The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1

Ellen White's Interaction With Fanatics During 1845 and 1846

Early in Ellen White's prophetic experience, she frequently encountered different types of fanaticism. Her understanding of its danger increased, particularly after a vision she received during her first trip to New Hampshire and Vermont,²⁵ sometime in the late winter or early spring of 1845. 1EGWLM 925.3

Public sentiment increasingly turned against Adventists in Maine as many disposed of their possessions because of their fervent anticipation of Christ's return in the spring of 1845. Non-adventists in Bangor, Orrington, and other places in Maine had the Adventists’ property placed under the control of local selectmen to prevent it from being sold and the owner being left without a home and thus becoming a burden to the community. Another public concern was the “no work” doctrine embraced by some former Millerites in the region. Because they felt that Christ would come in just weeks or months, some saw no need to work. In fact, they felt that to work would be a denial of faith. Town officials feared that the Adventist citizens would become public charges, since the state of Maine's settlement laws dictated that town officials and taxpayers were legally required to support their poor.²⁶

Jean F. Hankins, “‘Every Town Shall Maintain Their Own Poor’: New England's Settlement Laws,” Maine History, Fall 2000, pp. 169-185.

1EGWLM 925.4

Of particular interest is the report of the arrest and trial of local Adventist leader Israel Dammon, first printed in the Piscataquis Farmer and then the Portland, Maine, Tri-Weekly Argus.²⁷ These accounts were copied across New England and at least as far west as Ohio.²⁸ Ellen Harmon and James White were mentioned by several witnesses at the trial, which led to their being branded as fanatics. According to the report, on February 15, 1845, Dammon and another man from Exeter named “Elder Hall” led out in a meeting in the home of James Ayer in Atkinson, Maine.²⁹ About 25 people gathered, at least in part, to hear Ellen Harmon give an account of her visions. Also present was Dorinda Baker, a young single woman, age 23 or 24, who also professed to receive visions. Community sentiment was strong against Adventists, and when the news that people from out of town were present spread, the sheriff investigated and arrested Israel Dammon. 1EGWLM 925.5

The trial occurred at the courthouse in Dover, Maine, on February 17, 1845. James White and Ellen Harmon were not present, nor were they charged in connection with the trial. The plaintiff, Hartford J. Rowe, was a farmer who charged that Dammon was an “idler” and a “vagabond” going from “place to place, begging.” He further asserted that Dammon was a “common railer or brawler, neglecting his calling, or employment, misspending his earnings, and … [not providing] for the support of himself [and] family.” Dammon pleaded not guilty to the charges.³⁰ The attorneys for the prosecution were C. P. Chandler and H.G.O. Morrison; the defense attorney was J. S. Holmes. Holmes, a Mason by profession, was certainly not a supporter of Adventists, though he did support the free practice of religion. In later years he remembered the case as “one of the grandest defenses of religious toleration and freedom” that he had ever seen.³¹ Though Dammon was convicted and sentenced to 10 days in the House of Correction, Holmes appealed the ruling, and according to Dammon, “the warrant was quashed” and he was “acquitted without date.”³² 1EGWLM 926.1

During February 1845 former Millerite Adventists were only beginning to differentiate themselves into opposing groups. Why Jesus had not come was the burning question on most Adventists’ minds. Ellen Harmon and James White clearly embraced the “Bridegroom” concept³³ as an answer and were promoting the continued relevance of the October 1844 movement. They understandably associated with other Adventists who shared this view and influenced others to accept it. Their presence at the Atkinson meeting did not mean that they supported the fanatical elements that led to Dammon's arrest.³⁴ 1EGWLM 926.2

Given Ellen White's later emphatic statements against fanaticism, it is surprising to think of her interacting with and supporting people who seemed to be imbalanced. However, in the context of the dynamic experiences of Adventists and other Christian groups at the time, it is more understandable. Also, the newspaper report was not a transcript of the trial but rather a reporter's observations and thus contained incomplete and perhaps biased information. 1EGWLM 926.3

For James White and Ellen Harmon the fanatical excesses apparently seemed less important initially than a shared faith in the 1844 experience. Though they did interact with and support Dammon at the time of the meeting mentioned above, they came to oppose the spiritualizing views that he and others embraced.³⁵ 1EGWLM 927.1