A student of Christian Science, in 1911, she began collecting documents and items related to the early development of the religion and later established the Longyear Museum to further this work.
[2] On January 4, 1879, she married John Munro Longyear in Battle Creek and moved to Marquette, Michigan,[1] where they had seven children,[3] one of whom would later drown in a canoe accident.
[4] In 1911, she began collecting objects, letters, and real estate relating to the early history of Christian Science and the life of Mary Baker Eddy, under the belief that these things would be valuable to future generations.
She worked with E. A. Wallis Budge to curate a collection of around 13,500 volumes, and the foundation was introduced at the Society of Biblical Literature's annual meeting at Yale Divinity School in 1922, opening to the public shortly there after.
[2] In 1925, Longyear hosted the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, as well as the Special Libraries Association of Boston, and again addressed the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature.