The origin of the sect dates back to an Irishwoman, Anna Lee (d. 1782), wife of a blacksmith, who became known in England (c. 1768) for certain prophetic visions and the claim to be the Bride of the Lamb of the Apocalypse, and thus the mother of the new Messiah and of the elect scattered throughout the earth. She claimed to speak 72 languages, though only those of the dead, who were to be judged by her. Finding opposition in England, she emigrated to the United States (1774), settling permanently (1776) near Niskayuna or Watervliet (New York). The new sect proved highly active; its preachers spoke with such emotion that their bodies appeared violently agitated, whence the name *Shaking Quakers*. The sect never attained great size and has been in decline for many years. The Shakers lived in isolation from the world in communities along the Hudson River near Albany and in certain localities in Ohio and Kentucky. Their numbers never exceeded a few thousand, divided into about fifteen communities, with roughly fifty to two hundred fifty members each. The Shakers were a kind of "Christian socialists"; perhaps their most notable feature was the establishment of small agricultural colonies in which communal ownership of goods and celibacy were practiced. They held that the present world is evil and must therefore be brought to an end as soon as possible by abstaining from marriage. They confidently awaited the imminent return of Jesus Christ, though they regarded Him as no more than a man who became the Son of God by adoption. In 1925, they had only six churches and 250 members.
Their worship took the form of leaping and dancing, during which they subjected their entire bodies to convulsive movements, symbolizing the enthusiasm they felt at the thought of Christ’s imminent coming. They also believed that in this way they imitated King David dancing before the Ark and John the Baptist in his mother’s womb.