Bertha Spafford (Vester), duaghter of Horatio and Anna Spafford, was born on March 24, 1878 in Chicago, Illinois.
In 1881, her parents went to Jerusalem to "witness prophecy and refresh the body and soul". Anna and Horatio traveled with a small group of people from their hometown of Chicago to Jerusalem. Originally planned as a temporary visit, the Spaffords remained in Jerusalem beginning the foundation of a group that would be known as the American Colony in Jerusalem.
Bertha was educated primarily by her father and mother. Horatio was a lawyer and was well schooled. Anna taught nursing, housekeeping, and general humanities. Bertha did much for the American Colony including teaching as she grew older. She acted as a nurse during World War I and was linked clsely to the activities of the American Red Cross. Above all, she was a humanitarian. She cared for the sick, fed the hungry and housed the homeless. In 1895, at the age of 16, Bertha met he future husband, Frederick Vester. They were married in 1904 and this marriage brought them six children. Frederick and his family were friends of the American Colony and the two got along wonderfully. One problem was that Frederick was a German citizen. This posed problems for him during the World Wars begin.
Mrs. Vester was a very accomplished person. She was an excellent painter and she mainly painted landscapes and flowers of the Holy Land. Some of these paintings were complied into a book called Flowers of the Holy Land by Hallmark in 1964.
Mrs. Vester has written "Our Jerusalem" ( 1950) and also a supplement called Supplement to Our Jerusalem (1954). These are the main books that deal with the American Colony in Jerusalem.
On August 17, 1881, at 9:10 pm, the Spafford delegation left Chicago, Illinois for Jerusalem. Their journey took them through Quebec by rail. After reaching this port city, they boarded a ship that took them to London. The group arrived in London on September 8, 1881. From London the journey took them to the port city of Jaffa (Tel Aviv), and there the group boarded spring wagons. These wagons took the Spaffords and their party to the holy city of Jerusalem.
