During the 140 years since Hiram Edson (1806-1882) died, no one has written a book about his life. Why? One reason is the paucity of primary sources. Edson kept no diaries, wrote no books, and sent few articles, letters, and reports to the Advent Review. A second reason is that when he died, Edson was out of favor with church leaders due to his uncooperative spirit and his unorthodox interpretations of biblical prophecies and symbols. This created a third problem: How to write an honest biography of a man whom many distrusted and one even called a "confirmed crank" and "a trial to the church."
In this path-breaking scholarly biography, Brian Strayer explores the religious, social, cultural, and political milieu of upstate New York that shaped Edson's life. Based on detailed research in over 300 primary and secondary sources, Strayer shares Edson's genealogical roots, describes his charismatic "presentments," analyzes his post-Millerite experiences, examines his tableau of friends and enemies, explores his relationship with his ministerial partners, explicates his numerological and symbolic prose, highlights both his triumphs and the tragedies of his final days, and provides reasons why Edson's legacy today remains so positive despite his early failings.