Plumstead Friends Acquire 19th Century Memoir
Plumstead Friends Meeting recently received a generous donation from the Hilltown Historical Society. It is a book of letters, published in 1844, written by a Plumstead minister, Martha Brown Smith.
Born in 1787, Martha was the daughter of Josiah and Deborah Brown, and great-granddaughter of Thomas Brown, who donated the land for our meetinghouse. She married Charles Smith, lived in Plumstead Township, and died in 1841 at the age of 54. She is buried in Plumstead Friends Meeting burial ground.
Martha’s ministry began in 1819, and her fascinating letters, dating from the years 1816-1840, touch on such historical topics as the divisive schism and the abolition of slavery. They also contain insightful messages that are relevant today; for example, one such message, on being open-minded, written in 1837:
“There is a peculiar gratification in finding those we love, (and with whom we have fellowship in some things), united with us in ALL things wherein we feel a deep interest. Perhaps this is not always best for us, [and] by being disappointed herein, we may be brought into an acquaintance with others of the fold and flock of Christ; and thus, as such acquaintance increases, our views may become enlarged, and our hearts expanded, into regions of society we had otherwise never known.”
May we all aspire to have our views enlarged and our hearts expanded.
Martha’s memoir is available digitally at no charge on HathiTrust.