19
little about him during the 1817-1821 period of the Savoy
Community - little mention of him is to be found in the
manuscript records. Green speaks of his mental instability on
occasion and refers to his 'eventual state' - specifically, his
insanity. Town records indicate that by the time the Shakers
left Savoy, Lewis had become a charge of the town and he was
annually Abid off to the low bidder for care. Simply put, the
low bidder was responsible for his care, and allowed extra
expense for chains to secure him. The extant records indicate
that Lewis was a raving madman and what was peculiar was that his
^problem' was evident prior to 1820--but it appears that the
Shakers distanced themselves from him and preferred a route
whereby the town assumed care and responsibility for him... It is
interesting that Nathaniel's younger brother Arnos (father of
Polly Lewis of Lebanon fame) also suffered from mental
instability." So there must have been an inherited strain of
mental illness.


SOUTH UNION, KY.

Tommy Mines had replied to my inquiry that "there are numerous
instances of suicide at South Union as well as references to
members being mentally ill." I endeavored to read the microfilms
recently produced of South Union journals and papers. However
due to the size of the film and lack of magnification on the
microfilm reader, I was able to spot only one entry in Journal A
on January 15, 1830 that read:
"John Seth Meigs hung himself in a vacant farmhouse that used to
be occupied by a black family."

WATERVLIET, OHIO

I am indebted to Rosemary Lawson for finding a reference in the
book TRAVELS BETWEEN THE HUDSON AND THE MISSISSIPPI, 1851-1852 by
Moritz Busch of his approaching the Shaker Community where Mno
living creature, except for a herd of well-fed cattle, had been
seen inside the fence until now; and except for the murmuring of
Beaver Creek, which here meanders between thickets, not a sound
had been heard.., Then I suddenly noticed, a few steps from me, a
man coming from the forest; his head was lowered and his hands
were upon his back. He wore a straw hat with an unusually broad
brim and a gray blue, strangely cut jacket. His wrinkled face
was deathly pale, and when, upon approaching me, he raised his
eyes, I believed that I saw in them the look of insanity. Yet I
could have been deceived... and so, despite my unfavorable
opinion as to the mental condition of the stranger, I dared dto