Annie Laurie Adams Baird (September 15, 1864 – June 9, 1916) was an American Presbyterian missionary in Korea, serving with her husband, Rev. William M. Baird at various stations between 1891 and 1916. She wrote about her work in Daybreak in Korea (1909) and Inside Views of Mission Life (1913).
Annie Laurie Adams Baird | |
|---|---|
 Annie Laurie Adams Baird, from a memorial pamphlet published after her death in 1916. | |
| Born | Annie Laurie Adams September 15, 1864 Greensburg, Indiana |
| Died | June 9, 1916 (aged 51) Pyongyang |
| Occupation(s) | Missionary, writer, and translator |
| Spouse | William M. Baird (m. 1890) |
| Children | 5 |
Early life
editAnnie Laurie Adams was born in Greensburg, Indiana, the daughter of Jacob Clendenin Adams and Nancy McCoy Adams. She attended Hanover College, graduated from Washburn College, and worked at the YWCA in Topeka as a young woman. Her brother James Edward Adams also became a missionary in Korea.[1]
Career
editBaird and her husband were recently married when the Presbyterian Missions Board sent them to Korea to serve as missionaries. They were stationed at Seoul, Busan, and Daegu between 1891 and 1897, and Annie Baird was responsible for working with local women, often welcoming them into her home.[2]
The Bairds moved to Pyongyang in 1897, where William became first president of Soongsil University, a Christian college.[3] Baird assisted her husband as a translator, and wrote several published texts on mission work in Korea, including Daybreak in Korea (1909)[4] Fifty helps for the beginner in the use of the Korean language (1911),[5] and Inside Views of Mission Life (1913).[6] She described a Pyongyang revival meeting as "like hell, uncovered," shocked by the intense public displays of penitence among the Korean converts.[7] Her work was supported in part by the First Presbyterian Church of Topeka.[8]
Personal life
editAnnie Laurie Adams married William Baird in 1890, just before they left for Korea. They had five sons, including William M. Baird, Jr.[9] and Richard Hamilton Baird, who both became missionaries in Korea. Three of her brother's children also served as Presbyterian missionaries in Korea. Her nephew Edward Adams was co-founder and president of Keimyung University.[10]
Annie Laurie Adams Baird died in 1916, aged 51, in Pyongyang.[11] Her papers, her husband's papers, and her brother's papers are in the collection of the Presbyterian Historical Society.[3][10][12]
References
edit- ^ "Two Families, Two Generations of Missionaries to Korea". The Journal of Presbyterian History (1997-). 96 (1): 30–37. 2018. ISSN 1521-9216. JSTOR 26452669.
- ^ Choi, Hyaeweol (2014). "The Missionary Home as a Pulpit". In Choi, Hyaeweol; Jolly, Margaret (eds.). The Missionary Home as a Pulpit: Domestic Paradoxes in Early Twentieth-Century Korea. Christian Paradoxes in Asia and the Pacific. ANU Press. pp. 32–33. ISBN 978-1-925021-94-3. JSTOR j.ctt13wwvck.6. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ a b "Guide to the Annie Laurie Adams Baird Papers". Presbyterian Historical Society. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ Baird, Annie Laurie Adams (1909). "Daybreak in Korea: A Tale of Transformation in the Far East". Fleming H. Revell Company.
- ^ Baird, Annie Laurie Adams (2018-11-10). Fifty Helps for the Beginner in the Use of the Korean Language. FRANKLIN CLASSICS TRADE Press. ISBN 978-0-353-08721-7.
- ^ Baird, Annie Laurie Adams (1913). Inside Views of Mission Life. Westminster Press.
- ^ Ryu, Dae Young (2008). "The Origin and Characteristics of Evangelical Protestantism in Korea at the Turn of the Twentieth Century". Church History. 77 (2): 394. doi:10.1017/S0009640708000589. ISSN 0009-6407. JSTOR 20618491. S2CID 162153162.
- ^ "Many Are Converted". The Topeka Daily Herald. 1903-02-09. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-11-04 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Missionaries Marry Today". Lancaster New Era. 1929-06-18. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-11-04 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Guide to the Adams Family Papers". Presbyterian Historical Society. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ Bernheisel, Mrs. C. F. (November 1916). "Annie Laurie Adams Baird". Woman's Work. 31: 250–251.
- ^ "Guide to the William M. Baird Papers". Presbyterian Historical Society. May 5, 2014. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
