Mary Chaffee Heald was born in Canton, IL, 1 Aug 1895. She was married in Winnetka, IL, 6 Jun 1931, to Spencer Rehbock Heindel (b. Freeport, IL, 16 June 1893, son of Albert Jacob and Leonore Fredericka (Rehbock) Heindel). After graduating from Canton High School in 1913, Mary attended Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, from 1913 to 1916. While a student at Oberlin College, she met future author and playwright Thornton Wilder, who was dating a close friend of hers. She also dated future 1940 presidential candidate Wendell Willkie, who was briefly staying with his brother Eddie, a student at Oberlin. Her Oberlin education was interrupted by the sudden death of her mother after which she stayed home to keep house for her father. Returning to college, Mary received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Beloit College, Beloit, WI, in 1922. She later earned a Bachelor of Library Science degree from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, in 1929. After her Beloit graduation, she taught one year of high school English at Stockton, IL, also meeting her future husband in the process. She then taught two years of mechanical drawing and general mathematics at Painesville, OH, high school. Following these three years of teaching, she held library positions at Columbia University, Rutgers University, and the University of Chicago. She then married in 1931 and moved to Dixon, IL, to raise a family. After her sons were both in college, she began working again, this time as head cataloger for the Dixon Public Library, totaling twenty-one years of service, retiring at age 80 in 1976. Mary was a sixty year resident of Dixon, Ill.
Mary's great passion was family genealogy. Through her research at Chicago, Madison, Boston, New York, and Salt Lake City libraries and many trips to New England, she identified over 1000 ancestors. At the conclusion of this research, she privately published the first volume of the Heald-Chaffee Genealogy in 1976 at age 81. The second volume followed two years later in 1978. She also wrote two manuscripts containing her recollections of childhood and family as gifts for her grandchildren, both written in 1984 at age 89.
Organizations to which she belonged include P.E.O.; The National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (qualifying for membership with ten revolutionary war ancestors); National Society Women Descendants of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company; and Pi Beta Phi social sorority. Mary's hobbies, beside genealogy, included photography; bird watching; reading historical novels, biographies, and travel books; weaving (once recognized as one of 13 state winners of the Illinois "Art is Ageless" competition in 1988); and travel. She made six trips to the British Isles, Scandinavia, Europe (including Italy and Spain), and Africa. Also traveled extensively in the U.S., including experiencing the Colorado River raft trip in 1968 at age 73.
Mary died in Mt. Lebanon, PA, 30 Dec 1995 (age 100).
Mary's great passion was family genealogy. Through her research at Chicago, Madison, Boston, New York, and Salt Lake City libraries and many trips to New England, she identified over 1000 ancestors. At the conclusion of this research, she privately published the first volume of the Heald-Chaffee Genealogy in 1976 at age 81. The second volume followed two years later in 1978. She also wrote two manuscripts containing her recollections of childhood and family as gifts for her grandchildren, both written in 1984 at age 89.
Organizations to which she belonged include P.E.O.; The National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (qualifying for membership with ten revolutionary war ancestors); National Society Women Descendants of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company; and Pi Beta Phi social sorority. Mary's hobbies, beside genealogy, included photography; bird watching; reading historical novels, biographies, and travel books; weaving (once recognized as one of 13 state winners of the Illinois "Art is Ageless" competition in 1988); and travel. She made six trips to the British Isles, Scandinavia, Europe (including Italy and Spain), and Africa. Also traveled extensively in the U.S., including experiencing the Colorado River raft trip in 1968 at age 73.
Mary died in Mt. Lebanon, PA, 30 Dec 1995 (age 100).
Mary Chaffee Heald was born in Canton, IL, 1 Aug 1895. She was married in Winnetka, IL, 6 Jun 1931, to Spencer Rehbock Heindel (b. Freeport, IL, 16 June 1893, son of Albert Jacob and Leonore Fredericka (Rehbock) Heindel). After graduating from Canton High School in 1913, Mary attended Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, from 1913 to 1916. While a student at Oberlin College, she met future author and playwright Thornton Wilder, who was dating a close friend of hers. She also dated future 1940 presidential candidate Wendell Willkie, who was briefly staying with his brother Eddie, a student at Oberlin. Her Oberlin education was interrupted by the sudden death of her mother after which she stayed home to keep house for her father. Returning to college, Mary received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Beloit College, Beloit, WI, in 1922. She later earned a Bachelor of Library Science degree from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, in 1929. After her Beloit graduation, she taught one year of high school English at Stockton, IL, also meeting her future husband in the process. She then taught two years of mechanical drawing and general mathematics at Painesville, OH, high school. Following these three years of teaching, she held library positions at Columbia University, Rutgers University, and the University of Chicago. She then married in 1931 and moved to Dixon, IL, to raise a family. After her sons were both in college, she began working again, this time as head cataloger for the Dixon Public Library, totaling twenty-one years of service, retiring at age 80 in 1976. Mary was a sixty year resident of Dixon, Ill.
Mary's great passion was family genealogy. Through her research at Chicago, Madison, Boston, New York, and Salt Lake City libraries and many trips to New England, she identified over 1000 ancestors. At the conclusion of this research, she privately published the first volume of the Heald-Chaffee Genealogy in 1976 at age 81. The second volume followed two years later in 1978. She also wrote two manuscripts containing her recollections of childhood and family as gifts for her grandchildren, both written in 1984 at age 89.
Organizations to which she belonged include P.E.O.; The National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (qualifying for membership with ten revolutionary war ancestors); National Society Women Descendants of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company; and Pi Beta Phi social sorority. Mary's hobbies, beside genealogy, included photography; bird watching; reading historical novels, biographies, and travel books; weaving (once recognized as one of 13 state winners of the Illinois "Art is Ageless" competition in 1988); and travel. She made six trips to the British Isles, Scandinavia, Europe (including Italy and Spain), and Africa. Also traveled extensively in the U.S., including experiencing the Colorado River raft trip in 1968 at age 73.
Mary died in Mt. Lebanon, PA, 30 Dec 1995 (age 100).
Mary's great passion was family genealogy. Through her research at Chicago, Madison, Boston, New York, and Salt Lake City libraries and many trips to New England, she identified over 1000 ancestors. At the conclusion of this research, she privately published the first volume of the Heald-Chaffee Genealogy in 1976 at age 81. The second volume followed two years later in 1978. She also wrote two manuscripts containing her recollections of childhood and family as gifts for her grandchildren, both written in 1984 at age 89.
Organizations to which she belonged include P.E.O.; The National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (qualifying for membership with ten revolutionary war ancestors); National Society Women Descendants of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company; and Pi Beta Phi social sorority. Mary's hobbies, beside genealogy, included photography; bird watching; reading historical novels, biographies, and travel books; weaving (once recognized as one of 13 state winners of the Illinois "Art is Ageless" competition in 1988); and travel. She made six trips to the British Isles, Scandinavia, Europe (including Italy and Spain), and Africa. Also traveled extensively in the U.S., including experiencing the Colorado River raft trip in 1968 at age 73.
Mary died in Mt. Lebanon, PA, 30 Dec 1995 (age 100).
Inscription
"MARY HEALD
HEINDEL
AUG. 1, 1895
DEC. 30, 1995"
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