Guide to the William M. Baird Papers

Descriptive Summary

Title

William M. Baird Papers

Inclusive Dates

1885-1951

Bulk Dates

1885-1931

Call Number

RG 173

Creator(s)

Baird, William M. (William Martyn), 1862-1931.

Quantity

0.75 cubic feet (1 box)

Restrictions on Access

Collection open for research

Digital Content

To browse this collection's digital content visit Pearl.

Repository

Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516 USA

Biographical Note / Administrative History

Biographical Note

The Rev. Dr. William M. Baird and his wife, Annie Laurie Adams Baird, were appointed to the Chosen (Korea) Mission in 1890 by the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. From 1891 until 1897, they served at the Seoul, Fusan, and Taiku stations. In 1897, Baird was appointed president of the Pyengyang Academy and Union Christian College (also known as Sungsil Haktang and later Sungsil Taehak), a position that he held until his death in 1931.

Two of the Baird's sons, William M. Baird, Jr. and Richard H. Baird, also served as Presbyterian missionaries to Korea.

Collection Overview

The William M. Baird Papers, 1885-1951 (bulk 1885-1931), consist of Baird's diaries, correspondence, reports, photographs, clippings and miscellaneous items. His diaries, 1892-1895, cover the early years of his work in Korea, primarily at Fusan station. The correspondence, 1885-1905, 1916, pre-dates his work in Korea and concludes with the death of his first wife, Annie Laurie Adams Baird, in 1916. It is primarily personal and is arranged chronologically. The reports, 1891-1931, though fairly complete, are not original copies and most likely duplicate those found in Record Group 140, Secretaries' Files, Board of Foreign Missions, Korea Mission, 1903-1973. Included are station, personal, and institutional reports, arranged chronologically. The photographs, 1891-1939, primarily document Korean and missionary school children, missionary groups, and faculty and students of the Presbyterian Seminary and Union Christian College.

Organization and Arrangement

Series I: Diaries, 1892-1895

Series II: Correspondence, 1885-1905, 1916

Series III: Reports, 1891-1931

Series IV: Photographs, 1891-1939

Series V: Clippings and miscellaneous items, 1885-1951 (bulk 1885-1932)

Alternative Formats

To browse this collection's digitized content visit Pearl.

Available on microfilm: MF/POS./1020/r.1-2.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Processing Information

Collection processed and finding aid prepared: 1984
Frederick J. Heuser, Jr., Archivist

Materials added: May 1993
Stephanie Muntone, Processing Archivist

Finding aid revised: July 2012
Bill Brock, Collection Management Archivist

Catalog Headings

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in the society’s electronic catalog.

Personal Name Subject

Baird family.

Baird, Annie Laurie Adams, 1864-1916.

Baird, William M. (William Martyn), 1862-1931.

Corporate Subject

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Board of Foreign Missions.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Chosen Mission.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Korea Mission.

Pyengyang Academy.

Sungsil Haktang (Pʻyŏngyang, Korea)

Topical Subject

Missionaries--Korea.

Missions--Educational work--Korea.

Presbyterian Church--Missions--Korea.

Schools--Korea.

Universities and colleges--Korea.

Geographic Subject

P'yŏngyang (Korea)--Church history.

Genre-form

Diaries. aat

Photographs. aat

Correspondence. aat

Reports. aat

Clippings (information artifacts) aat

Collection Inventory

Box	Folder	Description	Alternative Formats

1	1	Finding Aid to Record Group 173

		SERIES I: DIARIES, 1892-1895

1	2	1892-1893	Digital
1	3	1893-1894	Digital
1	4	1894-1895	Digital

		SERIES II: CORRESPONDENCE, 1885-1905, 1916

1	5	1885-1893	Digital
1	6	1894-1896	Digital
1	7	1897-1905	Digital
1	8	1916	Digital

		SERIES III: REPORTS, 1891-1931

1	9	Station, institutional, and personal reports, 1891-1931	Digital

		SERIES IV: PHOTOGRAPHS, 1891-1939

1	10	Groups of children (Korean and missionary) – includes Pyeng Yang Foreign School, Seoul Girls’ School, First Christian School (Pusan), circa 1895, 1903, 1913-1916, circa 1937	Digital
1	11	Missionary groups, 1891-1893, 1907-1939, undated	Digital
1	12	Presbyterian Seminary and Union Christian College – faculty and students, 1907-1915, 1929, undated	Digital
1	13	Miscellaneous photos, 1901, 1907, undated	Digital
1	14	Illustrations, 1905-1907, 1914-1916, undated	Digital

		SERIES IV: CLIPPINGS AND MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS, 1885-1951 (BULK 1885-1932)

1	15	1891-1902, 1914-1915	Digital
1	16	1885-1888, 1903, 1913-1932, 1951, undated	Digital
1	17	1899, 1916, 1931, undated	Digital

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Guide to the William M. Baird Papers

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