Struven Family

About 100 years ago, during World War I, the first Bahá'í family in Worcester, the Struvens (Howard C. and Hebe Struven and their son Howard Douglas) moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Worcester, Massachusetts. In the years before their moving both, Howard and Hebe, had already been very active members in the faith, having both accepted the faith in the late 1890's and being very active members in their local communities of Baltimore (Howard) and Washington, D.C.(Hebe). Both had done the pilgrimage to the Holy Land before being married in Baltimore early 1912. They had the great privilege of welcoming 'Abdu'l-Bahá to their home while He visited Baltimore on November 11, 1912.

The Struvens were registered at the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, along with Mr. Arthur Hathaway, in 1920 as the first Baha'is in Worcester, and they were key in the establishment of the Faith in the city. By 1922 the following Bahá’ís were listed in Worcester's membership list: Arthur A. Hathaway, Mr. and Mrs. Howard C. Struven, Mr. and Mrs. Henry L. Green, Ellen M. Burt.