Advanced +

Hart, Josiah Rice (1817–1858)

By Rachel Middaugh

×

Rachel Middaugh is a museum professional currently working at Old Sturbridge Village, in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, as a shoemaker and cabinetmaker. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at Andrews University and an M.A. in history with a concentration in public history from the University of North Carolina–Wilmington. She has previously worked for Adventist Heritage Ministries. Rachel loves visiting museums, reading, book collecting, traveling, music, and spending time with friends. 

First Published: June 29, 2023

Audio

Josiah Rice Hart was a pioneering tent meeting evangelist in the New England and Midwestern states.

Early Life

Josiah Rice Hart was born in Lebanon, New Hampshire, on October 31, 1817.1 He was the oldest child of Josiah Whitmore Hart (1788-1819) and Friendly Rice Hart (1799-1856).2 Josiah had a younger sister whose name was Friendly Ann Hart Russ (1819-1888).3 Josiah Whitmore Hart was from Farmington, Connecticut, and moved to New Hampshire where he met and married Friendly Rice in Claremont, New Hampshire, in 1815.4 Tragically, Josiah Whitmore Hart died while building a mill in 1819, and by 1830 Friendly was living in Claremont with their daughter, Friendly, without having remarried.5

Education and Marriage

Nothing is known about Josiah Rice Hart’s education, but he was a farmer by profession. He met and married Orvilla Webster (1810-1861) in Northfield, Washington County, Vermont, on November 9, 1839.6 Born in East Roxbury, Vermont, Orvilla was one of sixteen children born to farming parents. Together she and Josiah would have five children, Lucy Ann (1840-22), Friendly Ellen (1840-1858), Josiah Sidney (1843-1932),7 Russell A. (1845-1936), and Caroline A. (1847-1875).8

Career/Ministry

Hart was part of the Millerite movement that culminated in 1844, and around 1850 he became a Sabbatarian Adventist.9 Unfortunately, Hart along with Stephen Smith, openly spoke out against James and Ellen White and prejudiced many people in Vermont against them. It was not until the autumn of 1851, when the Whites made a visit to Vermont and Ellen White had a vision about Hart, that he began to soften. He eventually made a hearty confession and expressed his belief Ellen White’s spiritual gift.10 From that point Hart traveled around Vermont and New Hampshire to share the Sabbath and the three angel’s messages from Revelation. By December 1852 he was agent for the Review and Herald paper in his town of Northfield, Vermont, promoting subscriptions there until at least 1855.11

In November of 1853, Josiah Hart, Elon Everts, and Ezra P. Butler were ordained for the work in Vermont.12 Hart was one of the tent meeting pioneers in New England, a work he began in July of 1854 in Waitsfield, Vermont.13 Over the next couple of years, he traveled all over Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine with a tent and working with men such as Frederick Wheeler, Elon Everts, Charles W. Sperry, and Alfred S. Hutchins. They spoke in small towns and cities as large as Boston.14 During this time Hart also traveled west to Michigan to take part in the conference that brought about a consensus on sunset rather than 6 p.m. as the time indicated in the Bible for commencing the Sabbath. On his way home he stopped in Oswego, New York, for a conference there and was selected as chairman.15

In March of 1856, Josiah Hart moved his family from Northfield, Vermont, to Round Grove, Whiteside County, Illinois.16 He was as busy as ever, traveling around the Midwestern states and sharing Jesus. Sometimes he traveled with a tent and other times held meetings in school houses and other buildings. Elon Everts had moved to Round Grove as well, and they worked very closely together. In 1856, they both accompanied James and Ellen White on their trip to Waukon, Iowa, to encourage the Adventists there and brought John Loughborough back with them to help in their labors. Hart labored mostly in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa with Elon Everts, John Loughborough, John Andrews, Charles W. Sperry, W. Mitchell, Merritt E. Cornell, and Joseph H. Waggoner.17

Later Life

Josiah Rice Hart had his ministry cut short by an attack of typhoid fever in the early summer of 1858.18 He had had a tent meeting trip planned in Iowa, but he was unable to go due to his illness. 19 He battled for his life for nine weeks before finally succumbing to the disease on August 17, 1858. Joseph Bates was present at the time of his death and, along with his family and fellow believers, helped to lay him to rest in Round Grove, Illinois, next to his frequent partner in ministry Elon Everts. 20

Contribution/Legacy

Months after Hart’s death people were still mentioning him in their letters to the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, crediting him with coming to a knowledge of the Sabbath. 21 He grew the tent meeting work in both New England and the Midwest and impacted dozens, if not hundreds, of people for the message about Jesus and His soon return.

Sources

“Agents.” ARH, January 6, 1853.

“Agents.” ARH, September 18, 1855.

Andrews, Alfred. Genealogical History of Deacon Stephen Hart and His Descendants 1632-1875. Hartford, CT: The Case, Lockwood, & Brainard Co., Printers, 1875. Accessed April 16, 2023. http://www.familysearch.org.

Andrews, J. N. “Note from Bro. Andrews.” ARH, February 5, 1857.

Baer, Roscoe T. “Elder J. S. Hart Obituary.” ARH, June 23, 1932.

Bates, Joseph. “Josiah Hart Obituary.” ARH, September 2, 1858.

“Business.” ARH, March 20, 1856.

Cornell, M. E., C. W. Sperry, E. Everts, and Josiah Hart. “Appointments.” ARH, January 28, 1858.

“Eastern Tour.” ARH, November 15, 1853.

Everts, E., and J. Hart. “Conference.” ARH, November 27, 1856.

Everts, Elon. ARH, July 10, 1856.

Hart, J. “Note from Bro. Hart.” ARH, May 20, 1858.

Hart, J., C. W. Sperry, and A. S. Hutchins. “Tent Meetings.” ARH, September 18, 1855.

Hart, J. S., and R. A. Hart. “Lucy A. Hart obituary.” ARH, September 14, 1922.

Hart, Russell Ellis. “Application for Membership National Society Sons of the American Revolution.” Accessed January 4, 2023. http://www.ancestry.com.

Loughborough, J. N. “Labors in Illinois.” ARH, February 26, 1857.

Loughborough, J. N. “Labors in Illinois.” ARH, April 16, 1857.

Loughborough, J. N. “Oswego Conference.” ARH, December 27, 1855.

Loughborough, J. N., J. Hart, and E. Everts. “Tent Meetings.” ARH, May 28, 1857.

Loughborough, J. N., J. Hart, and E. Everts. “Tent Meeting at Dodgeville, Wis.” ARH, July 16, 1857.

Mitchell, W., J. Hart, and E. Everts. “Round Grove Church.” ARH, March 19, 1857.

New Hampshire. Claremont Sullivan County. 1830 United States census. Digital image. “Hart, Friendly.” GenealogyBank.com. Accessed April 10, 2023. http://www.genealogybank.com.

New Hampshire. “Josiah R. Hart Birth Record.” Accessed January 4, 2023. http://www.ancestry.com.

New Hampshire. “Marriage Record.” Accessed January 4, 2023. http://www.ancestry.com.

Howland, S. “Tent Meeting.” ARH, October 10, 1854.

“Notice.” ARH, November 11, 1851.

“R. A. Hart obituary.” ARH, May 21, 1936.

Shireman, D. T. “From Bro. Shireman.” ARH, January 6, 1859.

“The Conference.” ARH, December 4, 1855.

“Tent Meeting.” ARH, July 11, 1854.

Town, A. “Extracts from Letters.” ARH, December 24, 1857.

Tyson, Ellwood. “Carrie A. Tyson obituary.” ARH, September 16, 1875.

“Vermont Tent.” ARH, August 15, 1854.

Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954. “Friendly A Hart Russ Death Record.” Accessed April 16, 2023. https://familysearch.org.

Waggoner, J. H. “Letter.” ARH, July 8, 1858.

Waggoner, J. H. “Tour in Wisconsin.” ARH, March 25, 1858.

Wakefield, H. P. “Letters.” ARH, January 13, 1852.

Webster, William H., and Melville Reuben Webster. History and Genealogy of the Gov. John Webster Family of Connecticut, with Numerous Portraits and Illustrations. Rochester, NY: E. R. Andrews Print Co., 1915. Accessed April 10, 2023. http://archive.org.

Wheeler, F., J. Hart, and E. Everts, “Appointments.” ARH, October 3, 1854.

Wheeler, F., and J. Hart. ARH, September 19, 1854.

Wheeler, Frederick, and Josiah Hart. “Champlain and Plattsburg Tent Meetings.” ARH, September 12, 1854.

White, Ellen G. Ellen G. White to Stockbridge and Louisa M. Howland. November 12, 1851. Letter 8, 1851. Ellen G. White Estate.

White, James. “Tent Meeting in Illinois.” ARH, June 24, 1858.

White, James “Tent Operations.” ARH, May 1, 1856.

White, James. “Western Tour.” ARH. January 1, 1857.

Notes

  1. New Hampshire, “Josiah R. Hart Birth Record,” accessed January 4, 2023, http://www.ancestry.com.↩

  2. Russell Ellis Hart, “Application for Membership National Society Sons of the American Revolution,” accessed January 4, 2023, http://www.ancestry.com.↩

  3. Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954, “Friendly A Hart Russ Death Record,” accessed April 16, 2023, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFQX-G89.↩

  4. Russell Ellis Hart, “Application for Membership National Society Sons of the American Revolution,” accessed January 4, 2023, http://www.ancestry.com.↩

  5. Alfred Andrews, Genealogical History of Deacon Stephen Hart and His Descendants 1632-1875 (Hartford, CT: The Case, Lockwood, & Brainard Co., Printers, 1875), 437, accessed April 16, 2023, http://www.familysearch.org;

    1830 United States census, Claremont Sullivan County, New Hampshire, page 255, digital image, “Hart, Friendly,” GenealogyBank.com, accessed April 10, 2023, http://www.genealogybank.com.↩

  6. New Hampshire, “Marriage Record,” accessed January 4, http://www.ancestry.com.↩

  7. See Josiah Sidney Hart, ESDA, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=A9FV&highlight=Josiah|Sidney|Hart.↩

  8. William H. Webster and Melville Reuben Webster, History and Genealogy of the Gov. John Webster Family of Connecticut, with Numerous Portraits and Illustrations (Rochester, NY: E. R. Andrews Print Co., 1915), 277 and 574, accessed April 10, 2023, http://archive.org; J. S. Hart and R. A. Hart, “Lucy A. Hart obituary,” ARH, September 14, 1922, 22; Roscoe T. Baer, “Elder J. S. Hart Obituary,” ARH, June 23, 1932, 21; “Elder R. A. Hart obituary,” ARH, May 21, 1936, 21; Ellwood Tyson, “Carrie A. Tyson obituary,” ARH, September 16, 1875, 7.↩

  9. J. S. Hart and R. A. Hart, “Lucy A. Hart obituary,” ARH, September 14, 1922, 22.

    Joseph Bates, “Josiah Hart obituary,” ARH, September 2, 1858, 127.↩

  10. Ellen G. White to Stockbridge and Louisa M. Howland, November 12, 1851, Letter 8, 1851, accessed January 8, 2023, http://egwwritings.org.↩

  11. “Notice,” ARH, November 11, 1851, 56. H. P. Wakefield, “Letters,” ARH, January 13, 1852, 8; “Agents,” ARH, January 6, 1853, 136; “Agents,” ARH, September 18, 1855, 48.↩

  12. “Eastern Tour,” ARH, November 15, 1853, 148-149.↩

  13. “Tent Meeting,” ARH, July 11, 1854, 184.↩

  14. “Vermont Tent,” ARH, August 15, 1854, 4 and 8; Frederick Wheeler and Josiah Hart, “Champlain and Plattsburg Tent Meetings,” ARH, September 12, 1854, 37; F. Wheeler and J. Hart, ARH, September 19, 1854, 48; F. Wheeler, J. Hart, and E. Everts, “Appointments,” ARH, October 3, 1854, 64; S. Howland, “Tent Meeting,” ARH, October 10, 1854, 72; J. Hart, C. W. Sperry, and A. S. Hutchins, “Tent Meetings,” ARH, September 18, 1855, 48.↩

  15. “The Conference,” ARH, December 4, 1855, 75. J. N. Loughborough, “Oswego Conference,” ARH, December 27, 1855, 101.↩

  16. “Business,” ARH, March 20, 1856, 200.↩

  17. James White, “Tent Operations,” ARH, May 1 1856, 21; Elon Everts, ARH, July 10, 1856, 88; E. Everts and J. Hart, “Conference,” ARH, November 27, 1856, 32; James White, “Western Tour,” ARH, January 1, 1857, 69; J. N. Andrews, “Note from Bro. Andrews,” ARH, February 5, 1857, 108; J. N. Loughborough, “Labors in Illinois,” ARH, February 26, 1857, 133; W. Mitchell, J. Hart, and E. Everts, “Round Grove Church,” ARH, March 19, 1857, 160; J. N. Loughborough, “Labors in Illinois,” ARH, April 16, 1857, 189; J. N. Loughborough, J. Hart, and E. Everts, “Tent Meetings,” ARH, May 28, 1857, 32; J. N. Loughborough, J. Hart, and E. Everts, “Tent Meeting at Dodgeville, Wis.,” ARH, July 16, 1857, 85; A. Town, “Extracts from Letters,” ARH, December 24, 1857, 55; M. E. Cornell, C. W. Sperry, E. Everts, and Josiah Hart, “Appointments,” ARH, January 28, 1858, 96; J. H. Waggoner, “Tour in Wisconsin,” ARH, March 25, 1858, 148-149; J. Hart, “Note from Bro. Hart,” ARH, May 20, 1858, 8.↩

  18. James White, “Tent Meeting in Illinois,” ARH, June 24, 1858, 44.↩

  19. J. H. Waggoner, “Letter,” ARH, July 8, 1858, 64.↩

  20. Joseph Bates, “Josiah Hart obituary,” ARH, September 2, 1858, 127.↩

  21. D. T. Shireman, “From Bro. Shireman,” ARH, January 6, 1859, 55.↩

×

Middaugh, Rachel. "Hart, Josiah Rice (1817–1858)." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. June 29, 2023. Accessed July 04, 2025. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=7JK2.

Copy to clipboard Download Word File

Middaugh, Rachel. "Hart, Josiah Rice (1817–1858)." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. June 29, 2023. Date of access July 04, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=7JK2.

Copy to clipboard Download Word File

Middaugh, Rachel (2023, June 29). Hart, Josiah Rice (1817–1858). Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Retrieved July 04, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=7JK2.

Copy to clipboard Download Word File