Simon Atherton

Simon Tuttle Atherton (May 19, 1803 – October 7, 1888) was a prominent member of the Harvard Shaker community in Massachusetts, best known for his visionary leadership of the community’s herb‑selling enterprise. Born in Shirley, Massachusetts, he was the youngest of six children of Jonathan Atherton and Rhoda Heald; his father died when Simon was only six months old. At the age of five he and his sister Sylvia were admitted to the Harvard Shaker village, where he would spend the rest of his life in communal service. By 1833 Atherton was elected a trustee of the Church family, a role that placed him in charge of the Shakers’ financial affairs and which he maintained until his death in 1888, giving him a fifty‑five‑year tenure of continuous leadership. Under his direction the Shaker herb industry expanded dramatically. He instituted efficient drying techniques, oversaw the construction of a dedicated Herb Drying House in 1848 and a Herb Barn in 1849, and marketed high‑quality medicinal herbs to Boston and beyond. In 1855 the Harvard Shakers sold more than 18 tons of herbs worldwide, a feat largely attributed to Atherton’s business acumen and his motto, "A good name is better than riches," which he emblazoned on the community’s workshops. He frequently traveled to Boston, staying at the Quincy House, and even spent two days each week at the Massachusetts State House to advocate for Shaker commercial interests. Atherton’s personal life was modest; he never married and had no recorded children. His sisters, Sylvia and Nancy, also pursued Shaker vocations, with Nancy becoming a seamstress in the Shirley Shaker village. Upon his death at age 85 he was interred in the Shaker Burying Ground in Harvard. Today he is listed among notable Shakers, remembered for transforming a spiritual community into a thriving agricultural and commercial enterprise.