Born in Philadelphia
Born in Philadelphia, the heart of American Quakerism, where the Woolman and Benezet generation had recently transformed the Society's witness on slavery and social justice.
1750–1804 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
William Savery
Philadelphia minister whose preaching influenced Elizabeth Fry
“I felt the love of God flowing through my heart toward the people, and was enabled to speak in the demonstration of the Spirit.” — William Savery
Life & Ministry
Acknowledged as Minister
Recognized as a minister among Friends in Philadelphia, Savery began traveling in the service of the Gospel throughout the American meetings.
Yellow Fever Ministry in Philadelphia
Remained in Philadelphia during the devastating yellow fever epidemic, ministering to the sick and dying while many fled the city.
Journey to England and the Continent
Traveled to England, Germany, and other parts of Europe in the ministry. During this journey he attended a meeting in Norwich where the young Elizabeth Gurney (later Fry) heard him preach and was deeply moved, an encounter that shaped her later vocation.
Death in Philadelphia
Died in Philadelphia. His journal was published as A Journal of the Life, Travels, and Religious Labours of William Savery, preserving the record of a ministry with transatlantic reach.
Connections & Relationships
JP
John Pemberton
Philadelphia ColleagueBoth were leading ministers of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in the late eighteenth century, serving the same community during a period of reform and consolidation.
STG
Sarah Tuke Grubb
Fellow Eighteenth-Century MinisterContemporaries in the late eighteenth-century Quaker ministry, both traveling widely and laboring to maintain the faithfulness of the Society.
Available Works
A Journal of the Life, Travels, and Religious Labours of William Savery
ProposedSavery's journal records his ministry in America and Europe, including the fateful encounter with Elizabeth Gurney in Norwich that helped set her on the path to becoming Elizabeth Fry, one of the great social reformers of the nineteenth century.
Letters and Correspondence
ProposedSavery's surviving letters document his pastoral counsel and the network of transatlantic Quaker relationships in the late eighteenth century.