Anglo-Israel; or, The British Nation the Lost Tribes of Israel

"William H. Poole...who made a profound study of the matter, came to the conclusion that the descendants of the lost tribes of Israel now inhabit the British Island and the colonial possessions of Great Britain. We Americans are part of this great family...makes out a very strong argument." -Tri-County Press, July 21, 1904

Does vast evidence suggest that the lost tribes of Israel are to be found in England and her past colonies such as the United States?

Rev. W. H. Poole (1820-1896) provides proof in his 1879 book "Anglo-Israel; or, The British Nation the Lost Tribes of Israel." It is this public domain book that has been republished here for the convenience of the interested reader.

In introducing his book, Poole writes:

"There are several theories on record as to the locality where we may most reasonably look for the lost tribes of Israel. Rev. Joseph Wolf, in his journals...says they are in China. The Rev. J. Samuels, in a work entitled "The remnant found," says, they are in the region of the Caspian sea. Dr. Grant was of the opinion that the Nestorians are the lost ones. Sir William Jones says the Afghans have a superior claim. Mrs. Dixon says the Mexicans and the Peruvians are without doubt the ten tribes of Israel. Some say our North American Indians are the people we are looking for, others say the Karens of India, or the Gipsies of Southern Europe. Dr. Claudius Buchanan was satisfied that the greater part of the ten tribes are still to be found in the countries to which they were led captive....We cannot accept their conclusions, because they all fail to harmonize with the word of the Lord in reference to his banished ones. We repudiate all theories that are antagonistic to the glorious promises of God to Israel."

William Henry Poole (1820 -1896) was an Irish-born Methodist minister and proponent of British Israelism known for his 1879 book "Anglo-Israel; or, The British Nation the Lost Tribes of Israel." Poole was born in Ireland and moved to Canada. His book was originally presented as the first in a series of nine lectures and later published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada beginning in 1879 under the title Anglo-Israel; or, The British Nation the Lost Tribes of Israel. The book drew on earlier arguments published by Edward Hine, adding new arguments on linguistic grounds that the original Anglo-Saxons were among the lost tribes of Israel. The work was widely circulated.