Kinship and Networking in a Quaker Family in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

Recently there has been much publicity about problems caused in society by family breakdown and the distressing lack of citizenship, particularly among young people. Older generations usually remember the past as better and regret how things have changed. There is, however, a consensus amongst social historians that the romantic view of families in the past being large, loving and supportive is a myth exploded by empirical and statistical evidence. By contrast, this study of kinship and networking in a West Country Quaker family in the nineteenth-century illustrates the family's effectiveness in creating responsible family members and good citizens. The article discusses how kinship originated, strengthened and underpinned their achievements and how its importance faded over time.