Ruth Berkeley White

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Ruth White is most well-known as a Baha'i who challenged the authenticity of the will of Abdul Baha, the recently deceased former leader of the faith.  Most mentions of her life are quite abrupt, giving little to no background from which to form a biography.  This article serves to correct that imbalance.
 
Ruth White is most well-known as a Baha'i who challenged the authenticity of the will of Abdul Baha, the recently deceased former leader of the faith.  Most mentions of her life are quite abrupt, giving little to no background from which to form a biography.  This article serves to correct that imbalance.
  
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==Early life==
 
In her book Baha'i Leads out of the Labyrinth, she gives some biographical details of her life. She states that her "stage name" was Ruth Berkeley, but [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL009.gif on page 9] in 1912, in Boston, she refers to herself as "Miss Berkeley", and a few pages later [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL012.gif on page 12] states that she was writing articles for newspapers, and that both her parents were Roman Catholic.  While a little later on, [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL023.gif on page 23] she relates that she had been on the stage, but had given it up.  She went to Boston to write for the newspaper, but then about 1912, returned to New York City and was doing art drawings for a fashion magazine. [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL027.gif On page 27] on 24 Aug 1912, Abdul Baha calls her "Miss Ruth Berkeley".  [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL110.gif Here on page 110 she states] : "When last I visited London it was as a member of the Sir Johnstone Forbes-Robertson company.  Although I had been greatly interested in my stage career...."
 
In her book Baha'i Leads out of the Labyrinth, she gives some biographical details of her life. She states that her "stage name" was Ruth Berkeley, but [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL009.gif on page 9] in 1912, in Boston, she refers to herself as "Miss Berkeley", and a few pages later [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL012.gif on page 12] states that she was writing articles for newspapers, and that both her parents were Roman Catholic.  While a little later on, [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL023.gif on page 23] she relates that she had been on the stage, but had given it up.  She went to Boston to write for the newspaper, but then about 1912, returned to New York City and was doing art drawings for a fashion magazine. [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL027.gif On page 27] on 24 Aug 1912, Abdul Baha calls her "Miss Ruth Berkeley".  [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL110.gif Here on page 110 she states] : "When last I visited London it was as a member of the Sir Johnstone Forbes-Robertson company.  Although I had been greatly interested in my stage career...."
  
 
Robert Alan Kraft compiled a genealogy of the Pierrepont families, and uploaded it in 2000 [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/gopher/other/journals/kraftpub/Genealogical/Pierpont%20Family/pierpont.gen here], unfortunately it lists no sources.  It states that her birth name was Emma Decker, that her parents were Peter Decker and Anna Geiger and that she was born in Brooklyn.  However, based on her several entries in the Ships logs below I think she was more-then-likely born in Litchfield County, [[Connecticut]].  Her birthday of 27 Jun is consistent, her birthyear being either 1886 or 1888.  It is possible that someone has merged two different women together.
 
Robert Alan Kraft compiled a genealogy of the Pierrepont families, and uploaded it in 2000 [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/gopher/other/journals/kraftpub/Genealogical/Pierpont%20Family/pierpont.gen here], unfortunately it lists no sources.  It states that her birth name was Emma Decker, that her parents were Peter Decker and Anna Geiger and that she was born in Brooklyn.  However, based on her several entries in the Ships logs below I think she was more-then-likely born in Litchfield County, [[Connecticut]].  Her birthday of 27 Jun is consistent, her birthyear being either 1886 or 1888.  It is possible that someone has merged two different women together.
  
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==Marriages==
 
She states that her first married name was Mrs George Rowell, and by this marriage she had a daughter, but I know nothing more of the daughter or the husband.  Her second husband Herbert Lawrence White (1869-1953), graduated in law from Cornell University, but was set-up as a businessman in his family's company the Utica Drop Forge Company.  Herbert [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/gopher/other/journals/kraftpub/Genealogical/Pierpont%20Family/pierpont.gen in Robert Alan Kraft's Pierrepont genealogy], is shown with a wife Emma (Ruth) Decker born 27 June 1880, but note that there, they state, that this couple were married on 28 Oct 1912 in Chicago.  Ruth relates how she and Lawrence met [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL034.gif on page 34].
 
She states that her first married name was Mrs George Rowell, and by this marriage she had a daughter, but I know nothing more of the daughter or the husband.  Her second husband Herbert Lawrence White (1869-1953), graduated in law from Cornell University, but was set-up as a businessman in his family's company the Utica Drop Forge Company.  Herbert [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/gopher/other/journals/kraftpub/Genealogical/Pierpont%20Family/pierpont.gen in Robert Alan Kraft's Pierrepont genealogy], is shown with a wife Emma (Ruth) Decker born 27 June 1880, but note that there, they state, that this couple were married on 28 Oct 1912 in Chicago.  Ruth relates how she and Lawrence met [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL034.gif on page 34].
  
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Herbert is the one of that name who was son of William Mansfield White by his wife Anna Maria Pierrepont.  This is proven by comparing the California Death Index entry below, which gives his birthdate and names his mother as a Pierrepont, to the ship's logs below, which give the same birthdate.
 
Herbert is the one of that name who was son of William Mansfield White by his wife Anna Maria Pierrepont.  This is proven by comparing the California Death Index entry below, which gives his birthdate and names his mother as a Pierrepont, to the ship's logs below, which give the same birthdate.
  
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==To Haifa==
 
[http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL057.gif On page 57] we see that by 18 Dec 1918, "Ruth White and H. Lawrence White" were living at "R.D.2 Santa Cruz, California".  At the invitation of Abdul Baha, they sailed from New York on 16 Mar 1920 to Haifa to visit him, where they finally arrived on 21 Apr 1920.  They visited several sites, stayed with the Bahais there, and eventually returned to the United States about June or July 1920.
 
[http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL057.gif On page 57] we see that by 18 Dec 1918, "Ruth White and H. Lawrence White" were living at "R.D.2 Santa Cruz, California".  At the invitation of Abdul Baha, they sailed from New York on 16 Mar 1920 to Haifa to visit him, where they finally arrived on 21 Apr 1920.  They visited several sites, stayed with the Bahais there, and eventually returned to the United States about June or July 1920.
  
 
The following year they decided to spend the Summer in England.  She relates this story, explaining how they left the United States on 21 May 1921, starting at [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL107.gif page 107].  After some months in England, they arrived in Palestine on 10 Nov 1921 ([http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL117.gif page 117]).
 
The following year they decided to spend the Summer in England.  She relates this story, explaining how they left the United States on 21 May 1921, starting at [http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL107.gif page 107].  After some months in England, they arrived in Palestine on 10 Nov 1921 ([http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/U-Z/W/White_Ruth/BLOL117.gif page 117]).
  
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==Later life==
 
In her first book or phamplet, printed in 1927 with an appendix dated 1929, she gives her address as merely a PO Box at Grand Central Station, New York City.  Frederick Glaysher paid to have copies made of the documents Ruth deposited in the Library of Congress relating to her correspondence with Palestine about the will.  On one of these documents, dated 1931 [http://www.fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/RWhiteLibC.htm here] they, at that time, lived on Morningside Drive in New York City.  They possibly as well had a home in Utica, New York. She perhaps moved in the mid 40s to Beverly Hills, California where one of her books is published in 1946.  Her husband died in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California in 1953.  She was evidently yet living as late as 1962, in South Carolina, per the Pierrepont genealogy cited above.
 
In her first book or phamplet, printed in 1927 with an appendix dated 1929, she gives her address as merely a PO Box at Grand Central Station, New York City.  Frederick Glaysher paid to have copies made of the documents Ruth deposited in the Library of Congress relating to her correspondence with Palestine about the will.  On one of these documents, dated 1931 [http://www.fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/RWhiteLibC.htm here] they, at that time, lived on Morningside Drive in New York City.  They possibly as well had a home in Utica, New York. She perhaps moved in the mid 40s to Beverly Hills, California where one of her books is published in 1946.  Her husband died in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California in 1953.  She was evidently yet living as late as 1962, in South Carolina, per the Pierrepont genealogy cited above.
  

Revision as of 19:24, 14 November 2007

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