Mary Stallard Purnell

Mary Stallard Purnell (born Mary Stallard; November 13, 1862 – August 19, 1953), sometimes referred to as Queen Mary, was an American religious leader and writer. With her husband, Benjamin Purnell, she co-founded the Israelite House of David, a communal Christian Israelite sect established in the early 20th century. She played a key role in expanding the movement into a nationally recognized religious colony in Benton Harbor, Michigan, noted for its distinctive religious practices, communal lifestyle, vegetarian principles, and cultural enterprises. After Benjamin's death and a subsequent leadership dispute, Mary established a separate community, known as Mary's City of David, which emphasized spiritual renewal, modest living, and economic self-reliance. As part of this vision, she founded both a vegetarian hotel and a separate restaurant that catered to both religious adherents and Jewish vacationers. During the Great Depression, the new colony developed into both a religious center and a Jewish vacation resort. Purnell led the community until her death in 1953.