| bio | Evans, Frederick (1808-1893), of the North F., Mt. Lebanon, NY, lived there for 63 years, of which he was an elder
for 57 years. He was born in Leominster, Worcestershire, England, of a family blessed with longevity. His grandfather
nearly reached his one-hundredth birthday, and his grandmother lived for one-hundred and four years. His father was
the youngest of twelve children, and was active in the English army. His mother, Sarah White, was of aristocratic
lineage, and thus her marriage was much resisted. She died when Frederick was four years of age. It was then that
the child was taken to the residence at Chadwick Hall, where he was taken care of by various relatives. When he
turned twelve he was taken by his father to America, together with his older, free-thinker brother, George, from whom
he learned respect for books and knowledge. Together they published several papers on social issues. He came to
the North F. in 1830 after having investigated the ideas of Robert Dale Owen and his circle. He became 2nd Elder in
place of David Sizer in 1838; was listed in US Census as "laborer" in 1850; "in horticulture" in 1860; as "preacher" in
1870 and as "elder" in 1880. He was an active exponent of social causes, correspondent to Shaker and .wordly"
newspapers and journals, and wrote many pamphlets, essays, and a cookbook. Together with Eldress Antoinette
Doolittle, he edited and published the periodical THE SHAKER AND SHAKERESS for three years, from 1873 to
1875; and in 1873 he also published the "Second Appearing of Christ.. He was a prolific writer, not only for
Shaker periodicals (e.g. THE SHAKER), but also for the worldly newspapers and journals (e.g. the AMERICAN
PHRENOLOGICAL JOURNAL, or the PORTLAND PLEASURE BOAT). He also wrote Autobiography of a Shaker in
1888. He made several trips to England to promote Shaker ideas and gather new converts. He was a Grahamite and
a vegetarian, and introduced this diet to the Shakers at Mt. Lebanon, NY. On November 26th, 1892, he was "removed
from the North Family eldership," (Hancock Shakers' Daybook, 1837-1913); he died March 6th, 1893.
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