OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 30A ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 April 7, 2005 ************************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio And Then They Went West Know Your Ohio by Darlene E. Kelley Tid Bits -- part 30 A notes by S. Kelly +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Part 30 A. -- Shaker Heights -- "Known as the North Union Shaker Community." This is the story in part of the people who gave their name to Shaker Heights. Ralph Russell was the founder of the North Union settlement of " The United Society of Believers " nicknamed the Shakers, because of their dance. It was grouped near the Shaker Lakes in the region now known as Shaker Heights. Three bothers, John, Jacob and William Russell, came out of England sometime between 1730 and 1745 and settled in or near Heron and West Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut. William's son Samuel had five sons, of whom Samuel was one. Samuel had six children, of which Jacob was the eldest. Jacob married Esther Dunham of Hebron, Conn., and they had twelve children. Jacob Russel was a Rev. War Veteran. Ralph was one of the sons of this Jacob who emigrated to Ohio with their father and mother in 1812. He was then twenty-three years old. The Rusell families-- there was a group of them ( 20 all toll ) including those of Elisha Russel and Nathaniel Risley -- had to undergo the usual pioneering difficulties of rude shelter, limited food and danger of Indians. But they kept on as the usual pioneering grit, and lived, most of them, to ripe old age. They took root in and around Warrensville. In 1821 Ralph, then thirty two years of age, visited the Shaker community of Union Village, near Lebanon, Ohio, and was charmed with the Shaker beautty of life. He soon became an ardent convert to all their doctrines. He rather expected to join the colony at Union Village, but the elders persuaded him to wait over the winter and then start a new community in his own neighborhood. He spent the intervening months in preaching and proselying, with the result that a number of converts were ready to join him in the new venture. In 1822 they moved onto the Russell lands and later gave it the spiritual name " the Valley of God's Pleasure." The Russell family provided many early converts and the landholdings increased to 1,366 acres, on which eventually some 60 buildings were constucted. For five years Ralph Russell was a " burning and shinning light " in the new community. In 1826, however, Ashbel Kitchell came from Union Village at Lebanon, with what seemed to the congregation a superior light and gift. >From this time on, Ralph's influence began to wane. It is possible that after his first years of glowing enthusiasim, Ralph began to suspect the soundness of the doctrine, for we find him some years later withdrawing entirely from the community, moving with his family to Solon, where he bought a farm and lived until his death in 1866. He is said to have been about six feet tall, straight, dark, well proportioned, " of a winning manner, mild an persuasive in argument, naturally of a sociable and genial disposition, kind and hospitable to strangers" qualities, these, valuable either in or out of a religious community. Jacob Russell his father was a Revoluntionary war veteran and purchased the lands of 475 acres in the Western Reserves upper Doan Brook Valley, located approximately 8 miles southeast of downtown Cleveland. As said in the above, it ventually grew to 1,366 acres. 60 members lived there during Ralph's Russells five years. Ashbel Kitchell was a powerful man who had no doubts. His good business methods and strong will contributed to the rapid and prosperous growth of the community during his five years of leadership. Richard Pelham, who seems to have divided his time between the two villages of Union and North Union for some years, and then went on to found other communities, left his mark more on the intellectual and theological sides than some of the other leaders. He was highly educated in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and made a traslation of the Bible in English. The names of David Spinning, Lucy Faith, Lois Spinning, Vincy McNemar, Betsey Dunlavy, Matthew Houston, Riley Honey ( notable as having been born on the Western Reserve), Chester Risley, William Andrews, and Oliver Wheeler were among those who, in Shaker phrase, " held positions of care and trust." The Russells alone make a long roster of devoted sisters and brothers. Among them were Return ( elder brother of Ralph ), his son Samuel, Elisha, Elljan, Rodney, Lydia, Betsey, Jerusha, Eunice, Esther, Caroline, Roxana, Huldah, Laura, and Melinda. Several oter family names persit, but none so strong in numbers as the Russell family. Sixteen of the first thirty-seven members who signed the Shaker covenent bore the Russell name. Lucy Faith seems to have been one of the strong, competent ad interesting women developed by the combination of New England stock, pioneer life and Shaker doctrine. She was said to have been "remarkedly gifted in song." Together with Anna Boyd and Thankful Stewart, " they seemed to sing with the spirit and understanding." There was an inspiration about their singing that would inspire a whole assemblage. The rich melody of their voices, at the little distance, could hardly be distinguished from a well tuned instrument. Those who heard them were extravagant in their praise." Besides composing words of most of their songs and hymns, the Shakers also composed a great many of the musical settings. They had a musical notation system of their own. The signing of the Shaker Covenant was not like the taking of perpetual vows in monastic orders. It pledged the services and worldly goods of the signers for such time as they remained members of the community; but if they wished later to withdraw from it, they were free to do so, according to the dictates of their consciences. There may have been grief at the withdrawal of a member, but no disgrace attached to the action. An intereting case came to court on this point. A woman member withdrew and married. She and her husband sued for wages for the services she had rendered the society during her membership. The Shakers engaged Governor Wood and Samuel Starkweather to defend their cause. The court decided that the Covenant was a binding contract in which the woman voluntarily pledged her services to a consecrated purpose, and that the society, therefore, had no pecuniary obligation towards her. The Shakers dd not go to court of their own volition, but when it was necessary they engaged eminent council. Samuel Starkweather, later judge, served them for forty years, and they are said never to have lost a case, because he would undertake none for them unless he was sure they were right and would be sucessful. They took no part in politics, nor did they vote at elections, but paid their taxes and conducted themselves as good citizens. Intoxicating liquor was never used except on those occasions when prescribed by a physician. Food was simple but abundant. Breakfast was regularly served at six, dinner at twelve, and supper at six, summer and winter. Two long tables were set in the great kitchens, the brothers sitting at one, sisters the other. Children were given their meals after the adults had finished. They wore a sort of uniform, the dress of the men being severly plain, and their hair was worn long behind. The women were distinquished by their white Shaker bonnets which concealed the hair. their dress, not like that of the Quakers in form, was of dark blue or grey. Brothers and sisters lived either in separate houses or in separate sections of a large house. Children had quarters of their own under strict but tender supervision. Men and women were equal in all repects before the Shaker law. The government was dual, an elder and eldress serving together. Usually there were two elders, two eldresses, some deacns and deaconesses, and a minister whose duties were wholly religious. The property was held in common, at one time comprising about 1,370 acres together with buildings. For tax purposes ownership was vested in a legal trustee. During the sixty eight years of the existance of North Union Village, every trustee proved fathful and nothing was lost through the confidence thus reposed. " Gifts," spititual, mechanical or artistic, were encouraged, so no member need hide his talent in a napkin. On the contrary, every aid was given to the development of any special powers, and for many patents taken out by the Shaker Socieies for the inventions of their members. The community life was conducive to research along mechanical lines. Its sober and sparing ideas of comfort gave birth to great beauty in simplicity of line and pattern in the furniture and textiles. Speaking of gifts, this story is told of Ashel Kitchell. Elder John Pomeroy Root was very sick and was expected to die by those around him. His mouth and limbs were cold, his jaw set. Kitchell returned home from a journey, entered the room and looked at him. " Pomeroy, Live!' he commanded. " There is no gift for you to die." Whereupon Pomeroy recovered, presumably for the purpose of working further at something he had a gift for-- inventing. At its high point in numbers an prosperity, North Union Village was composed of three " Families" -- the North, usually referred as the Mill Family, the Middle family and the East Family. The Mill family was located near the present intersection of Coventry Road and North Park Boulevard; the Middle family, sometimes called the Church Family, lived where Lee Road and Shaker Boulevard now come togther; the location of the East Family was at Warrington Road and South Boulevard. Each family had a substancial group of buildings, orchard and woodlot besides its fields and gardens. The Mill family built a dam at the lower end of Shaker Pond and utilized the waterpower for a sawmill. It is characteristic of the Shaker ingenuity that water was also run through the house in pipes for washing and bathing purposes. There was no plumbing as we understand the word, but it was a great gain in labor saving to be able to tap a stream inthe house instead of carrying every drop used for every purpose in pails from outdoor wells. Hygene too, was promoted by the free supply of water. Household and personal cleanliness became difficult when the use of water must be measured by the labor of carrying it. In addition to the large residence building and sawmill, the Mill Family, like any large and prosperous farm, had various outbuildings. There was a wash-house, through whic ran a never failing stream, a dry-house, a cheese-house built at Doan Brook's edge, a water-wheel shed, barns, wagon sheds, a blacksmith shop, a milk-house, a cow-stable, woodshed and workshop, not to mention a bridge and a tenant house. The Middle Family had no sawmill. But it had a church, and elder's house, a office, hospital, girl's house, boy's house, school- house, broom shop, woolen mill, carpenter shop and tannery, besides sch buildings listed for the Mill Family. In the Middle esablishment, also, were the cemetery and Holy Grove. Broom making was the chief financial resource of the brethern here, the brush coming from Illinois. The sisters made and sold bonnets, socks, stockings, mittens, gloves, canned and dried fruit, apple butter and preserves. The Shaker products were famous here, as were those of the other communities for their sturdy and honest excellance. The East Family was also important in its own way. It was called the " Gathering Order," where new members lived at first wile becoming familiar with the life and rules. Applicants for admission went there for information, and guests were taken care of. It is interesting that there were always novices in the fall who decided when spring days grew warm that they did not wish to remain permanently. The regular members called those " Winter Shakers," from which term one may deduce that they understood full well the nature of the autumnal religious zeal, but it is not on record that any who sought were turned away. It was a working order, however, and no member who wished to stay need think of refusing to take his trick in the broom shop, stable, or dairy. For the Family, also, made brooms to sell, and its most important source of revenue was the selling of milk from door to door in the neighboring city. The Middle of the century seems to have been the climax of development. Elder Samuel Russell was Presiding Elder, from 1840 to 1858, his executive powers were devoted to pushing the society's business, and progress was rapid and strong. When he took office, there were about one hundred members in the Middle Family and about fifty in each of the other two. During his time a new church was built, a new stone grist mill, an addition to the residence; also a school house, furnished with the best equipment then known in the way of maps, boks, globes and blackboards. The woolen factory went up in 1854. On the top floor of this building were a spinning mill of 160 spindles and two power looms for weaving cloth. Th next floor below had carding machines for stocking yarn. Below this floor containing an iron lathe for turning broom handles, while the basement house a grindstone and a buzz saw for sawing wood for fuel. This saw supplied forty or fifty fires. Perhaps some of the Winter Shakers got a chance to become expert in the manner of feeding the fire which warmed them. The machinery for the whole building was run by water power run by an overshot wheel, with water drawn from the upper pond through an articfical mill-race. The grist mill, according to Maclean, was four stories high on the south side, the lowest built of sandstone four feet thick quarried nearby. " The gearing was mostly of cast-iron. The penstock was hewn out of solid sandstone to a depth of fifty feet. The front was laid with heavy blocks of stone, mitred in, laid with hydraulic cement. There were run of stone, cast-iron shafts, fifty feet long, running from the stones above down to the cast-iron wheels below. Besides all this there were two new bolts and screen, smut-mill, and a place for grinding coarse feed. When it was built, good judges pronounced it to be one of the best flouring-mills in Ohio, a monument of solid masonry and workmanship." Elder Samuel Russell turned his attention also to the farms, and greatly improved the stock of cattle and horses. He secured the best bred Durham and Devonshire cattle that were available either in England or the United States. Horses of Morgan, French, Canadian or Arabian stocks were added, and matched up in teams for size, speed and color. Russell left the community in 1858. His office was filled by John Root, who seems to have given more attention to the spiritual side than practical, for financial difficulties soon began to appear. Richard Pelham was sent over from Union Villiage to straighten out the affairs, and remained two years doing that work, interferring not at all with the ministry of Root. From this time on, however, no special improvements were made. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Continued in Part 30 B.