“Tis a Gift to be Simple – The Shakers and New York” – When the Shakers began to arrive in the New World, they chose New York State as their first destination.  There in New York, they established many thriving communities and flourished before they began to look westwards.  This presentation will discuss these early Shaker settlers; Mother Ann, her leadership of the Shaker movement, and her teachings; and the initial westward expansion of Shaker settlements into Ohio and Kentucky.