Mary E. Keeley (b. Dow) (1852-1931) was born in Hudson, Ohio, and died in Pasadena, California. In 1887 she married Leslie E. Keeley in Chicago, Illinois. He was a graduate of Rush Medical College in Chicago, and served the Union Army as a surgeon in the American Civil War. In 1879 he founded the Keeley Institutes, a franchise of unconventional alcoholic treatment centers based on his popular yet controversial "Double Chloride of Gold Cure" theory, also known as the "Keeley Cure." There grew to be over 200 Keeley Institutes worldwide. The original, and also the final, Keeley Institute, in Dwight, Illinois, operated until 1966.
Mary E. Keeley became interested in Christian Science in the late 1880s. She went on to take the Primary class from Mary Baker Eddy in March 1888. She joined The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 29, 1894, and was also a member of the National Christian Scientist Association and the General Association of Teachers. Although Keeley's husband was initially averse to Christian Science, in later years his views became more favorable, and in 1894 he joined with her in donating a substantial sum to the Building Fund of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts.
In the late 1890s, the Keeleys began wintering in Pasadena, and after her husband's passing in 1901, Keeley relocated there permanently. She then sold all of her interest in the Keeley Institutes and became a major benefactor of Christian Science causes, including the Christian Science Benevolent Association of Boston, the Pleasant View Home in Concord, New Hampshire, the Christian Science Benevolent Association of the Pacific Coast, and the Christian Science Publishing Society. Keeley was listed as a practitioner in The Christian Science Journal from 1923 until 1931. At the time of her passing, she was believed to possess the most extensive collection of books and other literature related to Christian Science outside of Boston, and in her will she left a bequest for constructing a library adjacent to the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pasadena, California, to house the collection.
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Mary E. Keeley (b. Dow) (1852-1931) was born in Hudson, Ohio, and died in Pasadena, California. In 1887 she married Leslie E. Keeley in Chicago, Illinois. He was a graduate of Rush Medical College in Chicago, and served the Union Army as a surgeon in the American Civil War. In 1879 he founded the Keeley Institutes, a franchise of unconventional alcoholic treatment centers based on his popular yet controversial "Double Chloride of Gold Cure" theory, also known as the "Keeley Cure." There grew to be over 200 Keeley Institutes worldwide. The original, and also the final, Keeley Institute, in Dwight, Illinois, operated until 1966.
Mary E. Keeley became interested in Christian Science in the late 1880s. She went on to take the Primary class from Mary Baker Eddy in March 1888. She joined The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 29, 1894, and was also a member of the National Christian Scientist Association and the General Association of Teachers. Although Keeley's husband was initially averse to Christian Science, in later years his views became more favorable, and in 1894 he joined with her in donating a substantial sum to the Building Fund of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts.
In the late 1890s, the Keeleys began wintering in Pasadena, and after her husband's passing in 1901, Keeley relocated there permanently. She then sold all of her interest in the Keeley Institutes and became a major benefactor of Christian Science causes, including the Christian Science Benevolent Association of Boston, the Pleasant View Home in Concord, New Hampshire, the Christian Science Benevolent Association of the Pacific Coast, and the Christian Science Publishing Society. Keeley was listed as a practitioner in The Christian Science Journal from 1923 until 1931. At the time of her passing, she was believed to possess the most extensive collection of books and other literature related to Christian Science outside of Boston, and in her will she left a bequest for constructing a library adjacent to the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pasadena, California, to house the collection.
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