The Songs of Bethel Colony
Bethel Colony of Missouri is among the most famous colonies known in Missouri, harboring many objects that were later either put on display in the old town, or sent to the State Historical Society of Missouri. I was tasked with finding an object in my county, Shelby county, that was a historical artifact with history behind it. The object that I had finally chosen after weeks of research was the “Bethel Community Song Books”. This collection of song books consists of two published folk songs and one handwritten hymn. The song books are a primary source from Bethel Colony of Shelby County, Missouri. The singular song book that was provided in person looked quite worn, considering it was written between the years of 1859–1863. It has a worn brown leather cover, and felt quite old to the touch. The book is binded by a thick string, with pages that are yellowing and frail due to their age, and are written in the German language that unfortunately I cannot translate. The hymn is written in German cursive which is very hard to decipher, although a fluent German speaker and reader may be able to translate the words. Although the song book feels frail due to its age, it is still very well put together, and the brown leather cover is in one piece.
What is a hymn? A hymn is a religious song of praise to God that was sang in Church on every other Saturday at Bethel Colony. A church where Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Lutherans and others came together united under Dr. William Keil, holding the belief of unity outside of religion.
Dr. Keil was the founder of Bethel Colony, a self-sufficient communistic community following his lead and rules, where inclusivity and equality were real. Dr. Keil took in many, all different from one another whether through religion or background. He believed that “his sole aim was to serve God. True religion had as its basis the Golden Rule, Love one another, and required a morally pure life.”
This collection of song books shows the importance behind community, as they would sing songs together to show they were “one”. Hymns are sung at the beginning and end of church to signal to the idea of community, starting as a whole and ending as a whole, a group sharing ideas in a safe space. These songs must’ve held an important meaning in the Church of Bethel if they were preserved and sent to be held in the State Historical Society of Missouri. To be able to touch the song book from the 1800s, I felt as though there was immense history behind it, why those specific songs were sang, why they were kept and preserved by someone from the colony.
The folk songs in this collection of song books would show their own culture, as that is what folk songs are typically written about. It is interesting that the folk songs were included with the hymns, though only provided on microfilm, but I can’t tell what they say. Although I couldn’t translate any of these words myself, I have an idea behind why these song books were passed down and are still here, while many things aren’t, giving the idea as a community that functions as one. Dr. William Keil was able to provide for an entire community and give them a safe place to live and share their views.
