VM44 and everyone else, I hope you don't mind me trying to summarize everyone else's brilliant research and amazing contributions to this thread, and I hope this is accurate and hits the main points you are most interested in without screwing anything up...
A RECAP OF THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION INTO JOSEPH FRANKLIN RUTHERFORD'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH BERTA TEEL PEEL & BONNIE BOYD HEATH
Background
JFR was born 8 November 1869 in Missouri to James Calvin Rutherford and Lenora Strickland. He had 7 siblings; was married to Lenora Strickland (aka Lanora, Leonora) in the early 1890s; was licensed to practice law 5 May 1892; had a son 10 November 1892; was baptised as a Bible Student in 1906; went to Bethel in 1907 and served as the Society's legal counselor under President Russell; was admitted to the US Supreme Court Bar in 1909; became President of the WTB&TS in January 1917 after Russell died (some say poisoned) with the support of MacMillan and Van Amburgh; dismissed 4 of the 7 Directors, on the disputed claim they were not legal members of the Board; raised hell for a while; in January 1930 took up winter residence at the Beth-Sarim mansion (likely paid for by his chiropractor and loyal adherent, Dr. Eckols) along with August and Blanch Balko (handyman and cook), and others of his personal attendants, including his stenographer Bonnie Boyd (age 31) who had been with him since 1923.
Enter Bonnie Boyd
We haven't yet uncovered much of Bonnie's history. In the 1930 census she said she was born in 1899 in Iowa. But her mother (whose name we don't yet know) went "home" to Texas when she left Beth-Sarim. She and Bonnie went to Bethel together in 1923 at the invitation of William E. Van Amburgh. Bonnie was to serve as his stenographer but soon was working in that capacity for JFR. That same year, Mrs. Rutherford took up residence in Monrovia, California. In Bonnie's testimony at the Moyle vs Franz trial, she claimed that she took all the dictation for all the books and WT articles JFR wrote. She also accompanied him on annual trips to Europe that lasted 6-8 weeks at a time, living the same life of luxury that he did. She claimed her relationship to him was that of an "adopted daughter." She called him "Pappy." She signed the deed to Beth-Sarim in January 1930. It was also sometime in the early 30's that she and Berta Peale became friends and attended a convention in Europe together, likely with JFR. Then, in 1937, William P. Heath, Jr. was invited to become JFR's personal secretary (they had previously met in 1934, 2 years after Heath became a baptised JW). He was thus present on the next European speaking tour and then accompanied JFR and Bonnie B to Beth-Sarim for the winter. Later that very winter, in January 1938, Heath got a divorce from his wife of 7 or 8 years (Dorothy Smith, daughter of Mendel Smith) and 1 week later married Bonnie Boyd in Las Vegas. Later that year, Berta Peale was invited to Bethel to be JFR's personal dietician and occasional nurse.
Mrs. Berta Peale, Come On Down
Berta Teel was born 30 October 1901 in Pitt County, North Carolina to William and Mary Teel who soon moved to Akron, Ohio. She was a pioneer and claimed to be one of the "anointed" after becoming a baptised Bible Student around 1918. She had no high school education, no formal training of any kind, and worked as a clerk in the Akron Post Office. In 1923 she married Alfred Peale and they were living in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio during the 1930 census. It is possible that she met JFR sometime in 1927. In the early 30's, as mentioned before, she became friends with Bonnie Boyd and they attended a convention together in Europe. In 1938 she left her husband of 15 years and went to Bethel in the official capacity of personal dietician to JFR. In 1939 her husband sued for a divorce having "made numerous efforts for a reconciliation." It was granted in 1940, citing "gross neglect of duty." Her nephew has described her as having a soft southern accent and dressing very classy. Some time after JFR's death she made a gift to her sister of some lingerie she had purchased in France during her time at Bethel and had herself worn-- crotchless panties and a bra with holes for the nipples to stick through. Before her own death in May 1973, it is reported that she confessed to the elders in her congregation that she had carried on an affair with JFR that spanned 15 years. She also told her own relatives "he was like a husband to me in every way."
Have a Cadillac and a Smile
Going back now to Bonnie Boyd Heath, other interesting relationships of a more monetary nature have been revealed. Bonnie's husband was a Coca-Cola Bottling Plant Manager (although only claiming to be a salesman in the Moyle vs Franz trial). His father, a chemist with NP Pratt Laboratory had been Vice President of a Coca-Cola franchise. His brother, Alfred T., was president of a Coca-Cola Bottling Company. His cousin was President and co-owner of the North Carolina Coca-Cola Bottling Company. And his sister, Susette, married Eugene Robert Black, Jr. who was President of the World Bank from July 1949 - December 1962 and, prior to that, Senior VP of Chase National Bank, and whose father was President of the Federal Reserve Bank from 13 Jan 1928 - 19 May 1933 and 16 Aug 1934 - 19 Dec 1934, and a Board member of the Federal Reserve in Washington, DC. It was WP Heath, Jr's father (not a Bible Student himself, but married to one) that funded the building of a second mansion (almost a fortress, really) near Beth-Sarim in 1939-- Beth Shan. And it was he who bought the Cadillacs parked in the garage at Beth-Sarim. And it was Heath Jr and Bonnie who got to live at Beth Shan.
The Princess and the Prince
Speaking of Beth-Sarim, the live-in caretakers mentioned earlier, August and Blanch Balko, came there from Texas in January 1930, bringing with them their infant daughter, Bonnie C. who came to be known as Princess Bonnie. Her brother, born in 1931, was named Prince Joseph Barak. Don't have much too say yet in that regard but didn't want to leave them out.
Questions, Anyone?
Yeah, me too. For starters...
Who was Bonnie Boyd? Was she JFR's mistress or was she just an "adopted daughter?" Or was she really his daughter? Who was her mother? Was SHE JFR's former lover? Why did she and her daughter go to Bethel together?
Did W.P Heath, Jr and his first wife have any children?
How did any of the above relationships effect the WTB&TS itself? Was the Society used to launder money? Was Rutherford the only one to benefit financially or by way of "perks?"
And so many more...
