Mr. Schulz asked me to post an
update. Except for the last chapter, the ebook version is formatted. We printed
it out. We’ll make some changes, though not many.
Volume One of A Separate Identity
has eight chapters. Before you read the main text, read the two introductory
essays. Mr. Schulz’ is more important than mine, and you will find it first.
Chapter one considers Russell’s family, his youth, religious experiences before
meeting Wendell, and his business ventures. Obviously we don’t tell the usual
story or this chapter would be a paragraph or two long. We name names. We
detail events usually overlooked.
Chapter two considers his interactions
with Wendell, Stetson and others. We take you into the lives of the Adventist
and Age to Come evangelists we know he met. You will find characters you knew
nothing about. We tell you what kind of men they were, what they taught and
what they wrote. This chapter covers the years 1869-1873.
Chapter three continues this
discussion. We focus on Storrs and
others that appeared in the years 1874-1876. If you read the Wikipedia articles
on Russell and Storrs , you will
find that they are wrong. This isn’t surprising given the research standards
adopted by those who’ve contributed to those articles.
Chapters two and three takes one
into the complex world of One Faith belief as contrasted with Adventism. You
will find that Russell’s doctrinal set is One Faith, not Adventist. We continue
that theme in chapter four.
Chapter four details the formation
and growth of the original Allegheny Bible Study Group. We tell you to the
extent we know it who participated. We tell you what they read and discussed. We
uncover their doctrinal development. We tell you that the group was not
unified. We tell you the story usually told about this group is a myth, and we
show you why that is so.
Chapter five discusses Russell’s
entry into the Barbourite movement. We provide significant biographies of the
principals with photos. You will see John Paton in a new light. This chapter introduces
our readers to Benjamin Wallace Keith, Samuel Howe Withington, Ira Allen and
his daughter Lizzie, and Avis Hamlin. Some of these are important to the story
told in volume one; some come to prominence in volume two.
Chapter six tells the story of
Barbour, Russell, and Paton’s early ministry. We tell this from Barbour and
Russell’s own words and from newspaper articles that haven’t seen the light of
day in 150 years. Payton G. Bowman makes a brief appearance. We address some
persistent mythology in this chapter.
Chapter seven profiles their principal
converts. These include Caleb Davies and wife, William I Mann (we can’t find
his photo), Charles and Emma Buvinger, Joshua Tavender, John Corbin Sunderlin,
A. P. Adams, and Emeline Bigelow-Jobes who became Mrs. Barbour. Some of these
names will be familiar to our readers and some not. They’re all important to
this history, though most of them come to prominence in volume two. We present
their biographies frankly and in some detail. We tell about Sunderlin’s opium
addition, Adam’s intimidating manner, Tavender’s generosity, Mann’s reputation
among his contemporary. This story is told from original letters, papers from
the Methodist Archives, newspaper articles, and from the Watch
Tower and Herald of the Morning.
Chapter eight examines the collapse of their expectations
for 1878 and the aftermath as it played out in the Atonement controversy. This
takes us up to the first issue of Zion 's
Watch Tower .
We tell you who H. B. Rice really was. We dissect the claims made by all the
parties, putting some things in the trash bin and introducing events new to
most of our readers.
A short article follows. It tells
our readers what to expect in volume two. An appendix considers Russell’s
relationship to the Masons. Another reproduces the Atonement articles from the
Herald of the Morning.
We don't have a firm release date yet ... but soon.
Original research entails
significant expense. Several have helped, but there is always something else to
buy and our funds are very limited. Clothing and putting shoes on the feet of
my five daughters comes first.
We have a limited time opportunity
to purchase part sets of two key 19th Century magazines. We’re
focusing on the older of these, a magazine published in the 1830s that stands in
the background of the One Faith movement. If we return to the earlier years (I’d
like to), and write the history of Watch
Tower antecedents, we will need
this. The problem is lack of money. We anticipate that the entire collection
(both magazines; one with three bound volumes and the other with five) will
cost about two hundred and fifty dollars. We don’t have that. I doubt we can
raise the total amount.
So, now you know. If you want to
donate (any amount is welcome) you may do so through the donation button on the
invitation only blog or contact me at rmdevienne at yahoo dot com and I’ll tell
you how.
1 comment:
Great. I will order this publication when it is available. Mark
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