Name Clorinda Minor | Died 1855 | |
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Books Meshullam!: Or, Tidings from Jerusalem | ||
Clorinda S. Minor (1806–1855) was an American woman from Philadelphia who became influenced by William Miller. When his prophecy failed to materialize she decided to set sail for Palestine. She first traveled to Palestine in May 1849 and came to support the experimental farm set up by the Finn family at Artas. In November 1851 she set off for Palestine again and settled on the outskirts of Jaffa at a place known as Mount Hope.
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Mount Hope Colony
Here she joined a group that included a group of Germans from Elberfeld, which in 1829 merged with Barmen in the united town of Wuppertal, and included Johann Großsteinbeck (the grandfather of the writer John Steinbeck), his brother, Friedrich Wilhelm Großsteinbeck (1821-1858), their sister, Maria Katharina (1826-1862) and her husband, Gustav Thiel (1825-1907) as well as two other families. She worked on a farm owned by Rabbi Yehuda HaLevy, the rabbi of Jaffa, which was purchased in 1855 by Moses Montefiore. They were also joined by Walter Dickson (1799-1860) of Groton, Massachusetts, who belonged to the American Agricultural Mission. Herman Melville mentioned the colony during his visit and the American consul in Jerusalem Warder Cresson helped the Americans. Clorinda died in 1855 and was buried at Mount Hope.
Writings
She also published a book in 1850 entitled, Meshullam! or, Tidings From Jerusalem. She observed the Sabbath though she was not a Seventh-day Adventist. She took a great interest in converting Jews to Christianity and providing work for the Jews of Palestine. In one letter she wrote "Our poor Jewish brethren are so enfeebled by want and inaction, that for the first year, with comfortable support, they will not more than be able to get accustomed and begin to work efficiently."