Martha Ruth, Preacher's Daughter: Her Journey Through Religion, Sex and Love
by
Marti Eicholz
Copyright 2015 Marti Eicholz,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-2576-4
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
MARTHA RUTH traces her extraordinary life through small-town Indiana, churches, families, and taboos.
By Marti Eicholz
This book is dedicated to those who graced the first thirty plus years of my life: family, friends, teachers, students, and church communities.
Together, we navigated the twists, turns, and directions of my journey.
All of you helped shape the person that I have become. Thank you.
INTRODUCTION
World War I had ended.
This was a great time to live in Indiana and to call yourself a Hoosier.
But nothing stays the same, and all was about to change for Indiana.
The stock market crashed in 1929, leading to the Great Depression.
Unemployment and poverty became things everyone shared.
Clifford and Imogene Hertel moved with their children from Ohio to Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Children: Mildred, James, Dale, and Velma.
Clifford could get off the farm. He got a job on the railroad. Imogene found work in the big city, cooking and baking for local restaurants. It was important that their family connect with the Society of Friends for spiritual growth. Their message declared that salvation is a personal matter between the individual and God. No human mediator or outward ordinance is necessary to encounter the Living God. They championed nonviolence, social justice, and simplicity of living.
James William was the second child of Clifford and Imogene. James was an active child, selling newspapers on the street corners, showing leadership skills in school and after-school activities, and winning academic awards; and as a young man, he delved into his spiritual side, participating actively in the Friends Movement.
Leaning toward religious pursuits, he was a natural for the nearby academy started by the Society of Friends to educate young people in a Christian atmosphere. In May 1911, William M. Smith founded the Westfield Union Bible Seminary. The mission was to train men and women in the Word of God. They believed that God created every person to fulfill a unique ministry, and the academy and the seminary were to provide the knowledge and experiences to find and prepare for that ministry. James enrolled at the Westfield Union Bible Seminary to study for the ministry.
Olas and Edna “Doll” Hine lived in Lebanon, Indiana.
They had four children: Robert, Martha, Juanita, and Barbara.
Martha’s intention and desire were to become a nurse, but her father thought such a profession was not worthy of her religious, high-standard, moral upbringing. The Hine family was part of the revival of scriptural holiness that had swept across various denominations.
The Hine family was instrumental in building the Lebanon, Indiana, church.
It was decided that Martha would attend the Union Bible Seminary at Westfield, Indiana, to prepare for God’s work.
James and Martha met at Westfield.
Martha knew at first sight that James was the man she wished to marry. One day, he saved a seat for her in one of their classes, and that is all it took for them to become a couple.
LEBANON—THE BEGINNING
James and Martha married on June 5, 1937.
After their wedding, James hitched a house trailer to his vehicle, and they started married life on the road preaching the Gospel. Martha’s accordion and James’s guitar added some musical numbers to their ministry.
Martha soon became anxious and frightened about her new world and the uncertainty of it all: not knowing where the next meeting would be, not knowing how much money they would receive, travel time between engagements, meeting and greeting new people, and not having a friend, supporter, helper, guide, or confidant—only James. James was busy preparing sermons, soliciting meetings, and trying to keep the car and trailer running. And she missed her sisters, Juanita and Barbara, and her new sister-in-law, Margaret.
Martha felt alone. Even though she attended services every night sharing the Good News of God’s salvation powers, that didn’t seem to satisfy her. Then, Martha started doing a lot of spitting; and on a visit to her parents, her mother said, “Martha, quit spitting! People will think you are pregnant.” Well, she was. It was not easy being on the road, and Martha’s anxieties grew. James and Martha arranged their schedule to be with Martha’s parents, Olas and Doll Hine, in Lebanon, Indiana, for Thanksgiving in 1939. Martha stayed with her parents until the birth. James continued his ministry. Lebanon had a good hospital. She was in a familiar environment with family and good support. It was not an easy pregnancy nor an easy birth. On December 10, 1939, their daughter came into the world after forceps were used to grasp, manipulate, and extract her, leaving her head brutally bruised. James was in Terre Haute, Indiana, but he rushed to Martha’s side. It is said this was the only service he ever canceled or didn’t show up for throughout his lengthy career.
James named their daughter Martha Ruth. Martha was wishing for Sharon Rose. Thinking about baby names, do we give enough time, research, and thought? Are they good-sounding ones, or do they remind us of someone in the family, or are we giving a toast in honor and recognition of a loved one? It was interesting that James, being a student and scholar of the Bible, would name his newborn Martha.
In the Bible, when Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha, Martha was “cumbered about many things.” Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he had to say. Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.