


Learn more about her monument.Īdapted from the research of Jill Graboski, as published in Mount Auburn Cemetery’s July Birthday: Mary Baker Eddy, 2004.A Bold New VisionBostonians founded Mount Auburn in 1831 for both practical and aesthetic reasons: to solve an urban land use problem created by an increasing number of burials in the city and to create a tranquil and beautiful place where families could commemorate their loved ones with tasteful works of art in an inviting and natural setting. Mary Baker Eddy is buried in Lot 6234 on Halcyon Avenue. In 1995, Eddy was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame as the first American woman to found and lead an international religious movement. Eddy died in 1910, with a funeral service held in her Chestnut Hill home. It was from this home that Eddy established The Christian Science Monitor, intended to be an honest daily newspaper. To shield herself from the public eye, Eddy moved from Concord, NH to Chestnut Hill, MA to a more private enclave. Though Eddy’s movement experienced continual growth and success, her personal life faced constant scrutiny and she was frequently involved in legal battles (the most notable of which involved John Pulitzer’s 1906 claim that Eddy was senile and that her family was mismanaging her finances). By 1902, the number of worshippers attending services had outgrown the Mother Church, and funds were raised to build the Mother Church Complex – the second largest worship hall in the United States. She edited and published the Christian Science Journal every month and in 1892 approved the building of a Christian Science church in Boston. Eddy (whom she had married in 1877), Eddy continued lecturing in Boston and was named pastor of the First Church of Christ, Scientist in 1879. With the support of her new husband, Asa G. She formed the Christian Scientist Association in 1876, amidst intense public scrutiny. To combat the financial strain resulting from her divorce, Eddy began renting rooms of her home and delivering public lectures. Former students spoke publicly against her teachings when they did not successfully heal patients of their own. An essay entitled “The Science of Man” ultimately grew into Eddy’s 700-page text Science and Health (1875), still a best seller to this day.Įddy quickly became embroiled in controversy as she developed her new religious healing movement. She succeeded, and the attending physician encouraged Eddy to write about her healing method. Reinforcing her claims, Eddy stepped in to help heal a patient diagnosed with a fatal case of pneumonia. Unlike Phineas Quimby, Eddy believed healing came through the power of God, not physicians. As her health improved, and her second husband left her, Eddy’s faith in the power of spiritual healing–what would become Christian Science–grew. She focused on reading her Bible, and instantly felt invigorated.
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In the winter of 1866, she slipped and injured her hip on a patch of ice which led to a fatal diagnosis from doctors. She was experiencing improved health which allowed her to actively participate in the community and contribute articles to her local paper. In 1864 Eddy moved to Lynn, Massachusetts with her second husband. Eddy took great interest in his work and studied his methods. In 1862 she met with Phineas Quimby, a healer from Maine, whose mental exercises can be best described as a form of hypnotism. She believed that the strongest healing force was a patient’s will. It was during this time that she began her exploration of spiritual healing, as found in the passages of the Bible.

Her health began to deteriorate, and her mother began assisting with George until her death in 1849, at which point George was cared for by a family nurse.Įddy became ill again in 1856 and spent much of the next six years bedridden, which led her to seek alternative forms of treatment. This prompted Eddy to move back to New Hampshire, where she gave birth to a son, George. In 1836, she began studying with a pastor at her local Congregationalist church however, she disagreed with the Calvinist doctrines of the Church and instead sought solace in the pages of the Bible.Īt the age of 19, Eddy moved to South Carolina and married George Washington Glover, who died a year later after contracting yellow fever. Born to a farming family in Bow, New Hampshire on July 16, 1821, Mary Baker Eddy went on to found the Church of Christ, Scientist.Įddy experienced poor health in her youth, and as a result was tutored at home by her older brother.
