Samuel Sheffield Snow (1806–1890) was a skeptic turned
Millerite
Millerite is a nickel sulfide mineral, Ni S. It is brassy in colour and has an acicular habit, often forming radiating masses and furry aggregates. It can be distinguished from pentlandite by crystal habit, its duller colour, and general l ...
preacher who calculated that the return of Christ was to take place on October 22, 1844. His teaching sparked what became known as the "Seventh-Month movement," which led to the
Great Disappointment
The Great Disappointment in the Millerite movement was the reaction that followed Baptist preacher William Miller's proclamations that Jesus Christ would return to the Earth by 1844, which he called the Second Advent. His study of the Daniel ...
when Jesus did not return as expected.
Biography
Millerism
Until the age of 35, Snow had been "a settled unbeliever in the Bible." He had even worked as an agent for the ''
Boston Investigator
The ''Boston Investigator'' was the first American newspaper dedicated to the philosophy of freethought
Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basi ...
'', an avowedly atheistic newspaper. He was
converted
Conversion or convert may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman''
* "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series
* "The Conversion" ...
to Christianity in 1839, as a result of reading a copy of
William Miller's lectures that his brother had bought.
After his conversion, he joined a
Congregational Church in 1840. In 1842, at a Millerite
camp meeting
The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in England and Scotland as an evangelical event in association with the communion season. It was held for worship, preaching and communion on the American frontier d ...
(see also:
Seventh-day Adventist camp meetings) in
East Kingston, New Hampshire
East Kingston is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,441 at the 2020 census.
History
East Kingston was once a part of Kingston called "Kingston East Parish", but was granted a separate charter in 17 ...
, he devoted himself to preaching the Millerite message full-time.
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