September 24, 1859, Topsham, Maine 1EGWLM 710.1
Letter to Identities: Three weeks earlier, while in Kensington, Connecticut, Ellen White noted in her diary that she had met Andrew, Bruce, and William Graham (Ms 7, 1859 [Sept. 2 entry]). All three are listed in the 1860 census of Berlin Township, in which Kensington is located. Census details strongly suggest that they were brothers. Further, the only Grahams in the Review of the 1850s having Connecticut addresses are these three men. One of them, William Graham, was a deacon in the Berlin church for 20 years. See: 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Bruce Graham and Andrew Graham, Connecticut, Hartford County, Berlin, p. 53; 1860 U.S. Federal Census, “Wm H. Graham,” Connecticut, Hartford County, Berlin, p. 34; search term “Graham” in Words of the Pioneers; obituary: “William Henry Graham,” Review, July 2, 1925, p. 22.
William Henry, Bruce, and Andrew Graham.1
Previously unpublished.
Tragic consequences of a distorted Laodicean message in Connecticut. 1EGWLM 710.3
Dear Brethren Graham:
Duty compels me to write you a few lines. While my husband is talking to the people I have shut myself in my bedroom to write you. 1EGWLM 710.4
While at Dartmouth, Mass.,2 The Whites had spent the previous weekend in Dartmouth (Ms 7, 1859 [Sept. 15-17 entries]).
I was carried through some of your meetings. Some were burdened, crying out in distress. I heard shrieks, and I saw a pressing of individuals to confess. I saw that a fear came over the church, fearing to speak to this one or the other who had been reproved or held in doubt by these exercises and burdens. It was a cruel work. God's frown3 On God's displeasure and “frown,” see Ms 2, 1853 (Mar. 1), note 3. In Lt 19, 1859, written October 4, Ellen White throws more light on the cause of the distressing events in Connecticut described here. An extreme interpretation of the Laodicean message (see EGWEnc) was being urged by some church members and leaders, including the Graham brothers, pressing for speedy confession and reformation among those members who were judged to be delinquent. Those unwilling or unable to comply promptly were thought to have been “spued out of the mouth of the Lord” (see Rev. 3:16) and consequently were ostracized by the rest of the group. In Lt 19 Ellen White condemned this “hurried, fanatical spirit,” arguing that those behind it should “wait patiently for the Lord to test character and to spue out the lukewarm” rather than taking that “work into their own hands.” Essentially, Lt 7 surveys the cases of several Connecticut members who were being pressed to confess or who were thought to be already rejected by God. Ellen White testifies that God had not given up on these persons and, furthermore, that the whole campaign was “cruel work” having “God's frown … upon it.” See also Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pp. 186-188, published some months earlier, in which Ellen White warned of various distortions of the Laodicean message.
I saw the case of Sister Graham [Catharine Graham],5 Identity: Two of the Graham brothers, Bruce, 26, and Andrew, 24, were still living at home, according to the 1860 census. The household was headed by “Catharine Graham,” age 49. See: 1860 U.S. Federal Census, “Catharine Graham,” Connecticut, Hartford County, Berlin, p. 53. This expression apparently is borrowed from Ezekiel 34:21.
I was pointed to the case of Brother Landon [Warren E. Landon].7 Identity: Out of a number of Landons appearing in receipts and letters to the Review during this period the only one explicitly connected to Connecticut is W. E. Landon. Census records show that Warren E. Landon was a blacksmith who worked in various parts of Connecticut during this period and that his wife's name was Mary F. Landon. See: Search term “Landon” in Words of the Pioneers; 1850 U.S. Federal Census, “Warren E. Landon,” Connecticut, Hartford County, Farmington, p. 344; 1860 U.S. Federal Census, “Warren Landon,” Connecticut, Hartford County, Bristol, p. 45; obituary: “Mary F. Landon,” Review, Feb. 5, 1884, p. 94.
I saw the case of Sister Mary North and Brother Wilcox [Mary S. and John Y. Wilcox].8 Identity: In 1877 a “John Y. Wilcox” wrote in the Review of his “dear wife, Mary S. Wilcox,” who had died in Kensington, Connecticut, “aged 51 years.” This could be the “Sister Mary North” and “Brother [John] Wilcox” mentioned here if they eventually married despite these disastrous events. (Wilcox's first name is given later in the paragraph.) There is strong evidence that the maiden name of Mary S. Wilcox was Mary S. North. In the 1870 census John Wilcox, age 37, and Mary Wilcox, 47, living in Berlin, Connecticut, have in their household not only two sons but also “Marinda North,” age 70. Likely Marinda North was Mary's mother, who had come to live with her daughter and son-in-law after becoming a widow. Earlier censuses confirm that Marinda North was the mother of Mary Wilcox. The 1850 census shows a family by the name of “North” in Berlin that included Joseph, age 54, Marinda, 51, and Mary, 27. The 1860 census has the same names, Joseph, 65, Marinda, 60, and Mary, 37. Note that the ages of Marinda and Mary fit almost perfectly in all three censuses. Finally, there is evidence that Joseph North was a Sabbathkeeper, as was Mary North. In the Review from the 1850s there is notice of a conference to be held “at the house of Bro. Joseph North” in Berlin, and also several mentions of an “M. S. North” (Mary S.[?]). See: Obituary: “John Y. Wilcox,” Review, July 15, 1877, p. 15; 1870 U.S. Federal Census, “Wilcox, John,” Connecticut, Hartford County, Berlin, p. 21; 1850 U.S. Federal Census, “Joseph North,” Connecticut, Hartford County, Berlin, p. 256; 1860 U.S. Federal Census, “Joseph North,” Connecticut, Hartford County, Berlin, p. 52; E.L.H. Chamberlain, “Conference in Connecticut,” Review, Sept. 16, 1851, p. 32; search term “M. S. North” in Words of the Pioneers. An expression borrowed from Revelation 6:6.
I was shown Sister Lyman,10 Identity: This might be Clarissa Lyman, about 75 years old, living in the home of Sabbatarian pioneers Albert and Hannah Belden in Berlin, Connecticut. See: 1860 U.S. Federal Census, “Albert Belden,” Connecticut, Hartford County, Berlin, p. 52. Cf. Hosea 4:17: “Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.”
Then I saw the case of Brother Moore.12 This person has not been identified.
Other things I saw; others have felt this same distressed, crowding influence. Exercises and burdens have been carried out that led to fanaticism and confusion. I saw that Brother Barr [Eli L. Barr]13 Identity: Further clues to the identity of “Brother Barr” are found in Lt 19, 1859 (Oct. 4), a parallel account describing the same events. He was an itinerant preacher who traveled “among the churches East” and used his influence against the possession of “pictures.” Only E. L. Barr fits this description. Throughout the 1850s he traveled and preached widely in the New England states. Moreover, he took strong exception to members spending money on photographs, not only because of the cost but because of “the claims of the second commandment.” See: E. L. Barr, “Conference in Connecticut,” Review, Mar. 5, 1857, p. 142; search term “Barr” in Words of the Pioneers. A recurring theme in E. L. Barr's letters and reports to the Review in the late 1850s is the Laodicean message. An example of the urgency with which he viewed the situation in the churches is seen in this extract from 1858: “Arise! ye that are heartily in the truth … and give a testimony that shall ring in the ears of the lukewarm, the self-righteous and the insubordinate ones, and clear your garments from the blood of all men! … No hiding nor covering up wrongs now! No half-way work any longer! ‘He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy.’ Prov. xxix, 1.” See: E. L. Barr, “The Cause in the East,” Review, Aug. 5, 1858, p. 96.
In haste. 1EGWLM 713.1