Map of Manchester, c. 1750
John Berry printed this “Plan of the towns of Manchester and Salford, England,” in 1750. The buildings and streets depicted in this map would have been familiar to Ann Lee and the other approximately 18,000 residents of Manchester. 
Credit: Manchester Central Library

A Brief History of Mo. Ann Lee, David A. Buckingham, 1883

This essay presents a biography of Mother Ann Lee in the form of a diagram. The Shakers placed great value on the spiritual power Mother Ann achieved through physical abuse and depredation. Buckingham notes, “In consequence of her mental and bodily sufferings, her

flesh consumed upon her bones… until she became as helpless as an infant.”
Credit: New York State Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections

Starboard View of Snow Brig AMERICAN, watercolor by Ange-Joseph Antoine Roux, 1820

Ann Lee and her followers arrived in New York harbor on August 5, 1774. Their ship, the Mariah or Maria, was similar to the one seen in this 1820 watercolor by the French artist Ange-Joseph Antoine Roux.
Credit: Mystic Seaport

Dress Fragment belonging to Anne Lee
Caption: According to Shaker tradition, this is a fragment from a dress worn by Mother Ann Lee during her voyage to America.

Credit: Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon

New York Harbor, 1761
The Shakers arrived in New York in 1774, one year before King George III declared that the colonies were in a state of “open and avowed rebellion.” As tensions escalated, insufficient fortifications led to an increasing sense of panic among city residents. Just a few months before the British invaded and took control of the city, the Shakers left Manhattan.
Credit: New York State Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections

Map, A Plan of the City of Albany, 1794

The Shakers, as British citizens and pacifists who refused to join the colonists’ fight for independence, were regarded with suspicion by area residents. This drawing includes details of the Albany Court House and Prison at left. In 1780, Mother Ann, John Partington, William Lee, James Whittaker, and Mary Partington were charged for “daily dissuading the friends of the American cause from taking up Arms in defense of their Liberties” and were remanded to this prison.

Letter from Lt. Gen. James Clinton to his brother, Governor George Clinton, November 19, 1780.

Mother Ann’s followers petitioned the State to support their cause, and Governor George Clinton ordered her to be released her from jail.

The letter below was damaged in the State Capitol fire of 1911, but still visible (underscored in yellow) is his remark regarding Ann Lee: “[I]f nothing material has been proven against her, I shou’d suppose she may [be] released.”

One sheet document (front and back), List of Families Gathered Who First Believed, early 19th century
A list of those heads of families who believed in and about New Lebanon when the gospel first opened, or in the course of a year or two.

This document dates to the early 19th century, but it is not a covenant, which would have been signed by both male and female adults. The earliest Shakers lived on scattered farms and were often related biologically. These natural families were often incorporated into the

same Shaker families when they began to live communally. Credit: Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon