A Mother’s Heart

So often we think of Ellen White as a prophet, writer, and leader in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. But she was also a mother to four boys. Under normal circumstances, being a mom is a full-time and challenging job—but when you are also a prophet and leader, that job becomes even more difficult. How did Ellen White balance raising her children with her calling from God? From the very beginning it wasn’t easy.

Henry Nichols White: Gone Too Soon

Ellen became a mother at the age of 19, on August 26, 1847, when she gave birth to Henry Nichols White. It wasn’t long before she felt the tension between caring for Henry and fulfilling her call to ministry. After much prayer Ellen decided she needed to continue traveling and left Henry in the care of the Howland family in Topsham, Maine. While Henry received abundant care and love from the Howlands, Ellen still felt anxiety and grief over the separation.

To stay connected across the miles, Ellen wrote many letters to Henry, and later to his younger brothers as well. In those letters she consistently encouraged them to read the Bible and walk with God. She told them, “We, your parents, pray much for you, that you may be a consistent, true Christian.”[1] When James and Ellen were permanently reunited with Henry after five years, James noted with gratitude that Henry was a well-trained, praying boy.[2]

Growing up in Rochester, New York, and later in Battle Creek, Michigan, Henry was industrious and hardworking. He helped at the Review and sold vegetables alongside his brother Edson to save money for a musical instrument—Henry had a genuine love for music.

In 1863 a youth revival swept through Battle Creek, and Henry and his brother Edson were baptized by their father. Yet Ellen and James still carried some concern for Henry, who was captivated by the ongoing Civil War and longed to serve as a drummer in the army—a desire that conflicted with his parents’ noncombatant convictions.

Later that year, while the family was visiting the Howlands in Maine, Henry contracted a cold that developed into pneumonia. As his condition worsened and death seemed near, he felt compelled to write to his acquaintances back in Battle Creek. One such letter carried this solemn appeal: “Don’t take my life for an example!” He advised, “I would appeal to all my young friends, to not let the pleasures or accomplishments of the world eclipse the loveliness of the Saviour. Remember that the death-bed is a poor place to prepare for an inheritance in the second life. Spend the best of your days in serving the Lord. Farewell.”[3]

On December 8 Henry called to his mother one last time. Adelia Patten, a friend of the White family and caregiver, was present and described the scene: Henry looked at his mother and said, “ ‘Mother, I shall meet you in heaven in the morning of the resurrection, for I know you will be there.’ He then beckoned to his brothers, parents, and friends, and gave them all a parting kiss, after which he pointed upward and whispered, ‘Heaven is sweet.’ These were his last words.”[4] He was 16 years old.

Throughout his short life, even when they were apart, Ellen never stopped praying for Henry or writing him letters of encouragement. As parents, even when distance separates us from our children, we must never stop praying for them or encouraging them in their walk with the Lord.

John Herbert White: The Baby Boy

John Herbert was born September 20, 1860, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Though James was present for the birth, he left for Wisconsin two weeks later. The baby was initially healthy, but in mid-November he became seriously ill, likely from an infection contracted during a family trip. Before the era of antibiotics, such infections were often fatal. Tragically, John Herbert lived less than three months. He died on December 14, 1860.

Ellen later reflected on the moment she lost him: “I listened to his labored breathing and felt his pulseless wrist. I knew that he must die. That was an hour of anguish for me. The icy hand of death was already upon him. We watched his feeble, gasping breath, until it ceased, and we felt thankful that his sufferings were ended.”[5] A month later, still mourning, she wrote: “I could not sleep through the night, for a severe pain was in my heart. I could find no rest in any position I might lie. Finally I fainted, and continued to faint a number of times, until my husband was seriously alarmed. . . . He sent for the brethren to come and pray for me. Their fervent and effectual prayers prevailed with God.”[6]

Though his life was brief, John Herbert had a profound impact on those he left behind. His oldest brother Henry, when facing his own death, asked to be buried beside John.[7] And for Ellen, this loss deepened her dependence on God through prayer, even in grief.

James Edson White: The Prodigal Son

James Edson White, commonly known as Edson, was born July 28, 1849, in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. While his parents traveled in ministry, he was left in the care of Sister Bonfoey. As with his older brother Henry, Ellen found the separation from Edson especially difficult, as the boy was frequently ill and had battled several serious childhood diseases.[8] She wrote honestly of the emotional toll: “We had to make some sacrifice in order to separate from those who were bound to us by tender ties; especially did our hearts cling to little Edson, whose life had been so much in danger.”[9]

By age 14 Edson had lost both his older brother Henry and his infant brother John. During those years his parents continued their frequent travels—sometimes with Edson, sometimes without him. At 15 he began working at the Review, where he learned the printing trade. In 1870 he married Emma McDearmon, and the couple soon moved to Oakland, California, to work at the Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association.

As he grew older, Edson became something of a black sheep in the family, causing Ellen considerable anxiety. He struggled with dishonesty and financial mismanagement, and his behavior created tension between his parents, who disagreed over how firmly to handle him. On occasion Edson conducted business using his parents’ names, only to see those ventures fail, then left town, forcing James and Ellen to settle his debts. James favored allowing the legal consequences to run their course; Ellen repeatedly intervened, offering second chances and extending help.[10]

Shortly before his father’s death in 1881, Edson and Emma returned to Battle Creek, where he became involved in publishing hymnals and Sabbath School materials. Concerns about his financial judgment persisted. Ellen wrote him several letters during this period, counseling him and warning him about his decisions.[11]

Edson’s business troubles followed him to Chicago, where he pursued another publishing venture that only deepened his debt. As his finances deteriorated, so did his spiritual life.[12]

He reached his lowest point in 1893, writing to his mother: “I have no religious inclination now in the least,” and confessing, “I am not a Christian yet.” He added, however, that once free of debt, he intended to study and “get into line.”[13]

We must never give up on the family members who have not yet found Jesus. Through fervent prayer and Spirit-guided words, God will use us to reach them.

In response, Ellen wrote one of the most powerful letters she ever sent him. She described a vivid dream in which she saw Edson at the seashore being dragged under by an undertow. Despite her warnings, he was pulled beneath the water, and his final, piercing cry jolted her awake. She wrote: “When I was observing your peril, I cannot express the feelings I passed through. It seemed that my soul would dissolve. I have not recovered from the impressions made on my mind as I cried to you, ‘The undertow! The undertow!’ . . . You have taken the molding of your character out of the hands of your mother, out of the hands of God, and are placing defective, rotten timbers into the building.”[14]

She closed the letter with a solemn and tender appeal: “I would not have written you this letter, but I am exhorting you day and night and I shall try to leave you now with God. I cannot save you; God alone can save you. But work, while Jesus invites you, in harmony with God.”[15]

Her letters—and more important, her prayers—worked. On August 10, 1893, Edson wrote: “I have surrendered fully and completely, and never enjoyed life before as I am now. . . . Now, I have left it all with my Saviour, and the burden does not bear me down any longer.”[16]

Following his conversion, a series of providential encounters reshaped the direction of his life. One conversation was with one of the workers at the Review about his growing passion for the formerly enslaved people of the South and finding his mother’s pamphlet “Our Duty to the Colored People.” That ignited his passion for the salvation of former slaves. Edson bought and renovated a boat he named the Morning Star and took the gospel south, founding schools, churches, and the publishing work among communities that had been long overlooked.[17] His legacy continues to be felt to this day.[18] Edson died June 3, 1928.

Ellen’s heart never gave up on Edson. Even when she felt there was nothing more she could do to point him to Jesus, she kept praying and speaking truth into his life. There is a lesson here for us: We must never give up on the family members who have not yet found Jesus. Through fervent prayer and Spirit-guided words, God will use us to reach them.

William Clarence White: Mom’s Right Hand

William Clarence White, known as Willie, was born August 29, 1854, in Rochester, New York. Like his older brothers, Willie was often in the care of others when his parents were away. But he remembered clearly that when his parents were home, family worship was central. He reflected that his father “did not ‘offer a prayer’; he prayed with earnestness and solemn reverence.”[19]

Like his brothers, Willie worked at the Review from a young age and traveled with his parents as he got older. At 13 he was baptized by his father at Mud Lake near Greenville, Michigan. At 20 he moved with his parents to California, where he was appointed business manager of the Pacific Press. A year later he married Mary Kelsey. From that point on, Willie held various leadership positions in the church, including acting General Conference president for a period.[20]

Tragically, Mary contracted tuberculosis while they were assisting in publishing work in Switzerland. She died in 1890 at the age of 33, leaving behind Willie and their two daughters. In 1895, while in Australia with his mother, Willie met and married May Lacey, with whom he would have five children.[21]

When his father died in 1881, Willie stepped into a new role, accompanying his mother in travel and assisting with the preparation of her manuscripts for publication. The bond between Ellen and Willie was closer than with either of his older brothers—where Henry and Edson often displayed an independent streak, Willie moved in closer harmony with his mother and her work.[22]

From the time Willie was 5 years old, Ellen stressed his personal accountability to God.[23] After his baptism she continually encouraged him to take responsibility for his own discipleship—not to simply follow in her footsteps, but to cultivate a faith that was genuinely his own. Notably, Jerry Moon observes that Ellen White did not begin intentionally preparing Willie for leadership until she was confident that personal piety and character were firmly rooted.[24]

As his mother aged, Willie became her closest assistant, traveling with her and managing the details of her ministry. After her death he served alongside four other men in carrying out her wishes for her writings—a responsibility he fulfilled until his own death on September 1, 1937.[25]

Throughout Willie’s life his mother kept drawing him back to one essential truth: his spirituality was his own, and he was accountable to God alone—not to her. As parents, we too must help our children understand that faith cannot be inherited or imitated. It must be personally owned.

Final Lessons

Ellen White had a normal family. One son drifted from the faith. One remained steadfast. Two died young—one as an infant, one at 16. Even as a prophet and key leader in the church, she still faced the same heartaches many families know. We must never forget that no family is exempt from challenges.

Yet she did not fall into despair. Despite two deaths and one prodigal son, she kept her faith in God, stayed engaged in her mission, and maintained a hopeful outlook on life. When the hard times come, we must not lose sight of the bigger picture—God is in control of our lives. In times of crisis, what kept her going was not only her prayers but the prayers of others.

She did not give up on any of her children. She kept loving them. She kept writing to them and praying for them, no matter their age or spiritual condition. Even when one of our children drifts away, we can trust that God is working in their life to draw them back—and our role is to keep praying, stay engaged, and never stop believing.

One of the most important lessons from Ellen White’s life is the power of praying for our children. She writes: “The seed sown with tears and prayers may have seemed to be sown in vain, but their harvest is reaped with joy at last.”[26] And she speaks of the eternal reach of a mother’s prayers: “The influence of a praying, God-fearing mother will last through eternity.”[27]

Another lesson from the White family is the irreplaceable value of consistent, meaningful family worship. From the earliest days of their parenting, James and Ellen gathered their children around God’s altar whenever they were home. Ellen wrote: “Fathers and mothers, however pressing your business, do not fail to gather your family around God’s altar.”[28] And again: “If ever there was a time when every house should be a house of prayer, it is now.”[29]

The White household was a household like most others. They faced the same challenges and heartaches that families face today. Through it all, they teach us to pray for our children without ceasing, to never give up on them, and no matter how far along they are in their spiritual journey, to keep pointing them to Jesus.

[1] Ellen G. White, An Appeal to the Youth (Battle Creek, Mich.: Seventh-day Adventist Pub. Assn., 1864), p. 45.

[2] See Uriah Smith, An Appeal to the Youth: Funeral Address of Henry N. White, at Battle Creek, Mich., Dec. 21, 1863 (Battle Creek, Mich.: Seventh-day Adventist Pub. Assn., 1864).

[3] Ibid., p. 28.

[4] Ibid., p. 31.

[5] Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2 (Battle Creek, Mich.: Seventh-day Adventist Pub. Assn., 1860), p. 296.

[6] Ellen G. White letter 17, Jan. 17, 1861, to William S. Ingraham.

[7] Smith, p. 26.

[8] Ronald D. Graybill, Mission to Black America: The True Story of James Edson White and the Riverboat Morning Star (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1971), p. 8.

[9] Ellen G. White, Life Sketches of Ellen G. White (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1915), p. 139.

[10] “Edson White’s Conversion,” Lineage Journey, https://lineagejourney.com/read/edson-white-his-conversion-and-work.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.

[13] James Edson White to Ellen G. White, May 18, 1893 (Silver Spring, Md.: Ellen G. White Estate).

[14] Ellen G. White letter 123, 1893.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Australian Years, 1891-1900, vol. 4 (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1983), p. 97.

[17] Ronald D. Graybill, Mission to Black America: The True Story of James Edson White and the Riverboat Morning Star (independently published, 2019), p. 80.

[18] Washington Johnson, “The Blessings of a Delay,” North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, Feb. 7, 2024, https://www.nadadventist.org/news/blessings-delay/.

[19] W. C. White, “Sketches and Memories, XXX,” Review and Herald, Feb. 13, 1936, p. 7.

[20] Jerry Moon, “White, William Clarence (1854-1937),” in The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia, ed. Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 2013), pp. 564, 565.

[21] Ibid., p. 565, Kindle loc. 1307.

[22] Ibid.

[23] Jerry Moon, “William Clarence (W. C.) White: His Relationship to Ellen G. White and Her Work” (Ph.D. diss., Andrews University, 1993), p. 441.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Moon, “White, William Clarence,” pp. 565-569, Kindle loc. 1301.

[26] Ellen G. White, Child Guidance (Nashville: Southern Pub. Assn., 1954), p. 569.

[27] Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4 (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1948), p. 500.

[28] E. G. White, Child Guidance, p. 520.

[29] Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1890, 1908), p. 144.