Bible Students on the Mount of Olives

On Sunday, April 24, 1910, a party of Bible Students who were on tour visited the Mount of Olives and had a group photograph taken. 

Two famous prints of this scene exist. The first is from The Watch Tower for September 1, 1910.

The second is the photograph reproduced in the 1910 convention report, facing page 45. There are several slight differences, the most obvious one being the missing hat in the back row.

A third print is also known to exist where not only does the hat in the back row disappear, but so does the person wearing it.

It is thought that this may be the photographer. Delayed shutter timers started to be used in photography from around 1902. So it may be that after taking one picture, he then used a delayed timer so as to appear in it – once with a hat and once without.

The names of the party were given in the article in the convention report. Here are the opening two paragraphs.

Some are easier to identify than others. Obviously there's C T Russell with J F Rutherford in front of him. Just behind Rutherford is Andrew Pierson. The only child in the group belongs to "Brother and Sister Ward and son" and one assumes that is Sister Ward next to the boy. Mary Rutherford is not in the group because she had left the party when they reached Paris.

One famous face that is missing is Dr Leslie Jones, who produced the convention reports. He too had left the party when they reached Paris.

Bernhard has worked hard to identify all the people in the photograph as shown in the graphic below. We can be reasonably certain about all the men, but not so certain about all the women. We have all the names and we have the all figures and faces, but there has to be some guesswork here. Depending on your device you may have to click on the picture to see it complete.

The traveling group was:

1. Charles Taze Russell

2. George Chester Driscoll (leaves the group in Paris; went to London - not on photo)

3. Dr. Leslie Whitney Jones (leaves the group in Paris; went to London - not on photo)

4. Joseph Franklin Rutherford

5. Jacob Franklin Davault

6. Hattie Davault

7. Charles Henry Ward

8. Anita Beatrice McCormick Ward

9. Reginald McCormick Ward

10. G. Charles Owens

11. Sis. Owens

12. Sis. Cobb

13. Blanche Noble

14. Josephine H. Frost

15. Emma Paschal

16. Betty Green Houston

17. Andrew Nils Pierson

18. George F. Wilson

19. Samuel J. Young

20. Sis. Jackson

21. Mary Rutherford (leaves the group in Paris; went to Barmen - not on photo)

22. Otto Albert Koetitz (joined in Berne)

23. Bro. Hall (Interpreter and Colporteur in Egypt; joined in Cairo)

24. Sis. Thompson (Colporteur in Palestine; joined in Jerusalem)

26. Mr. Jamal  (Tourguide from Syria, Photographer?)

Much extra information about this tour, and other similar ones, can be found in Bernhard’s illustrated book featured below.

The Amazon link is:

https://www.amazon.com/CharlesT-Russell-Joseph-Rutherford-Bible-Students/dp/B093RS7HLZ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bernhard+brabenec&qid=1620208135&sr=8-1

 If this link ceases to work in the future then you can find the book by using the title or author name in a search box.