Jacob L. Beilhart

Who was Jacob L. Beilhart?

Jacob L. Beilhart was the founder and leader of a communitarian group known as the Spirit Fruit Society. Beilhart believed that jealousy, materialism, and the fear of losing another's love were at the root of much of the illness in the world. Under his direction, the Spirit Fruit Society sought to model and practice those beliefs.

Beilhart was born in Ohio and raised in the Lutheran faith. He moved to Kansas when he was 18 and embraced Seventh-day Adventism. He later attended college to become a licensed preacher. Eventually, Beilhart came to believe that it was more important to put faith into practice helping others so he left preaching to study nursing and work in a sanitarium. He returned to Ohio in 1899 to start the Spirit Fruit Society, an intentional community based on his experiences, learning, and views. Beilhart led the group for nine years before he died of appendicitis and peritonitis in 1908. Beilhart's commune survived for another 22 years making it one of the longest surviving communes in America.