Quakers are more properly called Friends, members of the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian religion that has its roots in England in the 17^th century. Their practices are marked by simple living, plain dress, and plain speech. They did not support slavery or believe in wars and had strict rules of conduct. They were not allowed to attend other churches and could be disowned if they did. They could also be disowned for fighting and other bad behavior. They kept meticulous records of these transgressions and other events at their Monthly Meetings.
      Aaron's family had their share of problems recorded. It is sometimes difficult to tell which "Nathan" or which "John" is being referred to, but careful analysis shows it is likely that every one of Aaron Garretson, Sr.'s children at one time or another ran afoul of the beliefs and practices of the Friends, as shown in the Dunnings Creek Monthly Meeting:

      7-13-1806 "John Garretson attending this meeting offered the following acknowledgements: To Dunnings Creek Monthly Meeting, Dear Friends, I, the subscriber by birth, have had a right of membership among Friends but have heretofor too much neglected the attendance of our religious meetings and through giving was to the persuasion of others have so far fallen into error as to be guilty of joining with them in dancing and afterwards unguardedly attempting to evade the charge; for which misconduct I am sorry and desire Friends to pass it by and continue me under their care hoping by amendment of life my future conduct may be worthy. Given under my hand this 13^th of the 7^th mon. 1806. John Garretson"
      6-15-1808 "William and John Garretson, Nathan Hammond Jr, and Samuel Hammond have neglected the attendance of meetings and also attended the Muster."
      10-12-1808 "The womens Meeting informs this that Elizabeth Hiner, formerly Garretson, has accomplished her marriage to a man not a member of our Society, she having been precautioned; therefor this Meeting appoints Thomas Jennings and William Blackburn to prepare a testimony against her and produce it to next meeting."
      8-11-1813 "Benjamin Garretson having had a birthright amongst Friends, but for want of duty attending to devine truth in his heart hath so far given way to evil as to be guilty of fighting and attending Muster for which he being tenderly treated with and not appearing in a suitable disposition of mind to concern his misconduct we hereby disown him from being a member of our Religious Society until his future conduct recommend him worthy, which is our desire for him."
      8-10-1814 "The women's Meeting informs this that Mary Owen, formerly Garretson, has accomplished her marriage by the assistance of a magistrate with a man not in membership with us."

Dunnings Creek Meeting House

      3-13-1816 "The Preparative Meeting informs this that Aaron Garretson Jr. attended two marriages accomplished out of the unity of Friends."
      5-15-1816 "Whereas I the subscriber, having had a birthright amongst Friends, but through unguardedness have deviated so far from their established order as to be guilty of attending two marriages accompllished out of the unity of Friends one of each were members of the Society for which disorderly conduct I am sorry and desire Friends to pass this my offence by and continue me under their care and otherwise hoping I shall be more careful in the future. Aaron Garretson (Jr.)"
      7-10-1816 "I the subscriber, having had a right of membership amongst Friends but through unguardedness have given way so far to passion as to be guilty of attending two marriages accompished out of the unity of Friends one of each was a member of the Society of Friends for which disorderly conduct I am now sorry and hope Friends will pass this, my offence by and continue me under their care and oversight hoping I shall be more careful in the future this 7^th month, 10^th day, 1816. Joseph Garretson"
      5 - - 1825 "Sarah Over, formerly Garretson, married out".
      5-16-1832 "Nathan Garretson reported fighting, he does not deny."

      Of course there were other entries for our Garretsons that represented more respectable events, such as being cleared for marriage, requests for removal to another Monthly Meeting, appointments as elder or overseer, etc.
      Aaron Sr. died in 1830, his will dated 15 August 1830 and probated 24 August 1830 in St. Clair Twp. (somewhat abbreviated):

      I Aaron Garretson being sick and weak in body but of sound mind memory and understanding praised be God for it and considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thereof and to the end I may be the better prepared to leave this world whenever it shall please God to call me hence do therefore make and declare this my last will and testament in manner following, that is to say first and principally I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God my creator, hoping for free pardon and remission of all my sins and to enjoy everlasting happiness in the heavenly kindom through Jesus Christ my Saviour, my body I commit to the earth at the discretion of my surviving friends, and as to such worldly estate wherein it hath pleased God to entrust me, I dispose of the same as follows:
      1. To my wife Mary, the full privilege and use of the dwelling house and garden and two milch cows and as much of my household effects as she may think proper to keep.
      2. To my sons John, William, Joseph & Benjamin I have already given their respective shares.
      3. To my son Aaron $200 to be paid in the following manner - fifty dollars in one year after the decease of my wife Mary, and fifty dollars annually until paid.
      4. To my daughter Sarah Over, the sum of fifty dollars and a new side-saddle to be paid in one year after my decease.
      5. To my grand-daughter Ann Owens, one good bed & bedding and new bedstead, bureau and spinning wheel and fifty dollars to be paid when she arrives at the age of 21 years and that she live with her grandmother until she comes of age.
      6. To my son Nathan, the farm or plantation on which I at present reside - subject to the following payments and bequests, to wit, two hundred dollars to my son Aaron in the way and manner herein before mentioned, $25 annually to my wife Mary to give her twenty four bushels of wheat, one hundred and fifty pounds of pork and a hind quarter of beef (to weigh at least 75 pounds) yearly and every year during her natural life, and find her in fire wood ready cut at the door, and to feed and pasture her cows with his own,
      7. The balance after payment of any debts, to my son Aaron provided it doesn't exceed $100, if it does the over plus to be equally divided between my 3 daughters Elizabeth Hinor, Mary Owens and Sarah Over, share and share alike.
      8. At the decease of my wife Mary, my grand-daughter Ann Owens shall have a cow. Any residue equally divided to my three daughters as aforesaid.
Executors to be my sons Aaron Garretson and Nathan Garretson and my trusty friend Nathan Hammond.

      Aaron Garretson, Jr., our 2^nd great-grandfather, followed in his father's footsteps by also being the 7^th child in his family, this time of nine children instead of ten. His farm was in St. Clair Township of Bedford County, PA and, except for a brief hiatus or two in Ohio, he lived there for the rest of his life. He married Hannah Miller, granddaughter of Robert Miller from Ireland and they continued the Quaker tradition in their family. Before they could marry, of course, they had to announce their intentions to the Friends at the Dunnings Creek Monthly Meeting of 11 May 1820, and the marriage took place on 21 June 1820. On 12 July 1820, "… the overseers of the Aaron Garretson marriage report that it was orderly."
      Later, in November of that year, Aaron and Hannah requested a certificate to be joined with Centre Monthly Meeting, Ohio. It's not clear what the attraction was to that area, Clinton County, Ohio, but a Biographical Record at the Linn County, Iowa Genealogical Society states that "When a young man, he [Aaron, Jr.] went to Ohio, making the journey on foot, and took possession of a farm near Dayton which his father had given him. That region was then all wild and unimproved, and after spending one year there he returned to the Keystone state. After his marriage he purchased a farm in Bedford county, PA, at the foot of the Allegheny mountains ... Both he and his wife were members of the Society of Friends."
      This seems to imply that he walked almost 300 miles from Bedford County, PA to Clinton County, OH before his marriage and that his father had been there before him. Did Aaron, Sr. somehow buy that property from Bedford County by correspondence? Did Aaron, Jr. really go out there when he was single or is that sketch confusing his trip with the one he and Hannah took shortly after their marriage? As mentioned above, Aaron and Hannah requested the certificate of removal to Ohio after they were married. The Quaker records in Clinton County, Ohio clearly show that Aaron and Hannah arrived there in May of 1821. In December their first son, Thomas, was born. For some reason, they decided to return to Pennsylvania and in June of 1823 they requested a certificate of removal back to Dunnings Creek. In November they arrived back in Bedford County and their second child, Mary, was born the following month. An interesting sidelight to this puzzle is that Aaron's Aunt Mary Garretson Owens moved to Clinton County, Ohio in 1826, since her request for removal to that Monthly Meeting was received by Dunnings Creek on 14 June.
      The family thrived and multiplied until there were 10 children. In the interim, Aaron had been serving Dunnings Creek as Overseer but in February of 1834 he requested to be relieved of that responsibility, which was granted the following month.

Family of Aaron Garretson, Jr.

Aaron Garretson, Jr. born 10 Oct 1794 in Warrington Twp, York Co., PA, died Oct 1851 in Bedford Co., PA, married 21 Jun 1820 in Dunnings Creek MM, Bedford Co., PA to Hannah Miller born 16 Nov 1802 in Newbury Twp, York Co., PA, died 30 Dec 1892 in Toddville, IA
Children:
1. Thomas Garretson born 9 Dec 1821 in Ohio, died 1 Nov 1905 in Toddville, IA, married 20 Jul 1848 in Bedford Co., PA to Sophia Bener born abt 1839 in PA, died 30 Apr 1906
2. Mary Garretson born 24 Dec 1823 in PA, married in May 1843 in Bedford Co. to Moses Rogers
3. Sarah Garretson born 21 Apr 1826, died abt 1838
4. Deborah Garretson born 29 Mar 1829, married David Snyder before 1851
5. Martha Garretson born 11 Oct 1831, died abt 1852
6. Edith Garretson born 4 Mar 1834, died abt 1853
7. Eli M. Garretson born 9 Aug 1836 in Bedford Co., died 14 Mar 1882 in Linn Co., IA, married 15 May 1859 in Bedford Co. to Rebecca McCreary born 3 Aug 1840 in Schellsburg, PA, died 8 May 1915 in Linn Co., IA
8. Edwin V. Garretson born 8 May 1839 in Bedford Co., died after 1899 in Marion, IA, married 17 May 1865 in Linn Co., IA to Angela W. Andrews
9. Moses R. Garretson born 15 Jan 1842 in Bedford Co., died 15 Oct 1864 in Linn Co., IA
10. George R. Garretson born 28 Apr 1845 in Bedford Co., died 24 Jan 1926 in Lodi, California, married 23 Nov 1869 in Linn Co., IA to Lavinia C. Lanning born 14 Oct 1848

      Aaron's daughter Mary was the first of his children to get married, to one Moses Rogers, Scots-Irish and NOT a Quaker! Nevertheless, being a proud father and wanting to do it up right, he prepared a wedding dinner for her in late April or early May of 1843. Of course other Quakers got wind of it, and at the next Monthly Meeting, in May, it was brought up and he didn't deny it. Apparently it was one thing to have a daughter marry a non-Friend, for which she alone could be disowned, but to glorify it by preparing a wedding dinner for her was unpardonable on his part. The Friends mulled it over for five months and finally disowned Aaron at the October 11 Meeting. Not only that, the following year his wife Hannah attended an outside marriage and also assisted with entertainment. These events probably signal the beginning of the end of our Garretson line Quaker connection.
      Aaron wrote his will on 22 September 1851 and died the following month. The terms (abbreviated) were:

      I will and bequeath all my estate both real and personal to my dearly beloved wife Hannah for and during her natural life together with all notes bonds and book accounts that are to me owing, and if there should not be a sufficiency of such accounts to pay all my just debts and funeral charges she shall have the priviledge to sell any part of my personal property that she can spare either at public or private sales in order to discharge said debts.
      It is also my will that my son in law David Snider and his wife shall remain on the place and crop the same for my wife as long as her and them can agree and he shall deliver the incomes and profits of the same to my wife according to the Custom of the Country as they can agree on the same which shall go to support of any my said wife and family and if there should be any overplus it may be applied to the paying of debts and after all my just debts are paid as aforesaid, then it is my will that my said wife shall have all the balance and remainder of all my estate both real and personal to be hers, and entirely hers, and to be disposed of by her Will or otherwise as she may see proper.
      And moreover she may exchange any Lots pieces or parcels of my land for any other lots or pieces of land that she may think advantageous to her or the family and any deed or title that she may ---- for said land or any part thereof shall be good and valid to all intents and purposes.
      And I do nominate, constitute and appoint my said dearly beloved Wife Hannah and my Son in law Moses Rogers Executors of this my last will and testament

Signed Sealed & delivered in the presence of Gideon Rodgers and James Blackburn.

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