- About the Author
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- Abbreviations
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- Here the Story Begins
- Harbingers of the Advent Awakening
- Carefree Childhood Days
- Early Experiences Recounted
- A “School Days” Experience
- The Family Moves to the City of Portland
- The Portland the Youthful Ellen Harmon Knew
- Hatmaking in the Harmon House
- Attending Brackett Street School
- The Textbooks She Read
- Robert Harmon's Trip to Georgia
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- The Question of the Immortality of the Soul
- The Time of Expectation Passes
- A Test of True Character
- The Second Angel's Message
- October 22, 1844, The Day of Expectation
- The Great Disappointment of October 22, 1844
- The Failing Health of Ellen Harmon
- Ellen Harmon Given a Vision—Her First
- The First Vision as Published in the Day-Star
- The Vision Answered Many Pressing Questions
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- The Otis Nichols Letter of April 20, 1846
- Ellen's Experience in Delivering the Message
- Early Arguments for the Spirit of Prophecy
- Some High Points of her Work in Eastern Maine
- Vision of Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary
- Some Fanatical Positions She Met
- Wrestling With the Views of the Spiritualizers
- Ellen Leaves Suddenly for Home
- The Healing of Frances Howland and William Hyde
- Preserved from Fanaticism
- Visit to New Hampshire
- Contending with Spiritual Magnetism
- Called Back to Portland
- Vision of the New Earth
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- Enabled to Write
- The Large Family Bible
- The Bible Held in Vision
- The Unenviable Position of the Prophet
- A Symbolic Warning
- “Another Angel, Father!”
- Who Could be Saved?
- The First Visit to Massachusetts
- The 1845 Expectancy of the Second Advent
- The Second Visit to Massachusetts
- Otis Nichols’ Eyewitness Account
- Meeting Joseph Bates at New Bedford
- The Publication of Her First Vision—January, 1846
- Publication of the Vision of the Heavenly Sanctuary
- The Place of the Vision in Confirming the Sanctuary Truth
- God's Leadings Clearly Manifest
- The Vision in a Sailboat
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- Writing for the Press
- Ellen White described its reception:
- The Proclamation of the Third Angel's Message
- The Content of the Paper
- Birth of a Second Son, James Edson White
- The Paris, Maine, Conference
- Among the Believers in Maine and New York State
- A Hymnbook for the Sabbathkeeping Adventists
- The Little Paper Almost Died
- Death Invades the Camp
- Fruitage of Public Ministry in Oswego
- Vision of Future Events
- The Visit to Vermont and Maine
- The Gift of a Horse and Carriage
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- Satan's Vicious Attacks
- Special Significance Disclosed by Vision
- The Third Angel's Message to be Made Plain by a Chart
- A Marked and Significant Change in the Tide
- Many Visions Giving Insights and Guidance
- A Summary of Other Important Visions
- A Time for Development of the Doctrinal Structure
- The Crucial Yet Productive Years of the “Scattering Time”
- Taking Up Residence in Maine
- Significant Conferences at Paris and Topsham
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- Concerted Plan to Publish the Visions
- Ellen White's First Book
- Settling in Saratoga Springs, New York
- Moves Toward Order and Organization
- The Conference at Washington, New Hampshire
- The Bethel, Vermont, Conference
- The Conference at Johnson, Vermont
- The Conference at Vergennes, Vermont
- Testimony Concerning Using Tobacco
- The Midwinter Tour in Western New York
- Back Home in Saratoga Springs
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- Ellen G. White Looks Back
- Positive Denial of the False Charge
- Explained Further as a Charge is Answered in 1883
- Developing Perception on Ellen White's Part
- A Term with a Changing Meaning
- Vision of the Open and Shut Door
- Labor for Sinners During the Shut-Door Period of 1845 to 1851
- Experience of Heman Churchill (July, 1850)
- J. H. Waggoner Recalls His Experience
- A Review of 1851 Developments
- Criticism of Deletions from the First Vision
- Why Were the Lines Omitted in 1851?
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- Strict Economy Maintained
- Working in the Opening West
- First Visit of James and Ellen White to Michigan
- With the Believers in Jackson, Michigan
- The Strange Case of a Self-Appointed Woman Evangelist
- Lost on the Way to Vergennes
- The Vergennes Meeting and Mrs. Alcott
- Back Home in Rochester
- The Review and Herald to be Published Weekly
- The 1853 Eastern Tour
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- The Vital Need for Church Organization
- James White Joins in Calling for Gospel Order
- The Tour of Northeastern New York State
- Sins Tolerated in the Camp
- Early Light on Basic Health Principles
- Ellen White's Battle With Disease
- Continuing the Evangelistic Thrust
- The Trip to Wisconsin
- Establishing the First “Adventist Book Center”
- Eyes on the Evangelistic Tent
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- The Vision at Hillsdale, Michigan
- Visiting the Churches in Eastern Michigan
- The Concept of the Investigative Judgment Dawns
- A Power Press for the Review Office
- Plans for a Trip East
- Vision at Buck's Bridge, New York
- The August Vision at Monterey, Michigan
- The October Visit to Monterey and Another Important Vision
- The Battle Creek Conference
- The Vision of the Shaking
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- Meetings in Ohio
- The Great Controversy Vision
- Counsels for New Believers
- A View of the Agelong Controversy in its Broad Sweep
- Ellen White Tells the Story at the General Conference in May
- The Choice of Title for the Forthcoming Book
- A Startling and Thought-Provoking Object Lesson
- M. B. Czechowski, the Converted Catholic Priest
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- The Conference Address on Organizing Churches
- The Eight-Week Eastern Tour
- Vision at Roosevelt, New York
- The Battle Creek Church Sets the Pace in Organizing
- A Creed and the Spirit of Prophecy
- The Formation of the Michigan Conference
- Other States Organize
- Cautions Sounded
- M. E. Cornell to Go to Ohio
- Confessions of Negative Attitudes
- James White Surveys the Battle and Victory
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- Vision at Parkville, Michigan
- Ellen White Examined While in Vision
- At Home and Writing Personal Testimonies
- The Inroads of Prevailing Fashion
- Letters to the Wife of a Minister
- Another Intimate Glimpse of the White Home Life
- A Second Vision of Civil War Involvement
- The New Publishing House
- The Five-Week Western Tour
- The War and the Threatening Draft of Recruits
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- First Annual Session of the Michigan State Conference
- The Business Sessions of the Conference
- Matters for Conference Consideration
- Organization of the General Conference
- The Last Few Weeks of 1862
- A Burden for the Youth of the Church
- Victories at Wright and Orleans
- Triumphant Year-End Meetings at Battle Creek
- The Church Prepared for Development and Expansion
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Appendix A
[A Genealogical Chart of Ellen Gould Harmon White]
Appendix B
The Experience of William Ellis Foy
In the height of the advent awakening william foy, a light-skinned mulatto residing in New England, was given two or three visions relating to the Second Advent of Christ. Sometime before the disappointment of October 22, 1844, Ellen Harmon heard him speak in beethoven hall in Portland, Maine. Sometime after the 1844 disappointment, unbeknown to Ellen Harmon at first, he was present in a meeting held in the countryside east of portland, toward cape Elizabeth, at which she spoke, telling of her first vision. While she was speaking, foy stood to his feet and praised the lord, declaring that it was just what he had seen. After the meeting he wanted to talk with her, and they had a little visit.1BIO 488.1
In 1835, foy as a young man, gave his heart to Christ and became a member of the Freewill Baptist Church. Seven years later, in 1842, while he was preparing to take holy orders as an episcopal minister, two visions were given him. Although deeply religious, he was by his own testimony, “opposed to the doctrine of Jesus’ near approach.”1BIO 488.2
The visions relating to the near advent of Christ and to last-day events created in him a very definite interest in the advent movement, and he joined others in heralding the message of the expectation of Christ's soon return.1BIO 488.3
The two initial visions of William Foy, together with a brief sketch of his Christian experience, were published in 1845 in a pamphlet in Portland, Maine. The first vision was given to him on January 18, 1842, while he was attending service in a Boston Church on southark street. Eyewitnesses to the experience testify that he was in vision two and a half hours. A physician who examined him testified that he could find no appearance of life “except around the heart.” In his autobiographical account foy declares, “my breath left me.”1BIO 488.4
In the first revelation foy viewed the glorious reward of the faithful and the punishment of sinners. He felt the duty to declare what he had seen to others, but not being instructed to relate the vision, he disclosed it to no one. But he had no peace of mind. In a second revelation given to him, on February 4, 1842, he viewed multitudes of earth, those who had not died and those who had been raised from the dead, being assembled to receive their reward. In connection with this revelation he was instructed, “thou must reveal those things which thou hast seen, and also warn thy fellow creatures to flee from the wrath to come.”1BIO 489.1
Foy's unwillingness to relate to others what had been shown to him stemmed from both the prejudice against any who claimed to have divine revelations and the prejudice against those of his color. He questioned in his mind, “why should these things be given to me to bear to the world?”1BIO 489.2
A few days later the pastor of the bloomfield street church in boston called upon foy to relate the visions in his house of worship. Reluctantly he consented, and the next evening he found a large congregation assembled awaiting his message. As he began to speak, his fear left him, and he related with great freedom the things that were shown to him, to a congregation that gave rapt attention.1BIO 489.3
With this as a beginning he traveled for three months, delivering his messages to crowded houses of all denominations. He had a good command of language. As he described the heavenly world, the New Jerusalem, and the compassionate love of Christ, and exhorted the unconverted to seek God, many responded to his entreaties. As his family needed support, after three months in the field, foy retired from public work to labor with his hands. He engaged in such work for three months, and then, feeling impelled to stand before the people, he again took up his public ministry, expecting soon to see his saviour when he should come. When speaking, he wore the clerical robes of the episcopal clergy.1BIO 489.4
According to J. N. Loughborough, near the time of the expectation in 1844 foy was given a third vision in which were Presented three platforms that he could not understand in the light of his belief in the imminent coming of Christ. According to loughborough, in perplexity foy ceased public work. It is known that in the 1850S and through mid-life he filled positions as a freewill baptist minister in Massachusetts and Maine, and then turned to farming in sullivan county in Maine. While but little is known of his later experience, his tombstone bears the record that he died in 1893.1BIO 489.5
There is no occasion to question the genuineness of William Foy's experience. Loughborough felt that the visions bore clear evidences of being the genuine manifestations of the spirit of God. More significant, perhaps, is the fact that Ellen White, who as noted above had some acquaintance with him, in an interview in 1912 treated his experience as genuine.—Author.1BIO 490.1