In 1830 Mary Dyer was finally able to divorce her husband, Joseph Dyer. The couple had spent nearly half of their troubled 31-year marriage engaging in a bitter quarrel over the custody of their five children and over Joseph’s obligation to support Mary financially.
In 1818 Mary Dyer was forced to accept the likelihood that her five minor children would remain as wards of the Shakers. The children were living in the Shaker community in Enfield, where Mary’s estranged husband Joseph was a devoted member of the religious sect. Her last resort in seeking c…
