meetings and said that "there was more freedom of speech mani-
fested among the brethren and sisters than I have been used to
witnessing." There were visits to Shirley and Enfield, Ct. and
he returned to Watervliet. He summed it up by noting that he
was absent 3 weeks and 3 days, traveled 819 miles, 683 by
railroad and 136 in either sleigh or wagon.
In August 1853, aged 68, Freegift tea made his first trip to his
family home in Southold, Long Island, again keeping a journal of
the trip. Southold is located on the northern of the two long
points of Long Island, northwest of Sag Harbor. Accompanying
him were Jesse Harwood, 53 years old, Aurilla White, 35,
Sophronia Smith, 33, and Caroline Vernooy 31. They went by train
to New York City, a ferry across the bay, and then train again
to Cutchogue where they stayed in a boarding house. They found a
bath house on the^b^ac^, so after supper they all "took their
duds" and went^ft^e, changed their clothes and had a fine time
batheing, as he says, "I believe to the satisfaction of all our
company." Jesse and Freegift went to see the house where
Freegift was born but it was difficult to locate
where their old farm had been since it was now all laid out in
building lots, but he recognized the creek, certain rocks, some
trees. However the barn was gone, the woods cut down, and the
road relocated. (Could have been written today, couldn't it?)
He also visited the cemetery where the Wells and Youngs ancestors
were buried, some of the stones having been brought from England
and were about 200 years old.
They started their return trip by boat. In New York City on
Sunday, the sisters wanted to attend a Catholic meeting so they
went to a large church on James St. But the Meeting "was only
music fromn an organ and a few voices for about 3/4 hours and
there was no preaching to our astonishment and disappointment."
They were impressed by 24 lighted candles, six of which were about
5 ft. tall and 3 inches in diameter in 5 foot tall candlesticks.
Boats to Albany left every morning at 7 a.m. but Sister Clarissa
Veeder had advised them to go and see the Croton waterworks. So
they stayed another day, took the train and rode up to the Croton
waterworks which Freegift called "the most stupendous piece of
mason work that I ever saw." They returned to Albany by boat the
next day.
In 1855, Susan Remer, a 27 year old sister, decided to leave
Watervliet and the Shakers and
her closest relative was her brother James in Michigan. So Free-
gift went with her to Michigan and then visited North Union and
Groveland on the way back, keeping a journal of his trip. His
comment on North Union was that "they are doing considerable in
the nursery business, having abandoned the seed business alto-
gether." Their sawmill and grist mill were both doing great
business. They also were carrying on tanning and making cooper-
ware, and were then filling an order for 100,000 broom handles
for Union Village.
His comment about Groveland was that he was told they owned 1800