In 1832 some of the brethren from the WF were in the group of
fourteen Wvlt Shakers who went to jail in Albany from January 17
to January 31, 1832 for refusing either to perform military
service or pay a fine to be excused.
In 1833 they built a grist mill at the river. This necessitated
also building a flume and an aqueduct. In 1834 they built a
house at the river for a miller.
In 1841 they built a large hay barnf added to in 1853, measuring
50 ft, x 122 ft. On October 28, 1872 this barn, along with a
sheep barn, bull shed and wagon house was burned, along with 4
wagons, 6 sleighs, 1 horsepower thrashed, 100 tons of hay, 80
tons of straw, 400 bushels rye unthrashed, 8900 bushels oats and
$50-100 of seed sweet corn and many other things by a arsonist.
On November 5th the SF cow barn was also set on fire. This
caused the elders, deacons and ministry to meet together and make
plans for insuring their buildings and setting watches at night
to prevent further incendiarism.
Alexander Youngs, their trustee, was overwhelmed by this disas-
ter and became more and more irrational. It wasn't helped by his
being one of those who went to Cohoes on December 10th to dig up
the body of Brother Edward Powers to bring it bvack for burial in
the Shaker cemetery, but the body was so badly decomposed they
did not do it. Edward had joined the Shakers in 1829 and moved
to the WF in 1848. He was a family deacon at one time but it was
noted in February 1871 that he had "shown streaks of insanity for
some time." In September 1871 he "prepared to kill himself by
dropping down the hoisting way in the br^ck shop. He has talked
of drowning himself several times and been to the pond several
times and once to hang." By May 1872 he was "so troublesome that
it will not do for him to sleep with anybody in his present
state,"
On May 28th he wanted off and the police did not find him for 4
days. So in June the brethren began making a place in the
Tinkers Shop where they could shut him up. However he gave them
the slip the next day. Isaac sppent a couple of days looking for
him; at public meeting on Sunday, June 9th, Brother Albert Lomas
requested the spectators to let them know if they should hear of
him. However, on June 16th, Alexander Youngs went to Cohoes be-
cause of an ad in the Troy paper of a body found in the Mohawk
River and, by a handkerchief in the pocket, identified it as Ed-
ward. A coroner's inquest was held on June 20th and Edward was
buried in Cohoes. So six months had passed since he had been
buried; it is no wonder they decided not to move him. Edward
does, however, have a headstone in the Shaker Cemetery.
On December 14th, Alexander bought 2000 bushels of corn. It was
not needed, the WF had no place to put it, so from then on Isaac
Anstatt began accompanying him on his trips to town because he
was making such odd business deals. After December 18 he became
"desperate" when he was kept at home and had to have three per-
sons care for him day and night. On December 26th he was re~
leased from his position, after Elder Giles Avery of the Ministry
had come from New Lebanon to look over the books and help them