| bio | King, Emma Belle (1873-1966), of Canterbury, NH, was born in Johnston, RI. She was brought in to the Canterbury
Shakers in 1878, at the age of five. She served her community at the age of 18 as one of the teachers in the Shaker
school, and signed the covenant in 1884. She eventually received her diploma from Plymouth State college, and
taught school in the summer at her community for more than two decades. In 1913, she was appointed 2nd eldress,
and five years later she assumed the lead position, which she filled until her death. She was later given even more
responsibilities, when upon the death of Josephine E. Wilson in 1946, she was appointed to the Central Ministry of the
society, serving first with Frances Hall of Hancock, MA, and upon her death in 1957, with Gertrude May Soule, of
Sabbathday Lake, ME. She played a central role in the final closing of Mt. Lebanon, NY, in 1947, relocating the
Central Ministry first to Hancock, MA (1947-1957), and then to Canterbury, NH. She wrote a pamphlet "A Shaker's
Viewpoint," published in 1957. In 1959, with the help of attorneys from Manchester, NH, she established the Shaker
Central Fund, 'to provide for the well being of the remaining covenanted Shakers, and to assist with the preservation
of the Shaker heritage, principles and ideals.' In addition, she was instrumental in establishing the Emma King Library
at The Shaker Museum and Library, Old Chatham, NY, and played an important role in the growth of that museum.
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