Quakers

You may or may not know that Hopkins family members were Quakers. Over the next few blogs, I'll be sharing information about the Quakers and their connection to the Hopkins family.

Quakers, or the Religious Society of Friends, are a 17th-century Christian-rooted movement founded by George Fox in England, emphasizing direct, inward experience of God (the "Inner Light") over formal sacraments. Meetings were often held in silent worship.

Quakers don't have strict dogma but focus on core values called Testimonies, often remembered by the acronym SPICES: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship, representing ideals for living a faithful life, emphasizing inner guidance, the "Light Within" everyone, and putting beliefs into action for justice and peace.

Here are the five most commonly cited core Quaker beliefs (Testimonies):

1. Equality:

   Belief that there is "that of God in everyone," meaning all people are inherently equal and have infinite potential for good, leading to rejection of hierarchies and discrimination.

2. Peace:

   A commitment to non-violence, pacifism, and seeking non-violent solutions to conflict, stemming from the belief in the divine light in all people.

3. Integrity (Truth):

   Living honestly, being true to oneself, and speaking truth unprompted, reflecting inner convictions in all actions.

4. Simplicity:

   Living in a way that prioritizes what truly matters (God, nature, people) over materialism, making oneself and one's life accessible and uncluttered.

5. Community:

   Fostering supportive, caring communities where members help each other grow and support the betterment of the wider world.

Note: Stewardship (caring for the Earth) is a vital sixth testimony, often included in the SPICES acronym. These are not rigid rules but guiding principles for a way of life.

The Hopkins family was instrumental in the creation of the West River Meeting House (church). It holds historical significance as one of the earliest Quaker communities in the region, with records of a General Meeting as early as 1672. The meeting house and cemetery were/are located on the corner of Galesville Road and Muddy Creek Road in southern Anne Arundel County. While the meeting house is gone, the cemetery remains. According to the Find A Grave website, Johns Hopkins' father, Samuel Hopkins, his grandparents, Johns and Elizabeth, and great-grandfather Gerard Hopkins are buried in this cemetery. I spent some time at the Maryland Archives trying to prove this, but was unable to find evidence to support this. Quakers did not have big elaborate headstones and often left graves unmarked or simply marked with a stone. There is a section in the cemetery without headstones. Who knows?

The next blog will be about the Quakers of Easton on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.