Lost for 250 Years, a 1767 Kennett Wedding Certificate Comes Home

Lost for 250 Years, a 1767 Kennett Wedding Certificate Comes Home

A rare 1767 Quaker wedding certificate is now on display in the library at Kennett Monthly Meeting’s Sickle Street Meetinghouse.

The document records the marriage of Thomas Welsh of Kennett and Elizabeth Webb of East Nottingham, held at Old Kennett Meetinghouse on May 1, 1767. Family history tells us that Elizabeth Webb was already a widow at the time—this was her second marriage following the death of her first husband.

The certificate itself is written on vellum, a durable writing material made from carefully prepared animal skin. In the 18th century, vellum was commonly used for important legal and religious documents because it holds ink well and can last for centuries—one reason this document has survived as clearly as it has.

After the couple made their vows in meeting, more than 60 people stepped forward to sign the certificate as witnesses. The names read like a cross-section of early Kennett: Harlan, Webb, Hoopes, Peirce, Cloud, Hollingsworth, Wickersham, Baily, Taylor, Ashbridge, and many others.

Some of those names connect directly to well-known local history. Caleb Peirce, for example, signed this certificate twelve years after his own marriage at Od Kennett Meeting in 1755. He later inherited land known as Peirce’s Park Farm, and his sons Joshua and Samuel went on to develop the arboretum that would eventually become part of Longwood Gardens. All are buried in the Old Kennett cemetery

George and Hannah Harlan represent one of the meeting’s founding families. John Hollingsworth carries a name tied to some of the earliest gatherings of Friends in the area. Moses Hoopes, Stephen Webb, and James Wickersham all come from families deeply rooted in the life of the meeting. Taken together, the signatures show that this was not just a wedding—it was a gathering of the community that shaped early Kennett.

At some point after the wedding, the certificate was folded for storage. The fold lines are still visible today. Even more interesting, there is writing on the back of the document—now visible through the back of the frame—where the couple’s names and the wedding date were written when it was folded for keeping. It is a small but revealing detail that shows how these certificates were handled, labeled, and recognized in everyday life. Visitors can view the back of the document, though care is encouraged.

After that, the trail goes cold.

No record has yet been found of where the certificate traveled over the next 250 years. Then, in 2025, it unexpectedly resurfaced at Worthwhile Thrift in Collegeville. Store manager Sarah Witherow recognized that it might be historically important and reached out to the Kennett Heritage Center. Worthwhile’s mission—to support survivors of human trafficking—adds an unexpected and meaningful connection to the story.

From there, Lynn Sinclair of the Kennett Heritage Center contacted Lars Farmer of Kennett Monthly Meeting and the Old Kennett Committee, which cares for Old Kennett Meetinghouse. Lars accepted the document on behalf of the Meeting.

To preserve it properly, Lars worked with local document conservator John Brooks, who carefully stabilized and framed the certificate. The result allows both the front and back to be viewed while giving it museum level preservation of the document for the future.

Today, the certificate hangs in the library of Kennett Monthly Meeting’s Sickle Street Meetinghouse, about five miles from Old Kennett Meetinghouse where the marriage took place. Kennett Monthly Meeting is the direct descendant of Old Kennett and continues its care through the Old Kennett Committee.

It is more than a historical artifact. It is a direct link to the people who lived, worshipped, married, and built community here more than two centuries ago. The signatures on the page are not just names—they are individuals whose lives are still reflected in the families and landscape of Kennett today.

Friends and visitors are encouraged to stop by and see it. After more than 250 years, this piece of Old Kennett’s history has not only survived—it is once again in the care of the Meeting that carries forward its legacy.

By Lars Farmer, Sickle Street Meetinghouse, Kennett Square PA, April 2026