Someone on another thread asked about Schnell's book, Thirty Years a Watchtower Slave. I have a copy of it, but hadn't looked at in many years. I reviewed it again, and understand its importance better now that I know more about the JW history.
Let me summarize some of the information that struck me.
William Schnell was born of a German immigrent family in 1905. In 1914, his family took a trip to Germany. Because his father was not a US citizen the family could not return to the states. In 1921, Schnell became a Bible Student (former name for JWs). He writes that at that time the congregations followed many of Russell's ideas. The members had Bible studies, not book studies. Charity for both poor members and outsiders was encouraged and practiced. Preaching was encouraged, but time was not counted and quotas were not set. The elders were elected locally, with no input, approval, or disapproval coming from a central headquarters. Individuality of expression was encouraged, and each congregation had a great deal of autonomy.
In 1925, Schnell joined the German Bethel. At the same time that the organization was preaching the end of the world by the end of 1925, they were building and expanding their printing facilities in preparation for expansion when the end did not come. Some of the brothers noted this discrepency.
Schnell points out that 1925-26 were pivotal years. At that time, the organization set out to change all the characteristics of the congregations I described above. Quotas, reporting time, book studies, central control and approval were all instituted in those two years. Congregations that balked at the new requirement, were systematicly destroyed.
This apparently was the time that beards were outlawed. Schnell over heard a conversation between the Bethel overseer and Rutherford. The overseer asked Rutherford for one more modern printing press. Rutherford thought for a minute and said he would if the overseer would shave his beard. The overseer went away and came back a few minutes clean shaven. According to Schnell, Rutherford's "no beard" policy was because Russell had a beard, and Rutherford wanted to get rid of everything that reminded people of Russell.
There is much more to the book, but these are the parts that struck me.