brethren and sisters who have died here also attended meeting
with us; weather very pleasant, wind south, the very elements
seem to celebrate the day,"
By 1876, Elder Augustus reported "Had raisin cake for breakfast,
good meeting, and oysters for dinner." In 1877, it was
"Christmas all good; meeting, raisin cake, oysters, grapes and
oranges." In 1879, they had "raisin cake, raisins, pears,
apples, popcorn balls and oranges," and in 1882 they "had a good
meeting and more for the mouth than the stomach could bear, which
some found out."
Rachel McDonald makes little mention of what they did on
Christinas until 1885 when she says "take our 10 little girls to
CF to spend afternoon with the Church girls." In 1892 on Dec.
24th she says Elder Isaac went to Albany "to get things for
ChT-is^maG." Tn 1893 it sounds more like their older way of
celebrating the day when she records "Have morning meeting at
home. In afternoon the singers go to NF and have singing
meeting. After dismissing singing meeting, Elder Alexander
(Work) called to order, aand all united in a good Shaker meet-
ing. Almost all the grown people spoke their faith and feelings,
and encouraged the young people to be good."
Elder Isaac, in his journals, is a man of few words most of the
time and on only one occasion gives more than the weather report
for the day. In 1886 he says, "Christmas. Have meeting at home
and a pleasant and sociable evening."
The Shakers were involved in the location and building of two
roads. In November 1859 "the commissioners and jury laid out
Sand Creek Road" and it appears the Shakers did most of the
building of it. In October 1886, Elder Isaac records "We have a
jury meet at our office to change the road that goes back of our
gravel hillto Niskayuna. The residents want it changed farther
west, thus running only a few rods from their houses; also making
it a better and more direct road to Niskayuna. It is to start
near Hall Old Place, run N by Cross and our West Farm from H.
Lansing to Denisonb's farm, fromthere to the Troy-Schdy Turnpike.
It is agreed to be necessary and the best road."
The WF people seemingly became the caretakers and counselors of the
of the Philadelphia community. In January 1848,two women came for
information to the SF, one of them Rebecca Jackson, a colored
woman from Philadelphbia. In May three more of her disciples
came to see the SF. The SF journals continue to record visits
from Philadelphia through the 1850s, Nothing was found in the
1860s journals, but in 1872 it becomes a major matter with all
four families recording visits in their journals. Rachel, at
the WF, says "Eldress Paulina (Bates) started for Philadelphia
today to see the colored Believers there, 4 or 5 in number, now
under the ministration of little Rebecca Perot, who lived at the
SF some years ago and left there for Philadelphia to preach the
faith to the colored people there. Caty Ferguson from CF and
Samuel Herbert and Anna Dodson from Lebanon CF are also with
Eldress Paulina." David Buckingham of the CF also records this