Isaac Newton Youngs (July 4, 1793 – August 7, 1865) was a member of the

Shakers The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, are a Millenarianism, millenarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian sect founded in England and then organized in the Unit ...

. He was a prolific scribe, correspondent, and

diarist A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...

who documented the history of the

New Lebanon, New York New Lebanon is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States, southeast of Albany. In 1910, 1,378 people lived in New Lebanon. The population was 2,305 at the 2010 census. The town of New Lebanon is in the northeastern corner of Columbia ...

Church Family of Shakers from 1815 to 1865.

Early life

Isaac Newton Youngs was born in

Johnstown, New York Johnstown is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County in the U.S. state of New York. The city was named after its founder, Sir William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Province of New York and a major general during the Sev ...

on July 4, 1793, the youngest child of Martha (Farley) and Seth Youngs Jr. He was christened in the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

church there. Seth Youngs decided to join the Shakers when Isaac was about six months old, and took Isaac and his other young children into the Shaker society at

Watervliet, New York Watervliet ( or ) is a City (New York), city in Albany County, New York, Albany County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The population was 10,375 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, ...

, where Isaac's aunt and uncle, Molly (Van Epps) and Benjamin Youngs, lived. Isaac's mother chose not to join, so the infant Isaac was fostered by Benjamin and Molly Youngs at first.Wergland, chapter 2. Youngs lived with them for several years in an arrangement that was not unusual at the time. Many children, Shaker or not, were separated from their parents at young ages. Being "put out" or sent to live with another family was an old custom meant to keep children from being spoiled. Children were

indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...

d to learn trades, as well, and that often meant living as an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

with the family of a

master craftsman Historically, a master craftsman or master tradesman (sometimes called only master or grandmaster) was a member of a guild. The title survives as the highest professional qualification in craft industries. In the European guild system, only mas ...

, rather than with kin. Benjamin Youngs was a

clockmaker A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly t ...

, and his nephew Isaac was fascinated by machinery. He learned to tell time before he could talk, and enjoyed watching his uncle work on

clock A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the ...

s. At age thirteen, Youngs was sent from Watervliet to the

Shaker village, where he became an apprentice to

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

s David Slosson and Rufus Bishop. He spent most of his life at New Lebanon. Due to his

work ethic Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. It is a set of values centered on importance of work and manifested by determination o ...

and intelligence, he was allowed to branch out into additional trades, including clockmaking. Youngs struggled with the demands of life as a Believer.

Celibacy Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both, usually for religious reasons. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the ...

was especially difficult for a young man. He was rebellious and sexually tempted, but he learned

humility Humility is the quality of being humble. Dictionary definitions accentuate humility as a low self-regard and sense of unworthiness. In a religious context humility can mean a recognition of self in relation to a deity (i.e. God), and subsequent ...

, resisted

temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

, conquered his

lust Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for something, or circumstance while already having a significant amount of the desired object. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It can ...

, and became a

role model A role model is a person whose behaviour, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. The term ''role model'' is credited to sociologist Robert K. Merton, who hypothesized that individuals compare themselves ...

to younger Shakers.

Employment

Shakers had a strong

and each Believer’s workday was supposed to be filled with productive activity every waking moment. The New Lebanon Shaker village journals show how busy Youngs was. Youngs was versatile in his work. He taught the New Lebanon Church Family boys' school, and spent part of every winter tailoring and training new apprentices. During planting and harvest seasons, he worked on the farm. He co-authored ''A Juvenile Monitor'', which was a guide for good behavior for children and youth. He helped build the new

meeting house A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a * church, which is a body of people who believe in Chr ...

for the New Lebanon Church Family, wrote

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

s and a

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

for its dedication, and repaired its tin roof. He built furniture, transcribed

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chri ...

s by hand, helped build the brethren’s new workshop, and attended camp meetings, repaired the village’s

waterworks Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

, built an

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

in the sisters’ weave shop, ran social meetings for the Children’s Order, worked on the Church Family dwelling, turned more than a thousand

clothespin A clothespin (US English), or clothes peg (UK English) is a fastener used to hang up clothes for drying, usually on a clothes line. Clothespins come in many different designs. Design During the 1700s laundry was hung on bushes, limbs or lin ...

s on a

lathe A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to c ...

, and laid a new floor in the dairy.Wergland, chapter 5. A prolific

scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing. The profession of the scribe, previously widespread across cultures, lost most of its promi ...

, Youngs kept detailed records about himself and his society, including several domestic journals, a clockmaker's journal, tailor's journals, and at least three religious journals. He composed a dialogue between the

Flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as mu ...

and the Spirit, an autobiography in verse, and a spiritual autobiography. More than eight thousand pages of his writings survive as historical documentation of the Shaker Ministry's home village from 1815 to 1865. (See list below.) In 1834, he toured the Shaker societies in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, kept a journal of the trip, and made maps of the villages he visited. Youngs also wrote

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

(some of it lyrics for hymns) and did the Church Family's

bookkeeping Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions, and is part of the process of accounting in business and other organizations. It involves preparing source documents for all transactions, operations, and other events of a business. Tr ...

. He worked on clocks throughout his life, and perfected his wall clock design with wooden works in 1840. Several of his 1840 wall clocks are at

Hancock Shaker Village Hancock Shaker Village is a former Shaker commune in Hancock and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It emerged in the towns of Hancock, Pittsfield, and Richmond in the 1780s, organized in 1790, and was active until 1960. It was the third of nineteen maj ...

. Two members of his society described him as a genius. One of his students, Elisha Blakeman, wrote that Youngs’ mechanical genius was remarkable. He could turn

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

, mason or anything that promoted the general good. Many conveniences, which added so much to Shakers' domestic happiness, Blakeman concluded, owed their origin to Youngs. Youngs mastered a number of trades. He was a tailor, mechanic, and inventor: of a

metronome A metronome, from ancient Greek μέτρον (''métron'', "measure") and νομός (nomós, "custom", "melody") is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a regular interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats pe ...

tonometer Tonometry is the procedure eye care professionals perform to determine the intraocular pressure (IOP), the fluid pressure inside the eye. It is an important test in the evaluation of patients at risk from glaucoma. Most tonometers are calibrated ...

leveling instrument A level is an optical instrument used to establish or verify points in the same horizontal plane in a process known as levelling, and is used in conjunction with a levelling staff to establish the relative height levels of objects or marks. It is ...

, and five-pointed pen for drawing music staffs. He was also a

lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...

-grinder, stonecutter, button maker,

tinsmith A tinsmith is a person who makes and repairs things made of tin or other light metals. The profession may sometimes also be known as a tinner, tinker, tinman, or tinplate worker; whitesmith may also refer to this profession, though the same wo ...

, printer, pipe fitter,

joiner A joiner is an artisan and tradesperson who builds things by joining pieces of wood, particularly lighter and more ornamental work than that done by a carpenter, including furniture and the "fittings" of a house, ship, etc. Joiners may work in ...

, and

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

. He built a

sundial A sundial is a horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the word, it consists of a flat ...

, made sisters' tools such as

knitting needle A knitting needle or knitting pin is a tool in hand-knitting to produce knitted fabrics. They generally have a long shaft and taper at their end, but they are not nearly as sharp as sewing needles. Their purpose is two-fold. The long shaft ' ...

s, bodkins, and a weaver’s

reed Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * ...

. He was the master builder for the New Lebanon Church Family’s 1839 schoolhouse. After working as the New Lebanon boys' schoolteacher, Youngs designed a new teacher’s desk. Youngs held the first position in the New Lebanon Shaker

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

, where he set the pitch for their hymns during worship. He wrote tunes and lyrics, and taught singing. He also corresponded with other musicians throughout the society to standardize their

music notation Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

. He wrote ''The Rudiments of Music Displayed and Explained'' in 1833. His ''A Short Abridgement of the Rules of Music'', published in 1843, was the second historically notable collection of Shaker music to be published (the first being their hymnal '' Millennial Praises'' in 1813). Composer Roger Lee Hall has researched this theory book and composed one of the tunes and his composition is titled, "Seven Variations on a Shaker Marching Tune." However, Youngs complained of being overworked. In 1837, in his Autobiography in Verse, he wrote: "I’m overrun with work and chores / Upon the farm or within doors," and added, "An endless list of chores & notions, To keep me in perpetual motion."

Later life

From 1856 to 1860, Youngs wrote a history of the New Lebanon Shakers. In it, he covered a wide variety of topics, including equality of the sexes,

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition ...

, building construction, farming practices, brethren's trades, food, dress, women's work, music, education, avoidance of militia service and other conflicts with the state, donations, and casualties. In his later years, he suffered from health problems, perhaps a result of

lead poisoning Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. The brain is the most sensitive. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, inferti ...

from years of

soldering Soldering (; ) is a process in which two or more items are joined by melting and putting a filler metal (solder) into the joint, the filler metal having a lower melting point than the adjoining metal. Unlike welding, soldering does not involv ...

seams in tin roofs. He grew anxious and depressed, as well as feeling even more overworked; he was uncomfortable physically and emotionally. He grew to despise tailoring, his primary trade. But he continued to keep the New Lebanon Church Family journal almost to the end of his life. In 1864, he wrote that he was very much out of health and recognized that he was not always rational. Finally he slipped into

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

, as had his parents and several siblings before him. Isaac Newton Youngs died at age 72. Giles Avery, one of his former students, wrote: "Dear Br Isaac N. Youngs, now exceedingly demented, jumped out of a fourth story window, at the south end of the great central house; onto the walk below, he lived only about 2 hours, thereafter." Despite the problems of his later years, he was

eulogized A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person or persons, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a ...

with affection, respect, and empathy.Giles Avery, Register of Incidents & Events, August 7, 1865, New York Public Library. Wergland ch. 12.

Selected bibliography

*Youngs, Isaac Newton. Autobiography in Verse, July 4, 1837. Winterthur Museum Library, Winterthur, DE, Andrews Shaker collection ms. 1010. *––– Br. Isaac Youngs’ Journal. Tour with Br. Rufus Bishop, through the States of Ohio and Kentucky, in the Summer of 1834. 2 vol. Shaker Museum , Mount Lebanon, Old Chatham, NY, mss. 12,751 and 12,752. Vols. 141-142. *––– A brief collection of hymns: improved in sacred worship, written by Isaac Newton Youngs, beginning Jan. 1, 1826. DLCms 230. *––– A Clock Maker’s Journal (1815–35). Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, OH, Cathcart Shaker collection ms. V:B–86. *––– A Collection of Anthems and Spiritual Songs; Improved in our General Worship. From the year 1813 to 1837. Transcribed and written in this Book, by Isaac N. Youngs: 1854, New Lebanon. Ohio History Center, Columbus, Ohio, Shaker Mss Collection 119, ms. IV:5. *––– A Collection of Spiritual Songs: Commonly called Extra Songs; Improved in our Sacred Worship. Written by Isaac N. Youngs. 1845 and onward. Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, OH, Cathcart Shaker collection ms. SM-70. *––– Concise View, 1856-61. Winterthur Museum Library Andrews Shaker collection ms. 861. *––– Day-Book B. Kept by the Trustees (1836–50). Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, MA, ms. 9784.N5, M928, ID #356. *––– Diary (1837–59). Shaker Museum , Mount Lebanon ms. 10,509. *––– Domestic Journal of Daily Occurrences (1834–46). New York State Library, Albany, NY. *––– Domestic Journal of Daily Occurrences (1847–55). Western Reserve Historical Society Cathcart Shaker collection ms. V:B–70. *––– and John M. Brown. Domestic Journal (1856–69). Western Reserve Historical Society Cathcart Shaker collection ms. V:B–71. *––– Family and Meeting Journal (1815–23). Library of Congress Shaker ms. 42. *––– ymnalMade for Edward Fowler, By Isaac N. Youngs, March 1833, A Collection of Hymns, Improved by the Followers of Christ in his Second Appearing. Berkshire Athenaeum Local History Room, Pittsfield, MA, ms. V 289.8 Un3.3 v10. *––– Idle Company: A Treatise on Disorderly Communication, particularly for boys and youth, 1854. Western Reserve Historical Society Cathcart Shaker collection ms. VII:B-103. *––– and Derobigne Bennett. Journal of Inspirational Meetings (1840–41). Western Reserve Historical Society Cathcart Shaker collection ms. VIII:B-138. *–––, Rufus Bishop, and Garrett Lawrence. A Juvenile Monitor: containing instructions for youth and children, pointing out ill manners, and showing them how to behave in the various conditions of childhood and youth (1823). Winterthur Museum Library Andrews Shaker collection ms. 296. *––– et al. Memorandum of the Proceedings of the School (1817–35). Shaker Museum , Mount Lebanon ms. 10,469. *––– Personal Journal (1839–58). Western Reserve Historical Society Cathcart Shaker collection ms. V:B-134. *––– and Seth Youngs Wells. Records Kept by Order of the Church, vol. I (1780-1855). New York Public Library Shaker ms. #7. *––– and Giles B. Avery. Records Kept by Order of the Church vol. III (1856-1871). Shaker Museum , Mount Lebanon ms. 10,509. *––– Domestic Journal of Daily Occurrences (1834–46). New York State Library, Albany, New York. *––– Rudiments of music displayed and explained (1833). Library of Congress Shaker ms. 150. *––– A Short Abridgement of the Rules of Music: with lessons for exercise and a few observations for new beginners. New Lebanon, N.Y.: Shakers, 1843. *––– A short treatise on the process of cutting by the square and plumb rule: with some general observations on the business of tailoring, etc., 1828. Shaker Library, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, ME. *––– and Garret K. Lawrence. A Short Treatise containing Observations on the Duty of Believers: suitable for the consideration of those who have but just arrived at the age of discretion and understanding and necessary to be regarded and put in practice by all who wish to have their lives agreeable to themselves & others: addressed to youth. New-Lebanon, N.Y.: Shakers, 1823. *––– Sketches of Visions, 1838. Western Reserve Historical Society Cathcart Shaker collection ms. VII:B-113. *––– Songbook (1864) written for Alonzo Hollister. Western Reserve Historical Society Cathcart Shaker collection ms. IX:B-413. *––– Spiritual Autobiography, 1848, in Autobiography of the Saints, Alonzo Hollister transcription, 1868. Western Reserve Historical Society Cathcart Shaker collection ms. VI:B-36. *––– and Benjamin Gates. Tailors’ Journal (1838–45). Shaker Museum , Mount Lebanon ms. 9657. *––– nd Benjamin Gates Taylor’s Journal (1845–65). Western Reserve Historical Society Cathcart Shaker collection ms. V:B-139. *––– and David A. Buckingham. Treatise on Music (1840). New York State Library, ms. 358. *––– Trustee’s Account Book (1857–62). Hancock Shaker Village ms. #393.

Notes

References

Primary Sources * Blakeman, Elisha. Eulogical to Isaac N. Youngs, written September 1866. Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio, Cathcart Shaker collection ms. VI:B-21. *Youngs, Isaac Newton. Autobiography in Verse (1837). Winterthur Museum Library, Andrews Shaker collection ms. 818. *Youngs, Isaac Newton. Dialogue between Spirit and Flesh (ca. 1828-34), copied into Betsy Smith’s Book. Western Reserve Historical Society ms. IX:B-385. *Youngs, Isaac Newton. Idle Company: A Treatise on Disorderly Communication, particularly for boys and youth (1854). Western Reserve Historical Society ms. VII:B-103. *Youngs, Isaac Newton. ''Rudiments of Music Displayed and Explained''. New Lebanon, N.Y.: for the society, 1833. *Youngs, Isaac Newton. ''Short Abridgement of the Rules of Music''. New Lebanon, N.Y.: for the society, 1843. Secondary Sources *Emlen, Robert P. (1987). ''Shaker Village Views''. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England. Shows maps Isaac Newton Youngs drew. *

Fischer, David Hackett David Hackett Fischer (born December 2, 1935) is University Professor of History Emeritus at Brandeis University. Fischer's major works have covered topics ranging from large macroeconomic and cultural trends (''Albion's Seed,'' ''The Great Wave'' ...

(1989). '' Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America''. New York: Oxford University Press. *Grant, Jerry and Douglas Allen (1989). ''Shaker Furniture Makers''. Hanover, N.H.: Published for Hancock Shaker Village by University Press of New England. pp. 35–51. Includes illustrations of Isaac N. Youngs' handiwork. * Morgan, Edmund S. (1966). ''The Puritan Family''. New York: Harper. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Youngs, Isaac N. 1793 births 1865 deaths People from Johnstown, New York Shaker members People from New Lebanon, New York People from Colonie, New York