Ringing in the New Year One Hundred Eleven Years Ago

The start of the new year, 1913, would have been a solemn one for the Shakers of Pleasant Hill. In that week they buried two members of the community; their numbers were quickly dwindling.

The sad occasion of Sister Jane Sutton's passing on December 29th (see the obituary) turned tragic with the passing of another beloved Shaker, John Pilkington, the next day. With two deaths so close together, the next and final day of 1912 was marked by their double funeral.

1912 - 1914 microfilm reel

As grim an occasion as that would have been, we should also consider that they had both been blessed with close to eight decades of life. More than that, they willingly and gratefully chose life as Shakers and died of natural causes having lived their utopian existence on Earth.  

Obituaries often contain clues that need to be followed-up and when I read that the Harrodsburg Herald, the paper that had covered the funeral, had also done an "extended sketch" on the life of Jane and that John Pilkington was "also mentioned" in the article, which reportedly appeared in the Herald two weeks earlier, I knew I had to track it down.

Over the course of two months, inquiries were made and a microfilm reel slowly made its way to me from the University of Kentucky, which I learned was the sole repository of the reel from 1912. While none of my nearby libraries maintain a microfilm reader any longer, I knew one still existed in my county's historical society research room. At last I was able to see for myself the "extended sketch." 

While I was hoping the article would reveal all sorts of Runyon / Sutton connections it does not. Rather, the article is more accurately described as an "extended sketch" on the life of John Pilkington that also mentions Jane Sutton. Still, it is genealogy gold and thrilling to find a description of a family member in print, beyond the details of occupation and when and where they were born or died. Jane -- the daughter of my first cousin five times removed -- was described as "loved by everyone" and a "natural leader" who "commands respect and a following."

Here is the complete article:

Three Shakers

Oldest in Village Are Very Ill and Facing the End.

Three of the oldest citizens of Shakertown are dangerously, ill, and for them life's shadows are growing long and purple, and it may be that soon the shadows will be blotted out altogether by the dark of eternity. The three who are facing the shadows are Sister Jane Sutton, Sister Sarah Nagel and Brother John Pilkington. Sister Jane is known and loved by every one. She has been one of the commanding figures of Shakertown for years, and is a natural leader who would command respect and a following no matter in what walk of life she had been placed.  There are many, even outside the Shaker village, who will grieve that her firm hand is beginning to tremble with the weakness of age. Sister Sarah Nagel is now ninety-seven. She joined the colony over sixty-eight years ago and her life has been a silent, simple benediction, just as even and peaceful as it is now that with resignation she is waiting for the end.

Brother John Pilkington is one of the most picturesque and interesting members of the shaker colony. He was formerly a thorough man of the world, highly educated for his day and at one time was the friend and private secretary of George D. Prentice. About the time of the Civil War ended he came to Shakertown, broken in health from the reckless life he had lived. In three years he was a different man, well poised, vigorous, clear of mind, and he went back to the world he had loved. But a year later the quiet village saw him again and took him once more to her peaceful bosom. He vowed never to leave the Shaker village again, and he never has. Later on his mother joined the colony and afterward died there. Brother John is well along in the seventies, now, and in spite of his secluded life he has always kept abreast of the times. He was a printer by trade, has been a great reader and a philosopher in his way, and even today his wit is keener than that of the average person. The history of Brother John's life there among the hills lying along Kentucky river, is touching in the extreme. From childhood he has always desired to be a great musician, yet his only audiences have been the quaint brother and sisters of the little colony. In the top drawer of the old bureau in his small bare room mare all the treasures that he brought from the outside world with him. They are his violin, his mother’s picture, and a faded daguerreotype that is never opened in the sunlight. It is the dearest of all his treasures for it is the likeness of the girl he loved many many years ago. "She was the sweetest girl I ever knew," Brother John would say when showing the picture, and his lips would quiver as he added, "She died." The violin is the second love of the aged Shaker, and despite his stiffened fingers he has never ceased to make his fiddle sing. Not the new songs - oh no! - but the sweet old melodies that will live in always in the human heart. "Annie Laurie," "Robin Adair," "Auld Land Syne" and "Ah, I Have Sighed to Rest Me!" Brother Pilkington will soon know the long long rest beside his comrades who are sleeping in the quiet God's Acre on the hill overlooking the peaceful village. At one time there were many to keep step beside him, but time and change and death have narrowed the little band to a mere handful, and soon there will not be one left to watch the sunset behind the green Kentucky hills along the river.

-published in the Harrodsburg Herald, December 13, 1912

Happy New Year everyone. May 2024 be a year of peace and contentment for you and your loved ones.

We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

Brooding Quiet of the Little Village Broken by the Death Angel

The final days of 1912 marked the last moments in the life of Jane Sutton, daughter of Polly Runyon Sutton and granddaughter of  Joseph and Jane Runyon. Jane's Shaker brother, J. W. Pilkington, died that same week and the Harrodsburg Herald was there to cover the double funeral:

Double Funeral

John Pilkington and Mary Jane Sutton
Buried Same Day at Shakertown - 
Service by Dr. Yeaman

The old Shaker Community in this county will in a short time, be reduced to its last member.  On last Sunday, and again on Monday, the brooding quiet of the little village was broken by the death angel and two souls answered the call and passed into "that bourne from which no traveler returns."  Sister Mary Jane Sutton, an extended sketch of whose life appeared in the Herald two weeks ago, and Brother John Pilkington, also mentioned in the sketch, died within a few hours of each other, and on Tuesday a sad little cortege wended its way from the village to the burying ground on the hill where the winter sunshine was slanting across two open graves.  There was one funeral service for both old people, and an impressive scene it was - the two caskets side by side in the hall of the Central House, while other members of the faith, neighbors and friends, gathered to pay the last tribute of respect.  It was pitiful to see the two with quiet, folded hands, but far more pitiful was the little group of mourners - the old "brothers" and "sisters" of the broken colony.  The service was conducted by Rev. M. V. P. Yeaman, of the Assembly Presbyterian church of Harrodsburg, who not only read appropriate selections from the Scriptures and offered prayer, but also made extended and touching remarks concerning the blameless and peaceful lives of the deceased.  Jane Sutton, one of the oldest and most beloved members of the colony, was in her eighty-first year, and had been a member of the Shaker community since her infancy.  She was born in Lexington, her parents being Isaac and Polly Sutton.  Her mother was a Runyan, a daughter of Joseph and Jane Runyan, and well connected.  J. W. Pilkington was in his 80th year.  He was born in Bullitt county in 1833, but lived in Louisville for a number of years, where he was connected with the old Louisville Courier, and also the Journal, before the consolidation of the two.  He was an intimate friend of, and was highly esteemed by, George D. Prentice.  The parents of the deceased were Abraham Pilkington and Indiana Skinner.  But seven of the Shakers now remain.  The colony has gradually dwindled till the halls of the great houses have become almost silent, and the hum of industry is no longer heard.  At one time, in 1864, there were as many a 146, and thousands have come and gone, and others into the great beyond.  The burying ground of the Pleasant Hill Community contains about four hundred graves.  Two of the remaining seven are old ladies, both over ninety years of age, sisters Sarah Nagle and Susan Murray.  It was a pathetic sight to see the two looking with tearful eyes upon the caskets containing the bodies of their life-long friends, and many and tender must have been the memories it stirred within them.  The passing of Shakertown seems a great pity and is regretted by many, as it makes one more of the several institutions to go that gave Harrodsburg a fame that is now so largely in the half-forgotten past.

-- Harrodsburg Herald, January 3, 1913

The Mysterious Case of the 1850 Census

Jane (aka Ginny) Runyon, wife of Joseph, was born December 12, 1766. Multiple journals from Pleasant Hill record her death on August 24, 1850. Jane lived the second half of her life -- a full forty years -- as a Believer, and spent those years at Pleasant Hill in its heyday, before attrition from death and young people leaving the society slowly began the community's decline.

The census for Mercer County, Kentucky was conducted on the 10th of September, 1850. So, I was surprised when I saw that Jane appears in the listing for Pleasant Hill.

Despite dying in late August 1850, Jane managed to be counted in the first and only census she could have been listed in individually by name. In previous years she would have been identified with a check mark under the column for females within the family by age range.

So how can a dead woman appear in the census? The census instructions for enumerators for the year 1850 tells us.

Every decade since 1790, census enumerators working on behalf of the United States government head out into their districts to count the people. And each year, those enumerators are given written instructions as to how to count. The traditional family unit is the typical unit that comes to mind -- a head of household, perhaps a spouse, children, an in-law, a boarder or servant, all in the same dwelling. But what happens when the enumerator has to count dozens, or hundreds, of people living in a larger institution?

"Dwelling houses [are] numbered in the order of visitation," reads the official instructions for 1850. "A widow living alone and separately providing for herself, or 200 individuals living together and provided for by a common head, should each be numbered as one family." 

Given their size and non-traditional living arrangements, I'm sure the counting of Shaker villages presented unique challenges for the enumerators. Luckily for the enumerators, there were just 19 Shaker villages to count in the United States, two of them in Kentucky.

It is in those instructions we uncover the reason why Jane Runyon, 18 days in the grave, made it into the record books in the year of her death: "Under heading 3, entitled 'The name of every person whose usual place of abode on the 1st day of June, 1850, was in this family,' insert the name of every free person in each family, of every age, including the names of those temporarily absent, as well as those that were at home on that day. The names of every member of a family who may have died since the 1st day of June is to be entered and described as if living, but the name of any person born since the 1st day of June is to be omitted."

The enumerator for District 1, Thomas E. Miller, must have not had the details of Jane's month and day of birth as the age recorded for her reads "84." She didn't quite make it to 84 but lived a long and remarkable life nonetheless.

Miller's listing for the Shakers of Mercer County spans nine pages, begins with no remarks and ends with the simple notation: "End of Pleasant Hill or Shaker Village"

List Occupations (Males Only)

 The 1850 census instructions to enumerators read:

Under head 7, entitled ‘‘Profession, occupation, or trade of each person over 15 years of age,’’ insert opposite the name of each male the specific profession, occupation, or trade which the said person is known and reputed to follow in the place where he resides—as clergyman, physician, lawyer, shoemaker, student, farmer, carpenter, laborer, tailor, boatman, sailor, or otherwise, as the fact may be. When more convenient, the name of the article he produces may be substituted

The for Pleasant Hill community this list included ...

• farmer
• cooper
• shoemaker
• gardener
• broom maker
• minister
• carpenter
• reed maker
• blacksmith
• tanner
• postmaster
• teacher
• brick layer
• clothier
• physician
• architect
• wheelwright
• miller
• cabinet maker
• wagon maker

West Family Preserve House

My last post showed a couple of different maps of Pleasant Hill's main cluster of buildings at the spot where US route 63 intersected with Kentucky route 33 before restoration of the village. One of the surviving original Shaker structures is the West Family preserve house, built in 1859 and sandwiched between the West Family wash house and the West Family sister's shop. 

Thanks to the Historic American Buildings Survey, a pre-restoration photo of the preserve house from 1940 exists in the Library of Congress collection.

The building as it appeared in 1940

History buffs/nerds/geeks like me will appreciate the card catalog entry for the photo that has been preserved in the collection:

A Pleasant Village

 

At its peak, the 3,000-acre Shaker village at Pleasant Hill consisted of over 200 structures. Today, the restored village contains 34 restored original Shaker buildings. 

This map gives us a bird's-eye view of the structures located in the heart of the village, from Trustee's Office to pigsty, and is reminiscent of the cartography style used by two Shaker men from the New Lebanon community who visited their brethren almost 200 years ago.

The map is found within the pages of Michael Capek's 2001 book "A Personal Tour of a Shaker Village" -- a book for kids in grades 4-7 described by one reviewer as being written "through the eyes of a fictional deacon, former slave, teacher, physician, and visitor to worship, readers learn about daily life, from waking rituals and food preparation to tanning chores, carpentry projects, and the care of silkworms." 

What the reviewer is apparently unaware of is that while the account of their daily life is historical fiction, the people that Capek highlights in the book are real: 

Benjamin Dunlavy (deacon)

Patsy Roberts Williamson (former slave)

Hortensia Hooser (teacher)

John Shain (physician)

The visitor mentioned in Capek's story had an experience that was likely similar to visitors Rufus Bishop and Isaac Youngs when they traveled through the Western Shaker communities in 1834, recording their observations and mapping fascinating pictorial renderings (in the LOC collection) of all that they saw at that moment in time.

Citation from Library of Congress:

Youngs, Isaac N, and George Kendall. Sketches of the various Societies of Belivers i.e. Believers in the states of Ohio & Kentucky. To which is added a slight sketch of Sodus Bay in the northern part of N. York. Also a map containing several of the states on which is laid out of the route of Bv. Rufus Bishop and Isaac N. Youngs New Lebanon while on a hour to visit these societies, in the summer and fall of. 1835. Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2002622454/>.

For the Shakers, the Church Was the Body of People

Dr. Jacob Glover, Director of Public Programs and Education at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, discusses the history and culture of the Shakers and the settlement at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in this THINK HUMANITIES Podcast from Kentucky Humanities. Recorded in 2020. (52 minutes)

Kentucky Humanities · Episode 127 - Jacob Glover, Program Manager, Shaker Village Of Pleasant Hill

Shaker Box - An American Classic

                

This 40-minute YouTube video produced by The Highland Woodworker delves into the history and production of the classic Shaker box. It follows woodworker Tim Arnold who explains how taking a class at Pleasant Hill blossomed into a career crafting unique boxes in the Shaker tradition. 

The Water House at Pleasant Hill

 Pleasant Hill produced this short and informative video on preservation at Pleasant Hill, with a focus on the water house.

The Library of Congress has archival material on the water house.

Looking Back ... 1912

Pleasant Hill - looking north from the East Family buildings

Shakertown Inn

1897 - The Shaker Hotel was opened for boarders by Sister Jane Sutton in the East Family dwelling. It subsequently became known as the Shakertown Inn, an effort by the few remaining Shakers to keep financially solvent.
                                                         

You can see the embedded stone in the brick between the second and third floors. It reads 1817. The East Family dwelling was built of Shaker-made brick and in 1826, Mercy Runyon was living in the Elders room here. Amy Runyon worked here as a nurse and caretaker of girls; Betsy and Amy Runyon died here.

Betsy Bates visits Pleasant Hill

Betsy Bates, Issachar Bates' daughter visited Pleasant Hill in 1862 at the height of the Civil War. Nine members of the Runyon family were still living as Shakers at this time and would have greeted and worshiped with Betsy. They were Charlotte, George, Matilda, and William - children of Joseph and Jane, plus two of the grandchildren, James and Jane Sutton; Sally Runyon, daughter of Martin and Patience; Amy Runyon, daughter of Emley and Lydia; and finally, Charity Badgett, daughter of Mercy Runyon and her husband John Badgett.

Fifty-seven years earlier in New York State, Betsy Bates had waved goodbye to her father as he set out on his mission with John Meacham and Benjamin Seth Youngs in search of converts on the western frontier, which sparked the creation of Pleasant Hill.

Building Pleasant Hill

The Runyon family members arriving at Pleasant Hill in the early years of the 19th century would have been placed in various buildings that were available, notably, the "old fraim house" and a log house. Over the years, a regular shuffling of people from one dwelling to another was taking place. 

The Believers ranks apparently swelled to the point where some had to live during the warmer months in a camp. Shaker journals tell us that in September 1809, the Believers "built a log house, weatherboarded it & lathed & plastered it, which made quite a comfortable dwelling house. We moved in it in September. Bid a dieu to our camp." 

The old "fraim house" was occasionally occupied "by young Believers that would occasionally drop in for a time till at length the place was evacuated and the buildings mov'd away."  It was still in use in the fall of 1812 when newly-arrived converts Phineas and Charity Runyon were among its occupants. 

During 1809 the village's “First Stone House” was also completed (and may have been an early design by Micajah Burnett, the Pleasant Hill Shaker who went on to design the community's most impressive buildings). In August 1812, when the Center Family moved into the three story stone house, Embly Runyon was among them. Like many of the buildings, the first stone house was later re-purposed into the Farm Deacon’s Shop (it still stands today and is available for overnight accommodation. Likewise, the former blacksmith and wagonmaker’s shop was turned into museum shop and ticket office).

1809 "First Stone House" - now the Farm Deacon's Shop

1809 was a year of prolific building at Pleasant Hill. Journal records tell us that in the fall, a log house at the East Family was built for the special purpose of gathering the society's children (before this, the children were still living with their parents). The log house does not appear to have been used for the children right away. It is not until 1811 that Joseph Runyon (who had been serving as an Elder in the "fraim house") moved into "the loghouse to teach school" and other journal notes tell us the children were collected there in 1811. Their stay was apparently brief: On January 7, 1813 the North Family "mov'd up to the log school house ... it stood about 20 rods north of the three storyed Center stone house, then occupied by the School Family."

Runyons were again among those sharing the "fraim house" in December 1813 when Martin Runyon & family arrived at Pleasant Hill, with some remaining until January 1815. Later in 1815, Patience and Martin Runyon moved from the West Family to the North Family, Matilda Runyon moved from the North Family to the West Family, and Betsy Runyon moved from the East Family to the West Family. By the end of August 1816, a staggering 106 members comprised the West Family alone. Housing them must have been a full-time job.

The earliest buildings at Pleasant Hill faced west, in keeping with the tradition of the Shaker communities in the east.  But since prevailing winds in this part of Kentucky come from the southwest, the Believers asked for and were granted permission to reorient their structures. Turning the long sides to the west took advantage of solar heat, allowing more light to penetrate the interior. 

The Shaker Millennial Laws dictated materials and colors:  Dwelling houses should be either limestone or brick, outbuildings brick or painted clapboard (in colors of oxblood red, brown, ocher), interior floors should be stained reddish-yellow in the shops, and wood trim should be stained dark red for baseboards and blue for pinrails.

The East Family Dwelling, of Shaker-made brick, was completed in 1819 (and by 1826 Mercy Runyon was living in its Elders room). 

The Meeting House,  spiritual center of the community, was completed in 1820. Its first floor was constructed free of pillars to provide space for dancing during worship. Second floor apartments housed the village ministry which later included George Runyon.

In April 1826 a family was established at the grist mill composed chiefly of the former North Family. One of its elders was Sister Marcy Runyon.

The East Family Dwelling, the West Family Dwelling (completed 1822), and the Meeting House (1820) are all mature works of Micajah Burnett. The massive grey limestone Center Family Dwelling is considered his crowning achievement. Begun in 1824 and completed in 1834, the Center Family Dwelling served as the home of the First Order, "such persons as have had sufficient time and opportunity practically to prove the faith and manner of life of the Society, and who are prepared to enter freely, fully, and voluntarily into a united and consecrated interest." At almost 25,000 square feet, it was the largest building at Pleasant Hill. The limestone blocks ("Kentucky marble") were quarried locally from the Kentucky River palisades at the eastern edge of the Shaker property. William Runyon likely played a role in the fitting of the stones used in the Center dwelling, the foundation of the Meeting House, and many other structures at Pleasant Hill. In the 1850 census his occupation is listed as stone mason. 

The Center Family Dwelling housed as many as eighty Believers. Among them were William Runyon and Charlotte Runyon, and Joseph's wife Jane "Ginny" Runyon. Shaker journals tell us she moved from the shop to the Center dwelling in December 1842 and are precise to the point of saying she was given the "middle room 2nd story."  

The Trustee's Office, with its beautiful twin spiral staircases (also designed by the brilliant Micajah Burnett), was completed in 1839. This building served as offices and living quarters of the legal and financial leaders of the community, the trustees. Charlotte (Sally C.) Runyon was among the first to live here. Jane Sutton, Joseph Runyon, and Martin Runyon also served as trustees over the years. 

In total, the Shakers built over 250 structures at Pleasant Hill. Thirty-four of the surviving buildings were restored beginning in 1966. More on the architecture of Pleasant Hill can be found in the book Antebellum Architecture of Kentucky by Clay Lancaster (1991). And for some interesting column, balustrade, dormer, and staircase designs at Pleasant Hill check out Outside Sources for Shaker Building at Pleasant Hill by Mary Rae Chemotti (1981). For Shaker dwelling house architecture in general see Julie Nicoletta's article The Architecture of Control - Shaker Dwelling Houses and the Reform Movement in Early-Nineteenth-Century America.

Establishing Shawnee Run

On a site near the banks of Shawnee Run, a small communal family took shape...

In August of 1805, three Shaker missionaries to Kentucky were getting to know the northeastern portion of the state when an opportunity arose for them to preach to a group of potential converts that included three Kentucky residents - Elisha Thomas, and Samuel and Henry Banta. The Thomas and Banta families (along with the Monfort and Bruner families) were all related by marriage. Hearing their testimony, Elisha Thomas would become not only the first Shaker convert in Kentucky but instrumental in the creation of one of two Kentucky communities that would be established.

Where this meeting occurred is not clear. Sources say it happened at "Concord in Bourbon County." However, Concord, Kentucky is northeast along the Ohio River in Lewis County (which was formed in late 1806 from Mason County) and the Concord Christian Church in Bourbon County wasn't yet established. In any case, Shaker Benjamin Seth Youngs was subsequently invited to address a group in Elisha Thomas' barn at his farm along Shawnee Run in Mercer County. 

Map of the state of Kentucky with the adjoining territories, 1794

There, a large number of listeners converted, with Youngs reporting in January 1806 twenty-one "grown Believers on Shawnee Run."

In August, Elisha Thomas deeded his 140-acre farm to the Shakers and in December, forty-four men and women signed the first family covenant “dedicating themselves and their property to the material benefit" of the Society. The first permanent communal gathering of believers in Kentucky began to take shape with the name "Shawnee Run."  

A Map of the State of Kentucky by Elihu Barker, 1797

Infrequent visits by the eastern Shakers proved less than satisfactory for the new converts. Therefore, Elisha Thomas offered Elder John Meacham a horse, saddle, bridle, and spending money if he would come to live at Shawnee Run. Elder John told them if they would build a place for them to live, some among the "old believers" (those Shakers who had traveled from the east) would come. 

When the new ministry arrived (with only fifty dollars, two beds, bedding, and a few other items) a new log house was waiting for them and the center of the community had shifted to a nearby hilltop east of Elisha's original farm to the spot where today visitors can walk among the restored buildings.

Molly Goodrich and Peter Pease would become the appointed leaders for the new Kentucky societies. In the meantime some of the Shawnee Run converts were appointed by Elder Benjamin to assume certain responsibilities, with Elisha Thomas to "stand first in our absence." Isaac Dean was appointed to take charge of the farm. 

Beginning in 1809, the year Joseph Runyon became a Believer (his wife Jane/Ginney believed in February 1810), John Meacham, Samuel Turner, Lucy Smith, and Anna Cole composed the Shawnee Run ministry. As the organization of the community took place its name was changed from Shawnee Run to Pleasant Hill and the first permanent structure (the "First Stone House" - later to become the farm deacon's shop) was built to house the ministry.

By 1810, there were thirty-four Believers and "100 more not yet gathered." Joseph and Jane Runyon, with most of their children, arrived at Pleasant Hill on March 2, 1810. Three months later, their grown son Vincent arrived. Interestingly, Vincent and his sister Marcy were the first Runyon family members to sign the Church Covenant. They did so August 13, 1811. For both, this was the beginning of a life-long commitment. And for Vincent it was in celebration of his 22nd birthday which occurred August the 16th. 

The organization of the society at Pleasant Hill proceeded rapidly. To increase their land holdings, that began with the rich, fertile 140-acres given by Elisha Thomas, the trustees began purchasing adjoining acreage. 

By 1812 the East, Center, and West Families had been formed, and a fourth, the North Family, was established as a "gathering family" for prospective converts. In August of that year, Emley and Lydia Runyon arrived at Pleasant Hill with their children and during the autumn, they were joined by his parents Phineas and Charity as well as his sister Mercy Badgett and her husband John and their children. 

On December 21, 1813, Martin Runyon, his wife Patience Baxter, and their children arrived. The following spring, June 2, 1814, Martin was among those Believers of legal age to sign the covenant. In fact, one hundred twenty-eight men and women bound themselves together, establishing the community in the pattern of the Shaker Ministry at New Lebanon, New York. Included also were: Joseph Runyon, Emley Runyon, Phineas Runyon, Marcy Runyon, Charity Badgett, Vincent Runyon, William Badgett, George Runyon, John Badgett, Sr., Ginney Runyon, Sally Runyon, Lydia Runyon, Charity Runyon. 

More opportunities to sign at Pleasant Hill would come after May 1815, on June 10, 1830 and again on April 9, 1844. Many of the younger generation would make that commitment. Many would depart. But that core group who signed in 1814 did remain committed and were Believers for life.

Society of "Harmless, Dreamy Enthusiasts"

THE MILLENNIAL CHURCH [SHAKERS.] 

The implantation of this society of harmless, dreamy enthusiasts, on the soil of Kentucky, and in the Mississippi Valley, generally, was a result of the Great Revival ... an ultimate outgrowth of the Presbyterian church. But little need be said about it. It has done no good, and comparatively but little harm, religiously. It was, especially during its early and medieval history in the west, of no small advantage to the agricultural, horticultural and mechanical interest of those neighborhoods in which its societies were located. The Shakers, wild and vague in their religious notions, but wise and practical in their management of their material resources, were the fore-runners in the improvement of live stock, agricultural and mechanical implements, and the methods of farming and gardening. On this account, if for no other reason, they deserve a brief notice. 

They are a frugal, industrious people, and have acquired considerable wealth. Their religious tenets are too silly and absurd to be worth studying.

this description comes from History of Kentucky Baptists From 1769 to 1885 by J.H. Spencer, publication date 1886

A Mysterious Visitor

In early August of 1847, Brother Zachariah Burnett wrote in his journal that "Visitor Tuntstill West from Monticello, Ky came to see his relations viz Runyons, Suttons, & Ryons."

I have not yet been able to discover the connection between Tunstal West and the Runyons but the year of his visit, Jane Runyon (who with her husband and children were the first of the Runyons to join the Shakers) would have turned 80 years old. Her husband Joseph had been dead for two years. Her son Vincent, a devout Shaker, had died the previous year.

Zachariah mentions Runyons, Ryans, and Suttons, but not Badgetts, Baxters, or Burtons, so unless the connection goes farther back to Phineas and Charity (who are both long dead by this visit), the relation does seem to be with Joseph's line. 

Pleasant Hill is about an 80 mile wagon ride from Wayne County where Tunstal Quarles (T.Q.) West lived, so it would have been a significant trip, especially for a farmer during the growing season. According to his Find a Grave memorial, Tunstal Quarles "T.Q." West was born Jan 10, 1806 to Isaac West and Margaret Russell. 

Tunstal's first wife was Sarah Elizabeth Wray West. The two  had several children together before Sarah's death in November 1841. Less than a year after his 1847 visit to Pleasant Hill, Tunstal married a second time. On March 31, 1848 in Wayne County, Kentucky, he wed Sophia Wilson, 13 years his junior. Sophia may have been a widow, and her maiden name was possibly Wright.

Shaker records tell us that Jane "Ginny" Runyon was born in Fairfax County, Virginia. Isaac West's father Soloman was reportedly born in Virginia and migrated to North Carolina. 

Margaret Russell's parentage is a bit fuzzier but they are in South Carolina or North Carolina, before Margaret ends up in Wayne County, Kentucky. 

Joseph Runyon migrated from New Jersey to Rowan County, North Carolina with his parents. There, he marries Jane about 1784, and their first four children are born there before they migrate to Fayette County, Kentucky.

Could Shaker Jane, wife of Joseph, have been a sister of either Isaac West or his wife Margaret Russell?

If so, Tunstal would have been able to visit his Aunt Jane, cousins Charlotte, Vincent, George, William, and Matilda Runyon, cousin Nancy Runyon Ryan, and his cousin Polly's children, Jane and James Sutton.

Martha Stewart presents a short video on Pleasant Hill

Her website doesn't say when this video was produced but in less than 5 minutes, Martha Stewart gives a good overview of who the Shakers were, as she presents scenes from Pleasant Hill.

Pleasant Hill Shaker Village - MarthaStewart.com

Martha Stewart takes us to the Pleasant Hill Shaker Village near Lexington, Kentucky. The town museum's director provides some facts about this historical village.

Shaker records on Find a Grave

I've been working to make sure all of the Runyon relations who were Pleasant Hill Shakers are available and accurate on Find a Grave. While now part of Ancestry.com Find a Grave assures its members that its data will remain free and available to all.

To look up any Runyon, Badgett, Ryan, Sutton, etc. enter the last name below and click on search.

Many links to Phineas and Charity's non-Shaker descendants are starting to appear as well so that connections can easily be understood.

Remember that markers for individual Shakers were usually not placed in the graveyard (none exists for the Runyon family members) so requesting a photo will not result in a gravestone photo. 

Search for cemetery records in Shaker Cemetery, KY at by entering a surname and clicking search: Shaker Cemetery, KY (181 names)All of Find A Grave (146.0 million names) Restrict search to Surname

With chickens in a yard

“Portrait of Jane Sutton with chickens in a yard between buildings,” part of the Winterthur Shaker photographs and postcards collection.

This photo looks like it must have been taken at the southwest corner of the Trustee's Office, as that is the only large brick building that has a back addition flush with the front on its west side. This is the spot where visitors approach from the parking lot today.

The photo appeals to me for three reasons. First, it shows action - farm work in progress - rather than the typical "sit on the steps for your portrait" shot. Second, Jane is a Runyon descendant (granddaughter of Joseph and Jane/Ginny). Third, it shows that Pleasant Hill was a working farm in the way that you might expect a Shaker farm to be... orderly but not perfect, and not pristine as a visit to the restored village today might suggest.

Off to Frankfort

One of the Shakertown journals in the Filson Historical Society Special Collections available digitized is this one, which includes nineteen pages of entries from the year 1816. Most are related to the weather conditions but starting with image 10, the subject matter turns to comings and goings and various projects at Pleasant Hill. Phineas, William, and Joseph Runyon are each mentioned, the latter two traveling to nearby towns - Lexington, Danville, Frankfort. Most of the trips seem to have taken 3 to 4 days.

Here is an entry for Joseph Runyon's excursion to Frankfort to sell carpets, Monday, February 19, 1816: