Watch Tower History: Because some blog readers are from Britain

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Because some blog readers are from Britain

5 comments:

Anonymous said...: Dear Jerome

Much as I enjoy the fascinating detail of Rachael and Bruce's work on the USA, it will be great if/when this moves east to cover the British field. I appreciate that their health and circumstances may not allow, but I have a feeling that readers of the blog from Britain will be keen to take on the baton in due course. There is a great story just waiting to be told here also.

Regards
Son of Ton; January 24, 2016 at 12:07 AM
jerome said...: The British story is very interesting, although as things started in the States that is correctly where the very early focus should be. Although I do like to point out to those who have an anti-American bias (e.g. some Brits) that key players had all sorts of contacts with Britain - CTR came from Scots-Irish stock, Paton came from Scotland, Benjamin Wilson came from England, Barbour did his key research in the British Museum, etc. etc. As for the history of early days in Britain, as well as the old Yearbook history written by Jack Felix, there is Albert Hudson's Bible Students in Britain (written for those who left IBSA fellowship in 1917-18) and Tony Byatt's Reminiscences Towards a History of Jehovah's Witnesses in London - 1881 to 1977 (written specifically for a witness readership). And no doubt there will be other books concentrating on aspects of British history that will appear in due course.; January 24, 2016 at 3:58 AM
Sha'el, Princess of Pixies said...: Complain! Complain! COMPLAIN!

As you will remember, Separate Identity covers the years up to 1886 with some overlap into the following years. In rough draft we have completed chapters on the circulation of Food for Thinking Christians in the USA; Foreign Language Work in the USA with a bit on the introduction of Watch Tower teaching in Norway and Germany; Early work in Canada; Early work in China, and Early work in the UK. There is much detail not published anywhere for 140 years or so. It's the little things that make up the story. For instance a clergyman, Charles Dodgson, maintained a copy of Food for Thinking Christians in his library. So, in addition to taking nude photos of Alice Liddell, he had some interest in the first Watch Tower booklet printed in the UK.

Just be patient.; January 24, 2016 at 7:24 AM
Sha'el, Princess of Pixies said...: Okay, so you Brits sometimes don't understand American humor. The complain comment was supposed to be funny, not a scold.; January 24, 2016 at 3:36 PM
Anonymous said...: I took it as a tease rather than a scold (must have seen too many American sitcoms?)

This is good news for me. There is still hope for one who has had his sense of humour surgically removed.

Son of Ton; January 25, 2016 at 10:20 AM