Rutherford Exposed: The Story of Berta and Bonnie

by Farkel 747 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  frankiespeakin

  I know this is a long shot but here goes a radical idea.

  What if Bonnie Balko was a real manipulator and she married her husband but was in an arrangement like CTR and Maria. And what if Bonnie just used her husband,,and the afair with his wife by JR was tollerated because their were benifits for bonnies husband as well. Bonnie may have always tried to please the Judge because that gave her power,,she may have even been willing to share him with her freind(Bertha) because that would always be an ally,,she could use to manipulate the Judge.
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  Leolaia

  I think you mean Bonnie Boyd, and AFAIK Bonnie Balko is a totally innocent party in this and in all likelihood she is still alive, so I hope this discussion respects her and her name....

  As for Bonnie Boyd, I know of no evidence that she was manipulative and the idea of a sociopath like da Judge, a master manipulator himself, being manipulated by her is quite hard to believe -- but not, I guess, impossible. I have wondered whether Rutherford was somewhat out-of-his-usual-character in his relationship with Bonnie -- of which we still admittedly know little about, i.e. whether it fits the "womanizing" profile or whether it consisted of a more partnership type of relationship. It is probably safe to say though that she was opportunistic and took full advantage of the privileges that Rutherford provided.
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  frankiespeakin

  The level of manipulation in the Judge may have been higher than in Bonnie Boyd(yes that who I meant). With the Judge being a full blown sociopath and Bonnie just a shrude oportunist.
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  Leolaia

  I've been trying to find Bonnie Boyd in earlier censuses, but it is very difficult. All I know is that she was born around 1899 in Iowa. There is no "Bonnie Boyd" in Iowa in the 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses, which makes me suspect that her birth name was somewhat different. I decided to check the 1900 census to find anyone who was female, under the age of 1, and living in Iowa according to the census. The candidates are:

  • Mildred B. Boyd. Born in February 1899. Might her full name be "Mildred Bonnie Boyd"? Her mother was Alda M. Boyd, born in December 1877 in Iowa, her father was Samuel Boyd, born in April 1874 in Ohio, and her brother was Hugh W. Boyd, born in July 1897 in Iowa. They lived in Russell Town, Washington Township, Lucas, Iowa. Her next-door neighbors were also Boyds, and thus probably relatives: Arthur D. Boyd, Theodoia Boyd, and Dwight W. Boyd. If anyone can find out the name of Bonnie's mother who travelled with her, her age, or the names of other relatives, or month of birth, etc. this would help confirm or disconfirm this individual as Bonnie. In the 1910 census, Mildred B. Boyd was living in 2-WD, Osceola, Clarke County, Iowa.
  • Baby Boyd. Born in May 1899. Her mother was Eliza C. Boyd, born in January 1868 in Iowa, her father was Elmer E. Boyd, born in November 1863, and her brothers were Vernon E., Bryant E., and Harold E. Boyd, and her sisters were Lorna C., Florence M., and Grace A. Boyd. She lived in Liscomb Township, Marshall County, Iowa.
  • There was another Baby Boyd, born in 1899, living in Sugar Grove, Dallas County, Iowa.
  • Other female Boyds born in Iowa in 1899 and classified as "white" include Bertha D. Boyd, Emily Amanda Boyd, Genevieve Boyd, Margery Boyd, Mary E. Boyd, Mary R. Boyd, Mina F. Boyd, Nellie Boyd, and even Zubz Boyd.

  That's about it. If I can find the right Boyd, that might help me determine whether Bonnie Boyd was related to the Balkos. And unfortunately, I can't find an Archie Boyd married to a Georgia Boyd -- perhaps they were married after 1930.
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  Athanasius

  Hi Leolaia,

  A relative of mine has an extensive Watch Tower library with the indexes. If I get a chance I will do some research and see if there are any references to Bonnie Boyd in the Watch Tower publications. I know that she is quoted in the 1975 Yearbook regarding an assembly in the 1920s. In the Yearbook the Watch Tower refers to her as sister William Heath.

  Yesterday I talked with an ex-Bethelite who knew some of the oldtimers who knew Bonnie Boyd Heath. They said that Bonnie was noted for wearing large hats.
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  Earnest

  *** yb75 p.84 United States of America (Part One) ***
  Further insight into Rutherford?s personality is gained from what took place in the Bible Students? old London Tabernacle when he gave the Memorial talk there on April 18, 1924. Concerning this, Sister William P. Heath writes: ?The Tabernacle was an old Episcopalian church that the Society had bought cheap, and they used it for Sunday meetings as we use a Kingdom Hall today. . . . The place for the speaker was way up at the ceiling, about twenty feet off the floor. Only his head would be visible when addressing the audience. Maybe this is why Brother Rutherford called it the ?horse trough.? He refused to speak from it; in fact, he shocked the brothers by coming down and standing on a level with them.?
• 

  Farkel

  Earnest,
  
  : Sister William P. Heath
  
  "Sister" William P. Heath? I could understand "Mrs." William P. Heath, but "Sister" William P. Heath? They must REALLY be anal in the WTS Headquarters!
  
  Farkel
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  Athanasius

  Thanks Earnest for finding that quote. Do you know why the Watch Tower calls her Sister William P. Heath instead of Bonnie Boyd Heath? Are they trying to hide her true identity? And if so what are the reasons for this masquerade?
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  Earnest

  It is a curious mix of the formal (using the husband's name to refer to his wife) and the informal (the use of 'Sister' rather than 'Mrs.'), isn't it. But I think the use of her husband's name had more to do with the etiquette of a patriarchal society than with trying to hide her true identity. The same Yearbook also has Sister Earl E. Newell (p.49), Sister Dwight T. Kenyon (p.72), Sister Arthur L. Claus (p.116), Sister James W. Bennecoff (p.132), Sister Herschel Nelson (p.149) and Sister Edward Broad (p.181). There are instances where the woman's name precedes her surname but I think that is only the case for those unmarried.

  Out of interest, 21 of the 24 uses of the more formal 'Mrs.' are used in respect to "Mrs. C. T. Russell (the former Maria Frances Ackley, whom Russell had married in 1879)" [p.65], who is never referred to as Sister in this Yearbook. But I think I am drifting off-topic so will leave further discussion on the etiquette of patriarchal societies to another thread.

  Earnest
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  Athanasius

  Interesting point Earnest. Maybe you can answer another question. Hazel Burford, one of Rutherford's nurses during his last days at Beth Sarim, related her experiences in the Watch Tower back in the 1950s. Bonnie Boyd and William Heath did the same. Could you please check your library for the exact year and month in which this story appeared in the Watch Tower magazine? Right now I don't have access to those magazines.