Mary Stallard Purnell | |
|---|---|
 Purnell,c. 1904 | |
| Born | Mary Stallard (1862-11-13)November 13, 1862 Nickelsville, Virginia, United States |
| Died | August 19, 1953(1953-08-19) (aged 90) Benton Harbor, Michigan, U.S. |
| Resting place | City of David grounds, Benton Harbor, Michigan |
| Other names | Queen Mary |
| Occupation(s) | Religious leader, writer |
| Known for |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Mary Stallard Purnell (bornMary Stallard; November 13, 1862 – August 19, 1953), sometimes referred to asQueen Mary, was an American religious leader and writer. With her husband, Benjamin Purnell, she co-founded theIsraelite House of David, a communalChristian Israelite sect established in the early 20th century. She played a key role in expanding the movement into a nationally recognized religious colony inBenton Harbor, Michigan, noted for its distinctive religious practices, communal lifestyle,vegetarian principles, and cultural enterprises. After Benjamin's death and a subsequent leadership dispute, Mary established a separate community, known as Mary's City of David, which promoted spiritual renewal, modest living, and economic self-reliance. As part of this vision, she founded both a vegetarian hotel and a separate restaurant that catered to both religious adherents and Jewish vacationers. During theGreat Depression, the new colony developed into both a religious center and a Jewish vacation resort. Purnell led the community until her death in 1953.
Mary Stallard was born on November 13, 1862, nearNickelsville, Virginia, to James Alderman and Winnie Davis Stallard.[1] Her father, aconscientious objector during theAmerican Civil War, fled to neutral Kentucky when she was three months old and later brought his wife and children to join him.[2]
In August 1880, she married Benjamin Purnell, a Kentucky broom-maker, inAberdeen, Ohio. He had previously been married, had a daughter from that marriage, and had filed for divorce, though the proceedings were never completed.[2]
Their son Coy, was born in 1881. He traveled with his parents during their early preaching efforts but did not become a member of their religious colony. Accounts describe him leaving home at age 12 to serve as a bugler in a Kentucky regiment and later working as a mining prospector, with travels throughout the United States and Australia.[2] He died in 1924.[3] Their daughter, Hettie, born in 1887, left home at 16 and was employed at a store inFostoria, Ohio, where she died in a shop explosion.[2]
In the late 1880s, Mary and Benjamin worked as itinerant laborers before turning to preaching. They settled briefly inRichmond, Indiana, where they encountered followers ofJames Jershom Jezreel. In 1892, they moved to Detroit to join a Jezreelite colony led by Michael Mills. The community dissolved a few years later following a scandal involving Mills' conviction for statutory rape in 1894.[4]
In 1902, Mary and Benjamin began publishingThe Star of Bethlehem inFostoria, Ohio, formally establishing theIsraelite House of David. They claimed to have received a divine calling—referred to as the "Visitation" or "spiritual graft"—while affiliated with a Jezreelite group in Detroit. Presenting themselves as the Seventh and Final Messenger in a prophetic tradition dating back to 18th- and 19th-century British figures likeRichard Brothers andJoanna Southcott, they aimed to unite scatteredChristian Israelite groups worldwide, including followers of John Wroe andJames Jezreel.[4]
The Purnells settled inBenton Harbor, Michigan on March 17, 1903, acquiring land with help from local Jezreelites. After incorporating the Israelite House of David as a religious body on June 4, they launched missionary efforts and distributed their publication widely, gradually attracting new members.[4]
The colony grew rapidly.[4] In 1904, Mary accompanied Benjamin to Australia.[2] In March 1905, 85 Wroeite members from Australia arrived in Benton Harbor, making a public impression with a brass band procession and contributing valuable skills. In 1908, the community openedEden Springs Park, featuring miniature trains, live entertainment, and a small zoo. The group also formed baseball teams that gained national fame for their appearance and play on thebarnstorming circuit. Music was a key part of community life, with bands and choirs performing locally and a jazz group touring nationally in the late 1920s. The colony's economy centered on agriculture, supplemented by logging, transport, and businesses in Benton Harbor including a hotel, trolley line, and cold storage. By 1916, membership had grown to around 1,000.[4]
Religious practices focused on preaching, prayer, scripture study, and reflection. The group did not build churches or hold traditional services, nor did they observe a fixedSabbath—viewing every day as sacred. Influenced by early Christian models, they lived communally, followed avegetarian diet, and valued bodily purity.[4] Mary framed vegetarianism as a spiritual imperative, writing in a letter:[5]
Israel are VEGETARIANS from the standpoint of not killing any of God's creatures, even to satisfy appetites and lusts. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Israel shall measure up to that command, and 'present their bodies a living sacrifice'; Thou shalt not kill. The diet in Eden was a vegetarian diet.
Celibacy was practiced, though marriage was allowed. Men kept long hair and beards; modest dress was expected, with women typically avoiding makeup and wearing their hair long.[4]
The House of David faced ongoing controversy, especially over allegations of sexual misconduct by Benjamin. Complaints emerged as early as 1907, often tied to financial disputes. These intensified in the 1920s with two widely covered trials. Though Purnell faced accusations of rape and coercion, no criminal trial occurred, and some witnesses later recanted. In 1927, the group was found guilty of religious fraud in a civil case, though the verdict was later overturned. Media coverage, including sensational claims of a "sex cult", had a lasting impact on the colony's public image.[4]
Following Benjamin's death in 1927, ongoing legal disputes and internal leadership conflicts fractured the colony.[4] In 1930, a rift between Mary and Judge H. T. Dewhirst culminated in a formal split of the Israelite House of David, with Mary leading 217 followers to establish a new colony—later named the City of David—directly across from the original site. Despite the hardships of theGreat Depression, Mary's community undertook an ambitious building project using reclaimed materials, migrant labor, and volunteer efforts, guided by a sense of divine mission. Architect Frank Baushke designed simple, rustic cottages in contrast to the ornate structures of the original colony. Mary viewed the separation as a spiritual purification, distancing her group from what she perceived as the original colony's material excesses and moral compromise. While promoting spiritual renewal, Mary's City of David also embraced economic pragmatism, evolving into a thriving Jewish vacation resort.[6]
By 1934, the City of David operated two successful vegetarian restaurants—one in Mary's Hotel and another at Paradise Park. These eateries were popular with both locals and visitors, offering affordable meals made from produce grown and processed by the community. The vegetarian offerings were especially appealing to Jewish guests observingkosher dietary laws, including many from Chicago and Europe who sought refuge during the rise of anti-Semitism in the 1930s.[7]: 255 [8]Seventh-day Adventists were also drawn to the restaurants, appreciating both the cuisine and the community’s shared religious values.[7]: 255
Though the colony flourished for a time, broader economic shifts and declining membership due to celibacy eventually led to the community's gradual decline.[6] Mary, who came to be widely revered and affectionately referred to as "Queen Mary", remained the spiritual leader of the City of David until her death.[8]
Mary died on August 19, 1953, at age 90 in her apartment at Mary's Shilohin in Benton Harbor. Her death was kept private for two days. Initially interred at Crystal Springs Cemetery, her remains were reburied in January 1954 at the City of David grounds, in a mausoleum on the east lawn of the colony headquarters.[7]: 258
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