Eliza Agnew
Encyclopedia
Eliza Agnew was an American
Presbyterian missionary
. She was born in New York City
to James and Jane Agnew.
. She was educated in and lived in New York City for nearly 32 years, devoting her service to the home, to the "Sabbath-school", and in the distribution of Scripture and tracts
. After her parents died, she secured appointment to the Ceylon Mission of the American Board of Boston in 1839. She sailed from Boston, Massachusetts to Jaffna
, Ceylon (Sri Lanka
as of 1972), aboard the Black Warrior. She served as teacher for 42 years without furlough in the Female Boarding School in Uduvil
, just north of Jaffna, Ceylon. The Missionary Herald (September, 1863) rewarded her pioneering efforts in Ceylon towards helping girls and women with the following quote: "It is largely owing to the work she was permitted to do that female education is more advanced here (Ceylon) than in almost any other heathen land." She was a woman of prayer, concerned with the spiritual welfare of her students. Of one thousand people of three generations under her influence, six hundred adopted to Christianity. She visited and assisted graduates and ex-pupils with home economics and spiritual affairs. Then she resigned as principle of the school in 1879 and moved to Manepay, just west of the school. She resided in the home of Misses M. and M.W. Leitch, American Board missionaries in Manipai. She died from a paralytic stroke in June 1883 and was buried in Oodooville near the school over which she presided.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Presbyterian missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. She was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to James and Jane Agnew.
Background
On December 28, 1823, at a revival meeting at the Orange Street Presbyterian Church, she converted to ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. She was educated in and lived in New York City for nearly 32 years, devoting her service to the home, to the "Sabbath-school", and in the distribution of Scripture and tracts
Tract (literature)
A tract is a literary work, and in current usage, usually religious in nature. The notion of what constitutes a tract has changed over time. By the early part of the 21st century, these meant small pamphlets used for religious and political purposes, though far more often the former. They are...
. After her parents died, she secured appointment to the Ceylon Mission of the American Board of Boston in 1839. She sailed from Boston, Massachusetts to Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
, Ceylon (Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
as of 1972), aboard the Black Warrior. She served as teacher for 42 years without furlough in the Female Boarding School in Uduvil
Uduvil
Uduvil is an agricultural village of about 32.7 square kilometers situated along the KKS Road at about five miles to the North of Jaffna city, Sri Lanka. It is surrounded by the villages Chunnaakam, Kantharoodai, Sanguveeli, Maanippaay, Suthumalai and Inuvil...
, just north of Jaffna, Ceylon. The Missionary Herald (September, 1863) rewarded her pioneering efforts in Ceylon towards helping girls and women with the following quote: "It is largely owing to the work she was permitted to do that female education is more advanced here (Ceylon) than in almost any other heathen land." She was a woman of prayer, concerned with the spiritual welfare of her students. Of one thousand people of three generations under her influence, six hundred adopted to Christianity. She visited and assisted graduates and ex-pupils with home economics and spiritual affairs. Then she resigned as principle of the school in 1879 and moved to Manepay, just west of the school. She resided in the home of Misses M. and M.W. Leitch, American Board missionaries in Manipai. She died from a paralytic stroke in June 1883 and was buried in Oodooville near the school over which she presided.