Welcome to The Jenks Memorial Collection of Adventual Materials at Aurora University

To commemorate the faith and confident expectation of those who awaited the personal return of Jesus Christ to earth in 1843-1844 (a view based on a pattern of biblical interpretation introduced by William Miller 1782-1849), and to preserve the early history of the various Adventist bodies which grew out of the Millerite Movement, Orrin Jenks (shown at right) began collecting historic materials, and thus began a research library.

• Images of Prophetic Charts in the Collection
• The Founding of A Denomination: Miller and Himes
• The Jenks Collection of Adventual Materials: A Short History
• Collecting Policy of Jenks Memorial Collection
• The Collection's Holdings
• Access and Use of the Collection
• Contact the Curator

William Miller, from a lithograph published about 1841.

1843 was to be the year of the world's end. In that year, Christ personally would return to the earth to establish his kingdom, glorify the saints, and take vengeance on the wicked. This was the conclusion arrived at by William Miller in 1822 and the message that he proclaimed for the next 21 years.

William Miller was born in Vermont and later became a resident of Low Hampton, NY. Following a period of years in which he proclaimed Deism, Miller was converted in 1816 and joined the Baptist Church of Low Hampton. Following his conversion, he was asked by Deist friends how he knew the Bible was true in light of seeming contradictions. According to his biographer Sylvester Bliss, Miller "was at first perplexed, but on reflection, he considered that if the Bible is a revelation of God, it must be consistent with itself; all its parts must harmonize, must have been given for man's instruction, and consequently, must be adapted to his understanding." He therefore determined to prove the Bible true by harmonizing all the apparent contradictions. If he failed in this, he told his friends, he would return to Deism.

William Miller thus began his careful study of the scriptures.

His study began and ended with the scriptures themselves. After two years, Miller concluded that the Bible was indeed truthful and that it was also its own interpreter. Even the symbolic portions of the scriptures could be clearly understood. A literal approach to and interpretation of scriptures became Miller's first and overriding principle of study and exposition.

Another of his principles reached during this period was the year-day theory of prophetic interpretation, which holds that when the time periods given in the books of the prophets are symbolic rather than literal, each day must be given a value of one year. A third conclusion to which Miller came was that if the student of the scriptures had enough faith, he would be led into the truth.

Armed with these principles, Miller proceeded in his study of the Bible for four more years. By 1822, he was ready to draw up a brief statement of his conclusions – a statement of faith. Miller had concluded that the scriptures plainly taught that Christ would descend personally and visibly to the earth a second time and that at his coming, dominion over heaven and earth would be given to him. The bodies of the righteous dead would be raised and the righteous living changed from a mortal to an immortal state, and both would meet the Lord in the air and reign with him on the regenerated earth. The only millennium taught in the scriptures was the thousand years that were to intervene between the first resurrection of the saints and the second resurrection of the wicked when the latter would be destroyed eternally. This accomplished, the Kingdom of God would come.

Miller's Prophetic Chart of 1843, published as a lithograph by B. W. Thayer and Company. The large numbers indicate two different methods of calculation that Miller used, both arriving at 1843 as the year for fulfillment of the prophecy. The chart was published in 1842.

For the next nine years, from 1822, William Miller's life followed its normal pattern, with no particularly outstanding events occurring. He discussed his views privately and individually, was listened to with interest, but found few who were willing to adopt them as their own. It was not until 1831 that he commenced his public ministry; in fact, until that year he had never seriously considered promulgating his views in any public way.

During the 1830s, Miller traveled and lectured with increasing frequency throughout New York and New England. He never went to a place without first being asked by a local congregation and securing the cooperation of the local minister. Wherever he went a revival followed his labors, sinners were converted and the luke-warm Christian revitalized. His reputation as an evangelist spread. Miller, not a formally educated man, did possess a good, if not subtle, mind. His knowledge of the scriptures was both extensive and detailed. He was obviously honest and sincere, and the people came to hear him. Miller's lectures were not of the more overwrought and emotional type. He preferred to arouse his hearers to become thoughtful students of the scripture, rather than simply to arouse their emotions.

The year 1838 witnessed a quickening of interest in Miller's message, probably in part the result of the economic depression. On the 12th of November, 1839, about 20 ministers of the Christian Church called in a body on Miller to question him concerning his views. One of the leaders of this group was Elder Joshua V. Himes, dynamic pastor of the Chardon Street Chapel in Boston. Himes was deeply impressed with Miller's message and the scriptural evidence, which he used to support his conclusions. He invited Miller to Boston to lecture sometime in December. Thus were brought together the two men, who in a short time would lead the forces sounding the "midnight cry." Within a year, the name of William Miller and the burden of his message were widely known across the northern and western United States, the result, in no small way of the unwearying efforts of J. V. Himes.

Elder Joshua V. Himes, of the Charndon Street Chapel in Boston; the photograph was taken several years after the Millerite Movement.

Skilled in methods of promotion, Himes took Miller out of the rural areas and small towns and placed him in the great cities — the communication centers of the nation. Operating chiefly out of Boston and New York, Himes established strategic outposts in such places as Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Rochester. Newspapers were established in each of the above cities, most notably "The Signs of the Times" (later " The Advent Herald") in Boston and " The Midnight Cry" (later "The Morning Watch") in New York. Books, pamphlets, tracts and other publications flowed from the presses in the thousands. Preaching and lecture tours for Miller and others were organized. Conferences, tent and camp meetings were employed to promote the cause and the message. Book depots and reading rooms were opened from Boston to St. Louis. J. V. Himes was the chief promoter, organizer and publicist of the Adventist cause—the man whom William Miller said did more than any other 10 persons to arouse the world to his message of warning and hope.

It is the wealth of material written in these early days and in the ensuing years that forms the core of the Jenks Collection of Adventual Materials at Aurora University.

William Miller's leather trunk, which came to the collection containing many original Miller letters, sermons, and other papers.

Dr. Jenks, president of Aurora College from 1911 to 1933, had a keen historical sense. He knew that books, records, and papers enabled men to supplement their memories, discern their roots, and ascertain meaningful relationships. This awareness prompted him to preserve a wide selection of materials relating to the Millerite Movement of the 1840s and of significant literature concerning the several Adventist bodies that developed after the dream of those early Millerites met disappointment, or was interpreted in a different manner.

The approach Dr. Jenks took in gathering the material in this research collection can be deduced from his correspondence and diaries. We know that Dr. Jenks got William Miller's trunk from the "World's Crisis" office in Boston. This trunk had been carried by Miller to many speaking engagements throughout the eastern part of the United States during the years of his active ministry and contained over 800 letters, written to him, or by him. (They were composed from 1812 through the mid-19th century.)

The trunk had been sent by J. V. Himes from his last home in South Dakota to J. M. Orrock, the last editor of "The Advent Herald", a newspaper started by Himes in 1840, which ceased publication in 1899. What we don't know is how the trunk passed from the office of "The Herald" to that of "The Crisis", how Jenks learned of its existence, or when he brought it back to Illinois. Luckily for the Jenks Collection, the letters and manuscripts were still intact and came with the trunk to Aurora College (now Aurora University).

How and why were the Miller letters and manuscripts collected? We know that Sylvester Bliss, an editorial colleague of Himes, used them when he wrote the Memoirs of William Miller, published by Himes in 1853 and which he, himself, had originally intended to write. It seems likely that Himes had gathered those materials for that purpose. Reasonable conjecture suggests that hundreds of valuable books and pamphlets from the mid-19th century were given to Mendota College of Mendota, IL, the institution which under the leadership of Dr. Jenks moved to Aurora, IL, and became Aurora College in 1912. Adventists, both those in the ministry and of the laity, doubtless deposited books, tracts, papers, and photographs in that library so that those students might be more informed and better educated.

William Miller in the late 1840s.

• "The Controversy Concerning an Intermediate State," Archdeacon Francis Blackburne, 1765.
• "Daniel", Hugh Broughton, 1607.
• "Prophetic Commentary on the Revelation of St. John", Charles Daubuz, 1720.
• "The History of the Sabbath", Peter Heylyn, 1636.
• "Considerations on the Theory of Religion", Bishop Edmund Law, 1774.
• "Exposition...of the Prophet Daniel", Henry More, 1681.
• "Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John", Sir Isaac Newton, 1733.
• "Man Wholly Mortal", Richard Overton, 1655.
• "Annals of the World", Archbishop James Ussher, 1658.
• "Works of Bishop Thomas Goodwin", 1683.
• "Works of Joseph Mede", 1677.

Were these books purchased for the Mendota College library? Did members of the faculty give such treasures, along with other books, to the college? It is doubtless this sort of thing did happen. On the other hand, the historical acumen and watchful eye of Dr. Jenks was, without doubt, responsible for securing materials of this sort for his research library. Nevertheless, it seems improbable that Dr. Jenks collected all of these materials. The validity of this hypothesis is supported by entries in his diary, such as that of January 16, 1945, where he remarks on the discovery of two charts in the collection, each about 100 years old, and one going back to the 1854 time period.

Just how did this man go about securing these materials? The diaries provide some answers. One entry mentions appealing to Mrs. G. L. Young for materials from her late husband's library. There is an inquiry of Mrs. E. D. Mansfield for clues to the location of early issues of "The Voice of the West" and "The Advent Christian Times". Again, he writes to the children of alumni concerning materials that had belonged to their parents. For instance, he appealed to Mattie Burr concerning papers of her father, Frank Burr; to George M. concerning the holdings of his father, William R. Mitchell. On another occasion he drove a considerable distance out of his way to call upon Everett Dick and get from him a copy of his doctoral dissertation. Similarly, he approached men in responsible places for data relating to their work. In November, 1929, he asked Warren Tenney for relevant materials from the office of the Advent Christian Publication Association. Another entry in his diary reports his spending time in the office of "The World's Crisis" seeking historical materials. He did the same with others, especially minister-publishers like Benjamin Corliss.

How much material did Jenks buy? We do not know. If we depended entirely upon his diaries, we would conclude that his purchases were infrequent, although a few are reported. We know that when he traveled from one coast to the other preaching and giving Bible studies, he frequently mentioned his research library. There are a dozen or more entries in his diaries concerning a "penny collection" for his library even during the Great Depression. In 1934, and again in 1940, he bought steel cabinets in which to store the more valuable and fragile items. The second cabinet was bought on January 20, and he noted that the payment was made out of his penny collection fund.

This is not the place to indicate the full scope and nature of his collecting activity, but a few landmarks may be noted: his diary reveals that on December 24, 1930, he secured bound copies of "The Advent Herald", "The Midnight Cry", and "The Morning Watch". On July 24, 1934, he received bound copies of "The Advent Herald" and "The Signs of the Times". Other volumes of the Times were secured on September 28, 1941. Anyone familiar with early Adventism knows that such acquisitions were of great help and significance for the collection. Of similar importance for understanding the development of the Advent Christian people in the Midwest was the gift by Hope Pollard Hufford of a complete set of " Our Hope and Life in Christ" from her father's library. A list of materials gathered in this manner reads like an honor roll, not only of Advent Christian personalities, but of authors and preachers from all branches of Adventism.

Jenks was not only a collector, but sought in many ways to ensure the availability of this material to the world of scholarship. Some of the books were catalogued and many of the tracts were sorted and arranged alphabetically. He welcomed help. When A. H. Kearney moved into this area he enlisted his aid on some of the historical questions relating to the collection. Not infrequently, notations in his diaries mention a need for help in classifying these materials. He remarks about the help he received from his eldest daughter, Miriam, on some biographical work. Her husband, Dean Stanley H. Perry, also was helpful. On occasion, students were employed to work under his direction. Thus he sought to make his collection a significant research library, and scholars came. Some were young men working on graduate problems, among them Everett Dick and Wilbur Murra. Others were authors of considerable distinction such as Francis D. Nichol, Leroy E. Froom, and Professor Sidney Mead from the University of Chicago. It was the latter who helped Jenks make arrangements for the original microfilming of the Miller Correspondence by the Photoduplication Department of the University of Chicago Library.

After the death of Jenks in 1951, work in the research collection continued. The concern of Ethel Tapper, then head librarian, resulted in the provision of a suitable place for the Jenks Memorial Collection of Adventual Materials in the Phillips Library when it was constructed in 1961. This was a great asset to the collection. Doris K. Colby, for several years associate librarian, and later head librarian, gave a portion of her time to the care and development of this portion of the library. She did much work, not only in arrangement and research, but with the help of alert field workers, faculty members and friends of then Aurora College, she had the privilege of receiving and arranging much additional material. Notable among these were missionary items: journals, correspondence of missionaries such as Z. Charles Beals, Sarah K. Taylor, and memorabilia from the Spence family in India, from W.I. Edwards, Joseph Wharton, and Bertha Cassidy. The periodical holdings in general were greatly enriched. The Advent Christian Publication Society sent the files of " The Young Pilgrim" and of "The World's Crisis", and the Life and Advent Union sent a century-long file of "The Herald of Life" and many other materials of historical interest. From Connecticut came much of the file of "The Watch Tower", and from the Southern region, the major portion of the issues of "The Present Truth Messenger" plus important office records. Likewise a nearly complete file of the western regional paper, "The Messiah's Advocate", was given to the collection.

Supplementing those major gifts were the thoughtful, significant gifts of books, tracts, charts, records of churches, camp meetings, and conferences, diaries of various personalities, photographs, theses, and artifacts of absorbing interest. Then through cooperative endeavor much of the collection was microfilmed: the Millerite materials by University Microfilms International, and later works by the American Theological Library Association. This was a tremendous boon, for it not only protects the collection from fire and vandalism, but makes it available to a vastly greater circle of students of this segment of American religion. Witness the impact of the 112 page Bibliographical Essay included in Edwin S. Gaustad (ed.), "The Rise of Adventism", which while presenting a valuable inventory of the holdings of a half-dozen collections, lists the major holdings of the Jenks Memorial Collection prior to 1872. Shortly after his retirement as professor of religion, Moses C. Crouse was named in 1978 as curator of the collection. He was able to effect some changes, continue organization and classification of materials, and be of help to interested scholars. Thus new areas of research were pursued and groundwork was laid to assist a committee of the Advent Christian General Conference of America to produce a history of the denomination. Jenks' dream for these materials continued to be realized. The collection was begun by a man of vision; it has grown and developed through the interest and helpfulness of a large group of interested and committed people. You, too, are invited to have a share in its continued growth and service.

June 12, 1980
Dr. Moses C. Crouse, Curator (1978-1985)

Two primary interests guide the collecting activities of the Jenks Memorial Collection. It seeks to secure and preserve materials relating to the Millerite Movement of the first half of the 19th century in America, all historical materials relating to the Advent Christian Church, the Evangelical Adventists, and materials of the other Adventist groups that developed from the movement. Because of the existence of other excellent historical societies and collections such as those sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventists and the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith, the Jenks Collection does not seek to specialize in early historic and representative contemporary materials related to those specific groups.

The collection is interested in the widest variety of materials that document the growth and development of those groups related to the Millerite Movement, with an emphasis on those materials that support scholarly research. General works in church histories, Christian theology and ethics, journals and periodicals, books, pamphlets, photographs, charts, homiletical materials, slides, and tapes are collected if they provide a helpful context relating to the inception, growth, and present status of the groups this collection seeks to serve. These collecting policies apply equally to paper and three-dimensional/artifactual materials. The same collecting policy criteria are generally applied to both purchases and donations. The collection does not appraise or authenticate materials offered as gifts or proffered for any other purpose.

The Jenks Memorial Collection welcomes inquiries from potential donors, churches or organizations who have materials related to the collection. Inquiries should be addressed to:

Curator, Jenks Memorial Collection
Aurora University
347 S. Gladstone Ave.
Aurora, Illinois 60506-4892
Telephone (630) 844-5437
jenks@aurora.edu

The Collection's Holdings

• William Miller's sermon notes, account books and printed sermons, which are quite rare.
• Scores of Adventist periodicals: among the notable are "Signs of the Times", "Midnight Cry", "Advent Herald", "Morning Watch", "Bible Examiner", "Advent Harbinger", "World's Crisis (since 1854)", "Herald of Life (1863-1966)", "Advent Christian Times (1870-1878)", "Bible Banner (1871-1882)", "Messiah's Advocate (1894-1952)", and "Present Truth Messenger".
• Old and rare books relating to the Adventist background of the 17th and 18th centuries.
• A few of the significant books in the collection are:
  • "The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers", LeRoy Froom, (four vols., 1950-54)
  • "Dissertation on Prophecies", Thomas Newton, 1838
  • "Treatise on Christian Doctrine", John Milton, 1825
  • "Christian Doctrines", James A. Nichols, fr. 1970
  • "True Theology", John A. Cargile, 1888
  • "Positive Theology", Miles Grant 1895
  • "Gospel of the Kingdom", Henry Dana Ward, 1872
  • "Redemption", Rebecca J. Smith, 1910
  • "The Grand Crisis in Human Affairs", E H. Berrick, 1854
  • "Signs of the Times", H. L. Hastings, 1864
  • "The World's Great Empires", Mrs. M. McKinstry, 1883
  • "Evidences from Scriptures and History of the Coming Christ", William Miller, 1840
  • "Views on Prophecy", William Miller, 1841
  • "Works", William Miller, Vol. 3, 1842
  • "The Great Controversy", D. T. Taylor, 1891
  • "Return of the Redeemer", G. L. Young, 1899
  • "The Pre-millennial Advent Vindicated", Josiah Litch,
  • "Hades", Henry Constable, 1875
  • "Debt and Grace", Charles F. Hudson, 1861
  • "Human Destiny", Charles F. Hudson, 1860
  • "The Unspeakable Gift", John H. Pettingell, 1884
  • "The Problems of Immortality", E. Petavel-Olliff, 1892
  • "Six Sermons", George Storrs, 1855
  • "Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers", LeRoy Froom, TWO VoLUMES, 1965-66)
  • "Life and Immortality", Eric Lewis, 1924
  • "Life in Christ", Edward White, 1878
  • "Advent Christian History", A.C. Johnson, 1918
  • "History of the Second Advent Message", I.C. Wellcome, 1874
• More than 5,000 pamphlets and tracts, plus scores of manuscripts, letters, sermons, sermon notes and scrap books
• A large collection of Adventist Hymnals
• Prophet Charts (approximately 30)
• Hundreds of pictures of Adventist leaders, churches, camp meetings and institutions
• Many mementos from William Miller, Adventist leaders and missionaries
• Materials relating to foreign mission work of the Advent Christian Church
• The record books of several churches, camp meetings, conferences and Adventist institutions
• A score of theses and dissertations, among them the following:
  • Come Of Babylon: The Development of Millerite Separatism and Denominationalism, 1840-1865. David T. Arthur (Dissertation for PhD degree, University of Rochester). 1970
  • Thunder and Trumpets: The Millerite Movement and Apocalyptic Thought in UpstateNew York, 1800-1845. David L. Rowe (Dissertation for PhD degree, U. of Virginia) 1974
  • The Influence of William Miller in the History of American Christianity. RaymondJoseph Bean (Dissertation for PhD degree, Boston University) 1949
  • Created in God's Image: Religious Issues in the Women's Rights Movements of the 19th Century, Donna A. Behnke (Dissertation for PhD degree, Northwestern University) 1971
  • Politics and Prayer, a study of the Advent Christian Denomination mission efforts inChina. Donna A. Behnke (Thesis for MA degree, Northwestern University) 1971
  • A Study of the Doctrine of Conditional Immortality...with Special Reference to the Contributions of Charles F. Hudson and John H. Pettingell, Moses C. Crouse (Dissertation for PhD degree, Northwestern University) 1953
  • Joshua V. Himes and the Cause of Adventism, David T. Arthur (Thesis for MA degree, U. of Chicago) 1961
  • Echoes of the Midnight Cry: The Millerite Heritage in the Apologetics of the Advent Christian Denomination, 1860-1960., David A. Dean (Dissertation for Doctor of Theology degree, Westminster Theological Seminary) 1976
  • Biblicism Apocalyptik Utopi, Biblicism, Apocolyptic, Utopia; the Historical Development of Adventism in the United States and in Sweden to about 1939, Linden (University of Uppsala, Sweden), 1971
  • Reading the Signs of the Times, Stephen D. O'Leary (Doctoral dissertation, Northwestern University) 1991 

Access and Use of the Collection

This collection lends materials from its holdings only to the institutions of the Advent Christian Church, certain other religious bodies, museums, historical societies, libraries, and other organizations which, in the judgment of the curator, can comply with its conditions. Loans will generally not be approved for extremely fragile materials, frequently used holdings, or materials that will be used soon in forthcoming activities of the collection. Such loans are normally made only for purposes of formal exhibitions.

For purposes of scholarly research, the collection hosts scholars on-site and may also provide photo or digital copies of materials for study. On-site research privileges are extended to scholars connected with the institutions noted above, as well as to independent students and scholars approved by the curator of the collection. For information about on-site use of the Jenks Collection, or to inquire concerning the availability of photo or digital copies for research, contact: