Annie Rebekah Smith (March 16, 1828 – July 26, 1855) was an early American

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventism, Adventist Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the Names of the days of the week#Numbered days of the week, seventh day of the ...

hymnist A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...

, and sister of the Adventist pioneer

Uriah Smith Uriah Smith (May 3, 1832 – March 6, 1903) was a Seventh-day Adventist author, minister, educator, and theologian who is best known as the longest serving editor of the ''Review and Herald'' (now the ''Adventist Review'') for over 50 years. Ur ...

. She has three hymns in the current (6,8,&9 below), and had 10 hymns in the previous Seventh-day Adventist Church Hymnal.

Biography

Annie Rebekah Smith was the third child of four children and only daughter of Samuel and Rebekah (Spalding) Smith. She was born in West Wilton, New Hampshire, on Sunday March 16, 1828. At ten years of age, she accepted Jesus as her Saviour.

Millerite Adventist

In 1844, she embraced the doctrine of the soon coming of Christ. At sixteen years of age, she experienced 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 8 p ...

of October 22, 1844. Afterwards, she lost interest in the Adventist teachings and pursued her favorite occupations of studying and teaching.

Education in Boston

Between 1844 and 1855 she taught in seven district schools. At the same time she furthered her own education in various schools including six terms at the Ladies' Female Seminary in Charlestown, Massachusetts, near Boston. At the Charlestown Seminary she trained to be a teacher in Oil Painting and French.Smith, Rebekah. Poems: With a Sketch of the Life and Experience of Annie R Smith. Manchester, N.H.: John B. Clark, 1871 p. 96

Annie meets Joseph Bates

Sabbatarian Adventist pioneer Joseph Bates met with Annie's mother. He was going to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and encouraged her to get Annie to attend the meeting he was conducting there. She went to the meeting and met Bates. This sparked her interest in the sabbatarian Adventist movement.Loughborough, J.N. (1905). The Great Second Advent Movement: Its Rise and Progress. Washington, D.C. Review and Herald Publishing Association. pp. 312-316
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Working for the Review and Herald

Subsequent to having written and submitted a poem to the '' Review and Herald'', she was recognised by James White as a talented writer. Although her eyesight was not sufficient to work as a copy-editor, she accepted the position. Upon arriving in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

, she was healed through "anointing and prayer" During the three and a half years before her death, she contributed around 45 articles to the ''Review and Herald'' and to the ''Youth's Instructor''. She also wrote how far from home

Annie and John

John Nevins Andrews John Nevins Andrews (July 22, 1829 – October 21, 1883) was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, the first official Seventh-day Adventist missionary, writer, editor, and scholar. Andrews University (Michigan, USA), a university owned and operated b ...

worked at the Review office during this time. A romance developed between them. Her romance with young Andrews failed to end in marriage, with Andrews instead choosing Angeline Stevens to be his wife. The failure of Andrews to follow through with the marriage prompted Ellen White to write that "Annie's disappointment cost her life."

Tuberculosis

Annie contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and returned home. She died from the disease on Thursday July 26, 1855, at her family's home in West Wilton, New Hampshire.

Hymns and poetry

Some of the hymns she authored include:
Awake, O, awake, now to life and dutyBlessed Jesus, meek and lowlyHe sleeps in Jesus, peaceful rest

How Far from Home?I ask not, Lord, for less to bear, Here in the narrow

I Saw One Weary

*Toil on a little longer here, For thy reward *Twas a doleful night on Calvary's height *Weeping endures but for a night *When darkness gathers round thy way

References

External links

Smith, Annie Rebekah (1828–1855)
a
Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists
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Graybill, Ron. ''Annie Smith, Her Life and Love''. Review and Herald, April 1, 1976, pp. 4-7
Accessed April 10, 2011
Graybill, Ron. Annie Rebekah Smith, Early Adventist Hymnist. Lest We Forget. Getting to Know the People Who Helped Shape the Seventh-day Adventist Church. An Integrated Unit by Larry Robbins. North American Division Teacher Bulletin. pp. 53-66The Blessed Hope: The life and death of Annie Smith. An Adventist Heritage Play
Accessed April 10, 2011

Accessed April 10, 2011
Smith, Annie R. (1855) ''Home Here, and Home in Heaven with other Poems.'' Rochester, N.Y. Published at the Advent Review Office
Accessed April 10, 2011
Smith, Rebekah. Poems: With a Sketch of the Life and Experience of Annie R Smith. Manchester, N.H.: John B. Clark, 1871.
Accessed April 11, 2011
Smith, Rebekah. Poems: With a Sketch of the Life and Experience of Annie R Smith. Manchester, N.H.: John B. Clark, 1871.
Archive Facsimile Accessed April 11, 2011
Nembhard, Judith P. ''Annie Smith’s Hymns of the Blessed Hope.'' Review and Herald, August 28, 1986. pp. 12-14.
At the time of writing, Judith P. Nembhard was assistant professor of English at Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Nix, James R. ''Annie Smith: Pioneer Poet.'' December 17, 1987, Review and Herald, p. 17.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Annie Rebekah 1828 births 1855 deaths American Seventh-day Adventists 19th-century American poets People from Wilton, New Hampshire American women poets 19th-century American women writers History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in New Hampshire