"Our Heritage"
Mount Olive Tribune
By Claude Moore

The Society of Friends, often called Quakers, now has seven active meetings (congregations) in Wayne County, which make up the Contentnea Quarterly Meeting, dating back possibly to 1789. The first Quakers to move to what is now Wayne County are believed to have been Thomas Cox, and four of his children, Richard, Thomas, Sarah and Elizabeth, who received land grants on the south side of the Neuse at Quaker Neck as early as 1740.

The Society of Friends was founded in England by George Fox (born 1624) and distinguished itself by opposing war and slavery, and by having simple church organization and service. George Fox came on a missionary trip to the colony of Carolina in 1672. By 1695 when John Archdale, a Quaker, became governor of the colony, the majority of the settlers are believed to have been Quakers.

The Anglican Church was well established in the colony of Virginia and there was some intolerance toward Quakers. Many Quakers migrated to North Carolina where there was more religious freedom. Many of the Quaker families in Wayne either came from Virginia, or from the Albemarle Sound region. During the period from 1787 to 1865, several Quaker families moved from Wayne to Indiana and to other states in the Mid-West.

The first Quaker services held at Quaker Neck were at the home of Richard Cox around 1752. Later an organization known as the Neuse Monthly Meeting was established and it flourished for more than one hundred and fifty years. The Reverend John Moore was a pastor of the congregation for fifty years.

The Bethany Monthly Meeting in southwest Wayne began as Falling Creek Meeting of Friends in the early 1800’s. The name was changed to Bethany in 1879. Westward migrations weakened the church and services were finally discontinued in 1953.

Nahunta Monthly Meeting had its beginning at Lower Falling Creek around 1748. The church was moved to Upper Falling Creek in 1772, later to Great Contentnea, and in 1851 Nahunta Monthly Meeting was organized and a church built on land given by Matthew Pike. The present building was built in 1881 on land given by Nathan and Mary Edgerton.

The Woodland Monthly Meeting had it beginning on the south side of the Neuse at Mineral Springs in 1873. In 1876, a building was built on lands of Jesse Hollowell. The Reverend Joshua Trueblood was pastor of the church for many years.

The Hood Swamp Monthly Meeting, located northeast of Goldsboro, was founded by pioneer Quaker families from Virginia. The Reverend Barney Perkins was one time pastor of this church. The present church was built around 1950.

The New Hope Monthly Meeting was organized in 1880 on the Goldsboro-White Hall Road. In 1929, the new church was built on Highway 70.

The Goldsboro Meeting was organized in 1906 and a building was erected at the corner of William and Vine Streets. The church was rebuilt in 1928, and more recently a new church was built in the Salem Acres section of Goldsboro.

Rhodes Monthly Meeting in southwest Wayne was organized in 1855, and services were held in Union Academy building. Rhodes was reorganized in 1908.

Oakland Monthly Meeting, west of Goldsboro, began with services in old Grantham School Building in 1883. A church building was constructed in 1883, and a formal organization took place in 1915. The church was burned in 1961 and has been rebuilt.

The Quakers were among the earliest settlers of Wayne County, and even though their numbers have not been great compared to other religious groups, they have made a great contribution to the development of Wayne County during these two hundred years. They have been known far and wide for their strong beliefs in religious freedom, the sacredness of human life and for their spiritual interpretation of life.