Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (Pre-Separation and Hicksite, 1682-1957) Records

A monthly meeting at Philadelphia was established along with Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting in 10mo 1682/3. In 1772, this meeting was divided, resulting in two additional monthly meetings: Philadelphia Monthly Meeting for the Northern District and Philadelphia Monthly Meeting for the Southern District. The original meeting was then sometimes referred to as the "Middle District." In 1814, a further division created Philadelphia Monthly Meeting for the Western District.

At the time of the Separation, the Orthodox Friends held the meeting at 4th and Arch Streets. This meeting was the forerunner of the current Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia at Arch Street. In 1827, Abington Quarterly Meeting (Hicksite) re-established a monthly meeting in the city for Friends of Philadelphia and Byberry. It became part of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Hicksite) in 1828. From 1828 to 1857, this meeting held its sessions at a meeting house on Cherry Street.

A Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia held at Spruce Street, also known as Spruce Street Monthly Meeting, was set off in 1833; this meeting was discontinued in 1903, its remaining members transferred back to the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia (Hicksite).

In 1957, Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia (Hicksite) merged with Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Western District to form Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting of Friends. Researchers who are interested in Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (Hicksite) should see: https://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/resources/phphilaomm