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1837 to 1878. Ann also lived atthe Church Family and some of these were indeed written by her
when she lived at the Church Family Office, but most were written by many others when they, too,
lived atthe Church Family Office, as one can see by the differences in handwriting, spelling ability
and writing style. Also in the possession of the State Library are journals kept at the South Family by
Anna Goepper from 1915 through 1922. There was also access to research done by Dorothy Filley
when preparing her book on WaterVliet, "Wisdom's Valley," and this included journals kept by Elder
Isaac Anstatt and, I believe, Rachel McDoriald of the West Family and now in the possession of
Williams College. In a bequest several years ago, the Shaker Heritage Society became the possessor
of other journals kept by Rachel McDonald from 1857 to 1893. These are now being cared for by the
State Library for us.

So an attempt has been made to put together information from all of these, along with
notes from various other papers in the State Library Special Collections to come up with some sort of
story, but these are the sources that will be referred to.

David Buckingham's notes on December 29, 1859 state that there was a meeting to divide
the Church property and "to set the 2nd Order off as far as temporal matters go, hoping it may work
for the benefit of both families." He later noted that the division was to be "1/3 going to the 2nd
Order (North Family), in proportion to the number of covenant members in each order 0 " Ann Buck-
ingham comments on the same meeting that "the 2nd Order to be an order by themselves* Good deal
of excitement in both familieso" Dorothy Filley found the actual legal document at the Shaker Museum
in Chatham. It was drawn up on January 2, 1860 and signed by Chauncey Copley, Jesse Harwood,
Chauncy Miller and David Buckingham, and witnessed by Giles Avery of the New Lebanon Head
Ministry. It gave to the 2nd Order or North Family the broom business and consequently all the broom
corn then on hand amounting to 20,000 Ibs., all the broom handles and plank forhandles then on hand
(they bought basswood stock and turned the handles themselves), together with two broom machines,
vises and fixtures, a broom-corn scraper and scything machine, and the stock of twine and staples*
They were also given the sweet corn business and pipe business (The Shakers were apparently all addic-
ted to pipe smoking at the time). The North Family also had the privilege of raising garden seeds or
herbs or going into any other branch of business carried on by the 1st Order, and were given $6,000, a
little over one-third of monies on hand. They were also to have entire claim to the stone quarry loca-
ted on their property "in the meadow, east of their dwelling house" while the 1st Order or Church
Family was to have entire claim to the sawmill which was located south of their dooryard*

The Federal Census taken in 1850 listed 12 men, 17 women, 4 boys and 7 girls living at
the North Family - a total of 40. By 1860 this had increased to 55 with 17 women still, only 10 men,
but 15 boys and 13 girls. (This year was the high point of membership in all the families*) The State
Census of 1865 lists only45 residents with 10 men still, but only 15 women, 11 girls and 9 boys. The
previous year they had harvested 300 bushels of oats, 245 bu. Indian corn, 620 bu. potatoes, 300 bu.
turnips and 1500 bu. apples. They had also produced 50 barrels of dried sweet corn, 60 buc popcorn,
383 Ibs. onion seed, 190 Ibs. carrot seed and 60 qt. of strawberries.

By 1870 they were down to 39 residents, in 1875 to 27, in 1880 to only 20. The next
Federal Census was late and taken in 1892 instead of 1890, but by looking at the tombstones in the
cemetery we can see what happened at the North Family. In 1885 two of their leading sisters,
Elizabeth Harrison and Electa Thomas had died; Josiah Barker had gone to the Church Family in 1885
to be second elder; in 1889 Albert Lomas, a very eloquent preacher and writer, certainly destined to
be an important leader in the Shakers, had died at the early age of 49; and three more leaders died
in 1890 and 1891. Finally, in May 1892, Nathaniel Fry, the elder, died at the age of 880 Nothing