Clorinda S. Minor
Encyclopedia
Clorinda S. Minor was an American woman from Philadelphia who became influenced by William Miller
William Miller (preacher)
William Miller was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-nineteenth century North American religious movement now known as Adventism. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists and Advent Christians...

. When his prophecy failed to materialize she decided to set sail for Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....

. She first traveled to Palestine in May 1849 and came to support the experimental farm set up by the Finn
James Finn
James Finn was a British Consul in Jerusalem, in the then Ottoman Empire . He arrived in 1845 with his wife Elizabeth Anne Finn. Finn was a devout Christian, who belonged to the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews, but who did not engage in missionary work during his years in...

 family at Artas. In November 1851 she set off for Palestine again and settled near Jaffa at a place known as Mount Hope
Mount Hope
There are several places named Mount Hope:in Antarctica*Mount Hope , a hill at the foot of the Beardmore Glacier*Mount Hope , a mountain in the Eternity Range, Palmer Landin Australia:* Mount Hope, New South Wales...

.

Mount Hope Colony

Here she joined a group that included a group of Germans from Elberfeld
Elberfeld
Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929.-History:The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "elverfelde" was in a document of 1161...

, which in 1929 merged with Barmen
Barmen
Barmen is a former industrial metropolis of the region of Bergisches Land, Germany, which in 1929 with four other towns was merged with the city of Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia. Barmen was the birth-place of Friedrich Engels and together with the neighbouring town of Elberfeld founded the...

 in the united town of Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...

, and included Johann Großsteinbeck (a relative of the writer John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...

), his brother, Friedrich Wilhelm Großsteinbeck (1821-1858), their sister, Maria Katharina (1826-1862) and her husband, Gustav Thiel (1825-1907) as well as two other families. She worked on a farm owned by Judah Halevi, the Rabbi of Jaffa and which was purchased in 1855 by Moses Montefiore
Moses Montefiore
Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, Kt was one of the most famous British Jews of the 19th century. Montefiore was a financier, banker, philanthropist and Sheriff of London...

. They were also joined by Walter Dickson (1799-1860) of Groton, Massachusetts, who belonged to the American Agricultural Mission. Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....

 mentioned the colony during his visit and the American consul in Jerusalem Warder Cresson
Warder Cresson
Warder Cresson or as he was known with his Jewish name Michoel Boaz Yisroel ben Avraham was a religious enthusiast, and convert to Judaism...

 helped the Americans. Clorinda died in 1855 and was buried at Mount Hope.

Writings

She also published a book in 1850 entitled, Meshullam
John Meshullam
John Meshullam was a British born Jew. His family was killed on their way to Jerusalem in riots between Turks and Greeks. John as the only surviving sibling inherited the considerable family assets. John then moved to Berlin to study the German language and decided to move to the Levant...

! or, Tidings From Jerusalem
. She observed the Sabbath
Sabbath in Seventh-day Adventism
Sabbath is an important part of the belief and practice of seventh-day Christians. These believers observe Sabbath on the seventh Hebrew day of the week, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, in similar manner as in Judaism, rather than Lord's day on Sunday like a most forms of Christianity...

 though she was not a Seventh-day Adventist. She took a great interest in converting Jews to Christianity and providing work for the Jews of Palestine. In one letter she wrote "Our poor Jewish brethren are so enfeebled by want and inaction, that for the first year, with comfortable support, they will not more than be able to get accustomed and begin to work efficiently."
  • Clorinda S. Minor, Meshullam!: Or, Tidings from Jerusalem (11850), Philadelphia (Penns.): 21851, pp. 96-114, also reprint New York: Arno Press, 31977, ISBN 0405103026.

Further reading

  • Kreiger, Barbara (with Goldman, Shalom) (1999): Divine Expectations. An American Woman in 19th-Century Palestine. Ohio University Press, ISBN 0821412949 (Contents include: "Clorinda Minor, and Arrivals in Palestine"; "The Battle for Artas"; "The Move to Jaffa"; "The Aftermath".)
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