids, Elezabeath Larson and Jeams Hunte.  Several other marriages are recorded with dates previous to 1700.  One minute refers to a quarterly meeting held the 7th of 4th month, 1690.  Monthly meetings are mentioned in 1696.  At a quarterly meeting, held 4th of 4th month, 1698, a change in the dates for holding quarterly meetings was agreed upon; it was also agreed that the last seventh day of 7th month in every year should be Yearly Meeting at the house of Francis Toms and Elder.  All of these meetins for business and most of the marriages were held at Henry White’s house.

        Three wills are recorded in the first book of women’s minutes.  Will of Arnould White, not dated.  Executors, his brothers, Henry White and Thomas Symons.  Mentions his son Arnould; his brother’s daughter, Elizabeth; his brother Henry’s children.  (Note.  Arnold White died 1690,2,23.  Will of Isack Page, dated 1680,4,30.  Executors, Charles Prouns and Henry White.  Witnesses, Dorothy Prouse, Demaris Moris and Elizabeth Page.  Mentions his daughter, Damaris, and her children; his daughter, Elizabeth, and provided for her if she marries Samuel Hill.  Will of George Tailler, dated 1680,3,19.  Witnesses, Henry White and Arnold White.  All wordly goods both reall and personall, to wife and children, to be equally divided as they come of age; children to remain with wife if she remains unmared.

        The preparative meetings which made up Pasquotank Monthly Meeting included Symons Creek, Newbegun Creek, the Narrows, Little River and Trueblood’s.  All these appear to have been located in Pasquotank County except Little River; this meeting was located on the west side of Little River, in Perquimans County, but had its membership in both counties.  The early membership of the monthly meeting included Caleb Bundy, Samuel Bundy, Thomas Cartwright, Edward Chancey, Samuel Charles, Timothy Clare, Mary Clark, James Davis, William Everigin, Mary Glaistor, William Griffin, Joseph Jordan, Henry Keaton, Ann Low, wife of Emanuel Low, Edward Mayo, Timothy Meaids, William Morris, James Newby, Zachariah Nixon, Jacob Overman, Isaac page, Solomon Pool, Mathew Pritchard, Sarah Pritchard, Joseph Robinson, Thomas Robinson, Augustin Scarbrough, Ostran Scarbrough, Stephen Scott, Ann Symons, Sr., Jeremiah Symons, R., Jeremiah and Rebecca Symons, John Symons, Peter Symons, Thomas Symons, Francis Toms, James Tooke, Thomas Tweedy, Carold White, Henry White, John White, Isaac Wilson, Jessee Wilson.

        The monthly meeting changed its chronology from the “Old Style” to the “New Style” after the meeting on 5th of 4th, 1752, O.S.  The minute recording the change reads:  “By act of Parliament we are obliged to fall in with the new stile and begin at New Year’s day, calling that the first month, namely, January, so called.”  The next succeeding meeting was that of 2nd of 7th month, 1752, N.S.

        Suttons Creek Monthly Meeting, set up in Perquimans County in 1704, took over part of the Perquimans membership of Pasquotank (Symons Creek) Monthly Meeting.  This arrangement continued until 1835 when Suttons Creek Monthly Meeting was laid down and its entire membership transferred to Symons Creek Monthly Meeting.

        The History of the closing years of Symons Creek Monthly Meeting is told by Dr. Weeks (page 261) as follows:  “A considerable number had removed to central North Carolina before 1810, and in 1811 the definite migration to the West began.  The result was as usual, the particular meeting at the Narrows was laid down in 1839, the one at Newbegun in 1845; in 1846 but fifty-five members were reported at Symons’s Creek; in 1854 Little River preparative meeting was laid down, and in the same year, while the preparative meeting and the meeting for worship at Symons’s Creek were kep up a little longer, the monthly meeting was laid down and the faithful remant was joined to Piney Woods.”

        The birth, death and marriage records of Pasquotank and Symons Creek Monthly Meeting are found in five volumes.  Volume I has births and deaths only; volume II has births, deaths and marriages; volume III has marriages only; volume IV has births and deaths only; volume I of women’s minutes contains the oldest records of births, deaths and marriages.  In the following transcript of the birth and death records, page numbers without volume indication refer to records in volume I; page numbers followed by 2, 4 or W refer to records in volume II, volume IV, and the women’s minute book, respectively.  The abstract of the marriage records and minutes has been compiled from the books containing marriage records as noted above and from the books of men’s minutes, 1698 to 1854 (4 volumes), and the books of women’s minutes, 1715 to 1854 (3 volumes)

        All the record books of the meeting are in the care of North Carolina Yearly Meeting at Guilford College with the exception of the second volume of men’s minutes, 1785 to 1803.  This latter book is in the custody of the North Carolina Historical Commission, at Raleigh.