Records of the Female Tract Society of Worthington and Its Vicinity

The Female Tract Society (1817-1837) of St. John's Episcopal Church was an organization devoted to evangelism through tracts and other religious writings.

Women were not included in the governing bodies of churches at that time, but they still played an influential role behind the scenes. Tracts were small pamphlets, usually 2 to 6 pages in length, that contained religious instruction on many topics. They first became common in the 15th and 16th centuries, with the rise of the printing press and Protestantism in Europe. The Religious Tract Society of the Anglican church was formed in 1799.

The Tract society minutes show the role that early women settlers played in the religious and social life of the community. Excerpt shown here dates 1817-1832.