Born in England
Born in England. He was among the generation convinced in the earliest years of the Quaker movement.
OS
1636–1717 · England
Oliver Sansom
First-generation sufferer with compelling persecution narrative
Life & Ministry
Convinced and Joins Friends
Came among Friends during the great period of Quaker expansion in the 1650s, embracing the movement and its principles despite the severe persecution that accompanied them.
Years of Persecution
Endured repeated imprisonments, fines, and seizure of property for his refusal to pay tithes, take oaths, or conform to the established church. His sufferings were typical of the first generation of Friends.
Death
Died in 1717, having survived the worst of the persecution era and witnessed the gradual easing of restrictions after the Toleration Act of 1689.
Connections & Relationships
GF
George Fox
Movement FounderFox's preaching launched the movement that Sansom joined. Sansom's autobiography provides a ground-level view of what Fox's movement meant for ordinary converts.
JG
John Gratton
Fellow First-Generation FriendGratton was another first-generation Friend whose autobiography records the personal cost of joining the early Quaker movement. Both men's narratives are valued for their honest accounts of suffering.
Available Works
The Life of Oliver Sansom — An Account of His Convincement, Exercises, Services, and Sufferings
ProposedPublished in Friends' Library Vol. XIV, this autobiography provides a vivid, detailed account of the persecutions endured by an ordinary first-generation Quaker.