Beech Hill: the reconciliation of Hervey Elkins and the Enfield Shakers by Galen Beale.

Title:

Beech Hill: the reconciliation of Hervey Elkins and the Enfield Shakers by Galen Beale.

Author:

Beale, Galen, 1942-.

Call Number:

289.8 E56he

Publication Information:

Clinton, N.Y. : Richard W. Couper Press, 2021.

Physical Description:

321 p. ; illustrations (some color); 22 cm.

Description:

Apostate Hervey Elkins is best known for publishing Fifteen Years in the Senior Order of Shakers, an insider's account of life at Enfield, New Hampshire. Although relations between the Shakers and apostates were often quite contentious, the Elkins family papers reflect a different reality. Out of sixteen members of the Elkins family who joined the Shakers eleven apostatized, while five died in the faith. Beech Hill examines the enduring bond between the Elkinses and the Shakers, within the community and beyond Enfield's boundaries, recounting the Shakers' continued relationships with apostate Elkinses, welcoming their visits, lodging with them while traveling, writing letters providing support and advice. Combining the official Shaker record with intimate details of one family's interactions with the Shakers affords a more positive view of relations between Shakers and apostates.

Subjects:

Shakers Enfield, N.H.

Locations:

Enfield, (N.H.).

People:

Elkins, Hervey.

Terms of Use:

For permission to reproduce or publish material from this item, please contact the New Hampshire Historical Society. Users are responsible for following all copyright and intellectual property laws.

Credit Line:

Gift July 2021