- 1847-02-22 — Birth of Thornton Chase, designated the first American Bahá'í, in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- 1883-06-21 — The name Thornton Chase appeared in newspaper coverage of a poem printed in The Grand Army Magazine, June 1883, "Lo! the Ranks are Thinned and Thinning"
- 1894-06-05 —
Thornton Chase became a Bahá'í in Chicago. [BBD53; BFA1:35–6]
- For some time before he heard of the Bahá'í Faith, he had been a follower of the noble and mystical teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg. [SEBW3]
- He was designated by `Abdu'l-Bahá as the first American believer. [BBD53; GPB257]
- See BFA1:35 for his own account of how he became a Bahá'í.
- See BFA1:33–7 for other Americans who became Bahá'ís around the same time.
- He was given the name Thábit (Steadfast) by `Abdu'l-Bahá. [BBD53; GPB257]
- He had been invited to join the Hearst pilgrimage in 1898 but was unable to go to the Holy Land until 1907. [AY61]
- 1899-00-02 — The Serpent by Thornton Chase, an 18-page pamphlet on the image of the serpent in the Bible, was published in Chicago. This was probably the first published essay written by an American Bahá'í. [BFA2:26]
- 1911-07-26 —
The First Universal Races Congress was held at the University of London. It was the first important conference in which the British Bahá'ís participated. It was an international symposium on the theme of the brotherhood of humankind and attracted leading politicians, theologians and scholars from the whole of the British Empire and from Europe as well as North America. During the Congress itself there were several presentations from Bahá'ís including the reading of a letter from 'Abdu'l-Bahá who was in Egypt at the time. [NBAD45]
- See 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Letter and here.
- See SoW Vol II No 9 for a report by Wellesley Tudor-Pole, an article by Thorton Chase as well as the letter from 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the conference. See as well Speech for the Universal Races Congress translation and comments by Senn McGlinn.
- A translation was published in "The Christian Commonwealth" on August 2, 1911.
- A bibliography of the presentations, papers and contributions and secondary literature by Ralph Dumain can be found here.
- A paper by Dr W. E. B. DuBois entitled The Negro Race in the United States of America (pp348-364)was also presented at this conference.
- Alain Locke attended. It may have been where he first heard of the Bahá'í faith. He credits this conference as his inspiration to begin the first of five historic lectures on race relation he delivered at Howard University in 1916. [Alain Locke: Faith & Philosophy p43 by Dr Chrisopher Buck]
- See the website of the National Centre for Race Amity.
- The long term goal of the National Center for Race Amity is to have a resolution adopted by both the House and the Senate to have the second Sunday in June declared as an annual Day of Observance in the United States, with the President issuing a Proclamation supporting the passage of the Race Amity Day Resolution.
- 1912-09-30 —
Thornton Chase, the first American Bahá'í, Disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá, passed away in California before 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í and His retinue arrive. He was buried at Inglewood. He had been named Thábit (Steadfast) by the Master. [BBD71; BFA2:XVII]
- See SoW Vol 3 No 12 16 October, 1912 p1-7 for a tribute to him upon his passing.
- For a brief biography see Bahá'í Chronicles.
- See as well Bahá'í Encyclopedia.
- See "Disciples of 'Abdu'l-Bahá" . [BW3p84–85; BW4p118–119]
- See the article Chase, Thornton: The First Bahá'í from the Western Hemisphere by Richard Francis.
- For a biography see Thornton Chase: First American Bahá'í by Robert H Stockman, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 2002.
- During the early years of the Faith in North America the Bahá'ís were unclear about the station of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. There were those who thought Him an ordinary man who had applied the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh flawlessly through His effort. Others believed Him to be the return of Christ. See ABF244-246 for his letter to Wellesly Tudor-Pole on the station of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
- And a draft of a portion of the Stockman book, Love's Odyssey: The Life of Thornton Chase.
- Upon hearing of his passing 'Abdu'l-Bahá is reported to have said, "This revered personage was the first Bahá'í in America. He served the Cause faithfully and his services will ever be remembered throughout ages and cycles." [SoW Vol 4 No 11 p.189]
-
Photos of the grave of Thornton Chase in Inglewood Park Cemetery.
- Directions to his grave. Find a grave.
- His publications:
- A number of pamphlets, See Bibliography of English-Language Works on the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths, 1844–1985 by William Collins, George Ronald, Oxford, 1990 page 66-67.
- In Galilee and In Spirit and In Truth, first published in 1908. This was a record of his pilgrimage. [Collins7.634]
- The Bahai Revelation, first published in 1909. This book was an introduction to the Faith intended for a Christian audience. [BEL7.629]
- See the trailer for a film entitled Steadfast-The Thornton Chase Story by Mithaq Kazimi and produced by Sam Baldoni.
- See the Thornton Chase Website created by the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Inglewood, California and The Thornton Chase Committee to honour the legacy of Thornton Chase.
- 1912-10-19 —
`Abdu'l-Bahá visited the grave of Thornton Chase in Inglewood. [239D:169; AB309; MD337-339]
- The purpose of His journey to Los Angeles is to visit the grave of Thornton Chase. [AB309]
- Upon visiting his grave 'Abdu'l-Bahá is reported to have said "This personage is worthy
of having the friends visit his grave. The
traces of this personage will ever shine. This
is a personage who will not be forgotten. For
the present his worth is not known but in
the future it will be inestimably dear. His
sun will ever be shining, his stars will forever
bestow the light. The people will honor this
grave. Therefore, the friends of God must
visit this grave and on my behalf bring flowers
and seek the sublimity of the spiritual station
for him and have the utmost consideration for
the members of his family. This personage
will not be forgotten." [SoW Vol 3 No 13 4 November, 1912 p14]
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá is reported to have said:
"As many times as possible-at least once a year-you should make it a point to visit his tomb, for his spirit will be exhilarated through the loyalty of the friends, and in the world of God will it be happy. The friends of God must be kind to one another, whether it be in life or after death." [SoW Vol 4 No 13 p225] - 1946-08-11 —
The passing of Orcella Rexford (b. Louise Cutts-Powell, 12 Jun 1887 in Tracey, Minnesota) in Los Angeles. She was buried near the grave of Thornton Chase in the Inglewood Park Cemetery. [BW11p495-498; Find a grave]
- Orcella first heard of the Bahá'í Faith from Mrs. Myrta Sandoz of Cleveland, Ohio, and was later confirmed by Dr. Edward Getsinger in Boston, Mass. She became a believer in 1918-1919. [BW11p495]
- For a brief biography see Bahá'í Chronicles.
- For a more extensive biography see Bahaipedia.
- See her article, Alaska, Our New Frontier. [BW9p918-922]
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