EDSON, Hiram (1806-1882) and (first wife) Effa (1810-1839) and (second wife) Esther Marier (1816-1893)

Hiram Edson is best known for his reminiscences of the occasion, soon after the Great Disappointment of October 22, 1844, when he “saw distinctly” that the “cleansing” of the sanctuary (Dan. 8:14) and the “coming” of the bridegroom (Matt. 25:6) did not indicate the Second Advent as the Millerites had proclaimed, but referred to pre-Advent events in the heavenly sanctuary. He further related how his insight provided the impetus for intensive study by O.R.L. Crosier, F. B. Hahn, and him, resulting in the seminal article by Crosier some months later in March 1845, “to all who are waiting for redemption … ,” published in the Day-Dawn. Edson's account (the “Edson manuscript”) is undated and probably dates to late in his life, but if reliable, it indicates that key elements of Seventh-day Adventist sanctuary theology owe Edson a large intellectual debt.1EGWLM 823.4

Hiram Edson became a Sabbathkeeper as a result of Joseph Bates's visit to western New York, probably in 1846. In 1848 the third in the series of “Sabbatarian Bible Conferences” took place at Edson's farm in Port Gibson, New York. He was a member of the publishing committee of the Advent Review in 1850, and throughout the 1850s preached widely in New York, Pennsylvania, and Canada. The Edsons generously supported the emerging Sabbatarian movement. In one instance, in 1852, they advanced $650 from the proceeds of the sale of their farm in Port Byron, New York, in order to facilitate the purchase of the young movement's first press. Hiram Edson was given ministerial credentials in 1870, but increasing ill-health prevented further itinerant preaching. His final years were marked by theological differences with church leaders, the details of which are uncertain, leading for a time to a break with the church. A reconciliation took place before his death in 1882.1EGWLM 823.5

Ellen White, who had known the Edsons since 1848, wrote with appreciation of their devotion. “I saw that God regarded the sacrifice made by him and Sister Edson. They had sacrificed for the good of the cause of God and had left their pleasant house and farm … to advance the cause of present truth.” Some years after his death, Ellen White, while recognizing Hiram Edson's theological lapses in old age, nevertheless pronounced him “a good man, beloved of all who knew him.”1EGWLM 824.1

See: James R. Nix, “The Life and Work of Hiram Edson” (term paper, Andrews University, 1971); Merlin D. Burt, “The Extended Atonement View in the Day-Dawn and the Emergence of Sabbatarian Adventism,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 44, no. 2 (2006): 331-339; idem, “The Day-Dawn of Canandaigua, New York: Reprint of a Significant Millerite Adventist Journal,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 44, no. 2 (2006): 317-330; Ellen G. White, Lt 16, 1861 (Aug. 8); Lt 49, 1894 (Aug. 3).1EGWLM 824.2