author
Lillian Phelps
A Shaker sister and musician, this writer helped preserve the songs, stories, and daily culture of one of America’s most distinctive religious communities. Her surviving work offers a rare firsthand window into Shaker life in the 20th century.
1 Audiobook
Industries and Inventions of the Shakers: Shaker Music, a Brief History
by Bertha Lindsay, Lillian Phelps
About the author
Lillian Phelps is chiefly remembered through her connection to the Shaker community, especially at Canterbury, New Hampshire. Publicly available records show her as the author of Industries and Inventions of the Shakers: Shaker Music, a Brief History, a work associated with Project Gutenberg and credited to Bertha Lindsay and Lillian Phelps.
She also appears in archival and historical materials as Sister Lillian Phelps, reflecting her place within Shaker religious life. Sources tied to Shaker history and preservation connect her with the effort to carry forward Shaker music and memory, making her writing valuable not just as documentation, but as part of a lived tradition.
Because the available online biographical information is limited, many personal details about her life are not easy to confirm from reliable public sources. Even so, her work remains meaningful for readers interested in Shaker history, music, and the voices of women who helped preserve that heritage from within.