An Evening with
Jill Marie Snyder
Dear Mary, Dear Luther: A Courtship in Letters
Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET via Zoom
This presentation is free but registration is required. Click here to register.
Dear Mary, Dear Luther reveals through letters the emotional track of a 1930s courtship that leads to a lasting and loving marriage.
Luther was enjoying bachelorhood in Harlem and working as a hotel porter. Always the pursuer, he was always honest with Mary about where she stood. Step by step, he proclaimed his feelings as he progressed from attraction to love. African American men are often portrayed as brutes, lacking feelings and deep emotions. Luther's authentic expressions of romantic love will be a revelation for many. Mary--sassy, feisty, mercurial--was a very smart young lady. Still living at home in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania with her parents, she continued to date others until Luther made it clear she was the only one. She accepted his evolving emotional state, never pushing for a greater commitment than he was ready to make. Gradually, their intimacy deepened until each knew they were ready to become man and wife.
To the family letters, Snyder added family history and reflections on Mary and Luther's life after they married. Dear Mary, Dear Luther is truly the saga of a loving African American family, facing hardships with dignity and grace, representing millions of other African American families.
About the Author
Retired from a corporate career, Jill Marie Snyder has a B.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Connecticut and an M.A. in Communication from Fairfield University. In addition, she has completed Boston University’s Principles of Genealogy course.
Since its founding in 2006, Jill has served on the board of the Community Healing Network, Inc. Its mission is to “mobilize Black people across the African Diaspora to heal from the trauma caused by centuries of anti-Black racism, free ourselves of deadly stereotypes and reclaim our dignity and humanity as people of African descent.“
Jill is currently researching prominent African Americans living in New Haven, Connecticut in the 1800’s.
This presentation is free but registration is required. Click here to register.
Co-sponsors: Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, New England Chapter (AAHGS-NE), Essex Society of Genealogists (ESOG), Falmouth Genealogical Society (FGS), Friends of Irish Research (FIR), Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston (JGSGB), Massachusetts Society of Genealogists (MSOG), New Bedford Historical Society (NBHS), New England Chapter-Association of Professional Genealogists (NEAPG), The Irish Ancestral Research Society (TIARA), Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society (WMGS)