Home › L › Lee (ANN founder of the Society)

Lee (ANN founder of the Society)

ANN, founder of the Society of Shakers in America; born in Manchester, England, Feb. 29, 1736. She was poor and uneducated, and in 1758 joined the Shakers, a sect allied in their belief to the Friends. They practiced curious dances in which the whole body was shaken and thrown into strange postures.

Anna Lee was married in 1762 to a blacksmith named Standerin, or Stanley.

She believed herself inspired, and was imprisoned in 1770 for preaching the new doctrine of celibacy. In 1774 she emigrated to America and founded the Society of Shakers. She was greatly revered by her followers, and by them was called "Mother Ann." She died in Watervliet, N. Y., Sept. 8, 1784.