[CD-ROM Editor’s Note: This section has been added to help the users of this CD-ROM understand better the collection of Bulletins found herein, in relation to the General Conference Sessions.] 

The church published the proceedings of the 15 General Conference Sessions occurring during the span of 36 years from 1887 through 1922 in a variety of forms that can be easily confusing. The following general items in particular need to be clarified for this period: GCBIntro, page 1.1

1. The church published the Sessions’ records mostly in two different publications, the General Conference Daily Bulletin and the General Conference Bulletin. For two of the years (1897 and 1899) these two forms of publications overlapped the same year. GCBIntro, page 1.2

2. The General Conference Daily Bulletin issues were given volume numbers that did not follow sequentially through all of their issues. GCBIntro, page 1.3

3. The General Conference Bulletin issues were initially (1895 through 1902) a regular quarterly publication and contained material usually unrelated to the activity of the Sessions, which was published either in “Extra” issues of the Bulletin or in the overlapping Daily Bulletin. GCBIntro, page 1.4

4. The later issues of the General Conference Bulletin were not quarterlies but were published like the earlier General Conference Daily Bulletin only at the time of a Session. GCBIntro, page 1.5

5. For one year during this period (1905), as well as before and after the dates of this period, the Sessions were reported in the Review and Herald issues. (At present the 1905 Session records are not included in this CD-ROM collection.) GCBIntro, page 1.6

The following paragraphs and listing gives specifics on the two forms of Bulletin publication, in relation to the Sessions. GCBIntro, page 1.7

General Conference Daily Bulletin

All seven volumes of the General Conference Daily Bulletin were published only when there was a Session, and contain records of those Sessions, in the years 1887, 1888, 1889, 1891, 1893, 1897, and 1899. (However, their volume numbers were not consistent throughout, as noted in the table below.) GCBIntro, page 1.8

General Conference Bulletin

The first four of the nine volumes of the General Conference Bulletin (during the eight years of 1895 through 1902) were regular, continuous quarterly publications with each of their volumes spanning two years and having eight issues. These periodicals contained much material other than the records of the Sessions occurring during those years (the odd years of 1895, 1897, 1899, 1901). This fact is made obvious by noticing that these Bulletins were published also during the even years of that period, years when there were no Sessions held. For example of the other material mentioned, these Bulletins included Week of Prayer readings, reports of General Conference activities between Sessions, etc. During this period, the majority (but not all) of the Sessions’ records were published in Extras of the Bulletins (1895 and 1901) or in the previously mentioned Daily Bulletins (the Daily Bulletins and the Bulletins both being published in 1897 and 1899). However, there were miscellaneous items from the Sessions that were included at times in the regular quarterly issues of the Bulletins, usually the one immediately following the end of a Session. The final five volumes of the Bulletins (1903, 1909, 1913, 1918, and 1922) were not quarterlies, but were published only at the time of Sessions which occurred in those years. (This CD-ROM collection does not contain the last two volumes.) GCBIntro, page 1.9

Chronological Listing

The following list attempts to summarize these forms of publication by year, in light of the above observations, with some notes applying to specific issues. There is one code used for all General Conference Daily Bulletins (GCDB), and one code for all General Conference Bulletins (GCB). GCBIntro, page 1.10

Pre 1887, Sessions reported in Review and Herald issues for specific years. GCBIntro, page 1.11

1887 (Session), General Conference Daily Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 1-13, Oakland. GCBIntro, page 1.12

1888 (Session), General Conference Daily Bulletin, Vol. 2, No. 1-12, Minneapolis. GCBIntro, page 1.13

1889 (Session), General Conference Daily Bulletin (as Review and Herald Extras), Vol. 3, No. 1-17, Battle Creek. GCBIntro, page 1.14

1891 (Session), General Conference Daily Bulletin (as Review and Herald Extras), Vol. 4, No. 1-19, Battle Creek. GCBIntro, page 1.15

1893 (Session), General Conference Daily Bulletin (as Review and Herald Extras), Vol. 5, No. 1-26, Battle Creek. GCBIntro, page 1.16

1895 (Session), General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 1-4; Extras No. 1-21, Battle Creek. [This Volume marks the beginning of the quarterly Bulletin. Extras were published during the Session.] GCBIntro, page 1.17

1896, General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 5-8, Battle Creek. [This was coded continuously from the beginning of Vol. 1 in 1895, as the paging is continuous from page 1 in No. 1, through all of the Extras, to page 778 at the end of No. 8, Fourth Quarter of 1896.] GCBIntro, page 1.18

1897, General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 2, No. 1-4, Battle Creek. GCBIntro, page 1.19

1897 (Session), General Conference Daily Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 1-17, Lincoln. [There is no Vol. 6 or Vol. 7 of the Daily Bulletin. For some reason this year’s bulletin was given the designation of Vol. 1 again (as was 1887). The next Daily Bulletin (1899) was made Vol. 8.] GCBIntro, page 1.20

1898, General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 2, No. 5-8, Battle Creek. [This was coded continuously from the beginning of Vol. 2 in 1897, as the paging is continuous from page 1 in No. 1, to page 276 at the end of No. 8, Fourth Quarter of 1898.] GCBIntro, page 1.21

1899, General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 3, No. 1-4, Battle Creek. GCBIntro, page 1.22

1899 (Session), General Conference Daily Bulletin, Vol. 8, No. 1-17B, S. Lancaster, No. 18, Battle Creek. [This is the last Daily Bulletin. There is no Vol. 7 of the Daily Bulletin.] GCBIntro, page 1.23

1900, General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 3, No. 5-8, Battle Creek. [This was coded continuously from the beginning of Vol. 3 in 1899, as the paging is continuous from page 1 in No. 1, to page 240 at the end of No. 8, Fourth Quarter of 1900.] GCBIntro, page 1.24

1901 (Session), General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 1-4, Extras No. 1-20, Battle Creek. [Extras were published during the Session.] GCBIntro, page 1.25

1902, General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 5-8, Battle Creek. [This was coded continuously from the beginning of Vol. 4 in 1901, as the paging is continuous from page 1 in No. 1, through all of the Extras, to page 672 at the end of No. 8, Fourth Quarter of 1902. These Numbers mark the end of the quarterly Bulletin. Bulletins that followed were published only at the time of Sessions.] GCBIntro, page 1.26

1903 (Session), General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 5, No. 1-13, Oakland, No. 14, Washington. [Though the Bulletin from here to its last volume was not called “Daily” as before, it was published on the days of the Sessions.] GCBIntro, page 1.27

1905 (Session), reported in Review and Herald, Vol. 82, No. 19-24, Washington. (May 11-June 15, 1905). NOT ON CD-ROM. GCBIntro, page 1.28

1909 (Session), General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 1-21, Takoma Park. GCBIntro, page 1.29

1913 (Session), General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 7, No. 1-21, Takoma Park. GCBIntro, page 1.30

1918 (Session), General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 8. NOT ON CD-ROM. GCBIntro, page 1.31

1922 (Session), General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 9. NOT ON CD-ROM. GCBIntro, page 1.32

Post 1922, Sessions reported in Review and Herald issues for specific years. GCBIntro, page 1.33

[End of CD-ROM Editor’s Note.]