Ellen G. White was one of twin girls born to Robert and Eunice Harmon in Gorham, Maine on the night of November 26, 1827.
Up to the age of nine she lived an uneventful life. Then one afternoon on her way home from school, an angry schoolmate threw a stone hitting her on the face and breaking her nose. She was knocked unconscious and bled profusely. For the next three weeks she wavered between life and death.
This injury so affected Ellen’s health that she had to quit school and never formally studied beyond the third grade. In her weakened conditions she began to think seriously about God and His plan for her life. She eventually became one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. in 1846, she married James White, another leader of the church, and became the mother of four sons.
Besides being a housewife, she also had a long, interesting career in writing, lecturing, traveling, and guiding her church. In spite of her lack of a formal education, she was well-read and became an able writer. During her 87 years, her literary productivity was impressive. She wrote over 100,000 manuscript pages compromising more than 100 books, many of which have been translated into the major languages of the world.
When she was 17 years old, she began receiving what she and others believed were messages from God relating to conditions near the end of the world. In 1863, for instance, she received important and extensive instructions on health. As she recorded what had been given to her, the world received advanced light on nutrition and healthful living – light which only today is being fully appreciated.