VOLIVA, Wilbur
Source: Pittsburg Kansas The Sun Monday 12 Feb 1906 p 3
Chicago Feb 12 – At a rally of the followers of Dowie in Shiloh tabernacle, Zion City, last night, public announcement of Wilbur Glenn Voliva as deputy general overseer of all the affairs of Zion throughout the world. This is an office created for the emergency and places Voliva above all officers of the church save the first apostle, Dr. Dowie himself. The announcement was made by Judge VV Barnes who read a copy of the cablegram sent by Dr. Dowie in Jamaica to Voliva. It follows: “Voliva, Melbourne, Australia: I have appointed you deputy general overseer. Legal documents will be found executed on your arrival at Zion City. You will take absolute charge of the direction of all business affairs under these powers form date of your arrival. Proceed direct, therefore to Zion City where you will find full instructions.” Acting under these instructions, Overseer Voliva left Melbourne January 15 with his family. He arrived at San Francisco Tuesday on the Sonoma. They will rest in that city until Friday and are expected in Zion City Monday next. His appointment means that at Dowie’s death he will succeed to the apostolic office and rule absolutely. Voliva was born near Newtown, Fountain County Indiana in 1870. His father was a lawyer. He is a graduate of Hiram College in Ohio. He entered the ministry at 19 in the Christian Church and held places in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Maine and NY. In 1899 he joined the Christian Catholic Church, and within a few weeks was made an elder. He proved a strong organizer and in 1901 was ordained as an overseer. Soon after that he was placed at the head of the work in Australia, where he has remained until the present time.
Source: New Richmond Record 12 Nov 1914 p 6
Zion City, Ill – The latest discovery by Wilbur Glen Voliva is that the world is flat. Columbus was mistaken and Copernious was suffering from delusions when they expounded their theories. Voliva went to Chicago to speak in the tabernacle and to demonstrate that the earth is as flat as a pancake and that the Australians, instead of being on the other side of the world are on top like the rest of us. Furthermore, he has set out to demonstrate that the sun is only about 3,000 miles from the earth and that it goes round and round instead of bumping around among the stars, the earth floats on water, according to the overseer. To prove this he will cite the instances of Joshua, who commanded the sun to stand still and Hezekiah who made it move back ten degrees. Voliva is a Hoosier. He was born and reared near Newtown and early became a believer in Dowieism.
Source: The Theocrat (Zion City, Ill) 4 May 1918 p1
The Star of April 22 also contained a picture of the General Overseer with the following biographical sketch: “Wilbur Glenn Voliva, General Overseer of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in Zion and successor to John Alexander Dowie is to visit Indianapolis. He will deliver two addresses in the Shubert-Murat Theater on Sunday April 28 and will be assisted in the service by a semi-chorus selected from the famous Zion City White Robed Choir, numbering 500 voices. Mr. Voliva was born March 10, 1870 on a farm near Newtown Fountain County Indiana 56 miles east of Indianapolis. He is the son of James H. and Rebecca F. Voliva. His father was an attorney and his legal business occasionally brought him to Indianapolis. One of the first trips Wilbur Glenn Voliva ever made on a train was from Hillsboro to Indianapolis when his father had some business to transact in the Third Superior Court. In his boyhood days Voliva attended a little country school, which he frequently refers to as Mudhole Academy. A few years later he attended a public school in Newtown and at the age of 19 entered Hiram College, O where he was graduated in 1897. He then went to Stanfordsville NY where he completed a theoplete ? breakdown and in Sept 1905 suffered a stroke of paralysis. Financial difficulties then loomed up and when Voliva took control, the city was in financial chaos. A receiver was appointed and the work was almost swept out of existence. Voliva began the work of reconstruction, overcoming obstacles that would have discouraged most men and at last he restored confidence in the members of the Zion Church and put the city on a stronger footing financially, educationally and ecclesiastically than it had ever been.”