James Edwin Fitch
J. E.
Fitch (1830-1926) was an early Washington Territory pioneer and Methodist clergyman. In the late 1850s
Fitch was in Wisconsin, working in cooperation with a Baptist missionary “for
the purpose of showing to the world how well Christians could agree, and to
show their love for the churches; and a revival ensued whereby many were saved
from the sin of the world, taken into the Churches.” About two hundred converts
were added to the Methodist church during the first year (1857-1858) of Fitch’s
ministry in Wisconsin.[1] In
1868 Fitch was in Iowa.[2]
His ministry within the Methodist church seems to have been successful.
In
1882 Fitch was living in North
Prosser, Washington. Fitch
read Food for Thinking Christians and was convinced by it. He recounted
his conversion to Watch Tower doctrine in a letter to The St. Paul, Minnesota,
Enterprise: “The Holy Sprit led my companion and self out of darkness into
light, 36 years ago, by reading and studying that blessed little booklet, ‘Food
for Thinking Christians,’ and the later restitution publications, ‘Searching
the Scriptures daily whether these things were so.’ We have never doubted these
precious harvest truths from that day to this.”[3] He
and his wife left the Methodist Church which he later referred to as the “barren desert of Methodism.”
We
did not find a reference to Fitch in The Watch Tower, so his work within
the Watch Tower movement is unclear. However, we run across him in
one of the first person interviews that sometimes contribute to our research. In
the late 1970s and early 1980s the elder of us interviewed surviving members of
the Hazen family, long time residents of the lower Yakima River Valley. Kermit Hazen, an elder in the Pasco,
Washington, congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses recalled his
father’s interaction with an aged and infirm former colporteur. Though the connection
is tenuous, we think this is Fitch. He lived in the right place, near Prosser, Washington. The aged colporteur’s family opposed Watch Tower teachings. Fitch’s family presents him as a
Methodist. The 1900 United States Census
notes Fitch as “a preacher,” hence a colporteur within Watch Tower parlance.
4 comments:
I hope we can find more details. It is very interesting.
Thanks Rachael and Bruce
One of things I find so fascinating about your research is that, while being careful about being dedicated to a careful exposition of the facts, you still understand that personal stories of this kind enrich the history and make it come alive. As an old colporteur told me many years ago, "It's about people."
I am also constantly astonished at the breadth of your research, and am amazed at the steps you take to get the story straight. Whether they know it or not, Bible Students, Witnesses, and anyone interested in this history owe you a debt that can never be repaid. All I can say is thank you ! I love the personal stories !
Andrew Grzadzielewski
Such a nice thing to say. Thank you, Andrew.
Fitch's grave site is on Find a Grave, and his photograph is on Ancestry.
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