Richard McNemar

Christian Goodwillie

Description

The first biography of a key and complex American religious figure of the nineteenth century, considered by many to be the "father of Shaker literature."

Richard McNemar (1770–1839) led a remarkable life, replete with twists and turns that influenced American religions in many ways during the early nineteenth century. Beginning as a Presbyterian minister in the Midwest, he took his preaching and the practice of his congregation in a radically different, evangelical "free will" direction during the Kentucky Revival. A cornerstone of his New Light church in Ohio was spontaneous physical movement and exhortations. After Shaker missionaries arrived, McNemar converted and soon played a prominent role in expanding and raising public awareness of their religion by founding Shaker communities in the Midwest, becoming the first Shaker published author and the most prolific composer of Shaker hymns.

Split between two opposing religious traditions—an evangelical movement attracting tens of thousands and Shakerism, which drew only hundreds to its villages—Richard McNemar's life poses a challenge for any biographer. Christian Goodwillie's mastery of the archival records surrounding McNemar and the Shakers allows him to tell McNemar's story in a way that fully captures the complexity of the man and the scope of his enduring legacy in American religious history.

Acknowledgments
Maps
Introduction
Part I: Presbyterian and Schismatic
1. Youth
2. Westward Migration and Education
3. Ordination
4. Revival
5. Rebellion
Part II: Shaker
6. Rebirth
7. The New and Living Way
8. Community Foundations
9. Shakers and the Shawnee Prophet
10. Shaker Publications and the Expansion of Missionary Efforts
11. Gospel Order in the West, James Smith, and the Ohio Mob
12. War Comes to the Wabash
13. Perfidy, Pilgrims, Prosecution, Progress, and Pestilence
14. The End of the Beginning
15. "There's Something Dead upon This Ground," or, "The Buzzards and the Flesh"
16. The Struggle with Abijah Alley and Aquila Bolton
17. Eleazar Goes East
18. Eleazar and the Covenant
19. Custos Sacrorum
20. The Great Snake and the Patriarchal Skeleton
21. Unrest in the West
22. Freegift to the West
23. "The Name or Memory of Mr. McNamar"
24. The New Era
25. War in Heaven
26. A Wandering Star
27. Look Homeward, Angel
28. Aftermath and Legacy
Appendix 1: Richard McNemar, "A general outline of the past Journal of my life"
Appendix 2: Richard McNemar, "Testimony of E[leazar] Wright"
Appendix 3: Richard McNemar, "My years on earth have been but few"
Appendix 4: [Archibald McCorkle?], "A few mourning thoughts on McNemar's fall," and Richard McNemar, "An Answer to the Mourning Thoughts on McNemar's Fall"
Appendix 5: The Expulsion of Richard McNemar
Appendix 6: [The Redemption of Richard McNemar]
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Barton W. Stone
• History of the United States
• History of Christianity
• History of religions
• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• Christianity
• Religion
• History
• Leadership
• Shaker
• Robert Owen

Informations

• Publié par: Indiana University Press
• Date de parution: 07 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780253065070
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

RICHARD McNEMAR
RICHARD McNEMAR

FRONTIER HERETIC AND SHAKER APOSTLE
CHRISTIAN GOODWILLIE
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing
Herman B Wells Library 350
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
iupress.org
2023 by Christian Goodwillie
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing 2023
Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-253-06504-9 (hardback)
ISBN 978-0-253-06505-6 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-253-06506-3 (ebook)
Dedicated to Gretchen and Douglas Goodwillie (Mom and Dad) with love and gratitude
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Maps
Introduction
PART I: Presbyterian and Schismatic
1. Youth
2. Westward Migration and Education
3. Ordination
4. Revival
5. Rebellion
PART II: Shaker
6. Rebirth
7. The New and Living Way
8. Community Foundations
9. Shakers and the Shawnee Prophet
10. Shaker Publications and the Expansion of Missionary Efforts
11. Gospel Order in the West, James Smith, and the Ohio Mob
12. War Comes to the Wabash
13. Perfidy, Pilgrims, Prosecution, Progress, and Pestilence
14. The End of the Beginning
15. There s Something Dead upon This Ground, or, The Buzzards and the Flesh
16. The Struggle with Abijah Alley and Aquila Bolton
17. Eleazar Goes East
18. Eleazar and the Covenant
19. Custos Sacrorum
20. The Great Snake and the Patriarchal Skeleton
21. Unrest in the West
22. Freegift to the West
23. The Name or Memory of Mr. McNamar
24. The New Era
25. War in Heaven
26. A Wandering Star
27. Look Homeward, Angel
28. Aftermath and Legacy
Appendix 1: Richard McNemar, A general outline of the past Journal of my life
Appendix 2: Richard McNemar, Testimony of E[leazar] Wright
Appendix 3: Richard McNemar, My years on earth have been but few
Appendix 4: [Archibald McCorkle?], A few mourning thoughts on McNemar s fall, and Richard McNemar, An Answer to the Mourning Thoughts on McNemar s Fall
Appendix 5: The Expulsion of Richard McNemar
Appendix 6: [The Redemption of Richard McNemar]
Notes
Bibliography
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THIS BIOGRAPHY HAS BEEN TEN years in the making, although it was conceived in 2001, when I began what was supposed to be a temporary job as interim curator of collections at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. My interests in music, Shakerism, and early United States history converged in the person of Richard McNemar. Many projects served as preparatory work for the writing of the biography, including critical editions of two Shaker-published hymnals, one that contained seventy of McNemar s hymns, and the other originally published by him. Millennial Praises: A Shaker Hymnal was published in 2009 by University of Massachusetts Press. My coauthor on that project was Jane F. Crosthwaite, who has also been a great mentor to me in all things Shaker. Richard McNemar, Music, and the Western Shaker Communities: Branches of One Living Tree was published in 2013 by Kent State University Press. My coauthor on that project was Carol Medlicott, and I can truly say that she, more than anyone else, has pushed me to dig deep into the history of the Shaker West. Carol s scholarship, attention to detail, and critical thinking all inspired me as I began work on this biography in earnest in 2011.
This work would not have been possible without the support of the Faith Andrews Fellowships for the Study of Shaker Life and Material Culture at the Winterthur Library and the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill Research Fellowship. The research resources and seclusion of these institutions afforded me two incredibly productive periods of writing.
My journey through Shaker scholarship has been long, and I have been blessed by the friendship and support of many people along the way through many different projects: books, articles, exhibitions, and conferences. I have many people to thank for their assistance in researching and writing this biography. At my alma mater Hancock Shaker Village, these include my wonderful first boss Larry Yerdon, Mary Rentz, esteemed librarian Magda-Gabor Hotchkiss, Sharon Koomler, and Lesley Herzberg. At South Union Shaker Village, director Tommy Hines has always been an inspiration, truly one of the most dedicated museum professionals I have ever known and a great friend. I have very fond memories of reading McNemar s Kentucky Revival while staying in the Shaker Tavern there during the autumn of 2000. At the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, former curator Larrie Curry was unfailingly encouraging of this project and generously shared her own transcriptions of some of McNemar s letters. Likewise, former curator Aaron Genton and current vice president Billy Rankin provided key support and friendly hospitality that allowed me to write in a place where McNemar had a long tenure. At Winterthur Library, E. Richard McKinstry, Jeanne Solensky, Emily Guthrie, and Laura Parrish were great hosts and provided first-class research assistance (especially you, Jeanne!). At the Western Reserve Historical Society, Ann Sindelar has been a great help for many years in providing access to the marvelous Shaker manuscript collection as well as providing images for this book. At the Library of Congress, Eric Frazier was a great host and subsequently supplied me with images of McNemar imprints in their collection. The staff in the Library of Congress s manuscript division were similarly accommodating, although I did not get to know any of them personally. At the Shaker Museum, Chatham, New York, Jerry Grant was helpful in providing access to key materials and images. At Canterbury Shaker Village, Renee Fox has been a wonderful host on research visits and supplied an image for the book. At the Shaker Library in Sabbathday Lake, Maine, I am grateful for the help of Michael Graham, Chuck Rand, and, of course, Brother Arnold Hadd, who encouraged my interest in the Shakers and their history beginning very early on in my career. At Fruitlands, and now the Trustees of Reservations, Roben Campbell, Michael Volmar, Shana Dumont Garr, Sarah Hayes, and Alison Basset have all been incredibly helpful over the years. At the beautiful Enfield Shaker Museum, I have been assisted by Mary Ann Haagen, Galen Beale, and Michael O Connor. Thanks to Michael Coyan, John Zimkus, Mary Allen, and Pat Allen at the Warren County Historical Society, who cheerfully provided encouragement and images for the book. Rich Roth s digital version of the Cathcart Index of Shaker names from the Western Reserve Historical Society was very useful and convenient as I traced the stories of so many people. University archivist Lois Hamill at Northern Kentucky University helpfully shared an image of James Smith s portrait for the book. Nancy Richey at the Kentucky Library, Western Kentucky University, and staff at the Presbyterian Historical Society helped me to obtain images for this book, for which I thank them. Finally, I would be remiss in not mentioning M. Stephen Miller, the late Mario S. De Pillis, Scott DeWolfe, Elizabeth DeWolfe, Peter Hoehnle, Kathleen Fernandez, John H. Ott, Lili R. Ott, Rob Emlen, Walter A. Brumm, Marc Rhorer, Darryl Thompson, Jeff Bach, Don Pitzer, Don Janzen, and Martha Boice, all of whom have been great friends, collaborators, and supporters over the years.
A few individuals in particular have gone above and beyond in assisting me as I worked on this project. The noted historian John Putnam Demos offered me much encouragement in my decision to undertake this project. His confidence in my ability to do the work meant more to me than he could ever have known, and I thank him for it. The late renowned scholar of American religious history Stephen J. Stein encouraged Indiana University Press to consider my manuscript. I am deeply grateful to him for his help in finding a home for this book. David Newell and Jane F. Crosthwaite, my great friends and mentors in all things Shaker, provided valuable comments and criticism on the first half of the book. Etta Madden, whose wide-ranging interests have taken her work far beyond the bounds of communal studies, very generously shared her discovery of a cache of letters relating to McNemar s final days, for which I owe her a huge debt of gratitude. Glendyne R. Wergland, my coauthor on previous projects and one of the foremost scholars of Shakerism, provided unfailingly generous help as I researched McNemar s life. The outstanding work of independent scholar Sandra A. Soule has given me many hours of enjoyment, and her book on Aquila Bolton was very helpful to me as I worked on that section of the biography. The inestimable scholars of Shakerism, my friends Stephen J. Paterwic and Carol Medlicott, read the entire manuscript and offered tremendous insights that helped to bring it over the finish line. Joscelyn Godwin, one of my scholarly heroes and someone I am lucky to call my good friend, also read the completed manuscript and offered feedback. Matthew J. Grow, managing director of the Church History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offered excellent advice to me when I was seeking a publisher. Thomas Sakmyster and Douglas Winiarski each passed along valuable pieces of information that helped me flesh out McNemar s story, for which I am very grateful.
Hamilton College has been my home since 2009. At Hamilton, I have been extremely lucky to have the active support a