A Watchtower Society Letter

 I'm missing page two of this letter. Do you have it?

Watchtower Bible and Tract Society

 

March 1, 1943

 

Dear Company Publishers:

 

Who Will Become Full-Time Reconstructors?

 

            In these last days Satan and all his seed have made desperate warfare against the Seed of God’s woman, Zion. During the dark says of 1914-18 it appeared as though the base schemes of the wicked had succeeded. It looked as though their foul attempt to destroy the true worship of God from off the4 earth had at last been accomplished. The heavy hand of oppression had fallen upon God’s visible organization, the land lay blacked and ravaged, and the fre worship of Jehovah had been suppressed. Even while under the enemy domination and pressure, however, God’s true servants longed for the time when the power of the enemy would be broken and the way opened up for freedom to worship and serve Jehovah as required in his Word. Prayers went up for the reconstruction of Zion, and for the power of the Lord’s spirit to energize his people to faithful service in hi cause.

            In the years following that mournful time of desolation we have watched with joy the coming of the Great Reconstructor, Christ Jesus, to aid and revive Zion’s visible representatives. As Jehovah’s chief servant in the mighty work to follow, he raised up and strengthened the fallen ones. He awakened them to their responsibilities as Jehovah’s commissioned Servants, and set before them the terms of their commission. Then energized by the spirit of the Lord and strong in  the power of his might, those who love the Lord have been used by him in a mighty work of reconstruction which has increased yearly. The ‘ancient ruins’ have been rebuilt, the ‘desolate places of former times’ raised up; the organization has been strengthened and prepared to carry the worship of Jehovah to the uttermost parts of the earth. Rejoicing in the majestic and onward march of the reconstructors, the question presents itself, Who will join therein as a full-time pioneer?

            The opportunities to share in this mighty forward action are without limit. The way was never more favorable to engage in unrestrained reconstruction activity. It shall continue and increase until the true worship of Jehovah shall be carried on in every land; therefore there is no limit to the number of pioneers that can be used at present. Undoubtedly, many who are now considering the prospects of taking up full-time activity as reconstuctors feel that as soon front and is [missing text]

Research Help?

 I need a list of all Watch Tower References (1879-1925) to the Brethren Churches. This includes Dunkards. 

Please. Anyone?

ALSO

Many Brethren booklets refuting Russellism were published in Britain. I need a bibliographic list. 

Selena Barto or Lena Guibert. Which?

     Maria Frances Ackley Russell was one of five children who lived to adulthood. Her siblings included Laura Raynor, Emma Russell, Lemuel Ackley, and then a query raised in various writings – was the final name Selena Barto or Lena Guibert?

     Did Selena or Lena change her name? Why the confusion? A close look at the records that now exist can clear this up.

     First, the correct name of Maria’s sister WAS Selena Barto. Selena Ackley (1846-1929) married Baptist minister Charles Edward Barto (1841-1883). He was an agent of the American Tract Society, headquartered in Philadelphia, which specialised in evangelising Native Americans. He died of “apoplexy” in his early 40s, leaving Selena a widow with two small children. She never remarried. She spent much of her life in the Pittsburgh area, but did own property near Chicago where her brother, Lemuel, was a lawyer. It was in representing her in a Chicago court in a financial claim against a police officer that the officer drew a gun and killed Lemuel in 1921.

     We know Selena Barto was the correct name because she is mentioned by that name in her mother’s obituary from 1901, and is also mentioned by name in her mother’s last will and testament. From the Pittsburgh Post for 4 October 1901:

     There does not appear to be any evidence that Selena (here: Salina) had any specific interest in the affairs of the Bible Student movement, unlike her three sisters, Maria Russell, Emma Russell, and Laura Raynor.

     As for the mysterious Lena Guibert, she appears just once in Zion’s Watch Tower in the special 15 July 1906 issue, where CTR explains the complexities of his conflict with Maria. Before they separated, there were various accusations, and at one point, CTR had a document prepared, which was signed by all those involved, retracting accusations made against him. This was read to the congregation as an apology and reprinted on pages 219-220.

     The five signatories of the document are listed below:

     It seems to have been assumed that since CTR mentioned his problems with Maria and “her sisters,” Lena Guibert must have been one of those sisters. However, when the background to the document is carefully checked, CTR plainly says on page 219:

(quote)

“Mrs Russell’s two sisters and one of the two persons who on the previous Sunday night had been convicted of slander and false witness signed it with us, and on Sunday afternoon I requested the consecrated ones to remain for a special service, and to them I read the said letter.”

     Emma and Laura were the two sisters. So Lena would have to be one of the two other persons who had entered the controversy in the class.

     So who was she?

     Lena (or Lina) Guibert appears in records like street directories for Pittsburgh in this era, and was a member of the Allegheny class that met at Bible House. In 1917-1918, she is listed as the next of kin for her son Albert Daniel Guibert on his draft registration card. His address then was in Cedar Avenue, Pittsburgh, formerly Allegheny. Using his history as the reference, we find his mother’s maiden name was Marlina (Lena) Hartman. She had been married to a Civil War veteran, Peter Guibert, and had three children by him, including Albert Daniel. The marriage failed, and Peter (originally from France) married again and had a second family.

     So Lena (Lina) Guibert was a member of the Allegheny Bible class, and was probably separated or even divorced from her husband Peter at the time, which may have made her sympathetic toward the accusations Maria made.

     So we have two different people here. But the one who was Maria’s sister was Selina Barto.

Research Help - Please

 “Revered Doctor” Isham Fuller Tanner (1848 – 1923) is quoted in Separate Identity vol. 3. He was active in California late in life. I need some biographical information. Most important is education. What seminary or college awarded him his doctor of divinity degree? 

J. F. Rutherford spoke in Pasadena, California in the late teens. When exactly? 

Can you help?

Partial Chapter for comments

 Rough draft only. Comments welcome. Stay on topic. This will come down soon. 

Outside Pressure and Identity

 

            Sociologists tell us that to endure, groups must be cohesive. The basis for cohesion is a clear set of values and goals.  Some sociologists see this as a revelation from the late 19^th Century. It is, in fact, a common observation repeated through centuries of human history. An example is Benjamin Franklin’s “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we will all hang separately.” Probably apocryphal, this aphorism reflects this. To endure, a group opposing the dominant order must clearly define their values and beliefs. There must be a shared understanding and a clearly stated record of beliefs. This created a shared identity.

            Lewis Coser wrote that conflict with those out of the group tends to create unity.[1] He suggested that external conflict tends to unite a group. Fredrick Bushee wrote that opposition “promotes ... unity within opposing groups. ... Just as an individual must concentrate his attention and energies in combat, so a group must centralize and organize all its resources for a conflict. ... In a normal group minor differences disappear in the face of danger from without.”[2]  Georg Simmel suggested that opposition promotes unity within opposing groups. Minor differences disappear “in the face of danger from without.”

            Sociology, for all its many faults, presents here an easily observable ‘truth.’ Most of those who have written about Watch Tower faith, especially those writing about Jehovah’s Witnesses fail to consider the effect on group mentality of constant opposition. The motive behind anti-Russell opposition was the same as that for the Catholic Inquisition, though in most cases laws restrained violence. (Most cases of violence occurred after Russell’s death.) Nevertheless, Russellism was, from clergy viewpoint, dangerous and should be destroyed.

            Clergy and lay writers saw souls at risk, but they also feared loss of authority and power. Typically, they rejected the idea that Watch Tower faith was the one true religion: “To them ... there is but one true religion which is correct in every point. With one sweeping gesture all other religions ... are swept aside and branded as being false and of the devil.” Osul T. Haarland, a Lutheran Clergyman and the author of those words, branded the claim as “preposterous” and “Russellism” as “vile and nefarious,” not a Christian religion. Haarland saw Watch Tower faith as the greatest danger to traditional churches:

remainder of this post has been deleted.

Flatbed copy?

 I need a flatbed scan of this. Can you help?

Need some research assistance.

Updated

I need a more complete biography of Lizzie Avirett of El Paso, Texas. Her proper given name was Elizabeth. Her maiden name was Booth. 

"When Elizabeth Lizzie Booth was born on 18 January 1855, in Round Rock, Williamson, Texas, United States, her father, Dewitt Clinton Booth, was 25 and her mother, Malvina Boyce, was 17. She married Thomas J Avirett on 28 April 1872, in Burleson, Texas, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 1 daughter. She lived in Rockdale, Milam, Texas, United States in 1880 and El Paso, El Paso, Texas, United States for about 10 years. She died on 22 April 1933, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, at the age of 78."

To what religion was she attached? Can we find a photo?

When did Joseph marry Emma?

     

     Because of the lack of official records, it is not always easy to trace marriages in 19^th century Pennsylvania. We know CTR married Maria Ackley on 13 March 1879 and his sister Margaretta had earlier married Benjamin Land on 24 June 1873 because there are newspaper reports for these events.

     As the marriage of Benjamin and Margaretta has not yet, to my knowledge, been published on the internet, below is the newspaper cutting from The Pittsburgh Commercial for 25 June 1873:

     The Rev. J.M. Crum was from the Plymouth Congregational Church.

     But when Joseph Lytle Russell married Emma Hammond Ackley, the sister of his son’s wife, there do not appear to be any extant newspaper announcements.

     However, we can narrow down when the event happened, and a recent newspaper discovery narrows matters down even futher, prompting this article.

     The starting point is the 1880 census which took place in Pittsburgh on 14 June 1880. It was intended to be a snapshot of events as they were on 1 June 1880. In this document, Joseph and Emma are not yet married. This is well over a year after CTR and Maria were married.

     It is not the clearest of writing but it shows four people living together in Cedar Avenue.

     *This is difficult to read. It looks a bit like Sister (step) but the correct relationship to the head of the household, CTR, should be Sister-in-Law and later also Step-Mother.

     Joseph L has shaved a few years off his age. He was approaching 68 at this point, but only admits to 60.

     According to this census return, at the beginning of June 1880 Joseph L and Emma are living at the same address but are still not married.  So their marriage would have to be after the date of the census.

     The next month, July, we have now found a reference to them in a news item about the latest vacation hot-spot, Chautauqua Lake. This location would feature later in Watch Tower history with a convention held there (see 1910 Convention Report) but in 1880 it was a vacation destination easily accessible by the railroads from places like Pittsburgh and Allegheny. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for 27 July 1880 carried a list of visitors to the attractions.

     A transcript reads:

CHAUTAUQUA CHAT.

Crowding Toward the Lake—Life at Point Chautauqua.

Special Correspondence of the Commercial Gazette.

Point Chautauqua, July 26.—Travel to the lake is increasing, the railroad trains are well filled, and the steamers, both large and small, are constantly plying on the waters of this beautiful lake.

Pittsburgh and Allegheny are well represented here, the following being a few of them: Dr. D. W. Riggs and sisters, Mrs. W. Jarvis, Prof. J. F. Carey, Wm. Yagle and wife, A. Johnston and wife, H. Samson, Rev. J. S. Wrightnour, Mrs. H. D. Reymer and daughter, H. Myers and family, John Hays and wife, D. P. Chapman, J. M. Stoner and wife, W. Shallenberger, J. L. Russell and wife, C. B. Priji, James E. Porter, Mrs. J. C. McCullough and daughter, Charles W. Anderson, Cyrus Pershing, Miss Lida McEldowney, Miss Kate Dickson and Rev. J. S. Hutson and wife.

The head clerk of the Grand Hotel informed me, last evening, that the house was full. And why should it not be? The splendid structure, its tasteful furnishings, its excellent table, its beautiful location and its home-like character, render it specially attractive and popular. The cottages, too, in which excellent accommodations can be obtained at low rates, are rapidly filling up.

     We note that the visitors from Pittsburgh and Allegheny include J L Russell and wife. Why would a Pittsburgh merchant leave his business to go on vacation by rail 120-130 miles away? A probable answer would be that this was Joseph and Emma on their honeymoon.

     We can reasonably give their wedding date then as at some time in July 1880.

     This all fits with other evidence. They were to have one daughter Mabel who was born in September 1881. This information is on her marriage certificate when she married Richard Packard on 30 June 1903. If born in September 1881 then Mabel would have been conceived sometime around December 1880.

     It would be interesting to discover who conducted the marriage ceremony for Joseph and Emma, but that information remains allusive. We know that John H Paton conducted the wedding service for CTR and Maria, because one of the newspapers provides the information. Although the 1880 census still lists CTR as a merchant, by now Zion’s Watch Tower had been published for a year so he was increasingly becoming known as a minister of religion. Maybe CTR conducted the wedding for his own father?