Worship: Were our ancestors Non-Conformists?

 The prompt for this week is "worship." I've already written about the connection between Carl and Ulrika Anderson and the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Allegan, Michigan. Also, the connection George and Malvina Henrickson had with it. I looked at the family tree to see if any other branches had a connection with a church or religion and discovered something interesting.

Mildred Bellinger Strand's maternal grandmother was Harriet Mabbs. Harriet's father William was born in England. William's father was also named William. William, Sr was born March 12, 1791 in Mountnessing, Essex, England. His parents were John Mabbs and Sofia Andrews. 

What is interesting is the book this record was found in. It wasn't found in a record from the Church of England, the official state church at the time. It was found in a separate book.

William, Sr's father was John Mabbs. John's brother was named James. Looking into the life of John and James Mabbs, it seems the Mabbs family has long ties in and around Billericay, Essex. Essex is a county northeast of London, bordered by the North Sea on the east. It was one of the original 7 kingdoms that united to form the Kingdom of England. It was occupied by the Romans and then the Saxons, who created the Kingdom of Essex. It was later occupied by the Vikings.

During the 1600's, England underwent several transitions. The monarchy was overthrown by Oliver Cromwell. Then Oliver was overthrown, and the monarchy returned. When the monarchy returned, the Church of England was reestablished as the official Church of England. All bishops and clergy were required to join. Those who did not wish to join the Church of England were known as Dissenters and Non-Conformists. A "Dissenter" was anyone who did not worship in the Church of England. These included Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Catholics among others.

Essex has a history of being a home to Dissenters and Nonconformers. Many of the Puritans who later sailed to America on the Mayflower lived in and around Billericay. I also discovered that the Mabbs were a well-known dissenting family in Billericay. Dissenters in Billericay

While William, Sr's family was involved in practicing freedom of religion, William seems to have been more involved in the free market. William, Sr. left Essex and moved to London where he married and started his soap making business. Later, he moved to America where he made his way to Michigan and farming. His son, William, Jr. farmed, but later he turned back to religion. He was a Methodist minister when consumption took his life at the age of 60, in 1884. 

It's fun to think of our ancestors as being dissenters and nonconformists in the annals of English history.