Daily AncestorCertificate of removal
A certificate of removal was a letter from one Quaker monthly meeting to another, transferring a member who moved and vouching for their good standing.
Members moving out of their monthly meeting's area were expected to ask for a certificate, addressed to the meeting where they planned to settle. Abstracts note this as gct (granted certificate to) at the old meeting and rocf (received on certificate from) at the new one.
Following certificates from meeting to meeting is the classic way to trace a Quaker family's migration, since each one names the next meeting the family joined.
As seen in a recordQuaker monthly meeting minutes or a published abstract, 1700s to 1800s
Wm. Hollowell & w Sarah & ch gct Cane Creek MM, N.C.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Certificate of removal." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/church/certificate-of-removal. Last checked 2026-10-03.