Aflame with Devotion: The Hannen and Knoblock Families and the Early Days of the Baha'i Faith in America

by Judy Hannen Moe

Overview

In the early part of the twentieth century, as millennial expectations swept through a fast-changing world, there were many in the United States who sought spiritual awakening. Among the inquisitive souls seeking such an awakening was the young Pauline Hannen, the first in her family to investigate what was at the time a little-known religion of the East called the Bahá'í Faith. Pauline was enthralled by what she heard, and she quickly immersed herself in study of the new Faith and shared all that she learned with her sisters, Fanny and Alma Knobloch, and her mother Amalie. Her husband, Joseph Hannen, soon embraced the Faith as well, and the Hannens and Knoblochs became active members of the small but growing American Bahá'í community.

Their embrace of the Cause came at significant personal sacrifice as it meant breaking with the social mores and status quo of Washington society as they strove to put the Faith’s social teachings into practice. They were privileged, however, to visit and correspond with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá personally and were intimately involved in serving Him throughout His visit to North America. Author Judy Hannen Moe, the great-granddaughter of Joseph and Pauline Hannen, has combed through her family’s archival collections in order to piece together their story. The resulting book is a treasure trove of highlights from the early days of the Faith in America, and an intimate glimpse of the lives of a handful of brilliant and devoted servants of the Cause.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780877433958
Publisher:	Baha'i Publishing Trust, U.S.
Publication date:	04/23/2019
Edition description:	None
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Judy Hannen Moe is a retired ESL teacher whose Bahá'í ancestry dates back to 1902 in Washington D.C. She lives with her husband, Bruce, in Rockford, Illinois, where she has served on the Local Spiritual Assembly for forty-five years.

Table of Contents

Note to the Reader 3

Foreword and Acknowledgments 5

1 Setting the Stage 13

2 A Family Awakens 17

3 Joseph's Early Story 39

4 Guidance Pours Forth 47

5 The Real Work Begins 57

6 Accepting the "Most Challenging Issue" 65

7 A Radiant Pupil (Louis Gregory) 73

8 Alma Knobloch Answers the Call 85

9 Loss of a Matriarch 99

10 Fanny and Alma Meet the Master-Pilgrimage Accounts 111

11 Pauline and Joseph Meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá-Pilgrimage Accounts 123

12 The Persian-American Connection 143

13 'Abdu'l-Bahá Comes to America 153

14 Chicago and the Temple 175

15 Pittsburgh and Philadelphia 183

16 Special Visit in Dublin, New Hampshire 191

17 Final Washington D.C. Visit 203

18 Alma and Fanny visit 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris 227

19 Mother of Bahá'í Children's Classes 231

20 Disunity Issues 239

21 The Perils and Projects of Pauline 251

22 A Dark and Perilous Time 259

23 The Divine Plan Revealed 267

24 A Teaching Family 277

25 Joseph the "Correspondent" 289

26 Combining Forces-Carl Anthony "Nategh" Hannen and Mineola Barnitz 295

27 Joseph Hannen's Tragic Death 303

28 South Africa Bound-Fanny Pioneers 313

29 The Sisters Teach to the End 325

30 The Final Goodbyes 337

Epilogue 347

Endnotes 351

Bibliography 369

Index 373