Ask a Researcher
Answers to questions our research team has received.
What were Eddy’s political views?
Read what she had to say, including questions she answered.
“I never doubted”: Mary Baker Eddy and her printers
Perhaps two of the more inconspicuous items in the collections of The Mary Baker Eddy Library are a wooden box and a small group of metal printing plates.
The Color of Mary Baker Eddy’s Hair and Eyes
Eddy's hair color was dark brown, and by 1891, when she was 70, her hair was white. Her eye color, however, is harder to determine. In her reminiscence, Mary Stewart described Eddy's eyes as "blue...which changed as she talked - sometimes looking almost gray and...
“The Right Princess,” Chapter XXIX: “Whither thou goest”
In an interview given to the Portland [Maine] Evening Express and Advertiser in 1912, American author Clara Louise Burnham…
Technology in Mary Baker Eddy’s Household
Airplanes: “Calvin Frye was much interested in mechanical developments and was a steady subscriber to technical magazines. When it was announced that an airplane meet would take place at Squantum, Massachusetts, Mr. Frye and other members of the household very much...
Article XXIII, Section 1: “Local Self-government”
To best answer this inquiry, we have prepared a chronology of this By-Law’s development. To read the full text please download the PDF.
Mary Baker Eddy’s Experience During the Civil War
The U.S. Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, had a profound impact on the lives of every American who lived through it. Eddy was no exception; both her son and several friends served, and she herself lived through incredible hardships at a time when the entire country was...
“Present Order of Services”
"Order of Services," (Church Manual 120-121), was originally published in the Christian Science periodicals. In August 1889 Mary Baker Eddy introduced a notice in The Christian Science Journal that, for the first time, mentioned the order of services.Mary B. G....
Mary Baker Eddy and John Greenleaf Whittier
Eddy was a lifelong admirer of the work of Whittier (1807-1892). An avid scrapbooker, she clipped his poems out of literary magazines, and later quoted his words in her own published writings. The archives also contain an unpublished poem she wrote sometime before...
What are the “blue book” and the “red book”?
Read about our exploration of the history and authenticity of these widely circulated compilations.
What did Eddy write about Gnosticism?
Read excerpts that give insights.
What is the background on Eddy’s article “Contagion”?
Here’s some research that gives context.
Did Joseph Armstrong heal people of smallpox?
Here is background that suggests he did.
Did Eddy use Webster’s 1828 dictionary?
The answer is somewhat nuanced.
Did Eddy regularly read a hymn at bedtime?
Here’s information that suggests she did.
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