Person
William Miller
American Baptist preacher (1782 to 1849) whose Bible-chronology lectures started the Millerite movement.
William Miller was a farmer and lay Baptist preacher from Low Hampton, New York. After a period of intense Bible study that he later dated to 1816 to 1818, he concluded from the book of Daniel that Christ would return around 1843.
He began public lecturing in 1831 and his following grew sharply after publisher Joshua V. Himes took up the cause in 1839 and 1840. After the dates of 1843 and 1844 passed, Miller publicly acknowledged his disappointment and error. He died in 1849 and did not join any of the groups that later emerged from the movement.