Active laypersons from Newfane Township, near Olcott, in western New York. Arriving by ox team from the eastern part of the state in the early 1830s, the Lindsays belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church and were successful farmers. In 1852 they became Sabbathkeepers and made generous financial contributions to the fledgling movement. At various times during the 1860s and early 1870s John M. Lindsay served on several New York Conference and New England Conference committees. One of the Lindsays’ sons, Harmon Lindsay, later served as General Conference treasurer. 1EGWLM 862.4
Ellen White wrote affectionately of John and Eliza as “faithful burden-bearers in the cause of God.” She made particular mention of when, in 1865, the Lindsays came to Rochester, New York, to pray on a daily basis at the bedside of James White, who was seriously ill after his first stroke. 1EGWLM 862.5
See: Obituary: “John M. Lindsay,” Review, May 28, 1895, p. 351; obituary: “Eliza A. Lindsay,” Review, May 13, 1890, p. 303; Edward T. Williams, Niagara County New York: One Hundred of the Most Wonderful Regions in the World; a Concise Record of Her Progress and People, 1821-1921, Published During Its Centennial Year: Historical (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Company, 1921), vol. 2, p. 651; History of Niagara County, N.Y., with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, Private Residences, Public Buildings, Fine Blocks, and Important Manufactories, and Portraits of Old Pioneers and Prominent Residents (New York: Sanford & Co., 1878), p. 281; search term “J. M. Lindsay” in Review and Herald online collection, www.adventistarchives.org; Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 57 (“Brother and Sister I”); Life Sketches, p. 171. 1EGWLM 862.6