The West Family in Zion City, Illinois
Contributed by Norm Hardin

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George West (b. 1843) and his son Arthur (b.1873) left England and moved to America about 1891.  They settled in Danville, Kentucky at first, bringing the rest of the family over about 1896 -1898.  The dates are not firmly established.  Another of George's children, William - who is my wife's grandfather - came over with his mother, but soon went back to England where he had a job as a teacher.  He was there for five years before he returned to America.  Sometime during that interval, George West and that part of his family that was still living at home moved to Zion City.  George was a carpenter in England and in Kentucky, so I assume that he remained in that occupation at Zion City. 

William got a job as a teacher in a school in Zion City, the same as he had been in England.  While there he met Louise Risingson (Perhaps originally named Louisa Reisingson as she was called Louisa by the family and was of German descent with a German accent.)  and they were married in 1906.  In 1908 the school closed and William and Louise moved to Gary, Indiana, while George moved to Portland.  A year later, William, Louise, and their first child,
Florence, moved to Portland also.

I have a copy of an undated news clipping from Zion City which says:

                      "Goes to Europe" 

"Deacon William West, one of the teachers at the twenty-sixth street School, will leave tomorrow for a trip to Europe and an extended tour in that country. The members of the orchestra and co-workers in the Zion Choir were recently present at a farewell gathering in his honor at the home of his father, Deacon George West.  Mr. West has been a valuable assistant to the ConductorJohn Thomas in the Junior Choir work.  He sails from New York on Saturday."
Since both George and William are labled as "Deacons," I  assume that they were members of Dowie's faith healing sect.  From what I've pulled off the net, Dowie called it the "Zion Catholic Apostolic Church," and it is apparently known today as the "Christian Catholic Church."

Genealogical research is often akin to putting pieces of a puzzle together.  Here are some "pieces" that may or may not fit together:

     - George West (Sr.), the father of the George West I speak about here, was singled out at his funeral by the local vicar as a deeply religious person who was very close to his church.  The vicar stated in his eulogy that he normally does not speak on his own at a funeral, as the words provided by the church liturgy are sufficient, but that George West was so dear to the church that he felt compelled, and he went on to give a rather lengthy personal witness to George's religious strength.  I would assume that if he was a deeply religious person, he probably tried to raise his children the same way.
     - According to part of the oral family history, the reason George West (Jr.) and his family left England and came to America was because George did not want his family subjected to smallpox vaccination that was mandatory in England.
     - Zion City was founded by the faith healer, John Alexander Dowie, a pentacostal minister.
     - George and his son William West were both employed at Zion City, and were "Deacons."
     - William's daughter Frances, born in 1908, remembers being taken on a visit to a big tabernacle at Zion City, and shown a large room with its walls covered by braces, crutches, and other paraphanalia of those who were healed
there.
I have attached a document where I strung together several of the articles I got off the internet pertaining to John Alexander Dowie. (click here to see the article)

An interesting one that I didn't include, because only about one paragraph is about Dowie, is "The Origins of the Pentacostal Movement" from the Oral Roberts University web site.