West Union Shaker settlement account book
Collection — Folder: S2712
Identifier: S2712
Scope and Contents
This collection includes the account book for the Shaker settelement of West Union, first known as Busro, and located in the northwestern corner of Knox County, Indiana. Ranging from 1815 to 1822, the entries record "all articles that is [sic] sold on credit." There are also a few loose papers tucked in the book, including part of an October 19, 1824 receipt of a thirty-nine dollar note from John Dailey and a May 16, 1825 notice signed by Jonathan Douglass regarding the commencement of wool carding in the settlement.
Dates
- 1815-1825
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Historical Note
The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, a celibate millenarian group known commonly as the Shakers, first established communal settlements in the United States in the late 18th century. In the early 1800s, Archibald Meacham and Issachar Bates arrived in Ohio and organized several societies there, the most important of which was Union Village in Warren County. In 1808, they visited Knox County in Indiana Territory and purchased 1300 acres of land, mostly in Busseron Township. Originally known as Busro (also spelled Busroe and Buserow), the community was later know as West Union. The settlement was fairly successful and happy, but the area was conductive to malaria and after suffering several bad epidemics, the Shakers left in March 1927.
Sources:
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Shaker." Encyclopedia Britannica, June 13, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shakers.
MacLean, John P. Shakers of Ohio: Fugitive Papers Concerning the Shakers of Ohio, With Unpublished Manuscripts. Columbus, Ohio: F.J. Heer Printing Co., 1907.
Robinson, Oliver W. “The Shakers in Knox County.” Indiana Magazine of History 34, no. 1 (1938): 34–41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27786945.
Sources:
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Shaker." Encyclopedia Britannica, June 13, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shakers.
MacLean, John P. Shakers of Ohio: Fugitive Papers Concerning the Shakers of Ohio, With Unpublished Manuscripts. Columbus, Ohio: F.J. Heer Printing Co., 1907.
Robinson, Oliver W. “The Shakers in Knox County.” Indiana Magazine of History 34, no. 1 (1938): 34–41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27786945.
Extent
0.02 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection consists of one volume.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2022/07/14 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2022/07/14 by Laura Eliason.
- Title
- West Union Shaker settlement account book
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
