Rachel Beals was born in Frederick County, VA, the daughter of John and Margaret (Hunt) Beals/Bales. Her family came to what is now Guilford County (then Rowan County) when she was young. About 1768 she married James Dicks. Since she and her new husband had married "out of meeting" they were disowned by New Garden Friends Meeting for their offense. In 1775, they made an apology to the meeting and returned to membership. That same year they transferred their membership to Centre Friends Meeting. The meeting records record her death as occurring on the 22nd of 8th mo 1827.
She was the mother of seven children: Peter, William, Elizabeth, Tamar, Ruth, Deborah and Rachel.
Friends traditionally did not permit the marking of graves, believing that all men were equal in death as in life, and believing that marked graves were an opportunity for those of wealth to "show off" their position. About 1800, however, Friends realized that there were some practical aspects to having a tombstone, and over the next few decades individual meetings gradually began to permit the marking of graves. The stone pictured here is believed to mark Rachel's grave. It is a fieldstone crudely marked with "R.D. 1827" which would be typical of the simple types of early stones that Friends permitted.
She was the mother of seven children: Peter, William, Elizabeth, Tamar, Ruth, Deborah and Rachel.
Friends traditionally did not permit the marking of graves, believing that all men were equal in death as in life, and believing that marked graves were an opportunity for those of wealth to "show off" their position. About 1800, however, Friends realized that there were some practical aspects to having a tombstone, and over the next few decades individual meetings gradually began to permit the marking of graves. The stone pictured here is believed to mark Rachel's grave. It is a fieldstone crudely marked with "R.D. 1827" which would be typical of the simple types of early stones that Friends permitted.
Rachel Beals was born in Frederick County, VA, the daughter of John and Margaret (Hunt) Beals/Bales. Her family came to what is now Guilford County (then Rowan County) when she was young. About 1768 she married James Dicks. Since she and her new husband had married "out of meeting" they were disowned by New Garden Friends Meeting for their offense. In 1775, they made an apology to the meeting and returned to membership. That same year they transferred their membership to Centre Friends Meeting. The meeting records record her death as occurring on the 22nd of 8th mo 1827.
She was the mother of seven children: Peter, William, Elizabeth, Tamar, Ruth, Deborah and Rachel.
Friends traditionally did not permit the marking of graves, believing that all men were equal in death as in life, and believing that marked graves were an opportunity for those of wealth to "show off" their position. About 1800, however, Friends realized that there were some practical aspects to having a tombstone, and over the next few decades individual meetings gradually began to permit the marking of graves. The stone pictured here is believed to mark Rachel's grave. It is a fieldstone crudely marked with "R.D. 1827" which would be typical of the simple types of early stones that Friends permitted.
She was the mother of seven children: Peter, William, Elizabeth, Tamar, Ruth, Deborah and Rachel.
Friends traditionally did not permit the marking of graves, believing that all men were equal in death as in life, and believing that marked graves were an opportunity for those of wealth to "show off" their position. About 1800, however, Friends realized that there were some practical aspects to having a tombstone, and over the next few decades individual meetings gradually began to permit the marking of graves. The stone pictured here is believed to mark Rachel's grave. It is a fieldstone crudely marked with "R.D. 1827" which would be typical of the simple types of early stones that Friends permitted.
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