This year marks the centennial of the death of Ellen G. White, God’s messenger. During this year, we should take the opportunity to reflect on the blessing that her life and ministry represent for the remnant people. The numbers relative to her work are impressive:
During her ministry, Sister White produced over 100,000 pages of manuscripts, which include over 5,000 articles and the publication of 26 books.
Today, taking into consideration the compilation of her manuscripts, there are over 140 books available in English, and approximately 94 in Portuguese (the language into which her works have been most translated).
During her 70 years of ministry, she received over 2,000 dreams and visions.
Her most popular work, Steps to Christ, has already been published in approximately 145 languages.
The impact of her ministry is recognized even outside the Advent circle. In November 2014, the Smithsonian Institute, an institute that manages several museums and research centers maintained by the U.S. Government, published a list with the name of the 100 most influential Americans of all time. In this list are found the names of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., among others, and the name of Ellen G. White.2
There exists a great danger that seems to grow as the years pass: the tendency of idealizing the person of Ellen White and forgetting the fact of her humanity. With time, the tendency is to put God’s messenger on a pedestal so high that she almost becomes worthy of veneration. This attitude does not honor her leadership role and dims the value of her prophetic ministry. For this reason, learning more of her tastes and preferences, her devotional and reading habits—among other things—can help us come closer to her personal side. Knowing the personal side of Ellen White might help us understand her and better value her work and legacy.
When Ellen was born, her family lived in a small farm in Fort Hill, which was approximately three miles north of the city of Gorham, Maine. She and her twin sister Elizabeth were born on November 26, 1827. They were the youngest of an already large family of six composed of the following from youngest to oldest: Robert Jr. (2 years old), Sarah (5 years old), Mary (6 years old), John (11 years old), Harriet (13 years old), and Caroline (15 years old). Her father, Robert Harmon, was a farmer and a successful hatter. As a child, Ellen helped her father prepare the tops of the hats, which is considered the easiest part of the process.3 Her mother, Eunice Gould Harmon (1787-1863), had worked as a teacher in a primary school before getting married. As a child, Ellen gave up her studies due to the impact of a rock to her nose—which compromised her health—and her mother assumed the role of her teacher.
Before her accident, Ellen was a very devoted student. She had distinguished herself from her fellow students in reading out loud. The Brackett Street School in Portland, Maine did not always have enough books for all of its students. Due to this fact, the teacher would ask her best student, Ellen Harmon, to read out loud the lessons for the rest of the class. Other teachers also began to ask her to read to the younger students. Many years later while traveling by train with her husband, she began to proofread articles out loud in order to save time and make the necessary corrections. A lady that traveled on the seat beside the couple tapped Ellen on her shoulder and asked, “Aren’t you Ellen Harmon?” “Yes, I am. But from where do you know me?” Ellen replied. The lady explained that she had recognized Ellen by her voice. She had gone to the Brackett Street School and still remembered the times when Ellen read the lessons for her fellow classmates. Her ex-classmate told her she understood the lessons better when Ellen read than when anybody else did the reading. Thus, the two began a conversation regarding the good old school days in Portland.4
With six girls and two boys, the Harmon household was probably anything but boring. The young Robert Jr. was possibly feeling somewhat jealous at seeing his two newborn sisters gaining the attention of his parents and older siblings. The family was very religious and often frequented the meetings at the local Methodist Church where the family patriarch was a consecrated deacon.
When the twins were approximately five years old, the Harmon family moved to the largest city in the region, Portland, which was approximately 12 miles from their farm. According to the available statistics, eight years after their arrival the city census indicated a population of 15,218 inhabitants.5 Ellen lived in this city until the age of 20. There she got married and began her prophetic ministry.
Wife
Soon after the Great Disappointment of October 22, 1844, both James White and Ellen Harmon were against marriage. If Jesus was returning, why enter into nuptial agreements? James had actually arrived at the point where he wrote that the person would be thus denying the faith. However, he often traveled with the young Ellen, and though her sister-in-law, Sarah, and many other people always accompanied them, wagging tongues began to question the relationship of the two. In order to avoid further troubles, he asked for her hand in marriage. The relationship began as mere friendship at first, which eventually became a commitment that lasted for 35 years. The marriage ceremony was held in Portland, Maine on August 30, 18466 by a justice of the peace. She was eighteen years old and he was twenty-four.
The White couple were one of the fundamental pieces in the establishment of the Advent movement. They formed a team in which each performed their respective roles very successfully. She wrote, preached, and oriented, while he lead, organized, and promoted the work. No other Advent couple had as much influence on the young movement as they did.
During the first year of marriage, the Whites did not have a regular income or fixed residence. The great number of commitments and travels made it so that they had to leave their children under the care of other families. Sometimes a spare room in the Review and Herald publishing house with borrowed furnishings was what they called home. The situation improved drastically when the publishing work was transferred to Battle Creek, Michigan in 1855. The Whites' first house had six rooms on Wood Street in the western periphery of the city. Behind the house was a barn, a vegetable garden, and a flower garden. The family now owned a cow. The well within the property provided the family with fresh water and was also used by the local community. In a corner of the property there was a grove of trees, which soon became the prayer place of the family. Despite her schedule being constantly full of commitments, while at home Sister White never gave up her domestic activities common to that era, such as the family sewing and gardening. She had the habit of exchanging flower seedlings with her neighbors in order to have a beautiful and diverse garden. She wanted her family to have a home that was as pleasing as possible.7
There was always space in the couple’s relationship for good humor. The exchange of correspondence between them was intense, as the commitment to speak in different places would result in spending several weeks apart. In order to survive the distance, they agreed to write each other every day to keep each other updated. While Ellen was able to keep her part of the agreement, James could not keep up with his. On one occasion she became very busy and did not write her husband for two days. He then sent her a post card with the following:
Battle Creek, April 11, 1876.
No letters from you for two days.
James White
He only wrote the short phrase. His wife did not miss the opportunity to use a bit of irony on him:
"We received your few words last night on a postal card. This lengthy letter was written by yourself. Thank you, for we know you are living. No letter from James White previous to this since April 6, 1876. We were very thankful to receive a few lines in reference to yourself from Sister Hall, April 9. I have been anxiously waiting for something to answer."8
In the remainder of the letter she described her trip of the day before sailing through the San Francisco Bay. In the end she comments,
“I will write every morning. […] Will you do the same?”9
When James White was 58 years old he suffered a stroke that left him with difficulty in keeping the same pace in his literary work to which he was accustomed. He became quieter. In order to prevent him from feeling depressed, Ellen dedicated her total attention to her husband. She described in a letter to her daughter-in-law, Mary, what she did to help her abated husband:
“I am his constant companion in riding and by the fireside. Should I go, shut myself in a room, and leave him sitting alone, he would become nervous and restless. . . . He depends on me and I shall not leave him in his feebleness.” 10
On August 6, 1881, at the age of 60, Pastor James White died. It was Sabbath, little after five o’clock in the afternoon. He was buried a week later on August 13. The family waited for Willie and Nora White, Sister White’s son and daughter-in-law, who lived in California for the burial. There were approximately 2,500 people present at the funeral ceremony, both within and without church. In consideration and respect for the memory of such a respected member of the local community, many storeowners closed their doors, even though it was Saturday—the busiest day for commerce.11
Despite being frail due to illness, the widow arose from her bed to deliver a just homage to him who had been her source of inspiration and company for so many years. She delivered a short ten-minute speech, but her words echoed with strength. Her husband’s body was sepulchred on the family plot where her two sons were already buried along with James’ mother and father, John and Elizabeth.
After the funeral ceremony, Ellen was taken to the hospital where she spent the night. She was released the next day. When she arrived home, her brother-in-law, John, became enchanted with the place in which the White couple lived, but she commented:
“The light of my home had gone and henceforth I should love it for his [James‘] sake who thought so much of it. It just met his taste. . . . But how can I ever regard it as I could if he had lived?”12
Mother
The White family was blessed with four children, all boys. The firstborn was Henry Nichols (1847-1863), who passed away at 16 years of age. On November 1863 he contracted a cold that rapidly evolved into pneumonia. He died eight days later.
With the decline in their son’s vitality accentuating daily, the couple began to face the possibility of death. On a certain morning Henry asked: “Promise me, Mother, that if I die I may be taken to Battle Creek, and laid by the side of my little brother, John Herbert [who died at three years of age], that we may come up together in the morning of the resurrection.”13
The loss of this son, so young, inflicted a great suffering in the heart of Sister White. In remembering the difficult moment she wrote:
“My sweet singer is dead. No more will his voice unite with us around the family altar. No more will music be called forth by his touch. No more will his willing feet and hands do our bidding. But we look forward with joy to the resurrection morning.”14
James Edson (1849-1929), the couple’s second son, learned from his father the printing business at the age of 14. Besides writer and composer, he was a pioneer in the ministry among the black population in the South of the United States. In 1901 he founded the Southern Publishing Association.15 Edson married Emma McDearmon, but the couple had no children.
The couple’s third son was William Clarence White (1854-1937) who distinguished himself as an able administrator. After his mother was widowed, he became her constant companion in her travels. He was named Secretary of the Whites' Literary Heritage soon after her death and supervised all the activities of this branch of the work for more than two decades. William had seven sons and was the only one to give Sister White grandchildren.
The youngest son of the family, Herbert, was born on September 20, 1960 and died of erysipelas almost three months later on December 15. She expressed her suffering as a mother with the following words:
“My dear babe was a great sufferer. Twenty-four days and nights we anxiously watched over him, using all the remedies we could for his recovery, and earnestly presenting his case to the Lord. At times I could not control my feelings as I witnessed his sufferings. Much of my time was spent in tears, and humble supplication to God.”16
She never gave into despair despite having lost two sons in the span of three years. She deposited her trust in Him who never abandons His children.
And how were the Sabbaths in the White family? After attending the morning church meetings, in the afternoons the couple read stories to their sons, promoted outings through fields or on the riverbanks, and would visit the sick or downtrodden.
Educating boys has never been an easy task. The absence of one parent or the other for some time, due to their work, has never made any easier the task of preparing the boys for life. Sister White appreciated discipline and rules, but rarely turned to physical punishment to correct the boys. She relates her reaction to her sons’ disobediences with the following words:
“I never allowed, in correcting my children, even my voice to be changed in any way. When I saw something wrong, I waited until the “heat” was over, and then I would take them after they had had a chance for reflection and were ashamed. They would get ashamed, if I gave them an hour or two to think of these things. I always went away and prayed. I would not speak to them then. After they had been left to themselves for a while, they would come to me about it. 'Well,' I would say, 'we will wait until evening.' At that time we would have a season of prayer, and then I would tell them that they hurt their own souls and grieved the Spirit of God by their wrong course of action.”17
Woman
Ellen was a petite woman. She was 5 feet tall, and by the time she was 81 years old she weighed 140lbs. Her skin was lightly tan, her hair brown, and her eyes gray.18 Her favorite hymn was "Jesus Lover of My Soul." During family worship, when the children were little, she enjoyed singing the hymn, "Lord, in the Morning" in the morning hours, and at sunset they would often sing the hymn "Sweet Hour of Prayer."19 These characteristics tell us much about her appearance and personal tastes, but tell us little about her personality. People with a fruitful life are difficult to describe in a brief article such as this one, but we can have a glimpse of how she was. There are vignettes of happenings in her life that can aid in reconstructing the person behind the prophetess.
Ellen was very hospitable. The Whites were used to receiving visits. During a conference held in 1859 the family’s home hosted 39 people for lunch. The day after these meetings, she simply made a brief entry in her diary: “We are all very weary.”20
Ellen White will always be remembered as a person who cared about others. Her oldest known diary is from 1859, written four years after her arrival at Battle Creek. Throughout the small book there are various stories of helpful actions towards the less fortunate. The entry for January 2 registers that she gave a dress and a cape to a sister in need. The next day she relates her efforts in finding a job for another sister. Three days later, despite being busy with preparations for a long trip, she found time to go to a store to buy things for another woman named Roxana, who also required assistance. The next day she gave her “half-worn” dress to the mother of a girl that worked in her house. Thus, as one explores that precious document, there can be discovered the generous attitude consistent throughout that year.
Even when her financial situation was established, she remained generous. The property in which her house at Elmshaven was located—her last residence—was large. Throughout those years, she separated pieces of the property to allow for people near to her to be able to have their own homes. Soon after acquiring this property, she sent for Brother Iram James to come from Australia in order to take care of her plantations. His family lived in a comfortable house to the east of the property. William White, her third son, built a house in which to live with his family on the other side of the creek that ran through the property. He was a five-minute walk away from his mother’s house. On the south side there were two houses inhabited by the families of two of her helpers, while on the north a house was built for her secretary. Close to the main house there was a residence for another family of one of her workers.21
Another marking characteristic of Ellen White was economy. Coming from a family of many, her mother had taught her the value of each cent. The years of scarcity that marked her first married years, served to show the importance of this lesson learned. On a certain occasion, Pastor White could not hide his worry concerning some grave problem. After having insisted about it with him, her husband finally told her the matter: it was time to publish another edition of the Review, but there were not enough funds to pay the shipment of paper that had been delivered. “How much money do you need?” she asked. He revealed all of his discouragement in saying that he needed $64, but that under the circumstances it was the same as needing $10,000. He did not have anyone to turn to in order to obtain the resources. Ellen opened a door in the pantry and took out a black sock that was nailed to the wall behind the door. As she passed it to him, he asked what it was. She smiled, but did not answer. When he turned the sock onto the table, several bills of varying values dropped out. Surprised, he asked from where the money had come. She answered, “James, you know that I believe a person should save something for a rainy day. For the last several months I have been saving as much as I could. This is a rainy day, and I hope this will be enough to pay for the paper.” James counted all of the coins and discovered enough money to pay the debt, and the magazine came out within the estimated time.22
She kept her sense of humour throughout her entire life. During her last years at Elmshaven, Ellen received friction treatment with cold water. She would stand up in the bathtub while a helper spilled water over her body, promptly after which she would massage Ellen with a mitten in order to activate the blood circulation. Two times a week salt was used as an abrasive. This technique was called “salt rubbing.” One day, her assistant confused sugar with salt, and Mrs. White felt something running down her body instead of the familiar abrasive texture. She dipped her finger in the water and, after tasting it, said, “Just trying to sweeten me up, huh?”23
In the time she lived at Elmshaven, where she lived her last fifteen years, she dedicated her body and soul to writing. The house was little occupied by household servants or office assistants. They were her family. Occasionally, she would give her personal secretary—Sara McEnterfer—a scare when she left home, even just to visit the neighbors, without warning anyone. On one occasion, when she was 75 years old, she took a day to ride in her carriage in the nearby mountains in order to collect berries for preserves. Ellen loved outings in the fresh air, animals, and gardening. But what she liked the most was cultivating flowers.24
Ellen White maintained good relationships with her neighbors. Her grandson, Arthur L. White, remembers:
“Years after her death Ellen White was tenderly remembered by not a few of the residents of the Napa Valley as ‘the little old woman with white hair, who always spoke so lovingly of Jesus.’ ”25
Bibliography & References
1 White, A. (2000). Ellen White: Woman of vision. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Association.
2Available at: http://noticias.adventistas.org/pt/noticia/biblia/ellen-white-entra-na-l... Acessed on: May 27, 2015
3White, Ellen G. Life and Teachings.
4 Collins, N. (2005). Heartwarming stories of Adventist Pioneers. Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Association.
5 Douglass, H. (1998). Messenger of the Lord: The prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Association.
6 White, Ellen G. Life and Teachings.
7 White, A. (2000). Ellen White: Woman of Vision. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Association.
8 Baker, Glen. (1987). “The Humor of Ellen White,” as cited in ****, R. (1992). Anthology of Recently Published Articles on Selected Issues in Prophetic Guidance (7th ed.). Berrien Springs, Mich.: Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University.
9 Douglass, H. (1998). Messenger of the Lord: The prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Association.
10 Douglass, H. (1998). Messenger of the Lord: The prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Association.
11 Collins, N. (2005). Heart-warming stories of Adventist Pioneers. Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Association.
12 White, A. (2000). Ellen White: Woman of Vision. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Association..
13 Smith, U. (1864). An appeal to the youth Funeral address of Henry N. White. Battle Creek, Mich.: Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Pub. Association.
14 ****, E. (1938). Founders of the message. Takoma Park, Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
15 The Southern Publishing Association was annexed to the Review and Herald in 1980.
16 Douglass, H. (1998). Messenger of the Lord: The prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Association.
17 Orientation for Children? (Orientação da Criança)
18 White, A. (1969). Ellen G. White: Messenger to the Remnant ([Rev. ed.]. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Association.
19 Fagal, W. (2010). 101 questions about Ellen White and Her Writings (p. 308). Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Association.
20 White, A. (1969). Ellen G. White: Messenger to the Remnant ([Rev. ed.]). Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Association.
21 White, A. (1969). Ellen G. White: Messenger to the Remnant ([Rev. ed.]). Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Association.
22 Collins, N. (2005). Heart-warming stories of Adventist Pioneers. Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Association.
23 Baker, Glen. (1987). “The Humor of Ellen White,” as cited in ****, R. (1992). Anthology of Recently Published Articles on Selected Issues in Prophetic Guidance (7th ed.). Berrien Springs, Mich.: Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University.
24 White, A. (1969). Ellen G. White: Messenger to the Remnant ([Rev. ed.]). Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Association.
25 White, A. (1969). Ellen G. White: Messenger to the Remnant ([Rev. ed.]). Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Association.