Mrs. Elvira Hastings

Mrs. Elvira Burrows Hastings (1807–1850): Sealed Witness & Part of the 144,000 Company

Mrs. Elvira Burrows Hastings stands in early Seventh-day Adventist history as one of the most glorious witnesses to the sealing message of Revelation 7 and the special resurrection. A woman of deep piety, noble character, and unwavering faith, she was a pioneer Sabbatarian Adventist of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, a devoted wife to Leonard Wood Hastings, and a cherished soul-friend of Ellen G. White.

Elvira Burrows was born in December 1807 in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. On March 31, 1832, she married Leonard Wood Hastings, a noble farmer whose father, Captain Charles Hastings, had fought under General Lafayette in the American Revolutionary War. Together they established a home in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, and were blessed with six children:

• Hannah (Harriet) A. Hastings (b. 1833 – d. 1854)
• George Hastings (b. 1837)
• Sarah Hastings (b. 1839)
• Emma Hastings (b. 1842 – d. 1865)
• Charles Hastings (b. 1845)
• John Frederick Hastings (b. 1849/1850)

In 1843, Leonard and Elvira embraced the Second Advent proclamation of William Miller and courageously withdrew from their local Congregational church.

The 1844 Potato Miracle

In the autumn of 1844, as the Midnight Cry pointed to October 22, 1844, Leonard Hastings performed an act of supreme faith: he left his entire potato crop in the ground unharvested, declaring that Christ was coming and he would not spend time harvesting food for an earthly winter. Neighbors mocked him as fanatical.

However, that exact autumn, a severe potato rot blight struck New England, destroying the harvested crops of nearly every farmer in the region. But Leonard's potatoes left in the cold soil were supernaturally preserved completely disease-free! In the spring of 1845, when food was scarce and seed potatoes were desperately needed, Leonard dug up his healthy potatoes and sold them at premium prices. With the proceeds, recorded by pioneer historian J. N. Loughborough, he was able to support his family and provide crucial financial aid to Elder James White and Captain Joseph Bates for printing the pioneer Advent message!

By 1847, Elvira Hastings had become a full believer in Ellen White's prophetic visions. In early 1850, when their newborn infant, John Frederick Hastings, became dangerously ill with severe colic and was at the point of death, James and Ellen White traveled to New Ipswich.

Elder James White and Ellen G. White united in prayer, anointed the baby in the name of the Lord, and God instantly healed the child! Ellen White recorded the profound spiritual friendship she shared with Elvira:

“Our interview with that dear family was precious. Our hearts were knit together, especially was the heart of sister Hastings knit with mine, as were David’s and Jonathan’s. Our union was not marred while she lived.”
— Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, p. 111 (1860); Life Sketches, p. 123.

On February 28, 1850, while still recovering from childbirth, Elvira Hastings suddenly passed away at age 42.

The news shocked Ellen White deeply. She grieved the loss of her closest spiritual friend. But God gave Ellen White a glorious vision concerning Sister Hastings' eternal destiny, which Ellen White wrote in Letter 10, 1850 (dated March 18, 1850) to the grieving husband, Leonard Hastings:

The scripture and pioneer testimonies clarify the great truth of the 144,000:

1. Gathered Out of All Nations: The 144,000 as a whole are God's victorious remnant gathered out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people (Rev 7:9; Rev 14:1–5, 12) who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
2. The Sealed Sabbathkeepers: Sister Elvira Hastings received the Seal of the Living God (the Seventh-day Sabbath truth championed by Joseph Bates) prior to her death in February 1850.
3. Standing with the 144,000: Those who die in the faith under the Third Angel's Message, having received the seal of God, come forth in the special resurrection at the voice of God (Daniel 12:2; Early Writings, p. 285) to stand upon the earth with the 144,000 to hear God's covenant of peace! As J. N. Loughborough explained in 1916, they are reckoned with that holy company.

Sister Hastings' death worked a profound spiritual awakening in her home. On Sabbath, June 22, 1850, Elder James White visited New Ipswich and baptized four of her children: Hannah (Harriet), George, Sarah, and Emma.

Her husband, Leonard Wood Hastings, continued as a pillar of the Advent movement in New England, hosting meetings, supporting the publishing work, serving as Vice President of the New England Tract & Missionary Society, and holding a ministerial license until his death in 1883.

• Leonard Wood Hastings — Husband, 1844 potato miracle pioneer, and Sabbatarian leader.
• The 144,000 Master Hub — Complete study on the sanctuary, sealing, special resurrection, and restored jewels.
• Captain Joseph Bates — Author of A Seal of the Living God (1849).
• J. N. Loughborough — Author of Questions on the Sealing Message (1916).
• Elder James White — Anointed baby Frederick, baptized the Hastings children, and published The Present Truth.
• Ellen G. White — Lord's messenger who received the vision of Elvira's sealing and resurrection.
• William Miller — Preacher of the 1844 Advent awakening; read Miller's 14 Rules and Brother Miller's Dream.
• George Storrs — Preacher of biblical conditional immortality.
• Master Site Index — Complete directory of SundayLaw.com.