White, James and Ellen

White, James (Springer) and Ellen (Gould)

 orig. Ellen Gould Harmon

(born April 8, 1821, Palmyra, Me., U.S.—died June 8, 1881, Battle Creek, Mich.) (born Nov. 26, 1827, Gorham, Me.—died July 16, 1915, St. Helena, Cal.) Cofounders of the Seventh-Day Adventists. James was a schoolteacher and then a minister who accepted the Adventist views of William Miller (1782–1849). He married Ellen Harmon in 1846; she had become a Millerite in 1840, at 13. A visionary, Ellen had more than 2,000 visions before she died; these helped guide the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which was formed in 1863. They preached together until James's death. Ellen continued, speaking on many subjects, notably temperance, and was regarded by some as a prophet. Of her many books, the best known is Steps to Christ.