A Full Report of the Case of Stacy Decow, and Joseph Hendrickson, Vs. Thomas L. Shotwell

A Full Report Of The Case Of Stacy Decow, And Joseph Hendrickson, Vs. Thomas L. Shotwell — Stacy Decow. This excerpt reconstructs a 19th-century New Jersey chancery case concerning a Quaker trust fund and the competing claims of Hicksite and Orthodox factions within the Society of Friends. It details the Crosswicks Chesterfield preparative meeting and its school fund, the opposing positions of Arch Street and Green Street Yearly Meetings, and the broader governance structure of Quaker meetings (preparative, monthly, quarterly, yearly) that frame who may receive and control the fund. Central issues revolve around creed versus conscience, the role of discipline, and whether a distant yearly meeting may bind property and membership through doctrinal enforcement. The text surveys long-standing authorities (ancient Friends, Barclay, Fox, Penn, Whitehead) to argue that the core bond is the inward light and Scripture interpreted through conscience, not fixed creeds. It also contrasts democratic, spirit-led governance with attempts at centralized, creedal control, and discusses the legal and doctrinal implications for property rights and church unity. The excerpt culminates in an appellate discussion of which body legitimately governs the fund and its proceeds.