Bible Conferences, 1848–1851

A series of at least 26 pivotal Bible Conferences¹ were held by those who would become key leaders of what ultimately became the Seventh-day Adventist Church. During this formative period, these Bible Conferences provided a venue to coalesce and refine their beliefs and then publicly disseminate them to gain a coalition of support. James White believed that this first (1848) Bible Conference marked “a new era in the cause.”²

Background

By mid-1847 the small group of post-disappointment Second Advent believers coalesced around at least four points of doctrine: (1) the personal, visible, premillennial return of Jesus; (2) the two-phase ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary; (3) the perpetuity of the seventh-day Sabbath and its end-time significance; and (4) the concept that immortality is not inherent, but something that comes as a gift from Christ.³ The beliefs were furthermore unified around two focal points: the cleansing of the sanctuary “as the grand center of the Christian system,” and second, the three angels of Revelation 14.⁴ At the core of this group was James (1821-1881) and Ellen (1827-1915) White along with Joseph Bates (1792-1872).⁵ They began to share their views in print in a variety of non-Sabbatarian Adventist periodicals including The Voice of The Truth, the Hope of Israel, the Jubilee Standard, Day-Star, Day-Dawn, and the Girdle of Truth. They began to disseminate their newfound convictions through print and personal correspondence. “Thus by the beginning of 1848,” observes George R. Knight, “the Sabbatarians had a distinct theology.”⁶ Ellen White, by March 1849, could write “Our position looks very clear; we know we have the truth.”⁷ Or as James White put it, now that their “foundation stands sure”⁸: “We must not hide our light, but let it shine.”⁹ These peculiar beliefs at times gave these early believers a sense of being “outcasts,” a phrase frequently used by James White during this time.¹⁰ “We do not wish to shut out any new truth,” wrote James White, or countenance any of the errors of this dark age.”¹¹ “I am sick of all our Advent papers, and all our Advent editors,” he opined,” as they walked in spiritual blindness.¹² This led to a sense of “persecution” among this “little flock” of believers.¹³ These nascent Sabbatarian Adventists were defining themselves from other post-Millerite groups with a fundamental dividing line being the concept of the “shut door” (referring to the parable of the Bridegroom) affirming their fundamental conviction that something had indeed happened on October 22, 1844. The liminal space between these disappointed Millerites and the formation of a denomination fifteen years later meant that for these early believers, in order to distinguish them from other Second Advent groups, these conferences have often been described as “Sabbatarian Adventists” or “Sabbath Conferences” (or even as the “Sabbath and Sanctuary Conferences”) as a way to distinguish these believers from other post-Millerite groups. While such identification helps describe such important developments, the term itself can be somewhat misleading because the wide range of discussions covered more than just the seventh-day Sabbath, notably how many “pillar beliefs” such as the sanctuary, state of the dead, second coming, and the gift of prophecy, shut door, and three angel’s messages, and how all these beliefs connect. As these early believers continued to meet and study, these ideas became increasingly integrated into a cohesive theological system.

A significant next step was sharing their newfound beliefs more publicly through a series of Bible Conferences.¹⁴ “Our conference which closed Monday morning,” wrote James White later that subsequent week, “was deeply interesting. I never attended a better meeting.”¹⁵ A major focus of the meetings was the seventh-day Sabbath as presented by Joseph Bates. Initially there was some opposition from B. Matthias, who believed that such a view “meant that they ‘were under the bondage of Moses’ Law, had fallen from grace, etc.”¹⁶ “He fought it like a tiger,” remarked James White.¹⁷ The discussion resulted in some who were “undecided” who “took a stand on the Sabbath.” James recalled how Ellen White received a vision and “spoke with considerable power of what God shew [sic] her in vision concerning the Sabbath.”¹⁸ At the conclusion those present “parted with great love for each other. All had a better meeting than they expected; all were blessed.”¹⁹

At least 26 known Bible Conferences were held between April 1848 and January 1851. After the first Bible Conference held at Rocky Hill, there were seven more similar gatherings held that same year (the fourth such gathering would again be held at the Belden home); seven more in 1849, and an additional ten in 1850, along with at least one more in Canada in early 1851.²⁰ The scanty publications and references make this number at best difficult to ascertain, although the criterion for inclusion in the list at the end of this article is that it was more than just a stop or preaching at a church, but indicating some larger gathering that drew people from a larger region. Ellen White wrote that these pivotal gatherings occurred over “two or three years,” so this corresponds approximately to the period between April 1848 and January 1851. Such gatherings were held in kitchens, parlors, a “large unfinished chamber,” or barns.²¹ By the time of this last conference, early Sabbatarian leaders would shift away from having so many conferences, although they would continue to hold at least an annual “General Conference,” to consolidate their efforts. The most significant cumulative effect of these gatherings was to create a more intentional publishing presence with a press, first in Rochester, New York (starting in 1852) and then in Battle Creek, Michigan (after 1855). The print medium made it possible to announce additional meetings and available publications, facilitated the distribution of new charts, and encouraged a sense of community. After all, James White viewed these Bible Conferences as “uniting the brethren on the great truths connected with the message of the third angel.”²²

Development

The White and Bates organized most conferences. At the time of the first conference, Ellen was age 21, James was 27, and Joseph was 56, and the three would attend most Bible Conferences held between April 1848 and January 1851. The scarcity of information about some of Bible Conferences, due to only brief references, means that it is impossible to know for sure in detail about each meeting, and for some, there are only passing references in correspondence that the event even occurred.

Significantly, these Bible Conferences were largely evangelistic in nature, as they recruited other disappointed Millerites to their cause. At times, some very heterodox ideas were promulgated at these meetings. Ellen White remembered how “hardly two agreed. Each was strenuous for his views.”²³ They retained a strong commitment to Scripture as the locus to share their beliefs. In the process they carried on vigorous Bible study, sometimes even staying up all night, as they wrestled to understand and articulate these newfound truths. “The Scriptures were searched with a sense of awe,” wrote Ellen White. She added as they went through this process: “We know that we have the truth.”²⁴

A key component of this continued Bible study and outreach program was a strong affirmation of the cleansing of the sanctuary in Daniel 8:14 with the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6-12. The Whites and Bates understood the “shut door” was not merely an affirmation of their Second Advent experience in 1844. This shift from discovering these beliefs and sharing them with other disappointed Adventists marked a change to a more intentional effort to share their faith with others and represents a notable turning point in the development of Seventh-day Adventist theology. Specifically, these Bible Conferences signaled a transition from a “scattering” time as Millerism was disintegrating into a “gathering” time as Sabbatarian Adventism came into its own.²⁵ Thus, during the post-disappointment era (1844-1847) early believers identified distinctive doctrines, and then through a series of Bible Conferences (1848-1851) they shared their convictions and refined the nuances of these beliefs as part of a cohesive system of beliefs.

Major Themes and Prophetic Gift

A survey of the conferences helps to illustrate their format and content. The first such meeting, held at the farm of Albert Belden in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, from April 20-24, 1848, would be regarded by James White as the “first general meeting held by Seventh-day Adventists.”²⁶ The conference was held in the “large unfinished chamber” on the upper floor of the Belden home. Approximately fifty people attended. Joseph Bates taught about the seventh-day Sabbath; James White shared about the Third Angels Message. During the summer of 1849, the Whites moved into this unfinished chamber utilizing furniture left behind by Clarissa Bonfoey’s (1821-1856) mother, who had passed away. Clarissa believed in the ministry of the Whites and assisted them with household chores and taking care of their first child, Henry, while they traveled and wrote. It was also on the Belden farm that James and Ellen’s second son, James Edson, was born on July 28, 1849.

A major part of these conferences was the role that Ellen G. White played during this crucial phase in the development of Sabbatarian Adventist theology. As already pointed out, by 1847 most of these distinctive beliefs had already been identified. Thus, as they continued to study, Ellen White would take a passive role in which she would point people back to Scripture, and only after thorough Bible study, played a “confirming” role.²⁷ During some of these visions, Ellen held up a Bible in vision.²⁸

Ellen White described these not only as “important meetings”²⁹ but also later reflected (1903) on her role during this formative time:

Many of our people do not realize how firmly the foundation of our faith has been laid. My husband, Elder Joseph Bates, Father Pierce, Elder Edson, and others who were keen, noble, and true, were among those who, after the passing of the time in 1844, searched for the truth as for hidden treasure. I met with them, and we studied and prayed earnestly. Often we remained together until late at night, and sometimes through the entire night, praying for light and studying the Word.

Again and again these brethren came together to study the Bible, in order that they might know its meaning, and be prepared to teach it with power. When they came to the point in their study where they said, “We can do nothing more,” the Spirit of the Lord would come upon me, I would be taken off in vision, and a clear explanation of the passages we had been studying would be given me, with instruction as to how we were to labor and teach effectively. Thus light was given that helped us to understand the Scriptures in regard to Christ, His mission, and His priesthood. A line of truth extending from that time to the time when we shall enter the city of God, was made plain to me, and I gave to others the instruction that the Lord had given me.

During this whole time I could not understand the reasoning of the brethren. My mind was locked, as it were, and I could not comprehend the meaning of the scriptures we were studying. This was one of the greatest sorrows of my life. I was in this condition of mind until all the principal points of our faith were made clear to our minds, in harmony with the Word of God. The brethren knew that when not in vision, I could not understand these matters, and they accepted as light direct from heaven the revelations given.³⁰

Adventist historian George R. Knight concludes that “Ellen White’s visions filled the role of confirmation rather than initiation.”³¹

Another significant turning point was at the sixth conference held on November 18, 1848, in the home of Otis and Mary Nichols in Dorchester, Massachusetts. While here Ellen White received a vision after which she stated to her husband:

I have a message for you. You must begin to print a little paper and send it out to the people. Let it be small at first; but as the people read, they will send you the means with which to print, and it will be a success from the first. From this small beginning it was shown to me to be like streams of light that went clear around the world.³²

Subsequently, James White would step out in faith to print an eight-page periodical titled The Present Truth. He visited an abolitionist printer³³, James Pelton, who let him print the first four issues on credit (for $64.50). The first issue would have a run of 1,000 copies. One of the most significant contributions of these Bible Conferences was the establishment of this periodical, along with The Advent Review (August 1850). The former shared new truths they had discovered, while the latter affirmed God’s leading through the Second Advent awakening of the 1840s. Together, these two periodicals merged into the Second Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald (November 1850) that “became the most significant literary vehicle for spreading the whole spectrum of Sabbatarian Adventist beliefs.”³⁴ Print publications became “indispensable” to the rising cause.³⁵

Significance and Legacy

Adventist historian Jerry Moon argues that it is “absolutely essential for Seventh-day Adventists to remember the 1848 conferences . . . because these conferences laid the foundations for our church built on Scripture, the whole Scripture, and nothing contrary to Scripture.”³⁶ Another Adventist historian, in his overview of this formative time period, notes that the April to November 1848 conferences represented a significant turning point. Up until now there had been other Adventists, such as J. B. Cook, who had advocated the seventh-day Sabbath for a time. Now, during this time, “Adventist Sabbatarianism become the exclusive domain of Shut-Door proponents.”³⁷ As this group studied further, they gained new insights into the Sealing Message as the seventh-day Sabbath (Rev. 7:1-4). They affirmed their belief that Jesus had closed the door to the Holy Place and opened a new door into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. This increased urgency was the catalyst behind the Present Truth in July 1849 as they realized they had no light that must be shared with others.³⁸ Another way to put it, as Alberto R. Timm has noted, was that by the conclusion of this series of Bible Conferences “the basic Sabbatarian Adventist distinctive doctrines had already been integrated into the theological-historical setting provided by the sanctuary and the three angels’ messages.”³⁹ Adventist historian George R. Knight notes that by the conclusion of these Bible Conferences: “Truly the Sabbatarian Adventists had found their identity.”⁴⁰

By early 1851, James White distinguished from just regular meetings held at various churches or with groups of believers and more general meetings or what he termed “General Conferences” that attracted a wider number of people from a larger region.⁴¹ One very tangible outcome from these gatherings, in addition to periodicals, was a new prophecy chart that became available for sale in early 1851. James White had 240 copies of this new chart, often incorrectly dubbed the “1850 Chart,” that was available for sale through Otis Nichols in early 1851.⁴² “We are much pleased with the arrangement of the Chart,” wrote James White, “and the execution of the work; and we are satisfied that it will be a great help to those who teach the present truth, and prove a blessing to the scattered flock.”⁴³ In a strong sense, this chart represents the cumulative as well as continuing evangelistic work of this new Sabbatarian Adventist consensus as the fledgling movement gained further momentum and growth. The chart was a straightforward depiction, building on the earlier 1843 chart, that showed a growing sense of theological identity and maturity, and an ability to raise substantial funds ($400) to make it possible for anyone who might like to share their faith would be able to receive this helpful audiovisual aid for study by the fireside in people’s homes or for public preaching.

These historic Bible Conferences from 1848 to 1851 would be a model that later Adventists would appeal to as the reason for continued Bible study and prayer as Adventism confronted change in new generations. Ellen White would reference these early Bible Conferences as the denomination wrestled with the meaning of righteousness by faith during the 1888 General Conference session. Later, all three major twentieth-century Bible Conferences (1919, 1952, 1974) would once again reference the example of these earlier Bible Conferences as a reason why Adventism needed to have a major Bible Conference, at least once per generation, to discuss important ideas within the denomination. Most striking was the cover program for the 1952 Bible Conference that featured what was then thought to be the home of Albert Belden, the site of the first 1848 gathering, and the Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1998, on the 150^th anniversary of the initial series of Bible Conferences, the New York Conference organized a special celebration of these “Sabbath and Sanctuary Conferences” organized by the conference president Skip Bell and featuring Adventist scholars Jerry Moon and Richard M. Davidson.⁴⁴

List of Bible Conferences, 1848-1851

Date	Location	Significance
April 20-24, 1848	Rocky Hill, Connecticut in home of Albert Belden	No more than 50 in attendance. Joseph Bates presented the commandments in a clear light with powerful testimonies. Others present included James and Ellen White, Heman Gurney, Ezra L. H. Chamberlain.
June 1848	Bristol, Connecticut	Joseph Bates and the Whites respond to criticisms from Joseph Turner.
August 13, 1848	Brooklyn, New York at Dorcas Moody’s home.	Chamberlain, James White and Joseph Bates meet in the home of Mary and Dorcas Moody.45
August 18-20, 1848	Volney, New York (David Arnold’s barn)	There were about 35 present according to Ellen White. Hardly two agreed. All anxious for an opportunity to advance their sentiments. In addition to the Bates and Whites, Chamberlain, Gurney, and Hiram Edson were also present.
August 27-28, 1848	Port Gibson, New York (Hiram Edson)	Ellen White shown in vision about importance of laying aside differences and to prioritize Bible doctrine.
September 8-9, 1848	Rocky Hill, Connecticut at Albert Belden Farm	The Whites stop by to hold a conference on their return to Maine.46
October 20-22, 1848	Topsham, Maine at Stockbridge, Howland, home.47	Focused discussion about Joseph Bates’ publishing. Joseph Bates and James White present again about the Sabbath and Sanctuary, respectively.
November 17-19, 1848	Dorchester, Massachusetts at home of Otis Nichols.	Ellen White receives a vision about the importance of starting a paper that would go like “streams of light . . . clear round the world.” Studied the question of the Seal of God (Rev. 7:1-3). Ellen White receives vision that the seal was the Sabbath.
1849	Conference at the home of Bro. Harris in Centreport	Attended by Joseph Bates.
September 7-9, 1849	Granville, Vermont	Attended by Joseph Bates.48
September 14-15, 1849	North Paris, Maine	Attended by Joseph Bates. “Speed the Swift Messengers Vision.”49
Oct. 1849	Conference in North Paris, Maine	Report of meeting by J. N. Andrews
November 3, 1849	Conference in Oswego, New York
November 17-18, 1849	Conference in home of William Harris in Centerport, New York	Ellen White has vision about “Brother Rhodes in Thick Darkness.”50
November 24-25, 1849	Oswego, New York	Hiram Edson with David Arnold and Samuel Rhodes.
March 16-17, 1850	Oswego, New York	Samuel Rhodes and Bro. Holt are expected to be present.51
April 20-21, 1850	Conference	Included Tanner, Miller and Hyatt. Visited precious band in Camden but who are scattered and torn by spiritualism.
June 8, 1850	Sutton, Vermont	Brother Rhodes attended.
July 1850	Conference at Johnson, Vermont52	Rhodes and Hollis present; rebuked J. G. Bennett, John Libby, and Noah Bailey for their teachings; non-Adventist who had not opposed the Advent embraced the truth.
July 29, 1850	Conference in Oswego, New York, at the home of Henry Lillis, Jr.	The “Enchanted Ground Vision.”
Sept. 26-29, 1850	Conference at house of Harvey Childs in Sutton, Vermont53	James and Ellen White attend with Joseph Bates. About 70 believers attend including 8 from Canada East [Quebec]. Despite “some trial” from “certain views” eventually through study and fervent prayer “errors were confessed” resulting in “perfect union.” Stephen Smith attends this meeting.54
October 12-13, 1850	Conference at Topsham, Maine	“The necessity of a full preparation for the day of wrath, and coming of the Lord, was one of the principal subjects introduced,” wrote James White.55
October 19-20, 1850	Met in conference with the brethren at Fairhaven, Massachusetts.	Conversion of several people including Prudence Bates along with two baptisms. Bible study removed earlier prejudices.56
November 16-17, 1850	Conference held in Paris, Maine	Samuel Rhodes expected.
November 23-24, 1850	Conference held in Paris, Maine	Heart confessions (as reported by A. S. Stevens).
January 11-13, 1851	Conference at home of Asa Hazeltine in Melbourne, Canada East [Quebec]	Attended by John Lindsey, Joseph Bates, and Samuel Rhodes. Also Bro. Hollis and J. N. Andrews.

Sources

“Bible Conferences,” The Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1996), 1:198-200.

Burt, Merlin D. “The Historical Background, Interconnected Development and Integration of the Doctrines of the Sanctuary, the Sabbath, and Ellen G. White’s Role in Sabbatarian Adventism from 1844 to 1849,” Ph.D. diss., Andrews University, 2002.

Campbell, Michael W. “Arnold, David,” in The Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventism, December 13, 2023. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=18WA&highlight=arnold [accessed 1/4/24]

Campbell, Michael W. “Cook, John Ball.” In The Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventism, February 13, 2023. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=A95W&highlight=Cook [accessed 12/4/23]

Campbell, Michael W. “Nichols, Otis and Mary,” in The Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventism, September 29, 2002. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=DIPQ&highlight=Nichols [accessed 12/3/23]

Fortin, Denis. Adventism in Quebec: The Dynamics of Rural Church Growth 1830-1910. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2004.

Froom, LeRoy Edwin. Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers: The Historical Development of Prophetic Interpretation. 4 vols. Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1954.

Greenleaf, Floyd, and Richard W. Schwarz. Light Bearers: A History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2000.

Knight, George R. A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1999.

Knight, George R. Joseph Bates: The Real Founder of Seventh-day Adventism. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2004.

Knight, George R. A Search for Identity: The Development of Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2000.

Land, Gary. Historical Dictionary of the Seventh-day Adventists, 2^nd ed. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.

Martinborough, Gordon O. “The Beginnings of a Theology of the Sabbath Among American Sabbatarian Adventists, 1842-1850,” M.A. thesis, Loma Linda University, 1976.

Maxwell, C. Mervyn, comp. and ed. “The 1848 Sabbath and Sanctuary Conferences: What Actually Took Place?” in Source Book for the Development of SDA Theology (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University, 1994).

Maxwell, C. Mervyn. Tell it to the World: The Story of Seventh-day Adventists, rev. ed. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 1977.

Moon, Jerry. “The Role of Ellen White in the Development of Adventist Doctrine,” Lecture, SDA Theological Seminary, 2006. https://www.andrews.edu/~jmoon/Documents/GSEM_534/Class_outline/07.pdf

Moon, Jerry. “Sabbatarian Bible Conferences,” in The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia, eds. Jerry Moon and Denis Fortin, 2^nd ed. (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2013), 1111-1115.

“Sabbath Conferences,” in Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1996), 11:507-508.

Strayer, Brian E. “Chamberlain, Ezra,” in The Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventism, January 29, 2020, accessed from https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=E93X [12/3/23].

Strayer, Brian E. “Edson, Hiram,” in The Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventism, October 17, 2022, accessed from https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=BJIN [12/3/23].

Timm, Alberto R. “The Sanctuary and the Three Angels’ Messages 1844-1863: Integrating Factors in the Development of Seventh-day Adventist Doctrines,” Ph.D. diss., Andrews University, 1995.

White, Arthur L. Ellen G. White: The Early Years (1827-1862). Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1985.

White, Arthur L. Prophetic Guidance in Early Days: The Story of the Influence of the Spirit of Prophecy in the Formative Period of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Takoma Park, DC: Ellen G. White Publications, 1940s.

White, Ellen G. Early Writings of Mrs. White: Experience and Views, and Spiritual Gifts, Volume One. Battle Creek, MI: Review and Herald, 1882.

White, James. Life Incidents in Connection with the Great Advent Movement, as Illustrated by the Three Angels of Revelation XIV. Battle Creek, MI: Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, 1868.

Notes

1. Special thanks to Kevin Morgan who worked diligently with me to identify the list of 26 Bible Conferences between April 1848 and January 1851. It should be noted that C. Mervyn Maxwell as early as 1983 in his class notes identified at least 26 major Bible Conferences in his timeline that appears subsequently as: Source Book for the Development of Seventh-day Adventist Theology, eds. C. Mervyn Maxwell and P. Gerard Damsteegt, rev. 1989, The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University. In this book (with his 1983 lecture) he identifies what he considers “two or three general conferences” and then the April (Rocky Hill), August (Volney), and October (Topsham) meetings. He then calculates an additional twenty-three subsequent conferences (one in 1847, seven in 1848, six in 1849, and ten (?) in 1850. He adds a minimum of 23 conferences with the 3 larger conferences in 1848 to conclude there are at least 26 conferences. Unfortunately, some later individuals have only noted the number 23 in the lower part of his document and erroneously copied this number.

   James White, Life Incidents in Connection with the Great Advent Movement, as Illustrated by the Three Angels of Revelation XIV (Battle Creek, MI: Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, 1868), 271.↩

2. James White, Life Incidents in Connection with the Great Advent Movement, as Illustrated by the Three Angels of Revelation XIV (Battle Creek, MI: Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, 1868), 271.↩

3. George R. Knight, A Search for Identity: The Development of Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2000), 74.↩

4. Ibid., 74-75.↩

5. Cf. Alberto R. Timm, “The Sanctuary and the Three Angels’ Messages 1844-1863: Integrating Factors in the Development of Seventh-day Adventist Doctrines” (Ph.D. diss., Andrews University, 1995), 78-82.↩

6. George R. Knight, A Search for Identity: The Development of Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2000), 87.↩

7. Ellen G. White to Brother and Sister Hastings, Letter 5, March 21, 1849.↩

8. James White to Brother Bowles, November 8, 1849, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020018/020018.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

9. James White to Brother Bowles, October 17, 1849, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020017/020017.pdf [accessed 12/6/23].↩

10. James White to Brother and Sister Hastings, October 2, 1848, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020010/020010.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

11. Ibid.↩

12. James White to Brother Bowles, November 8, 1849, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020018/020018.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

13. This term “persecution” is used at least four times in the periodical The Present Truth from 1849 to 1850 giving a strong sense of being othered and ostracized, especially by other Adventist groups who rejected their stance on the seventh-day Sabbath and similar views.↩

14. Alberto R. Timm highlights various sources through which these “Bible Conferences” additionally labeled as: (1) “conference of the brethren” ([James White], “Conference,” Present Truth, March 1850, 56; (2) “general conference” ([James White], Present Truth, ARH, August 1850, 16); (3) “Conference of the scattered friends of the Sabbath” ([James White], “A Brief Sketch of the Past,” ARH, May 6, 1852, 5); (4) “Conference of believers” (James White, Life Incidents, 270-271). Later sources describe them as: (1) “conference of Sabbath-keepers” (J. N. Loughborough, Rise and Progress, 137, idem., Great Second Advent Movement, 268); (2) “Sabbath Conference[s]” (Arthur W. Spalding, Footprints of the Pioneers [Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1947], 101; idem., Captains of the Host, 175; Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: Messenger to the Remnant [Washington, DC: Ellen G. White Publications, 1954], 38; Spalding, Origin and History, 1:191; Froom, Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers [Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1954], 4:1021; Froom, Movement of Destiny, 84; Richard W. Schwarz, Light Bearers, 67-69; Knight, Anticipating the Advent, 41-43; “1848 Bible Conferences” (Our Firm Foundation, 1:5; Froom, Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, 4:1021; (3) “Sabbath and Sanctuary Conferences” (Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White, 1:139; C. Mervyn Maxwell, “Sourcebook” 326); and (4) “Sabbatarian Conferences” (Knight, Millennial Fever, 319). This overview is provided by Timm in his dissertation, 89-90, fn. 2.↩

15. James White to Brother [Leonard] and Sister [Elvira] Hastings, April 27, 1848, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020006-o/020006-o.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

16. Ibid.↩

17. James White to Brother and Sister Hastings, August 26, 1848, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020009/020009.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

18. James White to Brother [Leonard] and Sister [Elvira] Hastings, April 27, 1848.↩

19. Ibid.↩

20. Denis Fortin notes the significance of this conference in his survey of the rise of early Sabbatarian Adventism in Canada. See Denis Fortin, Adventism in Quebec: The Dynamics of Rural Church Growth 1830-1910 (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2004), 62.↩

21. C. Mervyn Maxwell, “The Sabbath Conferences of 1848,” manuscript, https://circle.adventistlearningcommunity.com/download/AH/AH211PioneerStories.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

22. Knight, A Brief History, 125.↩

23. Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 97.↩

24. Ellen G. White, December 13, 1850, Letter 30, 1850.↩

25. James White to Brother Bowles, November 8, 1849, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020018/020018.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

26. James White, Life Incidents, 270.↩

27. Timm, “The Sanctuary,” 212.↩

28. James White to Brother and Sister Hastings, August 26, 1848, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020009/020009.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

29. Ellen G. White, Manuscript 135, 1903.↩

30. Ellen G. White, Special Testimony, Series B, No. 2, 56-57, appears also in 1SM 207.↩

31. Knight, A Search for Identity, 86.↩

32. Ellen G. White, Life Sketches, 125.↩

33. A survey of imprints makes it clear that Pelton was an abolitionist printer located in Middletown. There were several printers that James White potentially could have gone to, or may have gone to, seeking assistance in publishing this first periodical, but it is noteworthy that he found assistance with Pelton who was noted for publishing abolitionist material and would have therefore found someone with whom he had a common cause.↩

34. Timm, “The Sanctuary,” 89.↩

35. James White to Brother Bowles, November 8, 1849, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020018/020018.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

36. Jerry Moon, “The Historical Context of the 1848 Conference,” Bay Knoll Seventh-day Adventist Church, August 21, 1998, accessed from https://acm-audio-drive.us-southeast-1.linodeobjects.com/media/audio/HEB-1L/1.+The+Historical+Context+of+the+1848+Conference_Jerry+Moon.mp3 [accessed↩

37. Merlin D. Burt, “The Historical Background, Interconnected Development and Integration of the Doctrines of the Sanctuary, the Sabbath, and Ellen G. White’s Role in Sabbatarian Adventism from 1844 to 1849” (Ph.D. diss., Andrews University, 2002), 385.↩

38. Ibid., 386.↩

39. Timm, “The Sanctuary,” 212.↩

40. Knight, A Search for Identity, 77.↩

41. See announcement by James White in Second Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, January 1851 (vol. 1, no. 4), 31.↩

42. “The Chart,” Second Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, January 1851 (vo. 1, no. 4), 31.↩

43. [James White], “The Chart,” Second Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, January 1851 (vol. 1, no. 5), 38.↩

44. See announcement, Atlantic Union Gleaner, June 1, 1998, 14. Recordings of the talks are available at: https://americanchristianministries.org/product/sabbath-and-sanctuary-conference/↩

45. Joseph Bates to Leonard and Elvira Hastings, August 7, 1848, at https://ellenwhite.org/correspondence/269222; Life Sketches, 110.↩

46. James White to Brother and Sister [unidentified], August 26, 1848, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020008/020008.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

47. James White to Brother and Sister Hastings, October 2, 1848, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020010/020010.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

48. “Conference,” The Present Truth, August 1849, 24.↩

49. Ibid.↩

50. Hiram Edson, “Beloved Brethren, Scattered Abroad,” The Present Truth, December 1849, 34-36.↩

51. “Conference,” The Present Truth, vol. 1, no. 7, March 1850, 56.↩

52. James White to Leonard Hastings, July 21, 1850, Ellen G. White Estate. https://media2.ellenwhite.org/js/020024/020024.pdf [accessed 12/6/23]↩

53. James White, “Conference,” The Advent Review, October 1850, 64. A handwritten list of participants exists in the White Estate Document File 465. The list includes 31 individuals from across Vermont (19), Massachusetts (2), Connecticut (1), Quebec (5), New Hampshire (2), and New York (2). Notable persons included Joseph Bates, Otis Nichols, Hiram Edson, James White, Stephen Smith, and E. L. H. Chamberlain.↩

54. “Conferences,” The Advent Review, November 1850, 72.↩

55. Ibid.↩

56. Ibid.↩