A picture within a picture

Here is a photograph of C T Russell in his study at the Pittsburgh Bible House c. 1906. Notice the picture on the wall in the top left hand corner of this photograph.

If you look very closely, below is the photograph under discussion. It is a picture taken of the workers at the Bible House. I originally had two copies, one marked 1899 and the other 1902. Both came from a relative of W E Van Amburgh. As to which is the correct year, a lot would depend on when the Henninges were in America, between visits to Britain, then Germany, and finally Australia.

Bernhard researched the picture and provided the following information which clearly establishes the correct year as 1902 (or very shortly thereafter):

You see on the group photo brother William Van Amburgh and left brother George Garman. Both became members of the Bible House family in autumn 1900. So the photo couldn’t be taken before 1900.

Ernest and Rosa (Rose) Henninges were in England from April 1900 till November 1901 and than he came back to Pittsburgh. They stayed there till June 1903; than they went to Germany. So the photo couldn’t be taken before November 1901.

Otto Koetitz and his wife Jennie succeeded Henninges in November 1903 in Germany. Otto was a coworker in Bethel from 1896 followed by his wife in 1900.

Albert Williamson became a member of the Bible House staff in 1899. Harriet Stark (who married him in 1905) and her mother Britee C. Stark began to work in the Bethel in 1900.

Laura Whitehouse lived also there since 1900.

Johannes Gotthold Kuehn came also in 1900 to the Bible House as a part-time worker. His wife Ottilie Friederike and son Alfred followed in 1902.

So this brings us to the date of 1902, maybe early 1903.

Subsequent to this article being written originally, Bernhard incorporated this material into his book on the Bible House.

CTR in color

With grateful thanks to Brian K.

The Hemery archive

 A couple of years ago I received a notification that my inbox was so full it would shortly not accept new mail unless I went through it all and deleted stuff. I did a reverse order shuffle to find emails from way back that never got deleted at the time. One that has now prompted this post was an email from a reliable source in India (!) from 2005, about a mouth watering cache of material that had apparently been recently sold on eBay.

The story as told to me was as follows:

Apparently the library of Jesse Hemery appeared on the market only a few months back. If I have the story correctly it was bought as part of a job lot of second hand clothes etc by a lady who deals in that sort of thing. It  seems Jesse Hemery's trunk was full of most interesting items including and original Three Worlds, about 115 letters from Russell, mostly handwritten, 50 or 60 from Rutherford and a few from Knorr, various photos and numerous other books including Horae Apocalypticae etc. Had a lot of interest, and it finally went for 34,000 GBP. There cannot be many who would pay that kind of money. Do you have any ideas? Apparently included were the following:

178 letters from Pastor C T Russell mostly written in hand from about 1900 to 1916 . Some are typed, paper very aged in some, some splitting where badly opened. Some deal with Bible Students Conventions in London, Glasgow, The new London Tabernacle, The London Opera House Photo Drama show, Travel to London by steam ship. Most are of practical rather than theological content.

74 letters from J F Rutherford, mainly typed and signed from a variety of locations. In NY, California, etc. Most again are practical. Bible Student Conventions at Alexander Palace, Royal Albert Hall, travel arrangements. Radio broadcasts from London. BBC monopoly etc.

12 letters from NH Knorr typed but signed - general admin at Craven Terrace post War.

200 Miscellaneous  copies of the Outlook for the London Company,  Judge Rutherford and ‘Empire news’, His Majesties Aliens Dept letter re deportation of American A Schroeder, letters from various UK Bible Students groups non WT Society enclosures. Letters from European Offices of Society 1920 – 1950. Letters from Scottish brethren Minna and John Edgar.

Maybe 60 Photos - various of Russell at conventions around UK?  With Hemery, similar with Rutherford. Photos of Craven Terrace inside and Elders.

Books, Booklets various Old Theology, Golden Age, Towers, Convention reports – random selection about 90 items, paperback Plan of the Ages – cream cover (signed as gift by Russell).

Audio Angelophone Hymn record – broken/cracked

Non Society material - Books by various authors: Elliot (Horae Apocalypticae), Barton (God’s Covenants), Barbour (Washed in his blood.), Henry Drummond (Dialogues on Prophecy), Morton Edgar (Prayer and the Bible, etc

Hemery books! – Revelation Unfolded, The Second coming of Jesus Christ - 1950’s. He seems to have left the Society by this time.

 (end of list)

The big question is where did it all go? Has any of it surfaced on the internet in the collecting world since then? Or has someone got this all lined up as part of their pension fund?

Extra family notes

Jesse Hemery (1864-1963), former vice-president of the IBSA, left association with the Watchtower Society around 1950. His wife, Mary, died when they were both in association back in 1937. They had one daughter Bertha who lived in London Bethel as a young person. She married Frederick William Crane. They had one son, Jack Hemery Crane, who died at El Alamein.