Posts by AndersonsInfo

23

To: Barbara Anderson -- Re: Your First Contact w/ Child Molestation Issue

by West70 in

mrs. anderson: .

thank you for replying to my topic on william h. conley, the watch tower society's first president.

if not for your finding the "treasure" you described, we might not know this fact even today.

AndersonsInfo

West70:

I left Bethel Dec. 30, 1992. I continued to work as an outside researcher for the Writing Dept. until mid-1997 when I resigned. I began to learn about the sexual child abuse problem at the end of 1991. I was not privy to Legal or Service Department files on child abuse cases at any time and that's where the Vernon case would have been filed. Plus, from what you said it sounds like the case became public after I left Bethel.

It was within the Writing Dept. that I became aware of the scandal of men holding positions of authority within the congregations throughout the world who were confessed or accused pedophiles. The Vernon case exemplifies the type of handling that was common in those years when there was sexual abuse accusations. It was because of the extreme frustration of some Writing Dept. personnel that caused them to discuss the problem with me. I did not have an assignment from the Writing Dept. to research child abuse, etc., but worked with one Senior Writer to try to see what could be done to change the policies that allowed the "pedophile paradise" to continue. Because of our work, the Governing Body was made aware of just how serious the problem was and attitudes began to change, but not some policies, which continue until today.

The reason the Witnesses will deny that there is a child abuse problem within their organization is because they don't understand the policies which are obscure, ambiguous and confusing. The only people who begin to understand the policies are those who have had a child molested and find themselves in a confusing mess. It is a somewhat better situation now due to the negative publicity the WT has received which has caused them to make the elders more aware of their liability, and for this I'm grateful. But WT has a far piece to go before they get their act straightened out. I'm afraid that will only come when legislative action in every state forces the Watchtower elders and other like religions and their leaders to report all molestation, or that the WT organization instructs parents or care givers to bypass the elders and go directly to the police. When that happens, it will mean the two-witness policy used to judge criminal culpability by elders will be a thing of the past. The next thing to go must be the requirement that molesters engage in field service to prove their repentance. And so it goes!

Barbara

87

To: Barbara Anderson -- Re: First WatchTower President

by West70 in

i am primarily posting this to barbara anderson, but obviously everyone is welcome to correct or comment on my remarks as they see fit.

mrs. anderson, i realize that trying to cover all bases in your pending russell bio would be impossible, but i do hope that you will be able to include a section on the first president of the watch tower society, william h. conley.

i hope that you have had a chance to research conley with some degree of thoroughness, so as to dispel some of the half-truths that some bible students and jws try to promote (such as that conley's age and health caused his inactivity with russell after 1881).

AndersonsInfo

Ole Soul:

Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society was first formed in 1881 and then legally incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania on Dec. 15, 1884. In 1896 its name was changed to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Since 1955 it has been known as Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.

Barbara

87

To: Barbara Anderson -- Re: First WatchTower President

by West70 in

i am primarily posting this to barbara anderson, but obviously everyone is welcome to correct or comment on my remarks as they see fit.

mrs. anderson, i realize that trying to cover all bases in your pending russell bio would be impossible, but i do hope that you will be able to include a section on the first president of the watch tower society, william h. conley.

i hope that you have had a chance to research conley with some degree of thoroughness, so as to dispel some of the half-truths that some bible students and jws try to promote (such as that conley's age and health caused his inactivity with russell after 1881).

AndersonsInfo

Eduardo,

I'm certainly not taking credit for being the only person to rediscover the historical place of Wm Conley in Watch Tower world. West70 had it correct when he pointed out that I was merely saying that the information was unknown to JWs, even to the organization's historical "experts," who worked in the Writing Department and, one would think, should have known about Conley.

To my way of thinking, Conley is just a small blip in the 126-year Watch Tower of Pennsylvania historical time frame, but I do believe that he should be of interest to historians, those who make it their business to compile accurate historical information about the formation and growth of religions in the United States. In fact, we who have new information should feel duty bound to provide it to historians. Found on library shelves are studies of every sort of religious organizations for the serious student to look at. Conley belongs to the early history of the Bible Students and should be added into any definitive record of this unique American religion, which, through a schism gave birth to a new movement that came to be called Jehovah's Witnesses.

Karl Adams apparently didn't think Conley was very important because he sort of slipped him in "Proclaimers" where least expected. It was better to do it that way than to spend time and effort to find out how Mr. Conley fit into the early Bible Student movement, which would mean that "Proclaimers" would have been the result of a serious attempt to corroborate what is known about the past. But doing that is just not the way the leaders at Watchtower operate. They just move forward, without seriously looking back to see if they erred, hoping no one else does either, and continue to print whatever dribble about the past that the flock likes to hear which, of course, has to fit with the rest of their written revisionist history.

If anybody should know about Mr. Conley, one would think it should be one of the keepers of the Bible Students' history, such as Mr. Parkinson, or maybe Rolando R who frequently posts on JWD. It could be that this Conley business was known to one or both of them before it appeared in "Proclaimers." I just never thought to ask! Perhaps RR might like to tell us what he knows about Mr. Conley.

West 70:
I have information that Russell was accepted by the business community as an upstanding fellow businessman. In the 90s, he very well could have been offered banking investment opportunities. I think I have some very difficult to find material from the divorce transcript that you might not have, and it's there that the judge makes some interesting remarks about the character of the Russells. I also have some other proof of my observations. However, I'm not going to discuss it here.

Barbara

87

To: Barbara Anderson -- Re: First WatchTower President

by West70 in

i am primarily posting this to barbara anderson, but obviously everyone is welcome to correct or comment on my remarks as they see fit.

mrs. anderson, i realize that trying to cover all bases in your pending russell bio would be impossible, but i do hope that you will be able to include a section on the first president of the watch tower society, william h. conley.

i hope that you have had a chance to research conley with some degree of thoroughness, so as to dispel some of the half-truths that some bible students and jws try to promote (such as that conley's age and health caused his inactivity with russell after 1881).

AndersonsInfo

Great material on Conley, West70. When I was researching for the Proclaimer's book, I had GB permission to go anywhere in Bethel to search for Watchtower historical or archival material. During one research expedition, I made an extraordinary find, that of the first accounts book of the Watch Tower Association, established in 1881. I found the book buried in old files which were in file cabinets located in the concrete vault in the middle of the Treasury Dept. at 25 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn. And nobody in Bethel knew it was there. And the dead don't tell tales! It is a small red cardboard-covered spiral notebook. On the backside of the cardboard cover was a folded sheet which had been glued there. When I opened the cover and unfolded the sheet, I saw the first charter of the WT Society. It probably hadn't seen the light of day in many, many decades. The charter was handwritten in beautiful script. Later, when I compared the handwritings of people in the early Bible Student group, I found that it was Maria Russell who penned the charter. It was a thrilling discovery and really took the men, who were working on the Proclaimer's book, by surprise. Nobody, and I'll say it again, Nobody knew that Conley was the first president of the Watchtower Society.

The book also revealed that Joseph Russell, C.T. Russell's father, was the vice-president, and C. T. was secretary-treasurer. The positions were attained by buying shares and the person who purchased the most shares at $10.00 per share became president, etc. I think Conley purchased $3,500 or $4,000 worth of shares, but I just can't trust my memory. However, I'm certain that Joseph Russell bought $1,000 worth of shares, or 100 shares because I verified that information through another source. And I think C. T. Russell bought 50 shares or $500.worth of shares, but don't quote me on that. The accounts book was only in my hand for a short period of time and in the excitement I didn't reopen the book to take a second look but took it directly to Karl Adams in the Writing Department.

One thing for sure, in 1884, C. T. Russell owned the most shares when he and Mrs. Russell chartered the new Pennsylvania corporation because he became president.

During my last day at work before I permanently left Bethel, David Iannelli, a senior writer, came up to me to say goodbye. He thanked me for my work with the Writing Department and said I should be very proud because if it wasn't for my research, nobody would have known that C. T. Russell was not the first president of the Watchtower Association, rather Conley was. I certainly was happy to have discovered that and many other historical facts previously not known by the modern-day group of JWs. But the happiness was fleeting because it was about a year later that I began to learn the facts about the Watchtower's sexual child abuse cover-up and every good thing I thought I had accomplished in "God's" organization became as nothing in my eyes.

Barbara

15

THE ANOINTED: Qualified? to be Judges?

by Terry in

the cream of the anointed crop, as it were, is the faithful and discreet slave.

they direct the others.

but, all will serve a "greater" purpose as kings and judges in the government designed by jehovah.

AndersonsInfo

I want to add an observation here. All of the "annointed" presidents of the Watchtower organization have been married, except one, Fred Franz. Russell was married but said he didn't have sex; and, if the rumors are correct, Rutherford who had been married and eventually separated, had too much sex. There is a lingering question about whether Knorr was celibate; however, he sure had an attractive, intelligent, down-to-earth wife. Fred Franz never married, which doesn't necessarily mean anything about his sex life. And to my knowledge, all of the Governing Body today are married and some have children. One even had step-children. I knew most GB wives and have observed, generally speaking, that their personal lives and that of their husbands are much the same as most couples. I really liked all of the wives I met, except one, and I didn't particularly dislike her. She was kind of an enigma, and I was uncomforable when she was around. Anyway, the marriage, sexual and child-rearing policies in the organization didn't come about because of the personal domestic situations of the Governing Body. That explanation would be too simple. Policies in the organization evolve because of many factors; sometimes they are created or changed because of Biblical interpretation and, sometimes, due to secular or societal influence, etc.

It's true that most of these men have led a sheltered sort of existence away from the day-to-day life most of us experience which, some contend, would impede them from being qualified judges. Since there isn't any proof that they will rule over the earth in the future, it's non-productive to discuss whether they will be qualified judges then. However, as far as the "annointed" governing Jehovah's Witnesses fairly, with impartiality and justice today, there definitely are problems because of their "Ivory Tower" existance. Without a doubt their isolation prohibits them from being "qualified judges" right now. In addition, most of their advisors (the majority of which are not annointed), are also men who lead insular, isolated lives. That's why, together, they have adopted organizational policies that have produced some pretty negative results because these men can't really identify with their members' lives and adopt policies that are of a positive influence.

Just my two-cents worth.

Barbara

61

Charles Russell, Alleged Child Abuser

by Farkel in

in the thread about whether charles russell was gay or not, a topic was brought up that i believe deserves a new thread.

as card-carrying apostates we all need to be careful about our information.

even one mistake, whether intentional or not, gives dubs the chance to jump up and say, "see those apostates lied about that thing.

AndersonsInfo

Steve,

Sorry, I want to apologize for the mistake I made in one of my posts I made to you yesterday. When I saw you had pasted some text from a Bible Student's website, http://www.biblestudents.com/htdbv5/r3808.htm, I thought the material looked familiar, just like some that I was reading a year or so ago that was put together by the three Bible Students I mentioned in my post, but I was wrong. I was just too tired to go to the website and look at it last night, but I did tonight, and when I saw the beginning of the material, I recognized it immediately as the entire special Zion's Watchtower of July 15, 1906 that C. T. Russell published shortly after the divorce trial in which he endeavors to defend his actions during his matrimonial troubles. Pastor Russell and others are very convincing in this 20-page Watchtower (20 pages in the Reprints) made up of many articles, letters and previously published special material, all combined to make up a masterful defense of his innocence. This "Divorce" issue of the Watchtower is actually the one that started me on my Russell research adventure. I certainly would encourage people to read it and then as other information is posted on JWD or other Internet websites, which attack Russell's defense of himself, things will make more sense.

For those interested in researching this issue of Zion's Watchtower, the name of the lead article of introduction is, "TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION" A CONFIDENTIAL EXPLANATION BY THE EDITOR OF HIS PECULIAR TRIALS--THE WIDE SPREADING OF UNTRUTH MAKES NECESSARY THIS STATEMENT OF THE TRUTH. It is requested that this issue be not loaned or otherwise publicly circulated.

Thanks for posting the article, Steve.

Barbara

61

Charles Russell, Alleged Child Abuser

by Farkel in

in the thread about whether charles russell was gay or not, a topic was brought up that i believe deserves a new thread.

as card-carrying apostates we all need to be careful about our information.

even one mistake, whether intentional or not, gives dubs the chance to jump up and say, "see those apostates lied about that thing.

AndersonsInfo

Yes, great find, Leolaia. As I mentioned in my first post on this thread, I have the Certificate and Record of Death for both Elizabeth A. Ball and Richard J. Ball. Elizabeth died July 22, 1911 at the age of 69 and Richard died April 27, 1911, age 76. The address for place of death was 237 Prospect Ave. Buffalo, NY. Richard Ball was born in Germany and the maiden name of his mother was "Rose" Ball. Elizabeth Ball was born in Switzerland. This is the same address Rose Ball Henninges gave as her place of residence which appears on her marriage certificate. Richard J. Ball was a retired restaurant keeper and his wife was a housewife. Richard L. Ball signed the death certificates and he listed as his address, 237 Prospect Ave.

ABSOLUTELY, ROSE BALL WAS NOT AN ORPHAN WHEN SHE CAME TO LIVE AT THE RUSSELL HOME WHEN SHE WAS A TEENAGER. SHE DID NOT BECOME AN ORPHAN UNTIL HER PARENTS DIED IN 1911 WHEN SHE WAS AROUND 42 YEARS OLD. Enough said on that subject.

If all goes well and nothing unforeseen happens, the book will be done next year. I have chosen a title but it's a great big SECRET! I do think, however, that most of the XJW community will be happy with the title. I'd share the name of the book now, but I really want all my "friends" at Watchtower headquarters to be surprised!

Thank you Lee for your kind words. My life has sure taken the twists and turns, some good, some not so good. But, all in all, it's been an adventure. However, I could have done without the sacrifices! I really don't look at myself as having done anything different than most women would have done, and most especially mothers, if they had found themselves in my shoes. Perhaps another woman might have gone about revealing the sexual child abuse scandal a bit differently, but due to my circumstances, I could only play my cards the way they were dealt.

Steve: The information you pasted on this thread does not come from the pen nor the lips of Charles Taze Russell. It comes from the Bible Student organization which is dedicated to protect the memory of Pastor Russell. A few years ago, there were three men (Bible Students) working on the history of C.T. Russell. I had a number of discussions with one of these men and we ended up not agreeing. Of course, I was surprised when I read the material that they finally put together to defend Pastor Russell as it is full of half-truths. One thing for sure, I tell the truth. I don't interpret information. I just find it, share it and let the chips fall wherever they may. One thing I know for certain: Russell did not tell the truth about Rose Ball, nor did Rutherford in 1915 under Russell's guiding hand. There are many other circumstances where Russell was not truthful. Historical revisionism began with Russell and is still part of the Watchtower organization today. Be careful of believing everything you read about Russell because "it ain't necessarily so!"

I would like to also comment on the other information posted on this thread where we can read Russell's own words stated in 1911 about his troubles with his wife: A number of years ago, I went over these statements with a fine tooth comb and disproved them one by one with the facts I had discovered. I have no reason to tell a half-truth or lie about Pastor Russell or Mrs. Russell. I don't have an agenda! I just wanted to know the truth. If Mrs. Russell really did what the Pastor said she did, I wanted to know. I will say it again, I was just as surprised and sometimes amazed at what I and my hired professional non-JW, non-Bible Student researcher found as we slowly hammered away at each statement Pastor Russell or Mrs. Russell made. The truth of the matter is this: Just because Pastor Russell said it, it doesn't make it so.

On more thing: Today Leolaia did some research using the Internet and proved without a shadow of a doubt when Rose Ball was born. This factual information, which I also found some 6 years ago, has great bearing on whether Russell told the truth about certain events. What I'm trying to say is this: The facts are out there. I found them. I didn't make them up just like Leolaia didn't make up the 1880 Census. The problem has been, as I see it, is that many of us have taken everything that Russell said as gospel truth. Of course, some people have suspected that he was being less than truthful, but they didn't know how to disprove what he said because it happened so long ago. Well, friends, the evidence for or against Pastor Russell is out there. All I did was spend a ton of money to hunt the facts down!!

As an example of what I have found through research: Recently, I posted on another JWD thread evidence that Pastor Russell was not a Freemason. How did I find this out? By asking my hired professional researcher to steer me in the right direction back in 2001. Together, it took us almost four years to get a definitive answer from the Grand Lodge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that there was no record in their ancient books in Pennsylvania, Ireland or Scotland that Charles Taze Russell, his father or uncle were members. So let's trust the facts when they are presented and try to accept the truth about the Russells, whether we like what we learn or not.

Respectfully,
Barbara

61

Charles Russell, Alleged Child Abuser

by Farkel in

in the thread about whether charles russell was gay or not, a topic was brought up that i believe deserves a new thread.

as card-carrying apostates we all need to be careful about our information.

even one mistake, whether intentional or not, gives dubs the chance to jump up and say, "see those apostates lied about that thing.

AndersonsInfo

Good work, Leolaia. Rosa J. Ball is the name twice found on her Certificate and Record of Marriage. I have also found that she used the name Rosa at other times. You definitely have found the right "Rose" Ball. Yes, she and her brother, Charles, were one year difference in age.

I know what year Rose came to the Russell home, West70, as well as the information about her family you are inquiring about, but I'm going to save all of that information for the book. However, regarding certain dates mentioned by both Russells in the divorce transcript, please remember this: from the time Rose came to the Russell home and the divorce in 1905, many years had passed and many traumatic events had happened to Ria. And as frequently happens to all of us years down the road, memory fails. (By the way, Ria is Maria's nickname. Also, Maria was pronounced as Moria) It was obvious from my research that this is why certain dates were not accurate. However, what is interesting, are other statements made by Ria under cross-examination, cleared up inconsistencies, etc.

I have spent over six years putting together the Russell relationship puzzle and now have the answers to the most pressing questions. I was amazed as you will be when you read the comprehensive research I have accumulated which reveals a story that can be called, in jest of course, "The Russells -- A True Victorian Soap Opera!"

Some background information as to why I started this project. I left the WT organization in 1998 and in 1999, I was in my second year of college. Because of the research I did for the Proclaimer's book from 1989-91, while in the Bethel Writing Department, I had a number of unanswered questions in my mind about the Russells. Karl Adams, overseer of the project, gave me the Russell divorce to read, but it was only C.T. Russell's cross-examinations, not Ria's. Also, something that Russell said in his 1905 WT article about the divorce bothered me and it had to do with Rose Ball. So I decided to find out for myself when Rose was born. It was the pivotal question for me. It would prove if Russell was honest or not. I knew that if I found out he lied about Rose's age, there would be no question that he lied about other things too.

First, I wrote to some people who knew Rose in Australia and asked some questions. They wrote back declining to give any information claiming that Rose's past was a closed door. This type of answer made me even more suspicious. Next, I called the Protonotary office in Victoria, Australia. (Remember this was before certain information could be found using the Internet.) A very helpful young man told me it wasn't his job to search for the kind of information I requested, but he would get someone in the right department to get it. I sent the required funds and within a few weeks I had what I needed--Rose's Death Certificate, the same one that Leolaia posted on this thread today, which came to me in the mail back in 1999. When I figured out from that document approximately what year Rose was born, I decided not to continue college and the rest is history. From that day on I determined I would find out the rest of the Russell story, which I have done. What caused me to not publish the story sooner? In 2000, I became involved with other things, expecially the WT sexual child abuse scandal. So I became sidetracked from writing the Russell story, although I did continue my research about the Russells.

Barbara

61

Charles Russell, Alleged Child Abuser

by Farkel in

in the thread about whether charles russell was gay or not, a topic was brought up that i believe deserves a new thread.

as card-carrying apostates we all need to be careful about our information.

even one mistake, whether intentional or not, gives dubs the chance to jump up and say, "see those apostates lied about that thing.

AndersonsInfo

To Whom It May Concern:

Rose Ball Henninges died November 22, 1950 in Australia. I have her death certificate in front of me. The death certificate does not say when she was born, but that she was 81 years old at time of death.

I also have Rose J. Ball's marriage certificate in front of me. She was married at age 26 on Sept. 11, 1897 in Buffalo, NY. Her father was Richard J. Ball and mother Elizabeth. Her brother Richard L. Ball was a witness to the marriage.

In addition, I have a copy of a page from The New Covenant Advocate, the journal Mrs. and Mr. Henninges published in Australia. The date of the journal is January 1, 1951 where Mrs. Henninges life story is published in memorial. Paragraph two states: "Her Australian Certificate of Registration states that the date of her birth was the 19th of March 1869 which means that she has "fallen asleep" in her eighty second year.

I have lots more information about Rose J. Ball and her family. For instance, both her father and mother were alive when she was married in 1897.
How do I know that? I have their death certificates. Both died in 1911.

So save your time, money for research and arguments, folks. I have the answers to all your questions about the Russells, so just wait for the book! It should be a real eye-opener!

Barbara

118

C.T. Russell: a confirmed Pittsburgh Free Mason

by kid-A in

jw
friends

there is overwhelming evidence that the spiritual founder of the wts, c.t.

russell, was a prominent free mason in the pittsburgh community.

he went so far as to declare: "i am a free mason" in several of his lectures.

AndersonsInfo

Below find the reply I just received from the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, regarding my request for information from their record books whether Charles Tays Russell, Pastor Russell's uncle, and Joseph Lytle Russell, Pastor Russell's father, were Freemasons at any time in Pennsylvania.

Accordingly, from the records and from statements made in Zion's Watch Tower, which I posted the other day, it seems conclusive that Pastor Russell was not a Freemason. If his father and uncle had been Freemasons, it would have explained where Pastor Russell's knowledge of the rites and ceremonies came from, but it appears that they too were not members. Apparently, Pastor Russell's knowlege of Freemasonry came from business associates, since this was a very popular organization for businessmen to belong to at that time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Ms. Anderson,

The Masonic record of a Charles (no middle initial) Russell is, as shown in Membership Book 3-2 p. 256: Age: 27; Occupation: Farmer; Residence: Washington (Washington County); All Degrees in Washington Lodge No. 164 in 1857: Entered Apprentice June 4, Fellow Craft July 6, Master Mason October 5. Suspended (non-payment of dues) 1859.

[NOT THE RIGHT MAN BECAUSE CHARLES TAYS RUSSELL WAS BORN IN 1806 AND HE NEVER LIVED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY.]

The Masonic record of a Joseph (no middle initial) Russell is, as shown in Membership Book 3-1 p. 256: Age: 27; Occupation: Bottler; Residence: Philadelphia; All Degrees in Meridian Sun Lodge No. 158: Entered Apprentice November 7, 1854; Fellow Craft January 28, 1855; Master Mason April 26, 1855. Suspended (non-payment of dues) December 1858.

[IF THIS JOSEPH RUSSELL WAS 27 WHEN HE ENTERED APPRENTICE IN 1854 AT AGE 27, IT WOULD MEAN HE WAS BORN CIRCA 1827. PASTOR RUSSELL'S FATHER WAS BORN IN 1813.]

I doubt these are your men. However, that is a full Masonic record. Freemasonry is interested only in the man wishing to become a member. It does not want any genealogical information, thus none is recorded (except possibly age, occupation, town of residence, then end of membership - usually suspension or death date). Even if two men with the same last name are shown as entering the same lodge on the same night, they could be anything from identical twins to absolutely no relation to each other.

Hope this helps,

Best,
Glenys A. Waldman, Librarian