Expansion, Schism, Fractures, and Profit with our Ancestors

“As They Were Led” by Martha Claire Catlin

Martha Claire Catlin’s “As They Were Led” is more than family history; it is a meticulously researched reemergence of the journey of several Quaker families—including Catlins, Mendenhalls, and Hollingsworths—from their English roots through pivotal roles in shaping colonial America. The book is an invaluable genealogical resource. Its true significance lies in how it inadvertently, and directly, documents a complex, paradoxical, relationship between the Society of Friends (Quakers) and the Native American nations they encounter. To fully appreciate this work today, one must read it through the dual lenses of Quaker history and the ongoing re-evaluation of settler-colonial interactions.

Colonies & Outgrowth from Quaker Foundation of Inner Light: Its Outer Implications

To understand the actions of the families in Catlin’s narrative, one must first understand core Quaker tenets that guided them. Emerging from religious turmoil of 17th-century England under George Fox, Quakers believe in “Inner Light”— a concept that God’s spirit exists within every single person. This theology has had profound social consequences:

1. Pacifism: A direct result of seeing God in everyone, leading to a strict commitment to non-violence.
2. Equality: The Inner Light meant all people were equal in the eyes of God, challenging rigid social hierarchies.
3. Testimony of Integrity: A commitment to honesty and fair dealing in all matters, including business and treaty negotiations.

These principles set Quakers apart from many other colonial groups and defined their initial approach to Native Americans.

Quakers and Native Nations: A Complicated Legacy

Catlin’s book chronicles families’ migrations, land acquisitions, and establishment of communities in Pennsylvania and beyond. This story sits a center of Quaker-Native American relationships. It is a story of stark contrast between idealism and reality.

William Penn, a Quaker, founded Pennsylvania as a “Holy Experiment” based on his faith. His famous treaty with the Lenape (Delaware) tribe (c. 1682), though its exact terms are mythologized, was a landmark event. Guided by the testimony of integrity, Penn genuinely sought to acquire land through fair purchase rather than seizure, and he maintained peaceful relations. Families in “As They Were Led” were direct beneficiaries of this peace, allowing their communities to flourish without the frontier warfare that plagued other colonies.

Benevolent Paternalism and Assimilation: As Quaker communities grew, their desire to “civilize” Native peoples grew with it. This was not born of malicious intent but from a sincere, if profoundly ethnocentric, belief that their agricultural way of life was superior. Quakers became leading proponents of programs to teach Native Americans European farming techniques, gender roles (men farming, women weaving), and Christianity. They saw this assimilation as a peaceful path forward. From a modern perspective, this was a form of cultural imperialism that sought to erase indigenous ways of life, even if its methods were non-violent.

The Fracture: Expansion and the Paxton Boys: Catlin’s history touches on the inevitable conflicts that arose as settler expansion continued unabated. Quaker-led Pennsylvania assemblies, committed to pacifism, refused to fund militias for frontier defense during conflicts like the French and Indian War (1754-1763). This led to violent backlash from frontier settlers (like the Paxton Boys) who felt abandoned by their Quaker government. This tension ultimately forced many Quakers, who would not compromise pacifism, to withdraw from government, cede political power, and abdicate to those who would use violence and a force of laws to acquire land.

Advocates and Allies: Despite their complicities, Quakers also became some of the most consistent white advocates for Native American rights. They were often appointed as official government agents to tribes and were among the first to protest the Indian Removal Act of 1830, submitting petitions to Congress and documenting the injustices faced by the Cherokee and other southeastern nations on the Trail of Tears.

“As They Were Led” in This Context

Reading Catlin’s work with this history in mind adds deep layers of meaning:

• The land deeds and transactions detailed throughout the book are not just dry genealogical records. They are artifacts of the Quaker practice of payment for land, a practice that, while fairer than outright theft, was still part of the larger system of colonial displacement that forever altered the continent.
• The movements and migrations of the families westwards from Pennsylvania into Ohio, Indiana, and beyond trace the path of American expansion, often following the very trails that Quakers established as they sought to “civilize” or trade with displaced Native communities further west.
• The biographical sketches of family members who became teachers, farmers, and officials in Indian agencies illustrate the hands-on role Quakers played in implementing federal policy, for both good and ill.

A Vital, Unflinching Record

“As They Were Led” is not a critical analysis of Quaker colonialism; it is a historical record compiled by a descendant. However, its immense value today is that it provides the primary data—the names, dates, and places—that allow us to anchor a broader, complex narrative of Quaker and Native American history in real human stories.

For modern readers, especially descendants of these families, the book is an invitation. It is an invitation to take pride in the Quaker ideals of peace, equality, and integrity that were truly revolutionary for their time, while also engaging in a more clear-eyed examination of how the most well-intentioned people became actors in a system of oppression, displacement and cultural destruction. Martha Claire Catlin provided the map; it is our responsibility to read it with wisdom, context, and a commitment to understanding the full, nuanced truth of how this nation was built. 

For more reading consider the following books from South Jersey authors:

“Respect and Justice for Indigenous Peoples – A Quaker Advocacy Group’s Experience Recounted” by Patricia Powers

 “The Quaker Scout” also written by Martha Claire Catlin