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Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Contact Card


(reprinted)


The above contact card was for Mrs M A Boder. Mary Ann Dunbar (1860-1948) was from Scots-Irish background and married William F Boder in Allegheny in 1889. They had one son, William Dunbar Boder (1891-1980).

Mary is mentioned once in ZWT in the issue for August 15, 1908.  She signed a document giving support to “the vow” as part of the Avalon class (Avalon, Allegheny, Penn.)  The document was also signed by W D Boder. This was not her husband but her son who would be about 17 years old at the time.


Mary remained with the IBSA and her funeral announcement in 1948 mentioned Jehovah’s Witnesses. From the Pittsburgh-Sun Telegraph, March 7,1948, page 33.


I do not know her son’s subsequent religious history other than that he claimed exemption on his WW1 Draft card on the grounds of being a member of the International Bible Students. From a document dated June 5, 1917.


3 comments:

latecomer said...

Thanks, Jerome, for posting this.

I see on the list "Mrs. M. L. Herr". Wasn't she the Jessie Herr who wrote many of the old songs that survived until the most recent songbook?

Andrew Martin

jerome said...

I have not researched this in detail, but I believe you are right. Maurice L Herr married Jessie McPhail - and there's a name that is a bit of a giveaway.

jerome said...

The Herrs, Maurice and Jessie, were in Brooklyn Bethel for many years, and when Jessie died in the 1930s she was buried in the Society's burial ground at Woodrow Road, Staten Island. Although the name McPhail is strongly suggestive, it appears that that Jessie McPhail, daughter of Matthew L McPhail, hymn writer, was a different person.