Daily AncestorFirst Month
In Quaker records, First Month was March before 1752 and January from 1752 on, because Quakers numbered months instead of naming them.
Quakers avoided month names that came from pagan gods and wrote First Month, Second Month and so on, often as 1mo or with Roman numerals. Until 1752 the year started on March 25, so First Month was March and Twelfth Month was February.
From 1752, First Month was January and the numbers match modern months. A Quaker date like 8 1mo 1735 before 1752 is March, not January. Many researchers write the old form and add the month in brackets, as in 29 4mo [June] 1731.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "First Month." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/dates-calendar/quaker-months. Last checked 2026-10-01.