Newbrough, John Ballou (1828-1891)

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

John Ballou Newbrough was born on 5 June 1828, near Springfield, Ohio and died in 1891 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, during an outbreak of influenza that devastated his utopian "Sholam" community. Newbrough trained in medicine and dentistry; in 1849 he followed the California Gold Rush and in 1851 travelled to the Australian goldfields, moving later to New York to resume his dental practice and, drawing on his clairvoyant powers, becoming involved in the Spiritualist movement. He was a trustee of the New York Spiritualist Association. and founder in 1883 of "Faithists of the Seed of Abraham" an organization based on the revelations in Oahspe:  A New Bible in the Words of Jehovih and his Angel Embassadors that he wrote by divine inspiration. According to the Oahspe guidebook:

Newbrough became vegan following a momentous angelic visitation where he was asked if he would do a work for the Creator, to which he agreed. The angels advised him that to prepare for such a work would take 10 years during which time he was to adopt a vegan diet, practice clean habits including daily bathing, introspection for self-improvement and providing service to others regardless of profit. ... In October, 1884 Newbrough and a small party of about a dozen volunteer Faithists with infant orphans took up residence at "Shalam." The members and children were strict vegetarians, although honey was included in their diet.

 

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