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Nicholas Austin
Nicholas Austin (1736-1821) was one of the first Quakers in the province of Quebec and the founder of a Quaker settlement named Austin in Bolton Township, Brome County, Quebec, “on the west side of Lake Memphremagog in the 1790s.” Nicholas Austin was a fifth generation Quaker from a family of New Hampshire merchants and farmers. He was “chosen as a delegate to the New Hampshire Convention, which ratified the Federal Constitution of the United States. For three years (1789, 1792 and 1793), he was elected town auditor for Middleton, where he had led a fairly comfortable life.” For some reason that is unclear, perhaps partly in search of religious freedom and partly the promise of thousands of acres of land grants if he could bring settlers with him, Austin sold his holdings in New Hampshire and brought his family to the Eastern Townships of Quebec. He and 53 followers, the majority of whom were American Quakers, “subscribed the Declaration for the Township of Bolton Miss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quakers
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's ability to experience the light within or see "that of God in every one". Some profess a priesthood of all believers inspired by the First Epistle of Peter. They include those with evangelical, holiness, liberal, and traditional Quaker understandings of Christianity. There are also Nontheist Quakers, whose spiritual practice does not rely on the existence of God. To differing extents, the Friends avoid creeds and hierarchical structures. In 2017, there were an estimated 377,557 adult Quakers, 49% of them in Africa. Some 89% of Quakers worldwide belong to ''evangelical'' and ''programmed'' branches that hold services with singing and a prepared Bible message coordinated by a pastor. Some 11% practice ''waiting worship'' or ''unprogramme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
