Worcester Baha'is

Ruby J. Struven

Ruby (Hebe) Struven (1882—1973)

Ruby Jean Struven (née Moore) was born in the town of Hume, NY on November 4, 1882. She was the ninth out of ten children of Reuben Moore (born circa 1817) and Ellen McBride Moore (born circa 1842), both from New York State and she was also the younger sister of Lua (Louise) Getsinger (née Moore) . Hebe, as she was commonly called, came from a Baptist tradition and accepted the Baha'i Faith around 1896-98 in Hume, NY. Her belief in Bahá'u'lláh probably occurred through the influence of her older sister Lua (1,2).

Howard C. Struven

Howard Christmas Struven (1882—1977)

The Baltimore years

On Christmas day, 1882 in Baltimore, MD, Rosa and Dietrich Struven, immigrants from Bremen, Germany, were blessed with the birth of their youngest son, Howard Christmas. Little did they know of the impact that this young boy, and his brother, were to have on the advancement of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh in this country and the world, and specially, in the city of Worcester (1, 2).

Florence R. Morton

Florence Reed Morton (1876—1953)

Born Florence Eleanor Reed, in Worcester, Massachusetts on October 12, 1876 and the daughter of Frederick E. and Sarah Reed (née Wood), Florence Morton was one of the early Bahá’ís of the region and Treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. She married Fred S. Morton on May 3, 1911 and together they had one son, Stanley Reed Morton (born December 28, 1912), who also became active in the early Bahá’í community of Worcester (1, 2, 10).

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The Worcester County Bahá'í Community

“The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens” - Bahá'u'lláh