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Wednesday, August 11, 2021

The Missing Bible Students of Mount Dora, Florida

 

By Chris G.

In my studies of religion, my interest became laser focused on the faith of my mother and grandmother, Jehovah’s Witnesses.  I began my Bible study in 1989 with an old family acquaintance and friend who was very well informed of not only current beliefs and doctrine, but of the basic history of the movement which included some information on the founder of the group, “Charles Taze Russell”.  I was intrigued, but not enough to begin any research on Russell, and besides, where would I even look for information on him in the days before the internet and any substantial writing on Russell was at least 30 years old*.  (*see Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose c.1959 published by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society).

A short time into my studies I decided to peruse the library at my local University for books by or about Jehovah’s Witnesses.  On reviewing the small amount of books available I ran across a handbook of denominations, as far as I can recall, that had a very objective write up on the Witnesses, but also included a section on other groups in existence that claimed Russell as their founder* (the book may have been Leo Rosten’s Religions of America).  One such group, I was surprised to learn, was one “Epiphany Bible Students” faith based in Mt. Dora, Florida of all places.  I was actually shocked to learn this since I had lived an easy 15 to 20 minutes from Mt. Dora and had become acquainted with the Witnesses in that area since becoming a Witness in 1990.  In subsequent conversations with my Mt. Dora brothers and sisters, and in line with my interest in history, I would ask if any of them had ever run across any followers of Russell while in their door to door ministry.  Over the years to follow the answer was always in the negative with rumors or whispers of some third hand information of running across a house with a large portrait of Russell visible from the door step area.  These rumors were always followed with a statement like, “But, I can’t recall who told me that story or where or when that may have happened etc…”  Out of dozens of queries I only received the response noted above once, and since there were no other details available, I gave the story no credibility or real attention at that time.

Fast forward 10 years to the year 2000. 

I had begun to collect the works of Jehovah’s Witnesses on a level that few in the faith would desire to.  I started to fill in the gaps in my collection of bound volumes of The Watchtower and Awake magazine which led to a desire to collect every book produced by the Witnesses no matter the year or age.  I would research a subject and invariably find that I would be missing this or that source which would be very frustrating in those early days of my researching the history of the faith.  So, I began a mission to fill the gaps by systematically collecting everything I could find.  Within a short time, I learned that this desire was just too ambitious as many of the older books and works, specifically from the Russell era, were just too rare to find in my local area.  Few of my friends, not only had never had the older books, but very few had even heard of the Millennial Dawn or Studies in the Scriptures publications from before 1930.  I was directed by one of more astute friends to use the internet auction sites or book selling sites to assist me, which was just what I needed to fill the gaps and within about 5-10 years my library was very close to complete.  It was at this time I began to buy books from abebooks (which is a very nice resource to locate rare works) in the early days of my collecting, that I encountered the book entitled Jehovah’s Witnesses, A Comprehensive and Selectively Annotated Bibliography c. 1999.  Looking at my notes in the book, I purchased it in 2003.  It became a valuable resource to locate, in even more detail, the works on Jehovah’s Witnesses that would assist me in my research of the movement and one, Charles Taze Russell. 

One very interesting side point to the book was it’s short write up on the “Epiphany Bible Students” of Mt. Dora, Florida.  Some 13 years after first running across the brief few sentences in that University library, I was finally able to get some more detail on this elusive group that nobody in the actual town of Mt. Dora seemed to know even existed.  The one page write up by the author Jerry Bergman indicated on page 300, that this group was began by one “John Hoefle”.  Finally a name to research, however the history continued to inform of John Hoefle’s death in 1989 (his actual death was April 16th, 1984), and that his widow was evidently carrying on his work (presumably as of 1999 when Bergman’s book was published) with Bergman stating,   “…his work is now carried on by his wife, Emily Hoefle, and other co-workers.”

Many questions flooded into my mind, “Where is this group!?”, “How many members are there?”, “Where is this Mt. Dora Bible House that is mentioned in one of my two references?”, “What does this group do as a ministry work?” and “Why hasn’t the local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mt. Dora ever run across any of these so called followers of Charles Taze Russell?”, I had other questions too but was frustrated that none of these questions would have answers for some years to follow.

2006

Charles F. Redeker would publish, Pastor C.T. Russell: Messenger of Millennial Hope in 2006.  This was the first detailed work I had ever encountered on Russell and many different facets of his life and influence of the groups that would claim him as their founder.  One of the groups discussed in Redekers book (see page 365) was the subject “Epiphany Bible Students Association” and it included an address, well sort of, a Post Office box in Mt. Dora.  In the write up Redeker noted that this group “…had always been headquartered in Mount Dora, Florida.”  He mentions an “Epiphany newsletter” consisting of reprinted articles from Russell, among others.  And then as soon as the write up begins, it suddenly ended, abruptly, with no real new information on this group and its mysterious existence with supposed headquarters still in Mount Dora, at least at the time of this books being published in 2006.  But, I now had a post office box. 

2009

I struggled for 3 years.  Would I write the address in Mt. Dora, Florida?  I struggled with my reasons for wanting to know, to get some closure to my interest in this supposed group claiming to still follow Russell and presumably study his works, now over 100 years old (Studies in the Scriptures last volume was published in 1904 as written by Russell).  I still had all the questions and more noted above and wanted to know why this group is still active.  Why is it barely in the public eye if no real ministry work is being done?  I still hadn’t located any Mt. Dora Bible House and really questioned whether or not it even existed.  Why wouldn’t the address for this “Bible House” been listed in Redeker's work?.  Was the existence of this group somehow tied in with simply getting a tax break of some kind from the government?  Was there some current “Minister” using this group as a kind of business only?  My mind went over the details, or as many as I had swept together in the last 20 years, over and over to try to put the pieces together to make some sense of it all.  I decided to do as much internet research as I could at this time to get a clearer picture, which didn’t reveal much at all.  In fact, nothing more than I already knew.   

I continued to be, as Jehovah’s Witnesses typically are, very busy, staying focused on my faith and family.  It’s been a journey that I have loved since joining the faith in late 1980s.  So why was I so interested in this group in Mt. Dora?  Could this desire to know more damage my faith at all?  I struggled with the counsel found in the Bible at Romans 16:17 “Now I urge you, brothers, to keep your eye on those who create divisions and causes for stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them.”  Basically the Apostle Paul was dealing with a lot of apostasy in his day and he gave sound counsel to simply leave these ones alone.  Don’t engage them.  If you do, you’re playing with fire!  Was this group, made up essentially of ones who admire Charles T. Russell, simply lost to decades old thinking and beliefs?  Could they be compared with modern day dissidents who are truly vitriolic in their disdain for present understanding and truth?  I personally felt that the answer to this question was no, others may feel strongly different and I can understand that, however, I came to feel that the Bible Student group was lost to time, and in some ways impotent in today’s society where the daily struggles of mankind are very different than the difficulties of 1916 and before.

I had done a plethora of research on the break that occurred in the 1916-1919 time frame.  This was the time Charles Taze Russell died and those who were simply caught up in following the character of Russell vs. the message he taught about the Bible were sifted.  I’m sure that is an oversimplification of the huge drama that happened at that time surrounding his death but it’s not far from the facts as I’ve learned them to be.  Yes there was a lot going on at that time and much was written about the challenges of the Truth staying on the tracks and keeping its forward momentum in spite of many influential men and leaders leaving the official Watchtower Bible & Tract Society due to disagreements with leadership at that time.  The Proclaimers book has a fantastic chapter that touches on this (see Chapter 28 entitled, “Testing and Sifting From Within”).  This chapter was invaluable to me in crystallizing my views on the issues that came up at that time, which included the birth of the group that ended up in Mt. Dora.

Paul Samuel Leo Johnson c. 1913

Enter one Paul Samuel Leo Johnson.  He was a regular speaker at the Conventions of the International Bible Students Association from the early 20th century on, or at least until the drama referenced above took place.  These conventions were typically under the oversight of Charles Taze Russell, or partly such.  Russell appears to have had an opinion of Johnson in a positive way.  I’ve yet to read any historical accounts stating otherwise, but Johnson had an arrogant charisma and was incredibly stubborn when it came to his personal point of view.  What little that is known of Johnson was that he evidently had a tyrannical, although possibly well meaning, father who treated him very sternly, probably overly much (see The Present Truth, Dec 1, 1950 pgs 181-182).  This may have contributed to Johnson having an iron will when dealing with other strong personalities such as Joseph F. Rutherford who would eventually become the next President of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society in this troublesome time.  To say that the two men did not see eye to eye on just about everything is probably not far from the truth.  Long story short, a clash ensued and Johnson was escorted from the Bethel home and grounds never to be welcome back again during this trial period of 1916-1919* (Epiphany Studies in the Scriptures, series 6 page 82, see also Proclaimers Ch. 28 noted above).  Johnson appears to have never forgiven this episode and wrote voluminously for the remaining 30 years of his life, looking for types and antitypes in almost every aspect of his personal spiritual journey.   This brief history of Johnson is noted here to give some background and understanding of the Bible Students who supposedly ended up in Mt. Dora, Florida.  Johnsons influence would have a profound effect within a few years on a young, John Hoefle.  Hoefle, who reportedly, was either a Watch Tower adherent or simply interested in their message, is not clearly known.

My information on Johnson was limited, He is referenced in a few places from the official sources of the WTB&TS, and an insightful mention of him and the period above 1916-1919 is discussed in the book Faith on the March written by longtime friend of Charles Taze Russell, Alexander Hugh Macmillan.  But how did Hoefle spring from Johnson’s group and end up in a small town in Florida of all places? 

After giving it a lot of careful thought.  I decided I would write the address I attained from Redeker’s book.  I would be careful to make sure my questions were from a journalist type approach, simple inquiries with no real discussion of my background at all.  I would be honest but very discreet and cautious as I really did not know what to expect.  I would send the letters (carefully typed and worded) from my work address at the time, hoping this would help contribute to my keeping my background as elusive as possible.  I would avoid doctrine and keep my interest focused on history only.  I was hoping for some answer or contact that could shed the smallest bit of light as I feared we were approaching a time when all the history would be lost.  I had recently learned of the passing of John Hoefle’s wife Emily who died on January 1, 2008 at the age of 101.  I had gone to a Witness funeral for a faithful brother in Mount Dora when I was surprised to notice the headstone of John and Emily Hoefle buried side by side soon after her passing just twenty feet away from where I was observing the funeral talk of my old friend.  So I wrote my first letter and put it in the mail with a few basic questions… “Is there a newsletter? Are back issues available?” and that was about it.  There was of course no internet presence at all at this time in mid 2009 so I waited.  Within 2 weeks I received my first response from Marjorie Williams, who in our correspondence would identify herself as the niece of John and Emily.  I would learn that John and Emily had no children and Marjorie, now in her 70s, had really been like a daughter to them.  She offered to assist me with any questions I may have and so more questions were posed that might shed some light on things further, “Do they publish any books for study?”, “How large is there study group and How many are on their mailing list?”, “Did John Hoefle author any books?”, “Are there any photos of the Mount Dora Bible class?”, “When did the group begin in Mount Dora and why?  Is there a previous newsletter discussing the history of this group at all?”  Two weeks later Marjorie wrote in an attempt to answer my many questions.  It was confirmed that John Hoefle never wrote any books but only in a limited way would reference the writing of Charles Taze Russell, who, she stated, was a very able writer of the Truth.  She confirmed there were about a thousand on their mailing list.  She also enclosed a picture of John and Emily Hoefle from likely the 1960s for me.

John and Emily Hoefle c. 1960s

She also explained in brief the challenges that occurred when PSL Johnson died in 1950.  A struggle ensued between Hoefle and the newly appointed executive trustee of Johnson’s surviving group, R.G. Jolly.  The two men had such a challenge over those first few years that Hoefle left off associating with Jolly and Jolly left off any association with Hoefle, to put it nicely.  The men rarely spoke after 1956 but this was the beginning of a newsletter wherein Hoefle could air his grievances over Jolly’s misuse of his newly appointed position, from Hoefle’s perspective. 

R. G. Jolly c. 1913

I’m sure Marjorie Williams struggled with how much to tell me and how much should she not, not knowing herself if I even knew what she was talking about as I hadn’t revealed much to her other than I was interested in learning some facts about her Bible group.  So I likely received the very abbreviated version of what she actually knew.

I wrote her back and expressed my desire to see an actual photo of the group currently in existence and supposedly having regular meetings at a “Bible House” in Mount Dora.  I was really hoping that this would confirm whether or not a group actually existed currently, although I suspected not.  “How did Hoefle end up in the small town of Mt. Dora?”, “How did she (Marjorie) know them?”, “Did Hoefle and Jolly ever speak again?”, “What other books does she offer?”.  She had also included in her correspondence to me a recent printing of The Divine Plan of the Ages.

Two weeks later my response arrived.  She stated that there was no picture of the Bible Group as “we are a small family of like minded brethren who are interested in learning in the School of Christ”.  Which confirmed for me that there were no regular meetings at any “Bible House”.  That to me was confirmation that any thought of a Russell group in Mt. Dora was a simple mirage.  It didn’t currently exist and I strongly suspect it never did, at least in the way I had imagined it.

She explained John and Emily met at a Bible Student Convention related to the LHMM and were married in the 1950s but they never had children, Emily was her (Marjorie’s) father’s sister and that since they had no children, Marjorie and her husband Leonard were the closest thing to family that they had.  Marjorie went on to state that over the years Emily Hoefle served as the matriarch of their family and provided spiritual guidance her entire life.  I responded to all this information above by writing an immediate response the next day.  I wanted more specifics on the relationship that Johnson had with Hoefle all those years ago, and did Jolly ever speak to Hoefle again.  Three weeks later, on June 22, 2009, came the kind and patient response.  She confirmed that “we are not a publishing house and have to order books from others.”  She had some other general statements but this answer caught my attention, “John and Emily did speak with Jolly again and Jolly addressed them warmly as Brother and Sister.” 

At this time I had a medical issue that was fairly serious and was unable to write or correspond with Marjorie as I recuperated.  A month passed and Marjorie actually wrote me to check on me.  Which I thought was kind of her and showed she really didn’t mind my many unusual historical questions.  I decided I should give a little background on my interest, which I did.  I focused on my interest on C.T. Russell and in my limited way, had done research that uncovered her group in Mt. Dora.  I explained although I looked for more information, none was available, so I wrote her my initial letter.  I stated it was curious to me why there would be so much division after his death so was simply looking for some answers on that.  In one of her correspondences mentioned above she did provide the obituary newsletter for John Hoefle.  This specific issue gave some details into Hoefle found nowhere else (now easily found online), but in this newsletter it did mention, “Each year Brother Johnson gave Brother Hoefle a special binding of the… Parousia and Epiphany books specially bound for him.”  I asked, “Were these books inherited by your family?  Or, whatever became of them?  How extensive was John’s library?  Is his reference library in your possession today?  If so, did John keep any letters of interest between him and Johnson?  Do these letters still exist?”  I thanked her graciously for being so patient with my persistent questions.  Her answers to the above questions stunned me.  Her response confirmed she presently (as of Sept 2009) owned all of John Hoefle’s books and library.  She stated the library was very extensive.  The letters did exist at one time but they had been lost.  She has no idea what had ever happened to their extensive correspondence to each other.  She gave me no other details at this time.  But I wanted to know more.

Three months later I wrote back.  I had been healing from my medical issue and was on heavy pain killers for some time, so my lapse in time was unavoidable but did allow me time to ponder my follow up questions somewhat.  In January of 2010 I asked, “Was Hoefle ever an official member of the IBSA?”, “What year, if known, would this have been?”, “What year did he become aware of the Johnson group specifically?”.  I also asked about the library, what did she mean that a special binding had been done for Hoefle?  What kind of special binding?  Would she mind sending me a picture of the special bindings?  As mentioned above I am a collector of historical works related to the WTB&TS so I felt it was a natural question, but probably not to the average reader.

She wrote back what would be our final correspondence.  January 19, 2010 she stated what she could about Hoefle’s connection with the IBSA which actually wasn’t much at all.  She believed he actually was a member of the Lutheran Church.  John left the church when it became evident to him by his local minister that the church did not share John’s pacifist views of the war that was raging at the time.  She supposed he became “acquainted” with the writings of Russell and also the “congregation” (presumably of the IBSA in his area).  She guessed it was likely 1916 or 1917.  She believed he became interested in Johnson’s LHMM in the early 1920s but she wasn’t certain.  That was much of all she shared on that subject.  Turning her attention to my question on the books, “The books that were given to John by Brother Johnson are the same as the others except the binding is black.  Apparently Johnson had extra ones bound in black.  The books are not inscribed however.”  She sent no picture as I had requested and I was left to wonder just what did she mean they were the same but printed in black?, Were they pocket size possibly?  Did they actually have the same title’s printed on them as the red versions, and which “versions” would they have been?  I had seen so many book descriptions mis-stated I had my suspicions she quite possibly didn’t know how to explain it to my satisfaction.  But I would never find out, or would I?

2020

It had been 30 years now, that my attention to this subject had lingered.  As all of us know, in March of 2020 the worldwide pandemic forced many of us to stay home for some time.  During this time, I was able to go through some parts of my historical library which included a re-read of my correspondences with Marjorie.  This naturally lead to an internet search which fairly quickly confirmed the death of Marjorie in 2015.  She passed away from a battle with cancer and I was surprised to learn 5 years had passed and I hadn’t known.  I’m not clear on exactly why I felt that way, but in her obituary, I was reminded of her husband’s name who survived her, Leonard Williams.  Her obituary page also was accompanied by a well put together video slide with music presentation of her life in pictures.  I watched the 20 minute presentation that likely included approximately 100 photos from various points in her life.  Her children, her grandchildren, her life in central Florida!  I was able to see they were a very wealthy family, well connected politically and very family oriented.  It appeared religion was not the focus of the family as far as the children and grandchildren were concerned, but where the wealth came from was somewhat of a mystery at the time.  Whatever happened to the Mount Dora group I wondered?  What about the large reference library?  I concluded that it was lost to time.  Likely boxed away and placed in a garage until spring cleaning would demand the books be discarded.  What a shame I thought. 

2021

With the pandemic still raging, and more time for personal study presenting itself, I focused on trying to find out more of the surviving family members in the Central Florida area.  I had discovered the Marjorie and Leonard did not live or reside in Mt. Dora, but in a very nice area of Orlando, Florida.  The Post office box in Mt. Dora was likely kept over the years and as far as I could learn, likely checked on once or twice a month for correspondence type letters only.  Marjorie had been gone for some 6 years and her surviving husband was still alive or so I thought.  As I researched his name I was surprised to learn he had passed away early in 2021.  And on his obituary page was another video slide presentation with more photos showing his family and life similar to that found on Marjorie’s obituary web page.  I learned that Leonard had been a very successful business man.  One of the leaders of the Anheuser-Busch Company.  This explained the very wealthy environment shown in the photos provided by the family in the slide shows.  They had a son who tragically died before the age of 40 and their other children seemed to be well adjusted members of the community but I sensed no real interest in their Great Uncle’s (John Hoefle) faith nor that of their own father and mother, as respects the beliefs likely founded in the teachings of Charles Taze Russell from over 100 years ago.  As I perused the obituary page of Leonard I was left with many questions still, but pondered about those imagined boxes in an attic somewhere haphazardly filled with memories from many years ago and unappreciated by ignorant family members simply cleaning house.

June 2021, The Estate Sale

I was absolutely shocked, when a good friend of the family contacted me with photos from just another estate sale in Central Florida with framed pictures of what was confirmed to be one Charles Taze Russell.  A large remarkable painting with a beautiful gold frame, a smaller, professionally framed, 8 by 10 stunning pencil sketch portrait of Russell (I would confirm it was the original artwork that was included in the front of the later reprints of the bound volumes printed in the 80s and 90s out of Chicago), and what would be identified by me as an 8 by 10 color portrait from 1984 of one John J. Hoefle nicely framed and apparently proudly hung for some years, likely in the study of the Leonard and Marjorie home.  In fact this was their home in central Florida where the estate sale was happening.  I immediately left work and arrived to find the painting and 2 framed pictures still for sale, I placed them on a table for purchase.  As I scrutinized the very large, lakeside home, for more theocratic related items, I stumbled across John Hoefle’s personal “Bible Students Edition” Bible from before 1920 filled with references and personal notes to Russell and Johnsons voluminous writings.  I found Marjorie Horn’s (Williams) personal study Bible from the 1950/60s filled with her personal notations throughout.  I could see she was a very devoted student of the Bible in her own way.  I found a reprint of Poems of Dawn filled with subscription rolodex type cards in it filled with some familiar interesting names, hand typed and then hand noted if “deceased” or taken of the list for some reason (address no longer valid etc…)  I located a pristine editions of Hymns of the Millennial Dawn from the 1930s.  But that was it.  No special black editions of the Studies in the Scriptures mentioned over 10 years ago to me in my correspondence.  As I was checking out and paying for whatever I could find, I inquired, had anyone purchased a lot of books earlier in the day?  I was informed that yes, an antique dealer had left 2 hours ago with approximately 800 books.  He presumably bought them at $1-2 each.  Did they possibly have any information on who he was?  A business card?  A traceable credit card?  Anything?  No, no information was available.  The books were gone! 

July 2021, I found him!

I believed it would be a matter of time before the person who purchased the book collection would likely attempt to sell the books, and hopefully this would be online.  And it was, a few books at first, unique and in the central Florida area.  They were unique enough to alert me that this was the man I was looking for.  I reached out and yes, he  had boxes of books from the estate sale!  I asked if I could visit his home and review what he had for possible purchase?  He said yes, of course and I headed over that day to see just what he was able to attain.  A younger man, in his late twenties or early thirties, I discovered he makes a pretty good living simply going to estate sales on a regular basis and buying artwork typically and reselling these pieces.  He’s supported his family for approximately a decade doing this.  I explained my interest and he had, upon my arrival, about 5 boxes filled with about 100 books and other items relating to the study library.  This was far less than the 800 I was informed about at the estate sale but he assured me that was an exaggeration and that this was all he had.

He did have the black set I had been looking for!  He also had an interesting photograph that was related to all the books that he purchased he thought.  He had a few memorial ribbons of one PSL Johnson!

The photo was a rare image of PSL Johnson the year before he died, along with his wife and who I believe to very likely be John Hoefle next to him.  Johnson looks visibly ill and is seen in a wheelchair with a very Russell-like beard present.  The look on his face is very poignant in my opinion as he gazes at his ill wife who would die shortly after Johnson who passed away in 1950. (The Present Truth, Mar 1, 1951 pg. 48).

I negotiated a purchase of the Black set, and all the memorabilia I could see.  I discovered that the antique art dealer had found a few treasures (1912 mint convention report, 1914 convention report) but most of the books were reprints from the 40s and later and no older watchtower items were present.  No correspondence, no personal letters stuck in the books anywhere of any significance.  I was relieved to see I hadn’t missed out on a massive historical find of some kind like I had imagined.  However the black set of Studies did have an inscription, see below, that confirmed the set was gifted to Hoefle from Johnson himself.  Very interesting I thought.

The Divine Plan of the Ages, c. 1937 edition inscribed

The inscription

The memorial ribbon

 



PSL Johnson, last known photograph, 1949

John J. Hoefle

Hoefle’s personal Bible Students Ed, Bible

Hoefle’s personal Bible “Vow” Bookmark

Conclusions

What did it all mean?  I reflected on a quote of the Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom book, Chapter 28, page 630 stated, “They (the Russell type groups-italics mine) may have been right in some of the details that they taught… but did the Lord bless what they were doing?  For a time, some of them held meetings, but then their groups died out essentially.”  And on page 628, “…they were like a branch cut from a tree—green for a while, than withered and lifeless.”  Yes, thirty years later my observations agreed with what is quoted here.  Yes, there was a newsletter, Yes, there was some correspondence here and there.  But none of that truly mattered because it didn’t have any lasting nature to the message.  As has proved true in other Bible Student groups, as the members grow older and die, so does their chosen faith in many observable ways.  This certainly proved true of this Mt. Dora “group” if you can call it that.  In the end, the library and memories so cherished by John Hoefle and his devoted wife Emily would pass away shortly after their deaths, only to have the small flame fanned by a loving niece who likely out of respect for their memories kept things somewhat moving forward, or as much as she could.

Why hadn’t any current members asked the family for the books, pictures or memorabilia items after Leonard died this year?, I can’t know for sure.  But I believe that’s because they really didn’t exist.  These treasured items to John and Emily were basically given away at the estate sale by their extended family.  If any still existed from the supposed Bible Study “Group”, what is their reason for letting all these items be boxed and sold, and likely much of it thrown away? 

There still is an internet presence of this Epiphany newsletter (as of Aug 2021), however when researching some of the articles for historical facts such as referencing the biography edition of John J. Hoefle on the site (No. 349B, from Aug 1, 1984), there is a counting tab at the bottom where the reader can simply select to “like” the article.  On most of the references I checked many had no “likes” and some of the more recent ones might have 1 or 2 at the most.  This is a testament to just how inactive this information is today in my opinion.  It has very little effect on the world and certainly, speaking as someone who grew up in this area since the early 1970s onward, this group was so difficult to locate it took me years just to get the P.O. Box address to consider discovering more about them.  And when I did, there was no invitation to join their study session or visit a meeting to hear a public discourse of any kind.  I should have known it would be this way based on what I studied way back in 1993 with my first reading of the Proclaimers publication and its observations noted above.  Yes, this group had died out with the passing of time.  It was an elusion that existed based somewhat on Leo Rosten’s Religions of America, Bergman’s writing referenced above, and Redeker’s work which seemed to agree with this observation that a Bible House or group somehow existed in Mt. Dora, Florida. 

The “Missing Bible Students of Mount Dora” were never really “missing”, because for all practical purposes, they never truly “existed” at all!  It was a faith born and fostered by one John J. Hoefle, his wife, and when they passed away, his niece.  It was a faith for family, their family, with few on the outside ever being invited truly in.  No organized meetings, no public talks, no organized systematic bible study that one might reflect on from even the early days of Charles T. Russell.  The newsletter appears to have been at the center of their “worship”.  And in the newsletter grievances were aired over complex doctrinal differences that few could hope to grasp. 

In Marjorie Williams personal Bible (The Holy Bible, self pronouncing, Authorized King James Version) found at the estate sale, were found many detailed notes and included cut outs of articles she may have found interesting and relevant to her personal bible study.  I rarely have seen a personal bible so thoroughly studied as this one.  As I scanned the contents one cut out article caught my attention.  It was a snippet of a chart found in the October 1, 2005 Watchtower pg. 6 entitled, “Identifying Marks of the Last Days”.

Marjorie Horn (Williams) study Bible.

Marjorie was raised in and around the faith of her Aunt and Uncle, which must have been somewhat confusing to her.  A very small family study group about incredibly deep material including types and antitype prophecies fulfilled in characters, according to Hoefle’s mentor, that she never likely met.  And yet, she would run across the Witness material, in the form of The Watchtower above, likely from time to time.  Her home, where the estate sale took place, is in a well covered area of the public ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Orlando.  She would have had some contact at the very least in the door to door message presented by them.  Her opinions remain largely unknown in this area, but she thought enough of this specific article to cut it out and keep it for some 10 years until her death.  She knew of the ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses but I ponder if she ever attempted to speak to them about her family history leading back to the early 20th century and one Charles Taze Russell’s influence on them.  On the 2nd floor of this small mansion was the exquisite library where the ornate painting of Russell hung, a large painting with a gold frame mentioned previously.  Surrounding the painting were approximately 100 or more study books directly related to those early days of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society but I’m quite sure none of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the area had any idea of this.  I certainly didn’t have any idea and I’ve lived 20 minutes from her residence most of my life.

No, the “group” didn’t engage in any real ministry work.  Certainly nothing like Charles Russell himself would have encouraged.  Unlike Jehovah’s modern day Witnesses, the group did very little to preach and teach the word.  They really didn’t exist in any substantial or effective way in respects to any real ministry effort.  Perhaps they were just “students of the Bible” as their official name suggests.  And while Marjorie may have written letters or corresponded, and while there may have been a 3-4 page newsletter of basically reprinting of much older material already available to the public, the actual ministry of this group remained ineffective and dead…

I purchased about 25-30 books from the estate sale and the dealer that I mentioned above, they helped me put the pieces together.  The picture is clear to me now, 30 years later, after all this attention to one Charles Taze Russell and his early message of hope for mankind.  His message would have evolved with the current needs of mankind in line with the Bible’s infallible direction and counsel.  His message would have remained relevant and meaningful for people.  Easy to understand and apply.  Russell’s message as found in The Watch Tower magazine would have continued, with the help of Jehovah’s spirit, to be of benefit as it aligned with the Bible so that Jehovah’s modern servants would continue to be “completely equipped for every good work”.  This work, in line with Russell’s own desire, would be found all over the world in as many languages as possible (over 1000 currently) and be easily accessible to all. 

And I’m happy to report, that it is!  With millions observing the memorial of Christ’s death this year and the website “JW.ORG” being accessible to most of the world currently (as of 2021 it has been outlawed in communist Russia) much of the world’s population has at their fingertips instant guidance and scriptural direction on many different challenges facing mankind today, no matter their age, gender, race or nationality.  This is what Jehovah would have wanted.  And if Luke 7:35 applies, and I believe it does, “wisdom is proved righteous by all its children”.  In other words, by their “fruits you will recognize them”.  What organization has shown incredible growth of the Christian message free from the hypocrisy plaguing much of the worlds religions today?  The answer to that is the answer to who has the lasting truth of God’s word.  Truth that not only sets us free, but offers the hope of everlasting life.  This truth would not be “missing” but would be easily found, easily accessible. 

And it is!


Saturday, August 7, 2021

Where did the pictures go?


We are all familiar with the line drawing of W H Conley found in history works on Pittsburgh and reprinted in Wikipedia, Find a Grave and Separate Identity volume one.

But what happened to any originals? When Sarah Conley died in 1908 she left detailed instructions for the disposal of her possessions. These included gifts of five pictures (probably photographs rather than paintings) which included one of the two of them, William and Sarah, together. The relevant paragraph from the will is at the end of this piece.

What happened to these pictures? Do they still exist is some dusty attic, maybe uncaptioned and forgotten? So many pictures from the past are, alas, orphaned today by lack of information.



Friday, August 6, 2021

September

I have a major surgery coming up end of September. I'm told it will take a good two weeks to recover. If this blog goes quiet then, you'll know why.

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Two rough draft paragraphs

 Again, can you add to this in a meaningful way. I do not need additional material on Lucy Dunn except some idea of her early years in Pittsburgh would be helpful. I need additional material on the Conley's support of various projects.

The paragraphs:

            Retrospectively, George Palmer Pardington described Conley as “a princely merchant of Pittsburgh,” adding that “he carried the spirit of business enterprise into the Lord’s work. He was indeed a modern Barnabas.” He attributed the founding of the Alliance Palestine mission to him and noted that he supported “Miss Dunn’s work there till the close of his life.” Conley’s heart was “in home missions.” Conley focused on the near return of Christ, seeing it, in Pardington’s words, as “a blessed and living hope.” Exactly what Pardington meant by some of this is unknown. We might ask how Conley carried the spirit of business into Christ’s work; equally we might wonder in what way Conley was a modern Barnabas. Despite this effusive, and somewhat meaningless praise, Pardington named him as John Conley, casting some doubt on how accurate some of this is.[1] We can, however, follow Conley’s relationship to the Palestine mission.

            In 1889 Lucy E. Dunn, also interested in the Missionary Alliance wanted to become a missionary to the Jews in Palestine, attending the Alliance missionary school. No assignment or financial assistance came from the Simpson organization, but Conley obliged, gifting her with five thousand dollars. She sailed in February, 1890, and for about a year labored alone in that land, presenting the truths so dear to our hearts. She “was recognised as a Bible student and teacher among the other missionaries.” Later, C&MA writers claimed her as their first missionary. She was, however, an independent.[2] He continued to support her until his death, and best evidence is that Sarah Conley continued the support afterward.



[1]               G. P. Pardington: Twenty-five Wonderful Years, 1889-1914: A Popular Sketch of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, Alliance Publishing, New York, 1914, page 208.

[2]               Quotation: The Story of the Christian and Missionary Alliance¸ 1906, page 33. Donation: Lester I. Vogel: To See a Promised Land: Americans and the Holy Land in the Nineteenth Century, Pennsylvania State University Press, 1993, page 115. Independent missionary: Will Pray for Syrians, Washington, D.C., Evening Star, February 3, 1915. 


A rough draft paragraph.

 Can you add to this subject?

Sarah Conley 

            When Sarah Conley died (October 1, 1908), the October 8, 1908, issue of The Jewish Era, a tri-annual devoted to mission work among the Jews, described her as “a woman of great liberality.” She was modest and unostentatious, and her charitable gifts were meant to be unnoticed. Paraphrasing Matthew 6:3, Tryphena Cecilia Rounds, the magazine’s editor said Sarah was “one [of] the few who did not let their right hand knew [sic. Rounds meant know] what the left hand had done.”  Sarah continued to support missionaries; feeling that they all did some good, she ignored doctrine supplying needs to many, sometimes in the form of clothing. She provided the money that allowed T. C. Rounds’ mission to the Jews to purchase property for a ‘reading room.’ And she donated to Rounds on a personal level. “In various ways,” Rounds wrote, “like Phebe of old, she has ‘been a succourer of many’ and the writer might add ‘and of myself also.’”

            In September 1889 Sarah founded “Beulah Home,” a large structure at 136 Sheridan Avenue in Bellevue, Pennsylvania. She called Oliver S. Schultz and his wife Caroline [Sometimes spelled Carolina] to manage it. O. S. Schultz [born c. 1851] was an associate of A. B. Simpson, serving as treasurer of Simpson’s Berachah Orphanage in New York City.  It was a home for women, providing respite and refuge for what was then called ‘the worthy poor.’ The 1910 Federal Census lists the Schultz’s, a servant, and fifteen female residents aged between six months and seventy-four years.


Published by Paton

 This is available at books.google.com

Life Thoughts; Book of Poems on Religion, Love, Temperance ...

By Mary Jane (Wilson) Chamberlin ("Mrs. Alden Chamberlin, ")

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Some of you may be interested.

Rufus Wendell, Jonas Wendell's nephew and a some-time associate of Storrs. His Student's Bible is on ebay for a very reasonable $35.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224548157341?hash=item34481cf79d:g:pG4AAOSwHu9gb0ZW 

I notice that this has sold. I was tempted, but I already have this and though the one on ebay was in better shape, I need the money for other things. 

Web crawlers

 I need a volunteer who can block specific web crawlers on blogger.

Friday, July 30, 2021

Valuable?

 If you find this blog valuable, please comment below. There are several paths forward, two of which do not include keeping this blog active.

One of the choices I'm considering is moving this blog to WordPress. I need a volunteer who can follow the steps and install the IP blocking software so I can get rid of all visits from Toledo Telephone USA, Poland, Russia and Korea. 

Another option is to make this blog invitation only. Probably not the best choice.

I can recreate the private blog and leave this one up with a notice that new posts appear on it. People can request access, and I can weed out the trouble makers.

I can leave this blog as is and do nothing.

I may move pertinent information about my books to a publisher's web page. That would mean a publisher's blog on which new research would NOT appear, and a web site for Fluttering Wings Press. 

I can switch to an invitation-only forum similar to that of a scholars' group to which I belong, leaving this blog up and open to web searches, but with comments turned off and NO reference to the group forum.



Saturday, July 24, 2021

Conley, yet again ...

 There are issues, questions that I'd like resolved but probably won't pursue. But here they are if you wish to try:

1. Emma D. Conley's birth name and parents.

2. Letters by or to W. H. Conley. I have yet to get an answer from the C&MA archive. The issue seems to be a covid virus closure and a move. 

3. I've found a limited number of newspaper articles between 1875 and 1885 that mention Conley. There must be more. I'm just not finding them.

4. Articles about Bethany Faith Cure Home in Pittsburgh. Send even if you think I may have them.

5. Conley continued to have a business relationship with A. D. Jones into the 1890s. We still need a volunteer who can visit the Library of Congress and photograph the remaining issues of Day Star. Ask me for details.

5. Faith Cure pamphlets published in Pennsylvania between 1880 and 1895. I am familiar with the Library of Congress collection but haven't asked for copies of anything from them - yet.

A note to "Older Other Sheep": If you believe I've misunderstood your intent, email me directly and we'll resolve the misunderstanding.

Friday, July 23, 2021

...and the answer is...


Relating to the previous post, the answer is "leaders." I don't know what paper your clipping is from but when the Pittsburgh Post for 26 November 1885 reported events (maybe in another edition to yours) this was the result.


 

Deciphering text

 Some of the available microfilms are hard to read. Below is an extract from an 1885 newspaper article. I cannot make out one word: "hers was one of the greatest cures of the ???" Can you decipher this?


The word may be "leaders," but I am not at all certain of that. Help!

Thursday, July 22, 2021

 

The Cole Sisters.

 "The women in question were named Cole and were sisters living at No. 14 Linton street." - Pittsburgh Press, Jan 18 1892.

These women play a brief part in Conley's story. But I would like to know their complete names. I've looked two period city directories with no result. I searched both name and address. Can you do better than I have?

Faith in God (2)


I asked Bruce where he found the reference to the paper Faith in God and he gave me a link to the Pittsburg Dispatch for March 6, 1889, page 2. There was a substantial article covering two columns.



The first part of the article was taken up with glowing testimonials. The latter part mentioned a "wealthy gentleman of Allegheny (who we assume must be Conley) and also the paper Faith in God going out with 30,000 copies.



One hopes more can be found on Conley's activities and motivations at this time.

The Hamilton Building was at 91 and 93 Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh. Does that address seem familiar to you?




Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Faith in God

 This was a periodical published in Pittsburgh about 1888-1900. I've checked worldcat.org and the Library of Congress. It's not listed there. Any issue will help, but the 1888-1897 issues are the most important. Can you find any?

Additional: Bethany Tract Rooms, an adjunct to Bethany Faith Cure Home in Pittsburgh, published a series of tracts in 1889-1890. While published anonymously, the appear to have been written by Conley. I do not know titles. And I'm at a lost as to how to proceed. I've enquired of the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh. Too soon to expect an answer, but I do not expect a fruitful result. 

Bethany Tract Rooms was later called Bethany Bible and Tract Repository.

Do your best!

Conley's Business

 I am including basic information about Riter & Conley. I do not need help with this aspect of Conley's life, though if you have something that might help, do pass it along. My reasoning here is that the company was a major part of his life, and basic information will give my readers insight into the man.

R & C had safety issues, as most industrial institutions did in that era. The company's response allows some insight into the men who ran the company. The issues over wages and hours that filled the steel industry in the 1890s [think Homestead Insurrection], affected Conley. What he said reveals his thinking. 

Your thoughts are welcome.


Update: My access to Pittsburgh newspapers published between 1884-1889 is limited. Anything you can find about the Conleys from those years, perhaps on ancestry.com will be helpful.

Sunday, July 18, 2021

Emma Conley


I had a "folk memory" that the Conley's daughter, Emma, was adopted. The usual searches on Ancestry and newspapers.com yielded nothing, but assuming that the indexing system for these sites might be a little less than perfect, I tried a visual examination of the actual newspapers for the week of her death. In the Pittsburgh Daily Post for 15 December, 1881, notice of her passing was recorded. And there was the information that she had been adopted.



Thursday, July 15, 2021

Conley again

 

I need what ever information you can supply about Conley's daughter Emma. Anything at all will help.

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Conley

The July 31, 1897, Pittsburgh Press has a death notice and comment about Conley's will. I do not have access, but I believe those with an Ancestry account do. Can you help?


Addenda

Here are two cuttings from paper.

From page 2


From page 7


Tuesday, July 13, 2021

For another project

 Another German language card to translate. Please.





Friday, July 9, 2021

Bern Bible House

 Markus, a friend to this blog and my research, sent a mass of material many months ago. This is one of the items he sent. This post card shows the architect's drawing for the "new" Bern Bethel. Can we date this card?



 

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

This Blog

 

            Our blog attracts a variety of readers ranging from serious researchers to the merely curious. All are welcome. Except sometimes.

            I will delete argumentative comments. I expect comment-trail posts to be polite. If you throw a temper tantrum, I will ban you.This is a history blog focusing on the Watch Tower’s Russell years. Occasionally we discuss something from the Rutherford era. We do not allow controversial comments, unsupported by original documents. Unsupported speculation is not history, and it is unethical to present it as such. If you make a claim without documentation to support it, I will view it as an attempt to foment controversy.

            I am open to articles by those not on the editorial list. They must be exceptionally well researched, footnoted to original sources and well written. If English is not your primary language, we will work with you.

            An original source is a journal or diary, letters, contemporary newspaper or periodical articles, something in the character’s own words, contemporary legal documents. You must use reasonable caution. For instance, periodical articles about Russell often contain fabrications. If I see something in your otherwise well-written article that is misleading, I will return it to you for further research.

            I do not allow fables to pass as solid research. This includes things like the Rutherford ‘bobby pin” story. The photo that supposedly shows him drunk that in fact shows him drinking root beer is another misrepresentation. There are others. Before you’re gullible enough to swallow such things as fact, do some real research.

            We do not indulge in personalities here. No insults. No arguments. I do not allow requests for deeply personal information. You may not ask me – or anyone else – about our age, hair color, or any other irrelevant thing.. You may not ask for specifics of someone’s income, place of residence, or any similar thing. You may presume that individuals on our editorial staff are academically competent. In this setting, details are none of your business. Our research speaks for itself.

            I do not care what your religious or social views are. They’re yours. Keep them to yourself. There are other forums where you may express those.

            Most of the Watchtower publications can be found online. It is rare that we will fulfill a request for a scan or photocopy. There are many newspaper archives. One of these is provided by the Library of Congress. It continues to grow. Search key words and names, but remember that newspapers like to fabricate. Google Books is an excellent resource. [books.google.com] There are other online libraries. Not all books are created equal. Use good judgment.

            Extraneous, off topic comments are unwelcome.

            I do not accept invitations to podcasts, call in shows, radio interviews, or any thing similar.

            Occasionally we get comments from people who need to develop their reading comprehension. There are web pages that will help with that.

            We attract trolls. Google, who owns Blogger, blocks some at the gate. Others show up, but I disallow their comments. We have a reader from Poland that is very unwelcome. [Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland IP Address: Upc Polska (66.102.9.63)] And we have another whose ISP is traced to Toledo, Washington, United States, IP Address:

Toledo Telephone Co (208.70.50.219). I cannot stop them from reading this blog. But no comment from them will appear here. Do not join this group.

Rotherham

 A friend to this blog asked a question about the Society printed Rotherham New Testament. Can you answer his question?

Dear Bruce,

Writing Archives got in touch with a couple of years ago because I have a copy of one of the first Bible’s that the Bible House published: 
The New Testament. Newly Translated (From The Greek Text of Tregelles) and Critically Emphasised. With An Introduction and Occasional Notes

They were doing some research into the various printings of the Bible.

I can see why they were doing this now.

I thought that you mentioned Rotherham in Volume 1, but I couldn’t find the reference.

Do you know why Rotherham’s translation was favoured by the Bible Students?

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

I need this ...

 A booklet in the British Library, St. Pancras, is not available to me. Perhaps one of our British readers can acquire a scan and share it. The title is: 

An Answer to the Latest Slogan of Russellism: "The New World has Begun!" [the title of a lecture by C.J. Woodworth based upon the writings of Charles Taze Russell]. Also an examination of the statement that "Millions now Living will never Die" [the title of a work by Joseph F. Rutherford, also based upon the writings of C.T. Russell].

The author is William Charnock Procter. 


Can you help?


Mystery names

 A friend to this blog acquired one of Storrs' books. These names are on the front free endpaper. If you know anything about them, do let us know.



Monday, July 5, 2021

The Franz brothers and the draft

 

Three members of the Franz family all had to complete draft registration cards over May-June in 1917.

The first was Albert Edward Franz (1889-1940), He was drafted on May 24, 1917, at the age of 27. At the time he was a well-known Bible Student, featuring in the Photodrama work in Chicago and regularly writing for the St Paul Enterprise newspaper (later called the New Era Enterprise).

In answer to question 12 on the card, Do you claim exemption from the draft (specify grounds)? Albert wrote: “Yes, A Christian and member of the International Bible Students Association, also physical.”



Two weeks later, two of Albert’s brothers were also drafted, on the same day, on June 5, 1917.

The older of the two was Herman Franz (1891-1977). He was 25. He also claimed exemption. His answer: “Yes, Student member of the International Bible Students Association.”



On the same day, a third brother was drafted, Frederic Franz (1893-1992). He was 23. He too claimed exemption. “Yes, Member of International Bible Students Association.” He gave his present occupation as “Ordained Minister and Stenographer.” He would spend most of his life in Bethel and became vice-president of the Watch Tower Society from 1945-1977 and president from 1977 to his death in 1992.



A fourth brother, Alvin Franz (1901-1978) appears to have just missed the draft because of his age.

The draft cards for WW2 did not provide a section for someone to claim exemption. However, the WW2 card for Fred Franz is of interest. It gives his occupation as “Administer of the Gospel under the direction of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.” His contact was Grant Suiter, his residence was 124 Columbia Heights and his workplace was 117 Adams Street, Brooklyn.



Thursday, July 1, 2021

Spirit of the Word

 The Spirit of the Word was A. P. Adams' magazine. Issues are very, very rare. A reprint of volume one is on ebay. This was done decades ago, and it omits key letters and (I think based on a Watch Tower comment) that it omits a key article. It lacks any mention of Zion's Watch Tower. But some of you may find this useful -

 https://www.ebay.com/itm/373633492621?hash=item56fe4aa68d:g:feoAAOSwF11g3PUp

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

For another project

 I cannot read this. Can you translate it for me?




Monday, June 28, 2021

Reviews

 I'm not allowed to bribe you to leave a review of vol 2 of Separate Identity on Amazon. But a positive review will help sales. There is only ONE and given the number sold, that seems low. I fund research from sales. A review there and elsewhere will help. Please.

Saturday, June 26, 2021

Riter and Conley Plant in 1907 and 1913

Periodic floods were the norm in Pittsburgh. The 1907 flood was turned into a mystery novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart. These photos were taken during the 1907 and 1913 floods and show the Riter and Conley plant.


1907


1913



Friday, June 25, 2021

A Reminder

 What you think about the Watchtower Society is your business. Bringing your opinions here, especially unfounded opinions, even if presented in the most subtle way, will result in your comment being deleted.

This is a history blog. Nothing more.

Also, I expect you to do your own research before you ask me or another poster questions or send requests.

Thursday, June 24, 2021

W. H. Conley

 I need Conley's letters or other papers. Anything, really, related to him. 


Click on the image to see it entire. From Iron Age of October 1, 1891. 

Saturday, June 19, 2021

The Diary of John H Paton (1900)


In 1981 Lucile Swain Hough donated a typwritten transcript of the diary of John Henry Paton for the year 1900 to the Almont Public Library. Paton and his extended family lived at Almont, Lapeer County, Michigan, for most of his life. His magazine The World’s Hope was published there from 1882 to 1916.

Paton of course was an early associate of CTR and wrote for Zion’s Watch Tower before starting his own paper to promote Universalist views. He is a good source for historical research because he tried to keep in touch with many people, and his paper reveals the subsequent history of a number of early associates of CTR after they parted company with him.

What happened to the original diary is unknown. How accurate and complete is the transcript is also unknown. What we have is not very detailed, often brief notes about events and people, many of whom will mean nothing to a modern reader. But there are a few insights, and this article tries to extract the few items that link up with Watch Tower history.

The title page tells us who provided the transcript.


Lucile Hough was a grand-daughter of John H Paton. Her mother, Annie Paton Swain (1883-1969) was a daughter of John Paton. Lucile would have known John Paton as a child; she was 12 years old when he died and was living at the same address in the 1920 census.

Paton traveled widely, especially making use of the railways, electric cars in cities, horse and buggy, and also the new fangled motor car. However, it was the railway that made longer journeys possible. The same would hold true for Charles Taze Russell. Paton regularly listed where he stayed (or “staid” as he always spelled it) and where he dined. He commented regularly on the weather and how his health was. Back home he saw to it that his paper The World’s Hope had full copy and came out on time.

Paton had been ordained as a Baptist minister, before switching to Advent Christian, and then had furrowed his own path with Nelson Barbour, CTR, and finally his own independent Universalist ministry. However, he was quite prepared to preach anywhere that would have him. From the diary, he seems to have had most invitations from Baptist and M.E. Churches. As shown by his death certificate he viewed himself throughout his life as a clergyman, a “preacher of the gospel” but with the title “Rev.”



As the Rev. John Paton, he expected financial reimbusement for his efforts. This comes up quite early on in the diary. Visiting Richland on Sunday, January 14, he commented “Preached three times for M.E. minister, morning and night in Richland.” But after listing his sermons - “Rec’d no money.”

Like many of the era, he supplemented his income from preaching and publishing by engaging in some small scale farming. So there are entries like November 26: “cow taken sick.” November 27: “cow suffering.”  November 28: “cow died.” But all was not lost – after preaching at Peck and Yale (north of Detroit) on December 20: “Rec’d $10.25 towards a new cow.”

A few personal details emerge. Paton had been involved in the American Civil war and regularly attended military reunions. One such in the diary was on August 23, 1900, in Detroit. Paton wrote: “Attended reunion of my old regiment and met about 100 of the boys. Aunt Addis went with me on the river with regiment.”

One such reunion four years earlier had been photographed. I am grateful to John Paton Marshall, a great grandson of John H. Paton, who made the photograph available. This one was taken at the Chicamauga and Chattanooga Military Park on September 18, 1895, and shows men of the 22nd Michigan Infantry, Volunteer 1st Division Reserve Corps. The cross at the very bottom of the photograph shows where John Paton is placed, and to his right are two of his brothers, first brother David and then standing to the right of him brother William.



Paton was also a Freemason and on December 3 attended the lodge meeting at Peck and Yale where a new “master” was installed.

Paton’s brief comments shed light on contemporary controversies at times. In the mid 1890s there was interest in the wider Bible Student community in a movement founded by Cyrus Teed, who rebranded himself as a Messiah figure named Koresh, and who founded a commune in Estero, Florida. One of his distinctive beliefs was that the earth was hollow with the sun as a kind of giant battery in the center. There was controversy in Pittsburgh in 1895 when one of the Watch Tower Society directors, Augustus Weimar, among others, defected to what became called Koreshanity. When Koresh died his followers believed he was only in a state of suspended animation, so refused to bury him until the issue was forced by public health officials. His mausoleum on the coast was demolished by a hurricane and his coffin washed out to sea and lost. This bizarre tale and the connection with certain former Watch Tower adherents was discussed in The Watch Tower and the Koreshan Unity if you use the search facility on this blog.

One might have thought that the interest in someone so off-the-wall would have soon petered out in the mid-1890s. But here in Paton’s diary for 1900, in an entry for June 18 from Peck and Yale he showed that many in his circle were also fascinated. Paton simply wrote: “All seem gone on Koresh.” Alas, there is no further comment on the subject.

 

It has been fun checking some of the names, but most have been readers of The World’s Hope or friends and family who do not have any obvious link to Watch Tower history.

One name took some time. On September 1 Paton visited Hattie (Brown) Rice. At the time he was visiting places like Pontiac and Orchard Lake, within striking distance of Detroit.

There was a Hugh Brown Rice who featured in very early Watch Tower magazines at the same time as Paton. It would have been nice to make a connection, but that has not been possible.

Hugh Brown Rice was someone who nearly wrote for Zion’s Watch Tower, but never did. His story is covered in the article H B Rice – an Impecunious Man, which can be found by using the search facility on this blog. Hugh Brown Rice wanted to be an Age to Come evangelist linked to The Restitution paper, but as business ventures failed and his family grew, financial pressures kept thwarting him. He eventually got a “proper job” and by the end of his life ended up quite financially secure.

The only two people named Hattie Brown Rice I could trace were a Hattie Brown who married a Rice, and then as Hattie Brown Rice married again. The other was a Harriett Blanche (with the sobriquet “Hattie Brown”) Rice born in 1872. Neither seems to have any connection with Hugh Brown Rice of fleeting Watch Tower association. But neither do they have any obvious connection wth John Paton.

Tiptoeing onto firmer ground there were two areas he visited where some familiar names from Watch Tower history appear.

There was Chicago where he spoke at meetings at 6006 Green Street over September 18-19. On the 19th he wrote: “Had good meeting at night. Sister Russell present… Bro. Keith present.”

Taking “Brother Keith” first – Benjamin Wallace Keith had played one key role in what became Watch Tower history. As an associate of Nelson Barbour he had noted that the Emphatic Diaglott rendered the Greek word “parousia” as “presence” rather than “coming.” When brought to Barbour’s attention this was a key factor in the teaching of an invisible second presence for Jesus Christ. Keith supported Barbour and wrote for his magazine and knew CTR well when he came on board. When Barbour and CTR split, Keith supported CTR and the fledgling Zion’s Watch Tower magazine. He was listed on the front page as a regular contributor from its start in July 1879 until early 1881.



When John Paton split from CTR and founded The World’s Hope, Keith chose that path and was often mentioned in its pages. Keith’s story can be found in Separate Identity volume one.

Perhaps of even greater interest is a reference to “Sister Russell.” Was this Maria or someone else of the same name? Paton would have known Maria quite well as he officiated at her wedding to CTR back in 1879. Also Maria would have cause to visit Chicago because her brother Lemuel, a lawyer, lived there. It was to Lemuel in Chicago that she first went when she left CTR in 1897. If this is our Sister Russell, it appears that she still kept in contact with some from the old community and had fellowship with them in 1900.

There are two other references to the name Russell in the diary. From December 14: “Expected to go to Assyria (probably the townhip in Michigan), but received no reply to my letter to Bro. Russell.”  There seems no way of knowing whether Paton would have written to CTR this long after their parting, or whether this was an unrelated “Brother Russell.” Either way, he didn’t get an answer.

The other reference to the name was in Indianapolis on July 29, Paton wrote: “Did not preach, but visited. Attended meeting of Russell people.” We note that, unlike some visits to Baptist and M.E. Churches, he wasn’t invited to speak on this occasion. But it also shows that long after the original parting of the ways there was still some contact between many individuals.

As well as Chicago there was one other area Paton visited where names from the past appeared. Over July 10-12 he was in Pittsburgh.

On July 10 he wrote: “Saw Mrs Carnahan, Conley & Walshan’s. Staid at Bro. Mann’s.

On July 11 he wrote: “Called at Dr. Buvinger’s and Bro. Englands, & had lunch at Mrs. Buvinger’s.”

On July 12 he left Pittsburgh for Elyria and wrote: “Avis met me at Station…Had evening meeting at Bro. Sherwood’s.”

So on July 10 he saw, among others, Mrs. Conley.  She was the widow of the first Society president, William Henry Conley. Conley had faded from view in the early 1880s and when the Society was incorporated in 1884 was no-where to be seen. He surfaced again with a letter of support over the Conspiracy Exposed and Harvest Siftings issue in 1894. But his religious journey had taken him elsewhere. Paton continued to visit him and in Conley’s obituary published in The World’s Hope for August 1, 1897, stated how “many times during these (more than twenty) years I have shared the hospitality of that the Christian home.” Had Paton not been away on his travels to receive the news too late, he would have attended the funeral. Conley’s obituary in Paton’s magazine was written by W.I. Mann.

So on the same 1900 trip to Pittsburgh, Paton visited Mann as well, and as he put it “staid” with him.


W I Mann as he was in 1900.

(With thanks to Bernhard who supplied the photo)


William Imrie Mann (1844-1930) had been around in the Nelson Barbour days, and when Zion’s Watch Tower started he was listed as contributor in the first issue, the same as Keith (see image above). He compiled a new hymnal for the paper’s readers called Songs of the Bride in 1879. When Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society was incorporated with CTR as president, Mann was vice-president. He resigned as a director in December 1891 and was officially replaced on April 11, 1892.

Like Keith, Mann was mentioned in the pages of Paton’s magazine. After his separation from CTR, he was mentioned in a letter CTR wrote to his wife Maria (Russell vs Russell 1906, exhibit 2, letter to “My Dear Wife” dated July 9, 1896). Here CTR lists some former associates who he now accuses of “evil surmisings and slanders and envy,” Mann is the first name on the list.

Another name from the past from the Pittsburgh trip is Buvinger. On July 11 Paton had “called at Dr. Buvinger’s and had lunch at Mrs Buvinger’s.” Although the name does not occur in Zion’s Watch Tower, the Buvingers were early associates of CTR. The original Dr. Buvinger had written letters to Barbour’s Herald of the Morning and George Storrs’ Bible Examiner, before supporting Paton. He died in 1891 but his widow (Mrs. Buvinger) lived on until 1925.

There is an interesting insight into Paton and the Buvingers in The World’s Hope for February 15, 1892 (I must thank Separate Identity volune one for the reference). The widow Emma Buvinger wrote Paton expressing appreciation for what he taught and how her two sons were now much interested. She asked Paton if she could have a photograph of himself and his wife. Paton offered to sell her one for 25 cents. A choice of three poses was offered.

The final names to consider here are those of Avis Hamlin and a Brother Sherwood.

As noted above, on July 12 Paton left Pittsburgh for Elyria and wrote: “Avis met me at Station…Had evening meeting at Bro. Sherwood’s.” The same names occur later in the year when he again visited Elyria. On October 19 in an entry about reaching Elyria by train: “Avis and Bro. Sherwood met me. Meeting at Sherwood’s.” The next day’s entry noted: “had another meeting at night at Sherwood’s.”

Avis was Avis Hamlin and she is mentioned in Zion’s Watch Tower. In the August 1880 issue CTR wrote that he would be visiting Elyria in his travels and noted that “Elyria meetings are in the charge of Sister Avis Hamlin.” These were meetngs of an independent fellowship because in October of that year Nelson Barbour’s Herald of the Morning announced plans to visit Elyria, “where Avis Hamlin may arrange.” According to the write-up in the November 1880 Herald three of the meetings were held at Avis’ home.

The story of Avis and the house church at the home of her friend (and possible relative, Thomas Sherwood) is told in Separate Identity volume one. She supported Barbour for some years, and hosted a visit of CTR, but ultimately chose John Paton in her later years. She would write a letter of appreciation for Paton’s October 1900 visit which he published in The World’s Hope for January 15, 1901. Thomas Sherwood died in 1902 and although Paton took the funeral and wrote an obituary he did not memtion Avis on that occasion (See The World’s Hope, May 15, 1902).

When Paton was greeted by Avis at the train station in 1900 she was already into her eighties. She soon became the oldest local resident in Elyria and as such became a bit of a celebrity. She featured regularly in snippets in the local paper.

For her 90th birthday she had her photograph in the paper, and her life story partly told. From the Elyria Republican, February 27, 1908:



On the occasion of her 93rd birthday, the newspaer reported that she recited a selection of poetry for some of her guests and “sang a little song for a favored few.”

With an election coming up, one of the last stories about her was from The Chronicle-Telegram for November 24, 1911.



The reference to “Lacked the Pants” is linked to an anecdote on why she hadn’t tried one of the new fangled aeroplanes as yet. Avis was determined to vote for women’s suffrage in the next election in February 1912. Sadly she wasn’t to make that date, but died on the last day of December 1911.

Regretably, the relevant issue of Paton’s magazine, The World’s Hope, is not available; but one may assume that he gave Avis an obituary, and may even have traveled to Elyria to conduct her funeral.

She was buried in the family grave of Edith Morehouse in the Ridgelawn Cemetery in Elyria.

A memorial exists, but doesn’t seem to have been photographed, and reportedly is now illegible on two of its four sides. However, the names that survive include those of Avis Hamlin herself (1818-1911), Andrew Morehouse (1840-1883) and Edith Morehouse (1849-1898). Andrew was Avis’ son by her first marriage to Samuel Morehouse, and Edith was Avis’ daughter-in-law. Andrew and Edith’s son, Max Morehouse (1865-1923), a prominent businessman, was a regular visitor to grandmother Avis in her final years.

Paton’s diary ended appropriately on December 31, with just a few brief notes for the first week of January 1901. His final entry for 1900: “This is the last day of the last week of the last .month of the last year of the Nineteenth Century. We sat up to see the New Year in. Good by (sic) 1900.”

As noted at the start of this article, it is a shame that the original is missing, and that diaries for other years do not appear to exist today.


Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Out of context paragraphs

 ... from volume three in progress:

            Adams wrote at the request of “a number of friends” near Beverly, Massachusetts. His letter itself seems to belie that claim. Instead, it seems that he wrote the letter, taking it from person to person to gather signatures. The initiative was his, though that does not diminish the support given by those endorsing it. “I can only say for myself and the little band of believers here,” he wrote, “that in the light of Scripture, type, prophecy and parable, and in the light of our past experience up to the present point, our position never was so satisfactory and convincing, to those who have eyes to see, as now.”

            This complex sentence shows them as far removed from the literalism that existed in the ‘movement’ before 1878 and which was the position Watch Tower adherents maintained. They saw in themselves the antitype of imagined Scriptural types. They saw each failure as progress. And there is a strong element of exclusivity. They saw their fragile, about to collapse, typology as truth, identifying themselves as those having “eyes to see,” apparently an allusion to Deuteronomy 29:2. At this point – late 1883 – there was nowhere else to turn. Adams quoted one of the Beverly adherents: “As one of our number has frequently said, though we sometimes, with heartsickness of hope deferred, grow weary in the way we never grow weary of it; sometimes with trembling hand we have clung to the silver cord of faith that as yet is our only claim to eternal life, and yet, thank God! we have held on.”

            Barbour strongly objected when, in 1894, Russell assumed the mantel of “the faithful and wise servant.” He did not object to Adams’, “The ‘prepared victuals’ fully sustain us,” an unmistakable reference to Matthew 24:47. This exposes the underlying conflict between Barbour and Russell. Each saw himself as the divinely appointed teacher.


World War One

 I hope you are all well. For those interested, two post surgery doctor appointments next week. Still on pain meds and such.

Now to the point of this post: Though it is past the era covered in Separate Identity three, I need material showing non Watch Tower interest in Gentile Times and prophetic interest in World War 1 and its aftermath. This will probably turn into a minor point in my introductory essay, but it is worth pursuing. 

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Photo identity?

 

See review of Separate Identity in previous post



Does anyone recognize this photograph?

I took the picture from a small historical display while visiting Germany as an international delegate in 2019. I am almost certain it was at Magdeburg where the old Society’s headquarters still owned (at least in part) by the Society were used for a Kingdom Hall and a place to feed and entertain visitors.

There was no caption for the photograph. I assume the photo must relate to Germany, although it should be noted on reflection that J F Rutherford is not there is person, this is only his photograph on display. Also the caption is in English. The other thing I noted was that the group is nearly all men, although there are a few women dotted about.

So – has anyone else ever seen this with more information?

Addenda

We now know the history of this photo, and it is a little more recent than one might think. Read the comment trail for the full story. With thanks to Bernhard.