Ann
Lee
was born in Toad Lane, Manchester,
England, on 26th February, 1736. The
daughter of a blacksmith, she worked as a cook in a infirmary. In
1758 Lee joined the Shaking Quakers, a radical offshoot of the Society
of Friends. Influenced by the French Camisards, members shook,
shouted, danced and sung in tongues during religious worship.
In 1761 Anne married Abraham Standerin, and over the next few years
the couple had four children. They all died within weeks of being
born and this caused her to have a mental breakdown and in 1770 was
admitted to the lunatic ward of the local infirmary. After she was
released she announced that she was the female Christ and that she
was now to be known as "Ann the Word". Ann also told other
Shaking Quakers that in future they must live a celibate life.
Anne became the leader of the Shaking Quakers and in 1774 she had
a vision that she must take her followers to America. They sailed
from Liverpool and lived for a while in New
York. Ann continued to make converts including the wealthy John
Hocknell who helped her establish a settlement in Niskeyuna near Albany.
A pacifist, Ann was imprisoned in 1780
for refusing to sign an oath of allegiance.
After she was released from Albany Prison she toured New England.
According to contemporary accounts she performed several miracles
including healing the sick. She obtained more followers but others
were extremely hostile to her ideas and was sexually molested several
times and on one occasion was abducted by vigilantes. By the time
Ann Lee died on 8th September, 1784, she had established a community
of over a thousand people.
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