Includes index.

Foreword 7 Preface 9 Acknowledgments 13 List of Acronyms 16 I. The Byingtons in England, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, 1066-1786 17 II. The Byingtons Become Methodists in Vermont, 1787-1817 23 III. Historical Background and Development of St. Lawrence County, New York 42 IV. The Byingtons as Farmers in St. Lawrence County 52 V. The Byingtons as Methodist Reformers in St. Lawrence County 61 VI. The Byingtons as Abolitionists and Radicals 69 VII. The Byingtons Become Seventh-day Adventists 91 VIII. Famous Byington Firsts 101 IX. The Byingtons Move to Michigan 113 X. A Farming Family in Michigan 140 XI. Circuit-Riding Preacher in Michigan and Indiana 151 XII. First General Conference President 161 XIII. Byington’s Circuit-Riding Activities Continue 174 XIV. A Growing Family Spreads Out 188 XV. Byington’s Ministry Continues, 1870-1875 202 XVI. Still Riding the Circuit, 1876-1880 213 XVII. The Byington and Amadon Families’ Maturation Within Seventh-day Adventism 223 XVIII. The Byington Family’s Trials and Triumphs 236 XIX. Final Years of Service to the Church 253 Photographs 269 Epilogue 277 Index 294

ohn Byington, the first president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, was so much more. A loving family man and successful farmer and businessman, Elder Byington was also a social radical. More than just a token abolitionist, new evidence presented in this biography indicates that he actively assisted fugitive slaves along the famous Underground Railroad.