John F. Linscott (1837-1931) went to work on a whaling ship at age fourteen, served in the Massachusetts calvary during the Civil War, and later worked in the U.S. Secret Service. His pro-temperance stance led him to Christian Science, which he studied with Ursula N. Gestefeld, a student of Mary Baker Eddy, in 1885. Linscott then became a student of Eddy himself, completing the Normal Class in February 1887 and the Primary Class that May. He married Ellen Brown in 1887 and the two worked together to spread the movement in numerous cities, including Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Denver. In 1907, Linscott was placed on probation as a Christian Science teacher and Church member. He and his wife divorced and Linscott left the movement while his wife continued as a healer and teacher of Christian Science.

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