Anna Seward Pruitt
Encyclopedia
Anna Pruitt (1862–1948), was born in Tallmadge
, Ohio
, on May 16, 1862, the daughter of John Woodhouse and Urania (Ashley) Seward. She traveled west in the early 1880s to teach school in Ojai, California
; her letters about the trip were later published in the California Historical Quarterly (1937–1938). She was among the first Christian missionary women to Northern China
and belonged to the so called "missionary generation" of Americans born between the years 1860 - 1885.
apparently babysat the children on some occasions. Ida was one of the few Westerners that remained influential in Chinese Aid and Development throughout much of the century even after the communist take over. While stationed in Huangxian, the children attended school at the Chefoo School
operated by the China Inland Mission
. Anna Seward began a missionary school for boys, and by 1904 C.W. Pruitt had organized the Baptist Theological Seminary for Central China.
Most of this article is taken from the Radcliffe Finding Aid. See link below.
Tallmadge, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,390 people, 6,273 households, and 4,711 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,173.9 people per square mile . There were 6,494 housing units at an average density of 465.1 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, on May 16, 1862, the daughter of John Woodhouse and Urania (Ashley) Seward. She traveled west in the early 1880s to teach school in Ojai, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; her letters about the trip were later published in the California Historical Quarterly (1937–1938). She was among the first Christian missionary women to Northern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and belonged to the so called "missionary generation" of Americans born between the years 1860 - 1885.
Early years and children
To honor the example of a beloved cousin who had died in mission work in China, Anna Seward decided to travel there as a Presbyterian missionary and settled in Huangxian in North China, where she met Cicero Washington Pruitt. They married on February 16, 1888, and had five children: Ida (1888–1985), John (1890–1912), Ashley (1892–1898), Virginia (died in infancy, 1894), Robert (1897–1961), and Dudley McConnell "Mac" (1902–1967). The death of Ashley and Virginia inspired Southern Baptists to send money to start a hospital in Huang Xian. The famous missionary Lottie MoonLottie Moon
Charlotte Digges "Lottie" Moon was a Southern Baptist missionary to China with the Foreign Mission Board who spent nearly forty years living and working in China...
apparently babysat the children on some occasions. Ida was one of the few Westerners that remained influential in Chinese Aid and Development throughout much of the century even after the communist take over. While stationed in Huangxian, the children attended school at the Chefoo School
Chefoo School
The Chefoo School a.k.a. Protestant Collegiate School or China Inland Mission School was a Christian boarding school established by the China Inland Mission - under James Hudson Taylor- at Chefoo , in Shandong province in northern China, in 1880...
operated by the China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
. Anna Seward began a missionary school for boys, and by 1904 C.W. Pruitt had organized the Baptist Theological Seminary for Central China.
Writings and later years
Anna wrote two books about missionary life in China: The Day of Small Things (Foreign Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention, 1929) and Up from Zero: In North China (Broadman Press, 1939). She also wrote two children's books set in China: The Chinese Boat Baby (Rice Press, 1938) and Whirligigs in China: Stories for Juniors (Broadman, 1948). After C.W. retired in 1936, they returned to the United States and settled in Atlanta where he became the dean of the Baptist Foreign Missions of North America. Anna spent the last years of her life traveling and lecturing on China and mission work. Anna Seward died, on June 20, 1948.Most of this article is taken from the Radcliffe Finding Aid. See link below.
See also
- Ida PruittIda PruittIda Pruitt , bi-cultural social worker, author, speaker, interpreter and 20th century contributor to Sino-American understanding.-Early life:...
- C.W. PruittC.W. PruittCicero Washington Pruitt . was among the first Southern Baptist missionaries to Northern China. He was born in Barrettsville, Georgia, on January 31, 1857, the son of John Wesley and Hannah Pruitt. He was ordained as a Southern Baptist minister at the age of 14 and began his evangelical work by...
- Lottie MoonLottie MoonCharlotte Digges "Lottie" Moon was a Southern Baptist missionary to China with the Foreign Mission Board who spent nearly forty years living and working in China...
- Southern Baptists
- 19th Century Protestant Missions in China
- List of Protestant missionaries in China
- Christianity in ChinaChristianity in ChinaChristianity in China is a growing minority religion that comprises Protestants , Catholics , and a small number of Orthodox Christians. Although its lineage in China is not as ancient as the institutional religions of Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism, and the social system and ideology of...
External links
- World Catalog entry for Missionary mother and radical daughter: Anna and Ida Pruitt in China, 1887-1939 - Marjorie King's thesis on Anna Seward, her daughter Ida and their different approaches to life and living with the Chinese people.
- World Catalog entry for The day of small things Click here to read the PDF.
- World Catalog entry for Up from Zero
- World Catalog entry for The Chinese boat baby
- World Catalog entry for Whirligigs in China: stories for juniors
- World Catalog entry for California in the eighties. As pictured in the letters of Anna Seward. - 2006 book on Ida Pruitt with possible insight into her mother's outlook on life and the different point of view that Ida her daughter took. by Marjorie King
- The Pruitt family's virtual library
- The finding aid for Ida Pruitt's papers located at Radcliffe College. The papers contain many items related to C.W.
- History of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering