The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1

LANE, James (1807-1880) and Sarah (1810-1905)

Church members living in Convis Township, Michigan, employed as innkeepers and farmers. James and Sarah Lane, immigrants from England, were among the first four settlers in their area, arriving in 1835. Relations with local Indians were tenuous. At one point a band of Indians broke down the door of their tavern and made off with a keg of brandy while the Lane family cowered in the attic. James Lane became prominent in township affairs. The establishment of Convis Township in 1837 took place in the Lane house, and James frequently held civic office in the years that followed. 1EGWLM 859.1

Sarah Lane became a Sabbathkeeping Adventist in 1857 and was among the charter members when the Convis Seventh-day Adventist Church was organized in 1861. James Lane did not become a member till later; the exact date is not known. He continued to operate a tavern until 1862. After James's death in 1880, Uriah Smith noted in the obituary that Lane had joined the Convis church “a few years ago.” Sarah Lane received only incidental mention in the writings of Ellen White, who noted in her 1859 diary that “Sister Lane … came from Convis to the meeting at Battle Creek.” 1EGWLM 859.2

See: Obituary: “James Lane,” Review, Aug. 26, 1880, p. 158; obituary: “Sarah Lane,” Review, Apr. 6, 1905, p. 23; H. B. Peirce, History of Calhoun County, Michigan, pp. 153-155; Ellen G. White, Ms 6, 1859 (Apr. 23 entry). 1EGWLM 859.3