“Spiritual Life” by Charles Zavitz

From the estate of Gordon Thompson, we have received a large volume of papers relating to his work with the CFHA and his personal search for meaning in Quaker principles and thought. While the archiving of these papers is ongoing, we have also acquired a few non-archival items of interest. . . . (Click here to read more) ““Spiritual Life” by Charles Zavitz”

Canadian Friends and Black History Month: William Allen

William Allen, a Black American Quaker, spent his later years as a minister in Canada and the pastor of Newmarket Friends Church. Allen first visited Canada in 1875, though his return in the 1890s was permanent. A gifted orator, Allen spent five years preaching to different meetings in Canada and was described in his memorial as a “man of sterling character, noble in spirit,” and “firm in his conviction for the truth.” . . . (Click here to read more) “Canadian Friends and Black History Month: William Allen”

Verifying a Quaker Presence in American Television Westerns

How many times have you seen a Quaker in a television program or movie? How often have Quakers, the Amish, and Mennonites been conflated into stock characters? We are thrilled to share this guest post from Stephen D. Brooks who is researching representations of Quakers in television and film as part of a PhD in Quaker Studies at the University of Birmingham (UK). . . . (Click here to read more) “Verifying a Quaker Presence in American Television Westerns”

Help transcribe ships’ logs from the Nantucket Historical Association

The Nantucket Historical Association is asking for volunteer help to transcribe handwritten documents. Their collection currently available for transcribing includes ships’ logs and particularly eleven logs written by women, likely captains’ wives.

The Nantucket area is of particular interest to Canadian Quaker enthusiasts as their whaling and fishing fleets had many connections with Barrington and Dartmouth, NS, which are home to some of the earliest Quaker settlers. . . . (Click here to read more) “Help transcribe ships’ logs from the Nantucket Historical Association”

Textiles in Upper Canada

Anne Adams on Three Generations of a Quaker Family and Their Textiles

Published in the 2006 edition of the Canadian Journal of Quaker History, Anne G. Adams’ article, “‘Done Without Spectacles…’ Three Generations of a Quaker Family and Their Textiles,” follows the textile trail of the British-born Mullett family who settled in Upper Canada in 1821. . . . (Click here to read more) “Textiles in Upper Canada”

Learn about Black Quakers for Black History Month

Happy Black History Month! The CFHA has numerous documents and publications that can help you with historical research and inquiry about Black people in Canada.

One such document is the Memorial written about William Allen, a man who was born as a slave in Tennessee and died as a minister at the Yonge St. . . . (Click here to read more) “Learn about Black Quakers for Black History Month”