Richard Ratcliff, renowned Indiana Quaker historian from Spiceland, commented on my ancestor Mary Jane Edwards’ 1866 diary. I gave him a copy of its transcript when my mother and I visited him to learn more about our family’s history at Spiceland Friends.

More than their adventure and work in the South teaching freedmen, Richard was interested in the events of Hoosier daily life that Mary Jane recorded that summer. The crops that were planted and harvested, the calls they made to Friends, the tasks and chores to be done.

The frequency of their meeting attendance surprised him: meeting for worship on First Day, often after Sabbath School that morning, Bible class on Saturdays, and another meeting for worship on Fifth Day evening. Toss in quarterly meetings, appointed meetings for visiting ministers, and funerals, and it seems like my ancestors’ weeks truly revolved around their religious lives.

That makes me wonder: Were Quakers in MJ’s day actually more pious than Friends today or were they just following conventions? More than once, Mary writes about Friends falling asleep during meeting. Of course, their lives were much more physical than ours today, so they may have more justification than I do when my own head occasionally bobs during silent worship.

Or were expectations for Friends’ attendance and participation higher then, and their opportunities for indulgence more limited?

Given that our contexts are so different, it’s probably not fair to judge the weight of our spiritual lives vs. the outside world compared to theirs. But I wonder what we can learn from these Reconstruction Era Friends’ commitment to their personal faith and practice on a weekly and daily level.