WILLIAMMILLER1844.COM
Actions and Events in the History of the Millerite Movement
turned Advent Movement
1831 - First Sunday in August, William Miller preached his first sermon on the coming of Christ.
1832 - William Miller began a series of articles on the second advent, in the Vermont Telegraph of Brandon, VT.
1833 - March, Miller’s first pamphlet published. September 14 he was granted a license to preach by the Baptist Church.
1836 - Miller’s course of sixteen lectures published in pamphlet form at Troy, N.Y.
1838 - About the first of March, Josiah Litch, a Methodist minister of Lowell, Mass., embraced Miller’s views, and began to proclaim them by voice and pen. His 48-page pamphlet, “The Midnight Cry,” and his book of 204 pages, entitled, “The Probability of the Second Coming of Christ About A.D. 1843,” came out this year.
1839 - Early in December, Joshua V. Himes, of Boston, Mass., joined William Miller and Josiah Litch in the proclamation of the advent message.
1840 - March 20, J. V. Himes began, in Boston, Mass., the publication of the Signs of the Times. The paper thus started was published for two years as a semimonthly, and then as a weekly. March, William Miller gave his first course of lectures in Portland, Maine. They were attended by Ellen G. Harmon, later Mrs. E.G. White. First “General Conference of Second Advent Believers” convened in the Chardon Street Chapel, in Boston, Mass., October 15, and continued two days.
1841 - Second “General Conference of Advent Believers” held in Lowell, Mass., June 15-17. Third “General Conference of Christians Expecting the Advent of the Lord,” in Portland, Maine, Oct. 12, 1841. Between that date and Feb. 8, 1842, seven similar conferences were held in the New England States.
1842 - The Signs of the Times has not less than 50,000 readers. More than 60,000 copies of various books and tracts have been issued from our establishment, and spread through the world in the four quarters of the globe and the islands of the sea. From three to four hundred ministers of the gospel are now engaged in giving the midnight cry. — Signs of the Times, March 15.
In the latter part of November, J. V. Himes began the publication, in New York City, of a daily paper entitled, The Midnight Cry, principally under the editorial supervision of N. Southard. Twenty-four numbers were published, and ten thousand copies of each number circulated.
During the summer, tent and camp meetings, with large attendance, held in Eastern Canada, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
James White attended the camp-meeting at Exeter, Maine, in October, and shortly thereafter went out to give the message. December, Josiah Litch and Apollos Hale began public services in Philadelphia.
1843 - Different ministers conducted meetings in the South and West, going as far as Richmond, Va., Washington, D.C., Pittsburg, Pa., and Cincinnati, Ohio. Papers devoted to the advent cause were published in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Washington; also in Eastern Canada.
James White ordained to the ministry by the Christian Church.
The Methodists, at an annual meeting held at Bath, Maine, passed resolutions condemning the advent teaching. Opposition on the part of the churches was becoming general.
1844 - A second advent camp-meeting was held in the late summer at Exeter, N. H., following which the belief became general among the followers of William Miller that Christ would come Oct. 22, 1844.
Seventh-day Sabbath first brought to the attention of the Adventist people at Washington, N. H., by Mrs. Rachel Oakes Preston, a Seventh Day Baptist, from the State of New York.
From this place, several Adventist ministers received the Sabbath truth during 1844. One of these, T. M. Preble, put his convictions in writing.
1845 - Preble’s article on the Sabbath, dated Feb. 13, 1845, was written at East Wear, N. H., and was printed in the Hope of Israel, Portland, Maine, Feb. 28, 1845. It was rewritten by Elder Preble in March, 1845, and published in tract form. It was referred to by J. H. Waggoner, and briefly quoted by him in the Review and Herald of December 21, 1869. August 23, 1870, Preble’s article as it appeared in the Hope of Israel, was printed in full in the Review.
Ellen G. Harmon given her first vision, on “The Travels of the Advent People to the Holy City.”
Joseph Bates began keeping the Sabbath as a result of reading the article of T. M. Preble in the Hope of Israel.
1846 - James White married Ellen Gould Harmon, August 30. (co-founders along with Joseph Bates of what would become the Seventh-day Adventist church)
Two-page leaflet by Mrs. E. G. White, entitled, “To the Remnant Scattered Abroad,” published.
1848 - First general meeting of Sabbath keepers, held at Rocky Hill, Conn., April 20, 21.
Mrs. E. G. White had vision concerning the beginning of the publishing work.
1849 - First four numbers of Present Truth printed at Middletown, Conn., No. 1 dated July; Nos. 5 and 6 printed in Oswego, N. Y.
John Nevins Andrews publicly took his stand for the truth in a meeting at Paris, Maine, September 14.
First number of the Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, printed in Paris, Maine, in November.
Death of William Miller, December 20. (Born Feb. 5, 1782.)
First Testimony for the Church, addressed “To Those Who Are Receiving the Seal of the Living God.” Signed “E. G. White.”
First hymn book used by the denomination published by James White. It contained fifty-three hymns, without tunes.
1850 - Nos. 7 to 10 of Present Truth printed in Oswego, N. Y. No. 11 printed in Paris, Maine, in November.
1851 - First number of second volume Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, dated August 5, printed at Saratoga Springs, N. Y.
Annie R. Smith took her stand for the truth, and entered the employ of the Review office at Saratoga Springs.
1852 - First number of the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald published at Rochester, N. Y., bore date of May 6.
James White equipped the first printing office with money received in donations. Donations amounted to $655.84. The cost of equipment was $652.95. The first press bought was a Washington hand press.
First number of the Youth’s Instructor appeared in August.
John Norton Loughborough kept his first Sabbath, October 2.
Uriah Smith observed his first Sabbath in December.
Joseph Harvey Waggoner accepted the message, and was ordained to the gospel ministry.
1853 - Uriah Smith connected with the Review and Herald, May 3. First subscription price put on publications was $1 for 26 numbers of the Review.
First regular Sabbath schools organized in Rochester and Buck’s Bridge, N. Y.
1854 - First tent-meeting conducted by J. N. Loughborough and M. E. Cornell at Battle Creek, Mich., June 10-12.
First sale of denominational publications at a tent-meeting in Rochester, Mich. A parcel containing one copy each of all tracts and pamphlets published, sold for 35 cents, price being fixed by J. N. Loughborough.
1855 - Annie R. Smith died July 26.
Review office moved to Battle Creek, Mich. First number of Review printed there bore date of December 4.
1856 - Name of Stephen N. Haskell first appeared in the Review, January 31.
1858 - Bible class, conducted by J. N. Andrews, held in Battle Creek, Mich., in April. Its object was to learn what the Scriptures teach concerning the support of the ministry. This effort resulted in the adoption of the plan known as “systematic benevolence,” or the tithing principle.
1860 - Name Seventh-day Adventist adopted for the denomination October 1. On the same day a temporary organization, known as the Advent Review Publishing Association, was formed in Battle Creek, Mich.
1861 - Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association (now Review and Herald Publishing Association) incorporated May 1. Churches first formally organized.
Michigan organized as the first State conference, October 5.
1862 - Other conferences organized: Southern Iowa, March 16; Northern Iowa, May 10; Vermont, June 15; Illinois and Wisconsin, September 28; Minnesota, October 4, New York, October 25.
1863 - General Conference organized at a meeting held in Battle Creek, Mich., May 20-23. Meeting was called by James White, J. N. Loughborough, and John Byington. There were twenty duly elected delegates, representing the work in six States.
John Byington elected first president of the General Conference, May 21.