Rutherford Exposed: The Story of Berta and Bonnie (page 36)

Farkel

What happened to Berta and Bonnie and Da Judge?

Just kidding.

Farkel

Scully

Hey Farkel

Good to "see" you.

Love, Scully

Athanasius

Hi all,

Anything new on Bonnie and William Heath?

I wish I had something new on the exasperatingly elusive Bonnie Boyd! I don't know yet if what few old bones I have been able to dig up have any connection to each other and to her or if they will have to be discarded. If somone wants to help me confirm/disconfirm them here they are:

Since we "know" that Bonnie was born in Iowa, 1899, but her mother went home to Texas after leaving Beth-Sarim, I have been trying to discover a Boyd connection between Iowa and Texas (and I have been looking for the Archie Boyd that was mentioned earlier, as well).

*In Shelby County, Iowa, 29 January 1890, Edgar Boyd (son of John Boyd and Elizabeth Jamison) married Nettie Mann (daughter of John Mann and Mary Kennedy) = Mrs. Nettie Boyd.

*In the 1935 Citizens Directory of Malakoff, Texas, Henderson County, there is a listing for Mrs. Nettie Boyd.

*In the 1900 Henderson County, Texas census there is an Archie Luther T. Boyd, born February 1886 and in the 1930 census there is an Archie Luther Boyd (parents' nativity is different than those of the above Archie, so either he didn't know where his parents were born or he is a different Archie Luther) also born in 1886. He is married to Johnnie Miller Harris here but, at another site, is said to have been married to her only briefly as she had an affair with a cousin of her first husband (Enoch Harris).

As I said, I don't know how or even if these Boyds are connected to each other and to Bonnie, but it's all I've got to go on for now. Feel free to check into it further yourselves if you think it has any worthwhile possibility.

Happy hunting! --Merry

Leolaia

I just searched the Biography and Genealogy Master Index and found an entry for William Pratt Heath, Sr. (1875-1950). His biographical citations are published in the following book:

Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 2: August, 1949-August, 1952. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1953.

At least this tells us that the elder WP Heath did not die until 1950, and thus Heath Jr.'s wealth was not an inheritance from dad.

Leolaia

Anyone know the year Bonnie Boyd-Heath died?

Leolaia

Archie Luther Boyd was born on 25 February 1886 and died in Henderson County, Texas. But there was another Archie Boyd that poses a more promising possibility. In the 1900 census, we encounter an Archie J. Boyd, Sr. living at Justice Precinct 5, Falls, Texas, and he was born in November 1854 in South Carolina. His wife was Annie C. Boyd, a native Texan whose parents were from Tennassee, who was born in September 1872. He had two sons, George W. Boyd (born in November 1888) and Archie J. Boyd, Jr. (born in June 1891), and two daughters: Addie L. Boyd (born in August 1896) and Bonnie Boyd (born in September 1898). Now, the date of birth actually fits well since "1899" was an estimate based on her age in the 1930 census (Bonnie was 31 years old). Do you have any other a priori reason to associate Bonnie Boyd with an "Archie Boyd"? The main problem with linking this Bonnie with our Bonnie Boyd is that she was born in Texas and judging from her brothers and sisters, the family lived in Texas for many years.

MerryMagdalene

In the SSDI there is a Bonnie Heath that died in Atlanta, GA in August of 1979 but the birth year doesn't quite match Bonnie Boyd's (1904 as opposed to 1899) and I don't have a subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's "Stacks" or I would check the archived obits (assuming they go back that far). Sorry, no help here.

MerryMagdalene

Oh, bother...I can't believe that in my recap several posts back I actually listed JFR's mother as his wife. I meant to say that he married Mary Fetzer. #!%!*#! Sorry.

Leolaia, interesting find on those Boyds in Texas! A little problematic but the possibilities are definitely intriguing. Wow. A Bonnie and an Archie neatly linked together.In Texas. I have no strong reason to associate Bonnie Boyd with an Archie Boyd other than their sharing a surname. Earnest mentioned on p.12 of this thread that there was a 6/1/85 WT that talked about the Society's having sent Archie & Georgia Boyd, their son Donald, and daughter Susan to assist with the work in San Pedro in 1942/43, and he wondered if there might be a familial link there. Given the lack of info about Bonnie, it seemed worth pursuing.

Do you have a date of death for the Archie Sr you mentioned? I've been wondering if Bonnie Boyd's father died before she and her mom went to Bethel or if her mom left him behind. I guess I've been assuming the former but, as evidenced by some of the other stories here, that is definitely not a given. And does anyone know when Bonnie's mother returned to Texas? And when she died?

Would love to hear more from anyone who cares to share!

--Merry

Athanasius

Hi Merry and Leolaia,

I don't know if this information will help but according to Bonnie's testimony at the Moyle trial she was married to William Heath on January 25, 1938 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Perhaps if someone can access the records in Las Vegas, the marriage license will have her date of birth and location of birth. Bonnie also testified that Mrs. Peal came to Bethel in 1938 and took her mother's place as housekeeper. At the time of the trial, May 1943, the mother was living in Texas. She left Beth Sarim sometime in 1938. But I don't know if she went directly to Texas or not.

The Moyle transcripts may have more information and if I get the time will research them further.

Rutherford Exposed: The Story of Berta and Bonnie

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