Anderson, Martha Jane (1844-1897)

Biography

Martha J. Anderson came to the Shakers as a child; it is not known precisely when, but it is recorded that she attended the school at Mount Lebanon from 1856 to 1858. By 1860, she was living at the North Family, where she remained for the rest of her life. She worked as a tailor and made mats, and served as both an eldress and a deaconess. She was also a prolific writer. She kept a diary for a time, and wrote hymns, poems, and dozens of pieces which were published in the Shaker Manifesto. Two of these, entitled "Health Notes from Mount Lebanon," which appeared in the April and May, 1892 issues of the Manifesto, give a detailed description of daily life at the Shaker community in that time, including the schedule kept, activities and work engaged in, and housekeeping and health maintenance practices.