To: Barbara Anderson -- Re: First WatchTower President (page 3)

one

Has the WT made any comments about the "new" first president?

OldSoul

You beat me to it, One. Yeah, what One said...

codeblue

Very interesting info Barbara, thanks for sharing...

and ditto to the last 2 posts, I am wondering the same thing....

It's not in the Proclaimers Book...OR is it?

Codeblue

Leolaia

Barbara....Did you get a chance to xerox that first charter? That would be fascinating to behold.

OldSoul

Proclaimers chap. 26 p. 576 Producing Bible Literature for Use in the Ministry
The following year the first of an extensive series of tracts designed to interest people in Bible truths was prepared for publication. This work quickly took on immense proportions. In order to handle it, Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society was formed on February 16, 1881, with W. H. Conley as president and C. T. Russell as secretary and treasurer. Arrangements were made for the printing to be done by commercial firms in various cities of Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio, as well as in Britain. In 1884, Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society was legally incorporated, with C. T. Russell as president, and its charter showed that it was more than a society that would direct publishing. Its real objective was religious; it was chartered for “the dissemination of Bible Truths in various languages.”

And we only know thanks to the same researcher who blew the lid off the Child Abuse debacle. But do they tell the truth about this still?

Watchtower 2001 1/15 p. 8 “A Masterpiece of a Project”
The speaker is Charles Taze Russell, the first president of the Watch Tower Society, and the production is the “Photo-Drama of Creation.”

Is the "Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society" the same as the "Watch Tower Society"? Or do they play semantic games keep Conley out of the history to the extent possible?

Respectfully,
OldSoul

codeblue

Good work there Old Soul on finding the page in the Proclaimers book....and a great question!

I don' t think that the fact that W.H. Conley was the first president of the ZWTS (association) was a state secret or anything that the Society has ever tried to ignore or hide. It simply isn't particularly important, although it is somewhat interesting.

By the way, I believe this fact was (to some extent) known long before Ms. Anderson claims to have "discovered" it but that point is rather trivial.

Anyway, I see no contradiction in the Society referring to CTR being the First President of the Watchtower since in all cases they are referring to the Society post-incorporation and secondly CTR certainly organized the pre-incorporated association and is thus seen as the founder.

Incidently, Conley is mentioned at least 3 times in the early ZWTs, the first as of the Allegheny Bible Class, and the later mentions show that up until at least 1882 it was the habit of CTR and the early Bible Students to gather at the Conley's home in Pittsburgh to celebrate the Memorial and that they had been doing that for some years.

-Eduardo Leaton Jr., Esq.

West70

To: Eduardo Leaton Jr., Esq.

The fact that Charles Taze Russell put up only 10% of the initial capital of the Watch Tower Society is NOT trivial.

The fact that Joseph Russell put up only 20% of the initial capital of the Watch Tower Society is NOT trivial.

The fact that William H.Conley put up 70% of the initial capital of the Watch Tower Society is NOT trivial.

The fact that the Allegheny "class" held their meetings at Conley's home is NOT trivial.

The fact that when in the mid 1880s the Allegheny "class" moved their meetings from Conley's home to a Bank building where Conley was a Bank Director (and at one time listed as the Bank's President) is NOT trivial.

The fact that William Conley, or more specifically his home, was mentioned in the ZWT Magazine twice around 1880/1, and then not until 1894, does not make his Presidency a well known fact to JWs in 1905, much less 2005. Where in any of those three instances is it mentioned that he was the FIRST PRESIDENT?

Mrs. Anderson makes it clear that her early 1990s' discovery was NEWS to Brooklyn. If not for her discovery, YOU would have no clue about this issue.

Oroborus21

Dear West70,

I believe that I came across the W.H. Conley fact elsewhere and a while ago but I will have to review my notes to determine where. I am not convinced that Ms. Anderson, and this is not to knock all of her significant contributions, is the rediscoverer of this fact. If I figure out where I first encountered this fact I will post it.

As for your other points they are trivial today since contemporary JWs don't even give much credence to the teachings and contributions of Pastor Russell much less any of the others from those days. Morevever, only a few core nuggets of doctrine and culture remain from Russell's period and those early Bible Student days.

Thus Conley like many others are interesting footnotes in history but they offer no relevance to the issues and challenges facing Jehovah's Witnesses and the Organization today.

-Eduardo Leaton Jr., Esq.

chasson

To add something on this discussion, i think that the founder whose name is Riter from Riter and Conley was not a mason, but the Riter who herited from his brother was a mason.

Bye

Charles

To: Barbara Anderson -- Re: First WatchTower President

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