On a spring morning in Moravia, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, April 10, 1908, Dr. H. H. Davis delivered a remarkable baby girl weighing twelve pounds. James and Sierra “Vada” Book named her Marybelle, and she was greeted with joy by her older sister Margaret, then thirteen.
By the time Marybelle was two, the 1910 Census recorded the family living on a rented farm along Moravia Road in North Beaver Township. Sharing their household was James’ mother, Mary Glenn Book, an 80‑year‑old widow who had lived with them until her death in May of that year. Though widowed since 1868, Mary Glenn had raised her children with resilience, and the census noted her ability to read and write. James himself had left school as a boy to support his mother and sisters, yet he never stopped learning. He attended lectures and concerts throughout his life, served on the School Board, and instilled in his children a deep respect for education.
In 1914, James and Sierra welcomed another daughter, Laura Rebecca, who was born with Down Syndrome. The family’s joy was tempered by sorrow three years later when Laura, after weeks of illness, died of diphtheria in her father’s arms. She was laid to rest at Fair Oaks Cemetery beside her grandmother, Mary Book Glenn.
Marybelle grew up in Shenango Township, where her father operated his own farm. By age eleven she was excelling in school, her name appearing in local newspapers for honor roll achievements. At New Castle High School she joined the Junior Literary Society, Dramatic Club, and Latin Club, earning honors and the affectionate nickname “Bookie.” Her yearbook described her soft voice and powerful speeches with a playful verse.“Her voice is soft and low May breezes blow just so; But when she has a speech It’s like Demosthenes on the beach!” She continued her studies at Westminster College in New Wilmington, preparing for a career in teaching.
By 1930, Marybelle was a young schoolteacher living with her mother in Hickory Township. The following year she secretly eloped with Wilbert “Red” Anderson on January 31, 1931, keeping the marriage hidden to protect her teaching position. Their first child, James Maurice, was born in 1934, followed by a daughter, Eleanor Louise, in 1947.
The family lived in New Wilmington and later settled in Mars, Butler County. In 1954, Marybelle, Red, and Louise sailed from New York aboard the Constitution to India, embarking on years of missionary service. Her nephew Willis Mohney saw them off at the dock, a moment remembered in family lore.
In later years, Marybelle taught Latin at a local high school. Guiding her students her small stature and soft voice did not stop her from having well-disciplined classrooms. To her nieces and nephews she was a stylish, spirited presence — cigarette in one hand, drink in the other, always impeccably dressed. She offered financial and emotional support to her extended family, sending postcards and sharing stories that became treasured keepsakes.
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Red passed away in 1980, his obituary appearing in the Butler Eagle. Marybelle lived on until October 16, 1993, when she died at age 85 in Harmony, Butler County. She and Red rest together at Lakewood Memorial Gardens in Dorseyville, Allegheny County. Her obituary remembered her as a devoted wife, mother of James and Louise, grandmother to seven, and great‑grandmother to seven more.
