WATERVLIET WEST FAMILY

In 1810 the South Family was divided and 32 members went into
the new dwelling house erected across the road and northwest
of the SF. The elders at the WF remained in charge of the
spiritual and temporal affairs of the SF until 1822.
A covenant beginning March 1, 1843, opens with their land
records as follows:
1) 100 acres of land from Benjamin Youngs conveyed
to Believers Nov. 26, 1799. In 1809 some or all of
this land was occupied by the family of Seth Y. Wells
and Joseph Hodgson.
2) Land from Benjamin and Mary Youngs conveyed to David
Meacham, David Osborn and Peter Dodge Nov. 26, 1805
3) Two lots from Hannah and Charlotte Youngs (daughters
of Benjamin and Mary) conveyed to David Osborn and
Peter Dodge March 4, 1809.
At least some of their land was actually owned by the Patroon
Van Rensselaer because in Journal VB-300 on Feb. 8, 1822, it is
reported that "David went to Albany with a load of wood to pay
rent." Again on March 2, 1824, "David went to Albany to help
draw some trees for S. Van Rensselaer Jr." And then on Feb. 28,
1846 "Justice went to Albany "to get the deeds for our farms and
to settle for them." (VB-324) This was the time when the Van
Rensselaers finally allowed their tenants to purchase their farms

The earliest covenant we find is dated March 5, 1815 and Seth Y.
Wells and Joseph Hodgson are the Elders and Stephen Wells and
David Train are the Deacons. Of the other original signers are
Hannah, Betsy, Abigail, Jesse, Luther, Calvin and Thomas Wells;
Dolly, Justice and Jason Harwood; Polly, Levina, Theodore and
Issachar Jr. Bates. So you can see the importance of the large
families that were among the original members of the Shakers.
The first death at this family was that of Calvin H. Wells on
7 April, 1813, at the age of 17.

Jethro Turner's Journal, under the date of Jan. 17, 1815, notes
that this family, heretofor called the "family's order" is now
to be called the "Second Family." The designation was changed to
the "West Family" about 7 ^ :,


(The WF was the Shaker connection with the small band of black
\sisters in Philadelphia, who worked by day as domestics. Rebecca
Jackson, the leader at Philadelphia, often visited at the WF and
(_tie WF eldresses made one or two visits a year to Phila.

The earliest journal of the WF we have found (#300 on reel 46 of
the Western Reserve collection on microfilm at the NYS Library)
begins in January 1822. In February one of their men went to
Albany with a load of rent to pay their rent to the patroon.
InJune they "set fire to their first brick kiln." All summer
they were helping the SF build a new dwelling house.
In November their Elder Brother went to the SF to speak to the
Elders about being set off as a separate family.