Letters from a Young Shaker

William S. Byrd at Pleasant Hill

William S. Byrd, Stephen J. Stein

• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780813191102, 9780813115429
• eBook ISBN: 9780813184210
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: North American History

In the early nineteenth century, a young man belonging to the prominent Byrd family of Virginia, the grandson of William Byrd III, took up residence in the Shaker community at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. Over the next two years, 1826–1828, he wrote a series of letters to his father, a federal judge in Ohio, describing his experiences and his impressions of the United Society of Believers, as the Shakers were formally called. Eventually, William S. Byrd became a convert to the society and an advocate of its beliefs and practices. His letters—cut short by his father's death—offer today's reader an intimate view of communal life among the Shakers at a time of considerable turmoil in their village.

In the correspondence of William S. Byrd, the Shaker experience is expressed in human terms and becomes a living faith. The letters also record the trials associated with conversion to a religion that was socially unacceptable to many Americans of the time. Some of their more poignant passages describe young Byrd's attempt to reconcile the tensions created by his membership in two families—the one of blood and the one of faith.

Letters from a Young Shaker provides an unusually instructive commentary on life in a Shaker community, on the questions agitating the community, and on the appeal of Shakerism to Americans in the early nineteenth century. In addition to the letters, the book contains other documents bearing on William Byrd's relationship with the settlement at Pleasant Hill and an introduction placing him in the social and religious context of the period. This book will appeal to historian of American society and to anyone interested in the Shaker way of life.

Index

The index that appeared in the print version of this title was intentionally removed from the eBook. Please use the search function on your eReading device for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below

“Abridgement of My Advice to My Children on Some Important Subjects”

“Act to Regulate Civil Proceedings Against Certain Communities having Property in Common”

Adam (biblical)

Adams County, O.

Albany, N. Y.

Allen, Thomas

Anglicanism

apostasy: a cause of decline among Shakers

at Pleasant Hill in 1827

Archabald, Elder

Arians

Baldwin, Henry

Ballance, Willis

gBarnett, Robert

“bearing the cross.” See celibacy

Beauties of Priestcraft; or, A Short Account of Shakerism

Benezett, Anthony

Bible: CWB’s views on

distinguished from Word of God

doctrinal use of

interpretation of

WSB’s purchase of a

WSB’s reading of

blue pill

Bradshaw, Brice

Brown, John

Brown, William Henry

Brownson, Orestes

Bryant, Caroline

Bryant, Edmond

Bryant, John R. (Rufus)

Bryant, William

Burgess, Dyer

Burlington, Ind.

Burnett, Charity

Burnett, Micajah

Busro, Ind. See West Union, Ind.

Byrd, Charles Willing: political career

poor health

relationship with children (see also children by name); struggle with principle of celibacy

writings. See also Byrd family

—advice on: “castlebuilding”

care of teeth

diet and eating habits

health and remedies

manliness

manual labor

physical activity

Testimony

—contacts with Shakers at Pleasant Hill: friendship with Gasses

letter to Leonard Jones

letters to Francis Voris

messages from Shakers

plans for moving near village

plans for visits to village

reasons against moving to village

respect for Mother Lucy Smith

—financial affairs: authorizes loan of funds

fears about investments

inquires about West Union property

on investments

purchase of McMurtry farm

reluctance to surrender property

—life and death: affluence and influence

children

death of daughter

death of son Kidder

family background

funeral

inheritance

marriages

own death

will

youth

—relationship with WSB: approves WSB’s conduct

invites WSB for visit

letters to WSB

on purchase of property

pleased with WSB’s letters

religious influence

—religious development: acceptance of Shakerism

conversion to evangelicalism

early contacts with Shakers

an exceptional convert

family background

“Questions to Believers”

—views on: affliction

blood of Christ

education

faith and works

future state

healing

human dep...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Dedication
• Preface
• Introduction
• The Letters of William S. Byrd to Charles Willing Byrd
• Appendixes
• Notes
• Index