Born in Cumberland
Born at Kirklinton, near the Scottish border, into a Church of England family. Educated locally and trained for the law.
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1662–1742 · Kirklinton, Cumberland, England
Thomas Story
Traveling Minister, Chronicler of the Second Generation
“The Lord opened my understanding and showed me that he was near, and that I need not seek him far off.” — Thomas Story
Life & Ministry
Convinced of Quaker Truth
After years of religious searching through Presbyterianism, Independency, and personal study, Story attended a Quaker meeting in Carlisle and was immediately convinced by the power of silent worship.
Begins Traveling Ministry
Acknowledged as a minister by his monthly meeting and began itinerant preaching throughout northern England and Scotland.
First Voyage to America
Sailed to Pennsylvania, where William Penn appointed him Recorder of Philadelphia and keeper of the Great Seal -- a position of considerable trust in the young colony.
Travels with Penn in Pennsylvania
Accompanied William Penn on journeys through the colony during Penn's second visit, observing colonial governance and Quaker settlement firsthand.
Ministry in Barbados and the Caribbean
Traveled to Barbados and other Caribbean islands, visiting Quaker meetings established among planters and wrestling with the moral questions surrounding slavery.
Extensive American Journeys
Traveled throughout the American colonies from New England to the Carolinas, strengthening Quaker meetings and recording detailed observations of colonial life and worship.
Returns to England
After nearly two decades in America, returned to England and settled again in Cumberland, continuing to travel in the ministry throughout Britain and Ireland.
Ministry in Ireland
Made extended visits to Irish Quaker meetings, documenting the state of Friends in Dublin, Cork, and the smaller provincial meetings.
Attends London Yearly Meeting
Participated in the deliberations of London Yearly Meeting as a respected elder, contributing to discussions on church discipline and the maintenance of Quaker testimonies.
Final Years in Cumberland
Retired from active traveling ministry and devoted himself to compiling his massive Journal from decades of notes and recollections.
Death in Cumberland
Died at Kirklinton, the place of his birth, at the age of eighty. His Journal was published posthumously in 1747 and ran to 768 folio pages.
Connections & Relationships
William Penn
Employer & FriendPenn appointed Story as Recorder of Philadelphia and keeper of the Great Seal. Story traveled with Penn in America and remained a trusted associate throughout Penn's life.
George Fox
Spiritual FatherThough Fox died in 1691, shortly after Story's convincement, Story revered him as the founder and his Journal preserves second-generation memories of Fox's legacy.
Thomas Ellwood
Fellow Second-Generation FriendBoth Ellwood and Story bridged the founding generation and the eighteenth century. Ellwood's autobiography and Story's Journal together chronicle the consolidation of the early movement.
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Thomas Chalkley
Fellow Minister in AmericaStory and Chalkley were contemporaries in colonial Pennsylvania, both serving as traveling ministers and documenting the life of American Friends.
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Samuel Bownas
Fellow Traveling MinisterBownas and Story overlapped in their American travels. Both left substantial journals recording the state of colonial Quakerism in the early eighteenth century.
Available Works
A Journal of the Life of Thomas Story
ProposedAt 768 folio pages, the most extensive Quaker journal of the period -- a vivid transatlantic autobiography spanning five decades of ministry in Britain, Ireland, and America.
A Brief Account of the Convincement of Thomas Story
ProposedStory's shorter narrative of his spiritual journey from the Church of England through various dissenting groups to his convincement among Friends in Carlisle.