See: EGWEnc, s.v. “Time of Trouble.”

Sabbatarian Adventism in western New York, where the Whites were located at this time, was experiencing remarkable growth. Writing some weeks earlier, James White enthusiastically reported that “in Western N.Y. the number of Sabbath keepers is increasing fast. There are more than twice the number now than six months ago.” Not only was there numerical increase, but some of it was coming from outside the ranks of Adventists. In a letter written the following month, Ellen White noted that some of those “coming out upon the truth” “have not heard the Advent doctrine.”

See: James White to “Brother Bowles,” Nov. 8, 1849; Ellen G. White, Lt 4, 1850 (Feb. 18).

The charge made here is that the first-day Adventist ministers (“shepherds”) had rejected the first two angels’ messages, which, prior to 1844, had been central to their very identity. As James White expressed it, these Adventists now refused “to acknowledge that the great leading movements in our past experience, such as the proclamation of 1843, the fall of the churches or Babylon, and the midnight cry in 1844, were the work of God, and a perfect fulfilment of his pure word.” Instead, they considered these movements “‘a mistake,’ the ‘work of men,’ ‘mesmerism,’ and ‘of the Devil.’”

See: “The Third Angel's Message,” Present Truth, April 1850, p. 65; EGWEnc, s.v. “Three Angels’ Messages.”

Most likely a variant spelling of “Gardner.” See Lt 5, 1849 (Apr. 21) and Lt 8, 1849 (May 29). This person has not been identified.