Maria Frances Ackley married CTR in March 1879. She left the family address in 1897, and in 1903 started legal proceedings to formalize the separation. It was granted in 1906 and a later hearing in 1907 settled the alimony. This article reviews what happened to Maria later up to her death in 1938.
After sharing a house in Cedar Avenue,
Pittsburgh, with her sister Emma, Maria went to live in the Pittsburgh suburb
of Avalon. She was there in 1907 because her 1907 book The Twain One was sold from an Avalon address. She is there in the
1910 census, living alone. She was still there in 1917 when a Bible student
named ‘Sister Wilson’ called on her in what is described as “the regular
Pastoral service.” The account was written up rather vaguely in the St Paul Enterprise for 20 February 1917,
where Maria states she was not present when a Pittsburgh minister attacked her
late husband from the pulpit as had been reported. The letter was headed “The
Charge Not True” and the letter was sent in by J A Bohnet.
The point was made in the letter that
“Sister Russell…professes full faith in the ransom, in the high calling,
restitution, chronology and the Studies
in the Scriptures in general.”
The letter also states that “Sister
Wilson says she greatly enjoyed the visit and was invited to come again.” Maria
also stated that she had much to do with the production of the first three
volumes.
Whether Sister Wilson made another visit
is not recorded.
While Maria was living in Avalon, her
sister Emma gained a post at Bethany College in West Virginia. This was an
educational establishment founded by Alexaander Campbell linked to the
Restoration movement (Disciples of Christ). It had been a co-educational
college since the 1880s. The details are given below as part of her newspaper
obituary.
Maria was still living in Avalon and
Emma was still at Bethany in July 1921 when their brother Lemuel was murdered
and they were both mentioned as family. A disgruntled policeman shot Lemuel in
a courtroom. See: https://jeromehistory.blogspot.com/2019/01/lemuel.html
When Emma retired, the two sisters
finally moved to Florida at the end of 1922 and bought a house together. From
the Tampa Bay Times for 24 December
1922:
According to Emma’s last will and
testament dated 13 September 1926 the two sisters owned the house between them;
they each had “a one-half undivided interest” in the property.
When Emma died first, her will left her
share to Maria with a lifetime interest, but with the understanding that
daughter Mabel, or if necessary her
heirs would eventually inherit.
Emma died in early 1929. From the Tampa
Bay Times for 6 February 1929:
This noted that her position at Bethany
College had been former dean of women. A similar report in the Tampa Bay Tribune added that she’d held
this position for eight years prior to her retirement. A telephone enquiry
several decades ago suggested she had been “Matron of Phillips Hall” at the
college which may be a more accurate description.
The 1930 census shows that Maria
continued living in the house on her own.
There are several small references to
her in the local papers – she leaves the area for a number of weeks to escape
the excessive heat, she visits relatives in Chicago (her late brother Lemuel’s
family), she tries unsuccessfully to get the taxes on the property reduced –
etc. She doesn’t appear to have been much involved in local events, but that
may just be because of her age. However, she still retains an interest in
theological matters. One example is found in a letter she wrote in 1931. It is
from the Tampa Bay Times for 29 July
1931, page 4.
Under the heading Open Forum and with the usual disclaimers, letters to the editor
were invited.
Maria responded:
Editor The
Times:
If you can find space in your Open Forum I
would like by this means to suggest a thought that present events have brought
forcibly to my attention. It is that the present world-wide financial
depression may really be viewed as a blessing in disguise however hard it
strikes us both corporately and individually.
It has compelled a sudden halt in human
affairs, and both nations and individuals are forced to consider, to study, and
to mend their ways. The eternal principles of truth and righteousness are put
to the fore, and good men, providentially exalted to positions of power and
influence, are pleading with the world, both as nations and as individuals, to
repent and to do the works mete for repentance.
Well, they are doing it. Praise the Lord! Our
honored president points out and leads the way, and lo, the heart of the
nations is yielding. Truly there is cause for rejoincing as nation after nation
responds – in humility and in mercy toward one another. Financial prosperity
could never have wrought this miracle, but “when the judgments of the Lord are
abroad in the earth the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” – Isa.
26:9.
And this reminds me of the Lord’s typical
course with guilty Nineveh. He sent his prophet, Jonah, to anounce that within
three days the city would be destroyed, because the wrath of God was upon it.
But Nineveh repented quickly, suddenly; and God also repented ad mercy stayed
the hand of justice. It looks to me like a parallel case here on a very large –
a world-wide scale. Consider: Notwithstanding the terrible experiences of the
World war and its bitter aftermath, the interval since the armistice has been
spent largely in hasty and feverish peparation for another conflict, which all
know must be more terrible and ruinously destructive. No nation wants it, but
anger, suspicion and fear impel them all to arm for defense from inevitable
danger. (“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come” – “Men’s hearts
failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on
the earth.”) But just as the nations stand today – armed to the teeth with
every weapon of destruction that advanced science can invent, and trembling for
fear of what seems inevitable in the nearing future, God has interposed in
mercy and let the financial crisis come with all of its forebodings of
world-wide disaster. Then, just in the nick of time He puts in the heart and
mind of our noble president a plan for relief, conditioned upon observance of
the principles of righteousness and mercy. Mr Hoover proved a ready instruments
– wise, patient, resourceful, conservative, righteous, merciful alike to friend
or foe. And lo, the nations and peoples almost everywhere respond, and the
principles of righteousness and forbearance are everywhere coming to the fore.
Judgment indeed must be laid to the line, and
righteousness to the plummet, and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies
(is doing it) and waters of truth shall overflow the hiding places of error and
sin.
Well, the world is breathing easier – with
now hope and courage, and further deeply significant developments, at the arms
conference, etc., will soon claim our attention. It is a time of prayer that
those in authority may have wisdom and divine guidance, and that the evil
forces may be restrained. A titanic confliect is on surely. But see Zeph,
2:1-3: “Before the decree brings forth, before the day pass as the chaff,
before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, seek ye the Lord, all ye
meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek
meekness, it may be yer shall be hid in he day of the Lord’s anger.”
MRS. M.F.
RUSSELL
E 516 Fourteenth
avenue north, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Maria’s views were now quite distant
from the Bible Student movement. She was optimistic about the future, believing
that the financial downturn in the world in the early 1930s was really going to
work out the will of God.
Although, as noted above, she was living
on her own after Emma’s death, Maria did try to get some company. This was
shown in the advertisement below from the Tampa
Bay Times for 13 May 1932. She described herself as a “refined, elderly
widow.”
But in the 1935 Florida State census she
is still living alone.
As her health failed with advancing
years, it appears that Emma’s daughter, Mabel Packard, and her family took
responsibility for her. Her obituary notice in the paper spoke of her niece,
Mrs Richard Packard “of this city.” When Maria died in 1938, her last will and
testament dated 4 April 1936 showed Mabel Packard inheriting the house in full.
There were also a number of monetary gifts to various nieces and nephews
ranging from $100 to $700. Maria had also loaned Mabel $1400 and that debt was
now cancelled.
This all indicates that Maria was
economically secure at the end of her life. As for the house – it last came on
the market in the early 2020s and was then valued at over one millon dollars.
The Ackley sisters, Maria and Emma, both had concerns about money during their lives, but ultimately they were quite comfortable financially.
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