The people who see this box might notice different things. You might notice the quality craftsmanship, typical of Shaker work. You might examine the shape and size and wonder what it held, whether it stored a bonnet, thread, handkerchiefs, sewing tools, or anything in between. You might consider the name on the lid and wonder who Nancy E. Moore was and how her box has survived over 150 years. It’s fascinating to consider that an item as simple as a wooden box could inspire so many questions.
While we don’t have the answers to all these questions, what we know about Nancy E. Moore is interesting. Nancy was born in 1807 in Warren County before her family joined the South Union Shaker Village in 1811. She was raised in the Shaker faith, making her childhood and experiences with gender and religion much different from most girls growing up in the newly formed United States.
In the early 19th century, women were often associated with “weakness, tenderness, fragility, and vulnerability” and, because of this, stayed primarily in the home. Traditionalists often viewed women as more susceptible to demonic influence, and thus limited women’s ability to make choices and play leadership roles. But even those who didn’t demonize women restricted their access to the church. Republican Motherhood, the ideal that women were the teachers of morality within a family, meant that many women could engage with Scripture, but it also confined women to the domestic sphere.
Engraving of Ann Lee, founder of the Shaker religion, also called the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, as depicted by Milleson of New York, 1871.
But in Shaker societies, understandings of gender and religion were completely different. Nancy would have learned the teachings of Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers, who discouraged sexual activity and promoted celibacy. While it was a radical take on sexuality, it did mean that women in Shaker communities were able to engage with religion as openly as they pleased. Shaker women were not confined to the home to raise children and tend to their houses; they were instead embraced with open arms as participants – and leaders – in the church. Such was the case for Nancy.
Worsted “three pitch” wool comb. Made of stained maple with three rows of steel tines or “broitches” mounted in the head of the comb. 1835. 1929.11.5.
Mid-nineteenth century mulberry-colored silk kerchief woven in a plain weave with a one half inch wide blue band or interior border and is hemmed by hand on all four sides. 1985.6.1.
For Shakers, everyone had a role to play to better their village. Some would cook, others would make textiles, and others still would help with gardens and crops. In fact, we have wool combs and silk kerchiefs produced by the women of South Union in our collection. South Union had a prosperous silk weaving business, and they did everything from raising the silkworms to creating finished kerchiefs, along with denim and wool products.
While we don’t know with certainty what Nancy did as a profession, we know she probably had different jobs throughout her lifetime. We know she served as “a woman of strength, patience, initiative, and integrity.” She likely served as a teacher to young girls at some point in her career, since she created a sampler that was probably used as an example for class in 1859. Her attention to detail suggests she spent many years perfecting her techniques with cross stitch and the fiber arts.
Sampler made by Nancy E. Moore in 1859. Image courtesy of Antique Kentucky Samplers.
Because of her dedication to these standards, Nancy ascended the ranks at South Union Shaker Village and became an eldress in her congregation. She was one of four to be selected to tour the Eastern Shaker congregations in 1854, which is when she likely was given the oval box as a gift, since it was customary for Shakers to present “believers” (which they often called other Shakers) passing through with gifts. A diary account notes that an Elder Benjamin “gave Sister Nancy his little writing box with some of his penholders & an inkstand & a little box of wafers, a card of pens and a raser and a ruler and a pencil.” While we cannot confirm where or when she got this box with certainty, historians speculate it was during this trip.
Photograph of Eldress Betsy Smith (left) with Eldress Nancy Moore (right) in a group photograph of several Believers of South Union. Image courtesy of South Union Shaker Village.
Nancy also served her community during an especially difficult time: when the Civil War divided the state of Kentucky. She cataloged the comings and goings of soldiers almost daily, but a few remarkable things about her accounts stand out. Nancy notes several times in her records that the Sisters at South Union took up the call to feed soldiers and would not turn them away, even if it meant they were underpaid or not paid at all. This was true regardless of their affiliation with the Confederacy or the Union, since Shakers were a pacifist religion. Their hospitality was given as long as they had provisions to spare, even when they disagreed with their tactics. While Nancy was supposed to remain neutral in the conflict, she did occasionally mention her relief at Confederate losses and the escape of Black men from Confederates.
“When the rebel army first took possession of B[owling] Green with General S. B. Buckner at their head; one of the soldiers hauled down the United States flag, and not satisfied with tearing it down, he must trample it under his feet while on the roof. While in this act he fell from the roof and broke both his legs. He died in a few days and no doubt received the reward of his works.” – Nancy E. Moore
Nancy and the other Sisters weren’t afraid to stand up for themselves when necessary. In one instance, a group of Sisters, including Nancy, blocked the stairs so marauders couldn’t steal their cloth. They eventually calmed these marauders by offering them a warm meal and sent them on their way, though they were continually robbed until the end of the war.
Nancy’s diary was published extensively in Shaker magazines in the years after the war. Her impact, to her own village and to the larger Shaker community, was felt and recorded by many. She was an active participant in her community and her faith in an era when women were supposed to keep out of political conversations and focus on their homes. Nancy went above and beyond to understand the nuances of politics and war, but also the deep connection she felt with soldiers and her endless compassion for all people who came through there. It’s likely for this reason that, upon her passing, Elder Eades prefaced her name with an underscored good, an honor she was the only one to earn.
Blue silk bookmark embroidered by Nancy E. Moore with the words “I am preparing for Heaven, N.E. Moore.” cross stitched onto 22 count perforated paper. 1975.36.5.
You can see Nancy E. Moore’s Oval Shaker box, the Shaker textile comb, and other Shaker pieces at the Kentucky Museum in our Decorative Arts Gallery.
If you’d like to learn more about Eldress Nancy Moore and other Shakers, be sure to visit South Union Shaker Village, just 20 minutes from WKU’s campus. Now a museum, South Union was a thriving Shaker community active from 1807 to 1922 and had over 200 buildings at its height. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for self-guided tours.