by Arthur L. White

Who was Ellen G. White, and why do millions consider her writings of special value and significance? As stated in Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . ."The writings of Ellen White are not a substitute for Scripture.

The Advent Message

Ellen was an earnest missionary worker, seeking to win her youthful friends and doing her part in heralding the Advent message. Heaven seemed near to the praying group, and as the power of God rested on Ellen she witnessed in vision the travels of the Advent people to the city of God. This work she found difficult to perform.

Marriage of James White and Ellen Harmon.

On a trip to Orrington, Maine, Ellen met a young Adventist preacher, James White, then 23 years of age. The early days of James and Ellen White's married life were filled with poverty and sometimes distress. A son, Henry, was born to the Whites on August 26, 1847.

Beginning to Publish .

The later numbers carried articles from Ellen White’s pen setting forth prophetic views of the future of the church and sounding notes of warning and counsel. The year 1851 marked the appearance of Mrs. White’s first book, a paper-covered work of 64 pages entitled, A Sketch of the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen G. White.

A few days after Elder and Mrs. White, and those associated with them in the publishing work, arrived at Battle Creek, a conference was held to consider plans for spreading the Advent message. At the close of this general meeting a number of matters of importance to the church at large were revealed to Ellen White. These she wrote out and read to the Battle Creek church.

The record of the next few years shows Elder and Mrs. White establishing the publishing work and church organization, and traveling here and there by train, wagon, and sleigh.

The Home in Battle Creek.

Ellen White's diaries for the late 1850s reveal that not all her time was devoted to writing and public work.

The Health Reform Vision

An introductory step in this effort was the publishing of six pamphlets of 64 pages each, entitled, Health, or How to Live, compiled by James and Ellen White. An article from Mrs. White was included in each of the pamphlets. Early in 1866, responding to the instruction given to Ellen White on Christmas Day, 1865 (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 489), that Seventh-day Adventists should establish a health institute for the care of the sick and the imparting of health instruction, plans were laid for the Western Health Reform Institute, which opened in September, 1866.

While the Whites were in and out of Battle Creek from 1865 to 1868, Elder White's poor physical condition led them to move to a small farm near Greenville, Michigan.

The long periods of overwork during the struggling beginning days of the church, the Ellen White accompanied her husband on his journeys, doing her full share of preaching and personal work, and, as time permitted, pushed forward with her writing.

Battle Creek College

Among other things, she told of having been shown printing presses operating in other lands, and a well-organized work developing in vast world territories that Seventh-day Adventists up to that time had never Elder White was busily engaged in establishing the Pacific Press in Oakland, California, and in rasing money to enlarge the Battle Creek Sanitarium and to build the Tabernacle in Battle Creek.

When the Whites visited the new health institution near St. Helena, California, early in 1878, Ellen White exclaimed that she had seen those buildings and surroundings in the vision shown her of the broadening work on the West Coast.

Elder White's failing health led to a trip into Texas for the winter of 1878-1879. It was here that Arthur Daniells, who in later years served as president of the General Conference, and his wife, Mary, joined the White family, the youthful Arthur as Elder White's companion and nurse, and Mary as cook and housekeeper.

Death of James White

Standing at the side of her husband's casket at the funeral service, Ellen White pledged herself to press on in the work that had been entrusted to her.

Ellen White Visits Europe

For some time the General Conference had been asking Mrs. White and her son, W. C. White, to visit the European missions. From Basel, Switzerland, then the headquarters of the church's European work, Mrs. White made trips to England, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Both in Basel, Switzerland, and Christiana (now Oslo), Norway, Ellen White recognized the printing presses as those shown her in the vision of January 3, 1875, when she saw many presses operating in lands outside North America.

The counsel given by Ellen White to European church workers meant much in the establishment of right policies and plans.

Because The Spirit of Prophecy, volume 4, was called for in the European languages, Ellen White felt she must write out more fully the controversy scenes involving places in Europe. The result was the book.

Back again in the United States, Ellen White made her home at Healdsburg, California, but attended the General Conference session of 1888 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Called to Australia

At the General Conference session of 1891, Mrs. White was presented with an urgent call to visit Australia to give counsel and assist in church work in that pioneer region. Here again, on her visit to the church's publishing house, Mrs. White recognized printing presses as among those shown her in vision in January, 1875.

The Avondale School

This school, God indicated, was to be a pattern of what Adventist educational work should be.

In order that the developing work in Australia might be properly administered, in 1894 the territory was organized into a union conference, the first union conference in Seventh-day Adventist history.

In addition to her many interests in the local work of this pioneer field, Mrs. White found time to write thousands of pages of timely counsel that crossed the seas and guided denominational leaders.

In 1891 Ellen White appealed to church leaders to begin educational and evangelistic work on behalf of the Black race in America's South.

Return to the United States

From the standpoint of the work in Australia it seemed a most inopportune time for her leave, but One whose eye watches His church Mrs. White’s presence at the denominational headquarters helped establish confidence in the decision to move east.

During the next few years Ellen White frequently interrupted her book work for trips to Loma Linda to encourage the workers there, and to the Paradise Valley Sanitarium near San Diego, which she had helped to establish in 1903. At the age of 81 Mrs. White traveled again to Washington, attending the General Conference session in 1909.

Realizing that her remaining days were few, when Ellen White returned to Elmshaven she intensified her efforts to bring out a number of books presenting essential instruction to the church. Testimonies for the Church, volume 9, was published in 1909. The closing active months of Mrs. White’s life were devoted to the book Prophets and Kings.

Ellen White lived to see the Advent movement grow from a handful of believers to a world-wide membership of 136,879 that, by 2000, had exceeded 11 million.

Ellen G. White Estate

Silver Spring, Maryland

Revised August, 2000