Annie Laurie Adams Baird (September 15, 1864 – June 9, 1916) was an

American Presbyterian Presbyterianism has had a presence in the United States since colonial times and has exerted an important influence over broader American religion and culture. History European origins Reformed Protestantism, of which Presbyterianism is a subs ...

missionary in Korea, serving with her husband, Rev.

William M. Baird William Martyn Baird was an American Presbyterian missionary who founded Soongsil University in Korea. Baird was born in Indiana on June 16, 1862. He was educated at Hanover College (Bachelor's degree in 1885, PhD in 1903, and Doctor of Divinity ...

at various stations between 1891 and 1916. She wrote about her work in ''Daybreak in Korea'' (1909) and ''Inside Views of Mission Life'' (1913).

Early life

Annie 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 Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 u ...

, and worked at the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

in Topeka as a young woman. Her brother James Edward Adams also became a missionary in Korea.

Career

Baird and her husband were recently married when the Presbyterian Missions Board sent them to Korea to serve as missionaries. They were stationed at

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

, and

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

between 1891 and 1897, and Annie Baird was responsible for working with local women, often welcoming them into her home. The Bairds moved to

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

in 1897, where William became first president of Soongsil University, a Christian college. Baird assisted her husband as a translator, and wrote several published texts on mission work in Korea, including ''Daybreak in Korea'' (1909) ''Fifty helps for the beginner in the use of the Korean language'' (1911), and ''Inside Views of Mission Life'' (1913). She described a Pyongyang revival meeting as "like hell, uncovered," shocked by the intense public displays of penitence among the Korean converts. Her work was supported in part by the First Presbyterian Church of Topeka.

Personal life

Annie Laurie Adams married William Baird in 1890, just before they left for Korea. They had five sons, including William M. Baird, Jr. 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 Keimyung University (계명대학교, Gyemyeong Daehakgyo), abbreviated as KMU or Keimyung (啓明), is a private university located in Daegu, the fourth largest city in South Korea. The university takes roots from Jejungwon founded in 1899. Th ...

. Annie Laurie Adams Baird died in 1916, aged 51, in Pyongyang. Her papers, her husband's papers, and her brother's papers are in the collection of the

Presbyterian Historical Society The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) is the oldest continuous denominational historical society in the United States.Smylie, James H. 1996. ''A Brief History of the Presbyterians.'' Louisville, Kentucky: Geneva Press. Its mission is to col ...

References

External links

* Katherine Hyunjoo Lee Ahn
Pioneer Women Missionaries to Korea, 1884-1907 (PhD dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary 2004). A doctoral dissertation about Baird and other women missionaries to Korea.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Annie Laurie Adams 1864 births 1916 deaths Presbyterian missionaries in Korea 20th-century American women writers People from Greensburg, Indiana American expatriates in South Korea 20th-century American non-fiction writers People from Pyongyang 20th-century American translators