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In 1774, Mother Ann Lee made a monumental decision to leave for America for freedom and work.
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The small group of Shakers purchased land and settled in Watervliet, New York.
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Hancock was the third of what would eventually number nineteen major Shaker communities established between 1783 and 1836 in New York, New England, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.
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On 1784, Mother Ann passes away and her early disciple, Father James Whittaker took her place.
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When Father James passed away in 1787, Elder Joseph Meacham took Father James' place as the first American-born leader.
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Elder Joseph soon appointed another American-born convert, Mother Lucy Wright, to be his co-leader, and together they worked to gather the scattered groups of Brethren and Sisters into an expanding network of communal villages of Believers.
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The Shaker population reached its peak in the mid-19th century, with an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 Shakers. Today, the Shaker community remains active at Sabbathday Lake in Maine.
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There are only 12 Shakers still alive living in Canterbury, New Hampshire, and Sabbathday Lake, Maine.