USA > Ohio > Shakers of Ohio; fugitive papers concerning the Shakers of Ohio, with unpublished manuscripts > Part 30
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36
Under date of Sept. 5, 1903, Elder Henry C. Blinn, East Canter- bury, N. H., writes me that Issachar Bates made the statement that at the time the people decamped from West Union, during the War of
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1812, "Gov. Harrison told Robert Gill and myself that he was going to move right out of his house, in Vincennes, to Cincinnati, and we might move into it, and if that would not hold us all, he would provide tents. for the rest, and set six hundred to guard us, and it should not cost us one cent."
There were two John Slovers - father and son - both of whom. joined the West Union Shakers. The elder died at South Union, Ky., in 1813, aged 80. He was one of the guides to the ill-fated expedition of Colonel Crawford against the Sandusky Indians in 1782. He was captured and had a remarkable escape. See Butterfield's "Crawford's. Campaign": also "Memoir of John Slover," first published in Pitts- burgh in 1782; again at Nashville in 1843, and finally, in Cincinnati, in. 1867. The younger John also died South Union, in 1858, aged 74. Of him Eldress Jane Cowan writes (Nov. 10, 1903) : "I have spent many hours interested by listening to his tales regarding their escapades,. hunting and trying to avoid being captured by the Indians." He owned Daniel Boone's pocket pen-knife, - a small hornlike instrument - which: he presented to Elder John Perryman, of South Union, who still owns it.
In "A Declaration of the Society of People commonly called Shak- ers," published in 1815 by the officers of the Mt. Lebanon and Water- vliet, N. Y., Shakers, referring to the sufferings of the West Union Society is the following statement: "A large society of our people in the Indian Territory has suffered much. In the time of General Harri- son's campaign against the Indians, several divisions of his army, at dif- ferent times, encamped in that Society; in consequence of which they suffered the loss of nearly all their living, and the whole Society, which consisted of nearly 400 people, were obliged to perform a journey of several hundred miles through the wilderness, under great sufferings and difficulty to seek a shelter among the Brethren of their own Society, in the states of Ohio and Kentucky. Their damage and loss consisted mostly in grain, cattle and other articles of provisions, consumed and taken away by the army, exclusive of what was paid for, was supposed to exceed 10,000 dollars; the whole of which was borne without assis- tance from any other source than the people of our denomination."
The celebrated Indian Chief, Tecumseh, was so favorably impressed' with William Redmon that he informed him that so long as he remained at West Union the Shakers would not be harmed by any of his tribe.
In a memorandum of the Western Shaker lands, David Darrow, under date of August 13, 1814, says: "The Believers at Busserow own 2,110 acres."
SHAKER MISSION TO THE SHAWNEE INDIANS.
INTRODUCTION.
It is but a slight exaggeration to state that the aborigines: of this country have been made the objects of conversion from: all the religious sects that have found a domicile within our bor- ders. Under the civilizing influence of the dominant exotic race the American savage has constantly gone down. It is not the fault of Christianity, nor of the civilization of the nineteenth century, but in the application. The missionary in his zeal has mistaken both ethnology and his calling. It required Chris -- tianity five hundred years to civilize the Norsemen. Wandering: tribes neither jump into civilization nor Christianity. Both re- quire generations of constant instruction. It is exceedingly difficult to overcome that hereditary disposition to revert to an: original savage condition. The Jesuits, who had a peculiar- faculty of adapting themselves to the manners, conditions, and habits of thought of the American savages, made but a slight. impression on their dusky subjects. Whatever failure made by" one sect, has been of little result to another. The same old methods constantly applied which previous failures experienced. It may be affirmed that the methods applied have been more- in the nature of a persecution than in an elevation. The study of ethnology would have been of greater benefit and the chagrin of disappointment might have been avoided by utilizing this. science.
The history of the various types of mankind demonstrates that the various conditions operate differently. The Esquimo has discovered that the kyack is the proper boat for his pursuit of food and raiment. The conditions force out that which is necessary to maintain the struggle for existence. The habits of life more or less govern mental acquirements. These and.
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other considerations must enter into the conclusions that form intelligent conception of advancing the status of any tribe or type.
The American savage is a debased creature, prone to take up the vices of the white man, and, in his original condition, incapable of penetrating the exalted conception of life as ex- pounded by Jesus Christ. He is a being requiring many gener- ations of culture before fully comprehending the ethical quali- ties propounded in the New Testament.
If the large or powerful sects spend a part of their energy in missions to degraded tribes, it is not to be wondered at that the weaker denominations should imitate the example. That the Shakers, always noted for the paucity of their number, should waste their energy in such a fruitless enterprise as a mission to the savages, commands a different view than that necessarily accorded to other isms. Shaker theology and sociology radically differ from all other types of Christinaity. It may be affirmed that Shakerism contains no phase but may be elsewhere found among Christians; yet it must be noticed that it combines more peculiar features than can elsewhere be discovered. The Shakers have more perfectly approached the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles than any other of the organized bodies of believers. On the other hand the nature of the Indian is largely animal. He is where the ancestors of the white man were many thousands of years ago. To expect an Indian to lay aside his brutal nature and take upon himself the life of a Shaker, requires a credulity too vast even to contemplate.
Shakerism in 1807 was practically in its infancy. In the west it was only in the third year of its existence. It was five years later before it was organized into church relationship. The people, for the most part, lived at Union Village, in log houses. The first frame dwelling-house was not completed until October, 1806, and that was built for the Elders. However, the leaders of Shakerism at Union Village were alive to what they appre- hended were the needs of humanity, and were ever ready to drop seed on whatever appeared to be good soil. They were not far removed from the Indians, and any religious commotion among the latter would necessarily attract their attention. In the sim- plicity of their hearts they believed that the subtle, treacherous,
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ferocious and diabolical savage could be transformed into a gentle, non-resistent, God-fearing and man-loving celibate.
KENTUCKY REVIVAL AND INDIANS.
During the "Great Kentucky Revival" of 1800 and 1801, the Indians received the attention of the awakened and zealous. Fer- vent prayers were offered up that the Indians might also share in the blessed hope and joyful anticipation of the future state; and missionaries were repeatedly sent out from among the subjects of the revival, to convert them to the Christian faith, but with little success. In the fall of the year 1804, a great number of savages, belonging to different tribes, assembled together and held a feast of love and union, and during their conclave danced and rejoiced before the Great Spirit, with the purpose of reviving the religion of their ancestors. The fame of the meeting was wafted to the whites, among whom were those who queried whether God would convert them in some way different from what had hitherto been employed.
During the year 1805 fresh reports broke out concerning the Indians, which affirmed that a large body of them was moving down the western border of Ohio, and were about to form a - settlement. The rumors caused much agitation concerning them. Some proclaimed that the movement presaged war, while others affirmed that they were in pursuit of religion and the means of an honest livelihood; that they intended to labor, and in their present circumstances the neighboring whites were supporting them by charitable donations.
SHAKER PROPAGANDA.
The continuance of the various reports, concerning the move- ments and condition of the Indians, created much anxiety among the Shakers at Union Village (then called Turtle Creek). It was determined to direct a missionary body to proceed to tlie Shawnee Indians, then living at Greenville, in order to find out the real situation, both in respect to things temporal and spiritual. The persons selected were David Darrow, Benjamin Seth Youngs and Richard McNemar.
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David Darrow, who was born June 21, 1750, and died June 27, 1825, has been sketched in my article on the Shakers of Union Village in the QUARTERLY for June, 1902, and need not here be repeated.
Benjamin Seth Youngs was born September 17, 1774. He was a member of the propaganda that set out from New Lebanon, N. Y., on January 1, 1805, and was one of the first three Shakers in the west, and the ablest of the trio, and, in all probability, the most indefatigable missionary ever belonging to the sect. So far as I have been able to learn no account of his life or missionary labors has been preserved. His itinerary, as preserved in the church record, was as follows: On January 16, 1809, accom- panied by two of the brethren, he set out on foot for Buserow (West Union, Ind. A society was here established, but after many vicissitudes was abandoned), and returned on March 29; April 25, accompanied by Elder Matthew Houston, he set out for Gas- per (now South Union), Kentucky, by way of Eagle Creek, Cane- ridge and Shawnee Run; he was present and took a very active part in resisting the mob at Union Village on August 27, 1810, although the record is silent, but for September 13, records that in company with two others, he started on that day for Buserow, on the Wabash, in Indiana, and returned on December 4th ; Feb- ruary 20, 1811, accompanied by Ruth Darrow, Edith Dennis and Peter Pease, he set out for Buserow (West Union), and at Cin- cinnati, on the 22nd, met the boats containing the believers from Eagle Creek, who were destined for the same place ; he must soon after have returned for on April 9th he set out for Kentucky and returned on August 2d; September 25 he went to Kentucky and returned on September II, 1812, and on the 29th- started for Gasper, where he probably staid until September 30, 1814, at which date he arrived at Union Village; on July 16, 1818, he passed through Union Village on his return from New Lebanon to Gas- per ; March 27, 1820, he was again in Union Village and returned to Gasper on April Ist; November 8, 1829, he was on a visit to Union Village, but departed from there on the 24th ; May 27, 1833, he arrived in Union Village but after ten days set out for home ; on May 14, 1835, he was on his way to New Lebanon, and on September 22, arrived at Union Village on his return, and on the
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30th set out for Gasper. The last record of him is for October 16, 1836, and is as follows: "Elder Benjamin S. Youngs arrives here from South Union," and "is now leaving the west to return no more. He goes to his old home at Watervleit, New York, after a residence of more than thirty years in the west. He gave"us his valedictory address in meeting today. We bless him and pray that heaven may. He proceeds on the 20, same." During his long stay at Gasper he was an elder, but whether in the min- istry - which he probably was -the record is silent.
Richard McNemar, born November 20, 1770, was a Presby- terian clergyman, who had a commanding influence during the Great Kentucky Revival. He was one of the six witnesses that met at Caneridge, Bourbon county, Kentucky, June 28, 1804, and on that day dissolved the Springfield Presbytery. While in charge of the church at Turtle Creek, he was converted to Shakerism, and united with that sect on April 24, 1805, followed by his entire family. During the rest of his life he was an elder in the order. In the Church Record his name occurs but sixteen times. April 22, 1807, he set out for Gasper, and returned December 4 ; January 16, 1809, he set out for Buserow on foot, and returned March 29, accompanied by Youngs and Issacher Bates; with the latter and John Hancock, on the 5th December, 1809, he again set out for Buserow, but failing to reach his destiny, on account of the high waters, he returned on the 10th; March 27, 1810, with Archibald Meacham, he set out for Buserow and returned May Ist ; in com- pany with David Moseley, Ruth Darrow and Peggy Houston, on October 15, he set out on a visit to Eagle Creek to visit the colony of believers at that place, returning on the 27th ; April 9, 1811, he "set out for Kentucky" and returned August 2; June Ist, 1812, he started for Dayton to see the Governor respecting military matters which concerned believers; March 8, 1813, he went to Watervleit (near Dayton), where he was taken sick, and Nathan Sharp, on the 15th, started to bring him home ; September 5, 1817, he was indicted at Lebanon, for assault and battery, on a false oath given by John Davis; February 14, 1830, he was released from his eldership at the Centre House, pro tempore; December 28, 1835, he was "released from his care as an Elder at Water- vleit; but does not remove from Watervleit till 13th January,
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1836." The last record is made for September 15, 1839: "This evening, Richard McNemar, Sen., deceased; after a protracted illness of chronic bowel complaint. He was among the first who received the gospel in the west, - being previously a Presby- terian minister in this place. One of the most zealous and loyal believers who ever embraced the gospel in this western land. Altogether more than ordinary intelligent."
Issacher Bates, born January 29, 1758, was one of the original propaganda that set out from New Lebanon, on Jan- uary Ist, 1805. He is mentioned thirty-four times in the Church Record. April 22, 1807, he set out for Gasper and returned December 4; May 2, 1808, he "set out on a visit to Kentucky" and returned home June 12 following; July 27, he returned from a tour to the Wabash; he started for the Wabash September 18 and returned November 7; January 16, 1809, he set out for Buserow on foot and returned March 29; August 29, he set out on a visit to Buserow and arrived home on Sunday, September 24; December 5, he started for the Wabash, but returned the Ioth, on account of high waters; on the 14th, he again set out for the Wabash and returned February 19, 1810, via Cane- ridge, Kentucky; March 15 he started for Shawnee Run (now Pleasant Hill), Kentucky, and arrived home March 28, 1811; November II, he arrived from Buserow, and returned there December 19; he arrived from Buserow September 10, 1812; June 1, 1814, with Solomon King, he set out to visit the Har- mony Society of Dutch people, returning the 21st; December 14, 1816, he arrived from West Union (Buserow), Ind., and returned the 17th ; January 7, 1819, he arrived from West Union ; April 21, 1820, he again came from West Union, and on June 22 returned ; January 24, 1822, he arrived from, and on the 29th returned to West Union; January 8, 1823, he went to Darby Plains, Ohio, and returned the 24th; January 29, 1824, he removed from West Union to Union Village; March 30, he started for Zoar, a communistic society of Dutch people, where he was taken very sick, and on May 10, Calvin Morrell and Charles D. Hampton (both formerly physicians) started for Zoar to take care of him, and returned with him on the 27th; September 2, he set off to visit the Society at North Union,
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near Cleveland, and returned October 9, and on the 21st, re- moved to Watervleit; June 27, 1825, he came to Union Vil- lage in order to attend the funeral of Elder David Darrow; July 29, 1826, he set out for West Union, and returned home, via Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, on September 16; June 1, 1830, he started for New Lebanon and returned September 2; May 27, 1833, he arrives at Union Village, and "expects to take a long visiting tour in Kentucky." The last record is for April 16, and 30, and May 14: "It is now concluded for our good old veteran pioneer, Elder Issachar, who has done so much, and spent all his latter days, nearly, in planting and building up the gospel in the West, to return to the East, and retire from these labors. He will visit among us till the 30th inst., when he will return to Watervleit." April 30: "Elder Issachar returns to Watervleit (Ohio) to-day, preparatory to starting to New Leb- anon; we therefore have taken our final change of salutations and farewell, with many well wishes for each others welfare." May 14: Elder Issachar starts from Watervleit to join his com- pany at Circleville to go East to return no more."
NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION TO THE INDIANS.
For a full account of the Shaker mission to the Shawnee Indians we are indebted to the report given by Richard Mc- Nemar, who based his narrative upon the Journal kept by the missionaries. On March 17, 1807, the three brethren, David Darrow, Richard McNemar and Benjamin S. Youngs set out in search of the Indians, and on the 23rd arrived at their village, now Greenville, Ohio. "When we came in sight of the village, the first object that attracted our view was a large frame house, about 150 by 34 feet in size, surrounded with 50 or 60 smoking cottages. We rode up and saluted some men who were stand- ing before the door of a tent, and by a motion of the hand were directed to another wigwam where we found one who could talk English. We asked him if their feelings were friendly.
A. O yes, we are all brothers.
Q. Where are your chiefs - we wish to have a talk with them ? 23
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A. They are about 4 miles off making sugar.
Q. What are their names?
A. Lal-lu-e-tsee-ka, and Te-kum-tha .*
Q. Can any of them talk English ?
A. No; but there is a good interpreter there, George Blue- Jacket. He has gone to school, and can read and talk well.
Q. What is that big house for?
A. To worship the Great Spirit.
Q. How do you worship?
A. Mostly in speaking.
Q. Who is your chief speaker ?
A. Our prophet, Lal-lu-e-tsee-ka. He converses with the Great Spirit, and tells us how to be good.
Q. Do all that live here, believe in him?
A. Yes; we all believe - he can dream to God.
Conducted by a pilot, we repaired to the sugar-camp, where 30 or 40 were assembled with the prophet, who was very sick and confined to his tent. We expressed our desire of having a talk with him. But George informed us that he could not talk to us, that ministers of the white people would not believe what he said, but counted it foolish and laughed at it, therefore he could not talk ; besides, he had a pain in his head, and was very sick. After informing him we were not such ministers, he asked:
Do you believe a person can have true knowledge of the Great Spirit, in the heart, without going to school and learning to read?
A. We believe they can; and that is the best kind of knowl- edge.
After some talk of this kind with George, he went into the prophet's tent, where several chiefs were collected, and after con- tinuing their council there about an hour, Lal-lu-e-tsee-ka came ottt and took his seat in a circle of 'about 30 persons who sat round the fire. All were silent - every countenance grave and solemn, when he began to speak. His discourse continued about half an hour, in which the most pungent eloquence expressed his
* Where Tecumseh lived at Greenville is still called Tecumseh's Point. It is now owned by Herschel Morningstar.
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deep and heart-felt sense of what he spoke, but in language which George said, he could not correctly translate into English. How- ever, the general sense he occasionally communicated during our stay.
In the first place, that he (the prophet) had formerly lived on White river; had been a doctor and a very wicked man. About two years ago, while attending on sick people at Attawa, in a time of general sickness, he was struck with a deep and awful sense of his sins - cried mightily to the Good Spirit to show him some way of escape, and in his great distress, fell into a vision, in which he appeared to be travelling along a road, and came to where it forked - the right hand way he was in- formed led to happiness and the left to misery.
This fork in the road, he was told, represented that stage of life in which people were convicted of sin; and those who took the right hand way quit everything that was wicked and became good. But the left hand road was for such as would go on and be bad, after they were shown the right way. They all move ยท slow, till they come here, but when they pass the fork to the left, then they go swift. On the left hand way he saw three houses - from the first and second were pathways that led into the right hand road, but no way leading from the third. This, said he, is eternity. He saw vast crowds going swift along the left hand road, and great multitudes in each of the houses, under differ- ent degrees of judgment and misery. He mentioned particularly the punishment of the drunkard. One presented him a cup of liquor resembling melted lead ; if he refused to drink it he would urge him, saying: Come, drink -you used to love whiskey. And upon drinking it, his bowels were seized with an exquisite burning. This draught he had often to repeat. At the last house their torment appeared inexpressible ; under which he heard them scream, cry pitiful, and roar like the falls of a river. He was afterwards (said the interpreter ) taken along the right hand way, which was all interspersed with flowers of delicious smell, and showed a house at the end of it where was everything beautiful, sweet and pleasant ; and still went on learning more and more; but in his first vision he saw nothing but the state of the wicked; from which the Great Spirit told him to go and warn his people
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of their danger, and call upon them to put away their sins, and be good. Whereupon he began to speak to them in great dis- tress, and would weep and tremble, while addressing them. Some believed - were greatly alarmed - began to confess their sins - forsake them, and set out to be good. This spread the alarm, and brought many others from different tribes to see and hear, who were affected in like manner. But some of the chiefs who were very wicked, would not believe, and tried to keep the people from believing, and encouraged them on in their former wicked ways. Whereupon the Great Spirit told him to separate from these wicked chiefs and their people, and showed him particularly where to come, towards the big ford where the peace was con- cluded with the Americans; and there make provision to receive and instruct all from the different tribes that were willing to be good.
Accordingly all that believed had come and settled there, and a great many Indians had come to hear, and many more were expected. That some white people were afraid, but they were foolish; for they would not hurt any one.
We asked a number of questions :
Q. Do you believe that all mankind are going away from the Good Spirit by wicked works?
A. Yes; that is what we believe. And the prophet feels great pity for all.
Q. Do you believe that the Great Spirit once made him- self known to the world, by a man that was called Christ ?
A. Yes, we believe it, and the Good Spirit has showed our prophet what has been in many. generations, and he says he wants to talk with some white people about these things.
Q. What sins does your prophet speak now against?
A. Witchcraft, poisoning people, fighting, murdering, drinking whisky, and beating their wives because they will not have children. All such as will not leave off there, go to Eternity -he knows all bad people that commit fornication, and can tell it all from seven years old.
Q. What do those do who have been wicked, when they believe the prophet ?
A. They confess all.
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Q. To whom do they confess ?
A. To the prophet and four chiefs.
Q. Do they confess all the bad things they ever did ?
A. All from seven years old.' And cry and tremble when they come to confess.
Q. How did you learn this? The Roman Catholics con- fess their sins.
A. Some Wyandots joined the Roman Catholics at Detroit, who now believe in our prophet. Roman Catholics confess their sins, but go and do bad again. Our people forsake their bad way when they have confessed.
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