Ellen G. White Estate - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Ellen G. White Estate, Incorporated, or simply the (Ellen) White Estate, is the official organization created by Ellen G. White

Ellen G. White

Ellen Gould White was a prolific author and an American Christian pioneer. She, along with other Sabbatarian Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, would form what is now known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Ellen White reported to her fellow believers her...

to act as the custodian of her writings, which are of importance to the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Seventh-day Adventist Church

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...

. Based at the General Conference

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is located in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, where it moved in 1989...

in Silver Spring

Silver Spring, Maryland

Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...

, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, with which it works closely, the White Estate has branch offices and research centers at Adventist universities and colleges around the world.

The mission of the White Estate is to circulate Ellen White's writings, translate them, and provide resources for helping to better understand her life and ministry. At the Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

General Conference Session

The General Conference Session is the official world meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The first session was held on May 20, 1863 with 20 delegates in attendance, and it is now held quinquennially ....

in 2000, the world church expanded the mission of the organization to include a responsibility for promoting Adventist history

History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

The Seventh-day Adventist Church had its roots in the Millerite movement of the 1830s and 1840s, during the period of the Second Great Awakening, and was officially founded in 1863. Prominent figures in the early church included Hiram Edson, James Springer White and his wife Ellen G. White, Joseph...

for the entire denomination.

History

Other duties include handling her properties, "conducting the business thereof," "securing the printing of new translations," and the "printing of compilations from my manuscripts." Her will, dated February 9, 1912, named five church administrators to serve as a board of trustees: Arthur G. Daniells

Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

Arthur Grosvenor Daniells was a Seventh-day Adventist minister and administrator, most notably the longest serving president of the General Conference....

, William C. White

William C. White

William Clarence "Willie" White was secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate. He was placed in charge of his mother's estate at her death in 1915. "Willie," as his mother referred to him as, took on additional responsibility in helping his mother travel, write, and publish after his father's death...

, Clarence C. Crisler, Charles H. Jones, and Francis M. Wilcox

Francis M. Wilcox

Francis McLellan Wilcox was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, administrator and editor of the Review and Herald for 33 years.- Biography :...

. Appointment of the trustees was for life, Ellen White providing that “if a vacancy shall occur for any reason among said trustees, or their successors, a majority of the surviving or remaining trustees are hereby empowered and directed to fill such vacancy by the appointment of some other fit person”; or if this provision were to fail, the General Conference Executive Committee should appoint someone to fill such a vacancy. The will dedicated the major portion of the existing and potential royalty incomes from her books to the work of the trustees.

At the death of Ellen White, July 16, 1915, this self-perpetuating board began to function. It soon sold Ellen White’s real estate, consisting mainly of Elmshaven, her home property near St. Helena, California

St. Helena, California

St. Helena is a city in Napa County, California, United States. It is part of the northern San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 5,814 at the 2010 census....

, then began the continued care of her literary properties. Under the terms of the will, such responsibilities fell into three areas:

possession of the copyrights to her writings and the care and promotion of her books in the English language
preparation of manuscripts for, and the promotion of the translation and publication of her writings in other languages
custody of the files of manuscripts and other files, and the selection of matter from the Ellen G. White manuscript files for publication.

The board now carries a fourth responsibility, which has developed naturally through the years—acquainting Seventh-day Adventists

Seventh-day Adventist Church

and others with Mrs. White and her work.

Organization

The Original Board. When the board was organized in 1915, A. G. Daniells

Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

Arthur Grosvenor Daniells was a Seventh-day Adventist minister and administrator, most notably the longest serving president of the General Conference....

served as president. The secretaryship, after being held for a short time by C. C. Crisler, passed to W. C. White

William C. White

, the only member of the board devoting full time to the work of the trustees. He filled this office until his death in 1937. From 1915 to 1937 the work was carried on at Elmshaven in a rented office building with a vault that was used to house the E. G. White materials.

During the 19 years they worked together, the original members, in addition to routine tasks, (1) published 10 posthumous compilations; (2) produced an 865-page Comprehensive Index to the Writings of Ellen G. White, published in 1926; (3) carried forward the thorough indexing of the Ellen G. White manuscript files; and (4) in counsel with the leading officers of the General Conference in 1933 and 1934, laid the foundation for continuing the trusteeship in perpetuity. The steps taken to ensure the perpetuation of the trusteeship were: (a) in 1933 the trustees, as the constituency, formed a corporation under the laws of the state of California “to carry out and perform the provisions of the charitable trust created by the last will and testament of Ellen G. White deceased”; (b) the General Conference agreed to provide adequate financial support for the work of the trustees in the form of an annual budget; the trustees, in turn, assigned to the General Conference all royalty incomes produced by the Ellen G. White books; (c) it was agreed to move the property and work of the trustees at some appropriate future time to Washington, D.C., thus placing it close to the world headquarters of the church.

Period of Transition

When three of the original trustees died—one in 1935 and two in 1936–the vacancies were filled in harmony with the provisions of the will and the bylaws of the 1933 corporation. The full-time secretary, W. C. White, died September 1, 1937. He was replaced by his son, Arthur L. White

Arthur L. White

Arthur Lacey White was secretary/director of the Ellen G. White Estate from 1937 to 1978. He succeeded his father, William C. White, who was a son of Ellen G. White and had managed his mother's estate since her death in 1915 until his own death in 1937...

, who for nine years had served as his secretary and for four years as assistant secretary of the White Estate. The work of the White Estate was moved to the General Conference, Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, in January, 1938.

Present Organization

With the demands upon them increasing steadily with the growth of the church and numerous constituencies to be represented, in 1950 the trustees increased the board’s membership from five to seven, and in 1958 amended the bylaws of the corporation to provide for a constituency and board of nine, seven to be life members and two to be elected for a term corresponding to that of General Conference elected personnel (originally four years, but now five). In 1970 the board was increased to 11; in 1980, to 13; and, in 1985, to 15. The number of life members is currently five. At quinquennial meetings the board also elects the secretary and associate secretaries, as well as officers of the corporation, as provided for in the bylaws.
Relationship to General Conference. Through the years a close working relationship has obtained between the White trustees and the General Conference. Most of the trustees are members of the General Conference Executive Committee. Various matters, such as promoting the overseas publication of the Ellen G. White material, appropriation of funds to assist in the foreign language publication of Ellen G. White books, and overall planning of Spirit of Prophecy promotion, including preparation of materials for the annual Spirit of Prophecy Sabbath, although intimately related to the work of the White trustees, are beyond the sphere of their direct responsibility. These are handled by the General Conference Committee through a sub-committee known as the Spirit of Prophecy Committee. This committee includes several of the White trustees. The duties of this subcommittee and the working relationship between the General Conference Committee and the White Estate are currently set forth in a joint agreement adopted by the General Conference Committee and the White Estate trustees on October 10, 1957. There is an interlocking and at times overlapping of responsibilities; nevertheless, a smooth and efficient working relationship between the two organizations is maintained.

Routine Work

The paid staff members:

safeguard and maintain the records in the custody of the trustees, and the indexes thereto, in such a manner as to serve the church
handle the copyrights to the Ellen G. White works
conduct such research in these works and the related historical materials as may be called for
respond to questions that may be directed to the White Estate in personal interviews and in a worldwide correspondence
assemble, when authorized by the trustees, materials for compilations from Ellen G. White’s writings
foster, in conjunction with the Spirit of Prophecy Committee, the ever-widening publication of these writings in various languages and at times make selections or abridgments as called for and authorized
fill assignments in church, institutional, and field visitation as the needs and best interests of the advancing work of the church require
conduct tours of historical sites of denominational interest, especially in the New England states
prepare articles, correspondence lessons, and text materials.

Productions of special value to the church include the four-volume Comprehensive Index to the Writings of Ellen G. White (1962, 1992); the six-volume facsimile reprints of the Ellen G. White Present Truth and Review and Herald articles; the four-volume Ellen G. White Signs of the Times articles; the Ellen G. White Youth’s Instructor articles; the Periodical Resource Collection volumes; the six-volume biography of Ellen G. White, by Arthur L. White

Arthur L. White

; and The Published Writings of Ellen G. White on Compact Disc (CD-ROM), a tool of inestimable value to users of computers.

Branch Offices and Research Centers

Beginning in 1974 the White Estate began to set up "Ellen G. White-SDA Research Centers" on the campuses of Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities. These offices contain duplicates of the Ellen White documents and other historical materials housed in the main office at General Conference headquarters. The three branch offices are located at:

Andrews University
Andrews University
Andrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College in Battle Creek, Michigan, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists, and is the flagship university of the Seventh-day...

,
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...

, and
Oakwood College
Oakwood College
Oakwood University is a private university located in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. It is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church...

.

It has local research centers around the world, including a center opened in 2004 at

Southwestern Adventist University
Southwestern Adventist University
Southwestern Adventist University is one of 13 colleges and universities in the United States affiliated with the Adventist Church. It was founded in 1893 as Keene Industrial Academy. It adopted its current name in 1996....

,

and 14 others outside North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, in:

Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

(Universidad Adventista del Plata
Universidad Adventista del Plata
River Plate Adventist University is a private Christian coeducational university in Libertador San Martin, Entre Ríos, Argentina, founded in 1898....

)
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

(Avondale College
Avondale College
Avondale College of Higher Education is an Australian tertiary education provider affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Avondale College has two campuses, Lake Macquarie being the primary campus situated in Cooranbong, New South Wales...

) http://spd.adventist.org.au/services/e_g_white_research_centre/
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

(Centro Universitário Adventista - Campus 2)
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

(Newbold College
Newbold College
Newbold College is a Seventh-day Adventist higher education provider located in Binfield, Berkshire, England; 40 miles west of London. It offers courses in Theology, Business Management, Arts & Social Studies as well as English Language and is accredited by the University of Wales Lampeter...

)
France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

(Campus Adventiste du Saleve)
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

(Spicer Memorial College
Spicer memorial College
Spicer Memorial College is a Seventh-day Adventist institution of higher learning in Aundh, Pune, India. It is considered the church's flagship provider of higher education in India...

)
Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

(Northern Caribbean University
Northern Caribbean University
The Northern Caribbean University is a tertiary level academic facility in Mandeville, Manchester, west-central Jamaica run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church...

)
Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

(University of Eastern Africa, Baraton
University of Eastern Africa, Baraton
The University of Eastern Africa, Baraton is a private coeducational Seventh-Day Adventist university located about 50 km from Eldoret Kenya. It offers various degrees in a number of graduate and undergraduate programs in the fields of Business, the Humanities, Agriculture, Technology, Health...

)
Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

(Sahmyook University
Sahmyook University
Sahmyook University is a private, Christian, coeducational university located in Metropolitan Seoul, South Korea...

)
Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

(University of Montemorelos
University of Montemorelos
The University of Montemorelos is a private coeducational Seventh-day Adventist university located in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Mexico...

)
Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

(Babcock University
Babcock University
Babcock University is a private Christian co-educational Nigerian university owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria. The university is located equidistant between Ibadan and Lagos. Enrolment was about 6,000 as of 2009.-History:...

)
Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

(Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies
Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies
The Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies is a graduate level educational institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. AIIAS is a locally and internationally accredited institution located in Silang, Cavite, Philippines, about 25 miles south of Manila...

)
Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

(Zaoksky Adventist University
Zaoksky Adventist University
Zaoksky Adventist University is a private coeducational Christian university located in the Tula Region of Russia, and is operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church....

)
South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

(Helderberg College
Helderberg College
Helderberg College is a private higher education institution situated in Somerset West, South Africa, about thirty minutes from Cape Town. It was established in 1893 - the first Seventh-day Adventist College established outside of North America under the name "Union College"...

).

Use of E. G. White Manuscript Materials

During the later years of her life, Ellen White often drew upon her unique 50,000-page manuscript file in the preparation of published works. The White trustees have continued to draw upon this for the compilations made since her death. These manuscripts constitute an invaluable basic file of historical records and of counsel to the church. The copyright of these manuscripts resides solely with the White trustees.
While all of Ellen White’s writings are available for research, the unpublished letters, manuscripts, and other materials in the Ellen G. White files do not constitute a public archive. The sacred nature of the files generally and the confidential nature of many of the communications in the files require that they be cared for and used responsibly. Even manuscripts whose primary value is historical in nature must not be used in a solely secular manner. Because of this, during the first few decades following Ellen White’s death, careful policies governing the use and release of unpublished materials were set up, ultimately resulting in the publication of 21 volumes known as Manuscript Releases. In recent years the earlier restrictive policies have been adapted to accommodate the needs of increased research.

List of chief officers

The two chief officers of the board are the chair and the secretary. The chair is also president of the corporation. The secretary serves not only as secretary of the board but as executive secretary of the organization, being responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office and staff. Beginning in 1915, when the terms of Ellen White’s will went into effect, the White Estate has had 10 chairs and 6 secretaries.

Chair

1915-1935 Arthur Grosvenor Daniells
Arthur Grosvenor Daniells
Arthur Grosvenor Daniells was a Seventh-day Adventist minister and administrator, most notably the longest serving president of the General Conference....
1935-1936 John Edwin Fulton
John Edwin Fulton
John Edwin Fulton was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, missionary, and administrator. In 1896 Fulton went as a missionary to Fiji where he and his family helped to establish an Adventist presence in that country....
1936-1937 John Luis Shaw
John Luis Shaw
John Luis Shaw was a Seventh-day Adventist missionary, educator, and treasurer. He graduated from the scientific course at Battle Creek College in 1893 and became dean of men at Union College. In 1897 he became principal of Claremont Union College in South Africa...
1938-1944 Francis M. Wilcox
Francis M. Wilcox
Francis McLellan Wilcox was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, administrator and editor of the Review and Herald for 33 years.- Biography :...
1944-1951 Milton E. Kern
Milton E. Kern
Milton Early Kern was a Seventh-day Adventist educator and youth leader.He attended Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. From 1900 to 1904 Kern was head of the Bible and history departments at Union College. His success in working for Adventist young people led to a position as secretary of the...
1952 Denton E. Rebok
Denton E. Rebok
Denton Edward Rebok was a Seventh-day Adventist educator and administrator. Born in Pennsylvania, he served the denomination for 44 years. He spent 23 years as a missionary in China...
1952-1963 Albert Victor Olson
Albert Victor Olson
Albert Victor Olson was a Seventh-day Adventist minister and administrator. He was born May 26, 1884 in Kingston, Minnesota.The Seventh-day Adventist teachings often found their way to new regions by means of printed material. About 1877, the Olson family became acquainted with Adventism by...
1963-1966 Francis D. Nichol
Francis D. Nichol
Francis David Nichol was a Seventh-day Adventist editor, of the church's main newsmagazine, and supervising editor of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, author, and also chairman of the Ellen G. White Estate board of trustees, and considered the leading twentieth-century apologist for the...
1966-1980 William Paul Bradley
1980-2008 Kenneth H. Wood
Kenneth H. Wood
Kenneth H. Wood, Jr. was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, author, editor, and administrator. Since 1980 he served as chairman of the Ellen G. White Estate board of trustees. By virtue of this position he also served as an ex officio member of the General Conference Executive Committee.- Life and...
2008- Don Schneider

Secretary

1915-1937 William C. White
William C. White
William Clarence "Willie" White was secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate. He was placed in charge of his mother's estate at her death in 1915. "Willie," as his mother referred to him as, took on additional responsibility in helping his mother travel, write, and publish after his father's death...
1937-1978 Arthur L. White
Arthur L. White
Arthur Lacey White was secretary/director of the Ellen G. White Estate from 1937 to 1978. He succeeded his father, William C. White, who was a son of Ellen G. White and had managed his mother's estate since her death in 1915 until his own death in 1937...
1978-1990 Robert W. Olson
Robert W. Olson
Robert W. Olson was director of the Ellen G. White Estate from 1978 to 1990.- Biography :Olson was the first staff member who was not a direct descendant of Ellen G. White to run her estate and the first staff member to hold a Ph.D. He had a wide variety of pastoral and administrative posts before...
1990-1995 Paul A. Gordon
Paul A. Gordon
Paul A. Gordon was a Seventh-day Adventist. He was director of the Ellen G. White Estate from 1990 to 1995.-References:- See also :* Seventh-day Adventist Church* Ellen G. White Estate...
1995-2000 Juan Carlos Viera
Juan Carlos Viera
Juan Carlos Viera Rossano is a Seventh-day Adventist and was director of the Ellen G. White Estate from 1995 to 2000. A native of Uruguay, Viera was the first director of the White Estate to come from outside the North American Division. He holds an M.A. in Religion from Andrews University and a...
2000- James R. Nix
James R. Nix
James R. Nix has been director of the Ellen G. White Estate since 2000. Nix graduated in 1969 from La Sierra University with a dual major in history and theology. He later earned masters degrees in divinity and library science. In 1972 Loma Linda University hired Nix to help develop a Heritage Room...

External links

Ellen G. White Estate, the official Ellen White website
- About the White Estate
- The Complete Published Writings of Ellen G. White Online Search
- Last Will and Testament of Ellen G. White from Messenger of the Lord by Herbert Douglass

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