Family History

My husband, Gary, has Quaker ancestors. His third great-grandmother, Joannah Broomhall, married Samuel McKisson on April 1, 1824 in Belmont County, Ohio. The Broomhalls were a prominent Quaker family who followed a well-known migration pattern from Chester County, Pennsylvania, to Goose Creek, Loudon County, Virginia, into Ohio. Their comings and goings (as with all members of the faith) can be tracked in the Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Joannah’s family is found here Vol. VI, Virginia, pg. 349. On November 7, 1801, their records were received at Goose Creek from the Kennett Monthly Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania. On April 3, 1808, their records were sent to Concord Monthly Meeting in Belmont County, Ohio.

Broomhall encyclopedia[1]

On June 24, 1824, Joannah was disowned at the Plainfield Monthly Meeting for being “married contrary to discipline,” meaning that she was not married within the faith. When we found her marriage record in the Belmont County courthouse we saw that, indeed, she and Samuel were wed by a Justice of the Peace.

Broomhall-McKisson Marriage[2]

Joannah’s Quakerism and expulsion from her faith has long intrigued me. Her story touched me yet again this week when, as a Citizen Archivist, I processed documents for the National Archives’ Civil War Widow’s Pension Project. As I was sorting papers in the file of Paxson Smith, I was elated to find an original Quaker marriage record.

Quaker marriage record[3]

Transcript: Whereas Paxson Smith of the town of LeRay county of Jefferson and state of New York, son of Jonas Smith and Miriam his wife, and Mabel Peacock, daughter of Joseph Peacock and Deborah his wife of the town of Boonville county of Oneida and state of New York, having laid their Intention of Marriage with each other before two monthly meetings of the Religion, Society of Friends, held at Lowville and Lee in the state aforesaid, they having consent of parents and nothing appearing to obstruct their proposal of marriage was allowed by the Meeting. These are to certify that for the accomplishment of their intentions this seventh day of the eighth month in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty nine. They the said Paxson Smith and Mabel Peacock appeared in a public meeting of said Society held at Lee and the said Paxson Smith taking the said Mabel Peacock by the hand did on this solemn occasion declare that he took her to be his wife promising through divine assistance to be unto her a faithful and affectionate husband untill [sic] separated by death or words to that affect [sic] and then the said Mabel Peacock did in like manner declare that she took the said Paxson Smith to be her husband promising through divine assistance to be unto him a faithful and affectionate wife untill [sic] separated by death or words to that import and they the said Paxson Smith and Mabel Peacock (she according to the custom of marriage assuming the name of her husband) as a further confirmation thereof did then and there to those presents set their hands and we being present have subscribed our names as witnesses thereof.

Signed by all in attendance at the Monthly Meeting

As I held this fragile, original record, my first thoughts were of Joannah. She had made the decision to trade faith for love. How did that affect her, spiritually and emotionally? How did she feel when married before a Justice of the Peace rather than at a Monthly Meeting surrounded by Friends? What were her thoughts when other family members married within the faith? Did she ever regret her decision?

Introspection cannot help but follow these questions. Could I, or would I, make the same decision as Joannah? How does one balance faith and love? Do we, as a faith community filled with the love of Jesus Christ, give today’s Joannahs and their families the support that our Savior would give?

Each of us has choices to make, judgments to withhold, and love to share. I hope that my actions and attitude will make Joannah smile.

Carol Kostakos Petranek is a Co-Director of the Washington DC Family History Center, a FamilySearch Volunteer Coordinator, and a Citizen Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.