Union Village and the Shakers of Warren County, Ohio

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Union Village and the
Shakers of Warren County, Ohio

Katherine Lollar Rowland has agreed to serve as the webmaster for the Shaker pages on the Warren County Ohio GenWeb.
Please contact Katherine at [email protected] with your suggestions or contributions for this page.

Introduction by Katherine Lollar Rowland

In anticipation of the Bicentennial Celebration of the founding, in 1805, of Union Shaker Village, near Lebanon, Ohio, this new Shaker website has been set up. Entitled "Union Village and The Shakers of Warren County, Ohio," the site will include links and references to the rich history of the Shakers during the past two hundred years. Also, it is hoped that new articles and notices of upcoming events will be contributed by Shaker enthusiasts and scholars, not only of southwest Ohio, but covering, as did the original Union Village influence, all of the Shaker communities west of the Alleghenies.

Some Links on the Warren County, OHGenWeb Site

The Last Fifty Years of Union Village Shakers (coming soon)
A series of stories and articles about the last Ohio Shakers, their life, the way it was in the declining years of Union Village, and also of their contacts with the greater community of Warren County when they were no longer able to be self-sufficient.
Some of the subjects:

Introduction
The Last Fifty Years of Union Village
James H. Fennessey, the last Union Village Shaker
Joseph R. Slingerland, infamous Elder
Leopold Goepper, and his diary of dreams
Clymena Miner, beloved Eldress
Emily Robinson

Vineyards and Wineries at Wicliffe, Ohio
The Gentle Giants
A Shaker Doll for a Blind Girl
Ten Miles of Osage Orange Hedges
Judge James Allen Runyan, lawyer for the Shakers
Sarah E. Cochran/Coughman/Corcoran

Some Dates When Union Village Historical Things Happened
Shakers of Union Village, North Family Cemetery
Lebanon Cemetery -Shaker Burial Plot in Section C Lots 99, 100, 147 & 148
Photo Gallery and other images relating to Union Village and the Shakers of Warren County, Ohio
Shaker Obituaries, Death Notices, and Newspaper Clippings
"The Other Side of the Question" - images and transcriptions from selected pages of 1819 publication
George H. K. Baxter (1861-1924) A Blacksheep Shaker, an original article by Elaine R. Baxter 17 April 2007

Other Items
- Beers 1882 History of Warren County
  - The Great Revival of 1801, 1802, 1803, and the Introduction of Shakerism, pages 267 - 273
  - War of 1812 Draft, page 347-348
  - Early Turtle Creek Settlements, page 436
  - The Shakers of Union Village, page 442
  - Mob against the Shakers, pages 442 - 446
  - A Visit to Shaker Village, page 446 - 448
  - Important Events in the History of the Shaker Society, page 448-449
  - Biographical Sketches
    - Amos Babbitt & Isaac Beals, page 725
    - Peter Boyd, page 729
    - Charles Clapp, page 730
    - Charles D. Hampton M.D., page 695
    - Elderess Emily W. Hampton, page 744
    - David Holloway, page 748
    - Cephas Holloway, page 749
    - David Parkhurst, page 769
    - Eldress Clarissa Elsie Patterson, page 769
    - Joseph West, page 788
    - Ransom Lockwood, page 807
- Memorial Plaque Dedicated to the Veterans of the American Revolution who lived and died among the Shaker of Union Village, dedicated on Memorial Day, 26 May 2008
- Montgomery County Chancery Court, September Term 1837; Nathan Sharp etal vs. George Patterson etal
- Shakers: An Act providing for the relief and support of women who may be abandoned by their husbands, and for other purposes. which passed and took effect, January 11, 1811
- To Close Shaker Colony, The New York Times, May 24, 1911
- Dallas Bogan Articles
  - "The Statutes of Ohio" mentions a January 11, 1811 act directed at those joining the Shakers
  - "Shakers And The War"
  - "Thriving Warren County Shaker Sect Dwindled To Final Number Of 16"
  - "History Of The Unique, Simple Lives Of The Shakers"
  - Shaker/Union Village Post Office listed in "Early Post Offices And Post Masters In Warren County, Ohio"
  - "The History of the Shaker Movement"
  - "The Story Of Richard McNemar, An Eloquent Pioneer Preacher"
  - "Shaker History"
  - "Shakers' Trials And Tribulations at Union Village in Their Early History"
  - "Shaker Annals"
  - Warren County, Ohio and Beyond by Dallas Bogan
    - Historian recounts 18th century Warren County Events, page 1
    - Early County Settlements And The Swamps, page 22
    - Warren County Towns And Their Name Changes, page 77
    - Cephas Holloway A Prominent Shaker Leader, page 261
    - Shakers Made Their Impact on Warren County almost 200 years ago, page 313
    - Shakers Faced Setbacks While in County, page 316

Some Links on other Sites

Western Shaker Study Group
Warren County Historical Society: The society has an outstanding collection of Shaker material in their holdings. The Rocking Horse Gift Shop at the museum is filled with books about the Shakers (and a variety of other subjects) including the following titles:
- "Maps of the Shaker West. A Journey of Discovery" by Martha Boice, Dale Covington & Richard Spence (1997, 140 pages)
- "Dreams, Elementals & Astrals" by Erik M. Butler, Ph.D. (This is especially related to the time period of The Last Fifty years)
- "Wisdom's Paradise, The Forgoten Shakers of Union Village" by Cheryl Bauer and Rob Portman, published December, 2004
Warren County Genealogical Society The society has the following Publications available for purchase:
- Shakers of Union Village 1805 – 1920 by Ellen Van Houten, & Florence Cole (2003, 374 pages)
- Maps of the Shaker West. A Journey of Discovery by Martha Boice, Dale Covington & Richard Spence (1997, 140 pages)
Union Village, Ohio: The Bishopric of the West, 1805-1912 by Karen Campbell
Otterbein Lebanon Retirement Community - http://www.otterbein.org/lebanon/cmlebhom.html
Cincinnati Enquirer Articles
- Union Village Community thrived in 19th century, 31 May 2000 article by Randy McNutt
- Changed city retains its charm - Shakers, Pioneer Cemetery, filling stations color its history, 19 November 2002 article by Randy McNutt
- 100 random Lebanon facts, 19 November 2002 article by Randy McNutt
Shaker Sites
- Historical Society and Museum at Shaker Heights, Ohio - http://www.cwru.edu/affil/shakhist/shaker.htm
- Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky - http://www.shakervillageky.org
- Shaker Museum at South Union, Kentucky - http://www.shakermuseum.com/
- Friends of White Water Shaker Village - http://whitewatershakervillage.org/
Other Links
- The Shaker Historic Trail by the National Park Service
- Library of Congress, American Memory Project; A plan of the section of land on which the Believers live in the state of Ohio, Nov. 7th, 1807
- "The Shakers" an article from Wikinfo, an internet encyclopedia
- Lebanon Citizens National Bank serves as receiver for Shakers at Union Village in 1920
- Pretty Seed Packets from Miami Valley Vignettes by George C. Crout
- ENCOUNTERING THE SHAKERS OF THE NORTH FMAILY LOT, UNION VILLAGE, OHIO
  The Ohio Department of Transportation has a 4 volume set of pdf documents available on line that were generated in conjunction with the SR 741 road improvement project.
  - Volume 1: A Corner of Wisdom’s Paradise – The North Family Lot Archaeological Project
  - Volume 2: A Clean and Lively Appearance—Landscape and Architecture of the North Family Lot
  - Volume 3: Tracing Prosperity and Adversity — A Social History of the North Family Lot
  - Volume 4: Simplicity Comes in All Forms – The Shaker Ceramic Industries of Union Village

Other Shaker Information

[We would be happy to add any other information about the Shakers that you might wish to contribute]

NOTICE: All documents and electronic images placed on the Warren County OHGenWeb site remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. These documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or their legal representative, and contact the listed Warren County OHGenWeb coordinator with proof of this consent.