Margaret Rowen Collection: Home

Margaret W. Rowen Collection
A finding aid for the Margaret W. Rowen Collection

Repository: Pacific Union College
Nelson Memorial Library
One Angwin Avenue
Angwin, CA 94508

Creator: Rowen, Margaret W. (1881-unknown)
Title: The Margaret W. Rowen Collection
Dates: 1911-1926, 2011.
Extent: 0.5 linear feet; 1 document storage (Hollinger) box.
Abstract: Margaret W. Rowen (1881-unknown) claimed to be a prophet after the death of Ellen White. Rowen influenced many Seventh-day Adventists, particularly in Los Angeles and southern California. The Reform SDA Church came out of the split Rowen and her friends encouraged. Through the use of forged documents and eventually attempted murder, Rowen protected her reputation as a prophet until the mid-1920s, when her closest followers-Bert and Jessie Fullmer-turned on her and exposed her lies. This collection was passed from the Fullmer family to their relatives and eventually gifted to Pacific Union College by a descendant. The collection contains primarily handwritten and typed copies of prophecies made by Margaret W. Rowen during the years 1911-1926. There are also letters between her supporters and detractors, which provide some context from outside perspectives.
Collection number: PUC.MSS.052
Language: English

Biographical Note
Margaret W. Rowen converted from Methodism to Seventh-day Adventism shortly before Ellen White's death in 1915. She attended the Los Angeles SDA church. On June 22, 1916 she claimed to receive her first vision, and soon after she proclaimed herself the successor to Ellen White. Assisted by her friends and neighbors, Bert and Jessie Fullmer, Rowen began publishing tracts about her prophecies. In 1917, after investigation into her claims, the SDA church excommunicated Rowen. Two years later, Bert Fullmer secretly placed a forged document in the White Estate vault on behalf of Rowen; she later claimed to receive a vision about the document, but W.C. White and others properly identified the "St. Helena Manuscript" as a forgery. Rowen's sway over the Fullmers and others peaked on February 6, 1924, which was the day that she predicted the world would end. After the failure of this prophecy, the Fullmers and many others drifted away from the Reform SDA Church and its prophet. Fearing that Bert Fullmer would expose her, Rowen planned and attempted to murder him. After the failed assassination attempt, she was imprisoned for two years, then skipped parole and fled to Florida. She died in obscurity, possibly in Los Angeles in the 1940s or 50s.

Scope and Contents
The collection contains primarily handwritten and typed copies of prophecies made by Margaret W. Rowen during the years 1911-1926. There are also letters between her supporters and detractors, which provide some context from outside perspectives. This collection is divided into three series: 1) Manuscripts, 2) Correspondence, and 3) Publications.

Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series.
Series 1: Manuscripts.
Series 2: Correspondence.
Series 3: Publications.

Restrictions
There are no access restrictions for this collection.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information
This collection was given by Pastor Mark Witas to Katharine Van Arsdale and Dr. Eric Anderson on February 8, 2016. Witas is a descendant of the Judson family who were connected to Jessie Fullmer.

Processing Information
Processing and Finding Aid completed in Fall 2016 by Katharine Van Arsdale.

Related Material
Fred Veltman Collection
Walter Rea Collection

Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Seventh-Day Adventist Reform Movement

Container List

Series 1: Manuscripts
Box	Folder	Content
1	1	Mable D. Behrens statement on Rowen in vision, April 1918
1	2	Alice N. Suhrie statement on Rowen in vision, no date
1	3	Forged St. Helena manuscript (handwritten), August 10, 1911
1	4	"Extracts from Messages," carbon copy, September 1916-August 1917
1	5	"Golden Ball" manuscript (typed) of Rowen, August 12, 1917
1	6	"Diet" manuscript (handwritten) of Rowen, September 24, 1918
1	7	"The Power of the Fourth Angel" manuscript (typed, signed) of Rowen, November 1918
1	8	"To the Remnant" manuscript (typed) of Rowen, June 1919
1	9	Rowen visions (handwritten), October 7, 1919-January 2, 1920
1	10	Rowen visions (handwritten), June 22, 1919-January 12, 1920
1	11	"Remnant of the Remnant" manuscript (handwritten) of Rowen, February 13, 1920
1	12	"A message to the Prayer-Bands of Los Angeles" vision, March 3, 1920
1	13	"Spoken aloud while in vision" manuscript (typed) of Rowen, January 26, 1920s
1	14	Rowen manuscript, Hollywood, CA, November 23, 1922
1	15	"The Steps in the Process of the Infilling" manuscript (typed, signed) of Rowen, no date
1	16	"The Arch Angels" manuscript (handwritten) of Rowen, no date
1	17	"The June Prophecy" manuscript, written by Jessie Fullmer, July 4, 1920
1	18	"Recital of the Visit to Maryland" by Jessie Fullmer, 1922
1	19	"Copy of Rowan Manuscripts" [sic], carbon copy, April-June 1918
1	20	"Reply to the Manuscripts of Mrs. Rowan" [sic], carbon copy, possibly 1918
1	21	"Revival of the Papacy," a lecture by J.M. Tvedt, 1922
1	22	"The 144,000; Suggestions for Study," no date
1	23	"Reference to be used with the Tree Message," excerpts from Testimonies
1	24	Handwritten notes and citations from the Bible and EGW publications
1	25	Noggle-Fullmer family history of connection with Rowen, written by Marilyn Carter, June 12, 2011

Series 2: Correspondence
Box	Folder	Content
1	26	W.F. Martin to Herbert Judson, September 6, 1918
1	27	W.F. Martin to Herbert Judson, September 18, 1918
1	28	B.E. Fullmer to Elizabeth J. Roberts, January 3, 1926
1	29	Excerpt of letter from Sister Owen to Sister Moss, February 15, 1886
1	30	Three empty envelopes addressed to Herbert and Mary Judson, 1920

Series 3: Publications
Box	Folder	Content
1	31	Blunt, J.F. "The Rowen Pamphlet." Wolfer Printing, Co: Los Angeles, 1919.
1	32	Rowen, Margaret. "The Elijah Message." The Reform Press: Los Angeles, 1920s.
1	33	Balzer, Dr. J. Franklin. "The Twentieth Century Diet System." No date.
1	34	"The Special Resurrection of the Wicked," no date.