Spiritualism

Spiritualism was a national movement that became popular during the mid-1800’s and the popularity continued through the early 1900’s. The movement was distinguished by the belief that a person’s spirit could be contacted and interacted with even after death. Those in the movement held seances to contact their deceased friends and family. Some spiritualists relied on spirit guides for spiritual direction and advice on moral and ethical issues. Although there were exceptions, generally spiritualists didn’t gather in churches, but rather in homes or community buildings, gathering for lectures and seances.

Spiritualism spread through the Lowell community as it did nationally. Some examples include:

In 1858 there was quite a spirited exchange between L. B. Brown and John W. Fallas in the Grand Rapids Eagle newspaper. Brown told of spirit happenings and healings in Fallasburg that Fallas then refuted, explaining the misunderstandings and tricks. The editorial letters back and forth continued for two months.

In 1867, Lowell citizens exposed frauds who were traveling around claiming Spiritualism demonstrations. Those arrested were Mr. Addison A. Wheelock and Miss Ellen Van Wie. They were charged with conspiracy to cheat, defraud, and acquire money by means of false pretenses. The two had also been to Fallasburg for demonstrations. Wheelock and Van Wie had belonged to the St. John’s Society of Spiritualists. The organization investigated and determined that Van Wie had tricked Wheelock, and they cut ties with her and called out mediums advertising spiritual manifestations for a price.

Nancy Purple, Martha Purple and Louisa Purple Lyon were leaders in the Spiritualist movement in Lowell. Martha, a doctor, held seances upstairs from her office.* When Nancy died, her funeral was conducted by Mrs. Dunham of Ionia, a Spiritualist leader.

Bert Quick told of a story that happened just after the Civil War. In his telling of the story, he mentioned that Frank Geil ran a blacksmith shop and a wagon shop just north of the forks on the “Lincoln Lake Road” above Fox’s Corners. (The forks refer to the Bailey Drive and Lincoln Lake Avenue intersection.) Quick tells how that neighborhood liked to participate in spiritualistic seances and frequently, noted mediums would come, and that the meetings were quite large.

In 1870 the Vergennes Society of Spiritualists and Free Thinkers was formed. There were 20 charter members. The original trustees that were voted in were A.J. Deyarmond and Cynthia Foster, both for three-year terms, Alphonso Filkins and Artemeria Bisbee, both for two-year terms, and Thomas Woodburg and William Foster, both for one-year terms.

In 1875 Mrs. Parry, a traveling speaker and spiritualist medium, came to Lowell by citizen request to begin seances.

In December of 1888 the Michigan Association of Spiritualists (legally incorporated in the State of Michigan) ordained Joseph Carter Post of Lowell as a minister, missionary and teacher of the said Association with full power and authority to perform the marriage ceremony, bury the dead, and to organize spiritual associations.

The movement was seen to increase in popularity after wars. Specifically, after the Civil War and somewhat again after World War I. It was said that seekers found closure after the death of loved ones who were serving in the military and died overseas or were buried quickly without the benefit of closure for the family. By the idea of thinking they were communicating with their loved one, people were said to have felt that needed closure. As they attained that closure, the ‘need’ for talking with the dead was decreased.

Another reason the movement declined in popularity was because of the numbers of frauds who were exposed. Some believed the whole movement was fraudulent and others believed that fraudsters used the movement for their own benefit.

A downside of the movement was the effect of the movement’s focus on death. The movement was accused of increasing suicides. In 1857, an editorial by LaRoy Sunderland (a methodist Episcopal minister and abolitionist), was shared in newspapers nationally in which he quoted Dr. J.V.C. Smith (noted physician, editor of the Boston medical and surgical journal, now the New England Journal of Medicine, for over 20 years) as describing spiritualism as an “extensive mental epidemic which, in extreme cases has repeatedly terminated in confirmed madness.” The subject of the editorial was the suicide death in Boston of Hattie Eager, a well-known medium. During her seances, spirits predicted her death (through her own lips), and later she was in a trance controlled by spirits when she drank poison. In 1896 a Michigan newspaper reported a woman’s suicide saying that “she had gone daft on spiritualism.”

Though the movement isn’t as trendy or popular as it was at one time, the Spiritualism movement is still around today, including a church in Grand Rapids.

Images:

Joseph Carter Post

Dr. Martha Purple