Penelope N (Hill) Gardner (abt. 1809 - 1903)

Born about 1809 in Back Creek MM, Randolph, North Carolina, United States

Wife of William Gardner — married 6 May 1841 in Back Creek MM, Randolph County, North Carolina

Died 11 Mar 1903 at about age 94 in Hesper, Douglas, Kansas, United States

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Categories: Quakers Project Categories: Nantucket, Massachusetts | Guilford County, North Carolina.

Biography

Information from Friends meeting records

Penelope N. Hill Gardner was born about 1809 to Aaron and Mary Henley Hill of Back Creek Monthly Meeting of Friends in Randolph County, North Carolina.

She married William Gardner Gardner-2749 on 6 May 1841 in a public meeting at Back Creek Monthly Meeting. Guests who signed the marriage certificate were: Abigail Starbuck, Lydia Gardner, John Hammond, Winslow(?) Davis, Aaron Hill, Margaret Davis, Samuel Hill, Micajah Hill, and John Hill.

In 1861 Penelope and William were granted a certificate to Cottonwood Monthly Meeting, Breckinridge, Kansas. This record states they are both ministers.

Information from census records

1850: Penelope and William re living in the southern district of Guilford County, North Carolina. Census was taken on the 8th day of August. Forty two year old William, who was born in Guilford County, was a farmer with $2150 in real estate. Penelope was ten years younger than William, and had been born in Randolph County. Anna Knight, age 17, was living in the home along with 11 year old Emmaline Knight. Their relationship to the Gardners is unknown. Also in the home is five year old Harper Parsons, relationship unknown. ^[1]

The 1865 census for Eudora, Douglas, Kansas gives us some more information on the children living in the Gardner hosehold. Here we learn that 14 year old Mary Gardner and 8 year old Sarah Gardner were born in Indiana. Seven year old John Lindley and 4 year old Martha were from Missouri. ^[2]

In 1870 the family are still in Eudora, Douglas, Kansas. Members of the household are: 62 year old William, 52 year old Penelope, 12 year old John L. Gardner, 10 year old Amanda Gardner, and 7 year old Sarah Gardner, as well as 15 year old Jesse Fesmire. ^[3]

In 1880 William and Penelope were still living in Eudora, Douglas, Kansas. The only difference in their household are that John and Amanda Gardner are no longer living with them. By way of addition to the family is John W. Lindley, cousin, who is a farmer. Sarah M. Gardner is identified as a niece. William is still a farmer. ^[4]

Penelope's spiritual leadings

Penelope was referred to as a Friends minister on more than one occasion where she had requested to visit the Western Quarterly Meetings. Following is a quote from one such meeting record, dated 5 February 1852:

"Our beloved friend Penelope Gardner laid before this meeting a concern that had ............ her mind for some time to visit in the love of the gospel the Western Quarterly Meeting in which this meeting unites and encourages her to attend thereto as truth may direct she being a minister in unity with us.

Our Beloved friend William Gardner expressed in this meeting a willingness to accompany his wife Penelope Gardner in her proposed visit to the Western Quarterly Meeting with whom this meeting unites, he being an elder in unity with us, the clerk is directed to furnish them with a copy of these minutes and sign them on behalf of this meeting."

According to Algie I. Newlin's book "Quaker Women of Carolina: freedom, achievement" our Penelope, along with Margaret Davis, operated an elementary boarding school for Quaker girls on what is now known as Penny Road, in Jamestown, North Carolina. Following is a quote from the text:

"Somewhat later, two Quaker women, Margaret Davis and Penelope Gardner conducted an elementary boarding school for Quaker girls near Deep River, which was called the Florence Female Academy. One of the outstanding teachers was Abigail Mendenhall. The school prospered for a time, but the Civil War came, and the school was discontinued in 1865. The building still stands at the corner of Penny Road and East Fork Road.

Penelope and William Migrate West

Note to descendants of Luzena Gardner Lamb Gardner-6544 and Jehu Cameron Lamb Lamb-3948: Jehu and Luzena's daughters were educated in such a school when they lived in the area currently known as Jamestown, North Carolina. It is quite likely that their daughters were educated in this school.

It seems Penelope and William made a conscious decision to migrate to Kansas. Kansas was attractive to Quakers for reasons revealed below. There were also Quakers from Indiana and elsewhere who migrated around the same time.

In 1861 Penelope and William were granted a certificate to Cottonwood Monthly Meeting, Breckinridge, Kansas. This record states they are both ministers.

Children who lived with the Gardners

Evidently William and Penelope had no biological children. However, thru census records we learn there were children living in the household, and although the picture is incomplete, we do at least have names and birth years to serve as information which can be used for further research. Below is a list of these children and their year of birth:

1850, North Carolina

Anna Knight-born 1833

Emmaline Knight-born1839

Harper Parsons-born 1840

1865, Douglas, Eudora, Kansas

Mary Gardner-born 1851 in Indiana

Sarah Gardner-born 1857 in Indiana

John Lindley-cousin-born 1858 in Missouri

Martha (Lindley?)-born 1861 in Missouri

1870, Douglas, Eudora, Kansas

John L. Gardner-born 1858

Amanda Gardner-born 1860

Sarah Gardner-born 1863

Jesse Fesmire-born 1855

1880, Douglas, Eudora, Kansas

John W. Lindley-cousin-farmer

Sarah M. Gardner-niece

There are at least 2, and possibly 3, Sarah Gardners

Were these children orphans, or did their parents send them on a journey with William and Penelope if belief that they would have a better life?

Hesper Friends Meeting, and insight as to why the Gardners and some other Quaker families moved to Kansas:

"Histories

Home

Hesper. The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act prompted Quaker families to move to the Kansas Territory to keep the state free from slavery. How early did they come? The Kansas Free State (June 4, 1855) reported that a disease resembling cholera “carried off three very interesting young Indians who were attending school at the Friends Mission” in Hesper, which indicates a school and settlement in Hesper. However, typically the first Quakers credited for settling in the Hesper area were Jonathan and Phebe Mendenhall who arrived in a covered wagon in 1858 from Hendrich County, Indiana, and George Rogers. The Mendenhalls, who held worship services in their home one mile east of Hesper, donated land to the Springfield Monthly Meeting for a church and cemetery. Members hauled a 24-square-foot, lumber meeting house from Leavenworth for the services observed by silent worship until someone was moved to testify, preach, or pray. However, some say that Sara and Levi Woodard arrived first and the name of their farm, “Hesper,” became the name of the community. The word “hesper” itself derives from the name of the Greek god Hesperus who led the stars out at night. Read more here: http://eudorakshistory.com/area-histories/hesper/hesper.htm [6

Death and burial:

Penelope died in Eudora, Douglas, Kansas on 11 March 1903 and was buried in Hesper Friends Meeting Cemetery.

MEMORIAL ID 24144959

Source Information

^[5]

Note: In the 1865 census for Kansas there is a William Hill and his family living near William and Penelope Gardner. This family was also from North Carolina along with several other Hill families. Please see the attached image for the census record. There are also several members of the Davis family.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4BH-3DJ : 12 April 2016), William Gardner, Guilford county, Guilford, North Carolina, United States; citing family 413, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "Kansas State Census, 1865", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL6Z-C4FG : 12 November 2017), William Gardner, 1865.
3. ↑ Year: 1870; Census Place: Eudora, Douglas, Kansas; Roll: M593_433; Page: 244B; Family History Library Film: 545932
4. ↑ Year: 1880; Census Place: Eudora, Douglas, Kansas; Roll: 380; Family History Film: 1254380; Page: 19C; Enumeration District: 064
5. ↑ Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Swarthmore, Quaker Meeting Records. Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. North Carolina Yearly Meeting Minutes. Hege Friends Historical Library, Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina. Indiana Yearly Meeting Minutes. Earlham College Friends Collection & College Archives, Richmond, Indiana. Haverford, Quaker Meeting Records. Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania.

Records of Deep River Monthly Meeting of Friends where Penelope is referred to as a minister. She had asked to visit the Western Quarterly Meeting. She was permitted, and her husband William accompanied her.

Source Citation

Earlham College; Richmond, Indiana; Quaker Marriage Records; Collection: Miscellaneous Vital Records

Swarthmore, Quaker Meeting Records. Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

North Carolina Yearly Meeting Minutes. Hege Friends Historical Library, Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina. Indiana Yearly Meeting Minutes. Earlham College Friends Collection & College Archives, Richmond, Indiana. Haverford, Quaker Meeting Records. Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania.

Guilford College; Greensboro, North Carolina; Women´s Minutes, 1793-1892, Vol II; Collection: North Carolina Yearly Meeting Minutes

Ancestry.com. U.S., Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol I–VI, 1607-1943 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

Original Data: Hinshaw, William Wade, et al., compilers. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. 6 vols. 1936–1950. Reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991–1994. Hinshaw, William Wade. Marshall, Thomas Worth, comp. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Supplement to Volume 1. Washington, D.C.: n.p. 1948.

https://archive.org/stream/quakerwomenofcar00hins/quakerwomenofcar00hins_djvu.txt

Guilford College; Greensboro, North Carolina; Men's Minutes, 1837-1871; Collection: North Carolina Yearly Meeting Minutes