A Full Report of the Case of Stacy Decow, and Joseph Hendrickson, Vs. Thomas L. Shotwell: Decided at a Special Term of the New Jersey Court of Appeals, Held at Trenton, in July and August, Eighteen Hu

A full court report on a pivotal 1833 dispute between Quaker factions, exploring trust, property, and religious liberty.

A primary source-style edition presents the decision of the New Jersey Court of Appeals and the surrounding arguments, set against the long-standing split within the Society of Friends. It offers a clear window into how church governance, fiduciary duty, and competing visions of faith intersected with law in early America.

• How a school fund and its loan became a stake in a broader religious division.
• What the legal questions reveal about liberty of conscience and the balance with property rights.
• Different sides’ views on authority, discipline, and institutional unity within a religious community.
• How the court weighed competing claims and what the opinions say about justice and recovery in faith-based disputes.