BETHELITES - Whatever Became of?

by Black Man 296 Replies latest jw friends

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  Nathan Natas

  Belbab, I can provide some vague information about WT burials.

  In the days of CTR burials of Bethel family members were at the Pittsburgh cemetery with the "Russell pyramid"

  After the Society left Pennsylvania they acquired some farmland on Staten Island in New York. At that time Staten Island was like another planet in terms of accessibility: there were some bridges from the New Jersey side of the island, or the Staten Island ferry from the southern tip of Manhattan. In addition to growing much of the food for the Bethel family, the Staten Island property provided a hideaway for Rutherford and his personal secretaries. Eventually folks realized that even Staten Island was too close to Bethel and that was when the Society moved Rutherford to San Diego for 6 or more months out of the year.

  Back in the days of the Staten Island Watchtower farm, the Society had a plot of land on the property of the United Methodist Church that was not far from the farm on Staten Island. That plot of about 100x100 feet was used by the WTB&TS as the final resting place of many of the Brooklyn family. No headstones were ever erected, but I have been told that at bethel there is a list of who is there. Judge Rutherford is supposed to be there, but he's not - an empty coffin is (Rutherford's body is in San Diego). W. E. Van Amburgh and his wife are there, among many others. I am not sure if cremation was used for some of the WT dead or not.

  At some point in the 1950s, the Society began using plots located on the WT farm in Walkill, NY. Today there is a plot on the Patterson property, if memory serves.

  I am sure that New York City and New York State have some clearly defined laws regarding when an autopsy is required, but I am equally sure that the WTB&TS is not above ignoring those laws when it suits them. There is a story about an Indian burial ground that the Society discovered during the excavation of one of their Brooklyn building projects. Reporting the project would have slowed down Jehovah's work, so it wasn't reported.

  I leave it to others to flesh out (ha ha! a pun!) these stories, or to debunk them if they have facts showing otherwise.
• 

  nvrgnbk

  I also knew the party animal Jonathan Jones.

  Anyone remember a David White?

  He was a real human being too.

  I think they hung out together sometimes.
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  White Dove

  Does anyone remember or know a Krista Habager who married Dave from Bethel in the late 1980's? He is tall with dark hair and pock marks on his face.
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  bavman

  Bavman-DH = dear husband

  Lol! I gottchta now....sorry to hear that he bought into that though. Say hello to DH for me...hope he is well....
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  White Dove

  I forgot to say that Krista and Dave are from Vancouver, Washington. She was in Central congregation and he was in Orchards for a time.
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  Fisherman

  Seeker I remmeber a a couple of guys like that one was the last name kawalski in scaffolding another tall bro who had a quacker background too cant remmeber his name. But Scaffolding was run by Cosmo. What year in the 80's are you talking about. Cosmo was there a long time
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  uninformed

  NVRgnbk

  You wrote:

  I also knew the party animal Jonathan Jones.

  Anyone remember a David White?

  He was a real human being too.

  I think they hung out together sometimes.

  Jonathan is my son and I met David White one time on a visit with Jonathan. They were room mates in the 58 "Party Building" and on my first occasion to meet David White he was quite inebriated and proceeded to climb out the back window of the room onto the fire escape, which was several feet from the window. He was in just his underwear at the time, in winter NY.

  Hey, if you want to get ahold of Jonathan, send me a PM and I will give you his email address.

  Brant
• 

  nvrgnbk

  Hey, Brant(uninformed).

  I remember Jonathan well.

  he was quite inebriated and proceeded to climb out the back window of the room onto the fire escape, which was several feet from the window. He was in just his underwear at the time, in winter NY.

  Yep.

  That's the Dave White I'm talking about.

  LOL!

  I visited Dave and his wife in the Dominican Republic years ago.

  I hope he got out of the cult.

  Glad Jonathan did.
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  nvrgnbk

  Just had a flashback on the "gleaning" thread.

  I remember Dave eating some Stroganoff that he had left in his locker for about 2 or 3 days.

  He said it tasted better a litlle fermented.

  He was an animal.

  Good guy.

  I miss people like that.
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  Fisherman

  I remmember those gleaners. Funny I was jus thinking about that. There were a couple of couples that gleaned every lunch. Never the young single. I wonder why No one ever gleaned at supper.?