This collection contains the text of two sermons given by Quaker minister Priscilla Hunt Cadwallader in 1824 and 1831, along with two copies of notes on a sermon given by her at Philadelphia in the early 19th century. The first item is the 4-page text of "A Sermon Delivered by Priscilla Hunt at New Bedford," dated April 15, 1824, about religious judgment, and turning to God and to the Christian faith. In a second sermon, entitled "A Sermon by Priscilla Cadwalader at Concord Quartly Meeting, held at Darby" (November 15, 1831), she discussed a range of religious topics; the 9-page document is particularly notable for its emphasis on the judgment of God and for Cadwallader's prophetic vision of the coming Civil War. She said, "I have seen Africa's sons … distinctly heard the … roar of cannons, those thunders of war approaching North America[,] raging and ransacking through the United States, with glittering clashing swords … Hath not my spiritual eye beheld brother's sword bathed in a brother's blood. Ah! My friends the clouds are rising, the tempest will come, and a more tremendous storm never beat on American Shores." The final two items in the collection are copies of identical notes, entitled "Priscilla Hunt's Exercise in Philadelphia." These notes allude to internal strife within the Society of Friends; as the author explained, " … the Trump of the everlasting Gospel would be laid down in this City because says she you have erred against the true gospel."
Priscilla Hunt Cadwallader, born to a religious Quaker family in North Carolina on July 10, 1786, had little formal education. In 1811, she married Jabez Hunt, who died two years later, leaving her with a young child. She moved to Indiana, and in 1815 began preaching at the Blue River Monthly Meeting in Washington County. She quickly became known for her preaching, and began to travel around the United States. Around 1824, Priscilla Hunt married Joseph Cadwallader, a Quaker minister, though this second marriage ended in divorce in 1830. Despite her unhappy marriage, Priscilla found herself in a leadership role during the split of the Society of Friends into Hicksite and Orthodox factions in 1827-1828. During the later years of her life, she continued to travel and preach throughout the United States and Canada, though various illnesses increasingly took their toll on her and limited her ability to travel. She died on November 13, 1859.
