Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm76039552
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
This collection of records from various Shaker communities was assembled by the Library of Congress from gifts, purchases, and exchanges. The primary group of records was donated by John Patterson MacLean between 1906 and 1914. Small additions were made to the collection from 1916 to 1942.
The Shaker Collection was organized and described by the United States Works Progress Administration in 1937-1938. A register and index were compiled when the material was arranged for microfilming in 1976. This description was revised and expanded in 1997.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of members of the Shaker communities in this collection and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The Shaker Collection is open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
A microfilm edition of these papers is available on thirty-two reels. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container or reel number, Shaker Collection of Records Concerning the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The Shaker Collection includes correspondence, diaries and journals, recipes, photographs, financial and legal papers, community laws and rules, church records such as covenants, hymns and hymnals, orders and instructions, spiritual communications, prayers, inspirational writings and drawings, registers, lists of members, logbooks, lectures and speeches, and writings by and about members, including poetry, autobiographical, biographical, and historical sketches, essays, memoirs, testimonies, and notes and book drafts. Most of the collection concerns the period from 1792 to 1937, although some retrospective material relates to events as early as 1676. Many of the items are copies signed and dated by the transcriber.
The collection is organized in eight series by the name of the Shaker community. Within each series, items are numbered and listed in an order devised by the
The records reflect many aspects of Shaker life and history. The diaries and journals document the daily life of individuals, including mention of the weather, and community events such as the construction of buildings, travels of the members, education of children, and the arrival and departure of visitors. Some diaries are more concerned with character and spiritual development. The autobiographical, biographical, and historical sketches, memoirs, logbooks, and registers provide further accounts of life in Shaker communities. Birth and death dates of early Shakers are often noted; other demographic data can be obtained from the registers and writings. Material related to two unpublished books includes the drafts and notes for a history of
Shaker beliefs and religious practices are recorded in volumes containing covenants, declarations of trust, church orders and instructions, discourses, and essays. The significance of revelation and inspiration in Shaker religion can be seen in the many accounts of visions and spiritual communications with deceased members of the sect, including
A significant amount of material relates to Shaker music. Hymns and anthems are especially numerous. Musical accompaniment is provided for some of the hymns.
Correspondence exchanged between communities is limited in quantity. Legal papers, such as indentures and court documents, financial accounts, clippings, and other miscellaneous items complete the collection.
Prominent Shakers who are represented in the collection by correspondence, diaries, journals, or other writings include
The collection is arranged in eight series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm76039552
Microfilm edition available. Shelf no. 16,790-32N-32P; no. 32,370-32P (2nd copy)
Biographical sketches, covenants, lectures and addresses, correspondence, spiritual communications, membership lists, religious tracts, church records, poems, and music.
Arranged numerically.
Spiritual communications, covenants, correspondence, poems, church records, declarations of trust, and records of births and deaths of members in various Shaker communities, mostly in New England.
Arranged numerically.
Diary, church records, social compact, correspondence and writings, church orders, and laws and ordinances.
Arranged numerically.
Church orders, diary, journal, poem, and other writings.
Arranged numerically.
Diary, journals, treatise, recipes, and other writings.
Arranged numerically.
Diary and journals, correspondence, covenants, poems, autobiographical material, historical sketches, revelations, testimonies, lectures, spiritual communications, laws, orders, discourses, and other writings.
Arranged numerically.
Diaries and journals, correspondence, daybooks, financial papers and property records, legal papers, historical and autobiographical sketches, covenants, prophecies, spiritual communications, hymns, circulars, laws, rules, orders, recipes and medicinal cures, records of births and deaths, clippings and printed matter, poems, essays, drafts and research notes for unpublished books, and other writings.
Arranged numerically.
Correspondence, hymns, prayers, spiritual communications, recipes and instructions, scrapbook, bibliography, and other writings.
Arranged numerically.
Correspondence (photocopies) and a watercolor painting.
Arranged and described by item number and according to the series and containers from which the items were removed.