Eliza Sharp accompanied Morrell on her trip. The journal begins on May 18 when the travelers departed from New Lebanon, N.Y. and ends on October 6 when they returned. They visited all the Shaker communities in Ohio and Kentucky, plus made short stops at Groveland and Watervliet, New York. This copy was made or owned by H. Rosetta Stephens, whose name also appears on the title page. Sister Prudence detailed their various methods of travel: rail, boat, stage coach, but did not give costs, nor did she write anything about food (except that "blacks do all the cooking" on the Ohio River boat). In addition to seeing old friends at Union Village ("Wisdom's Paradise"), Prudence enjoyed seeing the improvements made since last she was there. She commented on the water-powered spinning machinery, work at the herb shop, and the reeling and spinning of silk. Most of the time she and Sister Eliza were in Ohio was spent in visiting, attending worship meetings (she describes some of them in detail), and doing some sewing. July 4, 1847, fell on a Sunday, so there was a Sabbath meeting. July 5 was a usual work day for the Shakers, but Prudence noted that some from the world came to Union Village and asked permission to have their dinner at their gristmill pond, "& this is the way they took to keep independence." The Canterbury apostates disturbed the community a little. Prudence and Eliza traveled with the Union Village ministry to South Union, Kentucky, leaving on August 2. Between bedbugs, ticks, and chiggers (she called them "jiggers"), she was rather miserable by the time they arrived on Aug. 6. She remarks on their water supply system. One day, she visited the old William Bolar farm on the Jasper River, and another day went into a cave. Eliza visited John Rankin's old Presbyterian meeting house. On August 16, the travelers left for Pleasant Hill. Prudence makes brief comments on African Americans, the mistreatment of slaves, and lazy whites, and noted that the road was "too bad to talk about among any decent people." Prudence found that Pleasant Hill was vastly improved in appearance since she had last been there, over 20 years earlier. On August 31, the travelers left Pleasant Hill en route to Whitewater, Ohio, where she again commented on the Advents among the Believers (they were present in Union Village as well). After a short visit, they returned to Union Village on Sept. 7, and left there on the 22d, arriving in North Union on the 24th. Being a newer community, North Union was "not yet so well accommodated for buildings," but Prudence believed it would improve, and she was impressed with their watermill. They returned to New York via steamboat from Cleveland to Buffalo, and then took a train and stagecoach to Groveland. Canal boats and trains speeded the travelers to Watervliet. They finally arrived back at New Lebanon on October 6.
