At the conclusion of their 1805 “Long Walk” to Ohio, Shaker missionaries John Meacham, Issachar Bates, and Benjamin Seth Youngs settled into the home of their first western convert, Malcom Worley. Over the next two months, as Youngs explained in his journal, the Shakers circulated among the awakened “New Lights” of the Turtle Creek Presbyterian Church, slowly revealing their unusual theology and innovative religious practices. Despite occasional setbacks, Youngs and his colleagues succeeded in converting Richard McNemar, a leading Presbyterian minister, as well as less prominent laypeople such as David Spinning and John Hunt (click here for Spinning’s account of his conversion to Shakerism and here for Hunt’s). On May 23, 1805, more than two dozen men and women began participating in organized Shaker “labouring,” or dancing. Many of these early western Shaker converts had developed a notoriety for the jerks and other bodily exercises. Conjectural readings, textual defects, and contextual notes appear in square brackets.
7–23 [Sunday, March 23, 1805]. At about 8 we eat breakfast. This morning Saw Worleys wife while on the bed have the Jerks, though with child &c. &c. Left our dirty shirts here with a black girl to be washed, & went half a mile E. to McNemars a married man of about 35 who was brought from the back parts of Pensylvania about 14 years ago by Marshall who was sent from Virginia a missionary to Kentucky. This McNemar at his first awakenings in Pensylvania was greatly convicted of the flesh & became a powerful preacher but [has] lost his power & got married. In the course of the day we conversed with him, but not with much freedom, as he felt in a manner determined to still build on something of his own, or to have God manifest himself by some mighty power &c.
At about 3 we eat dinner & at 9 we eat supper, & at about 10 went all 3 to 1 bed.
Last night it froze & the weather is still something cold & uncomfortable.
1–24.3 [Monday, March 24]. In the morning we again spoke a little of our faith, perticularly John. He opened to John that last fall he began to feel sensible that his life & power began to abate, & also that his temporal circumstances were declining as he had of late left his hard labour & took more to preaching &c. &c. He told us that what he had was ours as well as his & that we might stay as long as we pleased &c. &c.
After breakfast about 9 oclock we went to Worleys & changed our cloths, & from thence about 11 Issachar & B. went in company with W. & wife 2 miles S. to the meeting house. At about 12 began his discourse from Titus 2:11 &c. & for a present day preacher very promptly against the flesh. After this discourse which lasted 2 or 3 hours, Issachar got up & spake with some life & feeling, for about 15 minutes. After this B. spoke about 20 minutes, & also read the letter from the church. The people through the whole were seriously impressed & many felt very solemn with tears, &c. &c. &c.
The number was 200 or 250, & a few of them were exercised with the Jerks violently.
After meeting (near sunset) we returned to Worleys, & eat supper, & in the evening had some perticular conversation respecting the flesh & find that in a great measure he sees the matter as it realy is. It was reveald to him last June, but lascivious desires got the upper hand so much so he said the Lord told him to go & take this present woman last fall. His wife had been dead.
Since he took this woman his [propensitys] were taken away, & his light also with it till about 6 weeks ago, & he has been expecting something to come & take the earth &c. &c.
The weather has been something comfortable. At about 10 we went all 3 to one bed….
1.7 [Sunday, April 7, 1805]. The divided situation of the people is now such, & [wrong constructions] & daily put upon things that we feel it duty to be at the meeting house & speak to all the people &c.
1.7. The weather was still cool & rather uncomfortable. At noon we all attend the meeting house where more than a usial number attended, perhaps three hundred, some being from 8 or 10 miles distance. McNemars text was 2 Corinthians 5:17–18. “If any man be in Xt &c.” His sentiments went directly to destroy old things & to shew the new creature.
When he got through B. got up & spoke to the People, firstly in relation to the Scriptures not being the word of God any further than the predictions of the Prophets &c. pointedly respect us, & this is to be understood through the medium of Gods witnesses in the day in which it is to be wrought, the people having in the course of those overturns, left almost all human composition, & fled to the bible as the only channel through which their salvation must come &c. & an as much [devoted] to it as ever an Presbyterian was to his creed, & it feels very evident that unless they can come to a further understanding of the word of God & Salvation, they will never find it, though great wisdom is needed to make such a great & necessary overturn as this.
Secondly spake of a lost nature which in a lawful way was done by him universally termed marriage, & under this cloak the propensity of a nature which ever was contrary to God is mysteriously indulged; but that the time is [verily] begun according to all the predications of the prophets that Antichrists kingdom shall be destroyed & the very mystery of iniquity is no longer to be kept under cover &c. &c. but is & shall be reveald.
Thirdly spake a few words about confessing sins not to man, but to God; not in the dark but in the light. “Ye are the light” &c. & concluded with an expression of a firm & unshaken consolation that God would carry on his own work! An unbelieving bar appeard to be in the way of many & an evident obstruction which made it hard speaking.
After this McNemar Spake, “I confess I feel myself in a [illeg.] situation. I have stood as a watchman & have endeavourd to warn the people of approaching dangers, for ‘if the watchman see the sword coming & warn not the people’ &c. I would not have the people surprised, for every dispensation has ever appeard to turn things upside down. I would recommend to the reading of all who desire it the writings of Same Jenyns, who states that the doctrines of Christianity go directly to contradict the whole System of the government of this world & therefore (in the sense of opposers) cannot be of God.” &c. &c.
It was plain in all his discourse that an overturn was taking place which was according to his faith. Many people were doubtless unexpectedly struck at his Sermon & testimony, for some went looking to him for protection in their own ways, but insted of this found an addition to the weight. After meeting several invited us to their houses, whenever it should be convenient. From meeting we returned to Worleys by about sunset, & soon after eat supper. In the evening B. spake some to Anna & Rebecca. At night Peggy was again in great distress by reason of buffetings &c.
At about 9 went to bed.
1–7. 2 weomen were taken with Jerks very violently. Their hair looked round their heads like mops….
April. 3–9 [Wednesday, April 9]. Before breakfast we started for Jedidiah Tingles. David Spinaye [Spinning] went with us in some ways & told us that he had been convicted of the flesh within a year &c. &c. From Spinayes we went about a mile & an half S.E. to Tingles where we soon eat breakfast, & with whom & wife we had conversation till about noon. His wife has been evidently convicted of the flesh within 2 years, & so also has he but it has in a measure wore off & concluded it only to be from the devil, & they however received much satisfaction by our coming there. From Tingles we went half a mile N. to Daniel Coreys, where after Dinner we spake about 2 hours. At first the woman appeard some prejudiced, but before we came away they all felt measurably near, & had an understanding in a measure of what was spoken. This weoman also had had since last winter &c.
From Coreys we went S. 2½ miles over Turtle-creek to Frances Beigles & staid near an hour. They were glad to see us & have evidently gain’d in faith since we were there last, & both man & woman testify they fully believe that God has sent us. From thence we went West 2½ miles to S. Holoways, where in the evening Elijah Davis & wife, 2 young men & a young woman came, to whom after supper we spoke till 2 at night. They were all every feeling, & we related a little of the situation of the church which appeard to them very striking. A Single & a married woman for a considerable part of the time were very violently exercised with the Jerks. One of them with a child on her lap (which was taken away) had long hair tied up, but the string would instantly loosen though it were tied ever so tight & the hair fly over the face with such violence as if it were impossible to preserve their eye sight. Every solemn sentence appeard to bring them on more violently.
Between 2 & 3 we went to bed. 7 [miles]….
6–12 [Saturday, April 12]. After breakfast B. went ¼ of a mile to Van Dycks, & a little while after Issachar also came there. While speaking to them the woman while sitting with her back towards the wall was very violently taken with the Jerks, chiefly in her head; & it [illeg.] appeard as if her head would come off; or her every Jerk dashed to piece against the wall; probably there was not between her head & the wall more room than to put the blade of a knife! They were very tender & appeard ready to open their minds, but it was Friday.
From Van Dycks we again returned to L. Montforts, where we eat dinner, after which Issachar disputed with a man who professed great love &c. but felt to be very filthy as well as ignorant. Nothing is gained by talking with such. About 2 oclock P.M. we spake a few words to Montfort, wife & daughter L. We have not felt a profitable gift since we were here. They appear to be much lost. The latter has had much light having seen that every propensity of the flesh must be done away, & has been exercised in mind in examining our testimony, but within a few days has concluded to believe it a delusion &c. but still appears to have some fear of these things.
From Montforts we went 2½ miles to John Wallaces. They appear under some weakness, but we cautioned them, whatever their feelings might be, not to give way to any sin, lest thereby the devil should take the advantage &c. We staid about a quarter of an hour, & then went P.M. to James Beegles. They appear to see clearly truth from error. From thence we went to Kimballs, but not at home. From thence ½ mile to Hills. Spake a few words to Hills & Kimballs wife, & Immediately went into the field to Hill & Kimball with whom we conversed a few minutes, & concluded to have Hill go this evening and visit Wallace & wife, as he is a [perticular] favorite of them & may be a strength &c.
Here we find that reprobate reports are already flying about the people, such as dancing naked &c. &c.
From Hills we went 3 miles to Worleys where we came about sun-set, the weather having this day been warm & uncomfortable on account of our winter cloths. At 8 we eat supper & at 10 went to bed. 6 [miles].
This day McNemar’s wife delivered of a [blank] & immediately after broke out in shouting, & crying god has deliverd me, & now thanks to his name the way is opend that we shall no more live after the flesh! Richard cried with tears Amen! &c. &c. Peggy present & [comfortable]….
April. 2–15 [Tuesday, April 15]. After breakfast, about 9 oclock A.M. we set out to return for Turtle-creek & went S.E. 12 miles to Elijah Davis’ at Beegles Station where we came about 1 oclock p.m. & eat dinner.
About 3 oclock a number it may be 10 of the neighbours came to hear us to whom we spake about 2 hours most of them were feeling & believing & those who had heard before appeard evidently increasing in faith. In the evening after most of the people were gone a few tarried behind among whom was a young woman (Susannah Ladle, 17 years old) who of her own accord desird the privilege, & opened her mind to B. Soon after a young widower of 24 opened his mind to B. Soon after this Issachar had some plain conversations with Elijah D. & wife, while B. spoke to their daughter Easter of 17 years old, & another young woman Betsy Sering of about the same age. They both have a [measure] of faith & even in the course of the evening remarkably exercised with the Jerks. Easter while eating supper, instantly left her victuals & was jerked onto the floor, & from thence she & Betsy went into another room where were Jerked as if everything in the room would immediately be put out of order. They broke down a bedstead & would overset chairs &c. &c. Betsy said “I do not know but the Jerks will kill me yet, for they hurt me very much.” Well said Easter “Be reconciled to the Lord to let him do as he pleases, & they will not hurt you. They do not hurt me now, though they did hurt me last winter, because I fought against them.” She was feeling after the flesh! After the Jerks in some measure ceased B. spoke plainly to them, & soon after Easter desired the privilege & opened her mind to B. Betsy also gave her [hand] of her own accord that whenever she felt free she would also open her mind. I never saw one more bound to the force of lost nature, in such free circumstances. Therefore left her altogether to act [her] own choice without any flattery &c. &c.
This morning John went about 2 miles from Worleys to David Spinages, whose wife & Parents remain & increase in opposition. Notwithstanding he broke through & A.M. opened his mind to John. From thence John went to Stephen Spinages whose wife also is still bitter, but not long after John left them she felt as if she had committed the unpardonable sin, & in the evening came to Worleys & staid all night, & made a confession of her abuse to John & to Issachar & B. on 2–8. She appeared to have lost all opposition, &c. &c. Between 2 & 3 oclock at night we went to bed. 12 [miles]….
April. 6–19 [Saturday, April 19]. A.M. Richard McNemar came to Malcoms & signified to B. his desire of opening his mind to Issachar & B. He feels Sensible that he cannot abide in that situation long. He wants ground to stand upon, & to feel his union to something.
At about 6 oclock P.M. Issachar & B. went 2½ miles S. to James Beegles, where in the evening a Society of about 40 people were gathered, among whom were many that at first felt very hard & much prejudiced. After they had proceeded a while, Issachar & B. Spoke a few words to the people, & exhorted them to beware of fighting lest they should be found fighting against God, & shut out the very things that they had prayed to God for, from the sincerity of their souls, even that God would open a way to save them from all sin, that we were sent by the very gift of God in answer to their prayers & that we had the confidence of this before we took one step of our journey &c. And shewed them that though they were afraid of being deceived, led, or taught by man; yet their most sacred writings in which they put all their trust, were both spoken & written & even handed down to us by men, & not only so but those writings of the Prophets, with all their predictions; together with the predictions of Christ himself & his Apostles, point out in the plainest and strongest terms, that the latter day of glory or coming of Christ the second time to establish his everlasting kingdom of earth, was to be revealed in his saints, which should constitute his body, or church, or, Mount Zion, where God himself was to dwell; & from which was to go forth the law that was to rebuke, & Subdue the nations. Now then, if God dwells in his saints, where else shall we find him? And if the law is to go forth out of Zion, from whence then shall we receive it but from those who have it? And thus shall all know the Lord!
Before meeting was dismissed there was a sensible alteration, so that many of them felt very near. It was worthy of notice that two young weomen who had opend their minds were operated upon more than any of them, In Jerking, some dancing, & trembling. They also spoke with great power respecting the Salvation, & purity of the present day, particular A. [blank] a black girl who though she was illiterate, spoke with such fluency & correctness out of the Scriptures & with much power as could not but surprise all who heard. The other was E. Davis.
It was very evident that none in the meeting were so comfortable & full of power as these two. It is also very evident that their vocal prayers, are swiftly abating; also some of their Bible Jesus! At about 1 at night we returned to Worleys & at about 2 went to bed. 5 [miles].
While walking from Worleys to the Society meeting B. had some special feelings about the Indians & communicated the same to Issachar. It will be nothing strange if the Ohio Indians should see & believe. Never had such feelings before….
April. 2, 4, 29 [Tuesday, April 29]. We again all attended meeting. It was the fourth day of the meeting, a rainy day, & a day of great confusion. Thompson took part of the Lords prayer for a text “Our father which art in heaven.” In this he laboured to shew that the most wicked have a right to call God “father” as well as the righteous, because that all the creations were his both by creation & preservation, & that God had never sold them, nor given them away, bringing a similitude of a son’s being taken away by the Indians! In time of the sermon a young man deranged came where B. was sitting & with a bible in his hand denounced judgment against the false prophet & all that would adhere to him, both yesterday & today. He spoke many Solemn truths, in the beginning of the discourse, speaking of the day of the Lord that was near at hand as judgment upon the wicked, & the establishment of Christ’s kingdom. But this morning before meeting he was taken away from the multitude by a few men, staid a little while, & then came & spit in Johns face, & also in another of the believers, & his deranged testimony was against us without any doubt from the ill will of others. At about 9 oclock the meeting began & continued till about 4 P.M. It was very evident that those great shouters who were opposed to the increasing work of God went away very barren, not a single one took a ray of true (if even false) light with them, but most if not all those who believed & had opend their minds were still strong & felt power. One of them however (Peter Van Dyck) had great power, but by some means or other (perhaps by uniting with the rejoicings of the opposers not knowing what he was about) his exercises appeard uncomfortable, was most violently Jerked up & down, to & fro, on the ground against logs & as if every joint & limb would instantly be torn asunder, would get a hold of a Staddle, Jerk & twitch as if he would pull up the trees by the very roots.
We again had no other oppertunity of speaking than to clusters in the skirts of the congregation & all those who heard, as far as we spoke were satisfied that what we spoke was truth, & what they had heard by report was false, & what we said by us was said after sermon. Issachar had a little oppertunity of speaking to some in the meeting house. It was nothing but tumult, for as far as they were able they kept up a continual noise at the stand.
A little circumstance took place which felt disagreeable. In time of preaching the man that was deranged came to J. S. who was sitting beside of Issachar & warned him to come away from the false prophet, took hold of him to pull him away, by which J. S. felt his spirit raised and gave the man a push. It would doubtless have been wisdom to rather have born anything.
After meeting we all returned to Malcoms, & soon after dinner Issachar & B. went to Richard, & a number of those who believed were there with who we took some comfort. While here Richard mentioned the following “When you first came I Dreamt that you came to me & pretended to have a parcel of silver dollars in your hands & kept them back & concealed, & would not let me have them unless I put out my hand to receive them, which I finally did & took them all in my hand, & found them to be nothing but a parcel of metal buttons without [eyes]. By this it appeard plain to me what you were, but afterwards I still saw something plainer. I saw that while I was in opposition in the daytime & pleading for the flesh, the devil was able to furnish me with suitable materials to continue that opposition through the day. I plainly saw it was from the devil….
May. 5–23 [Friday, May 23, 1805]. About noon we attended the meeting at D. Hills which [was] appointed perticularly for those who had opened their minds. Near 40 assembled, & about 6 or 8 who were believing, and a few nonprofessors.
The time being fully come, that those who have faith should be in a way to find some strength, & some breaking off from the world, We spake to them of the fulfillment of the promises according to the scriptures, perticularly of the restoration of the true worship of God, which evidently took place in the believers in the State of N. York, &c. in this our day. And that not only the scriptures pointedly refer’d to what was to take place in the latter days, but that God had within a few years, by his mighty & irresistible power Shewed the people in types, & shadows what he also was agoing to bring about in this part of the land, & understood that that the exercises by the invisible power of God went pointedly to the destruction of all antichristian forms, and inventions of men by such exercises as Jerking &c. &c. & the restitution of, the true worship of God by such as dancing, &c. And that notwithstanding the many wonderful operations of the mighty power of God, which plainly Shewed what was to be left undone, & what was about to be done, yet the powers of Darkness were engaged & determined to uphold their own forms, & the wicked their works. And whenever anything is said about the creatures working good works, i.e. being obedient to his faith, or of being co-workers with God, or the like, The cry immediately is, away with works! A good work he will not do, though it be fully his faith, unless he be drove to it by irresistible power. But an evil work, whether it be taught him by tradition, or by the influence of carnal mind, this he can do with all his might freely, even if it be contrary to his own faith, or the light he has received! Such are the mysterious advantages that Satan takes over mankind at this day! Would to God that mankind were as much afraid of evil works, as they are of good works, but as mankind is an active creature, they will work either good or evil continually. And everyone shall be rewarded according to his works.
But though these things are very evident, yet we do not wish to undertake to convince anyone, of what ought, or what ought not, to be done, by argument, for the principal thing necessary is for each one to feel the very spirit & power of that Gospel, that goes to the destruction of the flesh, world, & devil, & to the Salvation of the Soul. Without this, all outward performances are useless & vain, &c. After speaking we sung an hymn, & while singing the following lines:
“With him in praises we’ll advance
And join the virgins in the dance.”
Jane McNemar got exercised in dancing for some time. After singing a hymn, Issachar sung a labouring song & John & B. laboured in presence of them all. Richard also got to dancing, & P. Kimball, a woman of 27 who had not opened her mind, was exercised & got to dancing, & continued in it for some time after two songs were sung, & whistled the tune (this she did as she afterwards told us, to keep from Singing!) & from this she went to turning which was the first regular gift of turning we had seen since we left N. Lebanon, & this she said she never had before, though she had had both the Jerks & dancing. Calvin M. was also exercised in a sort of shaking & quick stamping on the floor. Richard & he were soon clasped together & rolled on the floor. David C. a young man of 2 [number incomplete] was exercised almost the whole time of the meeting, by a sort of dancing & turning. It may be 6 or 8 men were in the dance & about the same number of weoman. Most if not all of them were moved to it by the operation & most of them who stood by had the same feeling & could scarcely refrain, but kept back on account of the cross. But there was power among the people, & none were stumbled but rather found an increase of faith & union.
After meeting was nearly dismissed we spake perticularly by way of council to the brethren not to give any just occasion to the spirit of persecution, neither by hard speeches nor any other way. And that though it has been always held by all Antichristian professors, & nonprofessors in all ages, even as it is at this day, that is just & right, yea, & Duty to fight the devil, & persecute his messengers. But it is a matter worthy of the greatest notice that Christ & his followers are inoffensive, harmless, separate from sinners, & never persecuted any, neither good nor bad.
In time of intermission Richard solemnly communicated the following to the people that “soon after these brethren came one night after my family were all going to bed I was sitting up late, & just as I was thinking whether these were the true messengers whom God had sent, or no, one of my children lying upstairs was taken with a fit to which he had been subject in consequence that they were. I be the unclean spirit in the name of Jesus Xt be gone out of the child. Jane hearing the child in distress desired me to go to the child & speak to him. I answered Jesus Xt has spoke to him, & immediately the child was at peace & has not been in troubled since. Many are saying, shew us a sign? Well here now is a sign! I speak the truth before God.”
At about 6 oclock the meeting broke up. John & the brethren from Salem went to Malcoms. Calvin & Rhoda M. went to Richards as also did Issachar & B. 4 [miles].
Source
Benjamin Seth Youngs, Journal, 1805, 54–56, 65–71, 78–79, 85, 97–98, 121–125, ASC 859, Edward Deming Andrews Memorial Shaker Collection, 1747–1982, The Winterthur Library, Winterthur, Del.
About Benjamin Seth Youngs (1774–1855)
Born in Schenectady, New York, Benjamin Seth Youngs converted to Shakerism with a large contingent of his family in 1794. During the next decade, Youngs worked alongside Issachar Bates as a missionary in western Massachusetts, upstate New York, and Vermont. In December 1804, Shaker leaders appointed John Meacham, Bates, and Youngs to open the Shaker gospel in the west. Youngs’s extensive travel journal of the missionaries’ “Long Walk” to Kentucky and Ohio includes vivid descriptions of the jerks and other bodily exercises that dominated the Great Revival. He emerged as a prominent leader in the development of western Shakerism, evangelizing, organizing communities, and drafting the sect's first comprehensive theological treatise, The Testimony of Christ's Second Appearing (1808). Youngs served as elder of the Shaker village at South Union, Kentucky, for more than two decades before being recalled to Watervliet, New York, where he died in 1855.
References
Stephen J. Paterwic, Historical Dictionary of the Shakers, Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements, no. 87 (Lanham, Md., 2008), 251–253.
