Intro
In 1885, Mary Caroline Webb was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of the famous ex-Qadiani and “public Muslim”, Alexander Russell Webb.
In 1898, her family moved her to Rutherford, New Jersey. When they arrived in Rutherford in the late 1890s, Alexander and Ella, his wife, settled on Orient Way in a property owned by Martha “Maddie” Brinkerhoff Alyea, who was married to the senior Garrabrant Alyea. By 1909, both Mary and her sister had become teachers. At the time, they were residing at 391 Orient Way. On April 10, 1915, Mary was married to Garrabrant R. Alyea, Jr.
In 1915, she married into the Alyea family in 1915 and become a music teacher of considerable reputation, ultimately succeeding to manage her own music studio in a stately Victorian home on Sylvan Street. Her new name was Mary Caroline Alyea. The Alyea School of Music, located at 150 Sylvan Street, offered lessons in piano, violin, viola, and voice culture. Mrs. Mary W, Alyea was its director. Records indicate that Jean W. Dawley owned this property in the 1920s and that Garry Alyea, aka Garabrant R. Alyea Jr, was a tenant. Mary subsequently located her studio at 120 Ridge Road. Mary Alyea, whose nickname was “Mammie” to her beloved children and grandchildren, was a descendant of two of Rutherford’s significant families. Her grandfather-in-law, Garrabrant Ryerson Alyea, was a teacher at the historic Meadow Road School, opened in 1850 on land deeded by Daniel Van Winkle. His son, Mary’s husband, known as Garry Alyea, became a Vice-Principal with the East Rutherford school district.
In 1916, Alexander Webb (her father) died on Oct. 1st and is buried at the Hillside Cemetery, Lyndhurst New Jersey. A few months before this, the ROR of July-1916 alleges that Webb sent them an article from the USA wherein Islam was set to be attacked. This was also quoted in Fanusie (see page 228)(St. Joseph Gazette of Tue, Oct 03, 1916 ·Page 2). It should be noted that Alexander Webb had been active in the Knights of Pythias, serving that non-denominational society as Chancellor. He had owned the Rutherford News and had a popular following for his Commuters Column. Webb’s memorial service was held at the Unitarian Church, conducted by Reverend Elizabeth Padgham (See The Light of April, 8, 1944)(See The Light (16 April 1944) — www.alahmadiyya.org).
In 1944, she was mentioned on page 7 as someone who helped Nadirah Osman write her biography of Alexander Muhammad Russell Webb (See The Light of April, 8, 1944)(See The Light (16 April 1944) — www.alahmadiyya.org).
In 1975, she died. Mary W. Alyea was buried at Hillside Cemetery.
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