Mary Beecher Longyear (December 21, 1851 – March 14, 1931) was an American philanthropist and wife of

John Munro Longyear John Munro Longyear, Sr. (April 15, 1850 – May 28, 1922) was an American businessman and noted developer of timber and mineral lands in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan who became the central figure behind the Arctic Coal Company, which surve ...

, a wealthy businessman. She funded the first

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...

of the Bible in

Braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille display ...

and was a patron of the arts, education and benevolent organizations. A student of

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally know ...

, in 1911, she began collecting documents and items related to the early development of the religion and later established the Longyear Museum to further this work.

Life

Born Mary Hawley Beecher in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, Wisconsin to Samuel Peck Beecher, a farmer, and Caroline Matilda Beecher (née Walker), she grew up in Bedford Township, Michigan. She was educated at

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which encom ...

public schools and Albion College, after which she became a teacher. On January 4, 1879, she married John Munro Longyear in Battle Creek and moved to

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marquet ...

, where they had seven children, one of whom would later drown in a canoe accident. As her husband's business ventures, particularly in timber and mining, became successful, they became one of the wealthiest couples in Michigan. They built a mansion in Marquette, overlooking

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh w ...

, but they also became benefactors of the arts, education, and of efforts to help the blind. From the early 1890s, she was also active in the Christian Science movement, providing financial support to send a Christian Science worker to assist the growing interest in it in Germany. When Southeastern Railway wanted to lay track through their property, the Longyears decided to move. Knowing that the mansion would be difficult to sell or reproduce, they had the house dismantled and shipped by train 1,300 miles to

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and ...

, where it was rebuilt and enlarged. The feat was mentioned in ''Ripley's Believe It or Not''. In 1919, Mary Beecher Longyear offered

J. Robert Atkinson J. Robert Atkinson (November 29, 1887 – February 1, 1964) was the founder of the Universal Braille Press in 1919 in Los Angeles, later known as the Braille Institute of America, and published the first Braille edition of the King James Versi ...

$5,000 a year to create a

copy of the

of the Bible. The project took five years. In 1911, she began collecting objects, letters, and real estate relating to the early history of

and the life of Mary Baker Eddy, under the belief that these things would be valuable to future generations. In 1923, she established the Longyear Foundation, which later became the Longyear Museum in

. Longyear was a member of a number of organizations, including the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promot ...

, The Boston Author's Club, Sulgrave Manor Institute in England, and the Marquette County Historical Society, which received a bequest from Longyear's will, enabling them to purchase a building in 1937.

Published works (partial list)

*
Far Countries as Seen by a Boy
' (1916) * ''Gathered Verses of Many Years'' (1921) * ''The Genealogy and Life of Asa Gilbert Eddy'' (1922) * ''Hear, O Israel!'' (1922) *
The History of a House
' (1925)

References

External links

*
Mary Hawley Beecher (1851 - 1931)
Ancestry.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Longyear, Mary Beecher Converts to Christian Science Philanthropists from Massachusetts Philanthropists from Michigan 1851 births 1931 deaths Writers from Milwaukee People from Brookline, Massachusetts People from Marquette, Michigan Albion College alumni

Life

Published works (partial list)

See also

References

External links