The development of South Union Shakers began in 1806, and they were established firmly by 1820. The Shakers were a communal religious organization that flourished in America, ranging from N.Y., New England and throughout the Midwest during the 19th century. Their ideals of simplicity and perfection produced a legacy of unparalleled craftsmanship and created for them a reputation of honesty, humility, and dedication to God.
The religious beliefs of the Shakers set them apart from mainstream America. Their charismatic founder, Ann Lee, established principals of celibacy, communal ownership of property, public confession of sin and withdrawl from "worldly society" as the basis of Shaker theology. A dance-like ritual performed as part of their worship service gained them the derogatory title "Shakers," a name they later accepted.
South Union was one of 24 villages established by the Shakers. During the village's 100 year history, the Shakers acquired and worked 6,000 acres of farmland, constructed over 200 buildings, and maintained industries that developed for them a national reputation. South Union garden seed, fruit preserves, brooms, hats, bonnets, baskets, rugs, linen, silk and furniture were marketed to customers in the south from Nashville to New Orleans.
In contrast to elaborate highboys, the typical Shaker chest of drawers is an almost featurless assemblage of flat boards, punctuated by simple turned drawer pulls. The plain turnings of a classic Shaker chair are about as far as you get from the carved cabriole legs and heavily ornamented turnings of mainstream styles. However, Shaker furniture is anything but styleless, and the apperent emphasis on utility belies a subtle and restrained sense of detail and ornamentation.
Even the most elemental pieces often use simple moldings. Chair turnings are sensitively tapered with carefully shaped finials, and the overall proportioning reflects a concern for balance thats rooted in aesthetic pursuits as much as in utilitarian requirements. The Shakers made furniture from available domestic hardwoods and pine.
The Shakers at South Union created a unique material culture, combining the simplicity in design mandated by Shaker leaders with the regional characteristics brought into the community by converts steeped in southern tradition.
Today there is still one Shaker community, located at Sabbathday Lake, Main. And even though Shakers left South Union over seventy years ago, their legacy lives on through the things they left behind. "Put your hands to work and give your hearts to God."
Mother Ann Lee, founder of Shakers
by; Merry Harris (Also a Descendent of James Buchanan)
Indenture: A contract, as between master and apprentice.
Apprentice: One who is bound by a legal agreement to serve another for a fixed period of time, to learn a trade, craft or business.
Slave: One over whose life, property, and freedom another has complete control to the point of absolute subjugation.
These thrree definitions should be kept in mind as we explore a little known segment of Shaker history: the indenturing of orphans. First however, we must look back upon how children of the poor-orphans included-were treated in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in England.
Blake described the child of peverty well when he said it was "to misery born." Thomas Hood and Elizabeth Barrett Browning were concerned with sweatshop conditions, but it was Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the great humanitarian among novelists of this period, who attacked England's poor laws and exposed that country's workhouse system to public scrutiny. Notable among his expose books was Oliver Twist (1837-1839), the theme of which is good's survival in adversity. This book no doubt is an outgrowth of Dickens having to enter the labor force at the age of twelve. When his father was sent to debtors prison- a tramatic experience which haunted the young Charles, it left him with "a feeling of abandonment and humiliation" for the rest of his life.
Oliver Twist, a nine year old, was sent to one of Englands infamous workhouses, where he was half starved and had to pick oakum in return for his education. Oliver Twist was a fictional orphan. My grandparents and grandaunt, orphaned in England shortly after this book appeared, were not. As children of the street, children to misery born, they escaped becoming apprenticed to an evil Fagin or enslavement in a workhouse situation only because some wise adult relative or friend had then indentured to the Shakers (Shaking Quakers) of South Union Kentucky. They were transported in an "Orphan ship" to the commune, circa the late 1840's or early 1850's, to live until adulthood (and thereafter if they chose) in the beautiful commune, thus missing the depressing and often depraved lifestyle of London's East End.
The Celtic name Buchanan, my grandfathers surname, is as common to Shaker history as Smith or Jones is in todays telephone directories. It was Thomas Buchanan who donated the ground on which South Union commune was built. Whether he or any of the other Shaker Buchanans has close kinship with my grandfather James Buchanan (a cousin several times removed of the Bachelor President) I do not know. I do know that my grandfathers sister Lucetta, a visionary, later became a deaconess in the New Lebanon (New York) commune. I am also uncertain whether South Unions large group of orphans with the surname Buchanan were sisters, brothers or cousins of my grandfather and grandaunt. I only know that the family Buchanan is one of the many families in the Clan Buchanan, and that all Celtic Buchanans are related.
It is extremely difficult to do genealogical research via documentation, because the Shakers did their good works in anonymity, being mentioned only in census listing each other's journals. Most of what I know about my grandparents and Lucetta came from such journals. From them I learned that my grandaunt had a Garden of Eden type dream which later proved prophetic, that my grandfather was a drummer, selling Shaker products as well as making furniture, and that my grandmother at sixteen was taken by her father, John Broadbent, to a hot spring for "the cure", but the cure of what I don't know.
I also learned that all of the indentured orphans at South Union were educated in the basics, no nonsense courses intended to prepare them to earn a living. In addition to the basic school subjects (the three R's, with a fourth R, Religion added). The children of the commune set out to learn a trade. The boys were educated in farming, wood crafting and salesmanship, the girls in the household arts, including sewing, weaving and gardening, as well as preserving foods grown on the farm. The orphans like other Shakers, had no real property. They had little freedom as we know it today. And to a large extent their lives were lovingly controled by those to whom they were indentured.
They were brought up in the Shaker faith, which I believe would still be thriving today except for the tenet of celibacy. Here we had no orphans fed "three thin bowls of gruel a day," as Oliver Twist was, for the Shaker women were excellent cooks and saw that the children were well fed. Once in awhile they went on picnics and outings. In all activities, the sexes were separation, the men ate at one table, the women at another. There were even seperate doors and staircases, so that the genders might not brush against each other and be set aflame with carnal desires.
Life in the commune was simple, peaceful, wholesome, God oriented, nothing like the slums and workshops of England. As the orphans matured, one tenet of the Shaker faith barred them from having normal family lives. That tenet, celibacy, had been formulated by Mother Ann Lee, founder of the faith, who was tired of having children every nine or ten months and left her husband, and England, to escape the possibility of having more. Although indoctrinated in Shaker beliefs, many of the young people left the commune as soon as their period of indenture ended so that they could be married and have families. When their decision to leave was made known to the elders and eldresses, a sort of "drumming out" ceremony was held; the Shakers would dance back and forth around leave-takers, shaking forefingers at them and chanting "Woe, woe woe." Then it would be recorded in the elders journals that the miscreants had left the commune to "Go to Babylon."
When my grandparents decided to leave the commune to be married, Lucetta went with them, but later returned. They took the train to Babylon, in this case, Bowling Green Kentucky, where my grandfather became a violin maker. Still strong in the Shaker faith, my grandparents transmitted "The gift to be simple, the gift to be free, and the gift to be what I ought to be" to my father, who in turn transmitted it to me. And my grandfather taught my father how to make Shaker furniture. But my grandmother died long before I was born and so could not teach me the household arts.
Because of the celibacy ruling, the Shakers died out, and South Union is a beautifully kept museum now. When I was a child my family visited the commune and talked with the oldest living Shaker, who had known my grandparents and grandaunt during the Civil War period, when both union and confederate troops were disrupting the peaceful commune by destroying property and conscripting horses. The Shakers, like the Quakers, were pacifists.
James Buchanan: James Buchanan is first mentioned as a member of the North Family in 1854. One of his duties was the care of the young boys in the North Family which consisted of reletively new members. In July of 1855 James was promoted to Deacon of the North Family, a respected position in the Shaker society. For some unknown reason, James left the Shakers on April 15, 1862 but returned shortly after because he was found on the SOuth Union census roll of August 1862. This census listed his age as 36 and still found him in the North Family. The final notation of James Buchanan is found in the journal entry for August 27, 1864 which states, "apostatized, James Buchanan and Lucretta B. and Elizabeth Broadbent, left this morning."
Lucretta Buchanan
In November of 1861 Lucretta Buchanan was transfered from her position in the East Family to the Centre, or Church Family. We next find her in the 1862 SOuth Union census which lists her in the Centre Family at the age of 35. In September of 1862 Lucretta was placed in the position of Deaconess for the Centre Family. We have no other mention of Lucretta until August 27, 1864 when she left with James Buchanan and Elizabeth Broadbent. But, on March 29, 1873 Lucretta Buchanan returned and was readmitted into the East Family. We have no other record of Lucretta after this date.
Other Possibly related Buchanans of the same time period as James and Lucretta Buchanan (most likely aunts, uncles and cousin)
Arthur Buchanan
February 8, 1856 "Move Arthur Buchanan to the East House" February 16, 1860 "Departure-Arthur Buchanan and Fanny Cook left together."
Jackson Buchanan
May 1854 FOund on Centre House roll. September 24, 1854 "Departure, Jackson Buchanan left us."
Newton Buchanan
1854 Listed at North House age 15. February 26, 1860 "Departure, Newton Buchanan and David Jones left." August 13, 1860 "Re-admitted Newton Buchanan." No further reference.
Samuel Buchanan
January 1857 First mention going on a trip to Tennessee. February 15, 1859 Participated in a seed selling trip to Glasgow Kentucky. August 1862 Found on the East Family roll age 30. 1868 Went on another seed selling trip along with John Perryman (Perryman would be among the last Shakers at South Union dying only a few short years before its close in 1922). January 1872 Found again on East Family roll listing his birth date as January 24, 1832 and being born in North Carolina. November 17, 1877 "Move Samuel Buchanan from the East Family to the West Family to take the place of Reuben Wise, who reemoves to the Centre House." No further reference.
Francis Buchanan
January 1873 Found on North Family roll giving her birth date of March 7, 1833 having been born in Barren County Kentucky. December 1873 Moved to West Family. 1875 Age 41 at East Family. 1876 Back at West Family. March 15, 1877 "Going to their kind. Francis Buchanan went with her brood to Auburn yesterday, no more to inhabit Zion. Was brought up here, went off with a masculine, had several children, he died, she came first to poverty and then to Shakers, now gets a pension for the services of her husband in the war, and this is worth more to her than Christ."
Harriet "Hattie" Buchanan
1873 South Union census lists her at age 9 having been born on July 11, 1863 in Warren County Kentucky. She is last mentioned several years later in the Centre Family at age 13.
May 1854
19th MOVE- James Buchanan, moved from the Junior Order to the North House. NEW BUILDING- Brick layers went home, and the Bretheren laid down the timbers for the 2nd story
20th MOVE- John Roser moved to North House
22nd TAKEN AWAY- John Broadbent took his daughter Elizabeth in her 17th year, to the water cure at Skenetaty N.Y., she makes her way to North Lebanon N.Y. meets our ministry there and returns with them to South Union.
23rd VISIT- to see relations, Eli, Elvarence and Rhoda Hilton went to Franklin to see their brother.
25th BUILDING- Set up the window frames for the second story
26th Eclipse of the sun
27th Mercury 86 degrees, 30th 86 degrees, 31st 76 degrees
June 1854
9th PICNIC- Elder John, Eldress Betsy, sister Nancy and the sisters of the second Order took a walk to the flat rock.
13th HARVEST- We commenced cutting wheat, mercury 86 degrees.
14th VISIT- A son of Robert Rankins here on a visit to see his uncles and aunts.
15th Mercury 88 degrees, 16th 82 degrees, 19th 92 degrees
20th BUILDING- The brick work of the new wash house a 3 story brick building North West from the Center House was finished today, 8 weeks to a day in building the walls, 273,000 bricks.
21st Irish potatoes and green beens to day the first this season
22nd CHOLERA- At bowling Green Kentucky, 9 cases and 8 deaths. Brick Troughts built and plastered with cement today.
3rd MOWING MACHINE- introduced to supercede hand mowing, performed very well
10th CHANGE- Betsy Jenkins released from the Deaconess department, and Jane Cowen appointed to fill the office at the 2nd Order, also John Slover is released on account of old age and James Buchanan takes his place, and Henry Byrnes will replace James and take charge of the boys
17th MOVE- Rhoda Hilton moved from West to the Center House
25th Mary Shackelford moved to the West House
August 1855
7th MOVE- Townsend Ware moved to the Center House from the East House
10th VISITORS- Bretheren Cephas Holloway, Luther Ransom and sisters Ann Price, Ruth Webster, and Persis Hoag came from the junior order at Union Villiage to pay us a visit, they arrived to day in good health. They left for home on the 15th short stay-very short.
1st Great excitement about these times throughout the southern country, about the election of one Abraham Lincoln of Illinois to fill the presidential chair of the United States. Lincoln will be installed into the office on the 4th. Already have 6 States pretended to have seceded from the union, either to act in or independent and seperate capacity or unite into a slaveocracy in the Gulf States and have an independent government. The States which have already declared their independence are 1st South Carolina, the hot bed of disunion Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisianna and Texas. And before it is checked more may be expected to follow in their mad course. The world seems as if it would turn upside down, but this state of things has been told us repeatedly by inspiration and even that war with all its dire calamities would scourge the world if it did not turn from its course and seek God, instead of Mammon, as yet this word seems unheeded and what may we expect by war, but we have just received a letter written by Elder Bretheren H.L. Eades which contains the following prediction which we shall here record the letter is dated 19t February 1861.
PROPHETIC: Dear Brother, It seems that Bretheren Urban thinks that Kentucky will go, out of the union, I entertain no such fears, simply because I think Kentuckians have entirely too much good sense to commit an act so insane. I have long believed the present state of things would come to pass. It has come a little sooner than I anticipated, yet I think that if the cotton or Gulf States, do not fire the first gun, civil war may be averted with all its untold horrors, but if they shall burn powder against the government forces, then "Ye slavers--Ye Slavers remember the day when the Northlands shall meet thee in battle array". Then will twenty millions from the North be arrayed and fitted against ten millions from the south and such havoc and slaughter as there will be, can scarce find a parallel in the annals of the world. One shudders at the appalling thought, but the urging a legal and not an illegal course as the proper one to pursue, that if the Shakers had violated any law, let them be procecuted and legally tried and punished, and if they have not, then those disturbing them would lay themselves liable to indictment and procecution. After several of the enemy had also fired their cannon, and B Grider had also spoken in our favor, Bristow demanded a seperation, in order to discover, who was in favor of legal procedings and who was not, but in favor of mobbing the Shakers, or proceeding without regard to the laws of the land. Accordingly the seperation was made, showing a large majority on the side of the law and justice. When the meeting adjourned to meet again at some subsequent day, which perhaps will not take place in this generation, Bristows fee was $100.00.
30th PAINTING- Finished painting the dwelling at the 2nd Order
October 1861
12th This evening Lieutenant Cambell with 8 of the Picket guard, also Captain Level with 75 cavalry, came and demanded entertainment for the night. We furnished them lodging at the West House and there they seized or as they say pressed the cow barn with the food prepared for the cows. The poor cows had to take the pitiless storm that night without their accustomed allowance of food. We also furnished the Rebels their supper and breakfast next morning.
13th CHANGE- Eliza Rankin moved to the East House to live with Eldress Fanny Lacey, in place of Lucetta Buchanan who resigns her charge there and today moves to the Center House.
18th REBEL STATE PROGRESSING- John C. Breckinridge Brigade consisting of 4 regiments infantry, and one of calvary, 5000 men and 1000 horses passed here today from Bowling Green they are going to Russleville to protect the convention assembling there for the ostansible purpose of forming a provisional government for the State, at least the Western part. They remained till they had made their bogus governor George W. Johnson put their machinery for State Government into working order.
November 1861
18th There was 110 wagons with their comissary stores, tents, and cannons and cars on the train, the train was two hours passing. Amoung them were to to 15 negros armed and equipped marching with the infantry training them so as to enable them to operate to the disadvantage of their masters at no very distant day. How perversely blind.
22nd A squad of Texas rangers called and tarried for the night, behaved civilly.
23rd DEPARTURE- H. Lowe and Mary Shackelford left, James Clark also left again, he took the 7 O'clock train last night
December 1861
4th RUMORS- are in circulation that drafting is to commence soon which has caused some alarm in the villiage.
14th SISTERS- busily employed as usual cooking, baking and preparing provisions for the sick soldiers at Bowling Green.
15th Elder Bretheren Solomon and Eli Mclean take sisters up to Bowling Green on the Cars (Train).
16th Bretheren Urban E. Johns goes to Louisville to purchase dishes. CASUALTY T. J. Shannon thrown from his horse and considerably bruised.
17th RETURN- Bretheren Urban E. Johns returns home from Louisville, he brought a buggy and horses, and came via Pleasant Hill Union. He has some goods coming on the cars. Corn planting today
April 1862
15th DEPARTURE- James Buchanan left
16th Sheep sheering commenced. CARS- running regularly, 15 passed today going West.
19th A train of 5 cars went East and returned with 17 cars
21st Papers give an account of the surrender of Fort Pulaski to the Federals, and the siege of Yorkstown by McClellans army.
22nd Mercury 42 degrees, finished sheep sheering 554 head Mercury 42 rose to 70
24th PAINTING- Sisters are painting the inside of the meeting house
26th BUILDING- Bretheren Reuben Wise and others at work framing a lumber shed and carriage house, they are to stand East of the North lane and North of the present frame shop, West of the garden, to be boarded vertically and covered with clapboards.
29th Bretheren tearing down and removing the old log kitchen North of the brick shop, mercury 45 degrees.
August 1862
14th Buells Army going North by Bowling Green. It is said to fill the pike in nearly a dense column of men and wagons for 16 miles
15th Bretheren Cyrus Blakey resumes his deaconship today instead of the 11th. WE learn that General Bragg with 30 or 40,000 Rebels have entered this State, made their way to Cave City, cut off mail communications north, they will doubtless destroy the railroad bridge again over Green river near Munfordsville. Dangerous now for any union man to travel alone by night or day.
16th Guerillas plenty in our neighborhood, we learn the railroad bridge at Green river is taken by Braggs army. The small force stationed there surrendered after a short skirmish. VISITANT- Joseph Fisher flying north, leaves his finest carriage in our charge. He was brought up here from a child, went away when young.
September 1862
15th JOURNEY- Jefferson Shannon and a hired boy start this morning with 11 horses to Indiana for safe keeping. He goes via Owenboro. WE fear we shall not be able to keep them here and fear also they may be taken from him on the way. John Merrifield also went with them the first days.
16th CHANGE- Lucetta Buchanan accepts the office of Deaconess in the place of Mary Edwards resigned.
20th The surrender of the Green river bridge to the rebels is confirmed and with it 40,000 Federal Soldiers-Rebels are jubilant in this neck of woods.
22nd A company of soldiers passed here today to press flour from Tom Proctor, north of us a live rebel
25th Our neighbor John King, lost his horse barn and hay field in fire, He is a loyal union man, this was crime enough in the rebel eye view, and they burned him out
26th Rebels occupy Russellville. A good many paroled rebels passing, west, all hours in the day they may be seen nearby.
20th The guerillas caught a neighbor in our lane, took his horse and money, a little further on they robbed 3 more between here and the railroads.
21st SABBATH- A drizzly dayBretheren Urban took Mary Johns to her uncles.
23rd SOLDIERS- Eleven pass going East, 4 wagons, and then 27 more going the same direction
24th BRANDY- The bretherens are taking some apples to Petters to get some brandy made of them Cyrus and Logan went with the large Oz wagon load. Guerillas all around and we are threatened.
August 1864
26th GUERILLAS- More robbing at Auburn. CHILD ADMITTED- A man by the name of Everett brought a bastard child of his own here today, a little girl, we call Marion Avery born Jany 31, 1861, Will be 4 years old next Jany. Another fine shower this P.M.
27th Had a heavy rain last night, the water is a foot over the Hill damn. Soldiers, 400 cavalry passing this P.M.. ITEM- One of the officers made our boys get down off the fence. If we can't learn them good manners maybe the military can. SOLDIERS- It is said 2000 are to pass, they are now passing, they are driving about 200 head of cattle taken from the rebels. APOSTATIZED- James and Lucetta Buchanan and Elizabeth Broadbent left this morning. SOLDIERS- 225 Cavalry stay here tonight at the East House
30th Van Pelt and 40 Cavalry camp at the head of the West Pond
Below are some photos:
No comments:
Post a Comment